TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre on Thursday ahead of Friday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.
The first challenge for Ryan O’Reilly at his first practice with the Leafs was finding it. The players are split across three pads for skills sessions before the main group meets.
“I was a little confused,” the veteran centre admits with a smile. “I walked out to that ice [Leafs pad] and they sent me to the other [Marlies] one and I got out there and they sent me to the other one.”
The practice with the full group starts on the Marlies pad before moving to the Leafs pad for special teams work and the final drills.
“It’s nice because if you’re on one sheet it will get chewed up quickly and kind of slows it down,” said O’Reilly. “It’s nice especially for me, not the greatest skater, so I can feel a little faster with less snow out there.”
Ryan O’Reilly gets some instructions on which pad to start on as he takes the ice for his first practice as a Leaf pic.twitter.com/m02RdZGHOA
O’Reilly is still getting up to speed with how the Leafs do things.
“I was a little more nervous for the practice than I was the first game,” he said. “You don’t know any of the drills and the pace and how it goes.”
One pleasant surprise? Loud music blares during most drills.
“A little different,” O’Reilly said. “It gives a little energy. Obviously, it puts a little more pep in the step when you get the tunes going.”
It’s been a whirlwind week for the 32-year-old, who was acquired from the Blues along with fellow centre Noel Acciari late last Friday night. The pair travelled to Toronto from St. Louis on Saturday morning and made their debuts that night in a win against the Montreal Canadiens. There was another game on Sunday in Chicago, which was followed by a travel day on Monday before another game on Tuesday in Buffalo.
Wednesday offered an opportunity for O’Reilly to catch his breath in the form of a full day off.
“I had a nice sauna at the hotel,” he said. “That was pretty much it. It was nice to open the window and see the snow coming down. It was like, ‘Oh, welcome back to Canada.’ It was nice to have a day off after all that hockey and all that travel.”
Finally, on Thursday, O’Reilly and Acciari got a chance to explore their new practice facility and drill down on the team’s system and structure.
“It was nice practising the power play because we haven’t really had many opportunities,” said O’Reilly, who is playing the bumper spot with the second unit. “It was nice to communicate what we want to do off faceoffs. It’s just being a little more comfortable everywhere and run through it a few times to see what it looks like and how it should be done. It was great to have that practice and iron some things out.”
“It is the next piece of the puzzle,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “They have played a home game. They have played a couple of games on the road now and spent time with their teammates. Getting that feel for the practice, being in this facility, and seeing more new faces sort of completes that adjustment period for them. Everything will start to feel a little more like normal, or at least a new normal, for them. I think both guys have been adjusting very well.”
Ryan O’Reilly the last skater on the ice at Leafs practice
Before cracking jokes during a lengthy media session, O’Reilly was the last skater on the ice at Thursday’s practice and helped collect the pucks.
“He is a very fun and easygoing guy,” observed Keefe. “He doesn’t take himself or anything else too seriously and yet he takes his game, his routine, and his craft extremely seriously. He works extremely hard at it. That is a pretty rare balance. You see a lot of guys who are very serious and at times maybe need to loosen up and have a little fun. I think he has that good balance. There is a great level of confidence that comes with the type of career and accomplishments that he has had being such a leader in St. Louis and winning the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe.”
O’Reilly believes playing games before getting in a practice actually helped, because he could simply trust his instincts. O’Reilly made it clear to Leafs management that he wanted to play right away despite the travel.
“He just has a great confidence about him that allows him to just be confident in who he is and be himself,” said Keefe. “Right from the moment he stepped into our facilities, to me, he has just been himself and looked very comfortable. I think that has allowed the adjustment to happen very quickly for him. I don’t think it is a stretch to say he is an extremely important part of our team, but he is also bringing a lot of things to our team that are really going to help us in a lot of areas — not just in what his on-ice contributions are.”
ContentId(1.1922926): Leafs Ice Chips: O’Reilly has pep in his step at first practice
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Toronto has won two of three games since the trade with both of the new recruits getting on the scoresheet.
“The last couple games with them, I think we’ve gotten a big boost,” said centre Auston Matthews. “Morale around the room, a lot of really good energy is flowing and that’s what you look for when you pick up keys guys like that. We’ve been really welcoming. They’ve come in here and made themselves at home.”
Acciari scored in Chicago and has elevated the fourth line. O’Reilly got on the board in Buffalo with a hat trick. Mitch Marner had the primary assist on all three goals.
“You could have put a PeeWee kid on his line and he probably would’ve had a hat trick,” O’Reilly said with a laugh. “He’s just incredible. His processing ability with the vision is just next level. He already knows what he’s doing before he even gets the puck. For myself, it’s very easy to play with. You know he’s going to find you.”
O’Reilly remained on a line with Marner and John Tavares at practice.
“Playing against him it was always a bit of a chess match because he understands and reads the game so well,” said Tavares of O’Reilly. “The communication he has throughout the shifts or on the bench and obviously just reading off each other, there was definitely a step there [on Tuesday] from the three of us. His game is such a complement to our group and the type of players we have.”
O’Reilly, Marner and Tavares combined for 13 points in Tuesday’s win and helped the Leafs unlock a new level. Keefe called the opening period in Buffalo the most dominant sequence for his team all season.
“We were able to transition really well,” Matthews said. “The first period, especially, we probably transitioned the puck as well as we have all season and counter attacking really strongly and just playing quick. When we’re doing that we put a lot of pressure on the other team and we were able to capitalize on some chances.”
ContentId(1.1922849): O’Reilly on playing with Marner: ‘PeeWee kid probably would’ve had a hat trick’
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Thursday was also the first practice for Tavares since moving to left wing.
