Back in my hotel room after the Broncos morning skate.......
The Canad Inn/Keystone Center/Westman Communications Place/ is in essence your one-stop shop. Linked under one roof, there's never a need to leave the place unless you want to venture to the mall, or across the street to one of the best little coffee houses on the circuit.
In the dead of winter, this place is a god-send. From your hotel room to breakfast in the hotel restaurant to walking down the hallway to the rink.... never a need to leave the comforts of climate control.
Even in the evening, there's a piano bar, a sports lounge and a night club all within a few steps of the hotel lobby. It's a great set-up for visiting teams. Maybe road teams are too comfortable here from the Wheat Kings perspective. Teams are 5-7-1 coming in here to play the Wheat Kings. Still a losing record but not bad considering the circumstances.
This is the 2nd of three trips the Broncos will make to Brandon this season. Trips I used to hate before the bio-dome.
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Newly acquired defenseman Travis Bobbee arrived after a flight into Winnipeg last night. He came to Brandon with Cody Eakin and Justin Dowling who also flew into Winnipeg after playing Wednesday night in the Subway Super Series.
Bobbee will wear #4 with the Broncos and GM/Head Coach Mark Lamb tells me he will play in all situations tonight.
He's a player that makes the game look easy. He has a relaxed vibe to his game. Bronco fans will get their first look at his game tomorrow night back on home ice.
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There's some debate as to whether Brayden Schenn will be in the line-up for Brandon tonight. Last night he played for the L.A. Kings in an emergency call-up basis. The game was in Vancouver and he was to fly out today to re-join his junior club in time for tonight's game. But there's word he may stick around the Kings for the weekend. We will see what plays out today.
What a few days it's been for Schenn who learned after the Subway Super Series game on Wednesday the Kings needed him to fill a spot up-front. If he does play tonight and tomorrow back in Swift Current then that'll be four games in four nights for the NHL first rounder.
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Have you had a chance to think about the Broncos forward group once Matt Tassone is ready to play? It takes a lot to impress me when talking about the Broncos but how can you not get excited about the scoring depth up-front? Eakin, Dowling, Novotny, Hoban, Stickland and Tassone is a formidable top six forward group.
Some teams intimidate with size and toughness but this is pretty damn intimidating too. There's no doubt opposition teams will be more than a little concerned with the Broncos fire-power.
Often we don't give our team enough credit, me included. Around the league you would be hard-pressed to find a better top six. On pure skill, Brandon and perhaps Medicine Hat are the only teams in the conference who could rival the Broncos top two lines.
The Broncos also sport some good depth up front through the rest of the lines. It's a pretty talented group of forwards.
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From the "that's funny" category........
Broncos Head Coach / GM Mark Lamb has been an assistant coach in in the NHL for years, played in the league for several more and is now the front man for the Broncos.
You would guess that would be enough to qaulify him to coach his nine year-old son's hockey team. Guess again.
Mark isn't qualified to coach because he lacks the proper SHA certification. He will have to attend a coaches clinic first.
Alright, I'm out....
jon
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