TORONTO – Kasperi Kapanen says a late arrival to practice on Friday led to him being a healthy scratch in the Maple Leafs’ 2-1 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
“They felt like sitting me out was something I deserved and I agree,” Kapanen said Monday after the Leafs’ morning skate, ahead of facing the Florida Panthers. “So I just have to take responsibility for that.”
Head coach Sheldon Keefe touched on the matter briefly Saturday night, saying only that Kapanen’s absence was due to “internal accountability” and that the winger would fill in the details himself.
When he did, Kapanen also copped to having been late to practices when he played for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, without mentioning any problems with the Leafs prior to Friday’s incident. Saturday marked the first game he had missed all season for Toronto.
But Keefe, who coached Kapanen with the Marlies from 2015-18, said he couldn’t recall any such issues, and that the decision to scratch him was based entirely on Kapanen’s behaviour this season.
“It all had to do with [what’s happened] here, previous to my time coming and since arriving here,” said Keefe, who took over as Leafs’ head coach on Nov. 20. “I think we’re a pretty forgiving place, even when things happen. Things happen all the time. When there’s a pattern of things that haven’t corrected themselves, then you have to do something a little bit outside of what you’d normally do.”
Keefe refused to offer up any particulars (“I don’t think that’s important or necessary”) but stressed he didn’t feel the situation was a big deal and hoped simply that Kapanen would learn from it.
“Any time you get called out like that and are held accountable, it gives you an opportunity to reflect and grow from it,” Keefe said. “And that’s what we’re looking for.”
The 23-year-old winger wasn’t feeling contemplative on Monday though, shrugging off a question about whether he’d reflected on his actions.
“I just overslept; I don’t really know what there is to think about,” Kapanen opined. “Obviously, I don’t want my teammates to think that I’m not serious about this or whatnot. They sat me out and that’s that.”
Kapanen also said he didn’t think the incident would hurt his standing within the organization, but shut down the topic when pressed on why he felt confident that’s the case.
“Listen guys, if you guys want to talk about hockey I’m all for it,” he said. “Talk about today or the future, that’s fine, but I overslept and that’s that.”
Inside the Leafs’ dressing room, Kapanen’s teammates said he has made sufficient amends.
“I think Kappy owned his mistake and I think he feels bad about it,” said John Tavares. “No one’s perfect. We support Kappy. It was an honest mistake and I know he’s excited to be back and be in it. As a team we all understand what it means to be professional and what we have to do every day.”
Tavares said Kapanen had gone up to guys individually to apologize for his behaviour but hadn’t formally addressed the group. Following Keefe’s lead, the Leafs’ captain tried to downplay the situation by insisting it could be getting “blown out of proportion.”
“I think it was just an honest mistake. I don’t think he’s trying to come in and be unprofessional and whatnot,” Tavares stressed. “You get to this point in the season and sometimes you forget what day it is. I think he feels bad about it and it’s just an honest mistake. I think he brings a lot to our team. He’s well-liked in our locker room and works hard every day. We appreciate Kappy as a player and a person.”
Asked whether he was surprised that Kapanen was punished so harshly, Tavares theorized it had to do more with honouring the values the organization is aiming to uphold.
“The sense that we got is there’s a certain expectation and standard – especially with what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said.
Kapanen was back in his usual third line place with Andreas Johnsson and Pierre Engvall at the Leafs’ morning skate, a sign of how eager Keefe is to turn the page on what he views as a minor blip.
“This is not punishment or anything like that,” Keefe said. “It’s just about trying to reset the player and try to help him grow and get better. We want him to be the player that he’s capable of being and we want our team to play very well. He’s going to get a great opportunity. We need him to be great and I fully expect that he will be.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
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.”
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.
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.
