Ontario Sports News

Tiger Woods makes two early triples en route to a 77, will miss cut at PGA Championship

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 18:08

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — What Tiger Woods really needs is to play more real rounds to get used to hitting important shots in big situations again.

Any chance of that happening this weekend came to an ugly end in three bunkers over the first four holes during the second round of the PGA Championship.

Woods made two triple-bogeys over those four holes Friday on the way to a 6-over 77 that ensured he would miss the cut.

“Just kept making mistakes and things you can’t do, not just in tournaments but in majors especially,” he said.

He finished the second round at Valhalla, the site of his 2000 PGA title, at 7-over 149 and was tied for 135th place as he packed up his things and left. The top 70 and ties will move to the weekend. When Woods walked off the 18th green, he was eight shots behind the projected cut line.

This will be the fifth time he has missed the cut at the PGA, and the first since 2019. It will mark his 13th missed cut at a major since he turned pro in 1997.

After shooting 1-over 72 on the first day, Woods said he was feeling stronger and needed more real-life rounds.

Hopes for that ended quickly.

On the par-4 second, he tried to flop a shot over a bunker from a patch of rain-soaked rough near the green, but the ball went into the sand. He picked the next shot out of that sand, over the green and into another bunker. He made 7.

“The rough grabbed me at 2. No sand in the bunker as well. Just made a mistake there,” he said. “I compounded the problem there at 4.”

On that hole, he tried to finesse a shot just over a greenside bunker, but it hit the top and rolled back in. His first try to get out hit the top of the trap and rolled back in again. That led to another 7. Counting a bogey on No. 3, he played the three-hole stretch in 7 over.

From there, the only question was whether he would break 80 and avoid his worst score ever at the PGA. That remains a 9-over 79 at Southern Hills in 2022.

His worst score at a major came last month when he shot 82 in the third round of the Masters, en route to finishing last among those who made the cut.

This will be the fifth cut Woods has missed to go with two withdrawals since he captured the Masters in 2019 for his 15th career major. That doesn’t include the seven majors he skipped completely since the start of 2021 when he shattered bones in his right leg and ankle in a car wreck.

Despite this disappointment, Woods said he planned to be at the next major — the U.S. Open next month.

“Hopefully everything will somehow come together in my practice sessions at home and I’ll be ready for Pinehurst,” he said.

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‘Can’t play it safe’: Canucks’ Tocchet hitting home runs this post-season

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 17:58

VANCOUVER — If this thing doesn’t work out with the Vancouver Canucks — and being a National Hockey League coach carries the job security of a newspaper delivery person — Rick Tocchet could probably make more money batting cleanup for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tocchet has mashed for power and average while pushing the Canucks to the brink of the franchise’s fourth conference final in 54 years and the first one since 2011.

Plus, we all know the Blue Jays need the help, although Tocchet is more likely to replace manager John Schneider than Vlad Guerrero.

On Wednesday, after excoriating his team for its “passengers” while tied 2-2 in a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, Tocchet reminded reporters that he was here to take his cuts at the plate. Twice fired as a head coach from unwinnable situations in Tampa and Phoenix, Tocchet made it clear soon after he was hired by the Canucks 16 months ago that he would swing for the fences, not try to work the count or sneak on base with a bunt. He did not come to Vancouver to play it safe.

“I told you guys when I took the job, ‘I’m swinging the bat,’” Tocchet said Wednesday. “Like, I’m not scared. You can’t play safe if you want to win. You’ve got to go for it.”

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And then he made the most sweeping changes to his lineup since the playoffs began four weeks ago, and the Canucks responded Thursday night with their best game of the series — a 3-2 win that could have been decided a lot sooner than the final minute and by more than a single goal.

You could hear the sharp crack of Tocchet’s bat even in the deafening cauldron of Rogers Arena.

Moving Elias Pettersson up the lineup, bringing in four new players, putting $4.75-million winger Ilya Mikheyev in the press box, and bluntly challenging his team was a 400-foot home run.

Just like handing the starting job to 23-year-old, third-string goalie Arturs Silovs (who had all of nine games of NHL experience) was a home run in the first round when the Canucks beat the Nashville Predators in six games, eliminating them with a 1-0 shutout on the road.

There have been plenty of hits in between for Tocchet and his staff, but those big decisions before Game 5 in the second round and Game 5 in the first have been the head coach’s moon shots in these playoffs.

Not expected to even make the playoffs when the season began, not expected to win the Pacific Division at the end of it, not expected to survive the surging Predators in the opening playoff round and absolutely not expected to even give Connor McDavid’s Oilers a proper series in this Stanley Cup quarterfinal, the Canucks can move to the Final Four with a win in Edmonton on Saturday.

No wonder Tocchet is the NHL coach-of-the-year favourite.

