Michael Bunting — the Toronto Maple Leafs’ overnight pre-season phenom — had his rinkside interview interrupted Wednesday when teammate Kurtis Gabriel walked into the frame and barked that compliment in his ear.
Bunting later admitted the KG camera bomb startled him:
Bunting’s projected opening night centreman, John Tavares, chuckled at the scene.
“I like to dress it up a little more,” Tavares smiled.
Then the captain broke down the hockey benefits of employing a “greasy rat” like Scarborough’s finest.
Extremely determined. Great awareness on the ice. Knows how to complement elite players. Finds a way to make an impact on the game. Good hands and perfect timing.
“He’s been kind of a late bloomer,” Tavares went on. “Someone who’s had to prove a lot of people wrong and just always had that attitude of finding a way.”
The Bunting Way is to impress enough in his minutes during exhibition that he’s snatched up a top-six role like a rat does cheese.
The Calder-eligible 26-year-old (wink) scored last Saturday in his first dress rehearsal as a Leaf, erupted for a hat trick in Ottawa Wednesday, then deflected the game-winner off a David Kämpf pass in Friday’s Blue vs. White exhibition at Scotiabank Arena.
All Bunting does is score, apparently. And crawl under his opponents’ skin.
“He certainly is a guy that makes no friends on the ice,” says coach Sheldon Keefe, a fan of Bunting’s since he had him in the Soo.
“Just in terms of the hunger and the competitiveness he has around the net, because he’s always looking to get an edge on you. I’m really happy that he’s gotten the results that he’s gotten here in the first two games. It allows his confidence to grow, allows him to settle in here with us.”
The edge that the left winger has carried from AA minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League to a stint in the ECHL to a little UFA bidding war in his mid-20s, Bunting says it’s how he forces himself into the game.
“Getting the other team after me or to get in their head, I feel like that’s when I’m playing my best. When they’re chasing after me and not worried about the game, that helps us out. So, I don’t mind playing that role,” Bunting said.
“The road I took to get here isn’t the normal one everybody takes, so I take pride in that and I (embrace) it every day. You can’t take this thing for granted; it can go just as fast as it can come. You appreciate it a little bit more (because) it did take a little bit for me to get here. It has been a grind.”
The new grinder has bonded with veteran Wayne Simmonds over their similar paths to the show — “Scarborough sticks together,” Simmonds asserts of the mindset in the eastern part of Toronto — and he rhymes off Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Wendel Clark as boyhood role models.
“He’s just got a chip on his shoulder, in terms of how he’s how he’s come up through the hockey ranks,” Keefe said. “He plays with a lot to prove every night and he’s out there to try to make the best of every opportunity he can. And I like those qualities about him. That’s what I think makes you believe a player like him always has a chance, and here he is in the NHL.
“Those are the kind of guys you don’t want to bet against.”
My best guess at Toronto’s Opening Night lineup
Health willing, of course…
Offence
Ritchie–Matthews–Marner
Bunting–Tavares–Nylander
Mikheyev–Kämpf–Kase
Spezza–Kerfoot–Simmonds
Defence
Rielly–Brodie
Muzzin–Holl
Sandin–Dermott
Goalie
Campbell
Mrazek
Power-Play Units
Rielly
Matthews–Marner–Nylander
Tavares
—
Sandin
Spezza–Bunting–Kase
Ritchie
Keefe extension kept hush-hush
Curious that the Maple Leafs did not announce head coach Sheldon Keefe’s two-year contract extension when it was signed.
Appearing on Tim & Friends Friday, GM Kyle Dubas confirmed that the deal was signed off on early in the summer, yet news didn’t make the rounds until Thursday night — hours before Keefe’s starring turn in Amazon’s All or Nothing series.
“Whenever there’s a big disappointment we encounter, that always brings out the best in him as a coach,” Dubas said of Keefe. “He’s a person that thrives in situations like this.
“It’s a great thing for our organization.”
So why no official announcement?
“That’s not my department,” Keefe replied Friday night.
“It’s great for my family, of course. But it hasn’t changed anything in terms of my approach or anything like that. If anything, it just allows me to do my job as best I can without any other distractions.”
Matthews progressing just fine
Matthews’ recovering wrist is progressing well, and the star centre participated in three half-practices with linemates this week.
That said, he’s not yet ready for contact. If he squeezes into an exhibition game, it’ll be Toronto’s final one, Oct. 9 at home to Ottawa. That’s intended to be the dress rehearsal for the real NHL group.
“It’s about building up the strength in the wrist to the point that he’s confident in receiving passes, leaning into shots, and of course (taking) faceoffs and contact. The fact we’ve seen him out every single day with no setbacks is a good thing,” Keefe said.
New guy Nick Ritchie appears to have drawn the long straw in camp. The bruising left winger says he’s never skated with a duo as dynamic as Marner and Matthews.
“These are some of the most skilled guys in the league, and it’s cool to get to be on the same ice as them and learn things from them,” Ritchie said.
While the first talking point with Ritchie is his sturdy frame (six-foot-three, 236 pounds) and bruising style of play, his coach sees another reason for inserting him alongside his most productive forwards.
“You’re going to be surprised with how good his hands are, how good his shot is, how good he is at making plays in tight spaces,” Keefe said.
Marner approves crackdown on cross-checking
For years, the Maple Leafs have had a difficult time drawing penalties. Last season, the club ranked just 26th overall in the category, drawing 3.08 penalties per 60 minutes.
Not good enough for a group that is supposed to put away opponents on the power play.
It will be interesting to see if the NHL’s stricter enforcement of cross-checking either (a) gives the Leafs more confidence driving to the net or (b) results in a few more power plays.
Mitch Marner is a fan.
“Yeah, I think it’s good. It should be fair. You go into a corner, you don’t need to have a guy just abusing your back with crosschecks, so I think it should be a penalty,” Marner said.
“Also, net-front-wise, I think it’s dangerous. Guys are strong and can stand on their skates, but if a guy crosschecks you while you’re leaning over trying to tip a puck, you’re not going to stay up on your feet every single time that happens. So you’ve seen people eating pucks in the back of the neck, heads and stuff like that. The league thought it was a thing they needed to change, so we’ll see how it goes.”
One-Timers: Expect significant cuts to Toronto’s bloated camp roster after its preseason back-to-back Monday and Tuesday . If you noticed white Band-Aids pasted to Leafs’ foreheads during Friday’s Blue vs. White game, there’s a reason. Those absorbant patches are being used by the Leafs for sweat and hydration analysis during camp. Sports science! … Toronto signed undrafted free-agent forward Braeden Kressler to a three-year entry level contract Friday evening. Kressler put up nine goals and 18 points in 46 games for the OHL’s Flint Firebirds in 2019-20 but did not play in 2020-21 due to the pandemic . Defence prospect Teemu Kivihalme, 26, was placed on waivers Friday; he’s eligible to be claimed before 2 p.m. ET Saturday…. Do the Maple Leafs offer Josh Ho-Sang (PTO) an AHL contract in order to avoid the waiver wire with a talent who has impressed at camp?
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
