Sports
'I have a great memory': Zack Kassian says bell tolling for Flames pest Matthew Tkachuk – CBC.ca
“Money well spent.”
That’s how Zack Kassian sums up the $20,967.74 US he will forfeit during his two-game suspension for tossing Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk around like he was a scarecrow.
Well spent, the Oilers winger made clear to reporters on Tuesday, because he now knows two important things: that one of the biggests pests in NHL seems unwilling to fight, and that the league considers the crunching, blindside hits Tkachuk threw to start the whole rigamarole were clean.
“That gave me some clarity about what you can do and can’t do now,” Kassian told the media Tuesday after his team’s morning skate at Rogers Place. “So, I put that in the memory bank.”
For those who don’t speak hockey player, that likely means Tkachuk will have to watch his own blindside when the teams meet again later this month.
It also means we may need stronger words than the Battle of Alberta to characterize the bad blood now simmering between these two guys and their teams.
Anyone who needs reminding should know that things went ballistic Saturday night in Calgary after Tkachuk throttled Kassian with not one, not two, but three crushing hits before the target of all that violence decided he’d had enough.
Late in the second period at the Saddledome, with the game tied 3-3, Kassian reached his personal enough when Tkachuk drilled him into the boards and sent his helmet flying.
‘I’d do it again’
Kassian grabbed Tkachuk by the collar of his sweater, tossing him around like he was made of rags, then landed several punches before the linesmen stepped in. Kassian was given a double minor for roughing. The Flames scored on the powerplay and won the game 4-3.
Both players have made it clear they wouldn’t change anything, even if they could.
“I’d do it again all over again,” Kassian said Tuesday.
The Oilers forward said he spoke with league officials, who explained the Tkachuk hits were not dirty plays. He said he accepts that, and his own suspension.
“Clean or dirty, if someone takes two runs at you on your blindside, I told [the league], since I’ve been in minor midget I’ve stood up for myself and my teammates. People don’t do that to me or my teammates when I’m there.
“To me, those are two dangerous hits. If they’re clean, they’re still predatorial, which is completely fine. I’m a big boy, I love big-boy hockey. But if you’re going to play big-boy hockey, you’ve got to answer the bell once in a while.”
Had Tkachuk been willing on Saturday to go toe-to-toe with gloves off, the unpleasantness might have ended already, Kassian said.
If you’re going to play big-boy hockey, you’ve got to answer the bell once in a while.– Zack Kassian
“If he just answers the bell right there, I don’t think anything ever happens, right? He actually might gain a per cent of respect in the league. That’s where it stands.”
Fans of both teams, and across the league, will no doubt be eager to see for whom the bell tolls on Jan. 29 at Rogers Place, when the Oilers and Flames face off again.
“He messed with the wrong guy,” Kassian said. “I don’t think he realizes that we’re in the same division, and I have a great memory.”
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — José Berríos made another solid start. Alejandro Kirk delivered a timely hit. Daulton Varsho did a little bit of everything.
The Toronto Blue Jays took another step toward a turnaround at the end of a rough month, posting their first series win in four ties in well-rounded fashion.
Berríos pitched around a season-high five walks and into the sixth inning for Toronto to beat his old team, and the Blue Jays blanked the Minnesota Twins 3-0 on Sunday.
“Hopefully, this kind of springboards us forward,” manager John Schneider said after the Blue Jays played their 17th game in 17 days.
Kirk hit a two-run single in the second inning that held up for Berríos (5-4), who has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last nine turns after a rough start.
Daulton Varsho scored all the way from first base on Kirk’s hit. Handling center field for Kevin Kiermaier — the day after he twice had a leaping catch attempt turn into a Twins home run when those balls bounced off his glove and into the grass berm — Varsho was superb. He assisted on the third out of the fourth inning when he fielded a single and threw out Alex Kirilloff at third.
Then in the eighth, Varsho jumped above the center-field wall to take a homer away from Carlos Correa.
“For as magnified as he was yesterday, I’m thrilled that he gets to be celebrated today,” Schneider said.
Jordan Romano recorded his 12th save with a scoreless ninth, allowing a two-out single to rookie Matt Wallner. He was 2 for 2 with two walks and has reached base in eight straight plate appearances.
The Blue Jays (28-26), who are in last place in the AL East, are just 10-17 in their last 27 games.
“You’re going to go through a rough stretch at some point during the year, and for us it’s like right now,” Varsho said. “Hopefully we can get hot here and finish off the year strong.”
With Alek Manoah struggling at the top of the rotation, the Blue Jays need several more starts like this from Berríos, who was traded by the Twins at the deadline two years ago. The right-hander, who is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in his last five starts, helped lead a players-only meeting on Thursday after the Blue Jays lost three out of four to division leader Tampa Bay.
“It’s just on us to stay back, get relaxed and try to be ourselves,” Berríos said.
