OTTAWA – They held aloft homemade, Magic Markered signs that cheered “Always a Lumber King!” and “Thank You Sheldon!” And they were but a few of the Toronto Maple Leafs fans who dominated Canadian Tire Centre with an overwhelming blue majority.
But this select group didn’t have to drive four hours east on the 401 to attend this Battle of Ontario. Nah. An easy 80-minute cruise down the 417 from Pembroke, Ont., would do the trick.
For they didn’t flock to Kanata — at least primarily — to root for Auston Matthews, who kept pace with David Pastrnak in the Rocket race with his 42nd of the year. Nor did they come to see William Nylander tie his father Michael’s career high in goals (26).
They came — 40 of them, giddy in suites — to watch their host, Sheldon Keefe, coach. (In a suit lined with Pembroke Lumber Kings logos, no less.)
When the rookie bench boss holds the memento puck from this 4-2 win, marked with the date Feb. 15, 2020, he’ll think fondly of those faces who had faith in him when he was just one of dozens of ex-pros trying to hang around. To carve a second life in the sport he’d always loved, but not always in the right way.
Home of the Maple Leafs
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By first bringing a Canadian Junior Hockey League championship to Pembroke in 2007 and then using it a springboard to the OHL, the AHL and eventually here, to the bigs, Keefe was moved by gratitude’s gravity in a game, in a place, that gave his career a “full circle” feel.
He paid back and thought back to his roots. For once, it was not all about the two points.
“Just a chance to see many of the people that were important in supporting me and my family through our time in Pembroke and the operation of the Lumber Kings. To have them in the building and have a chance to thank them each in person was important to me,” Keefe explained.
“Anytime when I think about the chance for me to coach in the NHL, right away I would think, ‘How can I thank those people?’ I can never say or do anything to really repay them for everything they sacrificed to give me a start and a foundation to be able to coach at that level. But having them in the building was special, and I was happy that it worked out.”
During his years in Pembroke, as Keefe pushed through that difficult transition from freewheeling player at the top to finding his niche in a second career in a small town, he’d frequently drive down here, to the Canadian Tire Centre, to watch hockey.
To maybe dream of getting back not only to barns this size, but this very barn itself.
“In particular, I was drawn to the times when the Leafs were in town,” Keefe said. “But also I coached in this building in the OHL, I coached in this building in the AHL with the Marlies, I coached my first time ever on an NHL bench in this building in an NHL exhibition game.
“It all started for me in Pembroke and in working with the Lumber Kings there. The number of volunteers and supporters that we had, sponsors, fans, all these things that allowed that organization to support me in my endeavour to try to be a coach and start a new life.
“If I ever had a chance to coach in the NHL, I wanted to make sure I could go out of my way to acknowledge them.”
Jason Spezza, whose playing career overlapped with that of his new coach, spoke with Keefe prior to puck drop about their mutual ties to this neck of the woods.
Spezza said the Maple Leafs would try to win this one for guy behind the bench.
Then they did, wire to wire, with Keefe sending the former Senator out for puck drop in the town that drafted Spezza second overall.
A sense of occasion, of history. A personal touch.
These things resonate in a Maple Leafs room that believes in their chances to not only make the playoffs but contend, likely more than you or I do.
In defeating the Senators Saturday, Keefe’s Leafs improved to 22-10-4 since the coaching change, despite a parade of personnel to injured reserve and an overdue correction to the backup goalie situation.
Were it not for their skittish start under Mike Babcock, Toronto would be humming along at a 109-point pace.
“There’s lots of positive things. Obviously, our play has been better under him. He’s very smart [with] in-game changes, in staying calm,” said Jake Muzzin, who mercifully snapped a 35-game goal drought.
“But when we need a stern talking to, it’s also there — and you feel it. It’s authentic. It’s real. I enjoy having him as a head coach, for sure.”
Seldom does Keefe put himself out there. Most of his focus is on those ever-fluid lines, on implementing his possession-first system, on motivating a relatively inexperienced group, on balancing rest and the whip.
Muzzin, for instance, had no clue about those 40 people dear to his coach that joined in the “Go! Leafs! Go!” chants and helped propel The Wave that ripped ’round Canadian Tire Center in this home-away-from-home game.
But when he found out, he was happy.
“That’s good we got the win for them,” Muzzin said.
There is a lesson Keefe gleaned from his takes-a-village rebirth in Pembroke that he’d like to pass on to his players as they scramble out of their self-dug hole and through this wild winter of adversity.
“Something I’d like to instil into the players is to not focus on proving anybody wrong,” Keefe said. “But just focus on proving the people right that believe in the you, whether it’s people within our organization or our fans.”
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
