WINNIPEG – Dave Lowry is a first-time NHL head coach by definition only.
He doesn’t lack experience on the ice or behind the bench.
Perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t lack the conviction required to make bold decisions.
The only thing that’s truly been missing is the opportunity, which changed on Thursday night when he received a phone call from Kevin Cheveldayoff about a potential vacancy that was both sudden and unexpected.
You could easily make the argument that the interim head coach of the Winnipeg Jets has been on this path since late in his NHL playing career, which spanned 1,084 regular season games and another 111 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lowry has run his own teams in the Western Hockey League (Brandon Wheat Kings, Victoria Royals and Calgary Hitmen) and served as an assistant in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames, handling a variety of roles in those stops.
He also brings some international experience to the table as both a head coach and an assistant with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
It’s true that his one shot as a head coach produced a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Finland in 2016, but the year earlier he was on the staff that helped Canada deliver a gold medal.
This isn’t about dictating the lines on Lowry’s resume, but if you’re wondering about whether he’s qualified, move along to the next topic.
That’s not to suggest the hiring for the remainder of the season is a slam dunk or doesn’t have any risk attached to it.
There’s never a guarantee that a move is going to work out, whether the individual has coached in the NHL for decades or worked his first game as the bench boss in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.
When you’ve been working toward a moment like this one, even if it doesn’t come under the circumstances you might expect, preparation is essential.
Much like Dom Ducharme said in Winnipeg after he was promoted to interim coach of the Montreal Canadiens last season, Lowry has been studying for this exam for quite some time and when you’ve put in the work, you’re not nervous when the chance comes.
Now it’s time to see what Lowry can do with the responsibility of trying to get the Jets turned around.
Lowry is looking for the Jets to play faster, but he also wasn’t about to unveil a 10-step plan or detail all of the previous shortcomings during his first official day of his new job.
He knows this isn’t an overnight fix and that he’s not going to have all the answers or the ability to implement all of them immediately.
One of Lowry’s biggest influences in the game was the late Roger Neilson and he imparted some valuable lessons.
“I was fortunate enough to play for him in Florida and the biggest thing I always took away was the care and respect he had for his players and how he wanted to create that family environment,” said Lowry. “I really believe that’s something we have here now, and we’d like to continue with that moving forward. I think I’m a direct communicator. I’m a firm believer in honesty. I’m not going to tell them what they always want to hear but I’m going to tell them what they need to hear. I understand the athlete today.
“I understand how you have to communicate with them. And that goes to formulating relationships. I’m fortunate that I was able to be a part of this group last year, albeit in a different role. I built some very strong connections with these players and I look forward to working with them moving forward.”
The inability to meet the increased expectations is part of the reason Maurice chose to step aside.
And in a rare look behind the curtain, Cheveldayoff stood at the podium during his media address and openly discussed challenging his players privately early that morning after Maurice informed them he was done.
“I challenged them to hold each other accountable. I challenged them to hold themselves accountable,” said Cheveldayoff. “Again, we can be fine with where we’re at or we can get to where we think we all should be but it’s got to be done a certain way and it’s got to be done with a different voice.”
Some folks might argue that since Lowry was on the staff of the departing Paul Maurice that he’s too close to the situation, that if a new voice needed to be heard, why not go outside the organization?
How can a voice that’s already been part of the coaching staff be viewed as different?
Not to discredit the theory entirely, but it’s important to remember that Lowry joined the Jets in November of 2020.
Although the backdrop of the pandemic can sometimes make things feel like forever, Lowry was part of one condensed season and just over a quarter of another.
Part of the reason he was brought in originally was to deliver some fresh ideas to the table.
He’s been around long enough to identify some of the areas to attack surrounding this Jets team and not too long that an established pecking order on the depth chart is not in danger of being challenged.
Of course there are certain players that have a built-in advantage based on prior performance, but the slate has essentially been wiped clean.
“Dave has been around the game a long time. He comes prepared,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who was part of the Canadian world junior team that captured the gold medal. “There are no grey areas with him. You know where you stand, what’s expected of you. That’s something as a player, especially mid-season, it’s important to have that transparency. He’s going to be transparent with us on what he expects and is looking for. As a player that’s all you can want.”
What the players also want as a collective group is to start digging themselves out of this rut.
Following a 9-3-3 start where the Jets were competing for top spot in the Central Division, they’ve gone 4-8-1 since and have dropped below the playoff line.
That’s not where the Jets plan to be when the end of the season arrives.
“The expectations, it’s not just playoffs. We want to push past that,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon. “And I think (with) where we’re at, we’re not in a playoff spot, so there’s a sense of urgency.”
Although he went out of his way to say it would be a collaborative effort with the rest of the coaching staff, Lowry fully realizes the gravity of the task at hand.
He also knows full well what’s at stake, for both himself and the entire organization.
This is a shot Lowry has been waiting for and the best way to force himself to the front of the line and have the interim label removed when a more thorough coaching search is expected to be conducted during the offseason is to do his part to bring the best out of a Jets team that needs a boost.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
