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Sunday, February 28, 2021

{allcanada} QMJHL Roundup: Mercer's two-point night pushes Chicoutimi over Quebec

 

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Chicoutimi Sagueneens forward Dawson Mercer scored a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over the Quebec Remparts Sunday evening in Chicoutimi.

Pierrick Dube also scored a goal and an assist while Felix Lafrance's second period goal stood as the game-winning goal. Hendrix Lapierre also had two assists for Chicoutimi (11-3-3-2). Alexis Shank made 16 saves on 17 shots.

Gabriel Montreuil scored Quebec's lone goal (13-6-3-0) in the loss. Thomas Sigouin made 39 saves.

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OLYMPIQUES 4 PHOENIX 2

GATINEAU — Zachary Dean's two-goal effort helped the Gatineau Olympiques to a 4-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix in Gatineau Sunday. The Phoenix blew a 2-0 lead by allowing four unanswered goals. William Dagenais and Metis Roelens also scored for Gatineau.

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TIGRES 6 HUSKIES 1

GATINEAU — Shawn Element and Sean LaRochelle each scored a pair of goals to power the Victoriaville Tigres to a 6-1 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Benjamin Tardif added three assists in the win. Louis-Philippe Fontaine scored Rouyn-Noranda's lone goal.

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CATARACTES 4 DRAKKAR 1

Four different goalscorers helped Shawinigan to a 4-1 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar Sunday evening. Isiah Campbell, Xavier Bourgault, Maximilien Ledoux, and Anthony Bedard each scored a goal for Shawinigan. Nathael Roy scored the Drakkar's lone marker.

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{allcanada} Islanders latest QMJHL team shutdown over COVID rules

 

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Another Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team has been forced to pause its season due to COVID-19.

The league announced Sunday that new restrictions in Prince Edward Island have forced the Charlottetown Islanders to suspend activities until March 14th.

Similar restrictions in Nova Scotia have forced the Halifax Mooseheads to pause their season as COVID-19 cases climb in the province.

With the Islanders and Mooseheads on hold, the QMJHL says the Cape Breton Eagles will also have to take a break from games.

The league announced Saturday that restrictions have been lifted in New Brunswick, allowing games to resume for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Moncton Wildcats and the Saint John Sea Dogs starting the week of March 8.

The three teams have not played since late November due to provincial government restrictions.

The 18-team QMJHL started its season in October, but has seen numerous pauses and postponements due to positive test results and changing government restrictions.

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Posted by Cidinha at 10:19 PM 0 comments

{allcanada} Canadian cross-country skiers finish seventh at world championships

 

OBERSTDORF, Germany — Canadians Antoine Cyr and Graham Ritchie raced to a solid seventh-place finish at the Nordic World Ski Championships on Sunday.

Ritchie, of Parry Sound, Ont., and Gatineau, Que., native Cyr posted a time of 15:18.80 in the skate-ski team sprint.

The duo was 17.06 seconds off the pace set by gold medallists Erik Valnes and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway.

Ristomatti Hakola and Joni Maki of Finland finished second, and Russia's Alexander Bolshunov and Gleb Retivykh took bronze.

On the women's side, Dahria Beatty of Whitehorse and Maya MacIsaac-Jones of Athabasca, Alta., finished 12th overall after failing to qualify for the finals.

At 22 years old, Cyr and Ritchie were the youngest team in the men's finals on Sunday.

"This is eye opening and very cool for us to have Canada right there in the mix," Ritchie said in a release. "It hasn't sunk in yet really, but we have the confidence and thought we could do it. It is pretty cool."

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{allcanada} Raptors-Bulls game postponed due to Health and Safety Protocols

 

The Toronto Raptors' issues with the coronavirus have worsened, prompting the NBA to call off their game scheduled for Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls.

The league said the Raptors are dealing with positive test results, without disclosing how many, and that combined with ongoing contact tracing issues meant they would not have the league-required eight players available to play.

Toronto played Friday without head coach Nick Nurse, several other assistants and staffers and starting forward Pascal Siakam because of virus-related issues. Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo coached the team to a win over Houston and had been in line to coach again Sunday.

The Raptors-Bulls game is the 30th to be postponed so far this season because of COVID-19 testing or contact tracing.

