Toronto Maple Leafs players face off at the beginning of first period Blue versus White scrimmage action as part of training camp in Toronto on Jan. 9, 2021.
Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
There were plenty of wrinkles, if not huge surprises, that stemmed from the Maple Leafs’ annual Blue and White scrimmage on Saturday.
It served as the only dress rehearsal before Wednesday night’s season-opener, so the team did its best to make it feel more meaningful.
A morning skate was held. Players were separated into home and visitor dressing rooms. The game was televised. Martina Ortiz Luis sang O Canada. Canned crowd noise – perhaps a wee too much – was piped in after hard hits and saves. Hall and Oates reverberated around Scotiabank Arena each time a goal was scored. After all, this was Toronto against Toronto. And in these strange times, even a hockey exhibition is reason to celebrate.
Story continues below advertisement
For the record, the John Tavares-led White team beat Auston Matthews’s Blue squad, 6-3. Joe Thornton made his debut and almost immediately started to feed linemates passes while camped behind the net. Wayne Simmonds, another newbie with a well-known knack for such, buzzed around goalies like a hornet at a picnic.
William Nylander, who is coming off the best season of his career, scored twice for the winning side. Mitch Marner netted a pretty one for the losers, rushing up on Aaron Dell and lifting a puck over his glove. Matthews finished off a nice pass from Marner on one power play. Tavares flipped a backhand past Frederik Andersen to break a 0-0 tie. Nick Robertson rifled a shot past Dell, but as a young forward he is in a battle to make the team. The same is true for Adam Brooks and Pierre Engvall. Jason Spezza also had a goal; the old and reliable will centre the fourth line against the Montreal Canadiens with the commencement of the 56-game regular season.
One of the best performances of all was turned in by a defenceman, Mikko Lehtonen, who could prove to be the most intriguing addition to the team.
The 26-year-old from Finland was the leading scorer among defencemen in the KHL last season with 49 points in 60 games, and received honours as the league’s best defender for three successive months.
Teammates had already taken notice of him during training camp in Toronto, and he skated well Saturday and contributed assists on both of Nylander’s goals, one a deflection of a Lehtonen shot and the other a one-timer after a pass from him.
Lehtonen also scored against Andersen during a shootout exercise after the first period.
“I felt like I could play better, actually,” Lehtonen said afterward. “It wasn’t my best game. There were situations where I could do better and others where I did very well. I’ll just try to learn every day.”
Story continues below advertisement
As highly regarded as the KHL is, there are relatively few skaters that have come from it and became major stars in North America. The biggest without doubt is Artemi Panarin, who made the transition from playing in Russia to become a rookie of the year in the NHL. Alexander Radulov, a right wing, has had a long and successful career in the NHL, as well as long stints in Ufa and Moscow.
Nikita Gusev had 44 points in 66 games for the New Jersey Devils last season as a rookie. Ilya Mikheyev also showed a lot of promise for the Maple Leafs in a 2019-20 season that was interrupted by injury.
Lehtonen, who signed a one-year contract for US$925,000, spent last week at training camp holding down a position in the third defensive pairing with fellow newcomer Zach Bogosian. He also directed the second power-play unit, which includes Simmonds, Thornton, Jimmy Vesey and T.J. Brodie.
His quick development has endangered the roster spots of Travis Dermott and Rasmus Sandin.
Lehtonen concedes he needs to make the adjustment to playing on the NHL ice surface. It is significantly smaller than the one he is accustomed to in Europe and realizes he will have less time and space to push the puck up the ice.
“I have watched a lot of NHL games, and I talked with guys who have played here, so I kind of learned before I came here what to expect,” said Lehtonen, who has not played outside of Europe previously. “There has not been anything that is a big surprise for me, but there are always smaller things you need to adjust.”
Story continues below advertisement
The Maple Leafs took Sunday off and resume practice on Monday leading up to opening night.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe said he feels the team looks confident and ready, with help especially from recently arrived veterans such as Thornton and Simmonds.
“Challenges will come [during the season] and we have to maintain that spirit,” Keefe said. “That is a priority for us. We feel we are in a much better position with the added experience, and the veterans that have come here and with the personalities they bring.”
Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Get the Opinion newsletter. Sign up today.
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.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tgam/VRPJZB3ETRNULGDILAJFNWZMP4.jpg)
