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Canada’s lucky charm at Beijing Olympics is a 500-pound moose that other teams like to steal

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3 years ago

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The first-arriving member of the Canadian delegation was the moose – the team’s photogenic fibreglass mascot who measures about two metres in length and weighs some 225 kilograms.Canadian Olympic Committee

The first member of Team Canada to arrive at the Beijing Olympics left Tokyo last fall in a crate – and travelled by sea.

When he docked at the Chinese port city of Tianjin, he waited for months for his Canadian teammates to give him a lift to Beijing. Now, as the Winter Olympics are set to begin, Canada’s big-antlered lucky charm is standing right where he belongs: outside Team Canada’s accommodations in the athletes village, ready to pose for his usual flurry of photos with Olympians from around the world.

The team’s photogenic fibreglass mascot measures about two metres in length and weighs some 225 kilograms. The Canadians have had a moose statue along on Olympic trips since the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.

He’s a star attraction. Athletes snap selfies with him – and sometimes involve him in Olympic shenanigans, too.

Canadian athletes sometimes move him to alternate locations in the village so they can click some different pictures. Often, he gets moose-napped by a pack of fun-seeking athletes from friendly rivals under the cover of night (looking at you, Australia!) and relocated elsewhere in the village – something that happened frequently during last summer’s Tokyo Games.

“I can’t tell you the number of calls I had in Tokyo that the moose was on the loose again,” said Shane Fombuena, Games project manager for the Canadian Olympic Committee. “There’s always a few countries that try to steal him. We know who the usual suspects are, we know what countries we have to go and poke and prod and ask for our moose back.”

On one such occasion in Tokyo, Canadian weightlifter Boady Santavy and several members of the Canadian women’s water-polo team retrieved the moose after he went missing, moving the heavy guy back to his spot. Mr. Santavy tweeted a video of their rescue mission with the caption, “The people who stole our moose will stay anonymoose.”

A life-size moose stands in front of the Canadian residence in the athletes village at the 2012 London Olympics on July 26, 2012.Jason Ransom/The Canadian Press

For the moose, every Olympics is a different adventure. He typically gets a new paint job for each Games, and appears in hundreds of photos splashed across social media. The moose has withstood weather of all kinds, including storm winds in Tokyo strong enough to blow him right over – causing some minor cracking to his back and antlers.

In Beijing, the moose statue stands close to an outdoor courtyard space that the COC has set up for its athletes so they can have a bit of physically distanced fun at an otherwise heavily restricted Olympics inside a closed loop. They can’t leave the loop to visit other parts of Beijing, or enjoy as much of the usual socializing at the heart of most Games. But the Canadian courtyard in the village has backyard games such as Spikeball and Cornhole where they can safely unwind.

The moose is one of Mr. Fombuena’s many responsibilities at each Olympics – everything from recovering him after a night of high jinks to arranging his travel.

“He has a custom crate made for him to protect him from damage in transport,” Mr. Fombuena said. “So it all depends on the Games and how our freight moves – on rails, or on an ocean liner, on a plane. So we built this giant wooden crate to protect him. It’s his little shelter; it’s his home.”

Already in Asia for the Summer Olympics last year in Tokyo, the moose travelled directly from there to Tianjin and then Beijing in the COC shipping container, along with a variety of other items needed at both Games, from technology equipment to weight machines.

Komak the moose is greeted by students at St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary School in Hamilton on Dec. 6, 2013. Komak was unveiled as the Canadian Olympic team’s official mascot for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press

Because the moose didn’t get home to Canada this time, he still has some of those Tokyo cracks, and the same red and black paint job he had for the Summer Games.

“Everything has been very uncertain with ocean freight in terms of timelines during the pandemic,” Mr. Fombuena said. “So we were sure to be very quick about turning our things around and having them leave Tokyo as soon as possible to come to Beijing.”

As per tradition, the Canadian athletes will vote on a name for the moose at these Olympics. Some of the past candidate names have included Mountie and Madamooselle at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for example.

After the Beijing Games are over, the moose will start his voyage home to Canada – travelling by sea once again. While his teammates will be back home later this month, the moose’s journey is a little more unpredictable, Mr. Fombuena said. “We’re expecting him to be home in May or June of this year.”

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

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September 19, 2024

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DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

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September 19, 2024

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

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September 19, 2024

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PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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