The art and the artist: Chip Wilson's new Kitsilano sign
People's reactions to the Vancouver billionaire's latest public art offering are another example of the city's complicated relationship with the Lululemon founder. Justin McElroy reports.
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CTV News
28 minutes ago
- CTV News
Head coach Jesper Sorensen guiding Vancouver Whitecaps to new highs
Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen acknowledges the crowd as he walks onto the field before an MLS soccer match against Minnesota United, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Jesper Sorensen believes in giving his players room to make mistakes. 'If you're afraid of making mistakes, you'll make nothing. That's the problem. Because you will end up making mistakes,' the Vancouver Whitecaps' head coach said in a recent interview. 'So making mistakes is a big part of a fluid game … where there's a lot of transition moments and a lot of moments where things are not going perfectly. And my job is to try to construct a safety net behind the mistakes.' Sorensen's first five months in charge haven't featured many missteps — just an astounding start to the season. A 0-0 draw against Minnesota United on Wednesday extended the club's unbeaten streak to 15 games (7-0-8) across all competitions. A third of the way through the Major League Soccer campaign, Vancouver sits atop the Western Conference standings with a 9-1-5 record. The 'Caps have also stunned giants in CONCACAF Champions Cup play this year, ousting five-time champions CF Monterrey from the round of 16 and besting Lionel Messi's Inter Miami twice in the semifinals. The team will look to write the final chapter in their fairy tale run when they face LIGA MX side Cruz Azul in the tournament final on Sunday. 'It's been a lot of fun. It's been a lot of work. And it's been a time that I couldn't have foreseen, becoming this successful,' Sorensen said. 'And it's been great. Everybody has been great.' The 51-year-old former midfielder from Aarhus, Denmark, was introduced as the MLS-era Whitecaps' sixth full-time head coach on Jan. 14, just hours before the team took off for training camp in Marbella, Spain. He replaced Vanni Sartini, the eccentric Italian whose three-and-a-half season tenure saw the 'Caps win three straight Canadian Championship titles, but fail to get past the first round of the MLS playoffs. Though he'd played more than 300 matches in Denmark's top league, Sorensen was a relative unknown for many North American soccer fans before taking the job in Vancouver. He joined the 'Caps following two years as head coach of Brondby IF in the Danish Superliga, and two and a half more as assistant. He also spent more than a year in charge of Denmark's under-21 national squad. Sorensen's track record of quickly guiding new teams to positive results and his passion for player development stood out to Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster, who also liked the coach's 'calmness and confidence in himself.' 'I would love to say that I had seen all of this coming and that I was exactly expecting this,' Schuster said. 'I have to say that he's over-delivering on the results. But in general, he is exactly what we hoped he would be.' Sorensen's first game with the 'Caps ended in a frustrating 2-1 loss to Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa in Champions Cup play on Feb. 20, but the team rebounded with three straight wins across all competitions before the squad dropped its first match of the MLS season on March 22, a 3-1 decision to the Chicago Fire. The Whitecaps have not lost since. 'I think we've played amazing football. I think we are playing entertaining football. Actually, I would be a little bit arrogant if I said that we had imagined it to be as good as it is,' said 'Caps assistant coach Jan Michaelsen, who's known Sorensen since the 1990s when they played together at Akademisk Boldklub in Denmark. 'But we have to continue. We have the quality in the team. I think we have shown the quality. Now we just have to continue. That is the hardest job.' Under Sorensen, the 'Caps have been relentless, a team that attacks in waves and isn't afraid to pick the ball off an opponent's feet. It's a style of play that suits the players, said striker Brian White, who leads the team with 15 goals across all competitions. 'I think he's allowed everyone to kind of flourish and play their kind of game, and in respect to the way we want to play as a team,' he said. 'So I think he's found a way to get the best out of everybody, and I think we're just playing really well as a team.' The new coach isn't convinced that he's found new strengths in his athletes. What he's done, Sorensen said, is find ways to play to their existing strengths by utilizing them in the right moments. 'Sometimes it's also maybe a player that hasn't had the chance often is given a chance a couple of times,' he said. 'And then he can grow with the challenge. And then you can set even higher demands on the player like that. 'And I think it's very important, because players want demands, because then they know that you have expectations for them.' Knowing they can grow makes players hungrier, said Sebastian Berhalter, who's become a stalwart presence for Vancouver this season. 