Edmonton hockey fans applauded for their class, positivity after Oilers’ Stanley Cup loss | Canada News Media
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Edmonton hockey fans applauded for their class, positivity after Oilers’ Stanley Cup loss

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History has shown that sometimes losing a championship game in sports can see a team’s fanbase vent their frustration in destructive or antisocial ways.

But at the Ice District in downtown Edmonton, where tens of thousands of Oilers’ fans witnessed their team’s valiant efforts fall short of winning a Stanley Cup Monday night, peaceful — if sombre — scenes of fans consoling their fellow hockey die-hards played out and a sense of hope and positivity stayed in tact for many.

“As the true Oil fans who bleed blue and orange, we’re heartbroken,” said Gina Troman, a loyal fan of Edmonton’s NHL team who said she has been waiting for another chance at a championship ever since the Oilers lost in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. “We’re proud but we’re heartbroken.

“We fought so hard and we tried so hard, but we just didn’t have it tonight.”

The Oilers lost 2-1 to the Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla.

The defeat capped off a roller-coaster 2023-24 season that nearly resulted in one of the most dramatic comebacks in professional sports history when the Oilers won three-straight games to stay alive in the championship series after losing the first three games and being written off by many as incapable of coming back.

Tranquility prevailed as disappointed Oilers fans dispersed away from downtown Edmonton watch parties after Monday night’s loss. When asked about how Oilers fans were reacting, Troman acknowledged many were “crying while we’re finding a bar.”

“I’ve probably hugged more strangers than family members tonight than I have in the past year,” she said. “You rally around each other (and) you let the boys know that we are so proud.

“We were down 3-0, we were laughed at, and we came back and we had a chance.”

Scott Pattison, a spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service, said Tuesday that he believes “Edmonton fans represented their team and city with class throughout the playoffs.”

“(It was) a fairly uneventful evening from a policing perspective,” he said in an email when asked about the crowds that converged in downtown Edmonton for Game 7.

“Incident numbers were rather negligible for Game 7, which was consistent with fan behaviour throughout the Oilers’ 2024 playoff run.”

Pattison noted that about 33,000 people had descended on Rogers Place, the Ice District Plaza (also know as the “Moss Pit”) and the Oilers’ neighbouring Fan Park for the game.

There was a visible police presence downtown during the game. An increased number of officers were seen on bikes and in riot gear patrolling near the arena.

Fans flocked downtown to watch the games either inside the hockey arena or on big screens outside the building. Lines formed in the morning and only grew throughout the day, with thousands of people showing up for the watch parties.

There was some initial chaos when some of the crowd tried to rush the gates to the fan park and Ice District Plaza when they opened Monday afternoon.

“It was crazy,” Police chief Dale McFee said. “We’re literally talking probably early on, 50,000 to 60,000 people, jamming the gates.”

Police had to force crowds back before entry to the two outdoor venues could resume.

With an hour to go before puck drop, police announced the plaza viewing areas were full and urged residents to stay away.

McFee said EPS, OEG and the city were all more prepared for the playoffs than in years past, and the force trains for and plans extensively on how to cover large events.

“Obviously we had to deploy a lot of resources last night to keep the community safe. For the most part, though, fans – as as they were for the whole playoffs – were very good and listened as a result, very, very minor, infractions,” McFee said.

There were only six arrests, police said. Five were for public intoxication and one was for mischief. There were also three overdoses, although two of those people walked away and refused further treatment, EPS said.

McFee added when there are large events such as the playoffs, EPS and RCMP partner up.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the score we wanted but at the at the end of the day, we did manage to keep everybody safe.”

Mary Loewen, better known as “Mama Stanley” by Oilers’ fans, had become a local celebrity at the downtown watch parties where she used makeup to make herself resemble a Stanley Cup.

On Monday night, she could be seen being asked for hugs by other fans as they struggled to come to terms with coming so close to a championship before losing.

“Because they believed just like I believed,” Loewen said when asked why she thought she was being asked for so many hugs. “I do believe.

“It was an awesome ride.”