“I learned this from Tampa when I coached there, you’re always going to be questioned,” Tocchet said Friday before the Canucks flew to Alberta. “And if you think that way (and try to play it safe), I mean, you’re just going to second-guess yourself. I got my information, I listen to the great staff I have, and at the end of the day, I’m doing it. Maybe 10 years. . . maybe five, six or seven years ago, I’m probably going to listen to somebody else that I shouldn’t listen to. Or listen to the outside noise. And I haven’t been doing that.

“Sometimes you’re successful and sometimes you’re not. And if you’re not and you’re on the wrong side of the decision, don’t be afraid to make the next decision. You’ve just got to be very decisive on your call. And I think players see that, too. If you’re kind of wishy washy, I think the players see that.”

There aren’t many shades of gray with Tocchet. But that didn’t make his unadorned criticism of his passengers — “Some guys, I don’t know if they thought it was the playoffs. We can’t play with 12 guys” — after losing 3-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday any less risky.

There are a lot of ways professional players can respond to being publicly shamed by their coach. Thursday’s response by the Canucks was the best-case scenario.

“You always know where you stand with Toc,” Canuck winger Conor Garland, who also played for Tocchet in Arizona, said after Friday’s highly-optional practice. “And that’s probably the best thing for a player.

“I know when I play bad, and I know that you’ve got to follow it up the next day (and play better). And if it goes three or four games, you’re going to hear something. Everybody’s allowed to have an off day. I just think, if you don’t see (100 per cent) effort, that’s what will aggravate him and make him say something. I wasn’t surprised about what he said, and I don’t think many guys were surprised. I think guys knew, to a man, we had to be better. Even if you were one of the 12 guys he said was fine, we still lost that game. So you’ve still got to be better.”

Can they be better still for Game 6? The Oilers will have to be if there is going to be a Game 7 on Monday.

“There’s different approaches,” Tocchet said of preparing for another elimination game. “For me, team meeting tonight. Do you have a team meal? There’s a lot of different things. But I think the message is: It’s going to be really hard. And that’s all you should be thinking about. Whatever it takes to get it done, you do. I’ve said it a bunch of times. . . we’ve really got to get back to Earth. It’s going to be our toughest game.

“You can’t trick your brain, like. . . let your foot off the gas or ‘we’ve got two chances to get this done.’ You can’t think that way. You have to be mentally like a rock. And I think you rely on your teammates today to make sure that you can keep that mentality that this is our biggest game of the year, right here.”

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

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As happened almost every time this season when Tocchet blasted his team after games, the head coach kept some distance between himself and the group on Wednesday. He let top assistants Mike Yeo and Adam Foote handle the technical stuff and allowed the players — the “culture” — to handle expectations and standards for Game 5.

“Listen. . . ‘you didn’t play well and you’ve got to get going’, I don’t think that’s critical,” Tocchet said Friday. “I think they understand who I am. But the next day, I’m very conscious of it. Yes, I am. And even on the game day, less is more for me. You don’t need Rick Tocchet to be talking all the time. I think that’s the way to approach it. You don’t need me 24/7. I wouldn’t want myself 24/7, either.”

No, but with two outs and the bases loaded, no one is more important to the Canucks.

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Why the Maple Leafs hired new coach Craig Berube

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 17:48

TORONTO — The walk-back era is over.

The accountability era is here.

That, ostensibly, is what the Toronto Maple Leafs announced Friday by naming Craig Berube the 32nd head coach in franchise history.

The 58-year-old Berube was general manager Brad Treliving’s first in-person interview and top recruit.

He was the most coveted free agent on the coaching market, especially with the inspiring Rod Brind’Amour only having eyes for Carolina and the decorated Joel Quenneville still needing Gary Bettman’s approval.

Make no mistake, Berube commands respect in any room he enters, and that includes the cushy Maple Leafs quarters run by young multimillionaires still hoping to get over the hump.

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Berube is honest. Sometimes brutally so. And his standard for work ethic and structure are high. He likes hard-checking teams. If those standards are not met, he’ll let his players know. Privately and publicly.

“You cannot play in this league without emotion, grit and being inspired,” Berube once charged his best players on the St. Louis Blues.

“They’re getting paid lots of money, and they’re not doing their job. End of story.”

For the record, the coach did not walk back those comments. (Heck, if anyone is walking back criticism during a Berube regime, it might be a star player.)

The introduction of a more authoritarian timbre will be a welcome sound to members of Leafs Nation who believe the player-friendly Keefe, an AHL call-up initially learning the NHL ropes himself, was too gentle and accommodating.

The Calahoo, Alberta–born Berube arrives with a 76-diamond Stanley Cup ring wrapped around his finger and enough pedigree to turn down opportunities in Ottawa, New Jersey, and whichever coach-hunting city came knocking after he was dismissed midseason from the Blues.

When Berube asks his players to fight for their ice and earn their shifts, those demands will spring from a place of authenticity.

