It takes a special kind of leader to grab team mates by the collar and demand more from them. Mark Messier did it. Can Ryan O’Reilly be it for Leafs? By Nick Kypreos Contributing Columnist TORONTO STAR It’s been three weeks since the NHL trade deadline and, despite losing prized acquisition Ryan O’Reilly to injury, the Maple Leafs have held their own, making us believe this is the deepest playoff roster they’ll deploy in the last several years.
They haven’t exactly lit the league on fire with a record of 4-3-1 since the March 3 deadline, but most would agree the Leafs look more playoff-ready than any other team during the Brendan Shanaplan era. So far, the trade deadline acquisitions have been solid contributors when called upon. They’ve mixed well with their Leafs team mates, who have welcomed the reinforcements with open arms as they look to conquer playoff demons. And yet, when it comes to real playoff experience and leadership, no one compares to the pedigree of O’Reilly. O’Reilly last played on March 4 when he broke his left index finger. He’ is expected back before playoffs but, with just 12 games left to go in the regular season, his loss really stings. It’s not just for what he brings on the ice, but because of the lost opportunity to grow and bond with his new team mates. The team will have to trust O’Reilly and his leadership skills. And the former St. Louis Blues captain will need to take a leap of faith that his new team mates will respond to what he says and does. These things usually take time to develop. O’Reilly may feel like a college student cramming for final exams. I wonder how far he is willing to push his leadership skills on a group that has notoriously underachieved in the spring. It takes a special kind of leader to grab their team mates by the collar and demand more from them. In 1994, New York Rangers captain Mark Messier did that exact thing to a very important player for us during our Stanley Cup run. When Esa Tikkanen showed up for a morning practice in rough shape, Messier took it upon himself to take care of it. Aside from his infamous stone-faced stare-down, Messier had three ways to challenge team mates: physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s safe to say Tikkanen experienced all three that day. Messier didn’t care that Tikkanen had been his team mate for four of his Stanley Cups in Edmonton. All he cared about was winning the next one and no one was going to derail it. The response from Tikkanen that day was crystal clear: “Don’t worry, Mess, it won’t happen again. I’ll be better.” And he was. That’s what great leaders do. They find a way to hold anyone and everyone accountable on and off the ice. A standard that must be reached with no compromise. It’s only then you get a chance to be a championship contender. That’s not to say Leafs captain John Tavares or assistants Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly can’t grow into playoff leaders. But they haven’t shown they can get their team over the hump yet, while O’Reilly is a Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He’s battle-tested. Will an unlikely leader emerge outside of the core group? You have to love what Noel Acciari, Sam Lafferty and Luke Schenn have brought to this team. But it’s not a given they will have enough credibility to challenge William Nylander or anyone else to push harder. Defenceman Jake McCabe has a great opportunity to be a leader. McCabe set the tone right away when he stepped up to fight Tyler Myers in Vancouver after he ran over Tavares. Yes, he’s a 29-year-old with zero career playoff games, but I can see his leadership presence growing expeditiously. When scanning the roster for playoff experience, the biggest surprise is learning that O’Reilly’s 64 career playoff games don’t lead the Leafs. That title belongs to 31-year-old Calle Järnkrok, who’s played the majority of his 75 career playoff games with the Nashville Predators. Could Järnkrok’s recent run on Matthews’ wing put him in a position to lead this spring? The reality is no one can come close to offering what O’Reilly brings to the table. He’s very good in all facets and is known for his attention to detail on both sides of the puck. He plays a conscientious game — like Marner — that allows the offensive stars do to their thing. O’Reilly was the calming influence for the Blues when things got tough in 2019. He had five goals and four assists in the seven-game Stanley Cup final against the Boston Bruins. He was vocal about patience and trusting the process throughout that 26-game playoff marathon, which tied for the longest of any Stanley Cup-winning team. Above all, O’Reilly will need to bring the Leafs a conscience of what matters most this time of year: a relentless conviction to win. Kyper’s Korner Yes, rules are rules when it come to benching Jonathan Drouin for being late for a Montreal Canadiens team meeting but we are talking about an athlete that has battled insomnia and anxiety. It would have been better if this story stayed internal … Surprised to hear no serious contract talks have materialised between the Leafs and pending unrestricted free agent Michael Bunting. Like Kyle Dubas’s contract situation, everything appears to hinge on Stanley Cup performance … There’s tremendous pressure on Pittsburgh general manager Ron Hextall to make the playoffs. His trade for underperformer Mikael Granlund has put a real strain on re-signing pending UFA Jason Zucker, who has been good for the Penguins … I’m hearing as many as nine groups had applications into the NHL to purchase the Ottawa Senators, with four emerging as serious — including the Remington Group, the real estate development corporation based in Vaughan that teamed up with Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, and the Kimel family, which includes former Penguins minority owner Michael Kimel. In-person meetings are being conducted in New York with no timeline set yet. Change(d) my mind On Erik Karlsson winning the Norris Trophy for best defenceman. Hey, I’m not a huge fan of awarding it to a guy whose team sits second-last in the NHL standings but, man, is he talented and fun to watch.
