Alan Parsons coming to Montreal to benefit the Neurological Institute
Montreal Watch
Classic rock icon Alan Parsons coming to Montreal to benefit the Neurological Institute at a concert at Place des Arts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Mature' Oilers poised for Cup final rematch with battle-tested Panthers
For the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers will play the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa has the story. DALLAS — The Oilers were crestfallen. Heads sank into hands. Tears flowed from reddened eyes. Edmonton's bloodied and bearded roster had given everything in the Stanley Cup final. The gutsy, backs-against-the-wall effort — valiant in erasing a 3-0 series deficit to force Game 7 — came up just short 12 months ago. Connor McDavid Aleksander Barkov 2024 Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) is consoled by Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) after Florida defeated Edmonton in game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup finals in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday, June 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS) The team's core led by superstar captain Connor McDavid vowed that sweltering Florida night after falling to the Panthers that they would be back on the same stage. 'It's been a want since the end of last year,' Corey Perry, the Oilers' greybeard winger, said of a return to the NHL's title series. 'There's been a lot of thinking about what happened last year, and self-reflecting. 'Here we are.' The Oilers, it turns out, were right. Edmonton will make a second consecutive appearance in the Cup final after beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 in the Western Conference final. And Florida, once again, is waiting. 'It was on our mind since we lost that last game,' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said of his team's mission. 'It was a long, tough summer, training camp, regular season.' Oilers Stars Hockey Edmonton Oilers center Mattias Janmark (13) and defenseman John Klingberg (36) celebrate after winning Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (Julio Cortez/AP) The team from Alberta's capital didn't have its best for stretches of that 82-game schedule. Edmonton finished third in the Pacific Division following a rash of injuries down the stretch and fell behind 0-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs. All the club has done since? Put up a 12-2 mark in rebounding with four straight wins against the Kings before getting past both the Vegas Golden Knights and the Stars in five games. And unlike last spring when the Oilers, who host Game 1 of the Cup final Wednesday, relied heavily on the contributions of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — to be clear, the two headliners have again been excellent — the group has got goals from 19 different players in this post-season. A rebuilt defence corps, meanwhile, weathered the loss of Mattias Ekholm, back from injury for Thursday's 6-3 victory in Game 5 over Dallas after basically two months on the shelf, while the goaltending of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard has come up huge when needed. 'Some teams get really hot coming down the stretch and they ride it all the way through the playoffs,' McDavid said late Thursday night in the bowels of a cavernous American Airlines Center. 'For us, it's come together in the playoffs. We've been building and building and building our game. 'Our best hockey is still in front of us.' Oilers Stars Hockey Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) scores against Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith and center Roope Hintz (24) during the second period of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson) (Gareth Patterson/AP) Edmonton had already ridden a wild roller-coaster by this point last year. This run feels different. 'The first time you go through it, there's a ton of joy and excitement,' Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse said of winning three playoff rounds. 'And there is now, don't get me wrong, but there's also a hunger and knowing what's coming and the opportunity that's ahead. We're all excited.' 'Those games can be emotionally draining,' McDavid added. 'We're not drained … we've got lots of depth. We've got as good a chance as they do.' That would be the nasty, battle-tested Panthers — in a third straight final after steamrolling the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, bossing the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7, and disposing of the Carolina Hurricanes in five. Panthers Hurricanes Hockey Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov (16) skates over to accept the Prince of Wales Trophy following Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) (Karl B DeBlaker/AP) 'We know what they're about,' Draisaitl said. 'We played them seven times. It's nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we're a long ways from that.' Knoblauch said his players are wiser as they pivot to an opponent led by Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sergei Bobrovsky and Brad Marchand making its third straight Cup appearance. 'This is a mature group,' the second-year bench boss said of Edmonton. 'They're older. They've seen a lot of playoff hockey. They know what they need to do to get it done.' The task, however, remains daunting. 'If it's going to change, we're going to play our best hockey,' Knoblauch added. 'We have a chance, but we're going to have to be at our best.' The Oilers have been pretty close to that already in these playoffs. Now they need more. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Edmonton Oilers fans hopeful ahead of Stanley Cup final rematch with Florida Panthers
New Oilers pushed Panthers to Game 7 last year, but lost the Cup Edmonton Oilers fans are once again living the dream, but hopes are high that this year comes without the nightmare ending. The Oilers completed a backdoor sweep of the Dallas Stars on Thursday — losing the first game of the series then winning four in a row — to punch their second straight ticket to the Stanley Cup final. Standing between the Oilers and glory are the Florida Panthers, who came out on top against the Oilers last year to win their first Cup in team history. "I'm not nervous at all," Oilers fan Nikolina Maljevic said outside the Oilers' home arena of Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton Friday afternoon. "I think they're ready for this." Arena staff were seen bustling about to make sure Edmonton's Ice District surrounding the rink was also ready for the rematch. The fan park was getting a power wash while racks of T-shirts and other merchandise were being loaded into the official team store, though restocking efforts were interrupted by fans, including Maljevic, stocking up. "I got some amazing stuff," Maljevic said, showing off two jackets from the brand owned by the wife of Oilers captain Connor McDavid, as well as a team T-shirt she got for her father. While Game 1 on Wednesday will surely see a sell-out crowd in Edmonton, thousands more will flood the area outside the rink, dubbed the "Moss Pit" out of respect for the late and beloved team equipment assistant Joey Moss. Maljevic said her family's game-day traditions mean she'll be cheering on from home. "My family's a bit superstitious," she said, adding that no new faces are allowed inside so as not to throw off the winning formula of family watching together. Maljevic