Sports

Ex-Canucks star Ryan Kesler back

Published

5 years ago

February 13, 2020

For the first four seasons of his National Hockey League career, Bo Horvat watched Henrik Sedin conduct a master class in imaging and branding.

Henrik, like his brother Daniel, wouldn’t phrase it that way and that was never the intent of the message he conveyed. But from the moment he was named Vancouver Canucks captain, Henrik stood up on a daily basis and answered questions simply and honestly, usually in a way that reflected well on the organization and his teammates.

This exercise usually took about five minutes. On Wednesday, the night the Sedins jerseys were retired, Horvat stood up for just under five minutes in the Canucks’ dressing room and answered questions simply and honestly, which reflected well on the Canucks and his teammates.

Horvat, age 24 and in his first season as the team’s captain, was asked about what he learned from Henrik over those four years.

“His positivity was the biggest thing,” Horvat said. “Win or lose, he was always ready to face the media. I think that’s the thing I respect about him most. He never came to the rink and had a bad day.”

Which brings us, in a roundabout way, to our topic du jour: Ryan Kesler.

Kesler, the estranged former Canucks’ star, took part in the ceremony on Wednesday at the invitation of the twins and was warmly received by the sellout crowd. His appearance at the Sedins’ big night also followed a concerted effort on Kesler’s part to rehabilitate his relationship with the faithful, a relationship that was fractured when he was traded away nearly six years ago at his request.

All seems forgiven now.

Look, we all love the story of a reformed sinner and, as part of his penance, Kesler conducted a series of interviews in which he was honest, introspective and, in the end, very human. Those interviews weren’t exactly consistent with the popular image of Kesler, who seemed to make surliness a point of pride during his years with the Canucks, but he isn’t the first athlete to wake up one morning and realize he should have handled his business differently.

You just wonder why it takes some of them so long.

As Horvat learned from Henrik — and as we learned from watching figures like Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby over the years — an image can be built on five minutes and a few well-chosen bromides. None of these stars is especially quotable. They certainly aren’t controversial. But they became venerated figures in the game largely because they’re so damned pleasant.

Kesler, sadly, never learned that lesson until it was too late. Now he’s trying to make up for lost time and you hope the goodwill tour has the desired effect because Kesler, the player, should be celebrated in this town and honoured by the franchise.

Canucks centre Ryan Kesler tangles with San Jose Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle in the second period of Game 5 of the 2010-11 NHL Western Conference Finals at Rogers Arena. Kesler tore the labrum in his hip in that game, and wasn’t the same in the rest of that post-season run that went to Game 7 — a loss — in the Stanley Cup Final.Ian Lindsay /

PNG files

An ailing Canucks centre Ryan Kesler returns to the bench after sustaining an injury in Game 5 of the 2010-11 NHL Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena.Ian Lindsay /
PNG files

Here’s a reminder. In their 50-year history, the Canucks have never had a player like the 2009 to 2011 version of Kesler: A size-and-skill centre with a physical edge who played Selke-calibre defence while scoring 41 goals in his best season. Come to think of it, few teams have ever had a player like that.

It is one of the great misfortunes in Canucks history, in fact, that we only saw that player for two seasons. At the absolute peak of his powers, Kesler got tangled up with San Jose defenceman Dan Boyle during Game 5 of the 2011 Western Conference final and tore the labrum in his hip.

He actually returned and scored the tying goal with 13 seconds left in the win that sent the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final — did we mention he tore his labrum? Kesler then gutted it out in the final with the aid of cortisone shots, but he was a shadow of the player who had dominated the playoffs.

There’s no doubt in my mind that injury cost the Canucks the Stanley Cup and Kesler the Conn Smythe Trophy. You can also make the case it cost him a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Ryan Kesler walks through the bowels of Rogers Arena to the visiting team’s dressing room prior to an Anaheim Ducks game against the host Vancouver Canucks in December 2016.Jeff Vinnick /
NHLI via Getty Images files

He came back and played three more seasons in Vancouver before asking out prior to the 2014 trade deadline. There was a lot of background noise at the time and it was another situation Kesler could have handled better. But it was allowed to fester and when he was dealt to Anaheim in the off-season, the well was poisoned in Vancouver.

Kesler, of course, didn’t help things in subsequent visits with the Ducks and seemed to thrive on his image as a heel. But somewhere along the line, all that animosity just becomes wearying for all concerned.

That seemed to be the point at which Kesler arrived on Wednesday night. He was tired of wearing black. He wanted to be remembered, not as a bad guy, but a player who bled for this franchise, who was an indispensable part of the best Canucks team ever.

Yes, he could have made things easier on himself and everyone else if he’d seen the light before this week. But that doesn’t seem terribly relevant now. It’s time to remember what Kesler meant to this franchise. After all those years, that other stuff seems easy to forget.

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Red Wings sign Raymond to 8-year, $64.6 million contract

Published

3 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.

Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.

The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.

Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.

Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.

—

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Cousins caps winning drive with TD pass to London as Falcons rally past Eagles 22-21

Published

3 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.

The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.

Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.

Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.

The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.

And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.

Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.

Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.

Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.

Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.

Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.

With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.

Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.

Questionable call

Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.

Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.

Running wild

Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.

Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.

Foles honored

Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”

Injuries

The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).

Up next

Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.

The Eagles play at New Orleans on Sunday.

___

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Fernandez and Dabrowski headline Canadian lineup for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Published

15 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.

The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.

Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.

Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.

“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”

Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.

Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.

Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.

Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.

Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.

Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

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