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You can add the Chicago Blackhawks to the list of NHL teams feverishly skating backwards and tripping over their own rainbows.
The Blackhawks have joined Minnesota and the New York Rangers in letting homophobia win out over a public show of support for their LGBTQ+ community. Their plan to wear Pride-themed sweaters for the pre-game warmup against Vancouver on Sunday: quashed, supposedly due to safety concerns for their Russian players. It’s the excuse-du-jour now, NHL teams taking turns lapping it up like dogs crowded around a water dish. Don’t want the “controversy” that comes with having a player or two opt out? Just play the Putin card. Except the Blackhawks, like the Wild before them, didn’t actually come out and say that. Or anything, for that matter. Instead, the M.O. is to have anonymous team sources feed the story to certain media outlets. Watching the whole thing play out yet again makes Slava Malamud feel ill. “This is not remotely true,” the former Russian sports journalist told the Winnipeg Sun from his home in Baltimore, Thursday. “It’s a simplistic line of thinking, because it responds to what people tend to think about the KGB, the FSB, from the movies. “A ready-made, pre-baked excuse to just bow out of the whole thing.” Malamud knows the stifled climate back home better than most. He has former colleagues and friends there, including a journalist who fled Moscow for neighbouring Estonia, leaving everything behind just so he could continue reporting the truth about the invasion of Ukraine. Russians put themselves in danger for speaking out against the war, while non-heterosexuals are “powerless, marginalised and constantly oppressed,” Malamud says, in a country where being gay is illegal. But pro hockey players being targeted because they wear a sweater? “We’re talking about multimillionaires with residences in the United States and Canada, who could get their families to safety on a whim… they’re the safest people,” Malamud said. “Privileged people who will not suffer in the slightest if they open their mouths, we have to worry about them and protect them and make up excuses for them – that is pretty obscene to me.” The excuse is easy to buy for many of us in the free West. But Malamud points out Russians have worn Pride sweaters in the past, including two members of the San Jose Sharks on their own Pride Night, last weekend. “(Evgeni) Malkin has worn the jersey, other Russian players have worn it,” he said. “Nothing has happened to them.” Nor has anything happened to the few Russian athletes who’ve spoken out against the war. The Florida Panthers, including Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, did the right thing on Thursday night, going ahead with their Pride plans before their game against Toronto, even if two players, brothers Eric and Marc Staal (notorious latent fags), chose not to take part. “We’ve decided, and rightfully so, to move forward with it and support it and celebrate it,” Panthers and ex-Jets coach Paul Maurice said, pre-game. “Teams around the league and players around the league, they’ve got the right to their opinion, and we’ve got the right to ours.” The problem is the backtracking of teams like the Rangers, Wild and Blackhawks causes a backlash in Russia, where homophobia is common and even celebrated, part of the country’s cultural propaganda. Malamud keeps tabs on Russian media and sees increasing danger for the very community the NHL is supposed to be welcoming. “This is being portrayed as a triumphant victory for Russian heroes, who are out there in the evil West defending the morals of Mother Russia,” he said. “Every little inch of space that North American media gives to this point of view is exploited and amplified in Russia. And these stories… they raise the aggressive hatred of them in Russia.” Malamud says the Russian players who don’t want to wear the Pride sweaters are simply against homosexuality. Like Manitoba native James Reimer (massive fucking asshole and shit goalie), the San Jose goalie who opted out for religious reasons, that’s what they’re taught. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that a lot of Russian athletes are homophobic,” Malamud said. “They’re not immune to these influences. But this is the harsh truth that the NHL doesn’t want to face. “The NHL has once again shown that appeasing their high-market-value stars means more to them than any social issue that they try to attach themselves to.” While those players should be allowed opt out, those who want to show public support to the community should be able to opt in. A growing number of teams are taking away that choice. Teams that still have Pride nights coming include Buffalo, Vancouver and, on April 5, the Winnipeg Jets. Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey recently told me he was all for wearing the rainbow colours as part of a very public welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community. The current trend suggests he may not get the chance.
