‘I can make it happen': True North recruits veteran tailor to stitch custom Dale Hawerchuk jersey
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Province
28 minutes ago
- The Province
Sexual assault victim speaking to junior hockey players would be best education
'We have a war on toxic masculinity. There's a difference between being a man and an asshole. Being a man is treating women with respect, being accountable and still playing hockey.' — Corey Hirsch Get the latest from Ben Kuzma straight to your inbox Ben Kuzma Published Jul 27, 2025 • 5 minute read Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Corey Hirsch speaks to WHL players in Kamloops on Sept. 14, 2022 about proper deportment on and off the ice. jpg It's a tough ask for a tough subject, but it could have a lasting effect. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Suggesting a sexual assault victim address young and impressionable junior hockey players, who can easily be led astray by older teammates in an atmosphere that could promote bad behaviour, isn't easy. It's reopening an old wound and relieving a nightmare, but it could also be key to help promote proper behaviour. When an Ontario judge acquitted five members of Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team Thursday in their sexual assault case — stressing the complainant's allegations lacked credibility — you wonder if the shock of those players going to trial will actually change hockey culture. It should. But will it? Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said in her summation that prosecutors could not meet the onus of proof for charges against Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote. The players pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in an encounter in a London, Ont., hotel room in early hours of June 19, 2018. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And now, we're left to wonder what will come of all this? A wake-up call? Or nothing at all? 'The concern is that the community will see this decision, and they'll say hockey culture doesn't need to change, because these guys did nothing wrong,' Greg Gilhooly, a lawyer and survivor of sexual abuse by hockey coach Graham James, told TSN. Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Corey Hirsch rode the junior hockey bus with Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. He has long been a mental-health advocate and has educated players and the populace about the pitfalls of not reaching out for help, or ignoring warning signs that something isn't right. On a personal level, Hirsch has struggled with mental-health issues, including an acute obsessive-compulsion disorder, but this lack of respect for women is different and disturbing. And even before Carroccia's ruling, he knew for a long time that junior hockey's culture was corroded. Even though his experience was good. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I played in a great Kamloops organization that focused on hockey and creating good people,' he stressed. 'We had curfew calls and monitored pretty heavily. They took care of us and made sure we were good players and citizens.' It's why the Hockey Canada trial was a reminder that players do fall through the cracks. Corey Hirsch is a mental health advocate who has concerns about the culture in junior hockey and how it can lead young players astray. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG 'This isn't a one-off,' Hirsch told Postmedia. 'This is junior hockey and a life-in-general thing. Have a sexual-assault victim come in and talk to these hockey kids and let them know exactly what it is, what it has done to them as a human being. That should be mandatory training. 'There are a lot of women who are terrified to do that, to show that this is what it did to my life, but it's the education. It's like me talking about my mental health. Let them see what happens when you don't ask for help. I almost ended up dead. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's one thing to have a psychiatrist come in and say: 'This is what it does to people.' Bring in a victim. Then we'll see change.' The WHL has a personal conduct policy that applies to players and employees and is broad in nature. Here's a excerpt: 'A policy and rules promoting lawful, ethical and responsible conduct serve the interests of the WHL, its players and fans. Illegal, unethical or irresponsible conduct does more than simply tarnish the offender, his or her family and team. it may also damage the reputation of others involved in the game, and it undermines public respect and support for the WHL. 'Individuals who fail to live up to this standard of are subject to discipline, regardless of whether or not the conduct results in a criminal or quasi-criminal conviction. Discipline may be imposed by the WHL in any of the following circumstances: 'Criminal offences including, but not limited to, those involving the use or threat of violence, other forms of harassment or abuse, theft and other property crimes, sex offences, obstruction or resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hirsch was appointed to Hockey Canada's board of directors in November of 2023 and served a one-year term to help the troubled organization regain respect, credibility and wellness. He was fortunate to play for a model WHL franchise in Kamloops that kept player deportment at top of its priorities. That's easier in a hockey-mad city where everyone knows your name and game. However, Hirsch also knows that young players riding on a bus with older players for as many as eight or nine hours to the next game are affected by what veterans have experienced on and off the ice. They talk about it. They boast about it. And having a 'good story' to tell is often part of that boorish bravado. 'Older players are college students and adults and experimenting with whatever and younger players are listening to college-age people talk about sex and life,' said Hirsch. 