It was the first postponement this season for the Raptors, who are playing their home games in Tampa, Florida, because of coronavirus restrictions in Canada. Chicago has now had four of its games pushed back, all because its opponent for each of those contests was going through a virus-related problem.

The only teams that have not had a game postponed by virus issues so far this season are Brooklyn, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

All NBA players and coaches are tested daily. The Raptors used 12 players on Friday and had 14 listed as available to play that night. For Sunday's game, Siakam was the only player who had been listed on Saturday's injury report as out because of health and safety protocols — which indicates that results that came back on Saturday either showed more problems, or the contact tracing investigations showed that players had been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have to quarantine.

About half the league's teams are allowing a small number of fans into arenas for games, but testing protocols and other rules have been stiffened as the season has gone on in the interest of safety. The league has been able to play about 94% of its scheduled games so far this season, which NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and some players have touted as some measure of success to this point.

"Hopefully, going forward, we can continue it," Miami forward Kelly Olynyk said Sunday. "Obviously, we'd love to see fans back in the arenas, travel, all that kind of stuff be permitted and allowed when it's safe to do so. But right now, we're still trying to get the games in as safely as we can."

Chicago had travelled to Tampa on Saturday for the game and after the postponement was announced changed its travel plans to fly back home Sunday afternoon. The Bulls are scheduled to play Monday at home against Denver.

Toronto's next game, for now anyway, is scheduled for Tuesday against Detroit.

The NBA released its schedule for the second half of the season last week, and those jampacked lists — some teams are slotted to play 40 times in a span of 68 days — includes games postponed in the first half because of the virus and the February ice storm that caused a handful of postponements in Texas.

Rescheduling more games will get even tougher from here, and the notion of not every team playing its full 72-game allotment this season seems like a distinct possibility.

During the season's second half, which runs from March 10 through May 16, the Raptors and Bulls share 19 days without a game on their schedules. But without moving several other games around, the only possible date they could play without creating a back-to-back-to-back — or even a back-to-back-to-back-to-back — for either team is April 8.

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{allcanada} WHL Roundup: Oliver, Guenther each score pair of goals as Oil Kings defeat Hurricanes

 

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Dylan Guenther and Kaid Oliver each scored two goals in a 7-2 Edmonton Oil Kings win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Oliver also had two assists to cap off his four-point night while Guenther added an assist to his tally. Liam Keeler, Scott Atkinson and Jalen Luypen also scored for Edmonton (2-0-0-0).

Sebastian Cossa made 17 saves between the pipes for Edmonton.

Justin Hall scored both goals for Lethbridge (0-2-0-0). Goaltender Bryan Thomson allowed all seven goals while making only 30 saves.

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TIGERS 7 REBELS 2

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Medicine Hat Tigers had seven different goal scorers hit the back of the net in a 7-2 demolishing of the Red Deer Rebels Saturday night at home. Garin Bjorklund made 19 saves for Medicine Hat while Red Deer goaltenders Ethan Anders and Byron Fancy combined for 26 saves.

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{allcanada} Ice issue forces QMJHL to reschedule two games in Rimouski bubble

 

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Two junior hockey games scheduled for Sunday have been postponed due to a problem with the ice at an arena in Rimouski, Que.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League says there was a "technical issue" with the ice at the Colisee Financiere Sun Life, where the league is playing games in a protected "bubble" environment.

The Rimouski Oceanic (8-16-2) were set to face the Drummondville Voltigeurs (12-8-3) and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (14-5-2) were scheduled to take on the Val-d'Or Foreurs (19-2-2) at the rink on Sunday.

The QMJHL says the games will now be played on Monday.

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{allcanada} Golden Globes Finalizes Presenters List: Gal Gadot, Ava DuVernay, Ben Stiller, Sandra Oh, Tracy Morgan & More

 
The HFPA, dick clark productions and NBC have revealed their final group of presenters for tonight's 78th annual Golden Globes Awards: Ava DuVernay, Colin Farrell, Gal Gadot, Tracy Morgan, Sandra Oh, Sarah Paulson, Amanda Seyfried, Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux.