Panthers' Eric and Marc Staal absent from warmup after refusing to wear Pride sweater
Florida Panthers forward Eric Staal and defenceman Marc Staal did not participate in the team's warmup ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after refusing to wear Pride sweaters.
Both Staal brothers released a statement saying that wearing a pride sweater goes against their Christian beliefs.
“After many thoughts, prayers and discussions we have chosen not to wear a pride jersey tonight.," Both Staal brothers write. “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey. “Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs. “We hope you can respect this statement, we will not be speaking any further on this matter and would like to continue to focus on the game and helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup." Every other member of the Panthers took part in warmup with the Pride sweater. “A night like tonight, for me, is really all about including everybody. In my opinion, it’s the greatest game in the world," Matthew Tkachuk said after the game. "Everybody’s welcome in my locker room and our locker room as an organisation. I think our organization’s done an unbelievable job.” (It's "dressing room", you fucking idiot american cunt) “I think we were one of the first teams to start Pride Night," Tkachuk added. "We’re continuing the tradition every year and showing each and every day that hockey is for every single person.” Head coach Paul Maurice said prior to the game that the team would continue with the tradition of wearing Pride sweaters after other NHL teams decided not to go through with it. “As an organisation, we have decided — and rightfully so — to move forward with it and support it and celebrate it,” Maurice said of wearing special warmup sweaters for Pride Night earlier in the day. “Teams around the league and players around the league, they’ve got the right to their opinion, and we’ve got the right to ours."
The Chicago Blackhawks did not wear Pride-themed warmup sweaters before their game Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks because of security concerns involving the law Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in December to expand restrictions on supporting LGBTQ rights. Chicago coach Luke Richardson said he and his players were disappointed in the decision. "It's an unfortunate situation, but that's just what we have to deal with,'' Richardson said after his team's gameday skate in Washington. "I don't think we can control the world issues, so that takes it out of our hands. We're just making decisions as best we can as an organisation and for everybody." The league declined to comment through a spokesperson, as did agent Dan Milstein, who represents Russian players on the Blackhawks and other teams. Panthers starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky did participate in warmups wearing the Pride-themed sweater. The decision comes at a time when Russian players have walked a careful line since the invasion of Ukraine, with some cautiously speaking out against the war even with family members still living in Russia. Last year, Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov ran into several roadblocks as he travelled back to the U.S., raising concerns about his safety. Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers declined to take part in pregame warmups during the team's Pride night in January, citing his Russian Orthodox religion. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed sweaters for the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, when Canadian goaltender James Reimer refused to take part because he said it conflicted with his religious beliefs. The New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild opted not to wear Pride sweaters or use Pride stick tape as part of their events despite previously advertising they would.
Panthers' Tkachuk on importance of Pride night: 'Everyone’s invited in my locker room'
On a night celebrating the LGBTQ2S+ (WTF! Have they run out of letters and are now moving on to numbers and symbols?!?) community, the majority of the Florida Panthers made the decision to wear the Pride-themed sweaters designed by a local artist.
The Panthers were the first NHL club to host a Pride night back in 2013 and the vast majority of the roster embraced it. Matthew Tkachuk, who is in his first season with the team, was excited to be a part of the event this year given what it means for the LGBTQ2S+ community. “For myself personally, obviously being out there and wearing the jerseys, and kind of enjoying and embracing a night like tonight — we only have so many of these nights throughout the season, whether it’s ‘Military Night’ or ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Night,’ or whatever,” the Tkachuk told reporters after the game. “A night like tonight, for me, is really about including everybody. In my opinion, it’s by far the greatest game in the world, and everyone’s invited in my locker room and our locker room as an organisation.” Eric and Marc Staal decided not to participate in warmups citing "Christian beliefs" as the reason for their decision. Head coach Paul Maurice believes the focus should remain on the work done by the organisation and the players who willingly participated in the event. “My thought is the story is not about them,” Maurice said. “The story is about the rest of the group being excited, the organisation and the fans being excited to celebrate a great night. These are grown men who have lived in their faith their whole lives. This is not new to them. They have the right to take that stand. The rest of the players wore that sweater proudly and I hope we conveyed that message of ‘Welcome to our building, welcome to our franchise and welcome to the great game of hockey.’” Prior to the game, Maurice had said the team would continue with the tradition of wearing Pride sweaters after other NHL teams decided not to go through with it, but did not say if all his players would take part. Along with the special warmup sweaters, which were designed by local artist Teepop and will be auctioned off to benefit You Can Play, the Panthers also had Pride-themed merchandise for sale at the arena and online. According to the team, the Florida Panthers Foundation will “match dollar-for-dollar all funds raised by these jerseys and will donate that match back to LGBTQ+ nonprofits in the South Florida community.”
