In a bitter slice of irony, it was a crisply fired puck that never reached the Toronto Maple Leafs’ net Sunday that wrought worlds more damage than the eight that bulged the twine.
Morgan Rielly was trying to do the right thing when his left foot ended up in the precisely wrong spot: directly in line with an Aleksander Barkov blast at close range that, thanks to Monday’s afternoon’s CT scan, we now know fractured his foot.
The most-used, longest-serving Maple Leaf will be sidelined a minimum of eight weeks, and by the time he’s fit to return to action, Toronto’s now-tenuous playoff fate could already be settled.
Rielly joins regulars Ilya Mikheyev, Jake Muzzin and Trevor Moore on a crowded injured reserve that, yes, is clearing salary-cap space but clouding the hopes of talent-rich roster than has been dealt repeated rounds of adversity.
Will this young core allow themselves to be defined by this rash of hard-luck injuries, or will they, like Pittsburgh has this season, grow stronger for persevering through it?
Many a critic has questioned the Leafs’ grit, a characteristic whose definition can be subjective in hockey circles.
But since Christmas, two Leafs defenders have now finished out the majority of a road game on a fracture foot (Muzzin did so in New Jersey on Dec. 27) and hobbled out of the rink on their own power.
“He’s a team-first guy and he’s out there doing everything he can for us,” coach Sheldon Keefe said only a few days ago, recognizing Rielly had already been pushing through the pain of a lingering, unspecified, lower-body ailment.
“He’s an important guy for our team, and we’ve seen the improvements with his game.”
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Today, Keefe is staring directly into the maw of his first crisis in his new gig, just a week after setting a franchise record with 15 wins in his first 20 games.
So perhaps he was in denial or holding out faint hope when his most trusted defenceman was standing in pain and getting checked over by the team’s medical staff post-game Sunday. At the time, Keefe said he thought Rielly was “fine” but didn’t sound certain.
Suddenly, little is.
In the midst of a three-game losing skid that has seen two quick (and justifiable) goalie pulls, odd-man rushes galore and 17 goals allowed, Rielly is the last player (outside of No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen) the Leafs can afford to lose.
He plays in all situations, contributes to both special teams, and holds a strong voice in the dressing room. He’s been munching minutes (24:15, both a career and team high) and driving offence.
The injury to Muzzin — who was still walking around with a boot on his foot in Florida — has already exposed the Leafs’ weakest position, with call-up Martin Marincin seeing some top-four nights.
The left side of Toronto’s D corps has lost its two best components, and we expect the relatively inexperienced Justin Holl and Travis Dermott to be leaned on even more heavily.
Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.
The optimist, however, spots two things.
One: That the forced rest will serve Rielly well in the long run. After scoring more goals (20) than anyone else at his position last season and finishing fifth in the Norris vote, he’d taken his first step backward in years. Despite consistently downplaying it, he’s been hurting.
Two: Hope arrives in the form of a teenage Swede named Rasmus Sandin, full of confidence and fresh off wowing at the world juniors, claiming a bronze medal and the tournament’s top defenceman honours.
GM Kyle Dubas won’t hesitate to burn the first year of Sandin’s entry-level contract now. There’s no choice anymore.
So, Sandin runs right into the fire Tuesday versus the New Jersey Devils, as the season of turmoil takes another drastic turn.
Two months of life without Rielly: It’s either going to steel them or do them in.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
