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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

{allcanada} Jets remember Rypien in Hockey Talks initiative

WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg Jets assistant general manager Craig Heisinger still gets emotional talking about former Vancouver Canucks forward Rick Rypien, nearly seven years after Rypien's death.

Speaking to 3,000 students from across Manitoba on Wednesday as a part of Jets Hockey Talks at the Project 11 Mental Wellness Summit. Heisinger told students Rypien would be proud of what has been done in his honor.

Introduced in 2013, Project 11 was formed to be a lasting legacy for Rypien, who wanted to start the cause but never got a chance to; fighting depression and mental illness, he committed suicide on Aug. 15, 2011.

"It was his goal to help people of all ages, but most importantly kids," Heisinger said. "One thing I have learned in the seven years since his passing is that mental health doesn't discriminate."

"He'd be laughing … up there knowing I was the one that had to stand up here and speak. We're here to deliver the message for him."

Project 11 is a preventative cross-curricular program that helps students in grades 5-8 develop positive mental health coping skills to deal with the stress of daily life, and aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health.

Today, Project 11 reaches 11,500 students in 576 schools across Manitoba.

Heisinger discovered Rypien accidentally in 2004-05, when as general manager of Manitoba of the American Hockey League, the Canucks affiliate at the time, was scouting Regina of the Western Hockey League.

"I never met him until he was 19 years old," Heisinger said. "The Canucks asked me to go pay attention to a player in Regina, but it wasn't Rick. But every time I would leave, I would have pages of notes on this No. 11.

"After a while, Vancouver asked me what I thought of this player they wanted me to go and see. I said, 'Not very much, but I really like this No. 11, Rick Rypien.'"

Rypien had gone through the NHL Draft three times, but went undrafted each time. Heisinger said he believed what he saw in Rypien.

"Rick became my friend, purely by accident," Heisinger said. "I hired him to play hockey for the Manitoba Moose. I guess that's where the story begins and, to a certain degree, ends."

Rypien had 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) along with 226 penalty minutes in 119 NHL games, all with the Canucks.

VANCOUVER, CANADA - NOVEMBER 06: Rick Rypien #37 of the Vancouver Canucks skates up ice during their game against the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena on November 6, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Canucks won 6-4. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Rypien signed a one-year contract with the Jets on July 4, 2011. He died on Aug. 15 of that same year. 

Heisinger's message shared three key components with students on dealing with mental wellness and helping someone that has had the courage to reach out to another.

"Courage is the key word here," he said. "It takes a tremendous amount of courage to reach out and help and it takes a tremendous amount of courage to be willing to listen and help."

Heisinger told students their friends can be their support groups, noting that Rypien's support group included teammate and former NHL forward Mike Keane and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa.

"I encourage you to use the people around you," Heisinger said. "You 100 percent can't say the wrong thing. You can say you don't have time. That's really the only thing that you can say that's wrong."

Jets forwards Bryan Little and Nikolaj Ehlers took part in a roundtable discussion on mental wellness prior to Heisinger's speech.

"I think it's changed a lot," Little said of the stigma surrounding mental health. "When I was a kid, there wasn't even conversations about [mental wellness]. You were kind of taught to be tough and keep things inside.

"Now, it's good to have these conversations with kids that people are there and will be there for them and to not hold things in like that."

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{allcanada} Einarson, Scheidegger advance to Championship Pool of Scotties

 

PENTICTON, B.C. — Alberta's Casey Scheidegger cruised to a 9-2 win over Quebec's Emilia Gagne at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Scheidegger jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three ends then shut the door with a deuce in the eighth end on Wednesday at the South Okanagan Events Centre. She finished 6-1 atop Pool B in round-robin play. Quebec finished 3-4, placing sixth.

"They are a great little young team so we wanted to come out and play really well," said Scheidegger, a teacher at Palliser Regional Schools in Lethbridge. "We knew that this game meant a lot to them as well for standings. We just stayed tough out there and managed to pull out a win."

Gagne, a natural sciences student at College d'Alma, said it wasn't their best game, but they were happy to play.

"Happy to be on the ice at the Scotties. It was great even though we lost," she said. "It was a good challenge because we knew that they were very good. That it was going to be a good game, a tough game for us."

