Sports
Summer McIntosh sets another world junior, national record, headlines Canadian world championship team
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Summer McIntosh has capped off one of the most impressive swimming meets ever by setting another world junior and Canadian record at the national trials.
A night after an electrifying world record-breaking swim in the 400-metre individual medley, McIntosh powered her way to another memorable swim, this time in the 200m freestyle.
The 16-year-old phenom lowered her record with a time of 1:53.91 on Sunday night at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
“I mean I’m pretty exhausted at this point but it’s been a lot of fun to compete in my home pool with all the Canadians in the stands, and honestly the only reason I can do this is because of everyone surrounding me, my teammates, friends, family and my coaches,” McIntosh said.
“It was pretty hard. I tried to leave it all in the pool. Overall I’m pretty happy with the race. There are always things to improve on but to finish this week this way I’m overall happy.”
In her five events this week, McIntosh broke five world junior and Canadian records, including two world records.
“Learning how to recover in between events with this big lineup. It’s not just recovering physically but mentally too. You don’t want to get too high or too long because that can really distract you. You just want to stay as chill as possible,” McIntosh said.
Worlds roster finalized
After a week of extraordinary performances, not only by McIntosh but many other athletes, Swimming Canada finalized its roster for worlds this upcoming July in Fukuoka, Japan.
Canada is sending one of its most competitive teams ever to a swimming world championships, including 31 athletes.
The talent is jaw-dropping and the depth in the program is unparalleled — nine Canadian records were broken throughout the six days of competition in Toronto.
Along with McIntosh other household names include Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil, most decorated FINA swimmer Kylie Masse, rising star and NCAA champion Josh Liendo, 18-year-old Ilya Kharun as well as Katerine Savard who is making her sixth world championship appearance for Canada.
Here is the full list:
- Javier Acevedo — Toronto
- Sophie Angus — Weston, Conn.
- Jeremy Bagshaw — Victoria
- Eric Brown — Pointe-Claire, Que.
- James Dergousoff — Christina Lake, B.C.
- Brooklyn Douthwright — Riverview, N.B.
- Emma Finlin — Mississauga, Ont.
- Edouard Fullum-Huot — Montreal
- Ruslan Gaziev — Moscow
- Collyn Gagne — Milton, Ont.
- Mary-Sophie Harvey — Trois-Rivières, Que.
- Hanna Henderson — Mississauga, Ont.
- Patrick Hussey — Montreal
- Ella Jansen — Burlington, Ont.
- Ilya Kharun — Montreal
- Finlay Knox — Okotoks, Alta.
- Josh Liendo — Markham, Ont.
- Maggie Mac Neil — London, Ont.
- Kylie Masse — LaSalle, Ont.
- Summer McIntosh — Toronto
- Hugh McNeill — Langley, B.C.
- Emma O’Croinin — Edmonton
- Penny Oleksiak — Toronto
- Sydney Pickrem — Clearwater, Fla.
- Taylor Ruck — Kelowna, B.C.
- Katerine Savard — Pont-Rouge, Que.
- Brayden Taivassalo — Markham, Ont.
- Lorne Wigginton — Calgary
- Ingrid Wilm — Norwich, England
- Kelsey Wog — Winnipeg
- Mabel Zavaros — Burlington, Ont.
“Team is looking awesome. We’re looking good. Last year I showed the world that I can compete at the highest level. Now it’s about going back there and improving on that performance,” Liendo said.
Liendo set a Canadian record in the 50m fly in a time of 23.27 to finish his competition on Sunday night.
“It’s been so much fun. It was just good to be back,” he said.
“Last year bronze and silvers. But the goal is to be at the top of the podium and I’m going to keep working and keep fighting to get there.”
High performance director John Atkinson has called this the golden generation of Canadian swimming.
“Like I said at the beginning, it’s here and it’s now and it’s coming to Fukuoka, Japan this summer,” Atkinson said.
“Everyone can enjoy this moment and enjoy the celebratory feeling of making a Canadian team going to the world championships, which is always special.”
But for as good as the Canadian swimmers and Atkinson are feeling right now, it’s back to business in short order to start preparing for worlds.
Last summer at the world championships in Budapest Canadian swimmers won an historic 11 medals, including breaking five Canadian records.
Many are still talking about McIntosh’s performance at these trials.
The Toronto native started the event by breaking the 400m freestyle world record, stopping the clock in a time of 3:56.08, breaking the record held by Ariarne Titmus of Australia.
McIntosh is the first swimmer in history to hold both the 400m freestyle and 400m individual medley long course world records at the same time.
On Thursday night, McIntosh broke her own world junior record in the 200m individual medley. Her time of 2:06.89 yesterday would have won gold at worlds last summer. It also would have won gold at the Tokyo Olympics by more than a second.
On Friday night, McIntosh set a world junior and Canadian record in the 200m butterfly.
Her time of 2:04.70 took down her previous record time (2:05.05) set earlier this month.
The swimmer that has been called a once in a generation talent has certainly lived up to that billing after an unforgettable national trials.
“It’s amazing to have all the Canadians in the stands. I feel all of their support and I just want to say thank you to everyone for supporting me and cheering me on. It really does mean the world,” McIntosh said.
Now she has her sights set on the world championships.
Her Sarasota Sharks coach Brent Arckey has been named to the Canadian support staff.
“I’m there for Summer. I’m there to help Canada be the best they possibly can be. I’ll be the guy who will do whatever anybody needs. I’m there to help Summer work through a big problem and also there to help the team,” he said.
Arckey says this was optimal preparation for worlds.
“Really special. We have a 16-year-old girl here that every time she gets in the water we have super high expectations. We should all be super proud of her and what she’s doing for her country,” he said.
“We had to come to a six-day swim meet, swim multiple things and we’ll go and evaluate next week. I’m already thinking about some things and I’m sure she is too. We’ll put our heads together and figure out how we’re going to make ourselves better for worlds.”
Other results
Savard won a close battle with Masse in the women’s 50 butterfly, beating the fellow Tokyo Olympian by just 0.03 seconds with a time of 26.56.
Javier Acevedo wrapped up a strong week by topping the podium in the men’s 200 freestyle (1:47.72). The 25-year-old from Toronto lowered his Canadian record in the men’s 50 backstroke to 24.90 on Wednesday.
Sunday’s Para winners were Shelby Newkirk in the women’s 100 backstroke multi-class (1:21.06) and Nicholas Bennett in the men’s 100 backstroke multi-class (1:02.57).
Eric Brown won the men’s 1,500 freestyle in 15:26.85 for his third national title of the week, while Mabel Zavaros won the women’s 800 freestyle (8:38.17).
Sports
Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports
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.
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.
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Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
Sports
Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com
TORONTO — Auston 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.
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.”
Sports
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.
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
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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