Before the Leafs opened training camp a few guys – Joe Thornton, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Rasmus Sandin and Mac Hollowell – returned to Canada and quarantined together in the same house. And it was there that the ‘Willy Styles’ nickname was born.
“It comes from Jumbo when we were in a quarantine house together,” Nylander revealed. “He started calling me that so I put that on my sticks now.”
William Nylander has two sticks on the bench for warmup. One says ‘Nylander’. the other says ‘Willy Styles’. pic.twitter.com/LowI8AkUZo
“You know what, you’ll have to ask him,” Nylander said with a smile. “I don’t know.”
Nylander certainly isn’t afraid to make a splash with his fashion choices off the ice.
“It’s different, but it suits his personality,” said even-keeled captain John Tavares. “Me and him always joke about how we’re very opposite of each other, but we get along really well. People would see me as being a lot more reserved, kind of a little bit quieter, and Willy’s just a fun, outgoing guy and obviously likes to be a little bit different and showcase that, which is fantastic. It’s part of who he is and what makes him a great person, a great teammate, a great player so, obviously, we love having him and those styles.”
Nylander also possesses style on the ice and is on a hot streak of late with four goals in three games. He scored a backhand beauty over the shoulder of Mikko Koskinen moments after a neutral-zone draw on Monday night.
“He has that elite skill and you know when he gets his chances the majority of the time they’re going to go in,” said Leafs defenceman Justin Holl. “Some guys just know how to score and he’s one of them.”
And while Nylander recently admitted to underperforming at times this season, there’s no denying how valuable he is to a Leafs team that has won a couple games this week without leading goal scorer Auston Matthews in the lineup.
“He’s very important,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe, who hasn’t hesitated to give Nylander a metaphorical kick when necessary. “He has an ability to make the difference in a game, because in any shift and any time he can make a difference offensively. He can do the hardest thing to do in our game, which is to produce offence and that makes him extremely valuable to our team.”
But Nylander appears to have a crimp in his style right now. He was in discomfort on the bench after scoring in the first period on Monday and was conferring with head athletic therapist Paul Ayotte. A little later, during a commercial break, Nylander was doing a lot of stretching.
“Just a maintenance day for him,” said Keefe. “He’s had something that he’s been managing and playing through here and just wanted to give him the day to let that settle down.”
Nic Petan skated as a placeholder in Nylander’s spot on the second line.
Nylander heating up on the ice and living up to his new ‘Willy Styles’ nickname
The suddenly red-hot William Nylander says he isn’t exactly sure why Joe Thornton gave him the nickname ‘Willy Styles’, but when one of the greatest playmakers of all-time passes you a nickname, you run with it. Mark Masters delves deeper into Nylander’s new nickname in the Masters Minute.
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Matthews practised in his usual spot on the top line skating between Thornton and Mitch Marner.
“It’s feeling a lot better,” the 23-year-old centre said. “It’s been progressing and each day I’ve been on the ice, the last two, three days, it’s felt better and better. [I’ve] been able to be more comfortable out there with the way I want to play and the way I want to handle the puck and stuff like that. So, hopefully it just continues to heal, continues to get better and we’ll see how it is tomorrow. I’d love to get back in a game here.”
Matthews missed one game with a wrist injury earlier this season. He hurt the wrist again last Wednesday against the Flames.
“We’re just waiting, really, for the strength to come back,” Keefe said on Monday night. “It’s a little bit of a different situation that he’s dealing with than what it was previously. That was just kind of a nagging thing. This is a little bit of a different situation.”
With the Leafs sitting comfortably in first place, there’s certainly no rush to return. The top priority is ensuring Matthews will be at his best when the most important games are played.
“I want to feel good enough to play and feel like I can contribute and play my game, but not hinder my ability and long-term [prospects] because, in the end, we’re playing for more than just the regular season,” Matthews said. “That’s a decision I’ll make and the training staff will discuss, but I don’t think we’re really going to over-complicate it.”
Matthews’ wrist ‘progressing’; Could play next game against Oilers
Auston Matthews missed the Maple Leafs last two games with a wrist injury sustained on a hit from Rasmus Andersson against the Flames. He spoke to the media today about how his injury is progressing, and how well the team has been able to play in his absence.
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Frederik Andersen practised again on Tuesday as the goalie works his way back from a lower-body injury sustained on Feb. 20. Jack Campbell took the ice after practice wrapped up.
“Andersen had a positive day today and that’s a great thing for us,” Keefe said. “We’ll have to see how he is tomorrow and make a determination from there. Campbell skated, but he’s not going to be available.”
Campbell re-aggravated a leg injury, initially suffered on Jan. 24, during Saturday’s game. He still managed to post a shutout against the high-octane Oilers. Third stringer Michael Hutchinson followed that up with another clean sheet on Monday.
