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Hockey P.E.I. repeals suspension for junior player who criticized handling of racist incident – Sportsnet.ca

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3 years ago

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Hockey P.E.I. says it is repealing the indefinite suspension it gave to Keegan Mitchell, the junior hockey player who publicly criticized the league’s handling of a racist on-ice incident and was subsequently barred from playing for violating the organization’s social media rules.

“As an organization and as individuals, we need to take a stand against racism and help make the hockey environment a safe and welcoming place for everyone,” the league wrote in a statement. “We commend Keegan for speaking up for what was right and shining a spotlight on our missteps around this tragic incident.”

The incident took place during a Junior B game on Dec. 17 between the Sherwood Metros, Mitchell’s team, and the Kensington Vipers. A player on the Vipers said an anti-Asian slur toward one of Mitchell’s teammates, neither of whom have been publicly identified.

The player who made the racist remark initially received a two-game suspension. The league, when rescinding Mitchell’s punishment, extended the other player’s suspension to five games.

“Within our existing rules, Hockey P.E.I. issued a suspension to the player who used the racist remark, however, this suspension was not proportionate to the act that was committed and has been increased to five games,” the league said in a statement. “We acknowledge the initial error in judgment and express our deepest apologies to the victim.”

Later in the game, Mitchell confronted the offending player, slashing him in the legs and earning a two-game suspension. Soon after, Mitchell was suspended indefinitely by the league for violating its social media policy by publicly criticizing officials and Hockey P.E.I. in a Jan. 5 Facebook post.

“For those of you who know me personally or through hockey, I am almost absolutely certain you recognize me as someone who always stands up for themselves, but more importantly for my friends and teammates,” Mitchell wrote. “If Hockey P.E.I. took these scenarios as seriously as they say they do, this player would have been suspended appropriately.”

Mitchell was adamant about continuing to be vocal in the intervening days since the suspension.

“I’m not just going to let this go,” Mitchell said. “If I don’t ever play hockey again, that’s fine by me, because I’m going to fight this until it’s right.”

Hockey P.E.I, when repealing his punishment, said it would be conducting a thorough review of its current guidelines and committed to re-examining its rules.

“Our board is committed to examining our rules and enforcement strategies and implementing strict and long-term updates to help prevent any similar situations from occurring in the future,” the league said. “We can and will do better.”

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

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16 hours ago

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September 17, 2024

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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 Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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

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23 hours ago

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September 17, 2024

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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

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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

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1 day ago

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September 17, 2024

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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