NEW YORK — As Alex Ovechkin has rocketed to the top of the NHL’s goal list by scoring 14 times in his last seven games, his peers can only shrug their shoulders and laugh.
“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anybody,” Matthews said before Wednesday’s game at Madison Square Garden. “He’s the greatest goal-scorer of this generation and could go down as one of the great goal-scorers of all-time. So I don’t think it’s to anybody’s surprise that he’s doing what he’s doing, but obviously it’s impressive.”
Not only is Ovechkin starting to spark discussion about whether he can chase down Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goals title — he’s 196 behind — he’s also looking to claim the Rocket for a remarkable ninth time in his Hall of Fame career.
His recent scoring binge has left him sitting at 40 goals, two ahead of Boston’s David Pastrnak and three up on Matthews.
The 2019-20 goal title will almost certainly go to one of those three players.
As much as the Leafs focus is on finishing the season strong and earning a trip to the playoffs, they’re not afraid to admit that it would be nice to see Matthews claim some individual hardware. The last time a player from the organization finished a season with the most goals was 1945-46, when Gaye Stewart scored 37 in 50 games.
“I want to see all of our players do well in those different areas,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “Of course, team goals are important, but the team goals have to come from an individual’s goals — you win games by scoring more goals than the other team.
“Auston’s a guy that’s a difference-maker for us so the more that he’s feeling good and finishing and scoring, the more life and energy it brings to our team and the greater chance of success for us.”
He’s been one of the biggest beneficiaries since Keefe replaced Mike Babcock. Matthews has scored 23 goals in 29 games under Keefe while averaging 20:57 per game — more than two minutes above his previous high as an NHL player.
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The new coach has also given him an extended run alongside Mitch Marner, the team’s most gifted playmaker.
Since entering the league in 2016-17, Matthews has scored more goals than everyone but Ovechkin. And the Washington Capitals superstar doesn’t appear ready to cede the crown despite the 12-year age gap between the players.
(Fun fact: Ovechkin and Matthews were both born on Sept. 17).
When Leafs captain John Tavares looks at Ovechkin, he struggles to explain how a 34-year-old could still be scoring at the same crazy rate for more than a decade: “I would love to know. … I think the biggest thing is he loves to play, loves to score, he’s got the passion for it and that brings out his skillsets, which are very dominant. And he just continues to prove year after year his ability to sustain that type of level, which is very impressive.”
“It’s crazy,” said defenceman Tyson Barrie. “I mean it’s just nuts, he just keeps scoring and I don’t think it’s going to slow down. He’s a generational player and he’s been doing this a long time and it’s crazy that he’s still doing it at this rate now.”
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Matthews admires both the big- and small-picture samples. The fact that Ovechkin has three hat tricks in his last six games and leapfrogged three legends on the all-time goals list in a matter of weeks: Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Mark Messier.
Consider this: Ovechkin is concurrently the No. 1 goal-scorer this season and the No. 8 goal-scorer in the entire history of the league.
“It’s extremely impressive and just a testament to the player that he is,” said Matthews. “Every year he’s hungry, he’s motivated, obviously plays with a lot of passion and he’s fun to watch.
“I think it’s just everything kind of put together.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