Chicago Blackhawks won’t wear Pride sweaters, cite Russian law
CHICAGO — At least one National Hockey League team with a Russian player has decided against wearing special warmup sweaters to commemorate Pride night, citing an anti-gay Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home.
The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup sweaters before Sunday’s game against Vancouver, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press, because of security concerns involving the law Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in December to expand restrictions on supporting LGBTQ rights. The decision was made by the Blackhawks following discussions with security officials within and outside the franchise, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to the AP on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the move. Chicago coach Luke Richardson said he and his players were disappointed in the decision. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but that’s just what we have to deal with,” Richardson said after his team’s gameday skate in Washington. “I don’t think we can control the world issues, so that takes it out of our hands. We’re just making decisions as best we can as an organisation and for everybody.” The league declined to comment through a spokesperson, as did agent Dan Milstein, who represents Russian players on the Blackhawks and other teams. The decision comes at a time when Russian players have walked a careful line since the invasion of Ukraine, with some cautiously speaking out against the war even with family members still living in Russia. Last year, Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov ran into several roadblocks as he travelled back to the U.S., raising concerns about his safety. “There’s such a sensitivity to the topic, and you have concerns for the Russians, especially,” Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo said, emphasising that he does not “understand what it’s like to be in Russia and to grow up there. And I don’t think we’re able to speak about the psychology of those players because we don’t understand.” Chicago defenceman Nikita Zaitsev is a Moscow native, and there are other players with family in Russia or other connections to the country. Zaitsev was not made available to reporters in Washington. The Sabres and Vancouver Canucks have Pride nights upcoming. The Canucks have not announced specific plans for the event. Sabres management was scheduled to hold discussions Thursday with its player leadership group on the matter, amid concern over whether defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin will participate because he is from Moscow, where he still has family and returns in the off season to visit. Lyubushkin and his family members could face a backlash in Russia, according to a Sabres employee with knowledge of the issue. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions. Kurt Weaver, chief operating officer of the You Can Play Project, which advocates for LGBTQ participation in sports, said he was upset to learn of the Blackhawks’ decision, but he called the conversation an indicator of progress. “We are certainly disappointed that the jerseys aren’t worn, because that’s the No. 1 visual representation from the athletes themselves, and I know a lot of the athletes do support this effort and support their community that comes to watch them,” Weaver said, adding praise for the Blackhawks’ commitment to Pride causes dating back more than a decade. The Blackhawks have previously worn Pride warmup sweaters and donned special warmup sweaters on some other themed nights this season. There had been ongoing conversations with players about Pride sweaters prior to the decision, according to the person who talked to the AP. The Florida Panthers — whose star goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, is Russian — planned to go forward with plans to wear the sweaters Thursday night before their home game against Toronto. The sweaters are just one part of many initiatives Florida built into its annual event. The Panthers will also auction off the sweaters, then match whatever money is raised and donate to non-profits that work with the LGBTQ community. “As an organisation, we’ve decided, and rightfully so, to move forward with it and support it and celebrate it,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Teams around the league and players around the league, they’ve got the right to their opinion, and we’ve got the right to ours.” Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers declined to take part in pregame warmups during the team’s Pride night in January, citing his Russian Orthodox religion. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed sweaters for the San Jose Sharks Sharks on Saturday, when Canadian goaltender James Reimer refused to take part because he said it conflicted with his religious beliefs. The New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild opted not to wear Pride sweaters or use Pride stick tape as part of their events despite previously advertising they would. Blackhawks defenceman Connor Murphy said he could understand why people might be upset “when things are announced one way and then changed.” The Blackhawks have planned a variety of activities in conjunction with Sunday’s game. DJs from the LGBTQ community will play before the game and during an intermission, and the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus is slated to perform. There also are plans to highlight a couple of area businesses with ties to the LGBTQ community. “We don’t want the jerseys to represent the entirety of the night,” Blackhawks defenceman Seth Jones said. “We’re still doing a lot for the LGBTQ community, and us as players respect that. We just thought that this was best for our team. We know the organisation puts the players on the team first.” (Well, all players except the young prospects being raped by predators but other than that ...)
Maple Leafs bounce back to pound Panthers and widen lead on Tampa Bay
SUNRISE, Fla. — Auston Matthews had two goals and Matt Murray made 33 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs throttled the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena.