On Tuesday morning, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi posted on social media that he believes “Edmonton has the best fans in the world.”

“I know this isn’t the result we were hoping for but this has been an incredible nine weeks,” he wrote in a post on X. “It has been a time where we came together, and celebrated as one.

“Whether you were cheering from home, the Moss Pitt, Rogers Place, a viewing party or at a local restaurant or bar, thank you for your energy and your enthusiasm.

“We have many things to be proud of in Edmonton, but the people is what makes this city so special.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, ahead of Game 7, Oilers forward Zach Hyman thanked his team’s supporters.

“We’re nowhere without the fans,” he said. “We have unbelievable, passionate fans.

“They were as loud as they could be with the belief. You flash back to even November when probably the rest of the league counted us out, we still had fans who came to games, supported us, really believed that we were a good team and could come out of it.”

Sohi also thanked Oilers players on Tuesday for the playoff run they delivered this year.

“Your hard work and perseverance have got us through this incredible run, but more importantly, you brought us together,” he wrote. “For that we are so grateful.”

He added that he believes “it’s not over,” suggesting the team will play in another Stanley Cup Final next year.

“We played a great series and came back,” Loewen said. “It’s just heartbreaking that they just couldn’t …

“There’s always next year. But I am so proud of the boys — you guys did awesome and I love you.”

Troman said she was sometimes made fun of for being an Oilers fan when the club went through its most difficult years and spoke about why her loyalty has not wavered.

“As heartbreaking as it is (to lose to the Panthers), we have to show up next year,” she said. “We have to show up loud, we have to show up proud and we have to get it done.

“Everybody thinks we have no chance? We show up and we have a chance.”

With players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ roster, Troman said it would be “crazy not to believe in the team.”

“We don’t have to trade people just because they made mistakes. We’re a real team who deserves this,” she said.

“I hope, unlike 2006, that we come back next year and we fight … through the whole season.”

 

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Washington Capitals 3-2 win ends Dallas Stars’ winning streak

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome and Taylor Raddysh scored to help the Washington Capitals end the Dallas Stars’ season-opening winning streak at four with a 3-2 victory Thursday night.

Wilson’s goal was his third in three games, Strome his second of the season and Raddysh his first since joining the team in free agency last summer. Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves as the Capitals wrapped up this early homestand with back-to-back wins.

The Stars fell from the ranks of the league’s unbeaten teams despite a short-handed goal by Colin Blackwell and one at even strength from Jason Robertson. Rookie Oskar Bäck set up Blackwell for his first NHL point.

Casey DeSmith was screened on two of the three goals he allowed on 26 shots.

LIGHTNING 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored the winning goal with less than a minute to play just 1:27 after Brandon Hagel had tied it and Tampa Bay rallied to beat Vegas.

Kucherov’s second goal of the game with 55 seconds left was his sixth of the season.

Janis Moser had a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who remain unbeaten. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.

Brayden McNabb, Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev had goals for Vegas. Adin Hill turned aside 21 shots.

Jack Eichel, with two assists on Thursday, now has 10 points this season in five games and reached reached double-digit points faster than any other player in Vegas history. He is the 10th U.S.-born player to accomplish the feat.

After Barbashev put Vegas up 3-2 early in the second, Hagel pulled Tampa Bay even at 3 with 2:22 remaining in the third.

BLUE JACKETS 6, SABRES 4

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kirill Marchenko and Mathieu Olivier each had a goal and an assist and Daniil Tarasov made 21 saves to help Columbus to a win over Buffalo.

Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Zachary Aston-Reese and Damon Severson also scored for Columbus, and Zach Werenski added two assists.

Ryan McLeod, Owen Power and JJ Peterka scored for Buffalo, and Jiri Kulich added his first NHL goal. Devon Lev stopped 19 shots for the Sabres (1-5-1), who have lost two straight road games and five of their first six overall.

CANUCKS 3, FLORIDA 2, OT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — J.T. Miller scored 2:09 into overtime and Vancouver got their first win of the season, beating Florida.

