TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday night’s 2020-21 season opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
Auston Matthews is one of only four players in National Hockey League history to begin his career by scoring in his team’s season-opening game four straight times.
“He comes in extremely well prepared and comes out of the gates hot,” observed teammate John Tavares. “He expects a lot out of himself, wants to be a great player in this league and is such a driving force for us.”
Dit Clapper (1927-28 to 1930-31), Dave Andreychuk (1982-83 to 1985-86) and Sergei Fedorov (1990-91 to 1993-94) failed to score in their fifth season-opening game so Matthews has a chance to own the record by himself should he get on the board against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
Matthews, who has scored 12 goals in 14 career games against the Habs, spent the off-season slimming down. He weighed in at 211 pounds at training camp after finishing last year at 224. The Athletic’s James Mirtle reports that Matthews linked up with trainer Ian Mack, who also works with Patrick Kane, to see how he could add some more flexibility and agility to his game.
“I’m really happy with how the off-season went,” Matthews said after Tuesday’s practice. “I’ve been feeling really good on the ice, feeling really good off the ice and just trying to manage that and make sure every day I’m ready to come to the rink and prepare myself to play.”
As part of the new off-season routine, Matthews changed his diet although he insists it was “nothing too crazy.”
“He continues to fine tune his game whether it’s on the ice or off it,” marvelled Tavares. “He’s continuing to find ways to improve, it’s hard to believe. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Matthews scored 47 goals in 70 games last season, finishing one behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Boston’s David Pastrnak for tops in the league. So, the Rocket Richard Trophy is certainly within reach for the 6-foot-3 centre, but teammates and coach Sheldon Keefe seem more enthused by how Matthews has developed his defensive game.
“I enjoy seeing what he does in the other end, but this year he wants to take another step and improve and play both ends as good as possible,” said goalie Frederik Andersen.
It was last March, just before the pandemic pause, that team president Brendan Shanahan set a high bar for Matthews calling him “one of those rare players who has the ability to lead a league in scoring and also be its best defensive player.”
In a media session on Tuesday, Shanahan highlighted the 23-year-old’s determination to become a two-way force.
“He’s taken a real interest in becoming, as they say, a 200-foot player, a complete player that is the kind of player you can put on in any situation. I like the fact we’re introducing or Sheldon is introducing penalty killing to his game. It’s a great message to your team that your best players are not only expected to score goals, but defend as well.”
Auston Matthews entered Maple Leafs camp a little lighter this year and the sniper says he’s feeling good after a very productive offseason. His teammates admit Matthews always looks good entering camp and this year was no different.
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The Leafs allowed 3.17 goals per game last season, which ranked 26th in the league, so playing better defensively is key if the group is going to take a step forward.
“With the pieces we’ve brought in, I feel we checked some boxes to get a little harder on the back end and keeping guys away from our net,” said veteran defenceman Jake Muzzin.
General manager Kyle Dubas bolstered Toronto’s blueline by bringing in TJ Brodie and Zach Bogosian, fresh off a Stanley Cup win with Tampa Bay, via free agency.
The front of the net will be a focal point in Wednesday’s showdown with a Canadiens team that has added Joel Edmundson and Alexander Romanov to an already impressive defensive core.
“They have a big top four, which is going to be a challenge for us to get to the net and work around that,” Muzzin added.
Keefe pointed out that Montreal was already strong at protecting the house last season.
“Even without the additions they’ve made, no team won the net-fronts as well as Montreal did in terms of keeping people away from their net and controlling rebound situations and winning rebounds and getting loose pucks at the opposition’s net,” Keefe said. “We think we have beefed up as well if you look at some of our additions. We are a bigger, stronger team at the same time. I think we are well suited to adapt to however the games are going to go.”
With no pre-season games, Muzzin admits it may take time to get Keefe’s structure and system down pat, especially with several new faces in key roles, but other teams are in the same boat. There will be no excuses, especially after how last year played out.
“We’re going to have to play hard,” said Muzzin. “I mean, there’s going to be a lot of tough stretches, a lot of tough games and we’re going to need to dig in as a group. We’re going to need everyone and we’re going to need everyone to battle every night. It’s going to be a tough season, playing teams a lot, seeing a lot of familiar faces, and we’re going to be able to adjust and be flexible.”
Shanahan hoping new ‘elements’ can take Leafs to the next level
Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan talks about the new pieces they’ve added and different approaches they’re bringing to this season and why he’s hopeful it will take them to the next level. He explains what went into their offseason acquisitions and his hopes for this shortened NHL season.
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The Leafs will also be counting on a bounce-back season from Andersen, who finished with a .909 save percentage last year. In an interview in November, Keefe outlined the reasons why he believes the goalie will be better.
“First thing is just that he’s a very good goaltender,” Keefe told TSN. “He’s established himself among the top goalies in the NHL and we really believe in him. We believe we have a part to play in front of him and can do a much better job, from coaching staff right on through the players. We think we’ll get better there and that’s going to help give him that support. Of course, having the additional depth around him that we’ve added to with Jack Campbell and Aaron Dell as well, that’s going to help. But then, the big thing is, I know he’s motivated to have that bounce back. He knows he’s capable of more.”
Andersen, who is playing in the final year of his contract, was asked what constitutes a successful regular season for him.
“That’s a good question,” he said. “It’s something I don’t care about right now. The only focus is what’s at hand right now. Staying in the moment is my only goal right now. All these other questions are really just distractions.”
The task at hand is a date with the Canadiens, who won all three games against the Leafs last season. However, on all three occasions Toronto was playing on consecutive nights so Andersen actually didn’t see Montreal last year.
Andersen is 6-0-1 in the last three seasons against the Canadiens, with the only loss coming in a meaningless regular-season finale at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
Andersen focused on ‘staying in the moment’
Frederik Andersen was asked what a successful season would look like to him, but the Leafs’ goaltender says that’s not part of his focus right now, as he’s trying to stay in the moment and focus on their first game against the Canadiens.
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Tavares was more forthcoming than Andersen when asked what a successful season looks like for him.
“I want to play at an elite level,” the Leafs captain said. “I want to be an elite player so being very consistent in all areas of the game and contributing in many different ways. I want to be very difficult to play against and make the people around me better.”
Tavares lamented the fact that his game was a bit up and down last year, which was also an issue that hampered the team.
“Through my first two years we’ve had some tremendous stretches of hockey,” Tavares said. “We’ve been tops across the league in terms of points earned, points percentage and many categories statistically, but our ability to sustain that and be able to win the division and win home-ice advantage, we haven’t been able to accomplish that.”
Tavares echoed the sentiments of Muzzin, suggesting the Leafs need to be tougher to play against and maintain a higher baseline performance level.
“The division is extremely competitive,” Tavares said. “It’s going to be a battle every day so it’s about finding ways to adapt and be consistent in how we handle adversity.”
The Leafs will join the six other Canadian clubs in the North Division this season.
“It’s a tough division,” said Matthews, “a lot of really good teams, a lot of teams that maybe last year wasn’t their best year, but they picked up a lot of really good pieces and made a lot of improvements.”
Tavares on 2021 goal: ‘I want to be an elite player’
John Tavares says his goal for this shortened season is to be an elite player. He feels consistency has been an issue for himself and the Leafs over the last few seasons and is hoping they can keep their strong play constant throughout the year.
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.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
