The host Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 6-3 on Wednesday night to claim the 102nd the Memorial Cup. Although the tournament was played much later than usual due to the pandemic, it was fantastic to see the event being hosted in one of the most enjoyable CHL cities in Canada.
If you haven’t traveled to the east coast of Canada, I recommend adding Saint John, Moncton, Halifax, Charlottetown, and Cape Breton to your bucket list of CHL cities to visit in the future. If you enjoy seafood, great music, and the occasional adult beverage, Maritimers know how to throw a party!
With the Memorial Cup behind us, there are no more major events between now and the NHL Draft next week. With summer upon us, here are some players who caught my eye over the course of the tournament:
WILLIAM DUFOUR Drafted by NY Islanders, fifth round (152nd overall) in 2020.
Dufour had a breakout year in the regular season scoring 56 goals and 116 points in 66 games and then was named MVP of the QMJHL. He was also named MVP of the Memorial Cup after scoring seven goals and eight points in four games played.
Not every prospect develops the same way. Some are pro ready earlier than others. Dufour is an example of a player who has been polarizing over the years. He’s been traded several times in the Q and never seemed entirely comfortable with his surroundings until this year.
The 6-foot-3, 204-pound winger has a pro release. There is no question he knows how to score goals. He has a heavy, accurate shot that beats goalies from range. His size is also a plus in the hard areas when extending plays and distributing in traffic. His skating needs to improve another 20 per cent for the NHL game, though. Will he be Arthur Kaliyev or Matthew Strome at the next level?
Dufour’s development path has been a winding road, but he deserves credit for a great season. Hopefully this is the start of great things in the future.
ARBER XHEKAJ Undrafted free agent signing by Montreal in 2021.
Full disclosure: I have a scout’s crush on Arber. How can you not? This is a player who was a free agent when he made the Kitchener Rangers. He wasn’t drafted by an NHL team, but earned a contract from Montreal after a strong showing at their training camp in 2021. He is the poster player for perseverance and character.
Arber is a big, strong, two-way defenceman. He’s 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, mobile, tough, and he moves the puck efficiently to chip in with some secondary offence.
At the Memorial Cup Xhekaj’s game reminded me a lot of Ben Chiarot (when he was with the Habs and playing at his best). He was used in all situations, contributed five assists in five games, and played with an intimidating presence.
Montreal has found a potential NHL defenceman for free. I’m looking forward to monitoring Arber’s development at the pro level. We already know he’s going to put in the work to reach his goal.
JAKE NEIGHBOURS Drafted by the St. Louis Blues, first round (26th overall) in 2020.
The kind of player scouts describe as a “swiss army knife.” Jake does a bit of everything and can play up and down the lineup.
He only scored one goal in three games at the Memorial Cup. The group looked like it ran out of gas as a team. However, my takeaway on Neighbours is still positive. He emptied the tank every time he hit the ice and gave the Oil Kings all he had. He played fast and was involved physically. Neighbours is a tenacious forward who projects to be a second- or third-line NHL player on a good team. The Oil Kings could have used more offence off his stick last week, but there is no question he played with passion and compete.
MASON McTAVISH Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks, first round (third overall) in 2021.
For those who expected even more from McTavish at the Memorial Cup, consider his hockey journey in 2021-22: McTavish played games for Anaheim (NHL), San Diego (AHL), Team Canada (Olympic Games), Peterborough (OHL) and Hamilton (OHL).
I’m not sure if the kid is collecting air miles or hotel points, but he should have earned some free nights and flights with all of his travel this past season.
He emptied the tank at the Memorial Cup. After a bit of a slow start, he went to another level in the semis and final. He gave opponents all they could handle in the hard areas and showed off his quick stick and puck skill. McTavish ended the tournament with six goals and eight points. He’s pro ready and should get full time NHL minutes with the Ducks next season.
MAVRIK BOURQUE Drafted by the Dallas Stars, first round (30th overall) in 2020.