The ceremony will air from 8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT on NBC and be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

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Saturday, February 27, 2021

{allcanada} QMJHL Roundup: Foreurs overcome two-goal game from Lavigne, win in OT

 

RIMOUSKI, Que. — Simon Lavigne scored two goals for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, but Justin Robidas scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Val D'Or Foreurs a 4-3 overtime win over the Armada Saturday night.

Felix Paquet, Justin Ducharme, and Jordan Spence also scored for Val D'Or (19-2-2-2).

Lavigne scored the first of his two goals in the first period before tying the game with a little over three minutes to play in regulation. Luke Hennan also scored for the Armada (14-5-2-0).

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ISLANDERS 6, EAGLES 3

SYDNEY, N.S. — Brett Budgell and Thomas Casey each scored a pair of goals in a 6-3 Charlottetown Islanders win over the Cape Breton Eagles. The Islanders raced out to a 3-0 lead before the Eagles scored three unanswered goals. Casey, however, followed up with two goals before Budgell iced the game with his second of the night.

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OLYMPIQUES 5 PHOENIX 0

GATINEAU — Goaltender Remi Poirier made 20 saves while the Gatineau Olympiques received goals from five different scorers in a 5-0 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Antonin Verreault scored a goal and two assists in the victory. Samuel Hlavaj made 19 saves for the Phoenix.

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SAGUENEENS 6 REMPARTS 0

CHICOUTIMI — Louis Crevier scored twice in a 6-0 Chicoutimi Sagueneens win over the Quebec Remparts Saturday evening. Samuel Houde and Pierrick Dube each had a goal and an assist for the Sagueneens.

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OCEANIC 3 VOLTIGEURS 2

RIMOUSKI — Xavier Cormier had a hand in all three Rimouski goals in a 3-2 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Zachary Bolduc also added three assists while Cormier scored and added two assists. Tyson Hinds also scored for Rimouski. Drew Maddigan and Luke Woodworth scored for Drummondville.

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TIGRES 8 HUSKIES 1

GATINEAU — Vincent Sevigny and Conor Frenette each scored a pair of goals while Nicolas Daigle had three assists in an 8-1 Victoriaville Tigres win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Tigres scored the first seven goals of the game before Rouyn-Noranda finally replied with their lone marker of the game.

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CATARACTES 9 DRAKKAR 2

CHICOUTIMI — Mavrik Bourque and William Veillette each scored a pair of goals for Shawinigan in a 9-2 victory over Baie-Comeau. Vasily Ponomarev had four assists in the win for Shawinigan. Felix Gagnon and Raivis Kristians Ansons scored for Baie-Comeau.

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{allcanada} Campbell makes 30 saves, NHL-leading Leafs beat Oilers 4-0

 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Jack Campbell made 30 saves for his third NHL shutout, Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist and the NHL-leading Toronto Maple Leafs opened a three-game set in Edmonton with a 4-0 victory over the Oilers on Saturday night.

''It was awesome,'' Campbell said. ''It's what you play for.''

William Nylander, Jason Spezza and Zach Hyman also scored for Toronto (16-4-2), which was without NHL goals leader Auston Matthews because of a wrist injury. John Tavares added two assists to help the Maple Leafs improve to 16-4-2 and open a six-point lead over the Oilers in the all-Canadian North Division.

Matthews tops the NHL with 18 goals in 20 games. He sat out for a second time against the Oilers this season because of the wrist issue.

''When you lose a guy like that, you're essentially taking a goal away from your lineup,'' Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. ''If you score one less, you've got to make sure you give up one less. Whether Auston was in or out, to beat an Edmonton team that's rolling the way that they are and playing as confidently as they are, we had to really play a sound team game shift to shift.''

Mike Smith stopped 25 shots for Edmonton. The Oilers had won five straight.

''We just didn't deserve to win,'' Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. ''They just outbattled us.''

Campbell returned after missing more than a month with a leg injury. No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen remains day-to-day with a lower-body ailment that pressed third-stringer Michael Hutchison into action twice earlier this week.

The teams also will play Monday and Wednesday nights.

 

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{allcanada} Flames beat Ottawa 6-3 to end Senators’ 3-game win streak

 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Juuso Valimaki and the Calgary Flames have been talking a lot lately about the importance of quality starts.

The Finnish defenseman helped put his team's plan into motion Saturday.

