Classic Sports Moments - The time Nick Taylor played in Saskatchewan
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Witness 19-year-old Nick Taylor winning a tournament in Saskatchewan for the first time in 2007.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Bob Probert's family helps open Tecumseh health care campus in his name
Family members of the late Detroit Red Wings enforcer Bob Probert celebrated what would have been his 60th birthday on Thursday by helping open the Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) Tecumseh campus named in his honour. The Bob Probert Tecumseh Campus offers specialized outpatient programs, including cardiac wellness, rehab outreach, outpatient rehab services and geriatric services, according to a news release from HDGH. Probert's widow, Dani Probert, said the official opening was more emotional than she expected it to be. "Typically on Bob's birthday, we like to celebrate quietly, privately," she said. "The kids and I are sitting with his favourite music and eating all of his favourite foods. And today, it seemed so appropriate to be with the community at an event like this. … I think the community of Windsor-Essex has been so amazing with helping us in the grieving process over 10 years. So it seemed really special to be with the same people after all these years to spend his birthday." Bob Probert died in 2010 of a heart attack at the age of 45, eight years after his retirement from the National Hockey League. A feared enforcer and one-time all-star His 16-year career with the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks earned him a reputation as a feared enforcer who accumulated 3,300 penalty minutes – the fifth-highest total of all time. He also racked up 384 points, including 163 goals, and earned an All-Star nod during the 1987-88 season. For a decade after his death, his family helped organize the annual Bob Probert Ride, a fundraising motorcycle poker run in his honour, to raise money for health care. "The ride has achieved a lot over the years," Probert's daughter, Brogan, told the audience at the opening. "Since that very first meeting, we were able to support the cardiac cath lab on Ouellette, provide exercise equipment to the Petro Family Cardiac Wellness Centre on Prince Road, and now the Bob Probert Tecumseh campus will officially open. The impact that this campus will have on our community is greater than we originally had anticipated. It's incredible." The president and CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare said the campus has already seen around 700 patient visits since its soft opening on March 3. And there's been no reduction in the patient volume at the main campus on Prince Road, a spokesperson added. That demand is prompting the organization to think about expanding, Bill Marra said. "I've been in the public service for 37 years in a variety of leadership roles," he said. "This is one of the most grassroots community-based success stories I've ever been a part of – the family coming together over a catastrophic event, donors from a wide spectrum of corporate citizens, private citizens, a hospital institution, the Town of Tecumseh, organized labour. Think about that formula and look at where we're at today."
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canada's Victoria Hayward, Athletes Unlimited aim for sustainable pro softball ahead of Olympic return
Canadian softball veteran Victoria Hayward has competed through four Olympic cycles — yet she's only played in one. And so as softball returns for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the 33-year-old Toronto native is still taking a big-picture view. The sport has only been on the Olympic program once since 2008, when the Tokyo Olympics included it for the 2020 Games, where Hayward competed. "I think the mission to grow our sport has to be bigger than just doing it for that world stage," said Hayward, who joined the national team as a 16-year-old in 2009 but had to watch the 2012, 2016 and 2024 Olympics from afar. Hayward's mission continues Saturday when she will suit up for opening day of the newest Athletes Unlimited Softball League season. The competition first began in 2020 with a fantasy-style, athlete-centred format — now, it's back for its first go-round as a more traditional, team-focused pro league. "Our goal is to have women be professional softball players and that requires more games, that requires that traditional model and so we're creeping closer and closer toward that and that's something we're definitely really proud of as a league," Hayward said. Hayward was part of the original group of players who competed at a field in Rosemont, Ill., in 2020 in an attempt to drum up interest for their sport ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Since its inception, Athletes Unlimited has expanded to include volleyball and basketball, with both adopting the player-first scoring format. Now, softball has become the first to branch out into the more traditional model, featuring four teams playing 24 games each across 10 cities. Hayward was drafted to a team called the Talons. Former Miami Marlins general manager and longtime MLB executive Kim Ng came aboard as commissioner in April, and one month later MLB announced a strategic partnership with the league. "It's really a testament to all of the work that every generation of professional softball players has done to increase visibility, to really just put our sport on the map in a way that MLB recognizes its value, recognizes its potential and wants to be a part of it," Hayward, who spent three years from 2020 to 2022 on the AU board, said. