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Canucks training camp ‘nerve wracking’ for new addition DeBrusk

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PENTICTON, B.C. – Jake DeBrusk had a bit of an unfamiliar feeling as he prepared to hit the ice with his Vancouver Canucks teammates Thursday — butterflies.

The 27-year-old winger is no stranger to NHL training camps, but after seven seasons with the Boston Bruins, Thursday marked his first time skating with a new team.

“It was actually pretty nerve wracking. I was a little nervous going out there,” DeBrusk said after the Canucks’ first day of training camp in Penticton, B.C.

“It kind of caught me off guard, actually. But it was good. The guys are competing and it was fast out there. Trying to get chemistry and things like that, so it was exciting.”

DeBrusk inked a seven-year, US$38.5-million deal with the Canucks when the league’s free agent market opened on July 1, and was quickly pencilled in as a linemate for Vancouver’s star centre, Elias Pettersson.

The duo skated together in drills on Thursday, and DeBrusk was excited about the result.

“I think I’ve seen a lot of really wicked plays by (Pettersson),” he said. “And I’m sort of still catching up a little bit, but I’m starting to figure some of it out, I think. Any time you have a player like that that’s so dynamic, you want to just be consistent for him and just have someone that he can rely on.”

DeBrusk, who put up 19 goals and 21 assists in 80 games for the Bruins last season, brings speed and tenacity to the Canucks, Pettersson said.

“He’s skilful, but then works hard,” he said. “He plays the body and goes to the dirty areas. But I think it’s the combination of physical play and smartness.”

Developing chemistry takes time both on the ice and away from the rink, Pettersson added.

“It’s just hanging out,” he said. “When you’re, I guess, good at hockey, you just figure it out on the ice. And we’ll continue taking steps every day. I’m just excited to get going.”

DeBrusk is among a handful of new additions to Vancouver’s roster.

The Canucks also added forwards Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong, and defencemen Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais in free agency.

Desharnais was already familiar with Vancouver’s playing style, having had a close-up look as a member of the Edmonton Oilers squad that eliminated the Canucks from the playoffs in a gritty, seven-game second-round series in May.

The first day of training camp provided new insight for the six-foot-seven, 226-pound blue liner, however.

“I understand why they were so hard to play against last year,” he said with a laugh.

While Desharnais contributed a goal, 10 assists and 54 penalty minutes to the Oilers last season, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has said he believes the 28-year-old from Laval, Que., has more to give.

Desharnais agreed.

“That’s why I’m here, to get better,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of small details I can add to my game. I’m a late bloomer, and I want to keep learning, I want to keep improving myself, and every day to get a better mindset every day. Every morning, I just try to get better.”

Transitioning to a new team has been smooth so far, Desharnais said.

“I feel like I’m part of the team already,” he said, adding that he’s spent much of the last week and a half hanging out with his new teammates away from the rink. “I’m very excited to start travelling, to start playing games because you get even closer.”

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet knows better than most what it takes for a player to settle in with a new locker room, having played for six different teams over the course of 18 seasons in the NHL.

Vancouver’s veteran players have done a good job of making the recent additions feel welcome, he said.

“I’ve been on other teams where it takes you a while, maybe it’s not as close,” the coach said. “But this team, whoever comes in here, it’s ‘Hey, you’re welcome’ and they’re hanging together. So I credit those guys for that environment.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.



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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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