Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat knows his team has a lot to prove this season.
After finishing third in the Pacific Division with a 36-27-6 record last year, few onlookers believed the squad would make a deep post-season run.
Yet the Canucks beat the Minnesota Wild in the qualifying round and dispatched the then-defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues before being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in a seven-game Western Conference semifinal.
“We took a huge step in the bubble but now we’ve got to back that up,” Horvat said. “We’ve got to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we want to get better and better every game this year.”
Improving could be a challenge after the Canucks lost several key pieces in free agency, including all-star goalie Jacob Markstrom and veteran defenceman Chris Tanev, who both signed with the Calgary Flames.
Much of Vancouver’s skilled young core remains, however, including centre Elias Pettersson, who tallied 66 regular-season points (27 goals, 39 assists) in his second season, and defenceman Quinn Hughes, runner-up for the league’s rookie of the year last season.
Coming to the end of a truncated training camp, Canucks coach Travis Green likes what he sees from his group.
“The tempo of our practices has been sharp, the execution has steadily been getting better. I thought the competitiveness of our last game was high,” he said. “I like the way our team looks right now and we’re ready to get going.”
After finishing last year’s unusual season on a high, the Canucks are a tight-knit group full of players constantly pushing one another to improve, Horvat said.
“We all want the same goal at the end of the day and that’s to win,” he said. “And I think that’s the biggest thing you can ask from our teammates is for the guy beside you to go to war with you. And I think we have that in our room.”
CROWDED CREASE
With Markstrom gone, Vancouver inked former Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby to a two-year, US$8.6-million deal. The former Vézina Trophy winner will share the net with Thatcher Demko, who posted a 13-10-2 record in regular-season play last year. When an injury sidelined Markstrom in the playoffs, Demko stole the show with highlight-reel stops and a .985 save percentage across his three starts.
SOPHOMORE SIZZLE
Hughes put up 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) in his first full season, leading all rookies in scoring. The 21-year-old defenceman spent the off-season training with his brother, Jack — the No. 1 overall pick at the 2019 NHL draft — and said he’s feeling more mature and stronger heading into his sophomore campaign.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
J.T. Miller has set his sights on helping Vancouver’s power play become one of the best in the league. Last year, the veteran winger registered 25 of his 72 regular-season points with the man advantage and the Canucks had the fourth-best power play in the league (24.2 per cent).
NEW LOOK
Forward Josh Leivo also decamped to Calgary with Markstrom and Tanev in free agency, while sniper Tyler Toffoli signed with Montreal and homegrown defenceman Troy Stecher moved on to the Detroit Red Wings. To help fill some holes, the Canucks signed Holtby in free agency and acquired defenceman Nate Schmidt from the Golden Knights. Vancouver also brought in blue-liner Travis Hamonic on a professional tryout contract and is expected to make the agreement more permanent this week.
SCHEDULE WATCH
The Canucks will have a tough stretch to start, playing back-to-back games three times in January. The early crunch should pay off at the end of March when the team is scheduled to get six days off in a row.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2021.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