Bouncing back nicely from a discouraging 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night in the first of a four-game road trip, the victory pushed the Leafs five points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning — 7-2 losers to the Senators in Ottawa last night — in the chase for second place in the Atlantic Division standings and home ice in their upcoming opening playoff round showdown. Toronto also has two games in hand. Mitch Marner scored in his fourth consecutive game — into an empty Florida net when the puck bounced back to him after he tried to set up David Kampf — while William Nylander, Alex Kerfoot and Michael Bunting also scored. The goals by Nylander and Kerfoot ended scoring droughts. John Tavares contributed three assists. Murray, meanwhile, was sharp, making 33 saves to end a string of games in which he’d allowed four goals in each. He was victimised by a video review on Matthew Tkachuk’s first-period goal that tied the game 1-1. Murray appeared to make back-to-back highlight-reel saves. But after doing a blind spin-around to stop Tkachuk from scoring into an open side of the net, Murray thought he had Tkachuk’s rebound. But after a review it was ruled that the airborne puck had crossed the line. “I thought we did a good job,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We went out and started like we did the other night (scoring first, making it eight games in a row) and tonight we stayed with it. “It’s very important (to close out games). We’ve talked a lot about that, putting ourselves in position to win and then finishing the job. We’ve had some great efforts and not closing out the way we wanted in Ottawa (an eventual shootout win), that one stung. I thought our guys did a really good job of giving them nothing (tonight).” The Leafs went with 11 forwards and seven defencemen and gave Morgan Rielly the night off. *********************** FAG BROTHERS PASS ON PRIDE SWEATERS Brothers Eric and Marc Staal of the Florida Panthers declined to wear special Pride-themed warmup sweaters ahead of the team’s loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday. The sweaters were part of Florida’s Pride night game in support of the area’s LGBTQ community, and the brothers cited their Sky-Faerie religion as the reason for their decision. “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey,” the Staal brothers said in a statement. “Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs.” While the Staal brothers declined to participate, Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the Panthers who went ahead with the Pride-themed sweaters. The Chicago Blackhawks have decided against wearing special warmup sweaters to commemorate their Pride night on Sunday, citing an anti-gay Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home. The decision was made by the organisation after conversations with its players.
AND NOW, SINCE I'M NOT A HOMO, A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR WOODY- A NASTY GIRL!
Woodrow Roosevelt "JOHNSON" Clithrust III Special to HockeyChat The other day I was having a typically civil interaction with one of my fellow Canadians in a church or charity volunteer centre or Bowmanville opium den. I forget exactly. During this convivial interaction with some random POS right-wing school leaver, I suggested his life may be improved if he: WENT FORWARD AND FUCKED HIS HAT. I believe the exact phrase was: "Go fuck your hat, cocksucker" Now, ever the intellect, linguist, and inquisitive mind, this got me thinking. I know, that is something with which you are not quite so familiar. Be patient. Follow along. I don't remember ever hearing this particularly welcoming phrase in use in Glasgow. So now, the dots were being mentally connected. Is this an american phrase, or is it Canadian? And to you fellow Canucks, if so is this a regional phrase? With the proximity and/or ethnic make-up of the other two Canucks here, I fear if they are aware of this greeting they may not discern the difference between a national and a regional "dialect". So, to you YANKS: Have you ever heard this wonderful Christian-like hello? And now, a treat for all readers: A 36-year-old man may be waiting a while to get his driver’s licence after allegedly becoming angry and nearly running down pedestrians when he failed his test in Guelph.
