
Leafs fans serenade the anthem singer
National anthem singer Natalie Morris recalls the moment Toronto Maple Leafs' fans serenaded her on the subway after their Game 2 win over the Florida Panthers.
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The Province
2 hours ago
- The Province
Connor McDavid's wife seemingly shades Florida Panthers: 'Why is Alberta rat-free?'
Lauren Kyle McDavid chimed in as the Florida Panthers were beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final Lauren Kyle McDavid, wife of Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, posted a thinly veiled taunt at the Florida Panthers via Instagram after their convincing win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Photo by Nick Kozak As the final fists were thrown and players were being ejected from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final Monday night, the wife of the game's biggest star, the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid, subtly chirped the Florida Panthers team on their way to a convincing 6-1 win. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors In a departure from her typically aesthetically curated and polished Instagram account, clothing and interior designer Lauren Kyle McDavid posted a screenshot of a Google Gemini AI response to her query: 'Why is Alberta rat-free?' The screenshot goes on to explain that a provincial program to monitor the Saskatchewan border, combined with strict enforcement and trapping, has led to the province being 'essentially rat-free' for 75 years. Rats are not even permitted as pets in Alberta, but are permitted at zoos, universities or for research purposes. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. However, for those unfamiliar, the rat has been an unofficial Panthers' mascot for 30 years, and, more recently, the term has been one of the many less savoury monikers applied to the Panthers' Brad Marchand, regarded by peers and critics as one of the most antagonistic and bothersome players in the NHL. He picked it up early in his career when drawing comparisons to Ken 'The Rat' Linesman, who played a similar style of hockey and famously bit the nose of Edmonton's Lee Fogolin in 1984. Opposing fans will insist the nickname also alludes to Marchand's nose, which also inspired another early sobriquet: Nose Face Killah, a play on Ghost Face Killah, a member of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Early in his career, Brad Marchand was dubbed the Nose Face Killah. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images The Nova Scotia native might be one of the few NHL players to have a nickname bestowed upon him by a sitting U.S. President. After the Boston Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup in Marchand's rookie year, Barack Obama referred to him as 'a little ball of hate' during the team's subsequent visit to the White House. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As for how the club and its fan base embraced the rat as one of its symbols, you have to go back to the 1995 season when Panthers' forward Scott Mellanby used a slapshot to kill a rat found in the club's dressing room before a game. He went on to score two goals with the same stick that night, leading goalie John Vanbiesbrouck to later joke that his teammate had scored a 'rat trick' — a play on the hockey term for hat trick, when a player nets three goals in a game. The next time Mellanby scored on home ice, someone tossed a fake rat on the ice, and it soon became a practice that became entrenched in the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final in the spring of 1996, the year of the rat, on the Chinese zodiac. The NHL eventually instituted a rule against it, but some fans continue to do it after victories. According to the league, some fans are known to stock up on rubber or plastic rats at Halloween or order them in bulk online. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The tradition continued Monday night as dozens of plastic rats, along with refuse from the stands, rained down on the ice following a fight-filled Game 3. Fans throw rats onto the ice after the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game Three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Appropriately, the Panthers' original mascot is Stanley C. Panther, but in 2014, the club introduced Viktor E. Ratt as a secondary mascot in homage to the unintentional rat legacy. Merchandise stores at Amerant Bank Arena sell t-shirts, hats and large gold chains with rats dangling from them. Kyle McDavid wasn't in Sunrise, Fla., to see the ice showered with debris. She, along with the wives and girlfriends of several other Oilers, were attending a bachelorette party in Greece for Celeste Desjardins, fiancée to Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl, per Daily Hive Vancouver. But she has attended several playoff home games at Rogers Place. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The energy is just unreal. Everyone's on edge, the fans are fully dialled in, and you can feel how much it means to people,' she told ELLE Canada during the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars in late May. 'I love being part of that. It's emotional, exciting and a little chaotic in the best way.' Game 4 in the best-of-seven final is Thursday night, 8 p.m. ET, back at the Panthers' barn. Florida leads the series 2-1. Game 5 returns to Edmonton on Saturday night. Edmonton Oilers fans cheer against the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game One of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on June 04, 2025 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Photo by Steph Chambers / Getty Images Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Whitecaps News News News


CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Longtime North Bay editor challenges himself by writing fiction
Allister Thompson's first book was self-published, but his second, 'Birch and Jay: The Knowledge Seekers: Book 1,' was published by Latitude 46. A North Bay editor turned author has released his second book. Allister Thompson's first book was self-published, but his second, 'Birch and Jay: The Knowledge Seekers: Book 1' was published by Latitude 46. Allister Thompson book Allister Thompson's first book was self-published, but his second, 'Birch and Jay: The Knowledge Seekers: Book 1' was published by Latitude 46. 'I have been an editor for most of my life, and I had my first bookstore job when I was 16,' Thompson said. 'I edit fiction every day, all day long. Eventually, you start to think, can I do this? Have I learned from analyzing other people's stories and telling them what to do? Can I tell myself what to do?' He asked himself whether he could tell a compelling story. The first book he wrote was a long time ago. 'This is my first mature piece of work, I would guess you could say,' said Thompson. 'I really just wanted to see if I could do it.' Book is set in 'Norbay' The main characters in his book are Birch and Jay. They are living in North Bay 100 years in the future. 'The community is renamed Norbay,' he said. 'They are two teens who are in a relationship. Jay is a member of a guild in a town called the 'Knowledge Seekers.' The founders of the town who were survivors of the climate collapse were very idealistic. What they want to do is gather and archive the knowledge of the previous generations.' Thomspon said Jay is a member of the guild, but Birch is not. He said Birch is a more impetuous type who has not figured out what to do with her life. 'Birch has not figured out if she wants to join this guild, and she is in a bit of conflict.' Thompson said that Jay is sent out on his first mission to get his feet wet on former Highway 11. He added that it pains him that this is a very realistic book. 'This is about looking at things that really could happen,' he said. 'The things you will face in a lawless society will be wildlife, dangerous animals, but more so dangerous people.' Thompson's book is available at


CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Ninette Fair to mark 70th anniversary this weekend
The Ninette Fair is marking a major milestone this weekend. June 13 and 14 will mark the 70th annual Ninette Fair. It will be an event that has something for everyone to enjoy while showcasing the fair's history. 'When you look at fairs nowadays, you look at small towns, communities, everything seems to be shrinking and it's getting harder to put these events…When you can hit something like 70, 75 (years), it's amazing. Not only for the people that are putting it on, but for the community as a whole because it means that in a community of a couple hundred people, it's surviving,' said Bryan Podworny, the president of the Pelican Lake Ag Society, which hosts the fair. Podworny said when the fair started, it was an agricultural fair, focused on everything from livestock to growing crops. That trend will continue this year with nine different horse competitions as well as a youth cattle show. Games like the three-legged race and an egg toss will just be a sample of the entertainment that people can enjoy. Ninette Fair A horse racing event at the Ninette Fair. Uploaded June 11, 2025. (Bryan Podworny) There will also be bounce houses, musical acts and a kids exhibit, which will showcase all the kids' talents, from art to cooking. Friday night will feature a teen dance and the traditional roast beef dinner will also be making a return, as it was sidelined during the pandemic. 'The other cool thing that we're bringing back again, a little nostalgic as they used to do it, is the king and queen farmer. We're calling it this year the Ag Olympics. People are going to have to muscle up and do some farm chores and (compete) for some prize money.' It wouldn't be a fair without a parade as well, with Podworny noting the parade was amazing last year and he expects much the same this time around. Ninette Fair Parade Bagpipers playing the in Ninette Fair Parade. Uploaded June 11, 2025. (Bryan Podworny) Gates to the fair open up at 4 p.m. Friday and getting onto the grounds is completely free. Podworny said the only things people have to pay for are food and beverages. He thanked all the volunteers who have put in so much hard work to make this event possible and he is excited to see everyone show up to enjoy it. 'If it wasn't for the volunteers, we would be nowhere. So a massive thank you goes out to them for helping us out.'