Dylan Guenther is all for elite players using every available tool at their disposal.
He’s one of them.
It’s when that skill stretches outside a team’s structure where issues can arise.
Canada attempted “The Michigan” move twice in the early stages of Monday’s embarrassing 5-2 opening-night loss to Czech Republic at the world junior hockey championship.
Adam Fantilli and Connor Bedard both came up snake eyes when they picked the puck up with their sticks behind the net and attempted to beat goaltender Tomas Suchanek in the near-side top corner with lacrosse-style efforts.
Guenther saw nothing wrong with either sequence in a vacuum.
But what they illustrated was how far the Canadians had already strayed from a supposed hard-nosed identity and game plan to accompany their high-end talent against an opponent that hadn’t registered a regulation victory against the tournament favourites in 23 previous meetings.
“We’re not going to ‘Michigan’ our way to the final,” Guenther, who scored previously using the same polarizing move in the Western Hockey League, said Tuesday at the team’s hotel. “We’re trying it a lot. It’s a skilled play. I get it. But I think that’s kind of how our game’s going right now.
“We’re trying to skill our way through it. We’re trying to toe-drag, beat guys one-on-one.”
Canada never recovers after match penalty leads to pair of Czech goals
After Canada was given a penalty for an illegal hit, the Czech Republic scored twice to put the game out of reach.
One of three players loaned to Canada for the men’s under-20 showcase by NHL clubs, the Arizona Coyotes forward speaks from a position of authority.
“You have to play the right way,” said Guenther, who has 11 points in 21 NHL games this season. “Play together and play as a team. It starts with the simple side of the game — winning battles. Our skill … there’s no problem.
“It’s the compete level.”
Timing is key
Canadian head coach Dennis Williams also has no issues with hockey’s most-skilled generation to date going for the audacious — as long the timing is appropriate.
“Would like to have seen us do a better job of getting to the paint, getting to the tough areas, focusing more on the way we want to play,” he said. “We were perimeter, and so to go to ‘The Michigan’ play … sometimes there’s a little bit better play to make.”
Canadian forward Logan Stankoven doesn’t have that move on his mind in the heat of the action.
“It’s great to see the game evolving,” said the Dallas Stars draft pick. “When we need a goal or when the game is tight like that, maybe it’s not a time.”
The owner of mesmerizing skill and projected to go No. 1 at the 2023 NHL draft, Bedard also attempted the move in pre-tournament action, while Fantilli — another likely top-5 pick — has succeeded on the highlight-reel play first made famous by University of Michigan forward Mike Legg in 1996.
“Some people may think it’s individualistic, some people think it’s a good scoring chance from behind the net,” said Fantilli, in his first season at Michigan. “There’s a limit to how many times you can try it in a game and how many times you can try it in a tournament.
“It could be a good scoring chance, but sometimes you’ve got to know when to curl back and make the right play.”
I was in net for…The Michigan goal
In episode 5 of our new series, Rob Pizzo speaks to former Minnesota Golden Gopher goalie Steve DeBus about the infamous Mike Legg lacrosse goal in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
‘It doesn’t define us’
An undisciplined, disjointed Canada didn’t make many against the Czechs on a humbling night in front of the first Maritime world junior crowd in two decades.
“It doesn’t define us,” said Williams, whose team had a scheduled day off the ice Tuesday. “This could be the best thing that happens for our group — understand that we just don’t put on our skates and win hockey games. We have to compete, we have to battle, we have to manage pucks, we have to be physical, we’ve got to stay out of the penalty box.
“I’m hoping the players accept our challenge.”
Canada has gone with the same forward lines since cuts were made following selection camp, but Williams indicated there will be changes when his team suits up Wednesday against Germany.
Thomas Milic, meanwhile, will get the start in goal after stopping all 10 shots he faced Monday in relief of Benjamin Gaudreau.
“Super excited,” Millic said. “Something that every goalie dreams of.”
The netminder also had a front-row seat to his teammates’ effort against the Czechs, and echoed a lot their sentiments.
“Not enough of anything, really,” Milic said. “Guys were, I think, maybe taking them a little too lightly. Need to dial in some details and re-establish our foundations.”
That includes preparation.
“There’s a difference between being loose and having fun and being ready to go,” Guenther said. “We were on the loose side. It’s obviously not one day that that happens — it’s leading up to it. Collectively, we have to be better.”
While there was plenty of doom and gloom on the outside, the sun still rose in cloudy Halifax on Tuesday.
Guenther saw a silver lining.
“First and foremost, that’s not us,” he said of the Czech horror show. “That’s not who we are. It’s not that we have to reinvent the wheel. It’s stuff that we should be doing every day. Reset button.”
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