'It's like the cycle of abuse. You emulate what you learn. For me, there's no reason for a 16-year-old to be in junior hockey and playing with adults. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'You spend every waking hour with these guys and then you want to be part of that peer-pressure group. It can be: 'This is what it takes to be a man.' In Kamloops, we were good people and we were monitored, but I saw stuff that I shouldn't have seen, or heard, or learned stuff that I shouldn't have learned. 'What do 18-year-olds know about love, relationships and sex? They know nothing. And they're teaching 16- and 17-year-olds. They've learned what they've learned and the culture passes it on. It could be a kid coming from not a great home, or whatever, and looking for something. 'It's not everybody. But if you get some kids looking for acceptance, this is what you get because you can't control everything. We have a war on toxic masculinity. 'There's a difference between being a man and being an asshole. We're struggling to identify the two. Being a man is treating women with respect and being accountable and still playing hockey.' bkuzma@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Whitecaps BC Lions Vancouver Whitecaps News
CTV News
38 minutes ago
- CTV News
Vancouver Whitecaps blank struggling Sporting Kansas City 3-0
Vancouver Whitecaps' Jean-Claude Ngando (26) celebrates his goal against the Sporting Kansas City during the first half of an MLS soccer match in Vancouver, on Saturday, July 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns Yohei Takaoka isn't sure if this is the best soccer he's ever played — but the Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper believes he and his team are on the verge of something special. Takaoka stopped all three on-target shots he faced on Saturday and backstopped the 'Caps (13-5-6) to a decisive 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City (6-12-6). The result marked his Major League Soccer-leading 11th clean sheet of the season and came just days after he represented Vancouver at the league's all-star festivities in Austin, Texas. Asked whether this season marks the best of his career, the Japanese 'keeper hedged. 'It's tough to say. I hope so,' he said, noting that he and his teammates won the J-League title the league playing back in 2022. 'So I think that's one of the best in my career. But this season might be a new one.' Takaoka was quick to credit those around his success, though. 'I think it's the group, a group performance,' he said. 'I'm in the goal, but the other 10 players are working really hard. Not just the players, but the staff. Everyone's working hard.' Vancouver's group clicked on Saturday, controlling 54.2 per cent possession and outshooting Kansas City 22-12 with a 5-3 edge in on-target shots. The visitors challenged the 'Caps early, repeatedly stripping the home side of the ball through the first 10 minutes before Vancouver settled in and took control of the match midway through the first half. The Whitecaps opened the scoring in the 35th minute when Jayden Nelson sliced a ball across the top of the six-yard box to Emmanuel Sabbi, who slid and poked a shot in past SKC goalkeeper John Pulskamp to make it 1-0. The goal was Sabbi's sixth across all competitions this season. He came close to adding to the tally before the halftime whistle. The American striker sent a shot up and over the Kansas City net in the 38th minute, then sent a low ball sailing just wide of the post in the 41st. A rebound helped double Vancouver's lead in the 43rd minute. Sebastian Berhalter nodded a shot toward the net but his attempt was blocked and the ball popped out to J.C. Ngando, who put a right-footed shot in just over Pulskamp's outstretched arm. His second goal of the season gave the 'Caps a 2-0 lead. Kansas City pushed to get on the board early in the second half and got a solid chance in the 55th minute. Left winger Daniel Salloi snuck through the Vancouver defence and unleashed a rocket from the top of the penalty area, but Takaoka dove to make the save. The 'keeper has been 'very, very good' this season, said Vancouver's head coach, Jesper Sorensen. 'It just gives confidence to the players in front of him. He gives the defensive players a lot of trust in him and there's not a lot happening around him,' Sorensen said. 'So I think he gives a very calm and he has a very calm demeanour, and I think that it spreads to his teammates in front of him.' The 'Caps appeared to go up 3-0 in the 68th minute when striker Brian White touched a shot into the back of the SKC net, but the goal was quickly ruled offside. Laborda put away Vancouver's third goal of the night in the 87th minute off a corner kick. Berhalter floated a ball into the six-yard box and Laborda nodded it in under Pulskamp's arm for his third goal of the campaign. The Whitecaps are now unbeaten in their last three outings (2-0-1) and sit a single point behind San Diego FC for top spot in the West. It's been a busy year for Vancouver, which has played 35 games across all competitions. 'Right now is a tricky part of the season, because we are in a good spot, but we also used a lot of energy so far, played 35 games,' Sorensen said. 'And players, now they will get a week off because they need a break. Some of them have played Gold Cup, some of them played Austin this mid-week. So they need some time off also.' After the break, the 'Caps have 10 games to go on their regular-season schedule, and will look to defend their Canadian Championship title. 'I think that now it's a good time just to get a little bit of rest and then come back fresh,' Sorensen said. 'And then we're ready to really attack the last bit of the season.' This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press, was first published July 26, 2025.
