Canada Sports News

Sam Bennett’s history of playoff disruption dates back to his teen debut  Sportsnet.ca

1. 5 ex-Canadian world junior hockey players back in court in September on sexual assault charges  CBC.ca
2. Trial date to be set in June for 2018 World Junior case  Sportsnet.ca
3. World juniors players charged with sexual assault back in court on Tuesday | CTV News  CTV News London
4. Sex assault case of former Canada world junior hockey players back in court in June  CP24
5. Sex assault case of former world junior players back in court today  OrilliaMatters

1. Rory McIlroy files for divorce from wife Erica Stoll after seven years of marriage  The Globe and Mail
2. Rory McIlroy files for divorce  GolfDigest.com
3. Rory McIlroy files for divorce from wife, day before arriving for 2024 PGA Championship  USA TODAY
4. Golfer Rory McIlroy Breaks Silence on Erica Stoll Divorce  Us Weekly
5. Rory McIlroy Files for Divorce from Wife Erica After 7 Years of Marriage  PEOPLE

The Toronto Maple Leafs Hot-Take Factory: Marner, Coach, Hart + Accountability  Editor in LeafView Full Coverage on Google News

TORONTO — Emphasizing the entertainment in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the main reason for significant renovations to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.

Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, swung a sledgehammer through a wall on the 100-level concourse on Tuesday morning as part of a ceremonial groundbreaking at the home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors. Pelley said that how fans experience in-person sporting events has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a greater level of engagement expected for their entertainment dollars.

“If we were just in the sports business, we probably wouldn’t be having this type of aggressive, ambitious, forward-thinking way of looking at the re-imagination,” said Pelley, alluding to the project’s official title Scotiabank Arena Reimagination. “I love the name because imagination is what you need right now in every type of experience that you’re giving to the fans.”

MLSE is investing approximately $350 million into the four-phase renovation of the 25-year-old arena that Pelley noted is the busiest in Canada, fourth busiest in North America, and 10th busiest in the world. Phase 1 was completed last summer and was focused on the 200 level of the arena, a section primarily dedicated to luxury boxes.

Construction could not begin on Phase 2 — which is focused on the 100 level — until the Maple Leafs and Raptors, the venue’s primary occupants, had finished their seasons. Pelley said in opening remarks at the ceremony that the second of four phases would largely be complete by the time those two teams started their 2024-25 seasons but concerts over the summer would be affected.

Nick Eaves, MLSE’s chief venues and operations officer, said that the most obvious change to fans entering the arena in the fall will be signage all over the main concourse that will change based on the game or concert being held.

“It’s really beginning the sort of the energy and the experience that the fan has been thinking about all day in the lead-up to their events,” said Eaves as construction continued down the hall from him. “Hopefully they’re anticipating that as they approach the building, but as soon as they come in on this 100-level concourse, they’ll feel that energy.

“They’ll be into their Leafs mode, Raptors mode, live music concert mode, and that’s really exciting.”

Eaves said there will be rolling closures of the 100-level concourse when the Maple Leafs and Raptors begin their new seasons. The closures will be on the east side, then the south side, and finally on the west section.

Both the Maple Leafs and Raptors have raised ticket prices over the past five years, but Eaves said that decision has nothing to do with the construction project.

“There’s no correlation between ticket pricing and renovations in the building,” said Eaves. “Every year the team goes and looks at the market and makes a determination on ticket pricing but completely independent of any renovation that we do, or don’t do.”

Storied French soccer club Saint-Étienne said on Monday it was in exclusive talks for a sale to Kilmer Group, co-owner of MLSE. 

The full purchase of the 1976 European Cup finalist by Kilmer Group should be ratified within weeks, the club said in a statement four days before a key end-of-season game in its push to be promoted back to the top tier.

It was also reported on Friday that Kilmer Group has also landed a WNBA franchise to start playing in May 2026 at Coca-Cola Coliseum, another venue operated by MLSE.

— With files from The Associated Press.

