Emotional support chickens in high demand for Oilers' playoff run
Ashley Sinclair crochets emotional support chickens to help Edmonton Oilers fans get through the anxiety of playoff season. She says the chickens, which she makes from her home in Sherwood Park, Alta., are in high demand.
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National Post
25 minutes ago
- National Post
FLAMES RETOOL TRACKER: Potential options on defence at the NHL Draft
If there's one thing that's become clear as we've looked through the state of the defence in our Flames Retool Tracker series this week, it's that the organization is well-stocked with young talent on the blue line. Article content That makes it pretty unlikely that the Flames will take a defenceman with their first of two first-round picks at the NHL Draft later this month. Article content Article content After that, though? If the right player is available, who knows? Article content Article content Here are six guys we think might look good in a Flames uniform who are expected to get picked on June 27: Article content Henry Brzustewicz Article content Measurements: 6-foot-1, 192 lbs. Article content The skinny: It's not just that Brzustewicz's brother, Hunter, is one of the most highly regarded prospects in the Flames system and could be part of the blue-line puzzle next season. Henry also played big minutes for the Knights as they won the Memorial Cup this year and was one of the big risers on most draft boards as the season progressed. Scouts praise him for his super-high hockey IQ and his dependability on both ends of the ice, while acknowledging there's room for him to be more assertive offensively. Brzustewicz is expected to be picked in the second round and it would be a great story if the Flames wound up with both brothers. Article content Article content Article content Measurements: 6-foot-4, 200 lbs. Article content The skinny: The son of eight-time Canadian long ball champion Lisa Vlooswyk is a defensive defenceman who brings real physicality to the ice and that could have real value for a Flames team that already has its fair share of offensively minded blueliners in its system. FC Hockey's draft guide credits Vlooswyk for his physical presence, positioning and stick work and notes that he 'excels in denying net-front access (and) tying up threats without losing structure' — and that's exactly what coaches like in a defenceman. If he's available in the later rounds, the Flames just might look at bringing another Calgary kid home. Article content Measurements: 6-foot-0, 190 lbs. Article content The skinny: This writer is a little confused why some outlets have Pickford ranked as low as they do heading into the draft. He put up great numbers for the juggernaut Tigers this season and even set a WHL record for most consecutive games with a goal by a defenceman in the playoffs when he scored in eight straight as his team captured the title. He's a great puck-mover with elite offensive instincts for a blue liner and, while the Flames do have a few guys with similar skill sets, he should still carry a lot of intrigue. It's worth noting, too, that most scouting profiles make a point of mentioning that Pickford isn't a one-trick pony. There's lots to like about his defensive game, too.
Winnipeg Free Press
35 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Forget about the past': Fans weigh in on criticism of Wayne Gretzky over Trump ties
EDMONTON – It wasn't long ago that some Canadians were up in arms about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. But as the Edmonton Oilers skate their way through the Stanley Cup final, hockey fans say it's time to let bygones be bygones. 'I don't think it matters,' said Craig Hiscock, a longtime Oilers fan, as he posed Wednesday for a photo with a statue of Gretzky outside Rogers Place in Edmonton ahead of Game 1. 'Let's forget about the past. What he did here was a lot for the city, a lot for hockey.' The statue was vandalized in March and smeared with what appeared to be and strongly smelled like feces. On Wednesday, a hip-high metal fence was up around the bronze figure. An online petition started in February calling for a new name for Wayne Gretzky Drive also has about 14,000 signatures. Gretzky, the Ontario-born hockey star who led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, recently drew the ire of Canadians for his public support of Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state. The Great One was photographed with Trump several times at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In January, Gretzky and his wife, Janet, attended Trump's inauguration in Washington. Frustrations grew after he appeared as honorary captain for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off final with the United States. Video footage showed him giving the U.S. team a thumbs-up as he walked to the ice. Gretzky also congratulated Dallas Stars players in their locker room last month, after they advanced to the Western Conference final. The Oilers eliminated the Stars in five games and now have one win against the Florida Panthers in the Cup final. Game 2 is Friday night. Brian Foulken, who became a fan during the Gretzky era and collects Oilers merchandise, said Gretzky's accomplishments, including multiple scoring records that stand to this day, still resonate with people. As for the criticism, Foulken said people are going to have their own opinions. 