Sports

Ilya Kovalchuk is making it hard for the Canadiens to trade him away – Habs Eyes on the Prize

Published

5 years ago

February 9, 2020

At least three teams are reportedly interested in the availability of Ilya Kovalchuk. According to Eric Engels, the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers might like to see if they could deal with the Montreal Canadiens for his services. But even with all of the reported interest, the aging Russian is making a very compelling case to stay in la belle province.

At 36-years-old, he still has the ability to be the type of difference maker that the Habs were lacking for most of this season. He stole the show yet again, and celebrated accordingly.

When Nick Suzuki gets the breakaway, that is the opportunity you might expect to end the game. He gets poke-checked, however, and it’s up to the trailing Kovalchuk to pounce on the loose puck. It’s a finisher’s goal, and it secured an incredibly valuable two points for a Habs team that seems determined to hang on to their playoff hopes.

I’ve stated numerous times that I believe the best thing for the Habs to do is to capitalize on Kovalchuk’s trade value, but he is finisher that the Habs have been lacking all year. This is going to make it harder for them to let him go, particularly if they can continue this streak.

It definitely wasn’t his best game in a Habs uniform. He was sub-50% in on-ice shot attempts-for, and he was on the ice when John Tavares put the Habs down by one in the early goings of the third period. But the Habs were never a bad possession team, they lacked finish, and the fact that he provides them with some of that just might make the race to the playoffs a lot more interesting than it was supposed to be.

That he managed to show that finish against Toronto — on a night where the Florida Panthers also lost — gives hope to Canadiens fans. Whether that hope is misplaced or not remains to be seen, but all of a sudden the idea of this team sneaking into the playoffs seems considerably less crazy than it did even a week ago.

They still have a long way to go, but last night was a massive step in the right direction. I still think that moving Kovalchuk is a logical conclusion to this story, but if he can steal a few more games before the trade deadline, he might put them in a position where they need him around to finish the run.

And after that goal, and the raucous celebration that followed, I’m finding it hard to accept that he should leave despite my personal opinion on the matter.

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

Published

2 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

9 hours 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

12 hours 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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