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Northern Ontario curler to lead Team Canada into Youth Olympics – CBC.ca

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A young curling star from Northern Ontario is going to be leading Team Canada into the opening ceremony for the Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 this week in Switzerland.

Lauren Rajala, from the Greater Sudbury, Ont., community of Garson, has been selected as the flag-bearer.

“I never thought I’d be leading all of Team Canada into the Youth Olympics and wearing the Maple Leaf. It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Rajala said.

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“I’m thankful for this experience at such a young age. I’m going to take it all in and take it with me and move forward.”

Rajala, 17, has seen incredible success in her young career on and off the field of play.

In 2019, she won gold at the under-18 Canada Winter Games as well as at the under-18 Nationals. She is an Ontario Canada Winter Games Trials champion and a Northern Ontario under-18 Provincial champion. Earlier in the year, as part of Team Croisier, she was inducted into the Greater Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame in the Chris Sheridan Family team of the year category.

At school, Rajala is an honour roll student and a three-time Lancer Scholar, a title given to those that maintain an 80 per cent or higher average over three years. In addition, she is a three-time curling MVP at school, the Grade 11 female athlete of the year and a member of student council and the Eco School Club.

“I’m honoured and humbled by this experience. And I feel like this is just the beginning,” Rajala said. “I don’t want this to be the last time I wear the Maple Leaf on my back.”

As the official broadcaster in Canada, CBC will provide daily coverage of the competitions from Thursday, Jan. 9 to Wednesday, Jan. 22 via the free CBC Gem streaming service as well as cbcsports.ca, radio-canada.ca/sports and the CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports apps.

In addition to live streams of the events offered through CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms, daily coverage of the Youth Olympic Games will include real-time updates from reporter Devin Heroux, who will be on the ground in Lausanne to report breaking news and provide insightful commentary for cbcsports.ca.

78 athletes make up Team Canada

Canada is sending its largest-ever delegation to compete at the Winter Youth Olympics. Seventy-eight athletes from the country will be wearing the Maple Leaf as they compete in just the third instalment ever of the event. See below for the full list of Team Canada’s roster. 

The first Youth Olympic Winter Games were held in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012. In 2016, the Games were held in Lillehammer, Norway.

Rajala was recently inducted into the Greater Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame in the Chris Sheridan Family team of the year category. (Curling Canada/Infinite Eye Photography)

Rajala will be accompanied by the Canadian delegation of athletes along with 24 coaches in Switzerland. The Games will be a completely gender-equal event with the same number of male and female athletes competing.

Team Canada features athletes ranging from 15-18 years of age. Of the 78 athletes, 24 are from Alberta, 19 from Ontario, 14 from Quebec, 13 from British Columbia, three from Manitoba, two from Yukon and one from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

“I’m meeting all these people from all over Canada,” Rajala said. “I’m so thankful and grateful for this experience.”

Rajala has been curling out of the Idylwylde Golf and Country Club in Sudbury for years. She was inspired by her father to take up the sport at the age of seven when she fell in love with curling. It was also right around the time Vancouver was hosting the Winter Olympics — Rajala was motivated to represent her country.

“I remember the 2010 Winter Olympics and Kevin Martin winning the gold medal. I remember the celebration and all the Canadian fans. That’s when I realized I wanted to wear the Maple Leaf on my back. It’s been a goal ever since,” Rajala said.

Rajala will be part of a mixed curling team assembled by Curling Canada to compete in Lausanne. The team opens competition against Russia on Friday, Jan. 10. They will be play five round-robin games before the playoffs begin.

Mixed Curling is one of eight sports athletes will be competing in during Lausanne 2020.

16 disciplines across eight sports

Nearly 1,900 young athletes aged 15-18 will represent more than 200 countries. There will be a total of 81 events in 16 disciplines across eight sports on the Lausanne 2020 program, including four that will make their Olympic debuts.

Ski mountaineering is considered the most radical new sport, while medals will also be awarded for the first time in mixed-nationality three-on-three ice hockey, a women’s doubles competition in luge, and a women’s Nordic combined ski event. The new disciplines are designed to reflect both innovation and gender equality.

The Youth Olympic Games also aim to encourage young people to embody the positive values of sport but also serve as an important part of their athletic journey.

Canada’s Chef de mission, Annamay Oldershaw, says while this experience will serve as a place to learn about sport and life, the team also wants to achieve success on the field of play.

“These Olympic experiences teach you so much. How to deal with regrets and joy and failures and triumph. All of it,” Oldershaw said.

“I want our athletes to believe in themselves. I want them to know that they are there because they were chosen to be there.”

Oldershaw, a 2008 Olympic swimmer for Canada, has yet to be together with the entirety of Team Canada — that happens on Tuesday when they will all gather in Lausanne draped in red and white for the first time. Competition starts three days later on Friday.