Storied French soccer club Saint-Etienne said on Monday it was in exclusive talks for a sale to Toronto businessman Larry Tanenbaum.

Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is hoping Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can drive separate lines to success in Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks

Knoblauch told reporters Tuesday he’ll start the game with McDavid and Draisaitl centring their own lines, though he added it’s possible they’ll join forces as the game goes on.

McDavid is expected to be between Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, while Draisaitl is with Evander Kane and Dylan Holloway.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Full coverage

McDavid and Draisaitl spent the majority of Games 2 and 3 together. McDavid played 29:42 in the last game, with Draisaitl at 29:04.

Meanwhile, Knoblauch said defenceman Philip Broberg could draw into the lineup as a seventh defenceman.

Forward Adam Henrique also will miss his third game in a row with a lower-body injury.

Finally, Calvin Pickard makes his first career playoff start in goal, replacing the struggling Stuart Skinner.

The Canucks lead the series 2-1. Watch Game 4 on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.

1. Cinquième match face aux Panthers | Les Bruins seront privés de Brad Marchand  La Presse
2. LNH : Les Bruins de Boston affrontent les Panthers de la Floride  RDS
3. La croisière s'amuse  Le Journal de Montréal
4. À TVA SPORTS | Bruins - Panthers  TVA Sports
5. Bruins: Marchand n'est « pas une option » pour le match no 5 | LNH.com  NHL.com

1. Sacha Boisvert au rang du Canadien dans le repêchage simulé de The Athletic  DansLesCoulisses
2. Rondelle libre | Pourquoi les Sharks n'auraient-ils pas le droit de tanker, eux ?  La Presse
3. Canadien: un 5e choix, ça donne curieusement un joueur meilleur qu'un 4e choix  Le Journal de Québec
4. Beckett Sennecke pourrait être choisi par le CH au cinquième rang, selon Arpon Basu  DansLesCoulisses
5. Le CH doit repêcher un ailier top six!  TVA Sports

The UFC is set to hold a September event in France for the third time in as many years.

The organization announced Tuesday a Fight Night event will take place Sept. 28 at Accor Arena in Paris.

UFC Fight Night

Watch UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy on SN360 and Sportsnet+, with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on Saturday.

UFC Fight Night on Sportsnet

Both previous UFC events in France were also Fight Night cards that took place at the same venue. French heavyweight Ciryl Gane headlined the first two Paris events, knocking out Tai Tuivasa in 2022 and finishing Serghei Spivac with strikes in 2023.

No fights have been announced for the event yet, so it is unclear whether Gane will be included. 

In addition to Gane, the No. 2-ranked heavyweight contender, No. 2 women’s flyweight Manon Fiorot, No. 8 middleweight Nassourdine Imavov, No. 12 lightweight Benoit Saint Denis and rising featherweight Morgan Charriere could all be options to include at the event to appease the local fan base.

More from Sportsnet

Report: Namajunas vs. Barber will be main event at UFC Fight Night in July

Who on UFC roster can challenge Derrick Lewis’ knockout record?

1. Need to Know: Bruins at Panthers | Game 5 | Boston Bruins  NHL.com
2. Bruins’ Brad Marchand will not play in Game 5  Sportsnet.ca
3. Brad Marchand injury: Bruins' captain ruled out for Game 5 against Panthers  CBS Sports
4. Who needs to step up for the Bruins in Brad Marchand's absence  Daily Faceoff
5. Bruins' Marchand out for Game 5 after taking part in morning skate  TSN

The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.

The 32-year-old journeyman netminder replaces Stuart Skinner, who was pulled in the third period of Edmonton’s 4-3 loss to Vancouver on Sunday after giving up four goals on 15 shots.

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“I’m expecting what I’ve seen from Calvin all season — a goaltender who’s competed very hard, played very well for us and piled up a lot of victories,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said of the swap.

“It’s not an ideal situation, he hasn’t been playing for a long time. But he’s gone long stretches without playing and I think the team has a lot of confidence in Calvin when he has played. And he’s going to be our guy.”

