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Quick Reaction: Raptors 100, Knicks 83 – Raptors Republic

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Lay anchor, fellas. A win is a win.

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O. Anunoby34 MIN, 5 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1-10 FG, 0-7 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 22 +/-

Had a very nice defensive game on Randle. Offensively, he made a couple nice passes after knifing into the defense, but he was so-so. Ideally, no more 0-for-something games from the 3-point line going forward.

N. Powell34 MIN, 17 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 7-13 FG, 2-7 3FG, 1-1 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 28 +/-

Brought a significant scoring pop to the starting lineup. Pulled willingly from downtown and punched gaps to get to the bucket. A nice return to form for him, hopefully.

F. VanVleet35 MIN, 25 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 9-19 FG, 4-9 3FG, 3-3 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 21 +/-

Lots of spot-up opportunities to cash in on. Liked his poise in this one a lot. He even made some nice plays in the mid-range. Very encouraging stuff on the offensive end tonight.


K. Lowry36 MIN, 20 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 6-12 FG, 4-9 3FG, 4-6 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 11 +/-

Kept the team afloat with Norm in the early going. Aggressive in the screen game, played well out of the horns sets, and scrambled well on defense. Pedestrian by his standards, but a really nice game.

A. Baynes14 MIN, 3 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 0 +/-

Was the Raptors least effective big man tonight. Canned a three to open the game up, but did little else. He’s also still not providing much in the way of rim protection. He’s getting walked under the bucket on the odd occasion.

C. Boucher24 MIN, 9 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-9 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-5 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 11 +/-

Really liked his energy in this one. Super aggressive diving to the bucket, and added a vertical threat that the Raptors didn’t otherwise have. He competes every second he’s out there.

T. Davis16 MIN, 10 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 4-7 FG, 2-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -5 +/-

A very quiet ten points, but he always finds shots for himself. Transition, offensive rebounds, whatever, he slides into open spots. His defense is still very gamble heavy with little payoff, and the on-ball stuff was mistake laden. Production on shot attempts is nothing to scoff at, though.


S. Johnson12 MIN, 0 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/-

He’s an above average defender. He doesn’t bring much of anything to the offensive side of the floor. Both of those were true tonight.

A. Len12 MIN, 11 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-4 FG, 3-3 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 8 +/-

By the power of Zeus, he raised the Raptors up in his giant hands at the end of the third quarter. His 3 triples were like a life line. He’s huge defending the rim, which is good. He’s also very slow-footed in the pick n’ roll defensively and gambles with pokes for no reason. Good performance.

Y. Watanabe9 MIN, 0 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -8 +/-

Had a clean block stolen away by a bad call. He brings energy defensively and on the glass. Didn’t provide anything of substance offensively, though.

P. Watson2 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/-

Too short a stint.

D. Bembry2 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/-

Too short a stint.

M. Flynn2 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/-

Too short a stint. Would like to see meaningful minutes for him.

Nick Nurse

Very odd rotations in this one, but the game was going to call for that as soon as the Siakam news was announced. In my limited view, I think the lack of any meaningful Flynn minutes is a shame. Can’t complain about too much when there’s a W, though.

Things We Saw

  1. The Pascal Siakam situation is extremely odd. Either there’s more going on behind the scenes, or the Raptors have decided to abandon their history of leniency and draw a hardline with their max player. For example, Terence Davis cut a hole in his mask to specifically disobey the rules that were set out by the NBA, and the Raptors didn’t lay down any punishment. So, my guess? There’s at least something else going on here. Nurse’s post-game comments should help with clarity.
  2. The Raptors can’t count on the opposing team shooting 9-percent from deep very often. Their closeouts and rotations were still pretty sloppy in this one, and they were just as capable of going into an offensive drought against this Knicks defense. A win is a win, but questions should still be asked of how they plan to succeed against better teams.
  3. That game was a fever dream. Incredibly sloppy basketball, played in Tampa, with crowd noise plugged in, and people sparsely populating the stands. Anyway.

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Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Weegar committed to Calgary Flames despite veteran exodus

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MacKenzie Weegar wasn’t bitter or upset as he watched friends live out their dreams.

The Calgary Flames defenceman just hopes to experience the same feeling one day. He also knows the road leading to that moment, if it does arrive, will likely be long and winding — much like his own path.

A seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2013 NHL draft, Weegar climbed the ranks to become an important piece of a roster that captured the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2021-22.