Teddy Blueger and Quinn Hughes had goals for Vancouver, with Kevin Lankinen stopping 26 shots.

Anton Lundell got his fourth goal in the last three games for Florida and Jesper Boqvist also scored for the Panthers, who got 30 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Florida remained without forwards Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness).

DEVILS 3, SENATORS 1

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 shots and lost his shutout bid in the final minutes as New Jersey beat Ottawa.

Erik Haula, Nathan Bastian and Paul Cotter scored for the Devils, who won for the third time in four games and improved to 5-2-0.

The Senators, who were coming off an 8-7 overtime victory against Los Angeles on Monday, struggled to beat Markstrom.

Brady Tkachuk was the only scorer for the Senators, beating Markstrom, with a power-play goal with 65 seconds remaining in the third period.

Anton Forsberg, making his second straight start and hoping to rebound after getting pulled Monday, made 32 saves in the loss.

Haula opened the scoring early in the second period and Bastian added a short-handed goal, giving New Jersey a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Cotter scored midway through the third.

RANGERS 5, RED WING 2

DETROIT (AP) — Artemi Panarin had his eighth career hat trick and New York rolled to a victory over Detroit.

Panarin became the first Rangers player to have multiple points in the first four games of a season. He scored twice on the power play. Vincent Trocheck also had a power- play goal and assisted on all of Panarin’s goals.

Jonathan Quick made 29 saves in his season debut. Victor Mancini also scored.

The Rangers have won the last five meetings, including twice this week. New York had a 4-1 home victory over Detroit on Monday night.

Moritz Seider and J.T. Compher scored for Detroit. Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals.

KINGS 4, CANADIENS 1

MONTREAL (AP) — David Rittich made 26 saves a night after being benched in the second period in Toronto, helping road-weary Los Angeles snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over Montreal.

Los Angeles improved to 2-1-2 on a season-opening, seven-game trip necessitated by arena renovations.

Rittich rebounded after allowing four goals on 14 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Alex Laferriere, Mikey Anderson, Andreas Englund and Adrian Kempe scored.

Justin Barron scored for Montreal (2-3-0). Sam Montembeault stopped 28 shots. He made a save on Kevin Fiala on a penalty shot.

BLUES 1, ISLANDERS 0, OT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Joel Hofer made 34 saves and assisted on Jake Neighbours’ goal at 2:04 of overtime in St. Louis victory over New York.

Hofer had his second career shutout in his and the team’s second overtime victory of the season.

Philip Broberg carried the puck into the New York zone and made a centering pass to Neighbours for the winner.

Islanders goalie Ilya Sorkin made 29 saves.

Blues defenseman Nick Leddy sat out because of a lower-body injury, the first game he has missed this season. Leddy played in all 82 games last season.

OILERS 4, PREDATORS 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brett Kulak scored twice and Connor McDavid added his first goal of the season to lead Edmonton to a victory over reeling Nashville.

Jeff Skinner also scored and Calvin Pickard made 25 saves for the defending Western Conference champion Oilers, who have won consecutive games after beginning the season with a three-game skid.

Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault scored and Juuse Saros made 32 saves for Nashville (0-4).

Forsberg’s goal midway through the first period gave Nashville its first lead of the season. That lasted less than six minutes before Kulak tied it.

Kulak sealed it with an empty-netter in the final minute for the defenseman’s first career two-goal game.

BLACKHAWKS 4, SHARKS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Bertuzzi and Nick Foligno each scored a power-play goal, and Chicago beat San Jose.

Taylor Hall and Jason Dickinson also scored for Chicago. Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen each had two assists.

Hall, who missed most of last season because of right knee surgery, put the Blackhawks in front 4:20 into the first period. It was Hall’s first goal since Nov. 5 and No. 267 for his career.

Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund scored for San Jose, which trailed 3-0 early in the second. William Eklund and Mikael Granlund had two assists each.

The Sharks dropped to 0-2-2 under Ryan Warsofsky, who was promoted to head coach in June.

Petr Mrazek had 20 saves for Chicago, and Vitek Vanecek made 23 stops for San Jose.

