Oilers Signee David Tomášek Feels ‘The Best I've Ever Felt In My Career'

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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Hobey Baker winner contemplating KHL stint
This could be the end of Jimmy Vesey's NHL days. According to RG, several KHL teams, such as Ak Bars Kazan, Dinamo Minsk, and China's Kunlun Red Star, are all interested in the 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner for top player in men's college hockey. RG also revealed this quote from a source close to Vesey: 'Jimmy has been asking a lot of questions about how things work in the KHL and is seriously considering offers from the top European league.' Vesey, 32, was originally selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2012 Draft, but refused to sign with them and eventually landed with the New York Rangers in August of 2016. He had a productive first few seasons with the Rangers, notching goal totals of 16, 17, 17, and point totals of 27, 28, and 35. While Vesey never quite panned out, especially given his historic career at Harvard University, he has bounced around multiple franchises since leaving New York in 2019. Vesey would return to the Rangers for the 2022-23 campaign and was traded with Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche in what was mostly a salary dump deal. He is currently an unrestricted free agent. Heading over to Europe or even Asia is nothing new for aging NHLers, as some notable current KHL skaters include Alexander Radulov, Adam Ružička, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, although the last is reportedly eager to rejoin the NHL. If this is it for Vesey, congratulations on a nine-year run in the world's top league and an unforgettable tenure in Cambridge.

2 hours ago
Gaudreau Family 5K raises $500K for accessible playground at special education school
PHILADELPHIA -- The first 5K held in the memory of John and Matt Gaudreau helped raise more than $500,000, enough to break ground later this year on an accessible playground at the special education school where the hockey players' mother works. Thousands attended the Gaudreau Family 5K Walk /Run and Family Day in May at Washington Lake Park in southern New Jersey, a place John and Matthew went hundreds of times as kids and around the corner from Hollydell Ice Arena, where they started playing hockey. The 5K drew more than 1,100 participants in the walk, along with more than 1,100 virtually in the U.S., Canada and around the world. From money raised in the walk, along with contributions made in memory of John and Matt, the financial goal was met for the planned accessible playground at Archbishop Damiano School, where Jane Gaudreau and her daughter Kristen work. It was a cause John and Matthew had begun to champion in honor of their grandmother Marie, who spent 44 years at the school and died in 2023. Groundbreaking is scheduled for late August/early September, with Oct. 4 tentatively set for the start of a community build. After a brief scare of a tornado watch the night before, the 5K went off without a hitch. 'Because of the rain, we had so many people we thought might not show up,' Gaudreau said. 'But I felt like it was such a great turnout. So many people asked us if we're going to do it again next year. It just such an outpouring of love and care, so much for the boys in our family.' To answer the question, yes: The next Gaudreau Family 5K Walk is tentatively scheduled for May 16, 2026. The Gaudreau brothers — John played 10 full seasons in the NHL with Calgary and Columbus — were killed last August on the eve of their sister's wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey. The playground initiative was launched by principal Michele McCloskey in October 2020. Raising the necessary funds over the last five years had been a slow build. So many friends from the hockey world and others now inspired by the brothers and the cause have since rallied around the effort. 'We heard so much from everyone how much they appreciated everything (the brothers) did for the community, and so they turned around and helped us out,' Gaudreau said. 'We heard a lot of nice stories, a lot of people were just so generous, just wanting to be there for our family and whatever they could do to keep John and Matty's legacy alive, which is what we wanted from the playground and to go forward from here.' The Gaudreaus and the staff at Archbishop Damiano threw themselves into fundraising for a modern playground that allows for everything from basic wheelchair accessibility to ramps and transfer platforms for the students. Students tacked their wish list for the playground to the walls inside the school. The 5K event also included an online memorabilia auction that stretched beyond hockey, with all proceeds donated toward the playground effort and its original $600,000 goal. The new area for the playground has been staked out and the equipment has been ordered, yet there is still work ahead. The Gaudreaus and the school needed everything from 175 tons of crushed concrete to beach sand to other construction materials to complete the project.'It's just planning out our community build, which we'll need assistance on,' Gaudreau said. Archbishop Damiano School was founded in 1968 for children with Down syndrome and now provides services for 125 students with special needs from ages 3 to 21. Jane Gaudreau's brother attended the school and their mother worked there. Jane was hired in 1984 and is still a finance associate. Kristen, the older daughter, has taught at the school for almost two decades. Katie, the younger daughter, who got married in July, used to assist with the kids when she could, and the two Gaudreau boys volunteered at the school when they weren't playing hockey.


Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
McIntosh, Ledecky set for world swimming showdown in 800-metre freestyle
SINGAPORE - Summer McIntosh geared up for a swimming duel with American star Katie Ledecky, while Blake Tierney fell agonizingly short of the podium Friday at the world championship. McIntosh races for a fourth straight gold in Singapore in Saturday's 800-metre freestyle. It could be the Canadian's toughest challenge yet as McIntosh needs to beat reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder Ledecky for another gold. McIntosh posted the third-fastest time in Friday's heats at eight minutes 19.88 seconds behind Ledecky (8:14.62) and Lanni Pallister of Australia (8:17.06). McIntosh and Ledecky will race in lanes beside each other in the final scheduled for 8:17 a.m. ET. 'Any time I get to race Katie, whether it's in the 800, which I haven't done in a while or the 400 or any event really, any time we get a matchup it's lots of fun,' said McIntosh. 'She pushes me to reach bigger goals, so I'm really excited to race her tomorrow night.' The 18-year-old from Toronto beat Ledecky in the 400-metre freestyle on opening day for the first of her three gold medals, which is the most by a Canadian at a world championship. McIntosh was also victorious in the 200-metre individual medley and 200-metre butterfly. Her stated goal for Singapore was five wins in her five individual races — the 400 individual medley is Sunday — which is a feat only U.S. great Michael Phelps has achieved at a single world championship. Ledecky is the only woman to win four gold medals at a long-course world championship, which she did in 2015 in Kazan, Russia. Also Friday, Toronto's Josh Liendo and Montreal's Ilya Kharun booked spots in the men's 100-metre butterfly final Saturday. The two shared the Olympic podium in Paris last year, with Liendo taking silver and Kharun the bronze. Liendo turned in the second-fastest time in the semifinals of 50.24 seconds, while Kharun was fourth in 50.39. Saskatoon's Tierney finished fourth in the men's 200-metre backstroke in 1:55.09, which was just under half a second short of a medal. 'This is my first time ever making a semi, let alone a final, in the 200 back,' Tierney said. The 23-year-old broke the Canadian record twice — in the heats (1:55.17) and again in the semifinal (1:55.03) — to qualify for the final. 'The plan was really just to treat each swim like it was my only swim, so if I didn't make a semi or final, I'd be able to walk with my head high,' Tierney said. 'It was a little more taxing than maybe some of the other guys who maybe cruised some in the morning. But three 1:55s, I'm pretty happy with that.' Hungary's Hubert Kós won gold in 1:53.19, followed by South Africa's Pieter Coetze (1:53.36) and France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (1:54.62). Canada has won six medals at the world aquatics championships — five in swimming and one in high diving. Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., finished 13th in women's 50-metre butterfly, and Calgary's Ingrid Wilm was 13th in the women's 200-metre backstroke. Singapore offers a prize purse of US$3.1 million for pool and open-water swimmers, plus a $30,000 bonus to swimmers who break world records. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025.