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Canadian men’s soccer team refusing to train over contract dispute

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Canada’s national men’s soccer team stayed off the pitch on Friday, refusing to train for Sunday’s World Cup warmup against Panama because of a dispute over player compensation, according to sources familiar with the matter.

It’s unclear whether players will appear at a scheduled training session on Saturday at UBC. It’s also unclear if players have threatened not to play in Sunday’s game at BC Place in Vancouver, which was scheduled after Canada Soccer cancelled a friendly match against Iran because of political pressure. The team is also scheduled to face Curacao at BC Place on June 9.

Players have been at odds with Canada Soccer executives for months after the national organization offered a new contract to the team, the sources said. The contract offer was tabled to players in April.

The proposed contract includes a tentative payment structure for qualifying for this year’s World Cup tournament in Qatar and includes set bonuses that depend on how far Canada advances in the event.

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The winner of this year’s World Cup will receive $42 million (U.S.) of FIFA’s $440 million total prize money.

It’s unclear how much money teams will make for qualifying for the tournament, which begins Nov. 21, but Canada Soccer is believed to be poised to receive more than $10 million from FIFA, sources familiar with the matter said.

Canada Soccer has proposed that men’s national team players would receive about 10 per cent of that $10 million payment, with the balance going to fund items including the organization’s administration costs, a proposed national training centre in Vaughan, Ont., and grassroots soccer initiatives, the sources said, adding that the men’s national team players have asked for about 40 per cent of the World Cup bonus to be split between 33 players.

Canada Soccer disputed those figures early Saturday night, saying the demand from the team was for 75 to 100 per cent of the World Cup prize money. Canada Soccer says it offered 60 per cent, to be split equally between the men’s and women’s teams.

“At no time has Canada Soccer presented a proposal for 10 per cent of the FIFA World Cup prize money,” Canada Soccer said. “Nor, has the Association received a proposal from the Men’s National Team for 40 per cent of the prize money. To be clear, the Men’s National Team demand was for 75-100 per cent of the World Cup prize money. The Association, in an effort to adhere to the principle of pay equity, proposed 60 per cent of the FIFA World Cup prize money to be split between the two National Teams (i.e., 30 per cent + 30 per cent to the players of each team) and 40 per cent for the Association. The Association believes that this proposal follows the principles of fairness and equity.”

Canadian national team players and their agents have been in contact with members of the U.S. men’s national team, which recently agreed to a new contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation that will see the men’s and women’s teams be paid at the same rate for game appearances and tournament victories.

The new U.S. contracts include an unprecedented redistribution of the millions of dollars in World Cup prize money the men’s and women’s teams can earn by playing in the tournament and also contain new revenue-sharing agreements that may see the players receive millions more from their cut of U.S. Soccer’s commercial revenues each year.

U.S. national team players will now be paid $24,000 apiece for winning a World Cup qualifying match, bonuses for promotional appearances, and a portion of each ticket sold, in addition to benefits including child care (for both men’s and women’s team players) and matching payments for 401(k) retirement plans.

Canada Soccer has told players it cannot afford similar deals because it doesn’t entirely control its own broadcast and sponsorship rights thanks to a long-term contract it signed in 2018 with Canadian Soccer Business, an organization that has connections to the Canadian Premier League.

Some Canadian men’s national team players are also rankled over Canada Soccer’s plans to support players’ families during the World Cup, the sources said.

Canada Soccer has told players that they will receive two free tickets for each of Canada’s World Cup games, and that families and close friends will be responsible for paying their own way to Qatar and for their accommodations, the sources said.

During past World Cup tournaments, some European countries have provided each player with as many as eight tickets per game, covered the cost of accommodation, and chartered flights for their families, the sources said.

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Utah NHL owner Smith says season ticket deposits now top 20,000 – TSN

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Owner Ryan Smith told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun Friday that Utah’s NHL team has received just over 20,000 season-ticket deposits.

The news comes less than 24 hours after the NHL’s Board of Governors unanimously approved sale of the Arizona Coyotes from Alex Meruelo to Smith and subsequent relocation to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season.

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Just got off the phone after doing an interview with Utah NHL owner Ryan Smith and he said the updated total is now at just over 20,000 season-ticket deposits.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun)
April 19, 2024“>

The team is expected play out of the Delta Center in the city’s downtown core, the home of the Utah Jazz, which currently has about 12,000 unobstructed seats for hockey. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday Smith and his ownership group will raise the seating capacity to about 17,000 after renovations. 

