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Canucks’ newcomers unfazed by slide as fans see shades of past failures – Sportsnet.ca

Published

5 years ago

March 5, 2020

VANCOUVER – Among the handful of new Vancouver Canucks this season who are unencumbered and unscarred by the team’s recent failures, winger J.T. Miller said before Wednesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes that he didn’t care about the growing panic in the market.

To be kind of accurate, he said the players “don’t give a [expletive] who has a low panic threshold outside the room.”

He explained: “I don’t pay attention to that. I’m just trying to worry about the present and take care of what we can take care of right now. If you’ve been here a long time, maybe you can kind of get the sense in your head, like, ‘Here we go again.’ But we worry about us. I don’t think there’s any panic right now.”

Then in their most important game of the season, the Canucks extended their playoff-imperilling losing streak to four games by falling 4-2 to the Arizona Coyotes, overcoming a third-period deficit only to blow their late lead against one of the teams trying to push them out of the Stanley Cup tournament. Which, to those who have been here a long time, felt so very Canucky.

So did the Columbus Blue Jackets, who scored four times in last eight minutes on Sunday to stun the Canucks 5-3 in Ohio on Sunday, managing their next game out to choke away a late two-goal lead and lose 3-2 Wednesday to the Calgary Flames, another team moving away from Vancouver in the National Hockey League standings.

After holding a nine-point playoff cushion a month ago, the Canucks’ longest losing streak of the season has dropped them into a three-way tie for the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference. Vancouver has games in-hand on both Arizona and the Winnipeg Jets, but since the Canucks are losing all their games these days, those extra at-bats don’t feel very beneficial.

The Minnesota Wild are only one point behind, the Nashville Predators two, and they’ve played the same number of games as the Canucks: 66.

The West Coast was a lot less panicky at 61 games, which is when starting goalie and team MVP Jacob Markstrom suddenly left the lineup with a mysterious knee injury.

Cue the panic.

“We still believe in our group,” winger Tanner Pearson, another of the newcomers unfamiliar with the angst epidemic, said before scoring what briefly seemed like a winning goal on Wednesday. “You don’t want to have lessons like these 65 games into the season. At the end of the day, it’s not the last game of the season where if you lose, you’re not in the playoffs. We still have time to learn from it. That’s a positive.

“Me and Ty Toffoli won a Cup (in 2014 with Los Angeles) and in our first-round series we were down 3-0 to San Jose. Anything is possible.”

Still part of the season-long playoff mosh pit, the Canucks suddenly seem to be way behind everyone.

In their four-game losing streak, they led in the third period twice and in another game were tied, and instead of emerging with five or six points, they’ve gathered none.

Toffoli tied Wednesday’s game 1-1 with a brilliant sharp-angle shot into a top-corner gap Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper gave him at 3:19 during a Vancouver power play. Pearson then scored the go-ahead goal at 6:16 with his skate on the rebound from Jake Virtanen’s shot.

But with time and space to settle a rimmed pass behind his net, Canucks defenceman Troy Stecher watched in horror as the puck rocketed off his skate and straight out into the path of Coyote Carl Soderberg, who relayed it to Nick Schmaltz for the tying goal at 10:10.

Arizona, which had won only seven of its previous 23 games, won it at 12:39 when Lawson Crouse deflected Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s point shot past Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, who had plenty of saves but still no luck.

For 43 minutes, the game’s only goal was scored like this: Canuck penalty-killer Oscar Fantenberg, who partially-blocked a shot into his own net for the losing goal Sunday in Columbus, tried to chip the puck out from behind the Vancouver goal, but hit the shaft of Soderberg’s stick, sending the arcing puck at a violent angle back towards Demko. The puck just cleared the cross bar on its way to the crease, kissed off the back of the goalie’s shoulder and rolled into the net to make it 1-0 Arizona at 7:27 of the first period.

Stephen Hawking, arisen from the dead, couldn’t explain the physics behind that goal. But the way things have been going for the Canucks the last week — and the 50 years that preceded it — it was about what you’d expect in the biggest game of the season.

Ekman-Larsson ended the game with an empty-netter at 19:25, shortly after Antoine Roussel’s deflection hit Kuemper.

The most positive thing for the Canucks was the play of Demko, who had his best game since Markstrom was injured. It was something, at least.

The Colorado Avalanche, who are a lot better than the Coyotes, visit the Canucks on Friday.

“It doesn’t really matter the circumstances,” Demko said before the game. “We still believe we can win.”

Late in the game, the music played inside Rogers Arena. Queen. “Under pressure…”

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

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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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