When I was the Director of Scouting with the Florida Panthers I travelled to Shawinigan to see Mavrik play in the fall of 2019. Our regional scout, Dillon Donnelly, had taken a shine to Bourque early that season and believed in his compete and skill. Bourque suffered an injury that night and ended up in the stands halfway through the game. Between the second and third period we spoke with Bourque. I can’t recall the specifics relating to his injury so I’m going to describe it as an “upper body” injury. The kid stated to me he needed to get stronger so these kinds of setbacks don’t occur as he matures as a player. He told me he plays a skilled game, but doesn’t back down from traffic and competing.
Fast forward to this Memorial Cup, and Bourque plays the game the exact way he described to me in the fall of 2019. He left it all on the ice in the tournament, scoring two goals and seven points. He seemed to have the puck on his stick every shift. On the power play he was equal parts shooter and distributor from the flank. I love the way Bourque plays. He’s the kind of player who is willing to carry a team on his back.
SEBASTIAN COSSA Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, first round (15th overall) in 2021.
Cossa is a big human. An athletic 6-foot-6 goalie who has the potential to develop into an NHL No. 1.
His Memorial Cup, for me, was uneven. Cossa came up with some big saves, but also allowed some goals he would admit were weak.
Goalies tend to take longer to develop. Cossa needs time to clean up some of his unnecessary habits. At his size there is no reason for him to play outside the blue paint of his crease. When he does, his size becomes less of an advantage when pucks spill to the side of the net and he has to travel further to make a save. His rebound control was off in this tournament as well. Lastly, when he went paddle down on wrap arounds or “stuff” plays he failed to get his stick in position or his pads tight to the ice.
Cossa is a Grade A goalie prospect who, it appears, ran out of gas at the Memorial Cup. When he is on his game, he’s plenty quick for his stature, keeps pucks closer to his body, and moves laterally with more precision. He needs time.
JAN MYSAK Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, second round (48th overall) in 2020.
There was a time I was concerned about Mysak’s willingness to get to pucks along the boards and extend or make plays. He has always displayed solid skill. He’s not an intimidating player, but he’s not small either (6-feet, 180 pounds). He only produced two goals in five Memorial Cup gamesm but it wasn’t for lack of effort and involvement.
XAVIER BOURGAULT Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, first round (22nd overall) in 2021.
Bourgault and Bourque fed off each other for Shawinigan. They have similar attributes.
Bourgault ended the Memorial Cup with two goald and seven points and was a threat off the rush and on the PP. I appreciate his skill. He’s quick off the mark and has the kind of skill to beat opponents one-on-one in open ice and tight quarters.
JAKUB DEMEK Drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights, fourth round (128th overall) in 2021.
Demek will have to work on his foot speed to have a chance at becoming a pro in North America. He does, however, have an understanding of how to play on the defensive side of the puck and he’s fantastic in the face-off circle. He won 47 draws in three games at the Memorial Cup. Teams want to start with the puck off face-offs, so he has some attractive elements that can contribute to team success.
KAIDEN GUHLE Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, first round (16th overall) in 2020.
It seemed like Guhle never left the ice in the tournament. He logged big minutes in all situations and contributed three assists in three games.
I did feel like Guhle was trying to do too much at times and his detail suffered overall. He found himself above the puck occasionally in his zone and forced some plays in the offensive zone. Having said that he is an elite skater who is highly competitive and can be deployed in a variety of roles. He’s a Grade A prospect who could end up being a top pairing NHL defenceman in time.
WILLIAM VILLENEUVE Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs, fourth round (122nd overall) in 2020.
I felt William played a low risk and efficient game at the Memorial Cup. His outlets were clean and he skated some pucks at times as well. He seems to be rounding into a two-way defence prospect who won’t jump out with an elite element in any one category, but could provide a responsible game defensively.
JEREMIE POIRIER Drafted by the Calgary Flames, third round (72nd overall) in 2020.
There was a time I was very concerned about the high risk game that Poirier played. Defending and detail seemed to be an afterthought dating back a few years. Fast forward to today and I see a player who has scaled back some of his risk and plays with more detail, but still has the ability to create offence. He produced one goal and three points at the Memorial Cup. Poirier could end up being a nice find for the Flames.
The CHL season has finally come to an end. The last couple years have been difficult on the players, organizations, and the scouting fraternity. I could have written reports on many more deserving players from this tournament. Congratulations to the CHL and Saint John, New Brunswick for getting the Memorial Cup back on schedule.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
