'We came close': Oilers fans stunned as Stanley Cup dream dies in Florida | Canada News Media
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‘We came close’: Oilers fans stunned as Stanley Cup dream dies in Florida

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EDMONTON – Oh, rats.

Canada’s latest attempt to bring the Stanley Cup home died dramatically on the edge of the Everglades on Monday, leaving fans from Edmonton to Florida thrilled at the ride but crushed at the destination.

The Oilers fell one game short of a comeback for the ages, winning three in a row to tie the final series only to drop the deciding Game 7 to the Florida Panthers by a score of 2-1.

Thousands of fans who packed the plaza outside Edmonton’s Rogers Place stood in stunned silence watching on a big screen as Panthers players celebrated behind their net and the Florida crowd littered the ice with their trademark good-luck black plastic rats.

Some in Edmonton threw their drinks toward the big screen, a few gave hugs to those standing in sadness, others started walking out with their hands jammed in their pockets.

Inside the arena, about 16,000 also watched in dismay on the big screen as the game wound down.

“We didn’t put ourselves in the greatest position, going down 3-0,” said Tayo Yachimec.

“But we battled back. We came close in the end”

“It’s a little bit tough to take, but it is what it is,” added Christopher Alucema.

The consolation, he said, is two months watching playoff games in the rink and on the plaza, cheering with his friend, surrounded by fans.

“It was worth every penny. I’d do it again if I had to,” Alucema said. “(It’s a) lifetime of memories I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”

“We had a good run,” said Gerard Pattenden.

“(But) it’s bringing back the old memories of ‘06. We get to the finals and we lose Game 7.

“It kind of sucks.”

Blue and orange fans were also a large and vocal contingent in the Florida rink. A rough eyeball count of tailgate parties under palm trees out front put about half in the Oilers camp, half for the Panthers.

At one point, the Edmonton faithful’s chant of “Go Oilers Go!” overpowered the local contingent’s cry of “Let’s Go Panthers!”

It was a disheartening end to two months of playoff madness in Edmonton.

Fans chalked up streets, got tattoos, wore jerseys and flew Oilers flags from all manner of motorized transport, including a faux Zamboni.

The Oilers were on the verge of history, repeating a feat accomplished only once in the history of the NHL, when the wartime 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs were down three games and came back to win four in a row to take the Cup.

The near-victory captured the national imagination, but more so in Edmonton. The city already has five Stanley Cups but for decades has been feeding off the scraps of faded glory from the Wayne Gretzky glory days of the 1980s.

The Stanley waiting game continues for the rest of Canada, which has not had a Cup winner since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

Canadian teams have since come close, sometimes achingly so, to snatching Stanley back.

Five times they pushed opponents to a seventh and deciding game before going home empty-handed: Vancouver in 1994 and 2011; Calgary in 2004; Edmonton in 2006, and again on Monday.

Through much of the last century, the trophy had more or less held permanent resident status in Canada – commuting between Toronto and Montreal, and relocating to hang with Gordie Howe and company in Detroit for a spell in the 1950s.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Stanley alternated between Canada and the U.S., mainly shuttling between Montreal and Edmonton along with homes on the U.S. East Coast, notably Long Island.

By the 1990s, it was goodbye Canada. Stanley was squired away by the New York Rangers in 1994. From Broadway, Stanley hit the road to California and New England, Vegas to Florida, the Sun Belt to the Rust Belt. He partied with Penguins, weather systems and natural disasters: Hurricanes, Avalanches and Lightning. He was a Blackhawk, a Blue, a Star, a Duck.

And now, a Panther.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2024.

— With files from Rob Drinkwater and David Boles in Edmonton and Gregory Strong in Sunrise, Fla.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misspelled the first of Tayo Yachimec.

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A timeline of events in the bread price-fixing scandal

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Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.

Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.

Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.

Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.

Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.

Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).

Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.

June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.

Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”

Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.

July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.

Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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S&P/TSX composite up more than 250 points, U.S. stock markets also higher

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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 250 points in late-morning trading, led by strength in the base metal and technology sectors, while U.S. stock markets also charged higher.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 254.62 points at 23,847.22.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 432.77 points at 41,935.87. The S&P 500 index was up 96.38 points at 5,714.64, while the Nasdaq composite was up 486.12 points at 18,059.42.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.68 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.

The November crude oil contract was up 89 cents at US$70.77 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down a penny at US2.27 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$9.40 at US$2,608.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.33 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Quebec premier calls on Bloc Québécois to help topple Trudeau government next week

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MONTREAL – Quebec Premier François Legault says the Bloc Québécois must vote to topple the federal Liberal government next week and trigger an election.

Legault called on Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to summon the “courage” to ask the Bloc to support the expected Conservative non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government on Tuesday.

The Bloc and PQ, which both campaign for Quebec independence, are ideologically aligned and have historically worked together.

But moments later Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said on X that he would not vote to topple Trudeau, saying he serves Quebecers “according to my own judgment.”

Legault made the comments after expressing frustration with what he described as Ottawa’s inaction on curbing the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec, especially asylum seekers.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said he will put forward a motion of non-confidence in the government on Sept. 24, and specifically challenged NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to back it.

The Conservatives don’t have enough votes to pass the motion with just one of the Bloc or the NDP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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