The American-based NHL divisions have dealt with postponement challenges due to COVID-19 concerns this season. Now it’s the Canadian-based North Division’s turn.
The NHL announced Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens have had their games through Sunday postponed.
The league made the announcement Tuesday, a day after the Canadiens game against the visiting Edmonton Oilers was postponed following the addition of Montreal forwards Joel Armia and Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the NHL’s COVID protocol list.
The NHL said decision was made by the medical groups from the league, the NHL Players’ Association and the Canadiens.
The league said it’s expected that the Canadiens will be able to re-open their facilities for practice on Monday pending COVID-19 test results over the next few days.
Montreal and Edmonton were scheduled to meet again Wednesday and Friday at the Bell Centre. The decision also affects a home game Sunday against Ottawa.
The Canadiens cancelled their off-day practice Tuesday but the Oilers were back on the ice Wednesday at the Bell Centre.
“You’ve got to try to take advantage of it,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said of the unexpected break in the busy shortened season. “Amazingly we had a real up-tempo practice out there. I thought the guys were in great spirits. Maybe the extra day [off] was good for them.”
‘Weird situation’
The NHL announced the postponement of Monday night’s game about a half hour before the scheduled 7 p.m. opening faceoff.
“It is a bit of a weird situation,” said Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “But obviously other teams have gone through it. It’s the situation we’re in this year. So we rolled with it and we’ll go from there.”
There was no immediate word on makeup dates for the games, the first North Division matchups to be postponed this season due to COVID protocol.
“You’ve got to roll with the punches a little bit,” Tippett said. “That’s exactly where it’s at. We know we’re going to have to make up the game somewhere. It’s part of what we’re dealing with this year.
“Hopefully it’s not a big concern and you just continue to move on. You look at the game in front of you and that’s the one you’ve got to prepare for and hopefully you play well.”
The start time for a game between the two teams on Feb. 11 was pushed back an hour after Edmonton forward Jesse Puljujarvi was placed on the protocol list. He was deemed eligible to resume team activities two days later.
Edmonton is tied with Toronto for top spot in the North Division standings with 42 points. The Maple Leafs have two games in hand on the Oilers.
North Division teams were idle Tuesday night. The Winnipeg Jets are alone in third place with 40 points, three more than the Canadiens.
There have been 41 games postponed this season because of COVID protocol. The truncated 56-game campaign began Jan. 13.
“Players hear and they see what’s going on around the league and it’s not out of the norm to have a game [postponed],” Tippett said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s happened to us but you just deal with it and move on.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
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.