Quebec made shots, but struggled with trying to make the perfect shot.

Following a blank opening end, Alberta hit the scoresheet with a deuce, then stole three in the third when Gagne didn't have enough weight on her rock for a raise. Scheidegger said when a team gets a lead, it can be hard to stay mentally focused.

"Everybody was mentally tough and we still made a lot of shots even when we got that little bit of a lead. We're excited for the next round," she said. "We really wanted to make sure we had a good win-loss record heading into the championship pool. Just having that one loss is huge for us."

Team Canada's Michelle Englot led Pool B at 5-1. They dropped to 5-2 following a 7-5 loss to Ontario's Hollie Duncan (4-3) putting them in second place. Englot is replacing 2017 champion Rachel Homan at the tournament. Homan will represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.

Ontario will face Newfoundland and Labrador's Stacie Curtis in a tiebreaker on Thursday morning.

B.C.'s Kesa Van Osch (4-3) secured third place in Pool B with a 10-7 win over Curtis (4-3).

"It's awesome. That was our goal coming in," said Van Osch of Nanaimo. "Especially with the new format, we really wanted to make it to that second round. We thought that would be a very achievable goal coming in. Now we will reset and make a new goal going forward."

B.C. got a boost from the hometown crowd as the draw attracted 1,871 spectators.

"They were really loud today, especially near the end of the game. They got really into it," said Van Osch, a carpenter. "It's awesome, we really like it."

In other afternoon action, Prince Edward Island's Robyn MacPhee (2-6) defeated Nunavut's Amie Shackleton (0-7) 9-2 in eight ends. P.E.I. scored four in the seventh end, while Nunavut finished with a deuce in the eighth.

In morning action, Manitoba's Jennifer Jones took her first loss, 9-5 against Northern Ontario's Tracy Fleury.

The five-time Scotties champ gave up a steal of three after missing a triple-raise attempt in the 10th end.

Fleury (4-2), a native of Sudbury, Ont., said it was the type of game her team wanted to play.

"It was a really tight game," she said. "We were a little nervous on that last shot of hers. We couldn't really tell if the angles were there for two. It was a little scary."

After 12 draws, Jones sits atop Pool A with Team Wild Card's Kerri Einarson (5-1). Einarson posted a 9-3 win over Kerry Galusha (1-5) of the Northwest Territories.

Jones was scheduled to play Einarson on Wednesday night.

Nova Scotia's Mary-Anne Arsenault (4-2) defeated winless Yukon skip Chelsea Duncan 8-2. Arsenault took the lead with a deuce in the seventh end before pulling away.

New Brunswick's Sylvie Robichaud (3-3) edged Saskatchewan's Sherry Anderson 7-6 in the other early game. Anderson fell to 2-4.

The top four teams from each pool advance to the championship round. A Page playoff this weekend will then determine the winner.

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{allcanada} No Federer, no Nadal, no Djokovic but plenty at stake in Davis Cup

 

Paris (AFP) - Just five days after the conclusion of the Australian Open, tennis shifts its attention to the Davis Cup this weekend.

France are the defending champions and start their campaign at home to the Netherlands while the United States, the record 32-time champions, travel to Serbia.

AFP Sports looks at five key aspects of the first round ties which take place from Friday to Sunday:

- Stars miss out -

The sport's 'big five' are all missing from this week's first round. Australian Open champion Roger Federer and injured compatriot Stan Wawrinka, key men in Switzerland's 2014 title success, miss the trip to Kazakhstan.

Also nursing injuries are Novak Djokovic, who sits out Serbia's home tie with the US while Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray miss the clash between Spain and Britain.

However, world number three Marin Cilic, the runner-up to Federer in Melbourne, leads Croatia's challenge at home to Canada. Cilic can equal Ivan Ljubicic's record for most Davis Cup match-wins by a Croatian player if he wins three rubbers this weekend. He has a 33-16 win-loss record in doubles and singles.

- Hungary have appetite -

Hungary face 2017 runners-up Belgium looking to reach the World Group quarter-finals for the first time and record their best Davis Cup result. The Hungarians have won nine of their last 10 ties with successive promotions in 2014-15, rising from Europe/Africa Zone Group III to Group I by 2016, before winning promotion to the World Group last year.

