Sports
Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans 'never lost confidence' as team battled for Grey Cup victory – CBC.ca
Priti Shah had no doubt in her mind that her Winnipeg Blue Bombers would take home the Grey Cup Sunday night.
“I was nauseous,” Shah said in an interview at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton after the Blue Bombers beat the Tiger-Cats 33-25 in a thrilling overtime win.
Shah has been a Bomber fan for decades, ever since her dad took her to a game and taught her the game. The team feels like family, she says.
Shah witnessed Winnipeg history Sunday as the Bombers won their second straight Grey Cup for the first time in nearly 60 years. The team hasn’t won back-to-back Grey Cups since the 1961-62 season.
“But I never lost confidence. Never.”
The team’s win was a testament to their quality after going a league-best 11-3 in the shortened regular season.
Blue Bomber defensive end Willie Jefferson said the team felt like they could hear the fans in Winnipeg.
“We heard all the cheers back in Manitoba,” Jefferson said after the game. “This is for y’all. If you don’t like Winnipeg, eat your heart out.”
“It’s resilience, it’s camaraderie, it’s a family. It’s Winnipeg,” he said.
This is the third time in franchise history the team has won two titles in a row. This historic moment means a lot to Winnipeg long snapper Mike Benson.
“This is my dream,” said Benson, who was born in Winnipeg and attended St. Paul’s High School.
His mom, fiancée and eight-month-old son, Wilder, all came to Hamilton to watch the game. Wilder slept through the post-game celebrations.
“This was his first flight, his first Grey Cup — he’s not even a year old. He never missed a home game,” Benson said.
After the game, Hamilton fans quickly filed out of Tim Hortons Field, but hundreds of Blue Bomber fans stuck around to soak in the feeling.
“I’m still in shock,” said Trevor Finch, who’s been a season ticket holder for 27 years. He credits his late father for turning him into a Bomber fan. The last game they watched together before he died was the 1990 Grey Cup match up between Winnipeg and Edmonton.
“My dad is the reason I’m a fan,” said Finch.
“He would have been right there beside me, laughing and cheering, but probably also feeling bad for the Hamilton fans. But they’ll get their chance.”
The Bombers will head back to Winnipeg with the cup. Public celebrations have yet to be formally announced, but players are hoping for a parade through downtown.
Head Coach Mike O’Shea, who is now 6-0 for Grey Cup games in his CFL career, said he’s looking forward to watching his team celebrate back in Winnipeg with the fans.
“I know it’s tougher this year with COVID, but it’s gotta be a nice relief for the fans,” said O’Shea after the game.
“It’s been a tough couple years and I know we still have challenges ahead of us, but I’m hoping we can provide some happiness and joy for the province.”
Hometown support at home
Back home in Winnipeg, hundreds of fans of all ages gathered downtown at Portage Avenue and Main Street to celebrate the win.
Eleven-year-old Connor Weight was there blowing a large blue horn to show his enthusiasm.
“It’s pretty important because the Bombers just did a Grey Cup repeat and it’s amazing,” Connor said.
Long-time Bomber fan Don Seaton said he has two tattoos — one on each hand — of his favourite team, but he’s planning on getting another to mark the latest Grey Cup win after he finishes celebrating with others in blue.
“Best way to win, best way to end a 29-year drought — two cups in a row!”
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.”
Sports
Senators score 5 in 1st, cruise past Sabres – NHL.com
“I thought that we were ready to go,” Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. “We got some pucks at the net, we got people at the net. Took advantage of our opportunities and, I think, built a nice lead. And then I thought, in the third period, we continued again. Our goaltending was good. Made some key saves. But I thought we shut them down in the third period good.”
Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and an assist for the Senators (31-36-4), who have won three in a row. Korpisalo made 34 saves.
“If you want to win, you need balance,” Pinto said. “And we had that tonight and it’s going to be big for the back-to-back tomorrow (against the Chicago Blackhawks) to have that same thing. So, going to need all the guys on board.”
JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton scored for the Sabres (34-34-5), who have lost four of six. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on nine shots before he was replaced by Devon Levi, who made 31 saves in relief.
“We wanted, I guess, to play as individuals,” Clifton said. “I’m disappointed we let ‘Upie’ down, he’s the heart and soul of this team. He’s kept us in so many games, and just to not show up and play that careless style, give them freebies all over the place. … Yeah, obviously, the first 20 really dictated the rest of the game.”
Artem Zub gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 2:37 of the first period. He stuffed in a loose puck on the goal line after Katchouk’s shot was redirected by Mark Kastelic between Luukkonen’s pads.
Katchouk made it 2-0 at 4:56, tipping Parker Kelly’s shot from the top of the right face-off circle past Luukkonen.
“It’s keeping the consistency with good effort, right habits,” Katchouk said. “The small things matter so much in this game. And obviously, it worked out tonight with the tip. But kudos to my linemates. ‘Kels’ and ‘Kassy,’ they worked hard to get the puck as well. Those two battle hard every night as well. We feed off each other, and it’s good to play with them.”
Sports
Vasilevskiy stops 23 as surging Lightning beat Bruins – Sportsnet.ca
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