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league was "really excited" about the investment. "We thought rather than starting on our own and competing, that finding a place where we could invest and grow a business was a better opportunity for us," Manfred said. For Hayward, the partnership represents a massive step toward creating that sustainable pro environment like basketball players have in the WNBA, soccer players have in the NWSL and NSL, and hockey players have in the PWHL. She said AU has received advice from some the WNBA players who spend their off-season in the league. "Once you kind of receive that [MLB] stamp of approval things can really take off, and I think that's really exciting," Hayward said. Hayward added that the league had hoped to start in 2020 with a traditional model, but it was forced to pivot due to various pandemic restrictions. For this season, AU will maintain some of its old model in the form of a season-ending All-Star Cup, a month-long competition in August following the regular season. "To see it come full circle and to have the opportunity to have a team, to be able to create new beginnings and just lay the foundation for it to be built upon is really awesome," Hayward said. Meanwhile, the timing of the MLB investment lands at the beginning of a quadrennial, setting up the sport to create momentum ahead of its return to the Olympics in three years — and perhaps convince Brisbane 2032 organizers that is should be included there, too. Additionally, AU should help athletes stay sharp competitively in advance of that competition, Hayward said. "The athletes within this league are the absolute best of the best and now with a model that we're going to play a lot more games and we're going to be exposed to that high-level competition day in and day out and just be around the best softball players in the world, as a competitor training to be in that world stage at the Olympics, that's all you can ask for," Hayward said. As for Team Canada, Hayward is the lone Canuck registered for this season of Athletes Unlimited. She said she hopes more Canadians will join in future years. But Hayward, who hasn't competed on the national team since 2022, said she doesn't anticipate being part of the Olympic roster. "I'll never say never. A lot can change. As of right now, I do not plan on being part of the national team at that time, but stranger things have happened than for somebody to come out of retirement to compete at the Olympic games," she said. "I would love to be involved in some capacity." She credited former player and current national team head coach Kaleigh Rafter for bridging the gap toward the next generation of Canadian softball players that will strive to build upon Hayward and company's Tokyo bronze medal. "Most people only want to be in when the Olympics are in and I'm really proud of our country for wanting to be consistent and continue to grow and I think then when you get into a cycle when the Olympics is back, I think there's a renewed sense of purpose," Hayward said.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz reaches final after Lorenzo Musetti retires with injury in fourth set
Winner Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, right, and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti greet each other after the semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) PARIS — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final on Friday after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their semifinal early in the fourth set. Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when the eighth-seeded Italian had to stop playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier. 'It's not great to win a match like this. Lorenzo is a great player,' Alcaraz said. 'I wish him all the best, and wish him a quick recovery and hope to see him soon on the court.' Musetti had treatment on the inside of his left thigh late in the third set and then again before the start of the fourth. The 23-year-old Musetti was 5-0 down after 16 minutes of the third set when he called for a trainer. Alcaraz broke Musetti in the next game to clinch the set in 21 minutes, winning 24 of 29 points. Musetti was clearly hindered in his movements and called for the trainer again. After Alcaraz broke his serve to lead 2-0, Musetti walked slowly up to the net and received a hug from Alcaraz. Alcaraz had made 16 unforced errors in the first set, which Musetti clinched when the Spaniard sent a foreheand wide. 'The first two sets were really tough,' Alcaraz said. 'When I won the second set I was relieved. Then in the third set I knew what I had to do. I knew I could push him to the limit by just keep being aggressive. I managed to be myself, be more calm, I could see much clearer and play great tennis.' The 22-year-old Alcaraz, who is seeded second, goes for his second French Open title and fifth major overall against either top-ranked Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the final. They were playing their semifinal later Friday. ___ Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