- Mum's the word for Japan's Kiwi -

Ben McLachlan was born in Queenstown, New Zealand but the 25-year-old switched his allegiance in 2017 due to his Japanese mother and is in the squad for the home tie against Italy. McLachlan made his debut in the World Group play-off victory against Brazil in September. With Japan missing the injured Kei Nishikori, McLachlan could have a crucial role having made the semi-finals of the doubles at the Australian Open alongside Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.

- Golden oldie Hewitt -

He may be 36 years old and officially retired but former world number one and Wimbledon and US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt could still feature in the doubles for Australia in their home tie against Germany. Hewitt, the team captain, was rejuvenated at the Australian Open where he made the quarter-finals with compatriot Sam Groth.

- France look to keep perfect record -

Defending champions France host the Netherlands at Albertville boasting a 10-0 record in the tournament over their European rivals since their first meeting 93 years ago. Last year, France equalled Great Britain in third place on the list for most Davis Cup titles after winning the title for the 10th time, beating Belgium 3-2 in the final in Lille.

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{allcanada} Lightning acquire G Pasquale from Oilers

 

Pasquale has played in 16 games so far this season for the Bakersfield Condors, going 6-5 with a GAA of 2.60 and a save percentage of .910.

Over seven career seasons in the AHL, he has a record of 100-83-10. In 2011-12, Pasquale set a career-high with 23 wins while playing for the St. John's IceCaps.

Pasquale was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers franchise back in 2009 with the 117th overall pick. 

Meanwhile, the Syracuse Crunch have traded forward Ty Loney and goaltender Nick Riopel to the Condors for future considerations.

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{allcanada} Holl scores in NHL debut as Maple Leafs blank Islanders 5-0

 

TORONTO (AP) Justin Holl and Travis Dermott each scored their first NHL goal, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 5-0 on Wednesday night.

Holl made his NHL debut after being recalled from the minors earlier in the day.

Kasperi Kapanen, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner also scored for the Maple Leafs (29-18-5), and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

Thomas Greiss stopped 45 shots for the Islanders (25-22-5), who also lost 4-1 at home against Florida on Tuesday.

Toronto had three rookie defensemen in the lineup after scratching regulars Morgan Rielly (upper body), Roman Polak (viral infection) and Ron Hainsey (illness).

The 26-year-old Holl, with 239 minor league games under his belt, made his NHL debut alongside first-year skaters Andreas Borgman and Dermott. Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev returned to Toronto's lineup after missing 17 games with a foot injury.

The Maple Leafs scored twice in each of the first two periods.

Kapanen opened the scoring 5:37 into the game by jamming in a loose puck near the goal line.

Matthews doubled the lead when he picked up a Zach Hyman rebound in the slot and sent a wrist shot by Greiss at 13:39. Jake Gardiner started the play with a long outlet pass and picked up the other assist to extend his point streak to six games.

New York appeared to be gaining some traction before Marner skated into the slot and re-directed a Nazem Kadri pass to make it 3-0 at 10:32.

Islanders captain John Tavares had a great chance to put his team on the board on the power play, but he juggled the puck at the side of an open net before getting off a weak shot that Andersen had no trouble with despite being on his back.

Dermott finished off a pass from William Nylander with 1:01 to play in the second. Matthews skated right to the Islanders net to pick up the puck as a keepsake before celebrating with the 21-year-old defenseman.

Holl made it 5-0 with a wrist shot from an off angle that slipped through Greiss' legs at 3:42. This time it was Hyman who collected the puck for his teammate.

NOTES: Toronto F Matt Martin was a healthy scratch for a third straight game. ... Islanders F Andrew Ladd was activated from injured reserve and inserted into the lineup after missing nine games with an upper-body injury.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

Maple Leafs: Visit the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

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{allcanada} Impact loan DePuy to Danish club

 

MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact picked up an international roster spot from Orlando City and loaned American striker Nick DePuy to Danish club BK Fremad Amager on Wednesday.

The Impact sent $100,000 in general allocation money to Orlando for an international spot for this season only. Coach Remi Garde is expected to announce new signings before the end of training camp.

DePuy, 23, was sent to Fremad for three months with an option to renew the loan until December.

