One of them is WWE superstar and Hall of Famer Adam “Edge” Copeland, who grew up just outside of Toronto.
“[I feel] such joy that there’s going to be playoffs,” Copeland told ESPN. “Absolute bliss. I have missed hockey so much. The hockey fan in me is so happy.”
Copeland stressed that as long everyone is healthy and the return is able to be executed safely, he welcomes the return of the NHL. If and when it does happen, Copeland will know exactly what players will be going through, as he himself is currently performing for WWE during the pandemic.
Edge returned to WWE after a nine-year hiatus beginning when he was forced to retire from the ring due because of injury. After making a surprise return at the 2020 Royal Rumble, Edge competed in a match at Wrestlemania 36 against Randy Orton. The pair will compete in a rematch at the WWE Backlash event on the WWE Network on June 14, with the bout billed as “the greatest wrestling match ever.” In working toward the match, Copeland travels weekly to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. He noted that as he practices social distancing each week after getting home, having hockey as an escape would make the experience much more enjoyable.
As for the proposed 24-team format? Copeland has reservations.
“I’m not sure about the 24-team playoff personally — I still think maybe 16 [is better] — but it’s gonna make for some crazy hockey, which has me very excited,” he said.
Copeland has had a storied career in WWE that includes holding the record for most championships won in the promotion’s history, with 31, and 11 of those were world championship wins. His hockey fandom is torn between two NHL teams: the New Jersey Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs. These are two teams that are themselves a dichotomy of championship histories. The Devils won three Cups in the span of nine seasons from 1995 to 2003, while the Leafs have 13 overall, still the second most in NHL history, but none since 1967, the longest active championship drought in the NHL.
Those two teams have divergent fates this season as well. The Devils are among the seven clubs whose seasons are officially over, while the Maple Leafs are set to square off against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the five-game “qualification round.”
“If [the Leafs] did win it this year, it would almost be a shame, because Toronto deserves that night of pure joy, and to not be able to celebrate, it would … it’s very Leaf-like, though. So it would kind of run according to history. So I’m torn. I’d like the Leafs to win the Cup. I’d kind of like them not to win this year, though.”
Copeland’s earliest memories of hockey include a series from the 1978 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Leafs and the New York Islanders, watching the likes of Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming propel Toronto to a series victory in seven games. When the Devils moved from Colorado in 1982, Copeland quickly became fan.
“I loved the Devils, purely, initially, because of their jerseys,” Copeland said. “And Chico Resch. He was my goalie. I didn’t like the Colorado Rockies. I just liked Chico. Now, when they moved to New Jersey, I was like, ‘Oh, I like those jerseys!’ That emblem, plus they still have Chico. Then from there, [the Devils’] goaltending legacy. You got Sean Burke, and obviously Marty.”
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.”
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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.
