EDMONTON — Leon Draisaitl, one-timer extraordinaire, was asked about Connor McDavid’s burgeoning one-timer. The Oilers captain has been hard at work on that skill, and Draisaitl has taken notice.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “It’s fluffing off really nice.”
It’s refreshing to see that kind of humour between teammates, and Draisaitl knows it’s only a matter of time until McDavid masters the shot. Joke at your own peril when it comes to McDavid and feats of hockey strength.
“I worked hard this summer, worked on my game and just tried to think of different ways to create offence,” McDavid said, adding that he also worked to “round out the full 200-foot game, be better defensively and harder off faceoffs.”
But the work that continued right up to Wednesday’s season opener was on a one-timer that represents one of the scant few ways McDavid has not worked into his game. He’s been pounding away, hoping to give opposing penalty killers another one-time threat to worry about, opposite of Draisaitl.
“If I can find a way to score a couple of goals from that side, I think it would help a lot,” said McDavid. “If I’m willing to shoot over there, it will open up some other things. That way it doesn’t have to be Leo always being the trigger guy. We’ve got lots of threats out there and that’s just one of them I’ve been trying to work on.”
What’s weird is watching McDavid work on something that he’s not particularly good at. It just meets the eye in a strange way to see a virtuoso wailing away on one-timers, with some looking smooth, others clumsy.
But give him credit: Too many players only work at things they are good at. Now, here’s the best player in the world, finding a way to get better.
Yikes!
“It’s like anything, it’s just repetition,” he said. “For some guys, shooting the puck comes real easy. For others, it doesn’t. And I would fall into the category where it doesn’t, so I’ve really got to work at it. And I tried my best to do what I can and try to round out my game and score from a distance.
“So many teams are worried about my speed and they back in, where if I can find a way to shoot it by some guys, and score from outside, it might force them to come up and now I can beat them wide again. So it’s kind of the way I’ve been thinking.”
His Daddy’s Son
A nice pre-season on a professional tryout landed Colton Sceviour a one-year, two-way deal as a depth right winger for Edmonton. He gets $750,000 while playing in the NHL, $200,000 in Bakersfield, but is guaranteed to take home $450,000 this season no matter how many NHL games he gets — a pretty nice “minor-league” number.
He made the team by proving he could play all three positions in camp, with some nice work replacing Josh Archibald on the penalty kill. Now, with Zack Kassian (concussion) missing the opener, he gets a third-line spot next to Derek Ryan and Warren Foegele.
“My ability to penalty kill is one of the top assets I bring, and that’s what I wanted to show,” said Sceviour, a Red Deer kid who comes from a line of good hockey men from Central Alberta.
His uncle Todd played four seasons at the University of Calgary in the early ‘90s, and his dad Darrin was a Chicago draft pick who played one NHL game as a Blackhawk: On Feb. 1, 1987 at Edmonton.
“I have never seen the tape,” Sceviour Jr. said. “He never forced me into hockey, but once I decided I wanted to go into it he was my coach up until Bantam. I’m probably not here without him. His knowledge of pro hockey was huge for me to learning how to play, and what I needed to do to get to this level.”
Darrin played half a year for the Nova Scotia Oilers, Edmonton’s AHL farm team in the ‘80s, a roster stocked with such luminaries as Bruce Boudreau, Mike Rogers, Esa Tikkanen and Steve Smith — plus goalies Ron Low, Darryl Reaugh and Jim Ralph. He’s a building inspector in Red Deer now, and is likely planning to make the drive up the highway to see his boy Colton play NHL game No. 501 Wednesday vs. Vancouver.
“There’s an Oilers connection there for sure,” Colton said.
Travellin’ Man
An Edmonton Oilers player for the past three seasons, Alex Chiasson opens his tenth NHL season in a Vancouver Canucks uniform tonight — his sixth team in a 564-game career. This, after his third training camp invite on a professional tryout, which has to be some kind of record.
Does it get any easier, on your third PTO?
“No, it gets worse,” the 31-year-old said. “As a player, it comes with a lot of doubts. Three PTOs… You know, I had 42 goals the last three years.”
He did indeed. But the Oilers did not re-sign Chiasson, bought out James Neal, and brought in Zach Hyman to work the net front on their league-leading power play. Jesse Puljujarvi will also serve in that role, while Chiasson had to find another gig.
“I always find a way,” he said. “My career has always kind of been that way. Perseverance. Resilience. This time around though, was probably a little bit harder than the two before.”
Drafted in round two by Dallas, Chiasson moved on to Ottawa in the deal that made Jason Spezza a Star. Then he was dealt to Calgary before signing free-agent deals in Washington, Edmonton, and now with the Canucks.
“I’ve been everywhere,” he said. “I’ve done the Battle of Alberta from both sides. I’ve always thought Vancouver was a great place to play. A great city.”
He’s on a line with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson tonight, and on the No. 1 powerplay unit. An injured Brock Boeser skated with the team for the first time Wednesday, and should soon reclaim his spot on that line from Chiasson.
For now though, that’s a soft landing after a hard try-out in Vancouver for Chiasson.
“I had the chance (at camp) to be on the first powerplay and play with the top players. Guys that go on a PTO, sometimes it doesn’t work that way,” he said. “It feels like the last few weeks have (flown) by, but here we are. Game 1 of my tenth year.”
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.