'I think we always had those strengths and it's about how he just pulled them out of us,' said the midfielder, who recently earned his first call-up to the U.S. national team. 'He's been really good at talking to each individual player and making sure that we know we're all going on the same page.' While some of the team's young talent has shone under the new bench boss, a vast array of players have seen their game develop this season, said 'Caps captain Ryan Gauld. 'I'd say he's got a passion for it and he's very good at individuals and coaching the younger players,' said the attacking midfielder, who's been sidelined since early March with a knee injury. 'And us, the older boys, the more experienced boys, we're learning a lot in training sessions as well. But especially the young boys, the amount they're learning off him and picking up, little things that they can do to improve their games, is huge for them. And I think that's why everyone's been enjoying it so much.' Sorensen, too, has been learning since stepping into the job. Before joining the Whitecaps, he'd spent his entire career playing and then coaching in Denmark. The new gig has brought an abundance of travel and a chance to explore North America — if only in short bursts. On every 'Caps road trip, he tries to take a walk and see part of the city. The packed MLS schedule is a challenge, he admitted, especially when he's trying to stay in touch with his wife, Pernille, and three young adult sons back home in Denmark, scheduling calls across a nine-hour time difference. Sorensen is learning to navigate those challenges for the sport he fell in love with 'instantly' as a kid. 'I played football every day after school, and I played in school, and I played all the time. And it was great,' he said, adding that he also dabbled in badminton and handball. 'When I was a kid, we were fortunate that there was not much television. In Denmark, you only had one channel and there was no internet. So all the time you were moving. And sport was the most fun thing for me to do.' That love hasn't waned. Sorensen remains passionate about soccer and exploring all of its complexities. It's a passion that bubbles out of him as he talks about why he turned to coaching after his playing career. 'I love studying the game,' he said. 'Finding new things, seeing new trends, learning about the game because it's so complex. It's the most complex game I think there is. 'I love it. I love the game.' This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press, was first published May 29, 2025.
CTV News
42 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Resurgence of WAGs': Sport researchers say spouses of athletes growing in popularity
Connor McDavid (97) pets his dog as he is honoured for his 1000 points along with family members before taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Edmonton on Thursday, December 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson A new business in a historic downtown Edmonton building is generating some major buzz. Several social media influencers recently walked a red carpet leading into Bar Trove and the Trove Living furniture showroom for a media tour ahead of its June 6 opening. They ate oysters and sipped cocktails as a DJ played music and security guards stood outside. The woman behind the venture, seen at the event clad in a glittery pink dress, is Lauren Kyle McDavid, the wife of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. 'To have this star's wife putting money into our city and investing in our city is really special,' said Quinn Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and a former sports reporter. 'Everything is kind of buzzing now in downtown.' Kyle McDavid was not immediately available for an interview, but she is one of several modern WAGs — an acronym for wives and girlfriends — making names for themselves. Judy Liao, who teaches sociology of sport and gender studies at the University of Alberta, says the buzz Kyle McDavid's business has been getting online shows how much of an interest people take in the lives of athletes' significant others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sports wives saw their social media followers go up as they began posting more, Liao says. The popular streaming service Netflix has also created shows following the lives of WAGs in recent years. 'The resurgence of WAGs is really because of social media.' Liao says the WAG trend first became popular in the early 2000s. '(Soccer star) David Beckham is a key person to think about in this phenomenon because his wife is Posh Spice,' she says, referring to British singer Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls. 'After they started dating, they officially entered their pop culture celebrity status. Posh Spice was already a celebrity. They became so iconic, recognizable, so visible, it becomes not just about soccer or football anymore.' Demand for more details on their lifestyle went up as tabloid magazines chased them around and gathered details that made the couple prime subjects of media gossip, Liao said. 