I’m not sure who runs the social media accounts of Sportsnet and The Score, but whomever it is evidently has no love and little respect for the Edmonton Oilers. Both sports media companies posted tweets on Twitter denigrating the Oilers after the team’s Western Conference finals loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Oilers went deeper into the playoffs than any other Canadian NHL team this year, making it to the Final Four, where a powerhouse Colorado Avalanche team swept them in four games.
It was a hard knock loss for a team already battered by major injuries to star players like Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse. Nonetheless, Edmonton went down fighting hard, with neither Draisaitl nor Nurse missing a playoff game due to injury and both providing inspiration to their teammates with their grit.
If the two players had been healthy perhaps the playoff outcome would have been different, but not to be, not this year.
The Score’s response to Edmonton’s playoff run, the most success the Alberta team has had since 2006?
In a now deleted tweet, they showed an Oilers logo being spray-painted over with the word “LOSERS.”
And Sportsnet’s response?
In a now deleted tweet, they showed an Oiler character in a bog trying to grab the Stanley Cup, only to land facedown in the mud, while an Avs character flew overhead with with a broom, indicating the series sweep.
And the reaction from fans of the Edmonton Oilers?
Oilers fan Burt Schoeppe said he’d been a Sportsnet subscriber for more than a decade and asked,
“Why was this posted then taken down? If you meant to sneer at Oilers fans stand by it. If you think it was a mistake address the issue.”
Said Edmonton fan Keri L. Kettle: “My initial reaction to both Tweets was disbelief. Sportsnet was denigrating its business partner. The Score – a former sports network – was embarrassing itself. As a Marketing Prof, I am stunned they didn’t give their social media staff clear direction on what is acceptable.”
And Oilers fan Goodfella @DhillonSteve: “Just embarrassing. What a bunch of clowns.”
And Daniel Ficca @oilers49er: “The envy that Toronto has that they lost the McDavid draft continues to this day. It’s constant over here in Ontario. I would say well over 80% of the NHL articles on the Score app are about how Matthews is going to win all the hardware and is the best (insert lie) in hockey.”
And Jason Cobb @alpinejcobb: “Any other team get similar treatment from The Score or Sportsnet?”
Replied JB @JackieBee_16: “Nope. It’s a classless, trashy and quite pathetic tweet
1. It’s not news to anyone in Edmonton that some (certainly not all) media people in Toronto are anti-Alberta and anti-Oilers. Hockey is a tribal sport so no surprise to see this prejudiced attitude expressed in this context. In some ways, it’s part of the fun of hockey, a place where otherwise taboo angry and jealous tribal emotions can be freely and harmlessly expressed. At the same time, it’s bizarre to see Ontario-based corporations with many paying customers in Edmonton take such a partisan and class-less swipe at the Oilers and at Edmonton.
2. It’s wise that both companies took down the offending tweets. If they also promptly apologize, I’ll consider the matter closed. Not every Oilers fan will feel the same way, but almost everyone on Twitter makes the odd stupid, glib, ill-advised or offensive tweet. I’ve certainly done so in my 12 years on Twitter. I’m no fan of cancel culture and will not support it, save for the gravest of cases. If someone errs, but apologizes in good time, that’s works for me. Of course, we’ve yet to see any apology here.
P.S. At least they are better sports in Calgary:
LEAVINS: Player grades in final loss of the season
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.
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.
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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