Sports

JONES: New Stanley Cup playoff concept taking shape – Edmonton Sun

Published

4 years ago

May 23, 2020

There are those who contend there is not a more difficult trophy to win in all of professional team sports than hockey’s Stanley Cup.

But now there may be a tougher one than being the survivor of the annual marathon involving four best-of-seven series, often featuring games going two and three overtime periods with off-the-charts physical combat.

That would be the NHL’s 2020 COVID Cup.

O.K., there wouldn’t be the exhausting travel of 2-2-1-1-1 playoff series this year with two hub cities featuring 12 teams each, playing host to all of the games.

But otherwise …

Think about the concept Connor McDavid and the ‘Return To Play’ committee put in front of the 31 NHL team player reps for conference-call voting that looks to be accepted.

There would be no further regular-season play to determine the 16 teams advancing to the playoffs, as previously proposed.

Instead, the playoffs would be expanded from 16 to 24 teams featuring eight proposed best-of-five play-in series to advance to the traditional bet-of-sevens.

For all six Canadian teams involved, that would require winning 19 playoff games instead of 16.

If this format is adopted for these playoffs to begin, there will be a huge focus on two play-in series, in particular.

Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers would be meeting one-percent-chance-to-make-the-playoff entities such as Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks, respectively.

Forget those actual series. Think of the build-up to get to them.

What we’re going to be dealing with here is the longest advance analysis to each of those series in Stanley Cup playoff history.

Normally, the match-ups aren’t set until the final weekend of regular-season play. But now, the fans and media will have maybe 45 days to analyze the living bleep out of it.

You have 14-day quarantine periods in many NHL cities for players arriving from other nations, a period of a week or so to begin four- or five-player groupings to begin skating again and three-week training camps.

The NHL is going to need to have these series going by July 23. That’s the day the opening ceremonies were scheduled for the Tokyo Olympics and this will be the primary replacement programming for Olympic Games TV rights holder NBC.

So, I guess the first thing you should know is these best-of-fives all look like toss ups.

The home team in the Edmonton-Chicago games won all three. The Blackhawks won 4-3 and 3-1 in Chicago and lost 5-3 in Edmonton. The Penguins won 4-1 and 3-2 and lost 4-1 to Montreal. The Maple Leafs split with the Blue Jackets, winning 4-1 and 8-6 and losing 6-3 and 4-3 in overtime, while the Canucks lost two of three against the Wild, winning 4-1 and losing 4-2 and 4-3 in OT. The Jets and Flames only met once all season, a 2-1 OT win for Winnipeg. Two other scheduled games were lost to the shutdown.

But, as I suggest, there’s plenty of time for all of that.

What fascinates me most right now is the hub-city concept, especially if Edmonton wins the bid.

You could make the case that without atmosphere and the intensity of fans and some of the conditions likely involved, maybe the COVID Cup might be the opposite of how I project it. Maybe it’ll just be one big friendly TV show.

First of all, the players are going to have to promise not to spit, scrum after whistles, provide face-washes – not to mention face-licking by Boston’s Brad Marchand – or hug each other and the like when they score goals.

Spitting Chicklets would almost certainly be prohibited.

Now all 12 teams might be living in the same five-star J.W. Marriott across the pedway from Rogers Place.

With two NHL hub cities and not including the Stanley Cup Final itself, each hub would play host to a minimum of 46 games and maximum of 68. The hope would be to do it in 60 days. So they’d be seeing a lot of each other.

Maybe you’d need referees to ride the elevators.

There’s talk the Oilers are getting creative in attempting to win the bid by securing a golf course, like maybe the nearby Royal Mayfair to provide tee times for teams on their off-days. On the first tee, the McDavid foursome. On deck, the Kane foursome?

There’s also talk of turning the newly created Ice District over to the players so they can sit outside on a perfect Alberta evening and watch the other games on big screen video boards and engage in other activities.

Hey, with only 50 active cases remaining in Edmonton, there’s no reason to lock the teams up and force them to sit in their rooms and play solitaire all day, especially if they sweep a series and have a week to wait before starting the next one.

You have to wonder what the new normal level of legendary Stanley Cup hatred would be?

E-mail: tjones@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @ByTerryJones

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Sports

Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

Published

4 days ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

___

AP cricket:

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Sports

Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

Published

4 days ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Sports

Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

Published

4 days ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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