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For Canadian basketball, Kobe Bryant was both an icon and adversary – CBC.ca

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Kobe Bryant achieved international stardom during his storied NBA career — but his impact on basketball in Canada was particularly unique.

Bryant — who was killed in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, Calif., along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others — was simultaneously an inspiration to countless Canadian athletes who would go on to professional careers and a tormentor of the country’s NBA teams as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here is a look at Bryant’s relationship with basketball in Canada — both as a friend and a foe — as tributes to the late basketball icon continue to come in.

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Tormenting Canadian teams

Before the recent success of the Toronto Raptors, yellow jerseys adorned with either the No. 8 or 24 were ubiquitous whenever Bryant came to town. But Bryant’s most iconic moment against the Raptors came in Los Angeles in 2006, when he dropped 81 points on Toronto.

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Bryant’s 81 are the second-most points scored in an NBA game, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points scored as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors in 1962. The performance is even more stunning due to the fact it came a month after Toronto held him to just 11 points.

Even games at what was then-known as the Air Canada Centre could have been mistaken for Lakers home games due to Bryant’s transcendent stardom. And for Raptors fans, who for years were starved for any semblance of celebration, a missed shot at the buzzer by Bryant in 2010 was cause for celebration.

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Bryant — who owned a 24-9 record against the Raptors — would go on to finish his career as the third-highest scoring player in league history, a mark that was surpassed by current Laker LeBron James on Saturday.

Watch: Kobe Bryant’s last game in Toronto

Kyle Lowry had 27 points as the Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game skid with a 102-93 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. In his last NBA appearance in Canada, Kobe Bryant had 21 points for the Lakers. 0:28

But what about Canada’s other NBA team, the late Vancouver Grizzlies? Well, Bryant notched his first-career triple-double in 2001 against the team, which later relocated to Memphis.

Feted in Toronto

Bryant was an 18-time NBA all-star during his career, and his final all-star appearance in 2016 was cause for celebration. The festivities were held in Toronto that season, and the weekend for all intents and purposes turned into the Kobe show.

Watch: Kobe Bryant honoured before final NBA All-Star Game

Tribute to Kobe Bryant 6:07

After the video aired in the arena, NBA legend Magic Johnson took the microphone to laud Bryant even further and eventually introduce a second tape of Bryant’s moments, with the retiring Los Angeles Lakers great narrating parts of it and other All-Stars offering him words of thanks.

Bryant then addressed the crowd, as they chanted his name at a deafening level. Bryant said he’s “been extremely fortunate to play the game I love and be in the NBA for more than half my life.”

Bryant, right, hugged fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson before the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. (Getty Images)

He ended his remarks by saying, “Thank you so much — and now I’ve got to go get loose.”

Bryant checked out of the game with just over a minute remaining, leaving to a standing ovation, hugs from players, and more chanting of his name. The West easily defeated the East by a whopping score of 196-173.

Idolized by Canadian players

Throughout his 20-year career, Bryant left his mark on many basketball players whom eventually made it to the NBA — including several Canadians.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray grew up in Kitchener, Ont., idolizing the five-time NBA champion.

Murray, who was drafted seventh overall by the Nuggets in 2016, told the Denver Post that he admired Bryant’s famous “Mamba mentality.”

“It was his drive to win, it was his never give up on plays, his confidence level in himself and what he could do, his belief in his team, just everything,” Murray said.

After learning of Bryant’s death, Murray tweeted: “I’m trying to process but I just can’t man.”

Toronto’s Andrew Wiggins has said he watched Bryant’s game voraciously as a child and modelled his game after the star. Wiggins, who plays for Minnesota, would wind up scoring on his idol during a game in February 2016.

After knocking down a fadeaway jump shot with Bryant defending, Wiggins — who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Timberwolves in 2014 — turned to him and said: “I got that from you.”

The admiration was mutual.

After a game against the Timberwolves in 2014, Bryant said that playing against then-19-year-old Wiggins was “like looking at a reflection of myself 19 years ago.”

Joining forces with notable Canucks

Bryant even had a few Canadian teammates during his illustrious career — notably Rick Fox, who won three consecutive titles in Los Angeles with Bryant in the early 2000s.

Fox, a small forward from Toronto, was a solid contributor during the team’s title run in 2000 and developed into a key starter for the Lakers’ next two championship victories.

Toronto’s Rick Fox, right, won three NBA titles with Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. (Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press)

Reserve centre Robert Sacre, a one-time member of the Canadian men’s national basketball team, also played for the Lakers during the latter part of Bryant’s career.

But the highest-profile Canadian to share the court with Bryant was two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash.

Injuries to both Bryant, left, and Steve Nash limited their time together as teammates, but their playoff matchups as foes were memorable. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

While a member of the Phoenix Suns, Nash and Bryant faced off three times in the NBA playoffs, with the Suns winning two series. At the end of his career, Nash elected to team up with Bryant in Los Angeles, but injuries to both players limited their on-court time together.

“My heart is broken for Kobe and his family,” Nash tweeted on Sunday. “I’ll never forget the battles but what I really admired was the father he was to his girls.

“Rest In Peace old friend with your angel Gianna.”

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com

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TORONTOAuston Matthews will be a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT) because of an illness.

“It’s going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The forward did not participate in Toronto’s morning skate. Max Domi took his place as the center on a line between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, a right wing recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained March 7 and will be out the next two games.

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Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons. He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).

He missed one game this season with illness, a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16.

“Of course, it’s an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” Domi said, “when anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we’ve done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

“He just remains day to day,” Keefe said. “We’re hopeful he’s going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it’s not going to be a lingering situation. It’s not going to be an injury that’s ongoing. Once he’s past it, he’s past it so we just need to give him some time.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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