Bailey Ober (3-2) finished five innings for Minnesota for the fourth time in five May starts, with seven strikeouts in a bad-luck loss.
The Twins (27-26) had their lead in the AL Central cut to one game over Detroit (25-26). They’ve led the division for 58 of 60 days this season.
“Every time the opportunities were in front of us, every time there was something we could have done, it felt like we went in the wrong direction,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.
JULIEN’S LAPSES
Twins rookie Edouard Julien, a native of Quebec City, Canada, whose favorite boyhood team was the Blue Jays, had a rough afternoon. He made a diving stop of Varsho’s two-out single in the second, but he dropped the ball before he could make the throw to first. The play was ruled a hit.
In the bottom of the inning, the Twins had the bases loaded with none out — for a few seconds. Julien rounded second base too far, ignoring the runner in front of him, and was thrown out by the catcher Kirk.
“Those are mental cramps right there,” Baldelli said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: Kiermaier was on the bench after being removed from the game on Saturday with discomfort in his right lower back. “All things are trending in the right direction,” Schneider said.
Twins: RHP Emilio Pagán was pulled with a strained left hip flexor after seven pitches in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (5-2, 4.56 ERA) starts on Tuesday night against Milwaukee after a return home and a day off. RHP Adrian Houser (1-0, 2.25 ERA) takes the mound for the Brewers.
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.82 ERA) pitches the opener of a three-game series at Houston on Monday afternoon. RHP J.P France (1-1, 3.43 ERA) starts for the Astros.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) stands with his team during open net at the end of the third period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars, Saturday, May 27, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ronda Churchill/AP)
TAMPERE, Finland –
Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
It’s a record 28th world title for Canada, and its second in three years. Russia has 27 while Germany has never won the trophy.
Blais netted with a backhand 4:51 into the final period for a 3-2 lead for Canada, which was playing in its fourth straight final.
Lawson Crouse, Tylor Toffoli and Scott Laughton also scored for Canada, Peyton Krebs had two assists and goaltender Samuel Montembeault stopped 21 shots.
Toffoli stretched the lead to 4-2 from the left circle with 8:09 remaining and Laughton made it 5-2 with an empty net goal.
Canada had to come back twice in the final.
John Peterka wristed a shot past Montembeault from the left circle 7:44 into the game. It was the sixth goal for the Buffalo Sabres forward at the tournament.
Blais was fed by Krebs to beat goaltender Mathias Niederberger and tie it 1-1 at 10:47.
Daniel Fischbuch put the Germans ahead again with a one-timer with 6:13 to go in the middle period.
Crouse equalized on a power play with 2:32 remaining in the frame.
It was the first medal for Germany since 1953 when it was second behind Sweden.
The two previously met just once in the final with Canada winning 6-1 in 1930.
LATVIA GETS BRONZE
Defenseman Kristian Rubins scored his second goal 1:22 into overtime to lead Latvia to a 4-3 victory over the United States and earn a bronze medal earlier Sunday.
It’s the first top-three finish for Latvia at the tournament. Its previous best was a seventh place it managed three times.
The U.S. lost in the bronze medal game for the second straight year. The U.S. team was cruising through the tournament with eight straight wins until it was defeated by Germany in the semifinal 4-3 in overtime.
Rubins rallied Latvia with his first with 5:39 to go in the final period to tie the game at 3 to force overtime.
Roberts Bukarts and Janis Jaks also scored for Latvia.
Rocco Grimaldi scored twice for the U.S. in the opening period to negate Latvia’s 1-0 and 2-1 leads.
Matt Coronato had put the U.S. 3-2 ahead 6:19 into the final period.
Tesla charges Ford, Silverado EV details, BMW i5, tackling charger reliability: The Week in Reverse – Green Car Reports
Bitcoin’s Campaign Debut Portends A Seismic Shift In U.S. Politics – Forbes
China Cracks Down on Over 1 Million Social Media Posts, Accounts – Bloomberg
-
Art22 hours ago
The best AI art generators in May 2023
-
Health15 hours ago3 tick-borne diseases, mpox added to list of notifiable diseases, illnesses in N.S. – CBC.ca
-
Tech17 hours ago
Asmongold claims he was "kicked out" by Redfall's developers after he called the game a "boring looter-shooter with no imagination" – Sportskeeda
-
Art16 hours ago
Soaring value of Maud Lewis works invites fraud, art experts say – CBC.ca
-
Art16 hours ago
Couple May Need to Pay $250,000 to Have Banksy Mural Removed from Their Home – ARTnews
-
Real eState16 hours ago
Downtown real estate and commercial buildings are struggling. Why won't landlords lower the rent? – Slate
-
Art16 hours ago
Newmarket's Riverwalk Commons filled with art for Night Market – NewmarketToday.ca
-
Health14 hours ago
Meet Dr. Medhi Aloosh, Windsor and Essex County's new medical officer of health – CBC.ca
