Today is Veterans Day, or if you are from Canada, Remembrance Day. But no matter where you are from, it's a day to remember those who fought for our freedom and defended our countries.

The Tri-City Americans Booster Club held its annual Bowl with the Americans event Sunday at Spare Time Lanes in Kennewick.

I try to keep up with some of the former Americans players. Today, I came across this little tidbit on former D-man Logan Stephenson (2002-06). I'm not surprised by this. Logan always was tough as nails and not one to take any crap. During his three previous seasons in the AHL, he averaged about 90 PIMs a season. He has 15 career fights in the AHL, including two this season.

Goalie Chet Pickard was nearly perfect in his second professional appearance as he led the Milwaukee Admirals to a 2-1 win over the IceHogs in Rockford on Saturday night.

It's nice to see the WHL brass take notice of Brendan Shinnimin.

On a day they climbed to fifth in the CHL poll, the Amerians lost a 5-2 game to Chilliwack. By looking at the teams and records in the poll, it may not hurt them too much. No. 1 ranked Calgary lost to Kelowna on Wednesday. We'll see if the mighty fall. You never know what the panel of NHL scouts will do next.

After losing five straight games after a hot start, the Kamloops Blazers fired coach Barry Smith.

For those of you (me included) who weren’t able to make the trip to Spokane on Saturday for the Americans wild win over the Chiefs, here’s a little clip of Tri-City goalie Drew Owsley robbing Jared Cowen of a goal in the third period.

Riding a 6-game win streak that includes road wins over Kelowna and Vancouver, the Tri-City Americans broke into the CHL Top 10 poll today, coming in at No. 10. Here are the results, voted on by a panel of NHL scouts.

For those of you who took a good look at the Brandon Wheat Kings roster Wednesday night, you would have noticed Wheaton King wearing No. 18.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been down to the rink for practice. With the team on the road, my son's football games and having to whittle my vacation days down by mid-December, it leaves little time to watch the Americans work on their power play.

If ever there was a good player on a bad team, it's Portland Winterhawks goalie Kurtis Mucha.

Kyle Beach got a standing ovation Saturday night at Toyota Center. In fact, he got two.

He's baaack!

Over the course of six seasons, Don Nachbaur molded the Tri-City Americans into one of the top teams in the WHL. Under his guidance, the Americans won back-to-back U.S. Division banners and a WHL regular season title in 2007-08.

Fans who show up at a hockey game hoping to see a fight or two, may be disappointed this season.

Hanging from the Toyota Center rafters at center ice are the Americans' U.S. Division banner and WHL regular season champion banner from 2008. New among the two red banners are four revamped banners honoring the greats who have played for the Americans.

The Americans and the rest of the 60 Canadian Hockey League teams unveiled their new Reebok jerseys Wednesday. Me, I've been off for a couple of days and missed the memo, but I'm catching up here.

One of the worst rooms in the Toyota Center the last few years was the visitor's dressing room (which actually is two rooms).

Saturday brought a close to the Horse Heaven Round-Up, and Monday opens the Americans main camp. For me, I have to turn in my Rodeo Princess tiara for a winter jacket, but both sports keep me out of the office.

I took a little trip to the rink today to talk to Bob Tory and Terry Bangen about the rookies who are participating in this year's camp. They seem to like what they see.

For two weeks every summer, I get to play Rodeo Princess and cover the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston and this week's Horse Heaven Round-Up just up the road from my house.

Seems to me no team can go wrong with a Pickard in net, and now both Pickard brothers -- former Tri-City American Chet, and now his little brother Calvin -- have gold medals.

Remember the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker? The poor cobbler had but enough material to make one pair of shoes. In the middle of the night, little elves came into his shop and helped him out.

Rumors and Internet postings have Jim Hiller as the next coach of the Americans.

With the Americans promoting Terry Virtue to associate coach and former Everett coach John Becanic taking an assistant job with the Seattle Thunderbirds, it leaves one (or many of us) to wonder who is on Tory's short list.