“As everyone knows, Utah is a vibrant and thriving state, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” Bettman said in a statement. “We are also delighted to welcome Ashley and Ryan Smith to the NHL family and know they will be great stewards of the game in Utah. We thank them for working so collaboratively with the League to resolve a complex situation in this unprecedented and beneficial way.

“The NHL’s belief in Arizona has never wavered. We thank Alex Meruelo for his commitment to the franchise and Arizona, and we fully support his ongoing efforts to secure a new home in the desert for the Coyotes. We also want to acknowledge the loyal hockey fans of Arizona, who have supported their team with dedication for nearly three decades while growing the game.”

The move ends years of uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes franchise and wraps up a nearly three-decade existence of mostly poor on-ice results and chronic mismanagement over the course of multiple owners.

Utah’s team will not carry over the Coyotes moniker and will instead develop a new brand identity. LeBrun reported on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading the franchise may take until beyond the start of next season to pick a team name and Smith has hired a firm to look into branding for the NHL’s newest franchise.

The Coyotes finished the 2023-24 campaign 36-41-5, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth time in a row and 11th time in the past 12 seasons. 

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Marchand says Maple Leafs are Bruins’ ‘biggest rival’ ahead of 1st-round series – NHL.com

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BOSTON – Forget Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens. 

For Brad Marchand, right now, it’s all about Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs. 

“You see the excitement they have all throughout Canada when they’re in playoffs,” Marchand said Thursday. “Makes it a lot of fun to play them. And I think, just with the history we’ve had with them recently, they’re probably our biggest rival right now over the last decade. 

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“They’ve probably surpassed Montreal and any other team with kind of where our rivalry’s gone, just because we’ve both been so competitive with each other, and we’ve had a few playoff series. It definitely brings the emotion, the intensity, up in the games and the excitement for the fans. 

“It’s a lot of fun to play them.”

The Bruins and Maple Leafs will renew their rivalry in their first round series, which starts Saturday at TD Garden (8 p.m. ET; TBS, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS). They’ll be familiar opponents. 

Over the past 11 seasons, the Bruins have faced the Maple Leafs four times in the postseason, starting with the epic 2013 matchup in the first round. That resulted in an all-time instant classic, the Game 7 in which the Bruins were down 4-1 in the third period and came roaring back for an overtime win that helped propel them to the Stanely Cup Final. 

That would prove to be the model and, in the intervening years, the Bruins have beaten them in each of the three subsequent series, including going to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2018 and 2019. 

Which could easily be where this series is going. 

“Offensively they’re a gifted hockey club,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday. “They present a lot of challenges down around the netfront area. We’re going to have to be really sharp there. We’re a pretty good team defensively when we stick to what our principles are. So I expect it to be a tight series overall.”

But if anyone knows the Maple Leafs — and what to expect — it’s Marchand. In his career, he’s played 146 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 11th most of any active player. Twenty-one of those games have come against the Maple Leafs, games in which Marchand has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).

“They’re always extremely competitive,” Marchand said. “You never know which way the series is going to go. But that’s what you want. That’s what you love about hockey is the competition aspect. They’re real competitors over there, especially the way they’re built right now. So it’s going to be a lot of fun, and that’s what playoffs is about. It’s about the best teams going head-to-head.”

But even though the history favors the Bruins — including having won each of the past six playoff matchups, dating back to the NHL’s expansion era in 1967-68 and each of the four regular-season games in 2023-24 — Marchand is throwing that out the window.

“That means nothing,” he said. 

The Maple Leafs bring the No. 2 offense in the NHL into their series, having scored 3.63 goals per game. They were led by Auston Matthews and his 69 goals this season, a new record for him and for the franchise. 

“You have to be hard on a guy like that and limit his time and space with the puck,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “He’s really good at getting in position to receive the puck and he’s got linemates who can put it right on his tape for him. You’ve just got to know where he is, especially in our D zone. He likes to loop away after cycling it and kind of find that sweet spot coming down Broadway there in the middle. It’s not just a one-person job.”

Nor is Matthews their only threat. 

“They have a lot of great players, skill players, who play hard and can be very dangerous around the net and create scoring opportunities,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “You’ve just got to be aware of who’s out there and who you’re against, who you’re matched up against, and play hard. Also, too, we’ve got to focus on our game and what we do well and when we do that, we trust each other and have that belief in each other, we’re a pretty good hockey team.”

Especially against the Maple Leafs. 

Marchand, who grew up in Halifax loving the Maple Leafs, still gets a thrill to see their alumni walking around Scotiabank Arena in the playoffs. And it’s even more special to be on the ice with them, to be competing against them — even more so when the Bruins keep winning. 

But that certainly doesn’t mean this series will be easy. 

