Billy Kapogiannis kept screaming long after the television camera stopped recording. He found himself yelling as he left his seat inside Amalie Arena and realized he was still going even after crossing a street, walking outside in a warm, victorious evening in Tampa, Fla.
“I just couldn’t stop,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know what the hell came out of me.”
His reaction made him famous to television viewers and social media users on Monday night, releasing a primal scream after watching Leafs forward Alex Kerfoot cap an unlikely comeback with an overtime goal to secure a 3-1 lead over the Lightning in their first-round playoff series. Kapogiannis was seen on the Sportsnet broadcast screaming into his phone, before abandoning the call to scream into space.
By Tuesday morning, raspy and happy, he had forgotten who was on the other end of that call.
“It could have been Jesus Christ at that point, I don’t know,” he said. “I just answered: ‘Hi, Jesus! It’s the Leafs!’”
Kapogiannis is a restaurant server and entrepreneur from Aurora, Ont., just north of Toronto, who flew to Florida on a whim. Sam Cortese, a friend and colleague, was standing next to him when the camera zoomed in after the win. Cortese was laughing as Kapogiannis screamed to the heavens.
“That’s the passion, that’s what being a Leaf fan is,” said Kapogiannis. “That’s what the world doesn’t understand: We’re not fans, we are Leaf fans, and there’s a difference.”
He cheers for teams in other sports, including the Dallas Cowboys.
“When it comes to the Leafs, I don’t know what happens to me,” he said. “I just go mental, if you want to know the truth.”
Tampa built a 2-0 lead through the first period and kept adding distance into the second. The Lightning were ahead 4-1 when Kapogiannis leaned over to Cortese to say he had to use the restroom. It was near the halfway point of the third period in Game 4.
He was on his way to the facilities when Auston Matthews scored. It was 4-2, and Kapogiannis made it back to his seat in time to witness the events that followed.
“I’m getting chirped all night,” he said. “This one guy in front of me just kept chirping and chirping and chirping. I’m like, ‘Relax, bro: (The series is) still 2-1, take it easy.’
“And bang! And bang! And bang! The goals kept coming. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to lose my mind over here.’”
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Kapogiannis works at Avenue, an Italian restaurant in Kleinburg, a 45-minute drive north of Scotiabank Arena. Cortese is a chef. They are also partners in VTL Indoor Golf & Academy, an indoor golf facility in Vaughan. (It was a customer who offered them the tickets in Tampa.)
At 59, Kapogiannis is old enough to have been alive when the Leafs won their last Stanley Cup, but not to have any living memory. He has been a fan of the franchise for his whole life, with the playoff run of 1993 seared into his memory.
He said he has twice served former Leafs captain Darryl Sittler. Once, he said, the retired forward left a sweater inside the restaurant. Someone passed him a cell number for Kapogiannis, who set the sweater aside for safekeeping.
On Monday, Kapogiannis spotted someone in Tampa wearing a Sittler jersey. He snapped a photo and sent it to Sittler.
He said Sittler texted back: “Go Leafs! Enjoy.”
The Leafs were also still in Tampa on Tuesday morning. With two days between games, they opted to stay the night, before returning to Toronto for a practice on Wednesday.
Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe suggested the extra day would help players decompress from the chaos of their frenzied comeback from a 4-1 deficit. (It would also, he said, give staff more time to decide if forward Michael Bunting would return to the lineup for Game 5 on Thursday, following a three-game suspension for elbowing Tampa defenceman Erik Cernak in Game 1.)
“We’ve got to prepare to win one hockey game — one very challenging hockey game,” Keefe said in a brief Zoom session with reporters on Tuesday. “Anything else outside of our preparation, and then our execution when game time comes, is a distraction.”
Kapogiannis was still dealing with the endless distraction of his mobile phone. His nephew called him during the game, as well as his niece and his brother. At first, the messages were about his appearance on the television broadcast.
When those images hit social media, his phone became a pinwheel of dings and notifications. Cortese was still sorting through his messages on the morning after. They were scheduled to fly out later in the evening.
They would head back to the arena for a few photos. Kapogiannis would smile, but it was difficult to do much more screaming. His was hoarse.
“I have no voice,” he said. “I just kept screaming.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
