Can we drop the puck on the Western Conference second round between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks already? It’s felt like ages since the Oilers dusted off the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round, which ended exactly a week ago Wednesday.
At least it’s given us time to ponder all of the important questions heading into this next series. So much time, in fact, that they’ve already been answered, ad nauseam. So, here are five other questions:
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Is there a chance? Could Vancouver be the stepping stone to finally end jokes such as:
How many Oilers fans does it take to change a lightbulb?
One to change the bulb and an entire city to lament about how great the old bulb was.
And don’t give me the ol’, ‘We’ve waited long enough,’ because I have an entire fanbase out on the West Coast to introduce you to.
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard and Stuart Skinner might not be Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr, but they’re every bit as good as there is in the NHL right now. And besides, would you really want a bunch of 63-year-olds hopping the boards out there?
If the Oilers end up making it past the division-leading Canucks, it’s only going to get tougher from there on out, with the best both conferences have to offer waiting for them in Rounds 3 and 4.
‘Paging Connor McDavid … Mr. McDavid to the front desk.’
We know you’re the best in the world. We’ve watched you shrug off that title and others like it for years now.
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Today, it’s time to show it.
After cleaning up the hardware with five league awards a year ago, we can’t shake the feeling you’ve spent this entire season focusing solely on making everyone around you better. Becoming the first player since Gretzky in ’92 to earn triple-digit assists only proves our point — and that was back in the same year the Oilers and Canucks last played in the playoffs, for those keeping score at home.
And that’s fine. Heck, maybe that’s even the ultimate secret for success in the NHL. We fully realize one guy can’t do it all himself every time. But once in a while, Connor, you’re going to have to pick this team up and carry it on your shoulders as you dipsy-doodle your way through all five opponents before deking the puck past the goalie you left grabbing his ankles at the side of the crease. Just like we know you can. So, maybe start thinking about being a little more selfish when the need arises, young man. It’s not always about sharing.
The Canucks were never supposed to hit the ground running (er, skating?) this year after pulling the trigger on a head-coaching change midway through the previous season. But Rick Tocchet didn’t need much of a runway to take his Canucks from missing playoffs for the third year in a row, and seventh time in eight seasons. Tocchet is 70-35-13 (.648) behind the Canucks bench
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The only more remarkable turnaround to be found was Kris Knoblauch being parachuted in as a rookie NHL head coach in mid-November to help Edmonton recover from a 3-9-1 start to the season, on the way to finishing with a 46-18-5 (.822) record.
Vancouver finished five points ahead of second-place Edmonton in the Pacific Division, and swept the season series 4-0. But both coaches have exactly one playoff series victory with their current team to their credit, so far, and the only thing anyone’s going to remember is which one comes out ahead in this one.
Just don’t ask Tocchet who the smart money is to bet on …
Only one thing to do in this day and age when you want to know something: Ask AI.
That’s right. We’re not leaving this one up to the so-called experts. They’re wrong every bit as often as they’re right. Thanks. Big help they are.
And besides, we basically have the entire recorded history of the written world at our fingertips, getting smarter and smarter every single day and just waiting to be accessed.
So, over to you, ChatGPT. Who is going to win the second-round NHL playoff series between the Oilers and Canucks?
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• I can’t predict the outcome of future events, including sports games like NHL playoff series. The outcome depends on various factors including team performance, player injuries, coaching strategies, and many other unpredictable elements. It’s best to watch the games and see how they unfold!
Huh? Too bad there wasn’t the technology available to compile all that information and process some sort of outcome percentage. Looks like someone still has a loooong way to go before we need to bother losing any sleep when it comes to the machines taking over the world. Good thing we didn’t ask you to tell us a joke. Wait …
• Here’s a hockey-themed joke for you:
Why did the hockey player bring string to the game?
Because he wanted to tie the score!
What, are you new? There are no ties in playoff hockey, ChatGPT. How about you try a funny joke?
• Absolutely, here’s a classic one for you:
Why was the hockey arena so cold?
Because there were a lot of fans!
Keep at it, ChatGPT. There’s still plenty of hockey left to play.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
MacKenzie Weegar wasn’t bitter or upset as he watched friends live out their dreams.
The Calgary Flames defenceman just hopes to experience the same feeling one day. He also knows the road leading to that moment, if it does arrive, will likely be long and winding — much like his own path.
A seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2013 NHL draft, Weegar climbed the ranks to become an important piece of a roster that captured the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2021-22.
Two months later following a second-round playoff exit, he was traded to the Flames along with Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk. And less than two years after that, the Panthers were hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“Happy for the city and for the team,” Weegar said of Florida’s June victory over the Edmonton Oilers. “There was no bad taste in my mouth.”
His sole focus, he insists, is squarely on eventually getting the Flames to the same spot. The landscape, however, has changed drastically since Weegar committed to Calgary on an eight-year, US$50-million contract extension in October 2022.
Weegar has watched a list that includes goaltender Jacob Markstrom, defencemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov and forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane shipped out of town since the start of last season — largely for picks, prospects and young players as part of a rebuild.
Despite that exodus, he remains committed to the Calgary project steered by general manager Craig Conroy.
“It’s easy to get out of all whack when you see guys trying to leave or wanting new contracts,” the 30-year-old from Ottawa said at last week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “I just focus on where I am and where I want to be, and that’s Calgary.
“I believe in this team. The city has taken me in right away. I feel like I owe it to them to stick around and grind through these years and get a Stanley Cup.”
The hard-nosed blueliner certainly knows what it is to grind.
After winning the Memorial Cup alongside Nathan MacKinnon with the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013, Weegar toiled in the ECHL and American Hockey League for three seasons before making his NHL debut late in the 2016-17 campaign with the Panthers.
He would spend the next five years in South Florida as one of the players tasked with shifting an organizational culture that had experienced little success over the previous two decades.
“There’s always going to be a piece of my heart and loyalty to that team,” Weegar said. “But now I’m in a different situation … I compete against all 32 teams, not just Florida. There’s always a chip on my shoulder every single year.”
Weegar set career highs with 20 goals — eight was the most he had ever previously registered — and 52 points in 2023-24 as part of a breakout offensive performance.
“I think my buddies cared a lot more than I did,” he said with a smile. “All I hear is, ‘fantasy, fantasy, fantasy.'”
Weegar was actually more proud of his 200 blocked shots and 194 hits as he looks to help set a new Flames’ standard alongside Huberdeau, captain Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Rasmus Andersson for a franchise expected to have its new arena in time for the 2027-28 season.
“You have to build that culture and that belief in the locker room,” said Weegar, who pointed to 22-year-old centre Connor Zary as a player set to pop. “Those young guys are going to have to come into their own and be consistent every night … they’re the next generation.”
Weegar, however, isn’t punting on 2024-25. He pointed to the NHL’s parity and the fact a couple of teams surprise every season.
It’s the same approach that took him from the ECHL a decade ago to hockey’s premier pre-season event inside a swanky hotel on Sin City’s famed strip, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the game’s best.
“From the outside — media and even friends and family — the expectations are probably a bit lower,” Weegar said of Calgary’s outlook. “But there’s no reason to think that we can’t make playoffs and we can’t be a good team (with) that underdog mentality.
“You never know.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept 17, 2024.
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The Northern Super League has fleshed out its front office with four appointments.
Jose Maria Celestino da Costa was named vice-president and head of soccer operations while Marianne Brooks was appointed vice-president of partnerships, Kelly Shouldice as vice-president of brand and content and Joyce Sou as vice-president of finance and business operations.
The new six-team women’s pro league is set to kick off in April.
“Their unique expertise and leadership are crucial as we lay the foundation for not just a successful league in Canada, but one that stands among the top sports leagues in the world,” NSL president Christina Litz said in a statement. “By investing in top-tier talent and infrastructure, the Northern Super League is committed to creating a league that will elevate the game and set new standards for women’s professional soccer globally.”
Da Costa will oversee all on-field matters, including officiating. His resume includes stints with Estoril Praia, a men’s first-division team in Portugal, and the Portuguese Soccer Federation, where he helped develop the Portuguese women’s league.
Brooks spent a decade with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, working in “partnership sales and retention efforts” for the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, and Rogers Arena. Most recently, she served as senior director of account management at StellarAlgo, a software company that helps pro sports teams connect with their fans
Shouldice has worked for Corus Entertainment, the Canadian Football League, and most recently as vice-president of Content and Communications at True North Sports & Entertainment, where she managed original content as well as business and hockey communications.
Sou, who was involved in the league’s initial launch, will oversee financial planning, analysis and the league’s expansion strategy in her new role.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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