'It was the modern fairy tale. The story is so enticing,' she said. The era was different from today, she says, as the Beckhams didn't release details about their lifestyle on their own. Fast-forward to 2025, and WAGs are gaining visibility with social media and online content created by the influencers themselves, Liao says. Most of the resurgence has been in the United States, but Canada isn't immune to the trend. Stephanie LaChance, who is married to Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner, is often the subject of headlines. In the United States, pop star Taylor Swift has been labelled the ultimate WAG in news headlines for her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce. Liao says some sport sociologists have been calling Swift the 'Yoko Ono of the NFL' because of how many women she has attracted to the game. Unlike the Beckhams, Liao says modern WAGs can control their narratives and tend to blend social media posts about sports with entries about their lives. 'Social media is a really important place to construct and show people themselves as a person, not just a profession,' she says. Young fans of McDavid who are avid social media users are happy to follow WAGs, she adds. Cheri Bradish, director of the Future of Sport Lab, says Kyle McDavid's fame is an interesting case study. 'Lauren is very active on social media,' Bradish says. 'There were many videos of her wedding, which Vogue covered.' She has also posted about the interior design firm she founded, Kyle & Co Design Studio, and regularly shares photos of the apparel she develops for Sports Club Atelier with Oilers branding. Bradish says Kyle McDavid's ties to the NHL have helped her monetize her work. 'Social media has really created opportunities, and it's not surprising,' Bradish says. 'She's a part of this whole community and whole industry of influencers.' Bradish also saw the WAG resurgence really take off during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'The sports industry, and athletes in particular, needed to figure out ways to speak with fans and consumers,' she says. But Brandish has mixed feelings about how trendy they've become. Some WAGs like Kyle McDavid have used their relationships as leverage, but Brandish says she should also be commended for her personal identity and professional background in interior design and business. 'The bigger picture here, in an authentic way, is that social media has really created opportunities. This interest from consumers in the WAG story is really powerful.' 'The rising of WAGs is one big factor for that.' --Fakiha Baig This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Edmonton Oilers have more resolve in Cup rematch with Florida: Ken Hitchcock
As the fourth winningest coach in NHL history, Ken Hitchcock has a pretty good feel for hockey teams and what he sees from the Edmonton Oilers through this 16-game run to the Stanley Cup final against Florida is more resolve in their style of play. Article content Article content They took the Panthers to Game 7 last June but Hitchcock sees a better Oilers today. Article content 'They have learned a very valuable lesson, one that takes a long time to learn,' said the Hall of Famer Hitchcock, whose last coaching job was with his hometown team. 'You can talk about it but what the Oilers have learned is there's a big difference between fighting for space and looking for space. Article content Article content 'The Edmonton Oilers now fight for that space as good as anybody in the National Hockey League. They're not looking for quick areas, they're not hoping pucks squirt free. They're fighting for that space and that's why they're going to be such a hard out in this final,' said Hitchcock, who coached defenceman John Klingberg in Dallas and had fellow blueliner Jake Walman when both were in St. Louis, so he has an attachment to the Oilers apart from growing up here. Article content Worm vs. the rat Article content Hitchcock greatly admires both Corey (the Worm) Perry and Brad (the Rat) Marchand and is keen to see the two villains in the finals. Article content 'Perry's got it (greasiness) naturally. He's just that type of player. Corey has a presence and he plays to that presence whereas Marchand can impact games in numerous areas. He seems to make the right play at the right time, get the big goal, make the right assist,' said Hitchcock. Article content 'They're both exceptional players getting on in years, guys who still make an impact on a game in a major way. Perry was never the quickest player but what's impressed me about him is he hasn't gotten slower, at all. Boy, he brings a lot to the table. He's an honest competitor. Marchand is a small guy who plays like a big player,' he said. Article content Article content Article content Marchand, 37, is chattier on the ice than the oftimes laconic Perry, 40. Article content Article content 'As an opposition coach, Marchand can really make you laugh. I know he got on me a few times. Yeah, it was pretty funny,' said Hitchcock. Article content Marchand's sense of humour has been on display in Florida as fans throw all the plastic rats on the ice at game's end — their tradition since Scott Mellanby killed a real rodent in the dressing room at Florida's home opener in 1995, and Mellanby went out and scored three goals which brought out the 'rat-trick' line. Article content Daryl Reaugh, once the Oilers second-round draft pick in 1984 and back-up in net to Grant Fuhr, was just voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the broadcast wing after his 30 years in the business in Dallas — as a colour commentator and a TV play-by-play man.
