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Canadian men’s team turning heads on historic World Cup qualifying run – Sportsnet.ca

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Former Canada coach Stephen Hart startled a few friends recently with his assessment of the current Canadian men’s team.

“I had said a few nights before with a group of friends that I thought Canada was the best team in CONCACAF, in terms of depth, in attack, in midfield,” Hart said. “They kind of looked at me with a funny look. But I honestly thought that.”

On Tuesday, before a loud, proud and cold crowd of 44,212 at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, John Herdman’s team proved Hart right.

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Canada’s 2-1 win over Mexico, coupled with the Americans’ 1-1 tie earlier in the day in Jamaica and Canada’s 1-0 victory over Costa Rica four days earlier in Edmonton, moved the unbeaten Canadians (4-0-4) into first place in the final round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF with six games remaining.

Come March, the top three countries will represent North and Central America and the Caribbean in Qatar next year. The fourth-place team will take part in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.

Canada’s overall record in Qatar 2022 qualifying improved to 10-0-4 with a 44-6 edge in goals. And like the Olympic champion Canadian women, the men — ranked 48th in the world and on the climb — are turning heads and inspiring support.

Tuesday’s triumph was Canada’s first over Mexico since the 2000 Gold Cup quarterfinals. The Canadian men have now taken four of a possible six points against ninth-ranked Mexico in this qualifying round, having held the CONCACAF powerhouse to a 1-1 tie last month in the hostile ground of Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.

“After the game in Azteca, that’s what made me think this team has such a good balance,” said Hart, how coach of the Canadian Premier League’s HFX Wanderers FC. “Of course I was elated they won the game (Tuesday) but they won the game in a fairly comfortable manner, in my view of it.”

Added former Canadian international Nick Dasovic: “You’re not top of CONCACAF after eight games if you’re not quality. You can get luck at some stages but this team is the real deal. The depth is amazing.

“I mean you’d have to say the ’86 (World Cup) team was the best (Canadian men’s) team up to now. I mean, obviously I didn’t play in that one. I was a kid (18) at the time. But this is by far the best group of players we’ve had assembled without any shadow of a doubt for this national program.

“And they’re all buying in. They’re all playing for the jersey. They’re all playing for the country. It’s pretty amazing.”

Still, there is work to be done, as Herdman told his team Tuesday after it celebrated going atop the standings and (according to www.transfermarkt.com) leading all teams in world football with 55 goals this calendar year. Not to mention captain Atiba Hutchinson’s record-setting 90th cap and Cyle Larin tying Dwayne De Rosario for the most international “A” goals (22) among Canadian men.

“There was a lot of celebration” Herdman told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. “But at the end of it, I had some sobering words — that we’ve got 10 weeks to stay focused, to do the right things. Because we’ve got six more battles. And there will be battles. This isn’t over.

“You’ve seen how tight it is at the top. Only three are going to go through. And it’s going to go right to the wire. So we have to stay ready — and humble. And the lads, you could see their eyes focus back in. They know we’ve got some big steps ahead to take.”

An emotionally drained Herdman — “I was absolutely knackered” — boarded a plane Wednesday morning to return to B.C. But he was still beaming.

“I just saw Milan (Borjan) in the (hotel) lobby and he just said ‘I could wake up in Canada every day,”’ Herdman said of his starting goalkeeper, who is an icon in Serbia where he plays for Red Star Belgrade. “The feeling’s unreal for these guys. Kids are asking for autographs. And he said ‘Never has this happened before.’

“And that’s all I ever wanted. I just wanted to feel the love and get the country believing that we’re a football country.”

One can argue the Canadian men did it in the most Canadian of settings, with defender Sam Adekugbe memorably throwing himself into a snowbank during the celebrations that followed Larin’s opening goal.

Only two points separate Canada (4-0-4, 16 points) and fourth-place Panama (4-2-2, 14 points). The U.S. (4-1-3, 15 points) stands second and Mexico (4-2-2, 14 points) third. But perhaps most importantly, the top four are beginning to get separation on fifth-place Costa Rica (2-3-3, nine points).

Canada has a home game against the 13th-ranked U.S. sandwiched around visits to No. 68 Honduras and No. 65 El Salvador in late January, early February before finishing in March with games at No. 45 Costa Rica and No. 69 Panama with a home match against No. 59 Jamaica in-between.

Whatever happens, the Canadian men — like their female counterparts — are growing the sport.

“I think the country now has seen what football can do, what football is about for this country,” said Pa-Modou Kah, a former Norwegian international who coaches Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League.

With Hutchinson and other players not available for all qualifying matches, the load fell on other players both on and off the field. Herdman credits Borjan, Jonathan Osorio, Maxime Crepeau, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Samuel Piette, Doneil Henry, Richie Laryea and Junior Hoilett as the leadership group that helped change the Canadian men’s outlook.