An undrafted bottom-six winger in his own playing days, Berube scratched and clawed and punched his way to a 17-season, 1,054-game, 3,149-penalty-minute career with the Flyers, Leafs, Flames, Capitals and Islanders.

After his first taste running an NHL bench, in his beloved Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015, Berube latched onto an interim gig with the underachieving 2018-19 Blues and led the franchise to its first and only championship.

For his efforts, he was named a finalist for the 2019 Jack Adams Award and became the league’s most coveted bench boss nearly five years later.

With the deep coffers of MLSE at his disposal and armed with new CEO Keith Pelley’s mandate to “just win,” Treliving went out and paid for the best-experienced man available (sorry, Todd McLellan).

It’s of little surprise that an executive who arrived in search of more “snot” wrapped his narrow coaching search upon meeting with a man who could beat the snot out of anyone in his path.

What we’re most interested in is how Berube unifies Toronto’s elite talent and its supporting cast.

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That Blues group he coached to glory was hardly studded with stars, yet it was balanced and fierce. Its offence sprung from honest defence. It didn’t take shortcuts or shifts off.

“Winning teams have the unique ability for everybody to feel if they weren’t a part of it, they wouldn’t accomplish their goal,” Treliving said, after firing Keefe and before hiring Berube.

“Regardless of minutes played, dollars earned, everybody’s important. And that is what is going to happen here.”

To that end, Berube and his boss should be well aligned.

How a heavier hand rubs the current core, however, will be of great interest.

If anything, Berube — who will be formally introduced Tuesday morning in Toronto —ushers in a wave of much-needed hope to a team whose disappointments are growing stale.

His championship Blues, you may recall, had not won a Stanley Cup since they were founded in… 1967.

The man can help quench 50-year-old droughts.

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Penny Oleksiak wins 100-metre freestyle at Olympic swim trials

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 16:52

Penny Oleksiak didn’t get what she set out for, but felt a sense of relief.

Oleksiak won the women’s 100-metre freestyle Friday night at Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic swim trials.

The Toronto native’s time of 53.66 seconds was over the Olympic qualifying time of 53.61, but under the Olympic consideration time of 53.88.

So while Oleksiak can compete in the women’s 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay in Paris, there’s no guarantee she’ll race individual 100 free there.

Athletes with the Olympic consideration times will be invited to compete only if the overall quota of 852 athletes hasn’t been reached after accounting for athletes qualified by way of the Olympic qualifying time, relays, and universality.

“I’m excited to go. I’m excited to be part of the team,” said Oleksiak, who left the pool deck after her race with a look of disappointment. “I really want that individual spot, so I’m going to do everything I can to secure it.

“It definitely takes some weight off my shoulders knowing that I’m going now.”

Mary-Sophie Harvey of Laval, Que., placed second in 53.71 seconds.

Each country can enter a maximum of two athletes per individual event with the deadline to go under the qualifying time at an approved World Aquatics competition June 23.

“We’ll see, I hope so,” Oleksiak said of trying to meet the Olympic standard at another meet.

Oleksiak’s time was her best since the 2022 world championship in Budapest, Hungary, where she finished fourth in 52.98 seconds.

She has dealt with multiple injuries over the last couple of years, including a second knee surgery in that span that she told the CBC she had four months ago.

Canada’s most decorated Olympian of all time with seven medals, Oleksiak won her lone gold in the 100 free in the 2016 Rio Games. She tied for first with Simone Manuel of the U.S. in a time of 52.70, which was an Olympic record at that time.

The 23-year-old holds the Canadian record of 52.59 seconds, which she set in the Tokyo Games in 2021 when she finished fourth.

Summer McIntosh, who broke her own world record Friday in the 400-metre individual medley, and Olympic butterfly champion Maggie Mac Neil pulled out of Friday’s 100-metre freestyle. They won’t compete in the event in Paris.

The women’s 200 breaststroke final saw a photo finish between Sydney Pickrem and Kelsey Wog, who both went under the Olympic qualifying time of two minutes 23.91 seconds.

Pickrem finished in 2:23.79, while Wog touched the wall a hundredth of a second back in 2:23.80. Winnipeg’s Wog also swam under the Olympic standard in the heats earlier in the day, having gone 2:23.71 for the fastest among all competitors.

“I was really happy with how my prelim swim went. I just kind of put everything into it this morning,” Wog said.

“Finals is always just a little more stressful and I’m happy to have repeated going under the standard and I’m excited for the summer.”

While it’ll be a second trip to the Olympics for Wog, it’s the third for Pickrem, who felt it wasn’t her best race but was happy to book her ticket to Paris.

“Anxiety is real. It was so real today,” Pickrem said. “My other coach Caroline said ‘if you didn’t feel nervous, anxious and scared, you would be a psychopath because this is a nervous, scary thing to do, is try and qualify for a third Olympics. That’s not an easy task.’”

