That’s how Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice interpreted an early hit by Matthew Tkachuk on Mark Scheifele that may very well preclude the injured Jets star from returning this season.
Strong, misguided words from a coach further steamed by the possibility he may also have lost the services of Patrik Laine moving forward.
Fact is, the Zapruder film has nothing on the video capturing Tkachuk’s latest controversy.
In a collision that has been — and will continue to be — slowed down and dissected frame-by-frame, the Calgary Flames winger knocked Scheifele from the Jets’ 4-1 loss less than six minutes into the game.
How someone can see the video and suggest it was targeted to hurt someone is an irresponsible way to try to rally the troops.
Then again, coaches always stick up for their players, especially when the Flames offender is such an easy target given his reputation for being in the middle of such controversies.
The all-Canadian matchup wasted little time getting spicy when Tkachuk’s neutral zone attempt to hit Scheifele into the boards saw his skate catch the lower left leg of the Jets star as he twisted awkwardly to avoid upper body contact.
Critics, like Maurice, will suggest he intended to use his skate to catch Scheifele.
Realists will see a hard-nosed player who simply attempted to finish his check while his target turned and collided with the boards.
“No absolutely not,” said Tkachuk, predictably, when asked if it was intentional in any way.
“I’m backchecking on him, and it’s such an accident. I felt terrible. He was turning away and my left skate had a little bit of the speed wobbles and I was moving too fast for myself. My left skate just collided and it looked like it jammed him up. His body was going one way, but the way I hit him his leg stayed the one way.”
He showed instant concern on the ice while being chirped by Jets players, checking in with Scheifele as he was being helped off the ice by Nathan Beaulieu and a trainer.
“He’s a top player in the NHL and someone I’ve come to know the past few summers training with Gary Roberts — such a great guy,” said Tkachuk, who was not assessed a penalty on the play.
“It’s not good for the game when somebody like that is not in the game. It was very unfortunate and unlucky and such an accident and I feel terrible about it, but there’s really nothing that could have happened. I don’t feel good about it, but hope he’s okay.”
It’s understandable the coach was steamed following a 4-1 loss that may cost him two top players, but to suggest the split-second collision was targeted in some fashion is irresponsible and born purely out of frustration.
After being told of Maurice’s vitriolic comments, Flames coach Geoff Ward respectfully disagreed.
“What he’s saying, I didn’t see that,” said Ward.
“I just looked at the incident. To me it looked like Mark decided to turn up, Chucky was trying to turn with him and I think he lost his balance a little bit and I think he got caught in a compromised position.”
Scheifele immediately dropped to the ice after the collision, writhing in pain as Tkachuk turned to check on the fallen winger before gesturing to an irate Winnipeg bench he did nothing wrong.
That’s when Tkachuk decided he’d attempt to try ending the silliness immediately.
On the same ice at Rogers Place on which he did his part to end all the “turtle talk” surrounding his Battle of Alberta hijinks, he chose to shed the gloves on Blake Wheeler’s next shift.
He followed up a brief conversation with Scheifele’s linemate by happily donning the mitts with the six-foot-five captain, whom Tkachuk promptly dropped with a solid right hand after a few exchanges.
Slow down video of the hit and pick any angle you want, any suggestion Tkachuk had any intent to do anything but finish his check is pure folly.
Yet the debate is sure to continue, especially if Scheifele does not.
It wouldn’t be the last Jets star to depart the game, as Laine left midway through the third after receiving a crosscheck from Mark Giordano who the Finn had buried seconds earlier.
Although Jets winger Andrew Copp scored shortly after the Scheifele injury, the Flames rebounded from one of their typically slow starts to take over a game in which they had just one shot on goal the first 15 minutes.
As Laine filled in unsuccessfully on the top trio, the Flames got three special teams goals in the second, kick-started by a Johnny Gaudreau power play finish that ended his nine game playoff goalless streak.
Tobias Rieder’s shorthanded breakaway conversion midway through the second was followed by Mikael Backlund’s power play snipe, which was made possible by a Cody Eakin penalty drawn by Tkachuk.
Although on the ice for Andrew Mangiapane’s empty netter, Tkachuk was held off the scoresheet in a game that had his fingerprints all over it.
Without Scheifele the Jets power play was 0-for-7 with just five shots on goal — all turned aside by not-so-surprising Flames starter Cam Talbot.
The 33-year-old Talbot allowed a game-opening snipe by Andrew Copp shortly after the Tkachuk incident, but stood tall after that, stopping 17 shots.
The Flames took over in the second period in a game Rieder said the lads worked hard to create their own energy on the bench in the absence of fans.
No one created more energy than Tkachuk, creating a buzz that will reverberate through the NHL right through until Game 2 Monday afternoon.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