"This loan will allow Nick to continue to progress as a player and gain experience with another club in Europe," technical director Adam Braz said in a statement. "It was a good option for him and for the club."

DePuy, drafted 19th overall in 2017, appeared in five MLS games as a rookie as he split time between the Impact and the Ottawa Fury of the USL.

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{allcanada} Lions release Awe for NFL opportunities

 

The BC Lions have released linebacker Micah Awe to pursue NFL opportunities, the team announced Wednesday.

Awe will sign with the New York Jets, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji.

Awe made his CFL debut with the Lions in 2017, recording 54 defensive tackles to go along with a forced fumble.

The 24-year-old Lagos, Nigeria, native played collegiately at Texas Tech.

He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016 after going undrafted in the NFL draft that year.

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{allcanada} Riders release pending free agent Knox Jr.

 

The Saskatchewan Roughriders released linebacker Jeff Knox Jr. on Wednesday to allow him to pursue an opportunity in the NFL, the team announced.

Knox Jr. is headed to Tampa to join the Buccaneers, per CTV Regina's Darrell Romuld. He had a previous stint with the Bucs in 2016, in which he appeared in three pre-season games.

He was scheduled to become a free agent on February 13.

The native of Pittsburgh spent the last three seasons with the Roughriders after making his CFL debut in 2015. He briefly left the team after his second season for the Buccaneers opportunity, but returned in September of 2017 to play eight games with the Riders.

Knox Jr. owns career numbers of 202 defensive tackles, one interception and two quarterback sacks.

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{allcanada} Manitoba falls to Northern Ontario for first loss at Scotties

 

PENTICTON, B.C. — Manitoba's Jennifer Jones went for a Hail Mary at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Wednesday, but her rock slid just a little too far.

Jones dropped a 9-5 decision to Northern Ontario's Tracy Fleury for her first loss of the round-robin at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The five-time Scotties champ gave up a steal of three after missing a triple-raise attempt in the 10th end.

"I felt like we kind of let that one slip away a little bit," Jones said. "We will have to rebound and play a little sharper tonight."

Fleury (4-2), a native of Sudbury, Ont., said it was the type of game her team wanted to play.

"It was a really tight game," she said. "We were a little nervous on that last shot of hers. We couldn't really tell if the angles were there for two. It was a little scary."

Manitoba (5-1) opened by scoring a deuce and led 4-1 after three ends. Northern Ontario took a 6-5 lead in the eighth when Fleury left her last rock near the button for a pair.

"They are such a great team and they are having a really good week here," said Fleury, whose team has won four straight. "It's definitely a confidence boost for us. Because we lost our first two games, we feel like our back has been against the wall."

Manitoba third Shannon Birchard — filling in for Kaitlyn Lawes who is preparing for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang — said it was a tough game.

"We struggled reading the ice a little bit earlier," Birchard said. "It was a little straighter today. We were just on the wrong side of that for the first half of the game and missed out on a couple rolls or overthrew a couple hits."

After 12 draws, Jones sits atop Pool A with Team Wild Card's Kerri Einarson (5-1). Einarson posted a 9-3 win over Kerry Galusha (1-5) of the Northwest Territories.

Jones was scheduled to play Einarson on Wednesday night.

Nova Scotia's Mary-Anne Arsenault (4-2) defeated winless Yukon skip Chelsea Duncan 8-2. Arsenault took the lead with a deuce in the seventh end before pulling away.

"It was really late coming, but we did get the break that we were kind of thinking we might," she said. "Really huge win. I think that gets us through. You really don't want any more than two losses going into the championship pool."

New Brunswick's Sylvie Robichaud (3-3) edged Saskatchewan's Sherry Anderson 7-6 in the other early game. Anderson fell to 2-4.

The top four teams from each pool advance to the championship round. A Page playoff this weekend will then determine the winner.

Alberta's Casey Scheidegger and Team Canada's Michelle Englot led Pool B at 5-1. Both teams were off for the early draw.

Englot is replacing 2017 champion Rachel Homan at the tournament. Homan will represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.

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{allcanada} Leafs recall Justin Holl on emergency basis, Ron Hainsey questionable

 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenceman Justin Holl on an emergency basis, and have moved Roman Polak to injured reserve.

