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Hickey on hockey: Canadiens made it easy for Kotkaniemi to leave – Montreal Gazette

Published

3 years ago

October 22, 2021

Sitting the Finn during the playoffs and not signing him before he was available for an offer sheet set in motion his departure for Carolina.

Author of the article:

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date:

Oct 22, 2021 • 2 hours ago • 3 minute read • 5 Comments

Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi celebrates his third-period goal against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal on Oct. 21, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

I felt a little sorry for Jesperi Kotkaniemi when he stepped on the Bell Centre ice Thursday night and was greeted with boos and an obscene chant.

I felt happy for Kotkaniemi when he tipped a shot from Sebastian Aho for his first goal as a Carolina Hurricane even if it elicited the loudest boos of the evening. The goal gave Carolina a 3-1 lead and some breathing room en route to a 4-1 victory.

The booing was to be expected. When players leave a team, the fans feel betrayed and, with ticket prices reaching astronomic levels, they need a way to vent their frustration in the wake of one of the Canadiens’ worst starts to a season.

But if you look at the circumstances of Kotkaniemi’s departure, you will see the 21-year-old Finn is not the villain in this saga. It’s not a case of a greedy, ungrateful player turning his back on Montreal and following the money. The Canadiens made it easy for Kotkaniemi to switch allegiance.

Kotkaniemi’s development in Montreal didn’t go as planned. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft had highs and lows and finished his second pro season in the AHL. He didn’t live up to his high draft status and there were questions whether he could meet the demands of an NHL centre.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme set Kotkaniemi’s departure in motion when he had Kotkaniemi in the press box for the opening of the playoffs this year. He was inserted into the lineup for Game 2 vs. the Leafs and scored a crucial overtime goal to force Game 7 in that series.

Kotkaniemi had a good playoff run. He was tied for fifth in team scoring with five goals and three assists in 19 games, he was a shade under 50 per cent in the faceoff circle and he had the second-best shooting percentage among players with 10 or more shots.

But he wasn’t dressed for the final two games. His minus-5 rating played into the decision to bench him, but Cole Caufield and Corey Perry were also at minus-5, while Tyler Toffoli and Nick Suzuki were minus-6.

We can presume that Kotkaniemi was not happy with the way the season ended. And we can also presume that he wasn’t happy with the way his contract negotiations with general manager Marc Bergevin were going. If you thought enough of a player to draft him third overall and you are planning to have him as your No. 2 centre, you’re going to lock him up before he’s available for an offer sheet.

Bergevin has made some shrewd trades and some good free-agent signings, but the only Canadiens first-round pick playing for the team is Caufield. And Kotkaniemi joins Phillip Danault, Andrei Markov and Alexander Radulov on the list of valuable players whose negotiations were mishandled.

The Hurricanes overpaid for Kotkaniemi, but they seem committed to bringing him along slowly and helping him reach his potential. In the meantime, his appearance in Montreal provided them with another chance to snipe at the Canadiens on their Twitter feed.

They posted a picture of Sebastian Aho — who received an offer sheet from Montreal two years ago — with the question: Did the Canadiens lose again? YES.

Female officials on the way: It’s only a matter of time before women are officiating NHL games. The AHL, which serves as a testing ground of NHL rules and procedures, has hired 10 women referees and linespeople this season.

The inaugural group includes Elizabeth Mantha of Longueuil, who has hockey in her blood. Her grandfather, André Pronovost, was part of four Stanley Cup teams with the Canadiens and her brother, Anthony, is a forward with the Washington Capitals.

Mantha, who refereed at the women’s world championship this year in Edmonton, played in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League after a university career that included a national championship with the Université de Montréal Carabins.

Chip off the old block: The U.S. college season is getting underway and one player who has been making waves is Carson Brière who is the nation’s leading scorer, with seven goals and an assist in four games. The Mercyhurst College sophomore is the son of Daniel Brière, who played one season with the Canadiens late in his career.

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Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

18 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

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Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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