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Maple Leafs’ Galchenyuk shining in audition on Tavares-Nylander line – Sportsnet.ca

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TORONTO – Immediately after he was traded to Toronto Maple Leafs, Alex Galchenyuk’s phone illuminated with a welcoming text message from Auston Matthews.

The two top-three NHL draft picks with very divergent career trajectories had developed a relationship over the pandemic off-season, engaging in some exclusive, private skills and skating sessions in Phoenix with Galchenyuk’s father, Alexander Sr., and Matthews’ boyhood trainer Boris Dorozhenko.

On Saturday night, Galchenyuk (now with his seventh franchise) and Matthews (destined to become the face of his first) were integral to the construction of a come-from-behind, 4-3 overtime victory over the dynamic Edmonton Oilers.

Matthews snuffed out his five-game goal drought by scoring his league-best eighth game-winner in the extra frame.

But that opportunity would not have presented itself had Galchenyuk — bumped up to Line 2 mid-game by coach Sheldon Keefe — not played a helping hand in the set up of third-period strikes by linemates John Tavares and William Nylander.

“It’s funny how things work out,” said Galchenyuk, following his first multi-point effort since three teams ago. “Definitely happy to be on the same team.”

If you’ve played any left wing for the Maple Leafs this season, chances are you’ve had a tryout alongside Tavares-Nylander as Keefe searches for a third tenor to make his second line sing.

Jimmy Vesey, Wayne Simmonds, Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton, Alexander Kerfoot, Ilya Mikheyev….

At the risk of drawing conclusions from a four-game, three-point sample size, maybe Galchenyuk is not only the one that sticks, but the one who makes general manager Kyle Dubas wonder if he already traded for his top-nine winger.

That low-risk, high-reward flyer the Leafs GM plucked off the Carolina Hurricanes, in part, because, hey, Galchenyuk was already in Ontario, had already cleared waivers and wouldn’t require an extensive quarantine.

Saturday’s showdown between two-thirds of the North Division’s best was loaded with blinding assist highlights: Connor McDavid’s top-speed, no-look rush pass to Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl’s no-look, behind-the-back, behind-the-net, give-and-go with Tyson Barrie. And Galchenyuk’s no-look, between-the-legs, backhanded drop pass to Tavares in the slot — on a rush that began off a D-zone draw and which triggered the Leafs’ rally and further endeared castaway Galchenyuk to a Toronto team growing tighter by the win.

“He plays with a lot of energy,” Matthews beams. “He’s really passionate about hockey. He works extremely hard. He cares a lot. He’s been playing great over the games he’s been with us. He works hard every shift, he competes, and you can’t really ask for more. He’s got plenty of skill to go along with that. He made a couple of really nice plays tonight, and a couple of huge goals from that line.”

That line — Galchenyuk-Tavares-Nylander — has now generated 82 per cent of expected goals and 90 per cent of high-danger chances in the 30 minutes it’s been on the ice together.

Keefe had started Simmonds in that spot early, but once the Maple Leafs started getting caved in and lost their legs — and the lead — in the second period, the coach peeked at Galchenyuk’s minimal ice time and gave him a promotion.

“I thought Galchenyuk had played well to that point. I hadn’t used him very much, yet the shifts that he had I thought were good,” Keefe explained post-game.

“Galchenyuk hadn’t done anything to come off of that line. He had played quite well. It was more just about giving Simmonds that opportunity there. Just the way that it works out with how the game was going, needed to make some changes. And it was nice to see that line continue the way that it had been playing.”

Especially nice for Tavares, whose strong work in the D-zone and the face-off circle hasn’t kept critics from noticing his lack of even-strength production.

On a night where the Oilers rolled McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line, conjured up wow moments and still lost, it’s worth remembering that the success of the Maple Leafs rests on the Matthews and Tavares units smacking defenders with a one-two punch at even strength.

Particularly when Toronto’s vaunted power play, now 0 for its past 18, gets stuck in the mud.

“Nice to get one,” said Tavares, up to 10 goals in 34 games. “(Scoring) is a big part of my game, and this year it hasn’t seemed to be as consistent as I’d like.

“I’m still trying to figure some things out. Not a perfect science. Just got to bear down on some opportunities. I’m good around the net at finding rebounds and plays in tight, and I haven’t seemed to get as many of those.”

Tavares credits Galchenyuk’s blend of talent, work ethic and playmaking sense as a complement to him and Nylander.

“He was drafted really high for a reason,” Tavares said.

“He’s had really good success in this league. He makes plays quickly, and great two plays on the two goals that help tie it up. Just the energy that he brings. He won a lot of loose pucks, getting first to pucks and just keeping possession and doing a lot of things like that that just help you just make positive plays and over time wear the opponent down and create the openings that you’re looking for.”

Hockey, as always, is a game of breaks. Of opportunity seized.

Galchenyuk, it seems, needed a club willing to be patient, to pump up his confidence and comfort in the minors, then give him shifts him alongside high-end talent to jolt a revival.

And Matthews, after drilling posts and pounding Mike Smith’s pads all night, needed an OT puck to clink off Draisaitl’s stick and Darnell Nurse’s foot before finally finding twine and quenching his drought.

Next one’s going in, next one’s going in, the Rocket leader kept thinking to himself as his attempts got denied.

“Sometimes those ugly ones help you get out of a big slump,” Matthews smiled.

“Not really how I drew it up, but I’ll definitely take it.”

We could say the exact same for the Maple Leafs’ incorporation of Galchenyuk into their top six.

Funny how things work out.

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Presidents Cup: Canadians on International team have ties to Kent State University

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Herb Page was going about his business on a Tuesday morning when Mackenzie Hughes, one of his former star players on Kent State University’s men’s golf team, reached out to him on FaceTime.