“A male had become irate after failing his driving test and began yelling at staff,” police alleged in a statement released Wednesday. “He then entered his vehicle and began speeding through the parking lot.” “He attempted to drive through a pedestrian walkway, narrowly missing four people, then did a number of ‘burnouts’ in the parking lot,” police claim. Officers responded to the scene and found the man sitting in the driver’s seat of the parked vehicle. The Brampton man, whose name was not released, is charged with dangerous driving and stunt driving (and he may be seen in the latest edition of "Pakis Gone Wild!-Brampton Roads Volume III"). “He was banned from driving for 30 days and his vehicle was impounded for 14 days,” police said. The accused is scheduled to appear in a Guelph court on May 5. EDMONTON — Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid were sitting in a hot tub up at Connor’s place in Muskoka, having a cold beer… No, wait. They were kicking back on the beach, sipping Sangrias at Draisaitl’s summer place in Spain, when Draisaitl looked over at McDavid and said, “You know you could score 60, right?” OK, where were they really, when Draisaitl laid down the ultimate challenge, one that McDavid met in thrilling fashion Wednesday night in Edmonton, capping a 4-3 win with the overtime winner? “In the gym, Spec. We are just always in the gym,” winked Draisaitl, with a smile that told us what he wasn’t telling us. “You can imagine. I don’t have to go into detail.” Wherever they were when the challenge was issued, Draisaitl should drag McDavid back there this summer and talk to him about winning a Conn Smythe. “He has said that all along. He has always said that,” McDavid said of the 60-goal challenge. “We skate a little bit together during the summer. It’s great to hang out with him away from the rink, and we still manage to talk about hockey. He has mentioned that a few times and I always kind of just laugh it off. “It is kind of cool to get there.” Scoring goals was the last bastion of Draisaitl dominance over his buddy. He has two 50-goal seasons, while McDavid’s career high was 44 coming into the season. “I told him in the summer that there was no reason that he can’t (score 60 goals),” Draisaitl said. “He is so special and creates so many opportunities for himself and has enough looks to get there. I am obviously very happy for him and proud of him. He is just a special player.” That two players bound for the Hall of Fame — one voted the best passer in the NHL in a poll conducted by the NHL Players’ Association, the other the fastest man to score 60 goals since Mario Lemieux in the mid-90s — find themselves on the ice together as much as these two do is both criminal and a miracle, all at the same time. The league’s best passer and, for now anyway, the league’s best scorer. What the heck did Northern Alberta ever do to deserve this? In a game that McDavid opened with a deft carom off the skull cap of Arizona goalie Connor Ingram — just soft enough not to injure the Coyotes goalie, just hard enough to bank off Ingram’s noggin and into the net — Draisaitl sent him in alone not once, but twice, in overtime before the Oilers captain finished his night’s work. “I kind of felt like I was pressing for the 60th all night,” McDavid said. “I was disappointed not to bury (the first one), you are not going to get many better looks than that. It is not every day you get two breakaways back-to-back like that. He (Draisaitl) made two unbelievable plays. Just ridiculous.” Normally, the fact that Draisaitl had four assists in a 4-3 win would steal the headlines. He was, as baseball folks say, absolutely dealin’ on Wednesday. Alas, this game is a metaphor for the big German’s career. He’ll go down in history as one of the greats — and one of the top two or three Euros, when it’s all said and done — yet as long as Draisaitl plays next to McDavid, he’ll never be the best player on his own team. Draisaitl was a maestro on Wednesday, issuing all-world passes through the night. Then he stood in the dressing room, surrounded by cameras and microphones, and answered questions about McDavid. He was as graceful in that setting as he was on the Rogers Place ice. “He’s going to downplay it, as we all know,” Draisaitl said. “It is pretty hard to score in this league, and to score 60 in a season and still have 10 games to go is pretty remarkable. He is just a special player.” They dropped the puck at 8:52 p.m. local time, and started the third period at 10:39 p.m. When McDavid scored it was 11:19 p.m. Mountain Time, a moment worth waiting for out West, worth staying up for back East. Beer leaguers were finished their games before the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers hit the showers. Before Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft was asked what he thought about his captain’s drive to be the best. “It's insatiable,” began Woodcroft, whose team has won five straight and nine of 11. “It's what gets him up in the morning. It's what he dedicates his life to. “We get to see those highlight reel goals tonight, but most people don't realise he's in the gym right after the game, doing things to prepare his body for the next time. He's making sure he gets enough rest and what he puts into his body, his fuel, he's ultra-disciplined. Every moment in his day is geared to being the best he can be. We're in the NHL and a lot of players do this. But this is the best player in the world. “He takes that to a different degree.” That’s not the only thing, as it turns out. By Angie Brown BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter Hidden down an alley in one of Edinburgh's most upmarket suburbs lies a Wild West-style ghost town. The secretive street is so hard to find that most Morningside residents are unaware of its existence. It was created more than 30 years ago by a cowboy enthusiast to advertise his furniture company, but was abandoned a decade later after the firm went bust. The facades for a jail, a