isn't the only Edmontonian whose home is intertwined with feelings and memories of the local team, but they all pale in comparison to the home of Warren Sillanpaa. Sillanpaa's downtown home is protected by a hand-painted fence depicting the jerseys of Oilers stars and fan favourites from McDavid to Corey Perry. His yard also sports a row of Oilers flags, near life-sized aluminum cutouts of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that make it look like they're hopping over the boards for a shift, and a hand-made oil derrick that he can light with a torch. There's also a sign that reads "Honk if you want the cup," which Sillanpaa said doubles as an alarm clock. "I got up the other morning and it's like 6:45 a.m. I'm just laying up there, and the windows open, [and I'm wondering if I] should I get up or not," he said. "I just hear this guy walk by saying 'Let's go Oilers!' and 15 minutes later someone honked, [so I was up]." Like Maljevic, Sillanpaa said he too had nothing but confidence Edmonton will bring home the Cup. "Everybody seems to be on the same page with everything," he said. The graphic designer's home isn't the only sign of Oilers life in Edmonton ahead of the Stanley Cup final. Transit bus destination signs shift back and forth between displaying their route and tickers that say "Let's Go Oilers!" while it's no unusual sight to see cars and trucks drive by with plastic Oilers flags flapping in the wind. Community organizations, and local governments, are also pulling out all the stops. Performers with the Edmonton-based Ukrainian Shumka Dancers have gone viral for taking their skills to new stages, and in new costumes. Donning Oilers jerseys, members of the company's professional squad have been attending watch parties downtown and, after every goal from the home team, orchestrate an elaborate manoeuvre where a dancer is thrown back and forth by a team of 10. It's similar to a windshield wiper in action and speed. "They made the Stanley Cup final, and you can expect that throw to keep flying," said the company's rehearsal director, Paul Olijnyk. Final fever is also spreading outside the city limits. Municipal leaders in the Edmonton suburb city of St. Albert held what could only be described as an emergency council meeting on Monday to unanimously sign off on spending up to $70,000 to host watch parties for the final. For roughly $10,000 per game, the city is renting a projector and speakers and inviting fans to pull up a chair in the local rec centre parking lot on game nights. Coun. Sheena Hughes, a budget watchdog, said the city shouldn't have to spend as much as they think. "They're going to win in six games."
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
The magic of summer camp inspired Charis Cotter's new novel
Charis Cotter says some of her earliest memories are of attending summer camp as a child in Ontario. "We'd have dress-up nights and skits. I loved the skits. And singing, the singing was great. To me [it] was just magical," she said. She draws on these magical memories for her latest novel The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, which tells the story of a girl who goes to summer camp for the first time and encounters a ghostly mystery. The prolific and award-winning author of children's books moved to Western Bay, Newfoundland, about 15 years ago, after spending most of her life in Toronto. She believes the move gave her the same sense of vitality she used to experience in the summers of her childhood. "Growing up in the city, but going out and being in the country, I just felt like I came alive. It was where I belonged. It inspired me," she said. Living next to a large cemetery in Toronto, and then moving into a house situated between two cemeteries in Western Bay, she has always been drawn to the sense of wonder graveyards inspire. "I always want there to be more to life than what you can see and touch, that there's something more mysterious happening, and magical," she said. In her writing, she approaches the idea of the supernatural with a sense of playfulness rather than fear. "To me it's a key to get into a child's imagination. It's with grownups, too. You start talking about ghosts, and immediately everyone is listening." An author and a performer Cotter has authored more than a dozen books for young readers, garnering accolades from the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards and the Atlantic Book Awards for children's literature, plus national and international awards. Yet, her first passion was acting, and she still brings that early love to her craft through engaging presentations. Cotter especially enjoys visiting children in classrooms. Drawing on her theatre training — she studied acting in Toronto and London, England — she presents dramatic readings in character and helps children learn to tell their own stories. Among her many personas, she has given readings dressed as Queen Elizabeth II and as a housecleaning ghost from Scottish lore. She also does creative writing workshops with school children. Two of her titles, The Ghosts of Baccalieu and The Ghosts of Southwest Arm, are collections of stories arising out of these classroom writing workshops. "I want to stimulate kids' imaginations," she said. "I want them to be creative and lose themselves in daydreams and use their imaginations because I just think it's vital to human existence and creativity." In The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, the young protagonist feels different from other kids and is nervous about attending summer camp for the first time. In fact, many of Cotter's novels feature characters who feel out of step with their peers. "I think a lot of kids feel that way," she said. "I think kids can relate on some level to that feeling of not being sure of yourself and not being sure of your friends … or feeling that you're weird or different." What inspires her to write about these young characters? Cotter believes she is a 10-year-old at heart. "Everybody has an age that they are inside that's not their chronological age, it's their psychological age or the age that they operate from and see the world around them. And I always say that I'm 10 inside," she said. "There's insecurity, hesitation, but the world is opening up." Tender subjects Whether she's writing a new ghost story or telling tales to a room full of fifth graders, Cotter is driven by a deep empathy for the children she engages with. "I want their emotional experience of life to be validated," she said. Sometimes in a classroom setting, a child will disclose their real-life experience of grief. "Somebody will say, my father died last year, or my grandmother died. And then I have to try to respond to them in a way that isn't just playing, it's something more. And it's very moving when that happens." Ultimately, Cotter's goal is to inspire delight in her young readers. "My books are always to do with ghosts, and ghosts have to do with death. So, there is a sadness in my books. But my main purpose in writing is always to give the reader a good time, to entertain them and have fun, and pull them into another world," she said. In the coming months, Cotter will offer signing events in Newfoundland and Ontario. She also hopes to do another school tour in the fall. Copies of The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall are available in all bookstores. Her next local book signing will take place at Coles in the Village Mall in St. John's on Saturday, June 14, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
