Chiefs’ Aide Could Get Top Job In Lethbridge
Spokane Chiefs assistant coach Parry Shockey has interviewed for the head coaching job with the Western Hockey League Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Contacted Monday at a WHL scheduling meeting in Saskatoon, Bryan Maxwell, Hurricanes director of hockey operations, said, “We’ve talked to Parry, but not everything has been finalized.”
The job opened after Maxwell - who doubled as Hurricanes coach last season - was suspended in the wake of a March 23 brawl that involved him and referee Brent Reiber. The league fined Maxwell $1,000 and stripped him of his coaching position for one season.
Maxwell’s assistant, Reid Williams, was also suspended for 36 games.
Asked if the job is a one-year proposition, Maxwell said, “We haven’t talked about years yet.”
Shockey, 43, has assisted Chiefs coach Mike Babcock the past two seasons. Prior to that he scouted for the Chiefs for two and a half seasons and was briefly interim head coach in Spokane in January 1994.
When the Chiefs hired Mike Fedorko to finish the ‘93-94 season as head coach, Shockey worked as Fedorko’s assistant.
Shockey lives in Taber, Alberta, 30 miles east of Lethbridge. His son, John Shockey, is a defenseman with the Chiefs.
Notes
Former Spokane Chief Milan Dragicevic is an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans. Dragicevic, 26, led the Chiefs in penalty minutes in the ‘88-89 season. Following his WHL career he earned degrees in sociology and recreation management from Acadia (Nova Scotia) University. … The Chiefs will take two players in the WHL’s European draft on June 26-27. Clubs can carry two Europeans. … Should Czech forward Jan Hrdina return to Spokane as an over-age player he won’t count against the Chiefs’ European total, but would be on the club’s list of over-age players. The WHL allows each established team three 20-year-olds. … The expansion Edmonton Ice will start picking through unprotected 20-year-olds June 28 in the over-age expansion draft.
Former league president Ed Chynoweth has been named chairman of the board of the WHL for a two-year term. Before he left the league office to become majority owner of the Edmonton Ice, an expansion franchise that starts play in September, he presided over the WHL for 23 years. … Chynoweth replaces Rick Brodsky, Prince George Cougars owner, who remains on the executive committee as past chairman. … Since you asked: The Granby (Quebec) Predators beat the host Peterborough Petes 5-0 to win the Memorial Cup. … After winning its first two games, WHL champ Brandon, Manitoba, lost to Granby 3-1 before dropping a semifinal to Peterborough 4-3. The Wheat Kings finished third for the second straight year. Guelph (Ont.) lost all three of its games in the four-team Canadian Hockey League finals. … Granby is the first Quebec team to win the Cup since 1971.
One significant rules change came out of last week’s WHL meetings. In an attempt to cut down on the severity of concussions, mouthguards will be mandatory starting this season. Players will be warned once. A second violation will result in a 10-minute misconduct. … Dennis Polonich, GM in Medicine Hat the last four years, who was hired last month to run the Prince George Cougars, has brought in Stan Butler as coach. Butler was axed after two years with the Oshawa (Ont.) Generals.
Former Kamloops coach Don Hay is said to be first in line for the coaching job with the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League, if the club can work out compensation with Hay’s current employer, the Calgary Flames. Should Hay move to Phoenix, the Flames will need an assistant. One name bantered around as a possible candidate? The Chiefs’ Mike Babcock. … Chiefs head scout Ray Dudra has turned down a job offer from the NHL San Jose Sharks. … Scott Parker, who played for the Junior B Spokane Braves in 1994-95, could go as high as the second round of Saturday’s NHL draft in St. Louis, his agent, Carlos Sosa, says. Parker, who played last season for the WHL Kelowna Rockets, was a ‘96 graduate of Deer Park High School. If he’s picked - and Sosa projects him as a late-second to solid third-round choice - he’d be the first Spokane-area player drafted since the Winnipeg Jets took Central Valley High School grad Scott Levins in the fourth round in 1990.
, DataTimes