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Tkachuk brothers ready for memorable NHL All-Star Game – NHL.com

Published

5 years ago

January 23, 2020

ST. LOUIS — Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk will compete against each other in the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills presented by New Amsterdam Vodka on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).

In a new event called Gatorade NHL Shooting Stars, Matthew, a 22-year-old forward for the Calgary Flames, and Brady, a 20-year-old forward for the Ottawa Senators, will stand on an elevated platform behind a goal and shoot pucks over the fans at targets on the ice.

Perfect.

“It was our childhood,” Matthew said.

The brothers grew up playing around inside this building, trying to beat each other (and beat each other up), when their dad, Keith, played for the St. Louis Blues from 2001-10.

They were on the ice together twice at skills competitions, when their dad played in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game in Minnesota and the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal.

The brothers might compete against each other again in the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS) if the Pacific and Atlantic divisions play in the final of the 3-on-3 tournament.

“Honestly, I don’t think we’ve ever talked about this,” Brady said. “It’s just crazy how it’s worked out. I think Matthew and I are just going into it just to have as much fun as we can.”

Matthew and Brady was each born in Scottsdale, Arizona, while Keith played for the Phoenix Coyotes, but they spent their formative years in St. Louis. Matthew was 3 years old and Brady was 1 when the Coyotes traded their dad to the Blues on March 13, 2001.

Their dad would take them to the arena for practices and games. They’d play shinny, of course.

“We’ve scored millions of goals in that rink,” Matthew said.

They’d get physical, too.

“They were brawling in the room all the time,” former Blues defenseman Chris Pronger said with a laugh. “I remember one time Brady broke his finger and it didn’t even faze him.

“I looked down, and it’s crooked, and he kind of cried but not really. He was only like, 4 or 5 maybe. He sat in [Keith’s] locker and just kind of hung out, almost like he was taking a couple deep breaths and regrouping.”

A broken finger didn’t faze him? At 4 or 5 years old?

“I don’t remember the broken finger,” Brady said. “But I do remember the hit from behind into the couch.”

Matthew allegedly hit Brady in the wives’ room after a Blues win. Brady’s forehead hit the couch, and Keith had to take Brady to the Blues training staff for repairs.

“That’s the legendary story, I guess, that nobody’s going to forget,” Matthew said. “I’d like to forget it, but everyone always brings it up.”

They were their father’s sons, and it foreshadowed the players they became — hard-nosed guys who go to the hard areas.

“You could tell those two boys, from Day One, they loved the game,” former Blues defenseman Al MacInnis said. “They always had hockey sticks in their hands. They talked about hockey. They were students of the game as they were growing up. They would learn the history. They knew all the players.”

They loved NHL All-Star Weekend.

Matthew was 6 and Brady was 4 in Minnesota. A photo shows Keith kneeling on the ice in his Blues uniform, beaming at his boys sitting atop the boards in matching black shoes, black pants and green Western Conference jerseys.

Tweet from @andystrickland: Sneak peak at Big Walt preparing Matthew and Brady Tkachuk for their 1st All-Star game #nhlallstar pic.twitter.com/bkjx1pUi1K

Brady said he didn’t remember much from that one.

“Just a couple of wrestling matches,” Brady said.

Matthew was 11 and Brady was 9 in Montreal. A photo shows Keith standing on the bench in his Blues uniform, posing with his boys and his daughter, Taryn. The kids are wearing Western Conference jerseys with autographs on them.

Tweet from @EricFrancis: Such a great story that they��ll all reconvene at the all-star game at which they��ve been many times before. This time the young lads are playing. pic.twitter.com/WSzNyz5Opx

“I just remember following around all the players,” Matthew said. “We looked up to my dad, but I think at something like that, we were more obsessed with guys like [Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane].

“I remember [Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin] was there and [Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin]. All these guys were there, and those were my favorite players growing up watching.

“And so I think that once we were able to be at the age where we were fans of the game and fans of these guys, that’s where we started to appreciate a lot. We got tons of pictures. My mom always made us take pictures.

“Yeah, it was fun to be a part of something like that, especially at the age where we could remember it.”

They will never forget this. Nor will their friends and family.

Each will make his NHL All-Star Game debut, at home, with players they grew up idolizing like Kane, with players who used to be teammates of their dad’s like Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. They know the trainers. They know the security guards.

Their childhood has become their adulthood.

“It’s unbelievable, especially to do it in St. Louis, the place where they grew up,” Keith said. “It’s awesome.”

NHL.com Staff Writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

Published

2 days ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

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.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

Published

2 days ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

Published

2 days ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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