Valimaki scored four minutes into the game as a three-goal first period staked Calgary to a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

''It's kind of stayed in the talk stage but we haven't been able to really do it,'' Valimaki said. ''So to be able to do it, it's probably going to give us confidence that we can do it, and that's the way that we've got to play.

''We've got to carry it on to the next game again.''

Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm had the other early goals for the Flames, who ended Ottawa's three-game win streak. Sean Monahan, Andrew Mangiapane and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for Calgary.

Drake Batherson, Colin White and Brady Tkachuk replied for the last-place Senators.

The Flames opened the scoring four minutes into the game and didn't look back.

The speedy Johnny Gaudreau zipped around a couple of Ottawa players before sending a backhand saucer pass to Valimaki for a one-timer past Matt Murray.

Calgary scored again 37 seconds later as Backlund flipped a rolling puck past a handcuffed Murray, who stopped 27 of 33 shots

Perhaps in an effort to spark his teammates, Austin Watson fought bruising Flames forward Milan Lucic, who had a 35-pound weight advantage, on the ensuing faceoff.

Calgary took advantage of some sloppy defensive play ahead of its third goal. Josh Norris turned over the puck deep in his zone and Lindholm snapped it in.

''We didn't really answer in the first,'' Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot said. ''It was one of those (days) where it didn't go our way.''

Batherson extended his goal-scoring streak to five games with a power-play effort at when he beat David Rittich with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle. But another Senators defensive lapse was costly early in the second period as Chris Tierney coughed up the puck down low. Gaudreau fed it to Monahan for a power-play goal.

A Calgary shorthanded goal followed when Mangiapane hit the post with a redirect attempt before tapping in the rebound.

White responded 40 seconds later by scooping a loose puck off the faceoff and snapping it past a screened Rittich, who made 31 saves.

The lone goal in the third period came from Brady Tkachuk on an Ottawa power play.

NEXT UP

The Senators defeated the Flames 6-1 on Thursday night. The teams will face off again Monday in the finale of Ottawa's five-game homestand.

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Posted by Cidinha at 5:36 PM 0 comments

{allcanada} WHL: Hopwo leads Tigers over Rebels in first game of season

 

Corson Hopwo completed his hat trick in overtime as the Medicine Hat Tigers opened the 2020-21 Western Hockey League season with a 5-4 comeback win over the Red Deer Rebels on Friday.

Medicine Hat trailed 4-1 in the third period, but Hopwo struck twice and Lukas Svejkovsky added another goal at 19:19 to force extra time.

Nick McCarry also scored while Garin Bjorklund made 29 saves for the Tigers (1-0-0).

Jayden Grubbe, Ethan Rowland, Kyle Masters and Chris Douglas had the Rebels (0-0-1) up three goals 4:36 into the third before Medicine Hat stormed back.

Ethan Anders stopped 26-of-31 shots for Red Deer.

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OIL KINGS 7 HURRICANES 1

EDMONTON — Dylan Guenther had two goals and two assists, Jake Neighbours and Kaid Oliver added a goal and two helpers each, and Oil Kings (1-0-0) thumped Lethbridge (0-1-0) in the first game of the season for both clubs.

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Friday, February 26, 2021

{allcanada} Sergio Scariolo steps in to coach Toronto Raptors to win over slumping Houston Rockets

 

TAMPA, Fla. — After three decades of coaching that includes a pair of Olympic medals and a World Cup gold with Spain, Sergio Scariolo has his first NBA victory.

It likely didn't happen how he'd envisioned it.

With Nick Nurse, five members of his coaching staff, and star forward Pascal Siakam sidelined on Friday due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the 59-year-old Scariolo stepped in to guide the Toronto Raptors to a 122-111 victory over struggling Rockets.

Norman Powell poured in 30 points, while Kyle Lowry had a triple double -- 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- for the Raptors (17-17). Fred VanVleet added 25 points, while DeAndre Bembry had 13 and OG Anunoby finished with 11.

Lowry grabbed the game ball and presented it to Scariolo following the win.

Victor Oladipo had 27 points to top the slumping Rockets (11-20), who've lost 10 in a row for the first time since November-December, 2011.