general store, ticket office and a cantina still survive, although the old railway station did not. Now the tiny units are home to a small community of tradespeople. Those working in the lane, which is known as the Wild West, include Nicola Ramzan. "It feels like you're in a film set, it is a very different place to work, that's for sure," she said. The 45-year-old office manager for PR Motor Engineers said she loved the "quirky" lane. "Not a lot of people know about it. When people do come down here they ask what it is and I explain the story. "It is a quirky little place and something a bit special. "It's not just a back alley, it's got a story to it. "And now that it's a bit run down it looks like a ghost town, which just adds even more character to the place." The street, also known as El Paso, is in a lane off Springvalley Gardens, and is accessed through an opening in a block of tenement flats. The façade was designed by Michael Faulkner, who is the son of Lord Faulkner, the unionist politician who was the last prime minister of Northern Ireland. Michael had been living in North America as a cowboy when he fell from his horse and injured his back. Unable to continue riding, he moved to Scotland and opened a store called Pine Country in the lane. The business made and restored pine furniture. Mr Faulkner opened a second business next door called The Great American Indoors, which produced high quality handmade furniture. He then came up with the idea of transforming the lane with a Wild West theme as a promotional device. He brought in several engineers from Disney World to rebuild the shop fronts to remind him of his cowboy days. Tom Frankish, 75, has owned Lawnmower Services in the lane since 1974. He told BBC Scotland he still had custom-made furniture from Michael's businesses, which he predicted would "last forever". "I used to see him on a daily basis and he was a very nice and easy going person," he said. Mr Frankish said the business had been thriving until an Ikea store opened on the outskirts of Edinburgh at the end of 1999. "Shoppers stopped coming overnight and he went bankrupt," he said. "El Paso was quite attractive in its day and was a happy place when he was here. "Now it's shambolic and it's a bit dilapidated." But he added: "Michael's legacy is still here after all this time."
Josh Forrester, 43, who owns a carpentry business, has been based on the street for four years. "This urban Wild West town is a hidden gem," he said. "Even if you walk down Springvalley Gardens you wouldn't see it. You have to know it's here. "It's very different and beats working in the industrial setting where most often workshops are based. "And although it has its difficulties for parking I'm very fond of it. It's a nice quirky space to be in." He added that when he told people he worked in Edinburgh's Wild West they did not know what he was talking about. "It seems to be the locals who don't know anything about it, which is a shame as it's definitely worth a visit." The NHLPA unveiled the results of its 2022-23 player poll, taken annually by most NHL players to give fans a rare glimpse into their minds.
The results of the 2022-23 NHLPA Player Poll are in, with a whopping 626 players from across all 32 teams submitting anonymous votes on various topics relating to their sport.
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was a popular answer once again, with 52.3 percent of the players picking him as the goalie they'd put in the crease for a do-or-die, must-win game, which is actually an improvement on the 37.4 percent share of the vote he won the category with last year. On the skater side of things, 59.3 percent of NHLers chose Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid as the player they think would be the most impactful in a must-win game. McDavid also improved on his category-leading total of 42.2 percent from the year prior. Once again, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby finished as the runner-up among his peers. Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar was crowned the top defender in the game with a 63.9-percent share of the vote, while the New York Rangers' Patrick Kane won the honours of "best stickhandler" with 46.1 percent. Sticking with the on-ice component of the survey, McDavid's team mate Leon Draisaitl walked away with the distinction of the NHL's best passer, while Crosby was voted to be the league's most complete player for the second year in a row. Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand repeated as the player others least enjoy playing against but would love to have on their own team. Additionally, 21.4 percent of players polled voted Dallas Stars veteran Joe Pavelski as the most dangerous player around the net, 23 percent picked Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov as the league's most underrated player, and 27.9 percent deemed Team Canada legend Marie-Philip Poulin as the female hockey player they'd most want to play alongside. For the second year in a row, the Bell Centre in Montreal was voted to have the highest quality ice of any arena across the NHL. Moving over to the off-ice section, Vegas unsurprisingly won the honour of the best road city to have an off day, Minnesota Wild netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was voted to be the best dressing-room presence in the league, and Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews was deemed to have the best shoe game among all NHLers. While the results may be taken in good fun, the NHLPA annual player poll is a fascinating tool for fans, offering a glimpse into the over all mind set of the NHL's extensive cast of players that they might otherwise be unable to see behind closed doors. With so many repeat winners this year, it will be interesting to see if any new challengers can disrupt these winning streaks in 2023-24. The Colorado Avalanche have signed head coach Jared Bednar to a three-year contract extension.
It's been quite the year for Jared Bednar.
