Canadiens: Another Solution For the Second Center Conundrum?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
39 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada's Leylah Fernandez upsets top seed Jessica Pegula in third round of Citi Open
WASHINGTON - Canada's Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarterfinals of the Citi Open hardcourt tennis tournament Thursday with a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 upset win over top-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States. Fernandez had five aces to nine double faults and broke on three of her eight chances in the two-hour, 19-minute match. The Laval, Que., native had five break-point opportunities in the final set, converting on two of them. Pegula, meanwhile, had two aces to four double faults and broke on three of her seven opportunities. Fernandez will next face American Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals on Friday. Earlier, Montreal's Gabriel Diallo was ousted in the third round of men's play with a 6-3, 6-2 loss to fourth seed Ben Shelton of the United States. Shelton was nearly unbeatable on serve, firing 16 aces to Diallo's five and winning a whopping 86 per cent of total service points. The American did not face break point while breaking Diallo three times on four chances. Diallo, seeded 15th in Washington, entered the tournament with a career-high world ranking of No. 35. He will next play at the National Bank Open in Toronto, where he is seeded 30th and will have a first-round bye. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Five ice hockey players found not guilty in Canada sexual assault case
Five Canadian ice hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman have all been acquitted by an Ontario judge in a case that has been closely watched in Canada. In a packed courtroom on Thursday, Justice Maria Carroccia reviewed testimony and evidence from the eight-week trial over several hours before declaring the men not guilty. The former players for Canada's world junior hockey team were accused of assaulting the woman, known as EM, in a hotel room in 2018 in London, Ontario, where they had been attending a Hockey Canada gala. Justice Carroccia said she did not find EM's evidence "credible or reliable", and that "the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts". The players were Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart, and all were with the National Hockey League when the allegations surfaced, although one was playing in Europe. They declined to speak to the media afterwards and their lawyers each offered statements on their behalf. Lawyer David Humphrey, who represented Mr McLeod, said that his client is relieved. "For years, public perception was shaped by a one-sided narrative", Mr Humphrey said, adding that the damage to Mr McLeod's career and reputation "has been significant". Lawyer Karen Bellehumeur, speaking on EM's behalf, said the woman had tuned in to Thursday's hearing virtually and was "very disappointed" with the judge's assessment of her credibility. "When a person summons the courage to disclose their story, the worst possible outcome is to feel disbelieved," said Ms Bellehumeur. The central issue of the trial was whether EM, who was 20 at the time of the incident, had consented to every sexual act in the hotel room that night. Court heard that the woman had met the players at a bar and later went back to the hotel room to have consensual sex with Mr McLeod. Other players then entered the room and engaged in further sexual acts with her. Lawyers for the players contended that she asked the men to have sex with her and they believed she gave consent. EM, however, testified that she was intoxicated and felt fearful of the men. While she had initially agreed to have sex with Mr McLeod, she testified that she did not agree to what unfolded afterwards. Only one player, Mr Hart, testified in his own defence. The trial attracted significant attention in Canada. Many people had attended court to hear the ruling on Thursday, forcing clerks to open two additional overflow rooms. Some of the players appeared visibly relieved in Thursday's hearing after Justice Carroccia revealed that she was not convinced with EM's testimony. Hockey Canada: A sex assault scandal disgraces country's pastime Four NHL players charged in Canada over 2018 sexual assault In explaining her ruling, Justice Carroccia pointed to irregularities in EM's testimony, including about who had bought drinks that night, and said her statements reflected an "uncertain memory" that did not line up with evidence presented in the trial. The judge added that there were differences in what the woman told police investigators and those for Hockey Canada, which settled a C$3.5m ($2.5m; £1.9m) lawsuit with her for an undisclosed sum in 2022. Two videos from the incident were shared in the trial, where EM was recorded giving her consent to the activities. The first was taken without her knowledge. While under Canadian law the videos did not establish consent, the judge said they did show EM "speaking normally, smiling", and that she "did not appear to be in distress". That undercut the Crown's argument that EM did not leave the room out of fear, she said. It is unclear if the Crown will appeal. Prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham said her team will carefully review the decision. She added they had received "dozens of messages from people across Canada and abroad" expressing support for EM. "A successful prosecution is not measured solely by whether there are guilty verdicts at the end," she said. "The Crown's goal throughout this proceeding has been to see a fair trial, a trial that is fair to the men charged, and one that is also fair to EM." Throughout the trial, the Crown argued the woman's testimony was credible, that "intoxication does not equal unreliability" and that any inconsistencies in her testimony were minor. They also argued the woman did not have a motive to fabricate a story and that she had initially reported the alleged assault to police in 2018, four years before filing the lawsuit against Hockey Canada. They added that text messages between the players allegedly showed it was Mr McLeod's idea to invite his teammates