The Raptors announced that Nurse and most of his staff were out a few hours before tipoff, whlie Siakam was listed on the league's injury report shortly before tipoff. Toronto GM Bobby Webster said it wasn't clear at this stage if Siakam's situation was linked to the coaches.

"The NBA is being extremely careful here," GM Bobby Webster said. "It's early in what's going on here, so I think we're all being conscientious and not taking any risks. ... We'll see what tomorrow brings us."

The fact the Raptors could go to the legendary Scariolo speaks to the depth of Toronto's staff. He guided Spain to gold at the 2019 World Cup, plus Olympic medals in 2012 and '16. He'd just come out of required isolation himself after coaching Spain in FIBA games in Europe.

"I don't know how many hundreds or thousands of games he's been a head coach," Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said about Scariolo. "But it's unique, and he acknowledged that much, especially under the circumstances."

Coming off back-to-back losses to Philadelphia and Miami that snapped a four-game win streak, the Raptors started to pull away from the Rockets in the second quarter and, by the time Powell knocked down a three-pointer midway through the third, Toronto was up by 23.

The Raptors led 95-80 to start the fourth. Houston pulled to within nine points with a 13-0 run that straddled the third and fourth quarter, and then sliced the difference to just six on a three-pointer by Eric Gordon with 4:28 to play. That was as close as Houston would come. VanVleet's three-pointer put Toronto back up by nine with 2:27 to play and the Rockets wouldn't threaten again.

The Rockets haven't won since Feb. 4 at Memphis.

In a season rocked by COVID-19, the NBA has had to postpone 29 games so far for virus-related issues, but the Raptors had been lucky to have avoided any trouble until now. They're one of just four teams in the league that haven't had a game postponed.

It's unknown how long the coaches will be sidelined but, on the plus side, the Raptors only have three more games before the all-star break.

Assistant coach Jim Sann was on the Toronto bench Friday along with Mark Tyndale, assistant video coordinator/player development, and Jamaal Magloire, basketball development consultant. Webster said contact between Nurse and the bench during the game was not allowed under NBA rules.

The Toronto coaching staff was already shorthanded given Chris Finch left the team earlier this week to become head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Adrian Griffin, Jama Mahlalela and Jon Goodwillie make up the remainder of Nurse's coaching staff.

The Rockets jumped out to an eight-point lead on 52.9 per cent shooting in the first, but Toronto had closed the by the end of the quarter and trailed 31-30 to start the second.

Lowry was a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance in a 10-point performance in the second quarter. Powell's driving layup capped a 20-10 run that had the Raptors up by 11. They stretched their lead to 15 before heading into halftime with a 67-59 advantage.

The Raptors are back in action Sunday against visiting Chicago. Toronto then hosts Detroit on Tuesday before wrapping up their first-half schedule Thursday in Boston.

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{allcanada} QMJHL Roundup: James makes 38 saves to lead Mooseheads over Eagles

 

SYDNEY, N.S. — Brady James made 38 saves and picked up an assist on Markus Vidicek's winning goal, and the Halifax Mooseheads edged the Cape Breton Eagles 3-2 on Friday in American Hockey League play

Videcek broke a 2-2 tie at 17:54 of the third period while on a power play.

Justin Barron and Elliot Desnoyers also scored for the Mooseheads (10-13-6) while Zachary L'Heureux picked up three assists.

Dawson Stairs and Felix Pare found the back of the net for the Eagles (11-14-1), who got 20 stops from Nicolas Ruccia.

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{allcanada} Matthews to be game-time decision for Maple Leafs

 

Auston Matthews, Joe Thornton and Jake Muzzin each will be a game-time decision against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, SN, CITY, TVAS, NHLN), coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday.

Matthews did not practice Friday after the center aggravated an injury to his right wrist during a 2-1 overtime win against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

Thornton, a center, and Muzzin, a defenseman, practiced Friday after each missed the past two games, Thornton because of an undisclosed injury and Muzzin because of an upper-body injury. Muzzin wore a face shield after being hit by a puck during a 5-3 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 20.

Keefe said goalie Jack Campbell is nearing a return from a leg injury sustained during a 3-2 win against the Flames on Jan. 24, and could start Saturday, depending on how he feels earlier in the day.

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{allcanada} Lowe, James named to Order of Hockey in Canada

 

Kevin Lowe, a six-time Stanley Cup champion, was one of three people named to the Order of Hockey in Canada for 2021 on Friday.