Dylan Stanley played his entire WHL career for the Americans, and after three years at the University of Alberta, he took his game overseas last year, playing for the Rosenheim Star Bulls in Germany.

Former Americans forward Jason Reese has signed with the ECHL's Florida Everblades. Reese, 21, is a native of Gresham, Ore., who played five seasons in the WHL. The Vancouver Giants selected him seventh overall in the 2003 bantam draft. He would play for them and the Moose Jaw Warriors before finding a home with the Americans. He had 82 points in 68 games after coming over from Moose Jaw early in 2007-08, then added 81 points in 69 games last season.

I'm not much of a golf player. I can't even shoot par in mini golf, let alone drive a regular golf ball. But I love to take in the atmosphere of Olie and Stu's Desert Bash.

Being a former Tri-City American has its perks.

I just got back from two weeks of vacation, but I may have to put in for another day.

Sun, sea and sand.

At each end of the Toyota Center sits a goal judge, who flips the switch when the Americans or their opponent scores a goal.

Trying to plan vacation and days off without the Americans schedule is no easy task. With my son playing high school football, Friday nights will become football nights in the Fowler family. With one kid, he comes before the 20 or so who will invade Toyota Center from August to April. I've only missed two home games since I started covering the Americans oh so many years ago, but football is one night a week, and the Americans are bound to be on the road for a few of those Friday nights.

Former Kelowna coach Marc Habscheid has been hired to coach the woeful Chilliwack Bruins. He also will be the team's GM after owner Darryl Porter cleaned house last season.

The Americans are having a press conference Friday at Kimo's. There's supposed to be a surprise announcement, some food and later a story for me to write.

The great thing about being a part of a writer's group is getting updates and stories from around the WHL. Coming through my e-mail Thursday were the following:

The mighty Kelowna Rockets are about to blast off into the Memorial Cup stratosphere. A win tonight over Calgary will give the Rockets a sweep of the once mighty Hitmen, who won 17 of their last 20 regular-season games and won the Scotty Munro trophy with 122 points.

When scouts and GMs sit down and plan their strategy for the WHL bantam draft, I find it hard to believe that they can honestly put the future of their team in the hands of a 5-foot-6, 130-pound kid who looks more like a jockey than a hockey player.

Game 6 of the Capitals-Rangers first-round series last Sunday had such poor ratings on NBC that it tied with a taped poker event.

It's Easter Sunday and I'm sitting in a hotel room blogging for my few readers.

You know you've been covering the WHL for a long time when players you have watched over the years are now assistant coaches in the league.

For those of you who have never been to Kelowna, it is one of the most beautiful places in the Northwest.

News from the Prince George Citizen:

The Americans' bus just started up in the parking lot. I know it's not quite 4 p.m., but the players have to load up everything -- sticks, pucks and pillows -- for the ride home tonight after the game. They will leave for Prospera Place just before 5 p.m., giving the players plenty of time to loosen up before the game.

The Kelowna Rockets have a unique system of communicating during games. Assistant coach Ryan Cuthbert is up in the press box keeping a close eye on things and relays information to the team bench via a wireless transmitter to goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh. Similar to football, but at a faster pace.

The hardest working man on the ice is back in action.

After a season worth of blogging about other people, places and things, I find myself as an item in Kelowna Rockets radio announcer Regan Bartel's blog -- Regan's Rant.

Neither rain, snow nor the unexpected end to my book on CD could keep me from returning from Everett this morning. I'd had enough of eating out and the Seattle-area traffic for one week. Hopefully tonight will result in a Tri-City victory and I can stay on this side of the mountain come Monday.

The benefit to arriving early at the rink is to see the behind-the-scenes activities. Here at the Everett Events Center, the ice is beautiful. I was down on the team bench talking to new trainer Innes Mackie when the Zamboni was doing it's thing. It hadn't even gotten around to the other side of the rink and the ice in front of us was dry. What a sight to behold.