Things That Make Me Go Hmm...

• It won't even come close to the accident Kelowna Rockets defenceman Kyle Verdino was involved in last month, but former Rockets forward Myles MacRae got a bit of scare recently. A car lost control coming down a hill, striking a Gator that MacRae and a co-worker were riding. The two were doing some landscaping work and suffered only minor bumps and bruises in the incident. MacRae tells me he has a tryout with the East Coast Hockey League's Victoria Salmon Kings this fall.
• Luke Moffatt will be a no-show at the Kelowna Rockets training camp in September. Moffatt is the Rockets first round pick in the 2007 WHL bantam draft. The Phoenix, Arizona resident will be playing with U-S Hockey's developmental program again this season before deciding on one of two options. Moffatt can play in the WHL or play U.S college hockey. Moffatt has made a verbal commitment to the Michigan Wolverines in 2010-2011.
• Kelowna Rockets fans will remember him. Ross Ruttle, long time anthem singer at both the Memorial Arena and Prospera Place, passed away Monday afternoon. Ruttle was battling ALS, after being diagnosed with the disease in 2007. Ruttle is best known for singing 'O Canada' prior to the Memorial Cup final at Prospera Place in 2004. I visited Ruttle several times while he was in hospice, and despite his breathing problems, he always wanted to chat about the Rockets, a team he loved to watch and sing for. Here is Ross singing the national anthem at the Memorial Cup. www.am1150.ca/player/player?mediapath=&type=mp3&fi=files%2Fam1150%2Fsrimedia%2FR09_0008.MP3&nid=955369
• July 6th is a day that hasn't treated me kindly over the last two years. Ross Ruttle's death came exactly a year after my Mom, Lil, passed away from a brain tumour. I guess it's safe to say two Kelowna Rockets fans are now watching down from heaven.
• The Everett Silvertips made a great move when they persuaded Craig Hartsburgh to join them as the teams new head coach. Yet I wonder if they indeed came clean on the amount of travel that is necessary when coaching in the Western Hockey League? This is no O-H-L. He is going to get a taste of how tough this league really is when he ventures up to Prince George in December for a 10 hour bus ride. That's a ten hour bus trip against a team in your own conference.
• While attending the July 1st Canada Day celebrations, a quick trip inside Prospera Place had me looking towards the press box to see if any additional work was being done to improve the sight lines for the visiting broadcaster. From ice level the press box remains untouched. Many fellow visiting radio broadcasters have been less than pleased with the location since a new video replay booth was jammed into the already congested broadcast location. Unless a miracle happens in the next two months, a shoehorn will be needed for the visiting team calling games from that location. Don't tell me I didn't warn you!
• The Kelowna Rockets will be well represented at this weeks Phoenix Coyotes rookie camp, which opens Wednesday. Colin Long and Evan Bloodoff will be on the ice attempting to catch the eye of the Coyotes coaching staff while former Rocket Justin Bernhardt also attends, after signing a deal with the team after a solid 20 year-old season with the Prince Albert Raiders.
• This has nothing to do with hockey, but I have a beef with Petro-Canada. No one likes to hike up the price of gas like they do, and they are notorious for being the slowest to bring the price down once everyone else in the market has. Now I've noticed that my friendly Petro-Can wants a Loonie from me to pump my tires with air! Are you frickin kidding me. I promptly left the gas station and stopped at a nearby Chevron and recieved my air for free. What's next Petro-Can, a Tonnie to use the squeegee to clean off my windshield?