Sports

New Abbotsford AHL team to be called Canucks – Sportsnet.ca

Published

3 years ago

July 14, 2021

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — In the midst of a congested off-season, the Vancouver Canucks have taken care of one piece of business — naming their new American Hockey League affiliate.

The club didn’t venture far in choosing the new moniker, opting to call the team the Abbotsford Canucks.

“To have this finally out, for the fans in Abbotsford and the Canucks organization, it’s a huge step for us. We’re excited about having our American league affiliate right in our backyard,” Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson said on a video call Wednesday.

“It’s a great step for our entire organization.”

The two teams will also share a green and blue colour scheme, with the Abbotsford Canucks adopting the “Johnny Canuck” logo previously used on occasion by the Vancouver squad. The image features a bearded lumberjack wearing overalls and skates and carrying a hockey stick.

The Abbotsford Canucks’ dark jersey will be primarily “field green” and its light jersey will be “mountain white.” Both will feature Johnny Canuck and sleeve stripes forming the letter A to represent Abbotsford.

Sharing a name with an AHL affiliate isn’t unique to the Canucks. Six other NHL clubs share brands with their farm teams, including the Boston (Providence) Bruins, Dallas (Texas) Stars, Minnesota (Iowa) Wild, New York (Bridgeport) Islanders, Ottawa (Belleville) Senators and Pittsburgh (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) Penguins.

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini said in a statement Wednesday that the club was “thrilled” to unveil the new brand.

“The Abbotsford Canucks will be an extension of our history, and a new identity for fans in the Fraser Valley to embrace,” he said. “Today marks an important milestone. It brings us a big step closer to puck drop in the fall and an exciting inaugural season.”

The Canucks announced in May that they were relocating their AHL team from Utica, N.Y., to Abbotsford, located about 70 kilometres southeast of downtown Vancouver.

Abbotsford was previously home to the Abbotsford Heat, the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate from 2009 to 2014

Moving the franchise has been complex, Johnson said. But he believes it will ultimately be a boon for the organization, with players on the AHL team pushing for spots on the NHL roster.

“A competitive environment makes for a strong organization,” he said. “It helps develop your prospects and it also helps keep you in a competitive environment if you face adversity or injuries that comes with a big club throughout the course of a season.”

Johnson has already navigated the Canucks’ AHL group through a complex season, with the franchise sharing last year’s Utica Comets team with the St. Louis Blues due to the pandemic.

“You can imagine how much of a challenge that would be just throwing staffs together, throwing players together,” he said.

The Comets finished fourth in the North Division with a 16-11-1 record. Johnson called it an “incredibly successful season at a very difficult time.”

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Sports

Sports betting roundup: NFL and college football were all about the favourites

Published

19 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.

The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.

Trends of the Week

The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.

In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.

When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.

Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.

Coming up

Right after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series, odds for the 2025 World Series were released.

The Dodgers have the best odds at +400, while the Atlanta Braves and Yankees are next at +800.

The Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies round out the top five, both at +1100.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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Longtime rivals Ovechkin, Crosby join Necas as NHL’s three stars of the week

Published

19 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.

Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.

The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.

Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.

Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.

Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Oliveira, Mitchell named as finalists for CFL outstanding player award

Published

5 days ago

October 31, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.

Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).

Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.

Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.

Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.

Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.

The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).

The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.

The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.

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