Sports

Maple Leafs to be featured on ‘All or Nothing’

Published

4 years ago

January 13, 2021

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be featured in a docuseries on Amazon Prime Video giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at their journey through a unique and challenging time in NHL history.

Amazon Prime Video and NHL Original Productions announced Wednesday that “All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs,” a Canadian Amazon Original series, will be available in more than 240 countries and territories later this year.

“We’re really proud that Amazon has trusted us with a show of this quality and this importance,” NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer said. “We’re going to follow the team for the entire season, and we’ll document what will be a beyond interesting year for so many reasons.”

The Maple Leafs have a compelling mix of personalities, from 23-year-old center Auston Matthews, whose clothes are as flashy as his skills, to 41-year-old forward Joe Thornton, who has an old man’s beard and a young man’s love of the game.

They are trying to take the next step as a Stanley Cup contender in a hockey-mad city amid the coronavirus pandemic. The regular season has been shortened from 82 games to 56. Teams will play only within their divisions, realigned temporarily because of Canada-United States border restrictions.

Toronto will play in the Scotia North Division with the six other teams based in Canada. The NHL hasn’t had something like this since 1923-24, when the entire league was four teams based in Canada. It had the Canadian Division from 1926-38, but the division included teams based in the United States.

The Maple Leafs will open against their Original Six rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, at Scotiabank Arena with no fans in the stands Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS).

“This upcoming NHL season will be unique for many different reasons,” Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said. “We feel that ‘All or Nothing’ will provide our team a way to connect with Maple Leafs fans here in Toronto and around the world like never before.”

The production will capture raw and authentic highs and lows with director-led camera crews, remotely operated fixed-rig cameras and ambient microphones.

“I know the real-life action on the ice is only matched by the drama behind closed doors,” said Amazon Studios vice president of local originals James Farrell, who once lived in Toronto and calls the Maple Leafs his favorite team. “The series will offer an exclusive all-access experience for Prime members.”

Source: – NHL.com

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Sports

Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

12 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Sports

Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

19 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

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Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

Published

22 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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