Saskatoon’s Blake Tierney set a Canadian record and went under the Olympic qualifying mark in the men’s 200 backstroke with a time of 1:56.74. Montreal’s Ilya Kharun swam the men’s 200 butterfly in 1:54.41 to earn a trip to his first Olympic Games.

Para records were set Friday in the men’s and women’s 200-metre medley.

Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., set a world record of 2:05.97 on the men’s side, while Tess Routcliffe of Caledon, Ont., broke her own women’s national record in 2:54.78 in the SM7 classification.

Competition continues through Sunday.

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Bruins’ Marchand returns to lineup for Game 6 with season on the line

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 16:51

The Boston Bruins will be getting some much-needed reinforcement for Game 6 of their series against the Florida Panthers.

Captain Brad Marchand is set to return to the Bruins’ lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury, the team announced Friday. The Bruins are currently facing elimination down 3-2 in their second-round series.

Marchand sustained the injury in Game 3 after he was hit by the Panthers’ Sam Bennett.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Panthers vs. Bruins

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The 36-year-old was asked Thursday whether he thought he was a victim of a cheap shot by Bennett.

“He plays hard, is an extremely physical player and a great player for their group. I think he got away with a shot but I’m not going to complain, (expletive) happens,” Marchand told reporters. “That’s playoff hockey. I’ve been on the other side of a lot of plays and I think you get away with one but that’s part of the game. It sucks to be on the other side of it but that stuff happens, so I’m not going to sit here and complain about it.”

Marchand is tied for the team’s playoff scoring lead, with three goals and 10 points in 10 games.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins will be in the lineup for Game 6 and that Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal.

The Panthers hold a 3-2 series lead as the Bruins look to stave off elimination again and force a decisive seventh game. Watch Game 6 live Friday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Oilers facing questions with ‘Cup or bust’ season on the line

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 16:36

EDMONTON — The Vancouver Canucks have found answers throughout this second-round series, in Arturs Silovs, in J.T. Miller, and in a defensive system that has limited Connor McDavid to less even strength points (four) than Nikita Zadorov (five).

And the Edmonton Oilers? They are left with the questions:

Who to start in goal in their first elimination game of the spring? A rested Stuart Skinner? Or Calvin Pickard, who has given them a .915 save percentage, one win, and held them in Game 5 for as long as a goalie possibly could?

Do they reunite McDavid and Draisaitl from puck drop in Game 6 Saturday? Or wait and see how the game unfolds?

And what about McDavid, whose trademark explosiveness seems missing? Where did it go? Can it be retrieved in time? Do they have enough to win two straight with McDavid as just “a guy,” and not THE guy?

“We have to go home and win one game. That’s all we have to do,” said Draisaitl, reciting from the Book of the Brink, quoted by pretty much every hockey player whose opponent has ever had three wins in a series. “Don’t think about (Game 7). Focus on tomorrow, get a win, and come back (to Vancouver).”

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Edmonton completed an identical comeback two springs ago, in Round 1 versus Los Angeles. Though such an experience is nearly meaningless, it must be said that McDavid’s Game 6 in L.A. was a tour de force that is regarded as perhaps his finest NHL hour.

McDavid grabbed his team by the nameplates that night and hauled them up on his back with three points in a 4-2 win. Draisaitl barely missed a shift despite an ankle that left him one-legged, setting up the winner with 5:10 to play in a 2-2 game.

“That’s what we get paid to do, to step up in big moments,” Draisaitl said Friday. “We’ll look to do that again tomorrow.”

Us story tellers will talk about a Round 1 series in 2022 over the next day or so, but inside an NHL dressing room, it may never be spoken about. It’s about score, not lore, for an Oilers team that needs to rip this series back from the hands of these pesky Canucks — a tougher test than the Kings, to be sure.

“We’ve been down 3-2 in a series before and come back to win,” allowed Draisaitl, “but these series’, they all write their own history, their own story. There’s not much to talk about. We’ve got to go home and win one hockey game. We’ve done that a lot this year.”

Indeed, one win on a Saturday night at Rogers Place should not require divine intervention, for a team that won the second most home games in their conference (28).

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

But with whom in net?

Head coach Kris Knoblauch’s ability to push the right buttons with his lineup choices has been borderline uncanny since his arrival in November. But this one — a choice between a rested ‘guy who got you here’ and a backup who has been anything but the problem — is a doozy.

“That’s probably the first time he’s started back to back games in eight years. Since he was with Colorado,” Knoblauch said of Pickard.

Actually, Pickard’s last back-to-back starts were also the last time he started three straight: In March of 2021 for the Detroit Red Wings.

“And it’s not like it’s back-to-back days. There is rest in between, so there is the possibility of him being able to handle it,” reasoned Knoblauch. “Our staff, we’ve slept on it, and we’ll get together (Friday) and decide who is going to play tomorrow.”

For Edmonton, it’s less about who is in net and more about the team in front of him.