'At the end of the day, (Gretzky) played here for a long time. The diehard Oilers (fans), we love him,' he said outside the arena before Game 1. 'He's an amazing player.' Foulken added that current Oilers captain Connor McDavid is inching closer to Gretzky-level greatness. Darren Rogers, a Gretzky fan since the Oilers' inception into the NHL in 1979, said Gretzky's leadership led the team to win multiple Stanley Cups. Politics aside, that accomplishment should matter more to people in the grand scheme of things, Rogers said. Gretzky was in Edmonton for Wednesday's game. And as storied as Gretzky is to the Oilers franchise, he appeared to still be catching up to this new generation's fan base. On an American sports network, he sat side by side with commentators, as they discussed the Oilers' new tradition of playing the pop song 'Pink Pony Club.' Players have been tight-lipped about the significance of the Chappell Roan hit, typically heard after the team plays 'La Bamba' by Los Lobos following a win. 'Pink Pony — is that a band or is that a song?' the 64-year-old Gretzky asked TNT Sports co-host Paul Bissonnette following the Oilers' 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. '(Roan) sings a song, 'Pink Pony Club,' and it's famous. It's on the radio,' Bissonnette answered. 'It's the new generation, Wayne,' he added. Gretzky appeared disappointed to learn Roan isn't Canadian, but still seemed eager to check out the song. 'I gotta get that (as) my ringtone,' Gretzky said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Fire at Yellowknife apartment that displaced public housing tenants caused by smoking
Social Sharing Improper disposal of smoking materials was found to be the cause of a fire that displaced tenants of public housing from a Yellowknife apartment building in March. Saxon Chung, a spokesperson for the City of Yellowknife, wrote in an email that an investigation by the city's fire department into the Sunridge Place apartments fire determined it was accidental. The city said after the incident in March that the fire was contained to a single unit on the first floor of the three-storey building and that no injuries were reported. Sunridge appears to still be closed, with the windows at the bottom of the building boarded up and a note on the door saying the building's owner, Northview, is working with contractors to ensure the building is "safe and restored in a timely manner." The note says that Northview changed the locks and that anyone needing to access the building could call either their public housing organization or Northview itself. A large vacuum truck was outside the building along with a large dumpster on Tuesday. Multiple units in the building were used for subsidized housing, and the organizations that ran them have been making alternate plans for their tenants. Housing First, a program run by the Yellowknife Women's Society, leased five Sunridge units, three of which had tenants. Hovannes Nazaryan, the team lead for Housing First, said the organization received three replacement units from Northview and has moved tenants to those. "The last time I was there [at Sunridge], we cleaned all of our units out, we moved all the furniture that was salvageable, and basically everything else went to the dump," he said. Shortly after the fire, before the replacement units were ready, Housing First moved its tenants into hotels for acccommodation. He said they're still waiting for two more units, one for emergencies and another to accommodate additional tenants. Nazaryan said he's not sure when, or even if, those tenants will move back into Sunridge when it reopens. Bob Bies is the CEO of the Yellowknife Housing Authority, which had five units at Sunridge. The Yellowknife Housing Authority runs the operation of public housing units that are leased by Housing N.W.T., the territory's housing agency. Bies said they have no plan to return to the building, and they've set tenants up in temporary accommodations with the plan to move them to Aspen Apartments when construction on it is complete. Julie Carter was a former tenant of Sunridge through the Yellowknife Housing Authority. She was planning to move out the day after the fire forced the evacuation. Carter said she was put up in a hotel the first night she was displaced and then was expected to move into her new apartment. But she didn't have access to any of her clothes, food, or other necessities. "I have a completely empty apartment, I have absolutely no funds. How am I supposed to feed myself, feed my dogs, change my clothes?" she said. Carter said she convinced the Yellowknife Housing Authority to put her up in a hotel and that it took weeks before she was allowed to enter her old unit to gather what was salvageable. When the Sunridge building will reopen is unclear. Each housing organization said they were unsure and redirected the question to Northview. Northview did not respond to multiple requests for an update by email, phone and in person.