Pickard is making his first start in the NHL playoffs after making 20 appearances for the Oilers in the regular season.

The six-foot-one, 206-pound goalie went 12-7-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

“It’s exciting, obviously. All you can ask for is an opportunity in the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Pickard said after morning skate Tuesday. “I felt like I had a good season and the preparation’s done. I’m excited to get out there.”

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Pickard signed with the Oilers as a free agent in July 2022 and has spent much of his tenure with the organization playing for the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League.

Originally picked 49th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2010 draft, the native of Moncton, N.B., has played 139 regular-season NHL games for six different teams, including one for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2017-18 campaign.

Making it to a playoff start hasn’t been easy, Pickard admitted.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Full coverage

“I know I can play at this level and this year I proved it to myself and everybody around me,” he said. “It’s a really good opportunity for me tonight and I feel like I’m ready.”

Edmonton trails Vancouver 2-1 in the best-of-seven second-round Western Conference playoff series.

Five former Canadian world junior hockey players accused of sexual assault will make a court appearance this fall as their trial nears. Lawyers for the men addressed a virtual hearing Tuesday in London, Ont., to discuss logistics for the proceedings.

An individual connected to the death of hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate during a game in England in October, had his bail extended, South Yorkshire Police announced Tuesday.

Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28 when he was struck by an opponent’s skate blade in the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s home arena in central England.

A post-mortem examination confirmed he died as a result of a fatal neck injury, police said.

“On 14 November 2023, a man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. He was later bailed. Today (Tuesday 14 May) he has been further re-bailed until 26 June 2024,” South Yorkshire Police said in a statement.

“Adam’s loved ones remain at the forefront of our minds as this complex investigation continues. If there are any developments before the new bail expiry date, these will be issued proactively on the South Yorkshire Police website.”

A coroner’s inquest was suspended in January until July, pending further police investigations, according to the BBC.

NEW YORK — Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for another “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” that suggested a lack of integrity with the league and its game officials.

Gobert glanced down and rubbed both thumbs together with his fingers as he walked up the court in frustration over a foul call in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s loss to Denver in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Sunday. Gobert had just been whistled for an offensive foul when the TNT broadcast showed him making the money-counting sign to himself.

Executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said the fine “took into account Gobert’s history of improper conduct toward game officials.”

Two months ago during a regular season game at Cleveland, Gobert was called for a technical after picking up his sixth foul for making the money-counting gesture. One of the officials saw the taunt that time, and Gobert was later fined $100,000.

After that game, Gobert said he was concerned about the rise of betting and believes gambling is having a detrimental impact on outcomes, implicitly accusing officials of being on the take.

“I’ll be the bad guy,” Gobert said then. “I’ll take the fine, but I think it’s hurting our game. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger.”

The officiating crew on Sunday didn’t appear to notice his less-pronounced version, but the league did.

More from Sportsnet

Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert fined $100K for directing ‘money sign’ gesture toward referee

Timberwolves’ Gobert wins Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama second

Macklin Celebrini ailleurs qu'à San Jose : un directeur du recrutement de la LNH hésite  DansLesCoulisses

When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander declared he wanted to be one of the best point guards of all time, he was coming off an injury-shortened 35-game season. He was just three years into his NBA career. The Oklahoma City Thunder were tanking. He was not being labelled as a superstar-to-be.

The season of his bold announcement, OKC went on to win all of 24 games, with Gilgeous-Alexander playing just 56 of them. He showed plenty of promise, but he was not in the conversation for the NBA’s next great player.

It’s not the first time I’ve referenced the interview Gilgeous-Alexander gave GQ where – for the first time – he lays out the height of his ambition (it was the same article he declared himself the ‘Black Steve Nash’), but I can’t help it.

That the Canadian men’s national team star called his shot so audaciously so early in his path has always been fascinating, not the least of which because of the way it was at odds with the more understated version of his rock-solid self-belief, which he has demonstrated as his NBA star has climbed.