Vancouver was the better team in Game 5, a sentiment voiced by each of McDavid, Draisaitl and Knoblauch in the hours since that 3-2 loss. The Oilers, a team that should be able to get to four goals or more on any given night, has to figure out why they haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since Game 2.

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The Canucks stole this series for a crucial 90-minute window on Thursday, and that was enough to put Edmonton on the ropes. The Oilers need to reclaim the flow of play, their challenge that comes with an obvious reward.

“That’s what good teams do,” Draisaitl said. “We all know there are momentum swings, but you’ve got to push through them. Find and create your own momentum. We didn’t do that at all (in Game 5).”

And what of all of those questions we’ve framed here? How does an Oilers team manage their business, with a “Cup or bust” season on the brink?

“There’s not much to manage here. We’re one loss away from going home,” Draisaitl said. “We’ll get ready for tomorrow and lay everything that we have on the line.”

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What does Berube mean for Marner’s future with Maple Leafs?

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 16:35

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‘Plan the parade!’: Maple Leafs fans react to Craig Berube hire

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 16:04

The Toronto Maple Leafs have their new bench boss.

On Friday, the team announced Craig Berube as the 32nd head coach in franchise history.

Berube replaces Sheldon Keefe, who was fired on May 9, less than a week after the club lost Game 7 of the first round in overtime against the Boston Bruins.

The native of Calahoo, Alta., played 1,050 career NHL games for the Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders after going undrafted.

He is now the 16th Maple Leafs head coach who has formerly played for the franchise.

It’s a new era for the Maple Leafs who still have not made it past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2002 and have won just two playoff series (2004, 2023) in that time.

Maple Leafs fans sprinted to social media to share their reactions to the hire. Here are some of the best.

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

‘He is very upfront’: Strickland on Maple Leafs coach Berube

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 15:56

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Herdman says post-game melee with NYCFC has served to galvanize TFC players

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 15:39

Toronto FC coach John Herdman is hoping being bad can lead to some good in the wake of last Saturday’s post-game throwdown with New York City FC.

Herdman, goalkeeper Sean Johnson and injured fullback/wingback Richie Laryea received one-game bans in the league’s first wave of disciplinary decisions after players and staff went at it following the final whistle of Toronto’s 3-2 loss at BMO Field.

Herdman and captain Jonathan Osorio said later the bad blood stemmed from a 2-1 March loss at Yankee Stadium, alleging New York coach Nick Cushing had punched a young TFC player in the face in the stadium tunnel at halftime. Cushing denied the charge and the alleged incident has not triggered any sanctions, with Herdman acknowledging there was no video evidence.

Italian attacker Federico Bernardeschi was also suspended for Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Nashville after being shown a second yellow for confronting the referee after the final whistle Saturday. Forward Prince Owusu was also red-carded while defender Kevin Long received a one-game ban for yellow card accumulation.

A depleted Toronto lineup, with assistant coach Jason deVos running the sideline, held on for 80 minutes mid-week in Nashville before conceding two late goals.

Herdman, who watched Wednesday’s game from his hotel room with a live “tactical” feed on his laptop, hopes the gain from Saturday’s melee comes from his players showing they have each other’s back.

“It’s a really fine line,” he said Friday. “Because of the reputation of the league, the reputation of the club. If that’s fans (fighting) on the sideline, we’d be frowning upon it.

“For us, yeah we’ve got to raise our standard there but at the same time the players haven’t come together like this in maybe four years.”

Make that seven years.

In 2017, a flashpoint between Toronto’s Jozy Altidore and New York captain Sacha Kljestan in the 34th minute of the Eastern Conference semifinal spilled into the BMO Field tunnel at halftime with both players being red-carded for violent conduct as the two sides went at it.

Herdman found himself in hot water on the weekend after confronting and bumping Cushing before being pushed away by a NYCFC staffer.

“You let yourself down in those emotional moments but a lot of what we do here is built on passion,” the Toronto coach said. “With passion you need the discipline and sometimes the passion will spill over in that other side where it just comes out.”

Herdman, while not condoning his or his team’s actions, certainly understands the emotions in play in such moments.

“When you get that, you start to see people care about each other. There’s just a deeper relationship there,” he said. “It would have been easy for 90 per cent of the guys just to turn their backs and walk in the opposite direction … But they just care about each other.

“Internally it was a galvanizing moment.”

On Friday, Laryea and New York City FC defender Strahinja Tanasijevic were both fined and handed an additional one-game suspension for their role in Saturday’s confrontation following NYCFC’s 3-2 win.

While Laryea is currently recovering from hamstring surgery, the league said he had served the first game of his two-match suspension Wednesday with the second to come Saturday. Laryea was seen taking part in the portion of training open to the media Friday but won’t return to action until next weekend at the earliest, according to Herdman.

The league didn’t immediately explain how an injured player can serve a suspension.

