TORONTO — With a precious standings point hanging in the balance and a chorus of boos raining from the rafters, Matthew Tkachuk calmly gathered the puck at centre ice, cruised down the left wing, curled to the slot, pulled back and snapped the shootout winner clean and low through Frederik Andersen’s legs.
In a flash, the villain turned hero.
“I’m sure he’ll get booed more in Edmonton than he did here,” cracked Calgary Flames teammate Derek Ryan following the visitors’ 2-1 victory.
“He just thrives in the moment. He loves to be in the spotlight. He loves to be in the high-pressure situation, and he just thrives on it.”
With a chorus of boos reigning down on Matthew Tkachuk before his shootout attempt one Leafs fan yells: “No, don’t boo him, it only makes him stronger.” Same fan after he scores: “See, I told you.” #Flames
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the type of group immune to Tkachuk’s extracurricular antics. They rarely engage in hockey’s darker arts and prefer a speedy, low-impact contest (goaltenders’ egos being the exception). Many a night at Scotiabank Arena passes where one could count the number of scrums on no hands.
“We’re a team that’s good when emotion gets into our game, but we don’t get distracted by guys,” explained Jason Spezza
At 37, Spezza is the only Leaf old enough to intimately remember a time when the Zack Kassian-Tkachuk feud wouldn’t be unique enough to linger in the press five days after first contact.
“If you talked to guys who played 10, 15 years ago, those scrums happened every night. There was a bit more bad blood in the league,” Spezza said. “He’s a combination of high-end skill and being able to do that, so he’s a unique player for sure.”
So even though Tkachuk went out of his way to get in the grill of Leafs forward Dmytro Timashov early Thursday night and try to crawl under some blue skin, Toronto turned cheek, chugged legs and drew penalties.
It became apparent early, this wasn’t to be a “Chucky” type of game.
And yet, with a bonus point on the line, both goalies standing on their heads and the Pacific Division playoff race resembling a traffic jam, it was Tkachuk burning Andersen through the wickets and making a difference with his blade, when his shoulders and lips went mute.
“I was like, finally, someone shoots five-hole,” said David Rittich, pitching a 35-save masterpiece. “I was glad he did it.”
Tkachuk dedicated the snipe to his friend and goaltender, who will be joining him in St. Louis, a town overrun with Tkachuks, next week for the All-Star Game.
“You want to do everything in your power to win the game for him,” Tkachuk said. “He was our best player tonight, easily. For us to reward him, it was definitely on my mind.”
Interim coach Geoff Ward believes Tkachuk — to him, a leading scorer and all-star agitator, to so many others, public enemy No. 1 — rises to his best on the grand stage, thermostat cranked.
“It’s part of their DNA. They look forward to the big games and look forward to have an opportunity to make a difference in big games,” Ward explained.
“We had the same situation in Boston when I was (an assistant coach) with Brad Marchand — highly talented guy, can play the agitator role really well.
“You like having those guys on your team, and you hate playing against them.”
With the suspended Kassian continuing to pour gasoline on the resurrected inferno that is the Battle of Alberta through his scrums and encouraging us to circle Jan. 29’s Flames-Oilers rematch on our calendars, Tkachuk is downplaying the hype.
Zack Kassian isn’t going to forget about what Matthew Tkachuk did.
Ward spoke with Tkachuk about the Kassian situation Wednesday, and the club agreed that the topic would be off-limits Thursday. To a man, the Flames directed focus on defeating the Leafs, then did it.
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Calgary became the first team to limit Sheldon Keefe’s weapons to fewer than three goals since it last completed the feat on Dec. 12, and although Rittich was the game’s first star, Tkachuk got the last laugh.
“Real good focus by him in order to keep out the noise and stay focused on what he had to do,” praised Ward, considering the narrative waiting for the Flames in Alberta.
“It gives people an opportunity to promote the game, write stories and both fan bases are into it. That makes for good conversation around the game, but I don’t think the players are concerned about that.”
Sean Monahan believes the Flames are in “must-win” territory already.
Tkachuk said he’s reached the point where he’s checking Western Conference scores post-game.
He might give us some slick talk about the Oil later this month, but in the meantime, he’s zeroed in on defeating brother Brady’s Ottawa Senators on Saturday, then heading home to bask in his first all-star weekend.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