NBA Playoffs doubleheader on Sportsnet

Catch two NBA Playoffs games Wednesday on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet+. The Boston Celtics host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT before the Oklahoma City Thunder entertain the Dallas Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

Broadcast schedule

Turns out the 11th-overall pick in 2018, who was almost an after-thought recruit at Kentucky and who was traded after his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers, was correct: he was a superstar hiding in plain sight.

He’s certainly made good on his claim and the self-belief it stemmed from in the years since. Gilgeous-Alexander broke out last season, earning first-team all-NBA honours, but the real measure of his greatness – real or potential – would have to wait as the Thunder finished 10th in the West and were eliminated in the play-in tournament.

Gilgeous-Alexander took it a step further this season, finishing second in the MVP voting and leading OKC to the top seed in the West.

But being considered ‘great’ requires post-season success, ultimately.

On Monday night in Dallas, Gilgeous-Alexander faced the stiffest test of his career and proved that his path to the pantheon remains – so far – uninterrupted.

The Thunder were in danger of falling behind 3-1 in the series with a loss. Teams trailing 3-1 in seven-game series lose 95.4 per cent of the time in the NBA, according to whowins.com, but Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn’t have it.

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In the space of three minutes and 45 seconds late in the fourth quarter, with his team trailing by six points against the Mavericks on the road, Gilgeous-Alexander put his cape on and made sure it didn’t happen.

He scored four straight buckets on a variety of pull-up jumpers, including an improbable, fadeaway over two defenders, seemingly from behind the backboard, and then used the attention he was generating when he attacked the paint to find first Lu Dort and then Jalen Williams for wide-open threes. The tide was turned, the Thunder had the lead, never gave it up and now head home to Oklahoma City with the series tied 2-2, heading into Game 5 Wednesday night.

The kid from Hamilton played the role of superstar to perfection: sense the moment, read the room and execute, picking the perfect time to use his funky, silky, stop-and-go game to get himself makeable shots when his team needed them most.

“There’s a balance you have to find: when to attack, when to pass, when to make not the right play and trust your skill,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in his post-game media conference. “It’s something that I battle with and try to be really good at and a lot of great players battle with and try to be really good at, but ultimately what it comes to down to, for the most part, is taking what the defence gives you and trusting your teammates. You need them to win at a high level, that’s as clear as day, and I want to win at a high level.”

Gilgeous-Alexander has been getting plenty of that, including from national team teammate Dort, who has been using his tireless strength to give Mavericks star Luka Doncic fits so far in the series.

But it’s the man known as SGA who ultimately lifted OKC, even if it took a fading, falling, shot from the behind the backboard over two defenders.

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“That one? That one was ill-advised,” he said, smiling. “But you just trust your work.”

What he ended up with was a glorious work of basketball art: 34 points on 14-of-27 shooting, with all of his buckets coming from between seven and 17 feet as Gilgeous-Alexander countered the Mavericks’ rim protection by simply pulling up short of it. He added five assists, two steals, two blocks and didn’t make a turnover.

It was a moment that required a clutch performance, and Gilgeous-Alexander delivered.

“This was probably the most meaningful game I’ve played in my career,” he said.

The best part for Canadian basketball fans is that it was just one of the steely performances seen over the past few days in the Western Conference playoffs, with more promised.

On Sunday night, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets proved that the reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated as they completed a two-game sweep of the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. Murray bounced back from his concerning start to the series – the Kitchener, Ont. star averaged just 12.5 points on 28.1 per cent shooting against a smothering Timberwolves defence as the defending champion Nuggets fell into an 0-2 hole – with a pair of signature performances in must-win games.

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Murray – who averaged 21.5 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the floor and  41.7 per cent from deep in the two Denver road wins – has a chance to help the Nuggets to take control of the series with a win in Game 5 in Denver on Tuesday night.

“We’re the champs. We’ve been in this position before,” Murray said in his media conference after Denver’s Game 4 win. “I never had any doubts. You’d have to ask someone else [if they did].”