“You can 100 per cent see that everybody’s bought in,” said Dasovic, a Canada Soccer Hall of Famer who won 63 caps between 1992 and 2004.

Henry sent a clear message that it was going to be a difficult night for the visitors, sending Napoli winger Hirving Lozano flying through the air in a crunching aerial challenge less than a minute into Tuesday’s game.

With Canada Soccer — with the help of Mother Nature — having done what it could to make the Mexicans uncomfortable, Herdman told his players the game would come down to who could bring the intensity for the full 90 minutes.

“I thought Doneil set the tone for what was going to happen. It became a war on the benches (which both received yellow cards). It became a war on the field,” said Herdman. “And the fans came with us.”

The Canadians’ recent performances, coupled with the club success of players like Davies (Bayern Munich), Jonathan David (Lille) and Hutchinson and Larin (Besiktas), have also made wearing the Maple Leaf attractive.

Stephen Eustaquio, Steven Vitoria and Ike Ugbo were among those in Herdman’s matchday squad Tuesday that chose to wear the Maple Leaf over another crest.

“Players want to jump on this ship. They want to get involved with this country,” said Dasovic.

Herdman and Canada Soccer have also revamped the way the national teams are treated.

“When I played — most of my career as a national team player — it was what it was,” said Dasovic, who is coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps under-19 side. “You weren’t getting charter flights, you weren’t getting first-class. It happened once in a blue moon when they got us some passes. Things like that.

“You knew you were going to be sitting in seat 32B or you’re going to be trapped against the washroom or whatever.”

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'Something I promised': Maple Leafs' Mark Giordano dedicates comeback goal to dad – Sportsnet.ca

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Cult of Hockey Player Grades: Strong 4-1 Edmonton Oilers win over L.A in possible 1st round preview – Edmonton Journal

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The Edmonton Oilers won a big divisional battle on Thursday, a 4-1 victory over the Kings creating a 5-point spread between Edmonton and L.A. in the Pacific. Vegas slides into 3rd place but is 4 back of the Oil.

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Edmonton won both ends of the specialty teams battle (PP ½, PK 2/2) and the goaltending showdown (Skinner over Talbot).

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L.A. had 33 shots on net…but they are volume shooters. Overall, a sound defensive performance by the home club.

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Here is the tale of the tape…

Edmonton Oilers Player Grades

STUART SKINNER. 8. Steady 1st from Skinner but without a lot of serious work. But he had to be very sharp early in the 2nd as the Kings pressed with 7 unanswered shots, making solid saves off Moore (2-on-1) and Lewis. Stuffed Kempe a few shifts later. With the game still 1-0 Skinner stoned Kempe and then Kopitar in tight. Those were tide-turning saves as just shifts later his mates scored the 2-0. Precious little chance on the 3-1, it was a bang-bang play after a turnover. Big glove save off a Roy point shot. Then helped close it out late in the 3rd with big stops on Dubois and a 1-timer off Kempe’s stick. Stopped 32 of 33. Named the game’s 2nd Star. Looked to be in playoff form.

CONNOR McDAVID. 9. Hit the 120-point mark for the 3rd consecutive season with the 1-0 in the first, knocking down a Mattias Ekholm point shot then back-handing it home for a 4v4 goal. Levelled a hard check on Lizotte late in the 1st frame. No call from the Zebras when he was dropped while cutting hard across the slot. Wins the faceoff after a bad icing by L.A. and ends up with the secondary assist on the 2-0. Earned the primary assist on Bouchard’s 3-0 goal with a pass from behind the goal line. A rare turnover in his zone with possession and the net empty at the other end but eventually cleared the zone on that series. Fought relentlessly through the Kings withering trap. Ended up +3. Named 1st Star.

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RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 6. Fine defensive performance. An excellent clear on the 1st Period PK. Blocked shot and then a steal and clear on the same 3rd Period PK. Hard battle and clear of his own zone in the 3rd. Superb back-check forced an L.A. off-side.

ZACH HYMAN. 6. Good backhand chance from a 3-way passing play with Bouchard and McDavid. Could not convert a sneaky inside pass from Ekholm late in the 1st. Called for a 3rd Period Interference infraction. But then drew a slashing call leading to the 3-0. 5 shots.

DARNELL NURSE. 7. A tower of strength. High Dangers 6-2 5v5 on Darnell Nurse’s stingy watch. Delivered 7 hits to lead the squad. His elite-level speed was a definite edge over a team like the Kings with average boots by comparison. Both sides of this 1st pairing (tonight) were excellent.

CODY CECI. 7. His best effort in a long time. Ceci got a shot on net off a lovely Draisaitl pass in the 1st. The two teamed up in a similar fashion early in the 2nd. Showed particularly good patience deep in his own end and the net empty, found a lane, and drained a 193-foot shot right up the gut for the 4-1. High Dangers 5v5 5-2.