“Whenever you get to wear the Maple Leaf at an international competition is the greatest honour,” Oldershaw said. “I’m ready to be these athlete’s biggest fan and we’ll pour our hearts into this for Canada.”

Team Canada roster

Alpine skiing (4)

  • Sarah Brown, Ottawa
  • Louis Latulippe, Quebec City
  • Alice Marchessault, Ste-Anne-des-Lacs, Que. 
  • Mack Wood, Toronto

Biathlon (6)

  • Ethan Algra, Abbotsford, B.C.
  • Finn Erik Berg, Calgary
  • Lucas Sadesky, Vernon, B.C.
  • Pascale Paradis, Calgary
  • Jenna Sherrington, Calgary
  • Naomi Walch, Calgary

Bobsleigh (2)

  • Colton Dagenais, Foster, Que.
  • Emma Johnsen, Calgary

Cross-country skiing (4)

  • Derek Deuling, Whitehorse
  • Jasmine Drolet, Rossland, B.C.
  • Liliane Gagnon, Shawinigan-Sud, Que.
  • Sasha Masson, Whitehorse

Curling (4)

  • Emily Deschenes, Greely, Ont.
  • Jaedon Neuert, Winnipeg
  • Lauren Rajala, Garson, Ont.
  • Nathan Young, Torbay, N.L.

Figure skating (8)

  • Catherine Carle, Georgetown, Ont.
  • Natalie D’Alessandro, Toronto
  • Tyler Gunara, Burnaby, B.C.
  • Miku Makita, Anore, B.C.
  • Brooke McIntosh, Toronto
  • Aleksa Rakic, New Westminster, B.C.
  • Brandon Toste, Mississauga, Ont.
  • Bruce Waddell, Toronto

Freestyle skiing (6)

  • Skye Clarke, West Vancouver
  • Rylee Hackler, Calgary
  • Steven Kahnert, Vancouver
  • Andrew Longino, Calgary
  • Emma Morozumi, Calgary
  • Brayden Willmott, Collingwood, Ont.

Hockey (17)

  • Justin Côté, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.
  • Nathan Danielson, Red Deer, Alta.
  • Dylan Ernst, Weyburn, Sask.
  • Adamo Fantilli, Nobleton, Ont.
  • Vincent Filion, Shawinigan, Que
  • Panayioti Fimin, Richmond Hill, Ont.
  • Conor Geekie, Strathclair, Man.
  • Cédrick Guindon, Rockland, Ont.
  • Matt Jovanovic, Toronto
  • Paul Ludwinski, Pickering, Ont.
  • Tristan Luneau, Victoriaville, Que.
  • Denton Mateychuck, Dominion City, Man.
  • Mats Lindgren, North Vancouver
  • Ty Nelson, Toronto
  • Matt Savoie, St. Albert, Alta.
  • Antonin Verreault, Mirabel, Ont.
  • Noah Warren, St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que.

Luge (3)

  • Kailey Allan, Calgary
  • Natalie Corless, Vancouver
  • Caitlin Nash, Whistler, B.C.

Short track speed skating (2)

  • Florence Brunelle, Trois-Riviéres, Que.
  • Félix Pigeon, Granby, Que.

Skeleton (2)

  • Hallie Clarke, Calgary
  • Ryan Kuehn, Calgary

Ski cross (4)

  • Marie-Pier Brunet, Montreal
  • Charlie Lang, Calgary
  • Jack Morrow, Whistler, B.C.
  • Sage Stefani, Rossland, B.C.

Ski jumping (2)

  • Noah Rolseth, Calgary
  • Stéphane Tremblay, Calgary

Ski mountaineering (2)

  • Ema Chlepkova, Calgary
  • Findlay Eyre, Calgary

Snowboard (12)

  • Tristan Bell, Aylmer, Que.
  • Liam Brearley, Gravenhurst, Ont.
  • William Buffey, Toronto
  • Andie Gendron, Calgary
  • Liam Gill, Calgary
  • Kianah Hyatt, Calgary
  • Kamilla Kozuback, Calgary
  • Bridget MacLean, Halifax
  • Juliette Pelchat, Whistler, B.C.
  • Seth Strobel, Calgary
  • Maxeen Thibeault, Montreal
  • Jacob Walper, Calgary

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com

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TORONTOAuston Matthews will be a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT) because of an illness.

“It’s going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The forward did not participate in Toronto’s morning skate. Max Domi took his place as the center on a line between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, a right wing recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained March 7 and will be out the next two games.

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Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons. He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).

He missed one game this season with illness, a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16.

“Of course, it’s an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” Domi said, “when anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we’ve done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

“He just remains day to day,” Keefe said. “We’re hopeful he’s going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it’s not going to be a lingering situation. It’s not going to be an injury that’s ongoing. Once he’s past it, he’s past it so we just need to give him some time.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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