Team Canada’s staff has been preparing its players for moments like this since the summer camp.
“If you expect to go to the World Juniors and not have adversity, you’re in the wrong tournament,” said head coach Andre Tourigny. “Tampa Bay just won the Stanley Cup without their captain [Steven Stamkos] so it happens. If you want to win you have to go through adversity.
Tourigny has served as an assistant coach at the World Juniors on four occasions, including last year in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
“If you look at last year, we had a suspension, we had injuries, we had sickness, we had controversy and that’s the World Juniors,” Tourigny said. “Since June we talked to our players about adversity and that adversity will happen and we have to be ready.”
Adversity hit Team Canada in a big way this week as captain Kirby Dach, who spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, sustained a wrist fracture and will be unable to play in the tournament.
“He’s a guy who brought that pro presence,” said alternate captain Dylan Cozens. “We’ll miss him on the ice. He was the best player in the tournament so it’s a huge hit for us.”
In their first on-ice session since Dach left, Tourigny stopped the proceedings twice early on to demand more focus and urgency.
“Figure it out,” he barked at the assembled players. “We need to be better than that. It’s unacceptable.”
With the lack of games heading into the event, these practice sessions have taken on even greater importance.
“He really just wanted us to go into practice like how we play a game,” said centre Quinton Byfield, “and it doesn’t matter if you’re going against your teammates in a battle you have to compete as hard as the other team and opponents will in the upcoming games. He really got his message across and we picked up our pace.”
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The coaching staff debated what to do with the forward lines in the wake of the injury to Dach. They really liked the line of Connor McMichael between Cole Perfetti and Peyton Krebs, so that trio will remain in tact, but the other units will all have a different look on Boxing Day.
Cozens, who lined up between Jack Quinn and Dach on Wednesday, is shifting to right wing on a line with Dylan Holloway and Alex Newhook.
“Cozens played at the World Juniors for us last year on right wing and was really, really good,” Tourigny explained. “Newhook, throughout his career, has been really good as a centre and he’s way more comfy as a centre than a winger so we wanted to keep that.”
Cozens produced nine points in seven games at the World Juniors last year while playing right wing.
“Both those guys are strong and fast,” noted Cozens of Holloway and Newhook, “their speed will work real well with mine. I played wing before too so it’s nothing I’m worried about.”
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Byfield moved into a top-nine role at practice after starting the pre-tournament game on what projected to be Canada’s fourth line.
“He’s so big and strong and he’s such a presence on the ice,” observed Cozens. “He gets the puck behind them and uses his speed and hunts the puck down. I mean, I wouldn’t want to be a defender looking at him coming at me. He’s such a big body, so strong. He’s a great player. I think with Kirby gone he’s going to step up for us.”
Tourigny is hoping Byfield will build some momentum after a strong effort against Russia. He skated alongside Jakob Pelletier and Dawson Mercer at practice.
“Q brought a lot of physicality and managed the puck really well,” Tourigny said, “and Pelletier was one of our best players so that will spread out the offence and spread out our lineup. We believe we have a good balance offensively and defensively on every line.”
Byfield seemed to enjoy some instant chemistry with Pelletier.
“Just when he calls my name in the French accent,” he said with a smile when asked what stood out about the Calgary Flames’ first rounder. “He’s a smart player and he does everything well. We can use our speed together. He was sniping quite a bit in practice as well so going to try and get him the puck and get a couple apples off that.”
So, Pelletier was feeling it on Friday?
“Oh for sure,” Byfield said. “I think he’s always feeling it in practice. He just brings so much energy to the team.”
Byfield started slow at Canada’s selection camp and admitted it’s taken a while to adjust to the 10 pounds of muscle he added in the off-season. The 6-foot-4, 221 pounder is now getting more comfortable throwing his weight around.
“I feel faster and heavier in the corners and I have to keep playing my game like that,” he said. “I used my size and body and really tried to play the structure of the game the way he [Tourigny] wants us to play and perform. I really took that into account over the last couple weeks and just going over the systems as much as I can.”
In the past, Byfield has lamented the fact he skates with a “hunchback” and the Newmarket, Ont. native has worked hard to refine his stride.
“It’s improved a bit, but I think I’m always going to have that hunchback just being a tall guy and looking down at the puck,” he said, “but I improved quite a bit during the pandemic with my stride and the power and muscle through the stride.”
Another area where Byfield — the second overall pick in October’s draft — is looking to get better is on face-offs.
“That’s still a work in progress, but just getting a bit lower on the draws will help me out quite a bit,” he said. “Going to L.A., I think Jarrett Stoll [who’s part of the player development staff] can probably teach me about that. I watch a lot of film and watch the usual guys who are good on draws like [Ryan] O’Reilly, [Patrice] Bergeron, [Jonathan] Toews and seeing what they do off draws and the counter moves they do.”
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Devon Levi is a revelation to his new teammates.
“To be completely honest, I didn’t really know who he was,” Cozens said. “But he came here and stood out right away.”
