The Detroit Red Wings may have only had one player in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game this year, but he made his presence known. Alex DeBrincat was enjoying himself this weekend, and that carried into the game on Saturday as a part of Team Matthews.
Alex DeBrincat should have been the MVP of the day, but the Detroit Red Wings forward was robbed of that honor. He put on a show, but with Team Matthews & the Maple Leafs winning the whole thing in Toronto, it’s only expected that the Toronto captain wins MVP.
After all, this is splitting hairs over the whole thing. DeBrincat’s win earned him some money, but the MVP award would have netted him a nice cherry on top. But, the All-Star Game is a spectacle, and Toronto’s team winning in front of their home fans was the perfect finish, and captain Auston Matthews taking home the award fits even more.
I’m not trying to sit here and point fingers about the game, after all, it is cool to see some of the best NHL players face-off in the 3-on-3 format. Sure, the defense is sometimes thrown out the door, but the playmakers get to make things happen, and it’s quite fun to watch. It just would have been even better to see DeBrincat win the MVP award.
DeBrincat’s two goals in the semi-finals even helped him join some Red Wings All-Star history under the new 3-on-3 format. Per the NHL’s post, DeBrincat’s two goals in the semi-finals put him in the history books alongside Dylan Larkin and Mike Green for being the third Red Wings player to score two goals in the new format.
It was fun to watch DeBrincat step up and play as well as he did. After all, he was putting in effort and looking to make things happen defensively rather than playing completely passive, as some players did. He got a stick in on Connor McDavid, who was trying to get on a run for a zone-entry.
DeBrincat got his stick on it, poked the puck away, and was able to carry it in the zone and fire the puck to the empty net for a goal. He was backchecking and putting in some effort defensively. There’s something to be said about it, and even though he was not crowned an MVP, he played well.
He finished the day with three goals, three assists, and a big-time shootout goal to send Team Matthews to the next round. He had a great game but also enjoyed some family time with his son Archie, stealing the spotlight at times. DeBrincat got his family involved and made some memories, whether it was the red carpet or media availability.
OTTAWA – American receiver Justin Hardy will miss the Ottawa Redblacks’ regular-season finale Friday.
Hardy, who leads the CFL in receptions (97) and is second in receiving yards (1,343), was listed off Ottawa’s depth chart Thursday. Hardy was named Wednesday as the Redblacks’ nominee for the league’s outstanding player award.
American Andrew Miller will start in Hardy’s place.
Ottawa (8-7-1) concludes its regular season hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-10). The Redblacks have already clinched third in the East and will visit the Toronto Argonauts (10-7) in the division semifinal Nov. 2.
Hamilton has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Incumbent Dru Brown is listed as Ottawa’s starting quarterback.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — AC Milan’s weekend match at Bologna in Italy’s top soccer league has been postponed, Bologna officials announced Thursday following extensive flooding in the central Italian city.
The Serie A match had been scheduled for Saturday.
Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, large parts of which have been hard hit by torrential rains and bad weather for days.
The game was not immediately rescheduled.
“Following the flood that affected Bologna, intense work is underway to clean up the situation,” the city of Bologna said while announcing the game postponement on X.
BASEL, Switzerland – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov advanced to the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday.
Shapovalov used a strong service game to overcome the Spanish veteran for the win at the ATP 500 event in just under one hour 40 minutes.
The 25-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., fired 18 aces, including one to set up match point in the second-set tiebreaker, and won 79 per cent of first-serves and 63 per cent of second-serve points.
Shapovalov, a former top-10 player on the ATP Tour, entered this year’s Swiss Indoors ranked 95th and will appear in just his second quarterfinal of the season.
He improved to 3-0 against Bautista Agut, who he beat in July en route to a quarterfinal appearance in Washington.
Shapovalov will next face the winner of a match scheduled for later Thursday between defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
