TORONTO – Members of Canada’s world junior hockey team were greeted by dozens of friends, family and supporters at Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon after winning gold a day earlier in the Czech Republic.
With gold medals hanging around their necks and smiles on their tired faces after a long day of travel, several players said the 4-3 victory over Russia had yet to really sink in.
Akil Thomas scored the winning goal with 3:58 left in regulation on Sunday after captain Barrett Hayton, who was nursing a shoulder injury, had tied the game earlier in the period.
Thomas, who’s from Toronto, had over 30 supporters on hand to greet him at the airport.
“It’s pretty overwhelming obviously,” Thomas said. “A lot of friends and family are here. The last 24 hours have been pretty crazy. I’m just thankful.”
Story continues below advertisement
The win gave Canada its third world junior crown in the last six years.
It was the first time Canada had won U20 gold in a European venue since 2008. Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year when it hosted the tournament.
1:30 Canada beats Russia for World Junior hockey gold
Canada beats Russia for World Junior hockey gold
Joining Thomas and Hayton on the nine-hour flight from Vienna were teammates Nico Daws, Ty Dellandrea, Jamie Drysdale, Aidan Dudas, Liam Foudy and Connor McMichael.
Other players were scheduled to arrive at various destinations around the country over the coming days as they resume play with their respective junior teams.
“I just had a good feeling about the game,” Thomas said. “We were obviously playing well. I grew up watching those type of games. Things happen quick in those types of games. You can win in a blink of an eye.
“I just got an opportunity and I made the most out of it. Luckily I scored.”
Supporters at the airport, many waving flags and sporting Canada hockey jerseys, let out a roar as the players walked through the arrival doors.
Hayton had the tournament trophy in tow and proudly raised it in the air to a cheer from the crowd. The team captain helped guide his club to the podium after an uneven start to the tournament.
Story continues below advertisement
“I think there was some adversity early on,” he said. “I think from the start we wanted to get better every day. I thought we did that extremely well.”
Alexis Lafreniere, a favourite to go first overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, was named tournament MVP and top forward. Joel Hofer, who backstopped Canada to five straight victories, was named top goaltender.
Canada looked suspect at times in the opener of the preliminary round, a 6-4 comeback win over the United States. That game was followed by a deflating 6-0 loss to Russia.
However, Canada built some momentum and shone when the games really mattered, outscoring opponents 15-4 in the playoff round. Sweden beat Finland for the bronze medal.
The 2021 event will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
Canada has reached the podium 32 times at the world juniors since 1977. Canada has won 18 gold, nine silver and five bronze.
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.”
—
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.