“I never really heard of him,” said Byfield, “but he gets a shutout in his first game and will be a key piece of our team.”
Levi had not met any of Team Canada’s players before arriving at the selection camp in mid-November.
“None of them,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t know anyone coming in. I mean, I knew of everyone, for sure, but I had never met any of the guys and didn’t know anyone personally.”
The more Team Canada’s players are getting to know Levi, the more they are liking him.
“He’s so hard to score on in practice,” Cozens gushed. “He’s got great positioning. We definitely trust him as our starter. A lot of trust in him.”
Levi posted a 36-save shutout in the final intra-squad scrimmage at camp and followed that up with a 23-save clean sheet against the Russians.
Levi’s rise is remarkable on a number of levels. He had to wait around seven hours on the second day of October’s National Hockey League draft before the Florida Panthers made him the 212th pick, which he described as “a huge relief.”
A couple months earlier, Levi didn’t receive an invite to Hockey Canada’s virtual camp for World Junior hopefuls.
“When we did the first wave of scouting for the camp we talked about Devon, but the fact he did not play college or major junior was a factor and we thought we would have time to follow the start of his season and we would see from there if we wanted to invite him to the [main] camp,” Tourigny explained.
The pandemic delayed the start of the college season and Levi, a freshman at Northeastern University, hasn’t played yet for the Huskies. But the lack of games over the last nine months also allowed Canada’s staff to do more video work.
“We started to dig in a little bit more in depth and talk to a lot of people, do more video and his performance in the Junior A Challenge last year was really the kicker and from there we decided we wanted to give him a shot,” Tourigny said. “As soon as he arrived at the camp, [goalie coach Jason LaBarbera] really loved him and his competitiveness and his quickness and his legs were really fast so that is what made the difference.”
Levi was the MVP at the World Junior A Challenge last year in Dawson Creek, B.C. where he backstopped underdog Canada East to a silver medal. He doesn’t have any international experience beyond that. His experience is so limited, in fact, that he’s not even familiar with playing games with commercial breaks.
“I’ve never had a commercial break before so just trying to build a new routine,” he said with a grin.
Levi skated to the slot between face-off circles during the commercials on Wednesday night.
“I felt comfortable where I was so I feel like I’ll stay there,” he said. “Just clearing my mind. Just stretching. Just taking it easy. Just focusing.”
So much of this is new for Levi, but his old teammates aren’t surprised. Jon Goyens, who coached Levi when he was with the AAA midget Lac St-Louis Lions, put together a video featuring former teammates sending well wishes to their former goalie.
“That was unbelievable,” said Levi, who watched the video after Wednesday’s win. “It means a lot to know they’re behind me.”
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The referees at the World Juniors have been asked to turn their microphones on for puck drop each game, which has led the group to brainstorm fun things to say.
Olivier Gouin told the players, “Alright, let’s see if I can still do this boys,” before dropping the puck at the pre-tournament game between Canada and Russia.
So, can he still do it?
“I’m pretty happy with my period,” he said. “It’s never going to be perfect. It’s too fast and the players are too big, but overall I thought we were all solid. It’s good for confidence.”
With only four pre-tournament games, the officials had to rotate out between periods so everyone could get some reps. There are 14 referees and 12 linesmen in the bubble, which is up from the 12 and 10 usually invited.
And just like the players, many of them arrived feeling a bit rusty.
“I was lucky, because I had the chance to go in the QMJHL bubble,” Gouin said. “Some of the OHL and WHL guys haven’t worked at all except for here.”
Gouin pointed out that the officials are only guaranteed to work one tournament game and everything else will be judged on merit.
The officials have held on-ice workouts since getting out of their initial quarantine. It’s mostly skating work, but they do play some shinny. Gouin says former Belleville Bulls winger Carter Sandlak is among the stand outs.
“It was exciting to be back on the ice, finally,” said Gouin, who earned the USA-Russia assignment on Christmas Day. “Most of us haven’t skated [regularly] since March. It’s a big tournament to get going.”
Gouin started officiating at age 15 when he was looking for a part-time job. Since then he has risen up the ranks of Hockey Canada’s officiating program. His highlights include a Memorial Cup final in 2016 and a senior men’s IIHF World Championship final in 2018.
Now, he’s getting a shot at the World Juniors.
“It means a lot,” the Laval, Que. native said. “I’ve never worked it. It’s the first time. It’s probably the tournament Canadians watch the most. It’s a special tournament for the players and the referees also.”
All the officials are Canadian this year, which means Gouin may be overseeing more games featuring his country.
“It doesn’t change anything,” he said. “Yes, I’m Canadian, but my job and integrity come first. It’s a big tournament for us too, for our careers.”
The referees held a group dinner on Thursday night and shared ideas about witty one liners they could use before puck drop. The consensus was something holiday-related would be appropriate.
“A great day for hockey,” Gouin told Marat Khusnutdinov and Alex Turcotte at the opening face-off on Friday night. “Merry Christmas, boys. Have a good one.”
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