That anyone had doubts was in part attributable to Minnesota’s effort to smother Murray defensively, robbing Nuggets star Nikola Jokic of his preferred playmaking partner. The Timberwolves relied on fellow Canadian Nickeil Alexander-Walker to lead that charge, with Murray taking note: “I’m going to be asking for the same defence for Team Canada, that same defence,” Murray said, which is about as definitive as the he has ever been publicly about his intention to play for Canada at the Paris Olympics this summer.

Murray’s viral moment came when he intercepted an errant inbounds pass on his own side of half-court and in one motion, stepped into a 50-foot three-point attempt that hit nothing but net before turning and posing at the broadcast table while TNT play-by-play voice Kevin Harlan narrated the shot.

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It was part of an eight-point Nuggets flurry in the final 19 seconds of the second quarter that put Denver up by 15 heading into halftime. Murray went on to score 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter, all crucial as Denver had to weather a determined Minnesota comeback attempt in the second half that fell just short.

“It was nothing crazy,” Murray insisted of his iconic heave. “I just caught, shot it and it felt good from the moment in left my hand.”

Between Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray, Canadian basketball fans have plenty to feel good about as the NBA Playoffs unfold and the Olympics await.

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PARIS — Diego Maradona’s heirs will file a lawsuit to try to stop the auction of a trophy he was awarded after the 1986 World Cup won by Argentina, their lawyer told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Golden Ball trophy rewarding the best player of the tournament had been missing for decades after it disappeared in unclear circumstances and only recently resurfaced. It is set to be auctioned in Paris next month, the Aguttes auction house said last week.

Maradona, who died in 2020 at age 60, captained Argentina in its 3-2 win over West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico City. The “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” came in a 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals.

Maradona’s heirs say the trophy was stolen and claim the current owner cannot be entitled to sell it.

Gilles Moreu, a lawyer working with Paradox Lawyers firm, said he will file an urgent request to the president of the Nanterre judicial court near Paris to have the Golden Ball withdrawn from the auction. He told the AP he will also request a judicial sequestration of the trophy and file a complaint for theft and concealed theft.

Aguttes said the trophy reappeared in 2016 among other lots that were acquired from a private collection at auction in Paris.

Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony at the Lido cabaret on the Champs-Élysées. It subsequently disappeared, giving rise to rumours.

Some say it was lost during a poker game or sold to pay off debts, Aguttes said. Others say Maradona stored it in a safe in a Naples bank that was robbed by local gangsters in 1989, when he played in the Italian league. Maradona’s heirs believe it was stolen from the bank.

Moreu, who represents two daughters of Maradona, say the heirs found out only recently that the trophy had been stolen. According to the lawyer, Maradona’s family wants the sale to be banned because it believes the Golden Ball belongs to them.

Moreu said he was contacted by an Argentine colleague after the two daughters discussed the matter with the other heirs, who gave their approval to the legal action.

The auction house’s argument is that the person who bought the trophy years ago was not aware it had been stolen.

“If the owner of an object can claim ownership under French law, it is on the obvious condition that his or her good faith cannot be called into question,” the Paradox Lawyers firm said in a statement to the AP. “This cannot be the case for the owner of a trophy that was famously stolen from Diego Maradona and whose heirs can legally claim ownership.”

Moreu said, “It doesn’t appear that the seller contacted Diego, which wasn’t that complicated.”

Aguttes, which had said when the auction was announced that it expects the trophy “to fetch millions due to its uniqueness,” told the AP it carried out “all necessary research and checked on the databases, as well as with the French and Italian authorities.”

“The result is that, to date, there is no evidence to challenge the good faith and ownership of our seller,” Maximilien Aguttes said.

Bidders will be asked to make a deposit of 150,000 euros ($161,000) to participate in the June 6 auction.

The Hand of God goal came when Maradona punched the ball into England’s net. Four minutes later, he weaved through England’s midfield and defence and past goalkeeper Peter Shilton for what FIFA later declared the greatest goal in World Cup history.

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Diego Maradona’s heirs win legal battle over use of trademark

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