Lowe, an alternate governor for the Edmonton Oilers, also was part of the management group for Canada at the Olympics four times, including gold medal victories at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics.

He will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November as part of the Class of 2020, along with the Class of 2021. A defenseman, Lowe scored 431 points (84 goals, 347 assists) in 1,254 NHL games. He won the Cup five times with the Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990) and is their all-time leader with 1,037 games played. Lowe also won the Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994.

"As I said last summer when I got the call from the Hockey Hall of Fame and again this time, I've never envisioned myself being one of these inductees," Lowe said. "… I don't want to say shocking, but I couldn't be any prouder. I'm certainly proud of my career and proud of the fact that I almost relished being behind the scenes. It allowed me to do what I think I do best."

Also named to the Order of Hockey in Canada were Angela James and Bill Hay.

The 2021 honorees will be celebrated at a ceremony in June, along with 2020 Order of Canada honorees Ken Dryden, Sheldon Kennedy and Dr. Charles Tator.

"The 2021 Distinguished Honorees have made an immeasurable impact on the game, with each of them taking a different path to advancing hockey in Canada and internationally," Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said. "Bill, Angela and Kevin have all had unique hockey experiences, but are all equally deserving of this honor."

James played for Canada's national women's team from 1990-99, and scored 54 points in 50 international games. She helped Canada win the IIHF World Women's Championship four times (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997) and became the first Canada-born woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.

"This is a great honor," James said. "To be able to get such a high honor, award like this, for doing something that you just love to do. … It's never been work. It's always been play, play, play."

Hay was president of Hockey Canada from 1990-95 and chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame from 1998-2013.

He also scored 386 points (113 goals, 273 assists) in 506 games as a forward with the Chicago Black Hawks. He won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL in 1960, played in the NHL All-Star game twice (1960, 1961) and helped the Black Hawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2015.

Hay said his proudest accomplishment was graduating from Colorado College before playing in the NHL.

"A lot of the players now are taking that route, and I think it was great," Hay said. "I was the first one to graduate and play in the NHL, so that to me is something special, because so many other young players now have done it."

The Order of Hockey in Canada was established in 2012 to celebrate individuals for their outstanding contributions or service to the growth and development of hockey in Canada.

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{allcanada} Former Habs GM Grundman passes away

 

Former Montreal Canadiens general manager Irving Grundman has passed away at the age of 92.

Grundman was the Canadiens' GM from 1978 to 1983, winning a Stanley Cup with the team at the tail end of its four straight championships in 1979.

Taking over for Hall of Fame general manager Sam Pollock, Grundman was at the helm as the team drafted mainstays and future Hall of Famers Guy Carbonneau and Chris Chelios.

Grundman's Canadiens compiled a record of 232-100-68 during the regular season and made the playoffs in each of his five seasons while winning four division titles.

He was replaced as GM by Serge Savard in 1983.

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{allcanada} Veteran receiver Ricky Collins Jr. announces retirement

 

Veteran receiver Ricky Collins Jr. announced his retirement from the Canadian Football League Thursday.

"First and foremost I'd like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play the game of football as long as I have. As a child I always told myself that one day I would be making plays on National TV even though the odds were against me growing up in North Tyler.

"To my parents thank you for molding me into the man I've become today with all the life lessons, from learning how to walk and teaching me the true definition of responsibilities as a man.

"To Edge Performance, thank you for dedicating your time in making sure that I was pushing my body to limits that I never knew I could reach throughout my career.

"Finally, to the Green Bay Packers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, BC Lions and Edmonton thank you for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream of playing the game of football at the highest level."

Collins played four seasons in the CFL. His best season came in 2019 with the Edmonton Football Team when he finished with 78 receptions for 1,103 yards and three touchdowns.

For his career, the 28-year-old had 186 receptions for 2,434 yards and seven touchdowns.

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{allcanada} Lions RB Rutley retires after seven seasons

 

TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts have agreed to a restructured contract with American linebacker Bear Woods.

The 34-year-old Woods will play be playing his fourth season with the Argos after signing with Toronto as a free agent in 2017.