Hughes said he just wanted to say hi because he was killing time at the kind of corporate function PGA Tour players are often invited to speak at. But just as Page bit on his story, Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners leaned into the frame on Hughes’s phone.

All three were in the midst of a practice round at Royal Montreal Golf Club, scouting the course ahead of the Presidents Cup. The three Canadians, all Kent State grads, would be named captain’s selections to the International team a few hours later and they wanted to surprise their collegiate coach with the news.

“I just about cried,” said Page, adding that he had goosebumps from retelling the story. “They’re better people than they are golfers. I know that’s a kind of a catchphrase, but even after they graduated, they keep me in the loop. I’m still part of their little journey.”

Hughes was a year ahead of Pendrith and Conners on the Golden Flashes, but they all overlapped at the university in northeastern Ohio in the early 2010s. They all turned pro and are now three of the top Canadians on the PGA Tour.

Canadian golf legend Mike Weir made them three of his six captain’s picks on Sept. 3 for the Presidents Cup which starts this Thursday at Royal Montreal. Their inclusion on the International team’s roster is the first time three Canadians have played in the best-on-best match-play tournament, with Hughes from Dundas, Ont., Pendrith from Richmond Hill, Ont., and Conners from Listowel, Ont.

It was the morning of Weir’s announcement that Hughes played his small “prank” on Page.

“It just meant so much to me. I couldn’t have been happier,” said Page, who retired from coaching five years ago. “It’s just the way these three young men are, who they are and what they stand for. It was pretty cool.

“He got me so bad. I cannot believe how he did it. It was crazy.”

Hughes said that Page, who is from Markham, Ont., left an indelible mark on him, Pendrith and Conners and there was no way they wouldn’t tell him directly about being named to the Presidents Cup.

“My time at Kent State really helped shape the player I am,” said Hughes. ” (Page) was like a father figure to me at Kent State, someone that I really trusted and really respected his opinion.

“He’d be the first to tell you that there was lots of tough love, and some tough conversations that we had, and that’s what I think helps you grow and evolve as a person and a golfer.”

An argument could be made that the Kent State Golden Flashes of the early 2010s is one of the most well-rounded men’s golf teams in NCAA history.

Although other teams can claim more PGA Tour wins — the 1995 Stanford University team, for example, went on to win 86 titles on the PGA Tour, but 82 of them are thanks to Tiger Woods with Notah Begay III adding four — the Canadian trio at Kent State with American John Hahn has arguably been the most successful collectively with five wins between Hughes, Pendrith and Conners.

“It was a pretty stout team,” said Hughes, noting that Hahn went on to play on the European DP World Tour. “Now, at the time, I don’t think we quite had it all together and everyone clicking as a team.

“But you look back on it and individuals that were playing and what they’ve achieved it was a pretty awesome group.”

Page, who recruited and coached that team, is more effusive.

“That era was pretty darn good, Pretty darn good,” he said. “Of course, during that era, Alabama was making runs with Justin Thomas and Texas was making runs with Jordan Spieth.

“The thing about all three (Kent State golfers), they just got better and better and better. They weren’t superstars, nationally ranked, coming out of Ontario. I don’t want to say this in a bad way, but it’s not like I had to fend off tons of schools to get them to come to Kent State.”

Hughes has added Page to his VIP guest list at Royal Montreal Golf Club so that his old coach won’t miss a single swing by his former student-athletes when play begins on Thursday.

“I’m flying in Monday night because I’m going to be there the whole damn week,” said Page with a chuckle. “And I’m not flying out until Monday morning because when they raise that cup, I’m going to be there.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

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Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime to lead Canada into Davis Cup Final 8

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Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime will lead the Canadian team into the Davis Cup Final 8, with Frank Dancevic returning as captain.

Auger-Aliassime will once again be joined by Denis Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau, of Laval, Que., and Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., in the event taking place, Nov. 19-24 in Malaga, Spain.

It’s the same squad that posted a 7-2 match record during the tournament’s group stage in Manchester, England, earlier this month.

Canada, which won the tournament in 2022, will meet three-time champion Germany in the quarterfinals in Spain.

Defending champion Italy will play Argentina, the United States will meet Australia and Spain will take on the Netherlands.

“This group has shown time and again that it can compete at the highest level,” Dancevic said. “It’s the same five players that brought home the Davis Cup trophy for the very first time in 2022 and enjoyed a great week in Manchester to seal our place in this year’s quarterfinals. So, we will head to Malaga knowing we have tough matches ahead of us, but with confidence that we can reach our goal.”

Auger-Aliassime, ranked 21st in the world by the ATP, will represent Canada for the eighth time in the Davis Cup, where he boasts a career record of 13 wins and 4 losses.

Shapovalov will make his 11th appearance in the Davis Cup, with a record of 18 wins and 10 losses.

Diallo, the youngest team member at 22, will participate in the Davis Cup for the seventh time, while Galarneau, 25, has been named to the Canadian team for the eighth time.

The 34-year-old Pospisil, the second most prolific Canadian in Davis Cup history, will represent the country for the 28th time, entering Malaga with a record of 32 wins and 27 losses in 34 career ties.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Hamilton Tiger-Cats sign veteran Peters to one-year contract extension

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HAMILTON – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed American cornerback Jamal Peters to a one-year contract extension Monday.

The deal keeps Peters with the CFL club through the 2025 season.

Peters, 27, has registered 38 tackles and four interceptions in 12 games this season, his first with Hamilton.

Peters signed with the Ticats as a free agent in February following three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts. Peters helped the Argos win a Grey Cup title in 2022.

Peters has appeared in 48 regular-season games over four CFL seasons, recording 155 tackles, 15 interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack. He was a CFL all-star in 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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