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Kenney pushes Edmonton as NHL hub with video showing off Alberta’s Rocky Mountains – Global News

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Premier Jason Kenney tweeted out a video showcasing Alberta’s Rocky Mountains on Monday in an effort to promote Edmonton as an ideal location as a potential NHL hub city should the hockey league resume play this season.

“It’s the obvious choice to bring the @NHL to #Edmonton,” Kenney wrote in a tweet that included a 1:03-minute video that comes across as a promotional vehicle for Alberta’s mountain attractions.

“We look forward to welcoming the league and players here to Alberta to take in the beautiful province we have to offer.”

READ MORE: Banff ‘ready to welcome visitors back’ as Alberta eases COVID-19 restrictions

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The first four seconds of the video shows the skyline of Alberta’s capital, which the Alberta government, the Oilers Entertainment Group and the City of Edmonton is pushing to be one of two hubs for NHL playoff games, should play resume amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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The video, which Kenney’s office said was put together by Travel Alberta, was quickly lampooned by some Twitter users for having so little of Edmonton in the video.

“The players can run the stairs in the river valley for training!” tweeted a user with the handle @JDEye, attaching a photo of Machu Picchu in Peru while referencing a popular Edmonton activity for local fitness enthusiasts.


A video promoting Edmonton as a potential NHL hub city, but which mostly showed scenes from Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, was quickly lampooned by some Twitter users for having so little of Edmonton in the video.


CREDIT: Twitter/JDEye

Another Twitter user with the handle @iconicec tweeted photos of majestic mountain scenery with captions like “scenic drive on the Anthony Henday (Edmonton’s ring road).”

A video promoting Edmonton as a potential NHL hub city, but which mostly showed scenes from Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, was quickly lampooned by some Twitter users for having so little of Edmonton in the video.


A video promoting Edmonton as a potential NHL hub city, but which mostly showed scenes from Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, was quickly lampooned by some Twitter users for having so little of Edmonton in the video.


CREDIT: Twitter/@iconicec

Matt Wolf, Kenney’s executive director of issues management, took to Twitter to better explain to people why Edmonton is barely featured in a video aimed at bringing the world’s premier hockey league to the city.

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“For those unable to figure out: Should Edmonton be chosen as a playoff hub city, players’ *and their families* will be looking to do other things to keep busy,” Wolf tweeted. “Yes, the Government is showcasing all our province has to offer. #ableg”

When asked for comment about why Edmonton played such a small role in a video aimed at promoting the city, the premier’s deputy director of communications said showing everything the province has to offer makes sense as part of a pitch to sell the NHL on the “overall appeal” of Edmonton as a potential hub city.

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“Given that playoffs could last as long as two months, and players won’t be able to freely return home for the duration, it’s anticipated that many players’ families will come with to live out of the hub cities,” Christine Myatt wrote in an email.

“It is our expectation that players’ families, after completing the required 14-day quarantine, will want to explore Alberta’s many attractions — including those outside Edmonton.”

Colin Babiuk, a professor of media relations at MacEwan University, believes the message the video was trying to convey may have gotten lost.

“When we talk about welcoming the players to Edmonton and then showing the Rockies and everything you can do if you’re family of the players, that message didn’t get through at all,” he said. “We’re talking about inviting the NHL here to Edmonton and then the video shows locations that, at a bare minimum, are four hours away.

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“It’s kind of like a comedian telling jokes. If you have to explain the punchline, you’ve lost the show at that point.”

Tim Shipton, senior vice-president of communications with OEG, acknowledged that based on the initial response on Twitter, “maybe the intent of the video has been misconstrued on social media.”

“We’ve worked closely with both governments (City of Edmonton and government of Alberta) and their tourism agencies,” he told Global News.

“This piece specifically was produced after a meeting we had with tourism operators across the province — Travel Alberta, Edmonton Tourism and others — in order to talk about some opportunities for travel that exist outside the city of Edmonton.”

Shipton said the tourism aspect of the Edmonton hub bid is a small part of an extensive campaign. He said it is meant to address the possibility that players’ families could eventually be allowed into the province at some point in the playoffs and may want to explore parts of the province outside of Edmonton.

“We wanted to say [to players and NHL personnel], ‘We’re thinking about your families,’” he said.

Tom McMillan, a spokesperson for Alberta Health, told The Canadian Press that the players’ families won’t be exempt from medical checks and follow-ups that the province currently has in place for all international travellers.

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“Any families of NHL players visiting Alberta would have to present a self-isolation plan and self-isolate for 14 days, just like any other traveller entering the province from outside of the country,” McMillan said in a statement.

“Families of NHL players could not travel within the province until this mandatory self-isolation was complete.”

Shipton pointed out that if players’ families are eventually allowed into Alberta should Edmonton become a hub city, as teams get knocked out of the playoffs, players and their families may choose to stay in Alberta for some time after, which “creates a tremendous opportunity” for the province’s tourism sector.

He also said Edmonton Tourism has been consulted during the bid process to ensure Edmonton’s attractions are also highlighted.






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Edmonton prompted as NHL hub with video showing off Rocky Mountains


Edmonton prompted as NHL hub with video showing off Rocky Mountains

In an email to Global News, Edmonton Tourism said Alberta’s capital “would be an amazing host city for the NHL playoffs.”