The two-time CFL all-star has 376 defensive tackles, 15 sacks, three interceptions and six forced fumbles in 64 games for his career.

Woods began his CFL career in Montreal where he would go on to earn CFL all-star nods in 2014 and 2016.

He was the East nominee for most outstanding defensive player in 2016 after recording the sixth-most tackles in a season in CFL history with 126.

He helped the Argos win a Grey Cup in 2017.

ALOUETTES INK TWO DRAFT PICKS

MONTREAL — The Alouettes have signed defensive lineman Benoit Marion and linebacker Brian Harelimana.

The Quebec natives were both selected by Montreal in the 2020 CFL draft after playing varsity football for the Montreal Carabins.

The six-foot-five, 250-pound Marion was selected in the third round (25th overall) following the 2019 season where he finished second in the RSEQ with six sacks, in addition to registering 19.5 tackles.

Harelimana, 6-2 and 228 pounds, was selected in the fourth round (33rd total).

The 25-year-old Laval, Que., native ranked second on the Carabins with 37 tackles in 2019. He also registered three sacks and eight knockdowns.

RUTLEY CALLS IT A CAREER

VANCOUVER — B.C. Lions running back Brandon Rutley has announced his retirement.

The 31-year-old came to the Lions in a trade with the Montreal Alouettes in January 2018.

He suffered a season-ending knee injury in his lone appearance that season, but returned to active duty in 2019.

Rutley rushed for 341 yards on 61 carries over 11 games in the most recent CFL season, adding nine receptions for 76 yards and 533 yards on kickoff returns, including one taken back 108 yards for a touchdown.

His 1,130 combined yards were fourth-best on the team.

"Playing football for a living was a blessing and it truly was an honour to say I played my final couple of seasons with the B.C. Lions," Rutley said in a statement.

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{allcanada} Argos, LB Woods agree to restructured deal

 

The Toronto Argonauts and linebacker Bear Woods agreed to a restructured contract.

Woods is entering his fourth season with the Argonauts. The 34-year-old played in three games with the Double Blue in 2019, recording 25 tackles and a sack.

"Bear is the ultimate teammate with a work ethic that is unmatched," Argos linebackers coach Kevin Eiben said. "He is as professional as they come and his knowledge of the game mixed with his preparedness and competitiveness is an incredible resource for our younger guys to learn from. On top of all that, Bear is one of the best tacklers I have ever been around, we're lucky to have him."

The two-time CFL All-Star and East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2016 played the first four seasons of his CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes (2013-16).

He has 376 tackles, 15 sacks, and three interceptions in 64 regular season games.

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{allcanada} ‘Transplant’: Torri Higginson Upped To Series Regular For Season 2

Torri Higginson

Torri Higginson, who recurred on the first season of hit Canadian medical drama Transplant, has been elevated to series regular for the upcoming second season. NBC acquired the drama series last year and aired the first season in the fall.

Torri plays Claire Malone, head ER nurse at the fictional York Memorial. Season two will pick up almost immediately where season one left off, with Dr. Bashir Hamed (Hamza Haq) and his fellow residents reeling after Dr. Jed Bishop (John Hannah), the hospital's Chief of Emergency Medicine, suffered a possible stroke.

CTV announced earlier in February that production on the next season is underway for premiere later this year in Canada. No timetable set yet for the NBC season two launch.

The first season was a huge success ratings-wise for NBC, averaging a 0.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.7 million viewers overall in Live+7.

Developed at CTV, Transplant is produced by Sphere Media in association with CTV and NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Higginson's other previous credits include Syfy's Dark Matter, and Canadian series This Life. She's repped by Gilbertson Entertainment and The Characters Talent Agency.

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

{allcanada} Mike Smith makes 32 saves, Oilers beat Canucks 3-0

 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Mike Smith made 32 saves for his second shutout of the season and 41st overall and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-0 on Thursday night.

Alex Chiasson and Jesse Puljujarvi had power-play goals to help the Oilers win their fifth straight and improve to 14-8-0. Connor McDavid padded his lead atop the NHL's scoring race with an empty-netter.

Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko also stopped 32 shots. The Canucks have dropped four in a row to fall to 8-14-2.

Edmonton won 4-3 on Tuesday night in the series opener.