Tanasijevic was fined for violent conduct while Laryea was sanctioned for violating the league’s “mass confrontation policy.”

Video of the incident Saturday showed Laryea going after Cushing in the melee following the final whistle.

Toronto (6-6-1) hosts CF Montreal (3-6-3) on Saturday.

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Maple Leafs hire Berube (home page)

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 15:31

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

‘Impressed, but not surprised’: Hughes on Scheffler after arrest

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 15:13

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Maple Leafs hire Craig Berube as head coach

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 15:03

One of the big names available on the NHL coaching market is going to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Craig Berube has been named the 32nd coach in team history, the Leafs announced Friday.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that a deal was close to being done between Toronto and Berube.

Friedman also reported that the Leafs brought Berube to the city last week for an in-person interview. Among other candidates they spoke to were Gerard Gallant and Todd McLellan.

The new Leafs coach will speak to reporters at an introductory press conference on Tuesday.

Berube replaces Sheldon Keefe, who was fired on May 9, less than a week after the club lost Game 7 of the first round in overtime against the Boston Bruins.

Under Keefe, the Leafs achieved great regular-season success, but never made a long playoff run. The club won just one of six playoff series under his watch with the Leafs qualifying for post-season play in all five of his years behind the bench.

Berube, 58, was fired as head coach of the St. Louis Blues last season after the club started 13-14-1.

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Berube was promoted from assistant coach to interim head coach of the Blues in November 2018 after the club fired Mike Yeo. Berube went on to lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup that season, making a leap from last in the league standings.

The interim tag was dropped off Berube’s title after the win. The Blues made the playoffs the next three seasons, but did not get past the second round.

St. Louis missed the playoffs in 2022-23 before the team made a coaching change this past season.

Berube got his first head coaching job with the Philadelphia Flyers early in the 2013-14 season, replacing Peter Laviolette. Berube previously served as an assistant coach for the Flyers.

The native of Calahoo, Alta., played 1,050 career NHL games for the Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders after going undrafted.

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Rattled Scottie Scheffler pulls it together, shoots 66 at PGA Championship after arrest

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 14:52

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Somehow, some way, Scottie Scheffler made it look easy.

Scheffler, who was arrested just after 6 a.m. ET after a traffic incident just outside the gates of Valhalla Golf Club (“a chaotic situation” and “a big misunderstanding,” he said), shot a 5-under 66 after stretching this morning in a jail cell — a first, he said, obviously.

“I was just sitting (in the jail cell) waiting and I started going through my warmup, I felt like there was a chance I may be able to still come out here and play,” Scheffler said. “I started going through my routine and I tried to get my heart rate down as much as I could today, (but) I still feel like my head is spinning a little bit.

“But I was fortunate to be able to make it back out and play some golf today.”

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Scheffler arrived less than an hour prior to his second-round tee time and had an abbreviated warm-up. He heads into the weekend just three shots back of the lead held by Xander Schauffele.

Galleries were deep and boisterous all day. T-shirts were spotted through the property that already boasted Scheffler’s mug shot, many of which said, “Free Scottie.” There was even someone in an orange jumpsuit.

“I knew there was going to be a lot of distractions, but I didn’t really know what the reception would be like,” Scheffler said. “To be honest with you, it was great having the fans behind me. They cheered for me really loud. I felt like they were really glad to have me out competing today, and it was a nice day to come out here and compete.”

Scheffler hit his tee shot on his opening hole into the right-side rough, but after a wedge from less than 100 yards landed within three feet, he opened with a birdie.

He bogeyed the next hole but added a birdie on Nos. 12 and 18 to make the turn with a 2-under 34.

Scheffler made birdies on Nos. 2, 4, and 7 and, through the early part of the afternoon wave, remained first in strokes gained: off the tee and strokes gained: tee to green.

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He admitted it took him a few holes for the golf to “feel normal” on Friday because he’s a “big routine guy” and it was, obviously, thrown off Friday morning.

“My main focus after getting arrested was wondering if I could be able to come back out here and play, and fortunately I was able to do that. It was nice to put together a solid round today for sure,” Scheffler said.

“It was kind of nice just to be out there inside the ropes competing. It’s one of my favourite things in the world to do, so I was fortunate to be able to come out here and do it again today.”

Scheffler has won four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour — including the Masters — and was very much the betting favourite heading into this week. Many expected Scheffler to make a second-round move, but no one could have predicted how his day would have started.

Per the PGA of America, a tournament staffer (later identified as Louisvillian John Mills) was killed in the accident as he was reporting to work at Valhalla Golf Club just after 5 a.m. ET.

“Our preliminary investigation found that an adult male pedestrian was crossing Shelbyville Road south to north when he was struck by a shuttle bus that was travelling eastbound in the compulsory centre lane dedicated for buses. As a result, the pedestrian received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene,” a statement from Louisville Police Department said.

