TORONTO — Eighteen days ago Jason Spezza was willing to retire if another NHL team decided to pluck him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nine days ago he watched a game from the press box in Calgary while Sheldon Keefe worked some fresh legs in on the fourth line.
And on Thursday night Spezza turned back the clock with a hat trick that left his teammates buzzing.
To fully grasp what the moment meant inside a socially distanced dressing room you must first understand why the 37-year-old is so beloved here. It’s not just because he’s always stepping up with advice or assistance for teammates, although he certainly does that. It’s not even because of the impressive NHL career and resume he’s built, although that naturally gives him cache.
No, what stands out most about Spezza at age 37 is that he’s still pouring every ounce of energy he has into being a hockey player. His much younger teammates see him as a peer, not an oracle. And he’s earned their respect.
“He means a lot to this team,” said Auston Matthews. “I think more than anybody knows.”
You could see it in the way they celebrated Spezza’s third goal against the Vancouver Canucks, after he settled a chest-high pass and drove around Alex Edler like it was 2008 again. Justin Holl and John Tavares pinned him in a celebration circle immediately. William Nylander looked like an overexcited kid who had just witnessed something that blew his mind.
More than the goals — each of which was a beauty — that’s what Spezza himself will remember most about his eighth NHL hat trick and first since April 9, 2016.
“Those are moments that I think you never forget,” he said.
These sort of touch points are important in any season, but arguably more so now. The challenges are ever-present even when you’re humming along at the top of the NHL standings with an 8-2-1 record, as the Leafs were after their 7-3 victory over the Canucks.
On Thursday they came from the introduction of more stringent health and safety protocols, including a new league-wide mandate preventing players from arriving at the arena more than an hour and 45 minutes before puck drop.
That change is particularly tough for a rink rat like Spezza, who has carved out a routine over 1,200-plus games that requires a much earlier start. But he pointed out that the Leafs made a vow during training camp to roll with the punches this season and after teammates doused him with water inside the dressing room following Thursday’s victory they also chirped him about following the wrong pre-game ritual these last 18 years.
Those are the kind of moments that help bond a team through the grind, and no one embraces the grind quite like Spezza. He was on the ice for extra skills work Monday even when it could have been an excused day off. And he was one of the only regulars to come out for Thursday’s optional morning skate at Scotiabank Arena, setting up shop early to help Frederik Andersen with some goalie-specific drills.
Spezza once explained that when he was young he worked hard to get better and now he recognizes the need to work hard just to hold on to whatever he still has.
“He’s been amazing,” said Mitch Marner. “He’s still a big-name player in this league. He still gets a lot of respect around the league for everything he does. I remember the first day when we did sign him [in 2019], and then obviously coming back this year, just the excitement in our team and just the excitement in our group chat of having him back.”
Spezza has struck up a strong relationship with Matthews despite the 14 years between them. As a former top draft pick and franchise cornerstone he understands what Matthews goes through, sure, but the real key to their connection is found on a much more basic level.
“We both share a pretty big passion about our sticks, so I think naturally we pretty much hit it off pretty early,” said Matthews. “Just his dedication. He can’t take a day off the ice. Like, when we have days off he still goes in there and he skates, he prepares his sticks, prepares his gear, he’ll do whatever, he just loves being at the rink.”
There isn’t one person inside the organization who questions Spezza’s commitment to the cause.
He didn’t complain when he was scratched on opening night in 2019 by former coach Mike Babcock after joining his hometown team on a league-minimum contract. He didn’t balk when general manager Kyle Dubas phoned his agent last month to explain that the Leafs were putting him through waivers as a paper move to free up more roster flexibility.
And he knows that he must still earn his place in Keefe’s lineup on a nightly basis — something that looks pretty secure after putting up eight points in the first 10 games in limited minutes. No regular on the team is even close to his 4.39 points per hour to start this season.
The vast majority of players with Spezza’s bank account and past glories wouldn’t still be subjecting themselves to all of this. He’s held on to a pure love for the sport despite how ugly its business can occasionally be, and part of his reward is a night like Thursday.
Officially, he’s still here giving it everything he’s got to try and win a Stanley Cup. But that only explains the desired destination. Spezza’s real secret is he’s learned to love the journey and the guys around him have come to recognize how special that is.
“I don’t think you can ever replicate the bond you have with teammates over the years,” Spezza said. “There’s ups and downs, and kind of trials and tribulations, but you always have each other’s back and that’s pretty special stuff. You don’t get that unless you’re playing.
“For me I try to stay motivated and keep myself relevant and make sure that I can help the team out so I can keep playing.”
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
