The biggest fear the about the Edmonton Oilers playing outdoors is that it’s a dangerous place to be when the sky is falling.
But whether it was the occasion lifting the Oilers, the Oilers rising to the occasion or a brilliant blend of both, the fresh-air spectacle at Commonwealth Stadium was exactly what they needed to breathe life back into their season.
The fact they were able to plunge the slumping Calgary Flames into even further misery at the same time made Sunday’s Heritage Classic even more special.
“All in all it was just a great night, but the two points, the win, make it a lot better. To everyone who set this up it was an amazing job.”
There is still a way to go for the 2-5-1 Oilers to make things right after their slow start, but the this is a big first step.
“We wanted to get back to the team we are,” said rambunctious winger Evander Kane. “The boys really embraced it, used it as some great fuel. Coming into this game there was a lot of talk and I thought were handled it well and got on top of them quick
“You want to enjoy the festivities, you want to embrace the atmosphere, but at the same time we were here for two points and we got it done.”
It was a perfect night for outdoor pond hockey, with Connor McDavid back in the Edmonton lineup, the temperature a crisp 2 degrees Celsius at puck drop — practically balmy compared with the -20C in 2003 — and all of the pre-game festivities going off without a hitch.
It became evident very early on that there was no way the Oilers were going to let the occasion get the better of them. They stormed out hard and fast and put the Flames on their heels before the game was five minutes old.
It was 3-1 Edmonton at the end of the first period and at the halfway mark of the second period the shots were 22-7.
The only thing keeping Calgary alive was goaltender Jacob Markstrom. That turned out to be a problem for the Oilers because Calgary kept hanging around and hanging around and managed to make it 3-2 after 40 minutes, turning what could have been a blowout into a 20-minute sprint to the finish.
The Oilers responded by shutting the Flames down and scoring two goals of their own.
“We’ve been talking about (making the most of this) for a couple of days and we did it tonight,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “These games are a lot of fun to be a part of. The win at the end of the day makes the experience all the more positive.”
Now that it’s over, and they won, the Oilers can truly savour the experience. And they will in the limited time they have, which isn’t much. After this, the season moves back inside and they are still only 2-5-1.
At first glance, the Oilers look a lot like a team that is finding its way and is about to make the push they need to get back in the NHL race. They needed this night, badly, and the fact they were able to rise up and make the most of it is a good sign.
So, we’ll see what happens.
“In a game like this, the stakes are higher, you put more into it,” said defenceman Mattias Ekholm. “There is more family. Everything is more. Everything is jacked up.
“It’s not a playoff game but it kind of has that vibe. If thought if we can get this one win it’s going to go a long way in the room. I thought we outplayed them for the most part of the game. I don’t think they had much five on five, which is a great sign for this team and hopefully something we can build off of.”
The poor Flames, meanwhile, have now lost five in a row and been outscored 16-5 over that stretch.
KANE RUNS WILD
Once again, Kane was a physical force out there, playing the antagonistic bully role to perfection. The points had been slow to come this season but he’s been making his mark in these games and most certainly left a few marks on some Flames players.
He finished with one goal, two assists, two minor penalties, six hits, six shots, plus two and more scrums than anyone on either team.
“He brought a lot of emotion to the game,” said Nurse. “He was going into the corners, running guys over. It shows the kind of player that he is. As a team you draw a lot of him when he’s bringing energy like that.”
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
Watson was injured on a noncontact play in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals and carted off the field in tears.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
___
AP NFL:
Forward Jade Kovacevic is the first player signing announced by Northern Super League
What Difference Will You Make to an Employer?
Supply shortage for Ontario home care, palliative patients unacceptable: minister
Harris raises $633 million in the third quarter but spends heavily in final push
Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected in deaths of three found in car in Quebec’s Gaspé
A look at Susan Holt, Liberal premier-designate of New Brunswick
Duke’s Cooper Flagg makes preseason AP All-America team as ACC, Big 12, SEC each place 2 players
Jays reliever Green and Canadian slugger O’Neill nominated for comeback player award
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.