Sports

FRIESEN: Jets finally end self-inflicted PR nightmare – Winnipeg Sun

Published

5 years ago

March 16, 2020

It took three days, a torrent of public criticism on social media and a fundraising campaign by an embarrassed fan, but the Winnipeg Jets are finally doing the right thing.

Perhaps being linked to Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk was what finally pushed the Jets to reach the land of common sense.

On Thursday when the NHL announced its coronavirus shutdown, Jets chairman Mark Chipman said part-time arena employees were simply out of luck with the lost hockey games and other events.

Meanwhile, other NHL and NBA owners were devising and announcing ways to compensate their workers.

By Sunday afternoon, Winnipeg and Ottawa were the only two Canadian NHL teams taking that stubborn, miserly stand. The others had all announced compensation packages to help part-time workers who’ll lose hours and pay.

In a late-Sunday letter to employees, obtained by the Winnipeg Sun, Chipman and chief operating officer John Olfert of True North Sports and Entertainment did a financial flip-flop, promising workers full pay for missed events.

“Regardless of whether we resume play in either the NHL or AHL, True North casual and part-time employees will be paid in full… to the end of March 31, 2020, as though the games occurred,” the letter read, in part. “We sincerely apologize for any concern that our original position may have caused.”

The reversal caps a dreadful three days for the Jets ownership, a public relations nightmare that will linger around this organization like a bad smell for a long time.

On Thursday, the day after the NHL announced it was putting the season on “pause,” Chipman said at a news conference more than 1,000 part-time employees would simply lose their shifts.

“Those people are on part-time agreements,” he said. “They work when we work. So, regrettably, to the extent that we’re not putting on shows and games, those people obviously would not have a call to work.”

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Remember, True North is co-owned by Chipman, a native Winnipegger, and Toronto’s David Thomson, ranked Canada’s wealthiest man with an estimated worth of $34.1 billion US, according to Forbes.

True North attempted damage control of sorts with its employees in a letter to them on Saturday, also obtained by the Sun, in which the company pointed out how rushed its response to the crisis had been.

Incredibly, the letter reiterated the company’s position on the vast majority of part-timers.

It claimed that for 97% of the 1,050 staff, True North events are not their primary source of income. Rather, it is “supplemental income” to other full- or part-time work or for full- or part-time students.

For the remaining three percent, some 30 workers, the Saturday letter said “other arrangements have or are being explored.”

The letter did not say how True North arrived at the calculations or how it defined a “primary source of income.”

One former True North employee who contacted the Sun but didn’t want his name used said he was disgusted by the letter.

“I think it is complete crap for the employees,” he wrote in an early Sunday email. “Just because they aren’t using their employment as primary income does not mean that the 97% do not rely on their income from Jets games/ entertainment dates. There are single parents, semi-retired professionals, and young students who need this income to support their livelihoods.”

The former worker says they left the company by choice, had no axe to grind and keeps in touch with friends who still work there, adding those workers weren’t happy but don’t speak out for fear of losing their jobs.

As criticism mounted on social media, a lifelong Jets fan, originally from Winnipeg but living in Calgary, grew so disappointed in True North, he started a GoFundMe page to help the workers.

Dick McDougall, a 55-year-old high-school teacher who grew up in Crestview, decided if the Jets wouldn’t take care of the workers here in Winnipeg, he and hopefully other Jets fans would.

“So shocked and disappointed,” McDougall said, kicking off the campaign with a $400 donation and setting a goal of $100,000.

By the end of the day his disappointment had turned to relief.

“I am so pleased to see TNSE step up for their employees,” McDougall said. “We are entering such a challenging time and we have to have each other’s backs over the next months.”

For a community-oriented organization like the Jets, that should have been automatic.

Two Ice players tested, in isolation

Two members of the Western Hockey League’s Winnipeg Ice are in isolation after being tested for COVID-19.

The Ice played in Regina on Wednesday, and the players began reporting symptoms the next day, says Ice GM Matt Cockell.

“It was a decision our doctors made,” Cockell said, Sunday. “I would describe it as precautionary. They saw our medical team and then they were referred to the testing locations and that’s where they were tested.”

Cockell wouldn’t identify the players and didn’t know when they would receive the test results.

The WHL put its season on hold, Thursday, and on Sunday all teams were instructed to let their players return to their homes.

“Those two players have been in self-isolation for a few days,” Cockell said. “And the remaining players did the same for a few days and they were cleared to go home. They’re all on their way.”

Cockell says no players took flights. Some, like forwards Jackson Leppard and Michael Milne, had to drive as far as Vancouver.

“We’re following the recommendations… trying to do whatever we can to suport our staff, our players, our billet families, as well as our communities at large,” he said. “It’s been certainly an unprecedented time. What’s important for our team is to behave in the same way the medical community is asking the rest of the community to behave.”

The Ice were to host Saskatoon and Regina on the weekend, two of their final three home games of the regular season.

Cockell says part-time game staff are paid through annual honourariums and won’t lose paycheques from lost games.

pfriesen@postmedia.com

Twitter: @friesensunmedia

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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