“They’ll be a [heck] of a challenge,” Marchand said.

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NHL sets Round 1 schedule for 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Daily Faceoff

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The chase for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice will begin on Saturday.

After what could be described as the most exciting season in NHL history that saw heartbreaks and last-ditch efforts to clinch playoff spots, players and staff now get ready as 16 teams go to battle.

We saw the Vancouver Canucks have a massive year and finish first in the Pacific Division with captain Quinn Hughes leading all defensemen in points. The Winnipeg Jets set a franchise record for most points. The Nashville Predators went on a franchise-record winning streak in order to lock themselves into a Wild Card spot, and the Washington Capitals clinched the last Wild Card spot in the East after a wild finish that saw the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers see their playoff hopes crumble in front of them.

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While Auston Matthews missed out on scoring 70 goals, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning standout Nikita Kucherov became the first players since 1990-91 to record 100 assists in a single season. They joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players to do so.

With the bracket set, it’s time to expect the unexpected. 

Here is the schedule for Round 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Eastern Conference

#A1 Florida Panthers vs. #WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning

Date Game Time
Sunday, April 21 1. Tampa at Florida 12:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23 2. Tampa at Florida 7:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, April 25 3. Florida at Tampa 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27 4. Florida at Tampa 5 p.m. ET
Monday, April 29 5. Tampa at Florida TBD
Wednesday, May 1 6. Florida at Tampa TBD
Saturday, May 4 7. Tampa at Florida TBD

#A2 Boston Bruins vs. #A3 Toronto Maple Leafs

Date Game Time
Saturday, April 20 1. Toronto at Boston 8 p.m. ET
Monday, April 22 2. Toronto at Boston 7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 24 3. Boston at Toronto 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27 4. Boston at Toronto 8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30 5. Toronto at Boston TBD
Thursday, May 2 6. Boston at Toronto TBD
Saturday, May 4 7. Toronto at Boston TBD

#M1 New York Rangers vs. #WC2 Washington Capitals

Date Game Time
Sunday, April 21 1. Washington at New York 3 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23 2. Washington at New York 7 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26 2. New York at Washington 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28 2. New York at Washington 8 p.m. ET
Wednesday, May 1 2. Washington at New York TBD
Friday, May 3 2. New York at Washington TBD
Sunday, May 5 2. Washington at New York TBD

#M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #M3 New York Islanders

Date Game Time
Saturday, April 20 1. New York at Carolina 5 p.m. ET
Monday, April 22 2. New York at Carolina 7:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, April 25 3. Carolina at New York 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27 4. Carolina at New York 2 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30 5. New York at Carolina TBD
Thursday, May 2 6. Carolina at New York TBD
Saturday, May 4 7. New York at Carolina TBD

Western Conference

#C1 Dallas Stars  vs. #WC2 Vegas Golden Knights

Date Game Time
Monday, April 22 1. Vegas at Dallas 9:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 24 2. Vegas at Dallas 9:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27 3. Dallas at Vegas 10:30 p.m. ET
Monday, April 29 4. Dallas at Vegas TBD
Wednesday, May 1 5. Vegas at Dallas TBD
Friday, May 3 6. Dallas at Vegas TBD
Sunday, May 5 7. Vegas at Dallas TBD

#C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. #C3 Colorado Avalanche

Date Game Time
Sunday, April 21 1. Colorado at Winnipeg 7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23 2. Colorado at Winnipeg 9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26 3. Winnipeg at Colorado 10 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28 4. Winnipeg at Colorado 2:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30 5. Colorado at Winnipeg TBD
Thursday, May 2 6. Winnipeg at Colorado TBD
Saturday, May 4 7. Colorado at Winnipeg TBD

#P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #WC1 Nashville Predators

Date Game Time
Sunday, April 21 1. Nashville at Vancouver 10 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 23 2. Nashville at Vancouver 10 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26 3. Vancouver at Nashville 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28 4. Vancouver at Nashville 5 p.m. ET
Tuesday, April 30 5. Nashville at Vancouver TBD
Friday, May 3 6. Vancouver at Nashville TBD
Sunday, May 5 7. Nashville at Vancouver TBD

#P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. #P3 Los Angeles Kings

Date Game Time
Monday, April 22 1. Los Angeles at Edmonton 10 p.m. ET
Wednesday, April 24 2. Los Angeles at Edmonton 10 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26 3. Edmonton at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28 4. Edmonton at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, May 1 5. Los Angeles at Edmonton TBD
Friday, May 3 6. Edmonton at Los Angeles TBD
Sunday, May 5 7. Los Angeles at Edmonton TBD

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