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LEON DRAISAITL. 8. Smart stick to end an L.A. sortie early in the 1st. Erased a pending Oilers PP with the tiniest slash on an L.A. player but it was ‘right’ in front of the referee. Just missed potting a bounce off the back boards on a shot-pass by Bouchard. Thumped Roy with hard hit mid-way through the 1st. A terrific pass to Ceci for a chance. Found Ceci again in the 2nd for a point-bank chance. Dangerous shot through a screen. A hard, power move behind the net leads to a pass throw at Henrique in front for the 2-0. Won the faceoff on the 3-0 and ultimately earned the secondary assist. Hard backcheck on Kempe. A spectacular backhand pass set up Henrique in the high slot. Had a rough night in the faceoff circle until it really mattered. Then, won 3 D-zine faceoffs with the Kings net empty, earning a primary assist on the 4-1 with his 3rd win. 3 assists, +3. 3rd Star.

ADAAM HENRIQUE. 7. “Go to the net, kids”. Henrique was rewarded for doing just that, on the ice with sparse seconds remaining in the 2nd after a bad Kings icing. A Draisaitl pass deflected off Henrique’s shoulder right at the top of the crease and in, sending dejected L.A. to the room with a 2-0 deficit after 2. Could not drain a hi-light reel pass from Draisaitl in front. 6 hits.

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WARREN FOEGELE. 5. Hard 2nd Period hit on Doughty. Worked hard on the fore check, responsible without the puck. Just did not have a lot of numbers to illustrate a good effort.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 5. Earned the primary assist on the 1-0 with a point shot that McDavid converted. A fine pass up the middle for Hyman late in the 1st. A glaring giveaway behind his own goal line, leading to the 3-1. A rare night on the bad end of High Dangers 5v5 (4-6).

EVAN BOUCHARD. 8. He was excellent. Secondary assist on the 1-0. Sifted a hard pass off the back wall which Draisaitl nearly swept home for the 2-0. Excellent stick check of Kempe in front. A sweet pass up the middle to spring McDavid and Hyman on a break. Played a 2nd Period 2-on-1 expertly. Part of the sequence on the 2-0. Hammered home the 3-0, a one-timer high glove off a McDavid feed. It was his first since a goal versus L.A. back on February 26th. Involved in the 3-1 against but I had no problem with Bouchard’s decision to pinch in the neutral zone.

RYAN McLEOD. 5. Fine pass by Ryan McLeod led to a break between Kane and Perry. But his best work was without the puck. Very responsible. Sawed off in 5v5 CF. His speed in between Kane and Perry seems to work well.

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EVANDER KANE. 6. Set the tone for the game by thumping Drew Doughty with a heavy check in the first, whistled for a questionable trip on the play. Delivered another heavy hit on Englund when he returned. Crisp pass across to perry on a good chance on a 2-on-1. Kane finished up with 6 hits and a string North-South game.

COREY PERRY. 5. Career NHL game number 1,300. Good feed to McLeod in the 2nd who must missed. Tried to deke Talbot 5-hole on a 2-on-1 with Kane. 3rd Period blocked shot.

BRETT KULAK. 5. The far superior member of the Oilers 3rd pairing tonight. Bailed out his D-partner on a bad pinch as Kulak swept the puck away from the gaping Edmonton net. Sawed off on High Dangers 5v5.

VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 3. Struggled. Drew a 2nd Period slash. 2nd Period turnover with a soft pass behind his own net, a harbinger of bad things to come. Yet another giveaway led to point-blank shots by Kempe and Kopitar. Ill-timed pinch led directly to a Grade A chance against.

DEREK RYAN. 5. This line decidedly lost the shot-shares battle but all 3 were so solid defensively they still receiving passing grades. Good anticipation for an interception high in his own zone in the 2nd.

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MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. Hard play along the wall to earn a zone clear on the PK in the 1st. Clever deflection on a 3rd Period shorthanded chance. 4 hits. Coach trusted him out on the ice late to protect the lead.

CONNOR BROWN. 5. Nice zone clear on a 1st Period PK. Set up Janmark for a dangerous chance shorthanded.

Edmonton’s record now sits at 44-23-4, 92 points. They remain 2nd in the Pacific, opening up a 5-point gap between them and L.A., 4 points up on Vegas. And the Oilers have 2 games on hand on the Golden Knights, 1 on the Kings.

Prior to the game, Official Kyle Rehman was recognized for his 1,000th NHL game. We do not pull punches here when it comes to officiating. We also recognize meaningful accomplishments.

Find me on Threads @kleavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social, and X @KurtLeavins.

Recently, at The Cult…

McCURDY: Are the Edmonton Oilers better or worse since the trading deadline?

STAPLES: Oilers show their grit in 4-3 win over Winnipeg Jets

LEAVINS: Oilers loss to Leafs begs important questions.

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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