Brad Gushue and his Newfoundland and Labrador teammates got a reminder of the importance of respecting your elders Wednesday at the Tim Hortons Brier in Kingston, Ont.
Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker came into Wednesday needing to win just one of its final two preliminary-round games in order to advance to the next phase of the Canadian men’s curling championship, and they took care of that business in the morning draw with an 11-8 win over Prince Edward Island.
But even though the game ended with P.E.I. conceding after nine ends, Gushue will concede the rink skipped by reigning world senior men’s champion Bryan Cochrane gave the St. John’s rink just about everything it could handle.
Almost more than they could bear.
Newfoundland owned a 5-1 lead through three ends, but the 62-year-old Cochrane and his rink scored two in the fourth, stole two more in the fifth, forced Gushue to a single point in the sixth and then scored two in the seventh for a 7-6 lead.
“Gave myself a scare,” Gushue replied when asked if had been shocked by the P.E.I. team.
“Here this week, if you let up against the world senior champion, they’re going to kick your butt. We took the pedal off in the middle of the game and they came right back.”
Newfoundland regained the lead with a big score of five in the eighth and that had Cochrane and his mates considering shaking hands withe Newfoundland team. But they went one more end, with P.E.I. tacking on another point before finally and definitely giving up.
On Wednesday afternoon, Gushue and Co. had an easier time against Quebec, winning 10-4 in a game that ended after eight ends.
The two-win day leaves Newfoundland and Labrador with a 6-1 preliminary record, which they will take with them to the eight-team championship round involving the top four finishers in each of the two preliminary pools.
Only Brendan Bottcher and Alberta (7-0) will begin the championship round with a better preliminary record than the Gushue rink.
“(The goal) is to get through with as few losses as you can and I think we did a decent job,” Nichols told Curling Canada. “We’re still building a little bit, which is good as it sets us up for the next few days.”
In the championship round, Newfoundland will play the four teams advancing from the other pool. Those four rinks will be Mike McEwen and his Wild Card entry, Saskatchewan Matt Dunstone) and two of Team Canada (Kevin Koe), New Brunswick (James Grattan), Northwest territories (Jamie Koe), British Columbia (Steve Laycock) and Ontario (John Epping).
The last two advancing teams — and the championship pool schedule — were to be determined by results from Wednesday’s late draw, the final one of the preliminary round. However, there was also the possibility of tiebreakers (which would be played this morning) being necessary.
The results from Wednesday’s night draw were unavailable at The Telegram’s press deadline.
Championship-pool games will be played today and Friday, and Gushue knows whoever he faces in this next round will provide a considerable challenge.
“The top level of the men’s game right now is so even and so deep and so strong, I haven’t seen anything like it,” he said. “You have to play 90 per cent level as a skip if you want to win here.”
Besides Alberta and Newfoundland, the teams advancing from their preliminary pool are Manitoba (Jason Gunlaugsson, 5-2) and Northern Ontario (Brad Jacobs, 4-3).
The top four finishers in the championship round will move on to Page playoffs Saturday and Sunday.
CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have re-signed defenceman Ilya Solovyov and centre Cole Schwindt, the NHL club announced Wednesday.
Solovyov signed a two-year deal which is a two-way contract in year one and a one-way deal in year two and carries an average annual value of US$775,000 at the NHL level.
Schwindt signed a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $800,000 at the NHL level.
The 24-year-old Solovyov, from Mogilev, Belarus, made his NHL debut last season and had three assists in 10 games for the Flames. He also had five goals and 10 assists in 51 games with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers and added one goal in six Calder Cup playoff games.
Schwindt, from Kitchener, Ont., made his Flames debut last season and appeared in four games with the club.
The 23-year-old also had 14 goals and 22 assists in 66 regular-season games with the Wranglers and added a team-leading four goals, including one game-winning goal, in the playoffs.
Schwindt was selected by Florida in the third round, 81st overall, at the 2019 NHL draft. He came to Calgary in July 2022 along with forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar in the trade that sent star forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Victor Hedman as the team captain on Wednesday as training camp opened, making the big defenseman the successor to Steven Stamkos.
Hedman, who is going into his 16th season with Tampa Bay, was considered the obvious choice to get the “C” after the Lightning did not re-sign Stamkos and their longtime captain left to join Nashville.
“Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL,” general manager Julien BriseBois said. “Over the past 15 seasons, he has been a world-class representative for our organization both on and off the ice. Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to watching him flourish in his new role as we continue to work towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
The 33-year-old from Sweden was a key contributor in the Lightning hoisting the Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21, including playoff MVP honors on the first of those championship runs. Hedman also took home the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2018 and finished in the top three in voting five other seasons.
Ryan McDonagh, who was reacquired early in the offseason in a trade with the Predators, and MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov will serve as alternate captains with the Lightning moving on to the post-Stamkos era.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