Ron Hainsey is a game-time decision for Wednesday night's game against the New York Islanders.

Polak has a viral infection.

Holl, 26, has four goals and 20 points in 39 games with the AHL Marlies this season.

He's yet to make his NHL debut.

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{allcanada} Todd Bertuzzi opens up about his mental breakdown and getting help

 

Todd Bertuzzi was sitting with teammates in a popular Vancouver restaurant mere minutes before he passed out in a hotel lobby.

"I remember sitting at the Cactus Club and, all of a sudden, I started getting the sweats really, really bad. All of a sudden, my heart started going like crazy and I wasn't sure what was going on. I kind of got scared," he said today about his final playing days in 2013-14.

He'd managed to call his trainers for help. And then medical staff from the Vancouver Canucks came to the aid of the visiting Detroit Red Wings winger. It was the veteran power forward's last season in the NHL on what would be his last trip as an active skater to the city where he'd played eight seasons and also where he'd faced criminal charges for a violent on-ice incident 10 seasons earlier.

He was having a panic attack. What started that night didn't alleviate for years, he said.

"I had no clue what any of that was. I was naive to any of that stuff. I was a hockey player. I was supposed to be a superhero or this big tough thing and all this," Bertuzzi told the hosts of the Starting Lineup on Sportsnet 650 this morning in an emotional interview about mental health during Bell's important social media campaign, Let's Talk.

"Many nights, just sitting there crying for no reason and not understanding what is going on … and then that's when I had to retire and walk away from the game. That's when things even escalated even more. I really secluded myself to just my house, my room and it was one of those things — I could never shut off my brain, it was just going and going and going."

As much as Bertuzzi's life changed following the sucker punch on Steve Moore in 2004, the Avalanche rookie's life was also greatly altered. Moore's career was over that night. Bertuzzi pled guilty to assault charges. Moore later sued the Canucks.

Unfairly maligned as a terse brute, Bertuzzi buried his pain. A decade later as his own career was ending, those feelings surfaced with a vengeance and were compounded by additional life pressures.

"At times it was embarrassing for myself. I thought it was embarrassing because I'm not supposed to be someone who goes through something like this.

"I can look at it now and be able to explain it now without having outside people making fun of me of me or saying, 'You got what you deserved.' I am man enough I can say, from 2004 and on, and then with retirement coming near the end and not being the player in my mind I thought I could have ended up being, regarding everything that has happened — the build up of all that and retirement threw me over the edge."

The 1993 first-round draft pick (23rd overall) who turns 43 on Friday, found the courage to turn to family, friends and also his children.

"I never wanted to speak about it or talk about it because I thought public opinion would just squash on me again. But I've accepted where I am in life and I understand everything that I've done and I am comfortable with where I am."

He played his last NHL season in 2013-14, amassing 770 points in 1,159 games with the Islanders, Canucks, Panthers, Ducks, Flames and Red Wings. Active now as a minor hockey coach in Michigan, Bertuzzi said he's learned to recognize when others — strangers among them — who may be suffering silently.

"I have a good eye for seeing people who are struggling. I'm not afraid to reach out, even if I might be wrong, just to see if they'd like to talk. It's an important day today," he said. "The dark places that I've been to and seen and all that, it's something I don't ever want to get back to. I'm conscious about how I go about my daily business and live my life."

It may be difficult, but it's important to seek support, Bertuzzi said.

"Obviously being in the hockey business, I see what is going on and what has happened in the last little while with opioids and depression and all that. The more I am around a lot of the older players and read the books and hear the stories, it seems like it's a common occurrence in our business," he said. "I'm hoping if anyone is going through that or is feeling like that, there is always someone there you can speak to. It's up to us to be those people who are there to help them out."

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{allcanada} Scheifele skates with Jets for first time since injury

 

Mark Scheifele was on the ice with the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday for the first time since he was injured Dec. 27.

Though the center skated wearing a non-contact jersey and didn't take part in many drills, he could return within the original 6-8 week timeline. Wednesday was five weeks since his injury.

"He's skated quite a bit," coach Paul Maurice told the Jets website. "It's an upper-body injury, but he's back moving pretty darn well, which is a positive for us. … He'll stay where he is for at least another week before we start banging him around a little bit. But he's on track, so we're positive there."