“I just wanted to open it up with comments about our goalies,” alternate captain Morgan Rielly said before a question could be asked during his media session following Monday’s game. “The past two nights they’ve been outstanding and they don’t get enough credit. Soup and Hutchy have been outstanding for us all year and two games in a row against a good team has been just a huge boost to our team. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Leafs Ice Chips: Andersen getting close; maintenance day for Nylander
Frederik Andersen is getting close to returning from a lower-body injury. “Andersen had a positive day today and that’s a great thing for us,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “We’ll have to see how he is tomorrow and make a determination from there.” William Nylander missed the workout. “Just a maintenance day for him,” said Keefe. “He’s had something that he’s been managing and playing through.”
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The Leafs made life easier on their goalies by limiting Edmonton’s time and space in the offensive zone.
“If you’re playing without Auston Matthews you’re essentially taking a goal out of your lineup,” said Keefe, “and then you have to make sure you’re that much better defensively and you don’t give up anything so I think that’s been our mindset … It really forces you to fall back on your structure, play as a team, get guys to step up at key moments, all those kind of things.”
NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid has been held without a point in consecutive games for the first time this season.
“They’re playing solid,” the Oilers captain said. “Give them a lot of credit. They’ve had some good goaltending. They’re defending well. They’re surrounding pucks well so they’re making it hard on us … They’re obviously missing some key pieces, but it speaks to their depth, their coaching and the players themselves. They’ve played well. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
Since Day 1 of camp, Keefe has made improving the team’s overall defensive play a priority. They’ve been looking to cut down rush chances against and prevent other teams from hemming them in their own zone for long stretches.
“The defensive foundation and mindset is not a one-man thing,” said Keefe. “It’s not relying on a few players. That’s a team mindset. That’s playing in groups of five and insulating each other. When one man makes a mistake you got the numerical advantages and the pressure to make up for it … we’re getting to the point here now where we’re proving that we’re a team that can defend well.”
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The Oilers are averaging 3.29 goals per game (fifth in the NHL) this season, but couldn’t get a puck past Toronto’s back-up goalies and frustration with evident.
McDavid took a cross-checking penalty on Holl on Monday.
Alex Chiasson cross-checked Jimmy Vesey in the neck after the buzzer in the third period and was assessed a one-game suspension.
Edmonton’s Alex Chiasson has been suspended for one game for Cross-checking Toronto’s Jimmy Vesey. https://t.co/EU3N6sbCo9
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 2, 2021
“They’re probably trying to look for a spark so it’s all very understandable and it’s part of the game and we’re looking to be physical right back,” said Holl.
Josh Archibald and Travis Dermott dropped the gloves in the last minute of the game, but it turned into more of a wresting match. After practice ended on Tuesday, Dermott got some fighting tips from veteran defenceman Zach Bogosian.
Keefe likes how his team has handled things on the few occasions that things have gotten heated this season.
“Our guys aren’t fazed by it,” the coach said. “I think that’s an important thing. We’ve added some extra experience to our team. I think that makes a difference. Guys are comfortable no matter which way the game goes.”
Travis Dermott vs Josh Archibald from the Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers game on Mar 1, 2021 https://t.co/DJA9OuFzYs
The line of Zach Hyman, Pierre Engvall and Ilya Mikheyev has shown so much potential in Edmonton that nicknames for the unit are making the rounds. Some like the HEM Line because they are good at keeping the opposition trapped in their own end. Some prefer the ZIP Line, because they bring so much speed and energy.
You can certainly call them effective.
“They’re both so big and strong and fast,” Hyman said of the 6-foot-5 Engvall and 6-foot-3 Mikheyev. “I think we’re able to put pressure on the opposing team’s D and break out of our zone quick. They’ve been really fun to play with. I feel like we have the puck a lot because we can all skate and we can all move up and down the ice really well. We’re trying to use their speed as much as possible and put the puck in position for both those guys to skate onto it and once we’re in the zone just control some O-zone time.”
The line has produced a goal in both games in Edmonton with Hyman scoring both.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities are investigating the disappearance of two Paralympic athletes from Congo who recently competed in the Paris Games, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny confirmed on Thursday.
Prosecutors opened the investigation on Sept. 7, after members of the athletes’ delegation warned authorities of their disappearance two days before.
Le Parisien newspaper reported that shot putter Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, a visually impaired sprinter who was accompanied by a guide, went missing on Sept. 5, along with a third person.
The athletes’ suitcases were also gone but their passports remained with the Congolese delegation, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the case.
The Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press.
Nganga — who recorded no mark in the seated javelin and shot put competitions — and Mouambako were Congo’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, organizers said.