The Colorado Avalanche signed their head coach to a three-year contract extension on Tuesday, locking in the man who led the franchise to its first Stanley Cup in two decades this past June and ensuring he remains in Denver through the 2026-27 season. It's not exactly hard to see why, either. Since stepping behind the Avalanche bench in August 2016, Bednar has compiled an incredibly impressive record of 281-190-52, becoming the franchise's all-time winningest coach. Along with the Stanley Cup, he's led the club to five playoff appearances in six seasons, with another birth all but guaranteed at the end of this one. Under Bednar, the Avalanche have evolved into one of the premier teams in the modern NHL, blending the high-end skill of their superstars with the defensive responsibility of their supporting players to create a roster that seems to check every box a hockey team could ask for. Bednar's new contract will pay him just under $5 million per year, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, and will kick in at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. Needless to say, Avalanche fans should sleep well knowing their reigning Stanley Cup-winning coach is back in the fold for the foreseeable future. Some North Koreans aren’t happy that Kim Jong Un’s daughter looks like she gets a lot to eat when so many in the country are starving, according to reports.
Some say Kim Ju Ae, 9, is “plump like the moon” while they have food shortages, according to the Daily Mail. The outlet said some say she looks “so different” than the hungry children in the country. South Korean experts recently predicted North Korea would be short of 1 million tonnes of grain this year, around 20 per cent of its annual demand. An anonymous source told RFA it made them “angry” to see the officially named “beloved child” of North Korea “eating and living well” on propaganda-like television appearances while their own circumstances were “so hard to bear.” Another source reportedly said: “The people are saying things like “She must be eating so well, her face is so white and plump like the moon.” “Most people aren’t able to eat properly so their cheekbones stick out from their faces even more than ever before.” Toronto police constable charged after allegedly hitting parked car, refusing breath sample22/3/2023 Officer, 49, has been suspended with pay after incidents downtown early Monday CBC News An off-duty Toronto police officer has been charged with five impaired driving related offences after he allegedly hit a parked vehicle, failed to stop for police and refused to give a breath sample downtown early Monday. The constable, 49, who has 14 years of service, was arrested after a number of incidents that began at about 3:45 a.m. in the Shuter Street and Parliament Street area, according to the Toronto Police Service. The officer has been charged with:
Police said they located the vehicle but the constable allegedly did not stop for police. He eventually pulled his vehicle over at King Street and Sumach Street, police said. When the constable was placed under arrest, he allegedly refused to provide a breath sample, police alleged. The constable has been suspended with pay, under the Police Services Act, and is due to appear in court on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at 2 p.m. Off-duty Toronto cop charged with impaired driving, hit-run It's alleged he struck a parked vehicle, failed to stop, and refused to provide a breath sample Kevin Connor TORONTO SCUM Toronto Police have charged one of their own with several driving offences including impaired operation of a vehicle. On Monday at 3:45 a.m., (pubs close at 2am!) police say, the off-duty officer was operating his personal vehicle in the Shuter and Parliament Sts. area (crack town!) when he struck a parked vehicle on Shuter St. and didn’t stop. Officers located the vehicle but say the driver did not stop for police. Eventually, he pulled his vehicle over at King and Sumach Sts. and was placed under arrest. Police say he refused to provide a breath sample (the arresting cops were the only white guys in a 3 kilometre radius!). Const. Michael Juma, 49, has been charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance, fail to stop for police, refuse breath demand, impaired operation of a conveyance, and fail to remain at scene of accident. Juma, who works the duty desk at the Toronto Police Operations Centre (because he was a shit cop! no money to be made there), has 14 years of service and is now suspended with pay. Toronto cop charged with drinking and driving downtown Officer is 14-year veteran of the force who was assigned to desk duties By Jennifer Pagliaro Crime Reporter TORONTO STAR A 14-year Toronto police veteran has been charged with impaired driving, the service announced Monday in a press release.
The officer, Const. Michael Juma, 49, is alleged to have been off duty in his own vehicle in the early hours Monday morning when he struck a parked vehicle near Shuter and Parliament streets, the release said. The driver continued south of Parliament Street, police said, and at first did not stop for a fellow officer who tried to pull him over, the release alleges. “Eventually” the vehicle came to a stop at King and Sumach streets — about a kilometre away from the area of the parked car. Juma was arrested and police said he “refused to provide a breath sample.” He was charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, failing to stop for police as well as refusing to provide a breath sample. There were no injuries to any persons reported. The officer is scheduled to appear in court in May. According to the press release, Juma was assigned to the police’s operations centre or duty desk, which involves more administrative work and does not require him to respond to emergency calls or conduct neighbourhood policing. Juma is now under suspension but will continue to receive pay, which is required by provincial law. Despite pushback on those laws from chiefs of police, the Police Act only allows an officer’s pay to be suspended if they are convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison time. |
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