The 24-year-old was injured when he was hit by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson and fell awkwardly into the boards. Scheifele had 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games and was 14th in the NHL in scoring when he was injured.

"I saw him out there and he's taking one-timers and shooting the puck like he's ready to go," Jets center Bryan Little told TSN. "I'm not exactly sure when he'll be back, but it's definitely nice to see him out there. ... To have a guy like him back in your lineup is huge."

The Jets (30-13-8) are in first place in the Central Division and resume a 10-game homestand against the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV).

"They do so many things, almost in a veteran way," Maurice said of Vegas. "They have a confidence in their game, which I guess continues to build because they've had so much success in doing the right thing simply but very, very quickly.

"There's a high skill level throughout their lineup. What they've figured out really well is if you skate fast and you've got skill, you're going to be a pretty good team in this league. And they are."

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{allcanada} Ex-Raptor Butler dies in car crash - Article

 

Former Toronto Raptor Rasual Butler and his wife Leah LaBelle died Wednesday morning in a single vehicle car crash, the Los Angeles County coroner's has confirmed.

The couple's Range Rover was traveling at high rate of speed on a Los Angeles street when the vehicle lost control, hit multiple parking meters, slammed into a wall, overturned and ended up in a parking lot, authorities said.

Both Butler, 38, and his wife were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Los Angeles Police.

The Raptors and the rest of the NBA community have taken to Twitter to pay their respects to Butler and his wife.

Butler, the 53rd overall pick of the 2002 draft, appeared in 34 games for the Raptors during the 2011-12 season. He also played with the Miami Heat, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and San Antonio Spurs over 12 NBA seasons.

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{allcanada} Dabrowski headlines Canadian team for Fed Cup tie

 

MONTREAL — Gabriela Dabrowski headlines the list of four tennis players who will represent Canada in a Fed Cup World Group II first-round tie next week in Romania.

Dabrowski, from Ottawa, won the Australian Open mixed doubles title last week in Melbourne. She'll be joined by Carol Zhao of Richmond Hill, Ont., Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Toronto's Katherine Sebov on the Canadian roster.

"Although we have a relatively young team for this important tie, we are confident that we can compete with the best nations in the world," captain Sylvain Bruneau said Wednesday in a release. "Our players have demonstrated their tenacity and desire to win, especially last April when they beat a higher ranked and more experienced Kazakh team.

"All the girls on the team had standout 2017 seasons and are looking to continue their success on the courts in Romania. We are aware of the tough task ahead as we prepare to face a very skilled opponent."

The tie is set for Feb. 10-11 in Cluj-Napoca at the Sala Polivalenta Cluj-Napoca facility.

The winner of the best-of-five matchup will book a spot in the World Group playoff. The loser will have to play in a World Group II playoff to maintain its place at the World Group II level for 2019.

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{allcanada} Owner Melnyk says he has no plans to relocate Ottawa Senators

 

TORONTO — Owner Eugene Melnyk says he has no plans to move the Ottawa Senators.

Last month, Melnyk drew the ire of Senators fans when he mused about the possibility of relocating the franchise he's owned since 2003.

On Wednesday, Melnyk did an about face, saying it was "unfortunate" his original statement hit a raw nerve among Senators fans and that he remains committed to bringing a Stanley Cup title to Ottawa.

Melnyk did reiterate he has no plans to sell the Senators, something he also said last month.

Melnyk is currently working with a Toronto-based public relations firm and was doing a media tour Wednesday in the city.

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{allcanada} NHLPA Visa Presents: Player Q&A with Jamie Benn

 

Name:


Hometown:

What number do I wear:

Favourite movie:

Favourite place to be in the off-season:

Best meal I know how to make:

The secret ingredient is:

Favourite NHL jersey growing up:

Favourite video game of all-time:

FILL IN THE BLANKS


IF I WEREN'T A HOCKEY PLAYER, I WOULD LIKE TO BE A ________

I FELL IN LOVE WITH HOCKEY WHEN _________________________

_______________________________________________ BAR DOWN

MY FAVOURITE PURCHASE THIS YEAR IS _____________________

 

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