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Canucks’ Nate Schmidt opens up about ’emotional’ trade from Golden Knights – Sportsnet.ca

Published

4 years ago

October 13, 2020

VANCOUVER – When he got the call Monday that he had been traded by the team he loved and wanted to play for forever, Nate Schmidt was sitting in a truck out in a field at his uncle’s farm near St. Cloud, Minn.

He was stunned and emotional. But it was the perfect place for Schmidt to be, near his family, girlfriend and some of his oldest buddies.

The hurt was still evident the next morning when on his video call with reporters covering his new team, the Vancouver Canucks, the 29-year-old was asked about leaving Las Vegas and the Golden Knights, who helped heal that city when the expansion team opened its first National Hockey League season a few days after the Oct. 1, 2017 mass shooting of 471 people at a music festival just off the famous Vegas Strip.

You don’t ever leave something like that behind. If you care about people, you can’t.

“We healed together,” Schmidt said. “I was down on The Strip that night. It was crazy, something I’ll never forget. You remember things like it was yesterday. You feel a bond in that moment. You’re part of the fabric in the community. That’s what you remember most.”

Later, in a phone interview with Sportsnet, Schmidt explained: “Vegas, you were there from the beginning. We went through an outrageous tragedy. It was really just about being part of the community. We cancelled practice (after the shooting) and were like, we’ve got to get out there and do what we can, go to the blood drive. There were things like that. You’re going to miss that.

“The trade was really tough. It’s very emotional when it happens. It’s hard sometimes to see the bigger picture and the opportunity presenting itself in the (first few) hours after that. It was difficult. For me, I found out when it happened, and that was it. That’s the hardest thing to come to terms with. It takes time for that initial shock to wear off to (say), ‘Hey, this is where we’re going. This is what’s happening.’ That’s when you can start building that excitement, you can start thinking about what the next step is.”

In Washington, where general manager George McPhee signed Schmidt as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota years before both ended up in Vegas, the Capitals liked to say there was “happy” and there was “Nate Schmidt happy.”

Nate Schmidt happy, for those lucky enough to see it, is on another level. The defenceman is one of the most ebullient, talkative and thoughtful players in the NHL.

Seriously, just go to HockeyDB.com and look at Schmidt’s smiling mug. Try to be that happy.

Even while still processing his shock trade by Vegas, which was desperate enough for salary-cap space it surrendered its 22-minute-a-night defenceman to the Canucks for a third-round draft pick just one year into Schmidt’s six-year, $35.7-million contract extension, the Minnesotan was brimming with energy Tuesday. He was quick to laugh, and had probably the most engaging player Zoom call since the global pandemic hit the NHL in March.

He was delighted that a reporter who covered the Canucks-Knights playoff series in Edmonton without fans picked up Schmidt’s habit of “whooping” to call for the puck rather than yelling, like words, to teammates. Truthfully, we think some people outside Rogers Place could also hear Schmidt.

“If guys hear it, they know it’s me,” he said. “And it’s always really loud and piercing.”

He was self-deprecating, generous in his praise for Canucks players and Vancouver, which he said has always been his favourite NHL city to visit. Schmidt said later he has never had the Canucks on his 10-team no-trade list.

He called Canuck Brock Boeser, a fellow Minnesotan who plays summer hockey with Schmidt in the Twin Cities, a “good egg.”

He said he remembered Vancouver star Elias Pettersson “spinning me into a top.”

He said goalie Thatcher Demko’s performance in pushing the Knights to seven games in the Western Conference semifinal “really put a hurt on our mojo.”

And he marvelled at Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes, a likely partner for Schmidt when next season begins.

“His hips swivel,” he said. “That’s how he shakes and bakes on the blue line. As much as I want to do that, I don’t have it. I don’t think anyone has that in their game the way Quinn Hughes does. I can get maybe one hip going. It’s a very rare talent to have, and it’s really fun to watch.”

Asked about his positive outlook, Schmidt said it’s just the way he was raised by his parents, JoAnn and Tom, in St. Cloud.

The family started a convenience store-gas station chain in Central Minnesota when the three kids were old enough to provide cheap labour.

“Schmidty’s Snacks and Gas,” Nate said. “Or just Schmidty’s. That’s where I grew up working and I’m the youngest, so I always got all the jobs no one else wanted. I cleaned out the canopies for bugs, cleaned the car wash. Car washes are actually one of the grossest places you can think of because of all the dirt and grime. I’d power wash that, paint the gas islands, scrub them down with a wire brush.

“My mom and dad preached to treat people the way you want to be treated. I always try to treat people with respect and just the way I’d want them to treat me. It’s just kind of the way I am. I like being invested in what I’m doing and the people who are invested in me as well.”

In a way, it’s a wonderful thing that Schmidt was “wounded” so much by the Vegas trade because it shows how much he cared about his team and community. It means he could grow to care just as much about the Canucks and Vancouver.

The nearest thing he owns to Canucks blue is a decade-old sweatshirt from the Fargo Force, the United States Hockey League team Schmidt played for before starting university, so he pulled that out of a drawer for his Zoom call.

“Honestly, it’s been a huge help how many guys have reached out to me,” he said. “And having (former Capital) Braden Holtby there – he’s one of my best friends in hockey – it makes it a lot easier.

“I’ve been talking to some of the guys in Vancouver and one of the best things and one of the things I’ve heard about the most is how tightly knit the group was. That’s what gets you excited about what the future holds for you. I hope the guys aren’t too sensitive about me being too loud and goofy sometimes in the locker room. I guess that’s what I’m most afraid of.”

Not the constant, unyielding attention of playing on what Schmidt described as hockey’s biggest stage?

“I guess it’s TBD,” he said. “That first year in Vegas, we were kind of rockstars as well. Not the same kind of rockstars that hockey players are in Canada, but you understand what comes with it. There are a lot of people who know hockey and are avid fans. But if you win, you’re looked at it like it’s forever in Canada. That’s awesome.”

Just wait until he really warms up to the idea.

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

Published

8 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

Published

9 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

Published

9 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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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