With the road in front of Valhalla closed in both directions and under heavy police presence, ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington said Scheffler — who was attempting to get into the golf club to prepare for his second-round tee time — attempted to drive past a police officer into the golf club. The officer then “attached himself” to Scheffler’s car, according to Darlington.

“Right now, he’s going to jail. He’s going to jail. And there ain’t nothing you can do about it,” a police officer was seen saying in a video posted by Darlington.

In a statement posted on Scheffler’s Instagram account before he teed off, he said he was “proceeding as directed by police officers.”

After his round, Scheffler reiterated his sympathies to Mills.

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning. One day he’s heading to the golf course to the tournament. A few moments later he’s trying to cross the street, and now he’s no longer with us,” Scheffler said. “My heart – I feel sorry for them. I’m sorry.

“My situation will get handled.”

Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said following the tragedy from first thing this morning, Louisville Metro PD had stopped traffic to assist with its investigation into the fatal accident.

“It is unfortunate that an incident took place between an LMPD officer and Mr. Scheffler while he was attempting to enter Valhalla,” Greenberg said in a statement. “LMPD is fully investigating this incident and the legal process will proceed.”

Arraignment has been scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m., less than 48 hours after the tournament ends.

Scheffler said at no point did he “name-drop himself” to try to get out of his situation. In fact, Scheffler said he was rattled and found himself shaking for nearly an hour. The officer who drove Scheffler to jail, he said, helped to calm him down and some of the officers who processed Scheffler’s arrest at the station began to make jokes when they found out who he was. An older officer even offered him a sandwich.

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“(The officer) looked at me as I was doing my fingerprints or whatever and he looks at me and goes, ‘So, do you want the full experience today?’ I kind of looked at him and was I was like, ‘I don’t know how to answer that,’” Scheffler said.

Scheffler was without his phone or watch when he was in the jail cell and he admitted he wasn’t sure if he would make his tee time until he saw himself getting arrested on ESPN, and there was a timestamp on the television.

For everything that occurred Friday morning, Scheffler remains very much in the mix heading into the weekend. Schauffele leads by one over Collin Morikawa who shot a 6-under 65 — tied for the low round of the day.

He’s looking to become just the sixth true wire-to-wire winner in PGA Championship history. Schauffele has been inside the top 10 through 36 holes at a major six times in his career but has never won. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2022.

“When you haven’t won a golf tournament in a few years, you have to be pretty resilient. I’m just patient and trying to play the best golf I can and stay out of my own way,” Schauffele said. “I know I’m playing really good golf right now, and all I could do is focus on my process and my talk with (my caddie) and that’s about it.”

Scheffler, who ran down Schauffele earlier this year with a final-round charge at The Players Championship, is looking to become just the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year. He did his normal post-round routine, which included some post-round practice and a gym session and a session with his trainer before leaving the property to get some rest – because there’s still two more rounds to play.

For everything that occurred Friday morning, Scheffler remains very much in the mix heading into the weekend. Collin Morikawa shot a 6-under 65 — including five birdies in a row on his second nine — and sits at 11 under through 36 holes.

Scheffler, who is looking to become just the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year, said he would do his normal post-round routine (likely featuring a bit more post-round practice than usual, depending on his energy levels), go to the gym, do his movement routine with his trainer, and get some rest.

Because there’s still two more rounds to play.

“As far as best rounds of my career, I would say it was pretty good,” Scheffler said. “I definitely never imagined ever going to jail, and I definitely never imagined going to jail the morning before one of my tee times for sure.”

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Pirates’ Skenes dominates Cubs with six no-hit innings in second MLB start

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 14:30

CHICAGO — Paul Skenes struck out 11 over six no-hit innings in his second major league start, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 9-3 on Friday.

Skenes allowed just one baserunner — Michael Busch on a full-count walk on the eighth pitch of the fifth-inning plate appearance — in an utterly dominant performance. After pitching through some nerves in his big league debut against the Cubs last weekend, he looked quite comfortable on a picturesque day at Wrigley Field.

“It’s really tough to compete without fastball execution, no matter who you are,” Skenes said. “It was a lot better today, something I could lean on a little bit more than the last week.”

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Skenes (1-0), who turns 22 on May 29, struck out his first seven batters, including the side in the first on pitches of at least 100 mph. He struck out Mike Tauchman on a 100 mph fastball on his 100th and final pitch — his 12th to reach triple digits.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft became the third rookie with seven strikeouts to start a game, joining Jacob deGrom on Sept. 15, 2014, and Jim Deshaies on Sept. 23, 1986. He also became the first rookie with an outing of at least six no-hit innings and 10-plus strikeouts since Chris Heston threw a no-hitter for San Francisco against the New York Mets on June 9, 2015.

“It was extremely impressive,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I mean he went right after them.”

Andrew McCutchen and Jared Triolo homered for Pittsburgh, which held on for a 5-4 victory in the opener of the four-game series on Thursday night. Triolo and Yasmani Grandal each had two hits and three RBIs.