KRAKEN 6, FLYERS 4

SEATTLE (AP) — Eeli Tolvanen, Jordan Eberle, and Shane Wright scored three goals in less than three minutes in the second period and Seattle held off a Philadelphia rally in a victory.

Tolvanen’s goal broke a 2-2 tie at the 14:57 mark. Eberle made it a two-goal game with a goal at 17:44. Eight seconds later, Wright scored to give Seattle a three-goal lead.

Jared McCann tied the game at 2-2 with the first of Seattle’s four second-period goals.

Cam York and Jamie Drysdale scored to pull Philadelphia within 5-4 in the third period, but Oliver Bjorkstrand responded with a goal to push Seattle’s lead to two with just over five minutes left in the game.

Scott Laughton scored twice for the Flyers in the first period, while Brandon Montour scored one in for the Kraken.

Chandler Stephenson had an assist in his 500th NHL game. Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer had 21 saves.

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Canada’s Dabrowski, New Zealand’s Routliffe out of Japan Women’s Open after walkover

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OSAKA, Japan – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe are out of the Japan Women’s Open tennis tournament.

Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Romania’s Monica Niculescu advanced to the final on Thursday by way of walkover.

The fourth seeds were supposed to play the top-seeded Dabrowski and Routliffe in the semifinals.

Bucsa and Niculescu will next face third-seeded Ena Shibahara of Japan and Laura Siegemund of Germany in the final.

Dabrowski and Routliffe defeated Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday to advance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Mountain West commissioner says she’s heartbroken over turmoil surrounding San Jose State volleyball

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said Thursday the forfeitures that volleyball teams are willing to take to avoid playing San Jose State is “not what we celebrate in college athletics” and that she is heartbroken over what has transpired this season surrounding the Spartans and their opponents.

Four teams have canceled games against San Jose State: Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Wyoming, with none of the schools explicitly saying why they were forfeiting.

A group of Nevada players issued a statement saying they will not take the floor when the Wolf Pack are scheduled to host the Spartans on Oct. 26. They cited their “right to safety and fair competition,” though their school reaffirmed Thursday that the match is still planned and that state law bars forfeiture “for reasons related to gender identity or expression.”

All those schools, except Southern Utah, are in the Mountain West. New Mexico, also in the MWC, went ahead with its home match on Thursday night, which was won by the Spartans, 3-1, the team’s first victory since Sept. 24.

“It breaks my heart because they’re human beings, young people, student-athletes on both sides of this issue that are getting a lot of national negative attention,” Nevarez said in an interview with The Associated Press at Mountain West basketball media days. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.”

Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the cancellations, citing a need for fairness in women’s sports. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee in this year’s presidential race, this week referenced an unidentified volleyball match when he was asked during a Fox News town hall about transgender athletes in women’s sports.

“I saw the slam, it was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head,” Trump replied before he was asked what can be done. “You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen.”

After Trump’s comment, San Diego State issued a statement that said “it has been incorrectly reported that an San Diego State University student-athlete was hit in the face with a volleyball during match play with San Jose State University. The ball bounced off the shoulder of the student-athlete, and the athlete was uninjured and did not miss a play.”

San Jose State has not made any direct comments about the politicians’ “fairness” references, and Nevarez did not go into details.

“I’m learning a lot about the issue,” Nevarez said. “I don’t know a lot of the language yet or the science or the understanding nationally of how this issue plays out. The external influences are so far on either side. We have an election year. It’s political, so, yeah, it feels like a no-win based on all the external pressure.”

The cancellations could mean some teams will not qualify for the conference tournament Nov. 27-30 in Las Vegas, where the top six schools are slated to compete for the league championship.

“The student-athlete (in question) meets the eligibility standard, so if a team does not play them, it’s a forfeit, meaning they take a loss,” Nevarez said.

Ahead of the Oct. 26 match in Reno. Nevada released a statement acknowledging that “a majority of the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team” had decided to forfeit against San Jose State. The school said only the university can take that step but any player who decides not to play would face no punishment.

___

AP college sports:

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