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Report: Patrick Mahomes was among 20-plus Chiefs in line to get haircut from COVID-infected barber – Yahoo Canada Sports

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The Canadian Press

Physical secondary play in Super Bowl could test officials

The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers got to the Super Bowl using a similar strategy in the secondary. Their cornerbacks played press coverage and got physical with receivers, trying to disrupt routes and timing in hopes of slowing down the opposing passing game. “There’s a couple of ways you can play football,” Bucs cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross said. “You can play football, lay back and let the receivers go where they want to go. Or you can put your hands on them and try to take the timing off of some routes. We choose to do the latter for the most part and go from there.” The Chiefs like to do the same and whether either team will be able to do that on Sunday will depend in large part on how closely the officials call the game in the secondary. Both teams have gotten away with some physical play in the secondary so far in the playoffs with the Bucs being penalized for defensive holding three times and pass interference once in three games, while the Chiefs were called for defensive holding twice and pass interference once in two games. One of the key plays in the NFC championship came when the officials let Tampa Bay cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting get away with a possible hold before intercepting Aaron Rodgers late in the first half. Instead of the Packers scoring late in the half, the Bucs turned that takeaway into a TD that gave them a 21-10 lead. “I feel like it’s physical from both sides of the ball,” Murphy-Bunting said. “It’s receivers being physical as well. I feel like the referees are letting you play and they’re going to let you play in the playoffs. You just got to play ball and be ready to go.” That definitely appears to be the case as the number of penalties per game drop more than 20% from the regular season to the playoffs since 2010. In the past three Super Bowls, there has been only one defensive pass interference call, coming against San Francisco’s Tarvarius Moore in the fourth quarter last year. While some of that might be because of better teams playing more focused, playoff teams commit almost the same number of penalties in the regular season in that span as non-playoff teams. Players on both teams said they believe there’s a “let them play” attitude from officials at this time of year. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore, who worked as an official for 12 playoff games and one Super Bowl in his career, said he’s seen that this post-season when it comes to plays in the passing game. “It seems as if throughout the playoffs, it’s been a little more handsy in the secondary right now,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that’s something that the officials are specifically doing for the post-season. But I do think that they have allowed a little more of that type of action with the players than maybe in years past.” Both teams said they spend time scouting the tendencies of the officials in the game to try to determine how tight they think the game will be called. The officials on referee Carl Cheffers’ crew also will have a good idea of how the teams play since they have called their games in the past, worked training camp practices and done their own scouting. “By the time you get to this one, they know you, they know your players, they’ve watched your tape, they have a pretty good feel for things,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “They let you play within reason. They are still gong to call holdings and those things, but within reason they’ll let you play.” But no matter how the game is called, the teams don’t plan to abandon the style of play that got them this far. If they have to adjust, they’ll figure that out on the fly. The Chiefs were called for the third most pass interference penalties in the league this season with 15, while the Bucs were far behind with only eight. “The mentality that we like to have starting any game is to kind of set the tone,” Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen said. “We pride ourselves on being a hands on, physical secondary. Our corners play up in press coverage and same thing with safeties in man coverage where they can put hands on the tight ends. You do your technique that we practice and we work on all year long. It doesn’t necessarily change week to week and you let the officials do their job and do their part.” ___ More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

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

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September 19, 2024

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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

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September 19, 2024

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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

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September 19, 2024

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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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