“I’m not in the middle of the ice nearly as much,” Tavares said following Tuesday’s four-point performance. “So just being on the walls, trying to be good there with those plays and then working to get into good spots, open ice, getting my feet moving and continue to build my game from there. Each and every game, feeling better and better, a little less thinking and it becomes more habit and instinctive … Happy with some of the progress I’ve had.”
Keefe expects Tavares will eventually move back to the middle, but is encouraged by how the 32-year-old has embraced the experiment.
“It’s impressive,” agreed defenceman Morgan Rielly, “but that’s who he is. You know, if your role changes you have to be willing to accept that and work. I mean, it’s not a big change or, well, it is, but ultimately on the depth chart he’s just moving over. But that’s just good leadership. We expect other guys to do that, take on different roles, so when your captain is able to do it that’s just leading by example.”
ContentId(1.1922391): Tavares leads by example with willingness to move to wing
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O’Reilly grew up in Clinton, Ont., but he wasn’t a die-hard Leafs fan. Instead, he kept tabs on certain players, including gritty Leafs winger Darcy Tucker.
“I always loved watching him play,” O’Reilly said. “I can remember the crazy Tucks eyes that he’d have when you turned on the TV to watch the Leafs.”
O’Reilly actually lived with Tucker during his first season in the NHL (2009-10), which would end up being Tucker’s last. They remain friends.
What was Tucker’s message after the trade?
“He says I’ll absolutely love it here,” O’Reilly revealed. “We know he loves it here and all the things he’s done for the city. We have great conversations.”
All my kids back in Toronto unfortunately the basement spot isn’t available ❤️ Lets go!!! pic.twitter.com/24hepDEQbS
In a jubilant dressing room on Tuesday, O’Reilly passed the team’s player-of-the-game belt to Acciari.
“JT, Marns, way to make me look good tonight,” he declared. “Appreciate it. This goes to the guy who finished every check. Always does it. You guys will get used to it.”
Acciari leads the Leafs with 13 hits in the last three games. He now has 181 on the season, which ranks seventh among all NHL forwards. Zach Aston-Reese is the closest Leaf with 121 hits.
“I might not be the most skilled or [be able to] put the puck in the net every night, but I want to bring an aspect every night,” the 31-year-old explained. “For me to make it in the league I had to focus on what helped me get there and it was my hard play and I couldn’t get away from that. I tried to make it the best I can and work at it every year and try to keep it consistent so you know what you’re going to get out of me every night.”
Acciari stands just 5-foot-10, but he packs a punch at 209 pounds.
“He’s heavy,” observed Matthews. “He hits hard and he seems to be in the right spots all over the ice. He plays extremely responsible on both ends and he’s extremely competitive. It was pretty evident in all three games he’s played in, but especially last game you could see when stuff started to slip for us that line went out there and got it back with their physicality and competitiveness.”
“I love cookies,” he explained. “I got that nickname in Florida from [Keith] Yandle. There were no cookies at a pre-game meal and I didn’t throw a fit, but was a little upset. Keith helped me get that in the pre-game meals and then he goes, ‘I’ve never seen someone act like that so I’m going to call you, ‘Cookie.'”
Acciari’s sweet tooth has led to a sweet tradition with his two-year-old son Greyson.
“Before the pre-game naps I’ll have Oreos with my little guy,” Acciari said. “He calls it ‘cookie time’ and that’s pretty special to me. Before naps [on the road] and when I’m having my cookie, I’ll try and get a FaceTime with him and tell him, ‘It’s cookie time.'”
So, what sort of cookie supply do the Leafs boast?
“They had it at the rink for pre-game meal there,” the Rhode Island native said approvingly. “They were very good. I was very surprised. I was very happy with them.”
ContentId(1.1922882): New Leaf Acciari opens up about love of cookies, physical play
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On Wednesday, the Leafs confirmed what had long been suspected: Jake Muzzin will miss the rest of the season with a cervical spine injury. However, the defenceman remains a constant presence around the team.
“He has been in this facility every day that we have been here,” Keefe noted. “He is at every game. He has made most of the road trips with us. It just speaks to his character. He’s continuing to be a part of it and doing all he can to help the team while not playing and also still pushing himself. You see him in the gym consistently doing everything he can in his control. Unfortunately, his body is just not going to allow him to play this season.”
Muzzin opted to celebrate his 34th birthday in Buffalo on Tuesday night.
“Suck it, Court,” a smiling Marner said referring to Muzzin’s wife Courtney. “We get him … He’s still one of the head honchos here, really, in the dressing room. We got a lot of love for that man and I do, especially.”
“Our players love having him around and enjoy his personality, his friendship, his leadership, and his perspective on things,” said Keefe. “He knows how we play. He knows what the expectations are. He has great bonds with our players. He is an integral piece of our leadership group and that won’t change. We will get everything we can out of him that way. He is going to give us everything he has even though he is not going to be in uniform. He wants to win as badly as anyone. That is one of the intangibles he has brought here to Toronto.”
The Leafs will update Muzzin’s status again at training camp in September.
ContentId(1.1922904): ‘He wants to win as bad as anyone’: Muzzin a constant presence around Leafs
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After missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury, defenceman Rasmus Sandin skated on the third pair at practice.
“The practice was important for him to get through,” Keefe said. “We will see how he is through the rest of the day. At this point, it is probably looking like another day or two could really benefit him. He is not far away. I think he was really close today, but we may take a little more cautious approach with him. We will see. He is at the point now where he is improving dramatically every day. Strength is not quite where they need it to be, but if that improves significantly and takes a big turn tomorrow, I feel like he could be a possibility. All of that is to say he is very close, one way or the other.”
Conor Timmins has filled in for Sandin the last two games.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
