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Lindgren: No shortage of support – NHL.com

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CALGARY – Choosing a birthday venue isn’t always a piece of cake, but goaltender Charlie Lindgren was mighty pleased with the location this year.

And with good reason after being recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket last weekend just in time to join the Canadiens on their road trip through Western Canada.

“I’d rather be here than legitimately anywhere else,” said Lindgren, who celebrated turning 26 on Wednesday afternoon with a practice at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “Being in Calgary with the boys, it’s a good place to spend your birthday.”

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Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Le f��t�� est sur la glace. ?The birthday boy is on the ice.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BpnNz22Q6m

It certainly is, especially after working hard all season long to earn your first recall of the 2019-20 campaign.

Work ethic alone didn’t get Lindgren another shot with the big club, though.

He credits a whole host of people with helping him stay the course in recent years to make his full-time NHL dreams a reality.

His parents Bob and Jennifer are among his biggest fans, of course, along with his younger brothers, Andrew and Ryan, and his grandfather, too. 

“What comes to mind first is my family. They’ve been pushing me my whole life and supporting me. I’ve got the best family in the world,” praised Lindgren, who boasts a 7-6-2 record in 16 appearances with Laval this year. “They just keep reminding me that this is what I’ve always worked for. That’s why I’m up here. It’s a credit to my family. They continue to motivate me and inspire me. They definitely keep me going. They’re kind of the motor behind me.”

Lindgren’s girlfriend Mikkayla Johnson has also been a huge help since relocating to Montreal this season.

“We have a great dynamic. She goes through the ups and downs with me,” explained Lindgren, who met Johnson when she served as the manager of his hockey team at Lakeville North High School in Minnesota. “We grew up in the same hometown, so I’ve know her for a long time. I can’t say enough good things about her. It’s kind of her first full year around hockey, but she loves spending time at the rink. I can’t complain.”

And then there’s Rocket goaltending and video coach Marco Marciano, the man charged with working with Lindgren on a daily basis.

“He’s been a huge part of my success,” mentioned Lindgren, before expanding upon the progress he made since first agreeing to terms with Montreal in March 2016. “From where I was to where I am now from a technical standpoint, I’m night and day different. I have a lot more confidence in what I do technically. My compete and battle has been kind of my bread and butter, and that hasn’t left me. I’ve taken a lot of leaps. I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’ve got a lot of gas left in the tank and I’m going to keep on getting better. It’s a fun journey to be on.”

Part of that journey right now is having the opportunity to learn from starter Carey Price again.

As always, Lindgren is paying close attention to every move the 13-year NHL veteran makes.

“He’s a champion. He’s really incredible. The way he goes about his work every single day, he’s just so diligent. Watching him in practice, coming off a big game against Vancouver, he’s just amazing the way he works,” said Lindgren. “The way he can stop the puck, it’s fun to watch. Anyone can attest to that, any fan of Montreal, any fan of goaltending. Just to be around him, it motivates me, too. It’s inspiring and it’s definitely a big help.”

With that in mind, the St. Cloud State University product wants to take full advantage of this latest break.

“This is the best league in the world. This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. It’s where I think I should be, and I want to stay up here,” said Lindgren. “I’ll just continue working hard every single day and keep on getting better. I love being here, so I just want to stay.”

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Vasilevskiy stops 23 as surging Lightning beat Bruins – Sportsnet.ca

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Shane Pinto has a goal, three assists as the Senators roll over the Sabres – Sportsnet.ca

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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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