to the room and that the players allegedly engaged in "getting their story straight" by drafting a narrative that EM had consented to all sexual activity. Justice Carroccia dismissed that argument, saying the players were "recounting their recollections" of what unfolded. Defence lawyers argued that EM's testimony was undermined by eyewitness testimony from two players who were present in the room but not charged in connection with the incident. Both had told the court that the woman was "vocal" about what she wanted sexually. Lawyers for the players also argued that the woman was a willing participant who later felt regret, and that intoxication in this case did not equal "incapacity". Several protestors in support of EM had gathered outside the courthouse throughout the trial and on verdict day. One of them, Fabienne Haller, told the BBC she felt "devastated" with the outcome. She added that she believed the case "will influence the next decade, and even more, of how sexual assault cases are going to be dealt with" in Canada.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
NHL Summer Splash Rankings: No. 25, Tampa Bay Lightning
The Hockey News' NHL summer splash rankings are in full swing, with the Tampa Bay Lightning coming in 25th place. We're focusing on each NHL team's off-season, weighing in on the teams that improved, stayed the same and got worse this off-season. We'll be breaking down all additions and departures, including hirings and firings. This isn't about who had the best or worst off-season, although there are some exceptions if a team did more or less than expected to support their core. You can see the teams that finished beneath the Lightning at the bottom. Now, let's focus on the state of the Bolts. Additions Pontus Holmberg (LW), Boris Katchouk (LW), Sam O'Reilly (C) The Breakdown: The Lightning made their big moves during the season, re-acquiring veteran center Yanni Gourde as well as right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken for their playoff run this past spring. Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois signed Gourde to a six-year contract extension with an average annual value of $2.33 million – terrific value for a proven winner. In terms of NHL-level players added this summer, the Bolts only brought on former Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Holmberg. The 26-year-old Swede was mostly a bottom-six forward for the Maple Leafs last year, posting modest career highs in assists (12) and points (19) in 68 regular-season games. Holmberg was a non-factor in the playoffs, generating just a single assist in 12 games. He'll again be a third- or fourth-liner for Tampa Bay. Katchouk, 27, was one of the Lightning's additions signed to a two-way deal. He gets mentioned here because he's played 176 career NHL games, but he spent all of this past season in the AHL, and his career high in the NHL is 16 points in 58 games in 2022-23. O'Reilly, 19, is a prospect center acquired in the Isaac Howard trade with the Edmonton Oilers. He's a smart player who could make the bottom six in the future, but he's not expected to graduate to the NHL in 2025-26. Departures Nick Perbix (D), Cam Atkinson (RW), Luke Glendening (C), Isaac Howard (RW) The Breakdown: BriseBois spent most of his cap space to keep his team largely intact, but the Lightning did lose some experience on the free-agent market. Veteran defenseman Perbix signed with the Nashville Predators. He was a third-pair blueliner for Tampa Bay, averaging only 14:41 of ice time in 74 games. But he got a significant raise from the Preds, going from $1.125 million this past season to $2.75 million on a two-year deal. That was too rich for BriseBois to accommodate, so the Lightning's defense corps won't be quite as deep next season. Right winger Atkinson was mainly a fringe player this past year, with only four goals and nine points in 39 games. He was a frequent healthy scratch and was assigned to the AHL at times. Veteran center Glendening also appears to be moving on. The 36-year-old was a fourth-liner for Tampa Bay, averaging only 10:47 per game in 77 games. Neither Atkinson nor Glendening is irreplaceable, but their departure does affect the Lightning's overall depth up front. Ultimately, while things could've gone worse in the off-season for Brisebois and the Bolts, they did a decent-enough job keeping together a group that Lightning brass obviously still believes in. And the departures they did have aren't going to hurt their bottom line. Speaking of bottom lines… The Bottom Line The Lightning were ousted in the first round of last year's Stanley Cup playoffs by the back-to-back defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers. But there's still plenty to like about Tampa Bay – whether it's superstar sniper Nikita Kucherov, elite forwards Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, accomplished defensemen in Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak and Ryan McDonagh, or superstar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. You can't credibly argue that's not an impressive group. Keeping Gourde was a priority for BriseBois to ensure there's proven talent in the bottom six. Signing Hedman to a contract extension last July that kicks in this upcoming season was huge, and not having to trade core talent for cap space is a plus as well. Did Tampa Bay get better this summer? No. Did they stay the same? For the most part, yes – although there is, in our estimation, enough evidence to argue they got marginally worse for this upcoming season than their playoff roster in the grand scheme of things. Because of those reasons and the tight margin between the clubs that stayed largely the same, they're in the bottom quarter of the NHL summer splash rankings. We fully expect the Lightning to be a playoff team in the 2025-26 campaign. That said, we're also not sure Tampa Bay will be able to get out of the first round in next spring's playoffs. BriseBois has never been afraid to make big moves in-season, so that may be in the cards for the Bolts next year. Summer Splash Rankings 25. Tampa Bay Lightning 26. Toronto Maple Leafs 27. Dallas Stars 28. Calgary Flames 29. Los Angeles Kings 30. Winnipeg Jets 31. Chicago Blackhawks 32. Buffalo Sabres
