TORONTO — It’s the image that resonates most in the wake of news that Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien was rushed to the hospital with chest pains Wednesday night after his team’s 2-1 loss in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers: a trimmed-down Julien, seated at the podium of the media room inside the Canadiens’ practice facility on the second day of Phase 3 training camp, smiling and eventually joking with several journalists as the questions poured in via Zoom.
He appeared as though the rest from March to July had done him well, like he had enjoyed quality time with family but also taken some for himself to do what the hectic schedule of an NHL coach doesn’t always permit. Julien spoke on that day about how excited he was for the opportunity the Canadiens were given to participate in this tournament for the Stanley Cup — especially after a gruelling season that saw them resting in 24th place in the 31-team league when life as we knew it was halted due to COVID-19.
“We have a chance to prove we’re a better hockey team than what we showed,” he said.
And then he arrived in Toronto 11 days later and helped the Canadiens shock the hockey world with a monumental upset over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round of these playoffs.
Julien had them prepared for Game 1 against the Flyers, he coached them through an impressive performance that fell just short of a stunning win, and then he calmly went through his media availability without any indication something was wrong.
But something was.
“I’m here to you inform you of a situation that explains the absence of our head coach, Claude Julien, from our practice this morning,” said Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin in an impromptu statement just before 2 p.m. ET on Thursday. “Claude experienced pain in his chest overnight. We immediately consulted with our doctors and decided to rush him to the hospital by ambulance. He went through tests to determine the nature of his condition. This situation has nothing to do with COVID.
“We don’t foresee him being back with us before the end of this series against the Flyers.”
In a year of the unexpected becoming reality so frequently that it’s seemingly turned into the only constant we can rely on, this was still unthinkable. Even with Julien turning 60 this past April.
A hockey lifer — first as a professional player from 1980-92 and then as a coach who worked his way up from the QMJHL to the NHL in just four years — going from the bench to the hospital for reasons unrelated to this global pandemic was a jarring bit of news. For everyone.
Especially the Canadiens.
“A little shock and concern,” said Bergevin. “But after talking to [Canadiens head physician] Dr. David Mulder there is some good news early this afternoon.”
He explained that Julien was “in good hands” at a Toronto-area hospital, that he spoke with him this morning, that there was hope he’d be out of the hospital within days and that he’d return home — whether it was to Montreal to be with his family, or to Toronto to be with his Canadiens family.
Either way, Julien may be out of sight for some time. But he certainly won’t be out of mind.
As the Canadiens forge on, with Kirk Muller assuming head coaching duties and Dominque Ducharme and Luke Richardson sharing the rest of the responsibilities, Julien will be in their hearts, too.
“I think in these situations there’s always a little bit of an emotional factor and, like Marc said, a shock factor,” said Canadiens captain Shea Weber. “Obviously, everyone learned about this this morning and the biggest concern is his health. We want to make sure he’s healthy first. But I think that’s something, for sure, we can draw upon and use it as… not as if we weren’t motivated in the first place, [but] this can maybe draw even more out of that.”
This situation, though shocking, is not without precedent.
It was during the 1992-93 Canadiens season, when Muller was a player with the organization, that head coach Jacques Demers was hospitalized after experiencing chest pains. He was dismissed after all tests came back clear, and he ended up coaching the team to a Cup win months later.
It was back in 2002, incidentally the same year that Julien began his NHL coaching career, that Pat Quinn (who was 59 at the time) missed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final due to a “chest condition.” Without him on their bench, the Toronto Maple Leafs fell in overtime by a score of 2-1 and, upon his return, went on to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.
The hockey is secondary when things like this happen. You think about the man, his family, his friends, and the members of his young team, for whom he is both coach and father figure.
You think about the stress of this work, particularly at this time — when the stakes are so high and the lights so bright.
Geoff Ward knows. The Calgary Flames coach has been through two cardiac episodes himself.
“It’s stressful,” he told Sportsnet. “When you do it for as many years as Claude has… I can’t speak to how the extended stress affects a coach. It certainly is very stressful, especially at this time of year, because it’s so short between games. You spend an awful lot of time away from the game, preparing so your sleep is not as good, you’re eating at different times.
“The stakes are high this time of year – you have to find ways to get away from the game and relax a bit but that’s not always possible. Important things for your health can get neglected at this time of year, when the stakes are high.”
You can only imagine how Ward felt when hearing the news about Julien, whom he worked for as an assistant coach — first in Hamilton as part of Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Bulldogs, and then in Boston, with the Bruins from 2007-2014.
“I was shocked,” Ward said. “My thoughts and prayers are with Claude and his family. Not only do I feel for Claude and his family, but the organization and the team. It has ripples when something like this happens. He’s such a great person and he’s a great coach. I’m sure his presence around that team will be missed.
“But right now everybody’s thoughts are with him, that he’s healthy and doing well. It’s not a good thing to hear and, when it’s a friend, it’s really not a good thing to hear.”
Bergevin said that once he received a first bit of “positive news” from Dr. Mulder in the early hours of the morning, he was able to rest a little easier.
His confidence in the Canadiens’ ability to move on without Julien put his mind at ease, as well.
“Claude is a guy who works closely with his assistants,” Bergevin said. “For our series against the Penguins, and for our game yesterday, I thought, sincerely, our team was ready. And I see no issue. For sure we’ll be missing Claude, but our three coaches have experience as head coaches — Kirk in Carolina, Luke in Binghamton and Dom at the world junior championships. So, we have experienced guys who will work together. And, honestly, after speaking with Shea and the team, we’re ready. I’m eager for the game tomorrow at 3 p.m.”
He added that there’s a possibility that Julien would be back behind the Canadiens’ bench before long, but that it was more probable he’d first return to Montreal to be with his wife and children.
As Julien was transported to a hospital outside of the bubble, he’d have to go through a mandatory quarantine and produce several negative COVID-19 tests before being permitted to rejoin the Canadiens.
But there are much more important things than that right now.
“We’re hoping for the best for him right now,” said Bergevin.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