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“[The city] serves up the perfect blend of big city vibes and exhilarating outdoor adventure,” the email said. “Edmontonians and visitors alike get to experience our family-friendly activities, exploding culinary scene, world-class arts and culture venues, outdoor activities and our amazing river valley.

“We know many people are working hard to bring the NHL playoffs to our city, and along with that comes the additional adventures outside of Edmonton.

“We all need to Explore Edmonton and Travel Alberta.”

“But of course you have to remember that from a player’s perspective, the No. 1 thing that’s most important [about a potential hub city] is the quarantine zone,” Shipton said, noting the key criteria there is health protocols in place and some logistical issues.

Edmonton is one of three Canadian cities vying to become one of the NHL’s two potential hub cities. The other Canadian cities bidding are Toronto and Vancouver. Several American cities are also vying to be a hub.

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If the NHL’s plan — to play a 24-team playoff for the Stanley Cup in two different cities this summer — comes to fruition, the first puck to drop at a real game would still be some time away. The league is currently aiming for July 10 as a start date for teams’ training camps.

Just last week, the federal government approved the “cohort quarantine” proposal put forth by the NHL for players entering Canada should the country have a city selected as a hub.

READ MORE: NHL cohort quarantine plan approved by feds, removing an obstacle for hub cities

The plan would keep players away from the general public so that the NHL can bypass the 14-day quarantine that is normally requred for anyone entering Canada amid the ongoing pandemic.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said NHL players would be required to undergo regular coronavirus testing and that teams would be expected to closely follow advice and orders from local health officials in a Canadian hub city.

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Lightning close facilities after three players test positive for COVID-19

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning closed their team’s facilities after three players and some staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The development unfolded about two weeks after NHL players were allowed to return to their facilities for voluntary on-and off-ice workouts. Players were allowed to skate in groups of up to six at a time.

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–With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

Watch below: Some recent Global News videos about the NHL.

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Here’s what we know about the allegations against Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara

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LOS ANGELES –

Only a week has passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers abruptly fired Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and constant companion of their new $700 million slugger, Shohei Ohtani.

But the biggest story of baseball’s spring is still murky — and shocking — as the regular season begins in earnest Thursday.

The scandal encompasses gambling, alleged theft, extensive deceit and the breakup of an enduring partnership between the majors’ biggest star and his right-hand man. Investigations are underway by the IRS and Major League Baseball, and Ohtani publicly laid out a version of events Monday that placed the responsibility entirely on Mizuhara.

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Here are the basics as Ohtani and the Dodgers prepare for their home opener against St. Louis on Thursday:

Why was Ippei Mizuhara fired by the Dodgers?

Ohtani claims his close friend repeatedly took money from his accounts to fund his illegal sports gambling habit. Ohtani also says he was completely unaware of the “massive theft,” as his lawyers termed it, until Mizuhara confessed to him and the Dodgers last week in South Korea, where the team opened its regular season against the San Diego Padres.

Mizuhara has given more than one version of his path to this trouble, which was catalyzed by the IRS’ investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an alleged illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara has consistently said he has a gambling addiction, and he abused his close friendship with the Dodgers superstar to feed it.

Did Shohei Ohtani ever bet on sports?

That’s the biggest question to be answered in Major League Baseball’s investigation, and the two-time AL MVP emphatically says he has never gambled on sports or asked anybody to bet on sports for him.

Further, Ohtani said Monday he has never knowingly paid a bookie to cover somebody else’s bets. Mizuhara also said Ohtani does not bet, and Bowyer’s attorney said the same.

Mizuhara told ESPN on March 19 that Ohtani paid his gambling debts at the interpreter’s request, saying the bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. If that were true, Ohtani could face trouble even if he didn’t make the bets himself — but ESPN said Mizuhara dramatically changed his story the following day, claiming Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally — on baseball. They also ban betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.

What’s next for Ohtani?

Ohtani has played in every Dodgers game since the story broke, and he is expected to be their designated hitter in most regular-season games this season while baseball’s investigation continues.

Ohtani says his legal team has alerted authorities to the theft by Mizuhara, although his team has repeatedly declined to say which authorities have been told, according to ESPN.

Ohtani’s new interpreter is Will Ireton, a longtime Dodgers employee and fluent Japanese speaker who has filled several jobs with the team in everything from game preparation and analytics to recruiting free-agent pitches. But Ireton won’t be Ohtani’s constant companion, and manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday he’s optimistic that Ohtani will become closer to his teammates without the “buffer” provided for years by Mizuhara.

What don’t we know?

MLB’s investigation of Ohtani’s role in the events could last weeks or months, and it’s unlikely to be publicized until it’s complete. No one outside of Ohtani’s inner circle knows what it will find or how serious any repercussions could be, and nobody outside the circle is making informed speculation about the process.

One major question looms: How did Mizuhara have enough access to Ohtani’s bank accounts to get the alleged millions without Ohtani knowing? Is the slugger overly trusting, or is he wildly negligent in managing his vast fortune, which includes years of lavish endorsement deals in addition to his baseball salaries? Why didn’t the team around him, including his agent, do more to prevent the possibility of the theft he claims?

Finally, where is Mizuhara? Anybody who knows isn’t saying. He was fired in South Korea and apparently didn’t travel home with the Dodgers. Japanese media have visited his home in Southern California to look for him. Although he was born in Japan, Mizuhara’s life is in the U.S. — but his life will never be the same.

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