Chicago played without second baseman Nico Hoerner, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of left hamstring tightness. He is day-to-day.

The Cubs got their first hit when Christopher Morel lined a single into right against Carmen Mlodzinski with two outs in the seventh. Miguel Amaya homered and Morel added a two-run double in the eighth.

Chicago finished with four hits in its fourth loss in five games.

Triolo connected for a two-run drive in the third against Kyle Hendricks, and Pittsburgh broke it open with three more runs in each of the next two innings. Grandal’s two-run single made it 8-0 in the fifth.

Hendricks (0-4) was tagged for a season-high eight runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings in his second start since returning from a low back strain.

“Just bizarre. So many soft hits, falling in front,” Hendricks said. “So just got to stick with the process, stick with down in the zone, stick with executing, and hopefully that’s got to switch.”

Hendricks has allowed seven earned runs in three of his seven starts this season. Asked about the right-hander’s spot in the rotation, manager Craig Counsell was non-committal.

“I think we got to look at the start a little closer and see what’s going on. … We’ve got to keep doing our best to help Kyle turn the corner,” Counsell said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: SS Dansby Swanson (right knee sprain) took batting practice against LHPs Drew Smyly (right hip impingement) and Jordan Wicks (forearm strain). … RHP Colten Brewer (low back strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list, and RHP Porter Hodge was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. … RHP Julian Merryweather (rib stress fracture) has “turned a corner a little bit,” Counsell said. The plan is for Merryweather to begin a throwing program on Monday. … RHP Yency Almonte (shoulder strain) is doing a strengthening progression. Counsell said Almonte could begin throwing next week.

UP NEXT

Shota Imanaga (5-0, 0.96 ERA) pitches on Saturday for the Cubs, and fellow left-hander Bailey Falter (2-2, 4.15 ERA) starts for the Pirates. Imanaga struck out eight in five scoreless innings in a no-decision at Atlanta on Monday night. Falter is going for his first win since April 23.

Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Shohei Ohtani Day to be annual event in L.A. for duration of his Dodgers career

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 14:26

LOS ANGELES — It’s Shohei Ohtani Day in Los Angeles.

The Japanese two-way superstar was honoured at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday and presented with a city council resolution that declared May 17 as Shohei Ohtani Day for the duration of his Dodgers career.

Ohtani signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the team in December, after spending six years in Anaheim with the Angels.

The council recognized Ohtani for his athletic achievements, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and members of the team’s front office in attendance.

“Thank you very much to the L.A. City Council,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I appreciate you recognizing me on this day. I want to thank the Dodger organization as well and all the fans.”

Ohtani became the all-time leader in home runs hit by a Japanese-born player in the major leagues on April 21. Nearly a month later, he passed Roberts in breaking the Dodgers record for homers hit by a Japanese player. Roberts is of Japanese and Black descent.

“Since becoming a member of the Dodger family in December, Shohei has been everything we’ve hoped for and more,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said. “We are grateful for his accomplishments on the field, his warmth in the clubhouse and his character in all respects, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”

Ohtani’s brief time with the Dodgers has been eventful on and off the field.

The team’s first Ohtani bobblehead giveaway of the season on Thursday snarled traffic outside Dodger Stadium and created long lines of fans eager to get their hands on the souvenir. The item was soon offered for sale online at exorbitant prices.

His longtime interpreter was fired by the team in March after prosecutors say Ippei Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports gambling debts during a yearslong scheme. Mizuhara was in court earlier this week to enter a plea on bank and tax fraud charges.

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Toronto FC’s Laryea given additional suspension after NYCFC incident

SportsNets - Fri, 05/17/2024 - 13:52

Toronto FC fullback/wingback Richie Laryea and New York City FC defender Strahinja Tanasijevic have both been fined and handed an additional one-game suspension for their role in an ugly post-game melee at BMO Field last Saturday.

The league had announced one-game suspensions for both players ahead of midweek play. Toronto coach John Herdman and goalkeeper Sean Johnson were also handed one-game bans on Tuesday.

Toronto attacker Federico Bernardeschi and Kevin Long also missed Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Nashville SC. Bernardeschi was suspended after confronting the referee after the final whistle, then ejected after being shown a second yellow card.

Long was cautioned in the second half, which triggered a ban for yellow card accumulation.

While Laryea is recovering from hamstring surgery, the league said he had served the first game of his two-match suspension Wednesday. Laryea was seen taking part in the portion of training open to the media Friday but won’t return to action until next weekend at the earliest, according to Herdman.

The league didn’t immediately provide an explanation as to how an injured player can serve a suspension.

Tanasijevic was fined for violent conduct while Laryea was sanctioned for violating the league’s “mass confrontation policy.”

Video of the incident Saturday showed Laryea going after New York coach Nick Cushing in the melee following the final whistle.

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