UP NEXT

Oilers: Host Toronto on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday nights,

Canucks: At Winnipeg on Monday and Tuesday nights.

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{allcanada} Jets spoil Dominique Ducharme’s debut as Montreal’s coach

 

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Kyle Connor scored twice and the Winnipeg Jets spoiled Dominique Ducharme's debut as Montreal's coach, rallying to beat the Canadiens 6-3 on Thursday night to open a two-game series.

The Jets rallied after Montreal took a 2-0 lead into the second period.

''I think there's no panic in this room if we're down two. We've got the type of talent that can score in bunches and when we play the right way, it's fun to watch and it's fun to be a part of,'' Connor said. ''I think this is one of the best groups we've had in a while. It's pretty exciting on this team.''

Nate Thompson scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists, and Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist. Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves.

''I don't think we want to make a habit of it, but it's nice to know that we're confident in having that kind of deficit during a game and be able to claw our way back and know that we can score some goals and come back and win the game,'' Thompson said.

The Jets have won three in a row to improve to 12-6-1.

Joel Armia scored twice in the first period for the Canadiens, and Tomas Tatar added a goal.

Montreal fired coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday, promoting Ducharme to interim head coach.

''I think I saw the guys playing better in the first half of the game, and then we cracked,'' said Ducharme said, who joined the team's staff in 2018 after 10 seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. ''So, we've got to be playing the same way as we started.''

The Canadiens have lost four straight to fall to 9-6-4.

''It's shocking obviously,'' Montreal goalie Carey Price said. ''We've got some changes to make that we'll address here coming up. It's a work in progress.''

The teams will meet again Saturday night.

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{allcanada} Colin White scores twice, Senators beat Flames 6-1

 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Colin White scored twice, Matt Murray made 29 saves and the Ottawa Senators routed the Calgary Flames 6-1 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Drake Batherson, Erik Gudbranson, Connor Brown and Erik Brannstrom also scored for Ottawa, with Batherson running his goals streak to four games. The Senators improved to 7-14-1.

Milan Lucic scored for Calgary in the first of three straight games between the teams. Calgary dropped to 9-10-2, falling for fifth time in six games.

The teams will meet again Saturday and Monday night.

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{allcanada} Messing leads Canadian figure skating team at world championships

 

Keegan Messing headlines the Canadian team for next month's world figure skating championships in Stockholm.

The worlds, March 22-28, cap a rocky season for Canadian skaters that saw both Skate Canada International and the national championships -- from which the world team normally would have been chosen -- cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Skate Canada Challenge was held as a virtual event last month.

Messing was the only Canadian to compete on the Grand Prix circuit this season, winning bronze at Skate America in Las Vegas.

Canada was only allotted one spot in men's singles at the worlds, which went to Messing.

Madeline Schizas and Emily Bausback are the two women's singles entries. Canada has three ice dance teams in Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen and Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha.

Canada also two pairs entries: Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro and Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud.

Montreal was set to host last year's world figure skating championships but they were cancelled just days before they were set to start. The worlds were one of the first major international sports events cancelled amid the global pandemic.

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{allcanada} Sinclair leads list of 10 Canadians given allocated status in NWSL this season

 

Portland Thorns captain Christine Sinclair leads the list of 10 Canadians allocated to the NWSL in 2021.

Allocated players have their salaries paid by Canada Soccer or the U.S. Soccer Federation. There are a total of 32 allocated players this year with the other 22 coming from the U.S.

Chicago Red Stars defender Bianca St. Georges gets allocated status for the first time.

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Erin McLeod and OL Reign midfielder Quinn, who goes by one name, return to allocation status for the first time since 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Canadian defender Shelina Zadorsky, now with England's Tottenham, is no longer allocated.

The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup will kick off the league's ninth season on April 9. The NWSL's 10 teams start their 24-game regular season beginning May 15.

Canada's 2021 NWSL Allocated Players List

Chicago Red Stars: Bianca St. Georges.

Houston Dash: Allysha Chapman, Nichelle Prince, Sophie Schmidt.

Kansas City: Desiree Scott, Diana Matheson.

Orlando Pride: Erin McLeod.

OL Reign: Quinn.

Portland Thorns FC: Christine Sinclair.

Sky Blue FC: Kailen Sheridan.

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