Two months later following a second-round playoff exit, he was traded to the Flames along with Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk. And less than two years after that, the Panthers were hoisting the Stanley Cup.

“Happy for the city and for the team,” Weegar said of Florida’s June victory over the Edmonton Oilers. “There was no bad taste in my mouth.”

His sole focus, he insists, is squarely on eventually getting the Flames to the same spot. The landscape, however, has changed drastically since Weegar committed to Calgary on an eight-year, US$50-million contract extension in October 2022.

Weegar has watched a list that includes goaltender Jacob Markstrom, defencemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov and forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane shipped out of town since the start of last season — largely for picks, prospects and young players as part of a rebuild.

Despite that exodus, he remains committed to the Calgary project steered by general manager Craig Conroy.

“It’s easy to get out of all whack when you see guys trying to leave or wanting new contracts,” the 30-year-old from Ottawa said at last week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “I just focus on where I am and where I want to be, and that’s Calgary.

“I believe in this team. The city has taken me in right away. I feel like I owe it to them to stick around and grind through these years and get a Stanley Cup.”

The hard-nosed blueliner certainly knows what it is to grind.

After winning the Memorial Cup alongside Nathan MacKinnon with the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013, Weegar toiled in the ECHL and American Hockey League for three seasons before making his NHL debut late in the 2016-17 campaign with the Panthers.

He would spend the next five years in South Florida as one of the players tasked with shifting an organizational culture that had experienced little success over the previous two decades.

“There’s always going to be a piece of my heart and loyalty to that team,” Weegar said. “But now I’m in a different situation … I compete against all 32 teams, not just Florida. There’s always a chip on my shoulder every single year.”

Weegar set career highs with 20 goals — eight was the most he had ever previously registered — and 52 points in 2023-24 as part of a breakout offensive performance.

“I think my buddies cared a lot more than I did,” he said with a smile. “All I hear is, ‘fantasy, fantasy, fantasy.'”

Weegar was actually more proud of his 200 blocked shots and 194 hits as he looks to help set a new Flames’ standard alongside Huberdeau, captain Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Rasmus Andersson for a franchise expected to have its new arena in time for the 2027-28 season.

“You have to build that culture and that belief in the locker room,” said Weegar, who pointed to 22-year-old centre Connor Zary as a player set to pop. “Those young guys are going to have to come into their own and be consistent every night … they’re the next generation.”

Weegar, however, isn’t punting on 2024-25. He pointed to the NHL’s parity and the fact a couple of teams surprise every season.

It’s the same approach that took him from the ECHL a decade ago to hockey’s premier pre-season event inside a swanky hotel on Sin City’s famed strip, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the game’s best.

“From the outside — media and even friends and family — the expectations are probably a bit lower,” Weegar said of Calgary’s outlook. “But there’s no reason to think that we can’t make playoffs and we can’t be a good team (with) that underdog mentality.

“You never know.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept 17, 2024.

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Fledgling Northern Super League adds four to front office ahead of April kickoff

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The Northern Super League has fleshed out its front office with four appointments.

Jose Maria Celestino da Costa was named vice-president and head of soccer operations while Marianne Brooks was appointed vice-president of partnerships, Kelly Shouldice as vice-president of brand and content and Joyce Sou as vice-president of finance and business operations.

The new six-team women’s pro league is set to kick off in April.

“Their unique expertise and leadership are crucial as we lay the foundation for not just a successful league in Canada, but one that stands among the top sports leagues in the world,” NSL president Christina Litz said in a statement. “By investing in top-tier talent and infrastructure, the Northern Super League is committed to creating a league that will elevate the game and set new standards for women’s professional soccer globally.”

Da Costa will oversee all on-field matters, including officiating. His resume includes stints with Estoril Praia, a men’s first-division team in Portugal, and the Portuguese Soccer Federation, where he helped develop the Portuguese women’s league.

Brooks spent a decade with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, working in “partnership sales and retention efforts” for the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, and Rogers Arena. Most recently, she served as senior director of account management at StellarAlgo, a software company that helps pro sports teams connect with their fans

Shouldice has worked for Corus Entertainment, the Canadian Football League, and most recently as vice-president of Content and Communications at True North Sports & Entertainment, where she managed original content as well as business and hockey communications.

Sou, who was involved in the league’s initial launch, will oversee financial planning, analysis and the league’s expansion strategy in her new role.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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