CTV News
43 minutes ago
- CTV News
Summer McIntosh wins first gold medal at worlds in her quest for five
Summer McIntosh of Canada reacts after winning gold in the women's 400-meter freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) SINGAPORE (AP) — For Summer McIntosh of Canada, it's one gold medal won at the swimming world championships with four to go. McIntosh is aiming to win five gold medals in individual events at the worlds in Singapore, and the first one came Sunday in the 400-meter freestyle on the first of eight days in the pool. Only legendary American Michael Phelps has ever won five individual medals in the worlds. He also did it at the Olympics. McIntosh won but did not break her own world record, winning in 3 minutes, 56.26 seconds. Li Bingjie of China took silver (3:58.21) with a late charge to leave American Katie Ledecky (3:58.49) with bronze. A year ago in the Olympics, Ledecky also took bronze in the 400. McIntosh was the silver medalist with gold for Australian Ariarne Titmus of Australia. Titmus is taking a year off and did not swim and has since lost her world record in the event to McIntosh. For Ledecky, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist, it was her 27th medal in the world championships in an astonishing career. She won her first Olympic gold in 2012 in London, and then started adding world championship medals beginning in Barcelona in 2013. About 25 minutes after winning the 400, McIntosh came back and qualified first in the 200 individual medley, clocking 2:07.39. American Alex Walsh was second in 2:08.49. That final is Monday. 'I've never done a double like that,' McIntosh said. 'I think the 400 free, at past world championships and Olympics, I haven't been at my best. And I haven't been where I wanted to be. So, to finally stand in the center of the podium is promising for the rest of the meet.' The Canadian added: I think I'm at my best. I'm in the best shape of my life. So now I just have to act on that and put it into all my races." The shock of the first day might have been Chinese 12-year-old Yu Zidi, who was the seventh fastest in qualifying and will swim in the final. Asked her reaction, she replied: 'Oh, I'm in,' unaware she had advanced. 'I will continue to work harder,' she added. 'I hope to find a breakthrough at these world championships and show my potential.' Asked for her reaction to the competition, she added. 'You can feel it's quite intense. I try not to think so much and just give it my all.' The 200 IM might not even be her best event with the Chinese likely quicker in the 400 IM and the 200 butterfly. Meanwhile, the United States is swimming with what appears to be a weakened team after officials acknowledged Sunday that some members of the team had come down with 'acute gastroenteritis' at a training camp in Thailand prior to arriving in Singapore. Nikki Warner, a spokeswoman for USA Swimming, would not say how many fell ill in Thailand. She cited health confidentiality rules. She said all American swimmers had traveled to Singapore. In the other early individual final Sunday, Lukas Martens of Germany won the men's 400 free in 3:42.35, edging Sam Short of Australia who was .02 behind. Bronze went to Kim Woomin of South Korea in 3:42.60. Martens is the defending Olympic champion and also holds the world record of 3:39.96. McIntosh, who won three gold medals a year ago at the Paris Olympics, holds the world record in the 400 free — 3:54.18. She will face off again with Ledecky in the 800 free later in the meet, probably the most anticipated race in Singapore. Though she holds the 400 free world record, McIntosh had failed to win gold in the event in the Olympics or previous world championships. McIntosh will also be after gold in the 200- and 400-individual medleys, and the 200 butterfly. Famed Olympian Michael Phelps is the only swimmer to have won five individual gold medals at a world championships. The other two gold medals Sunday were in the relays. The United States was the favorite in both and failed to win either. The Australian women took gold just ahead of the United States in the 4x100 freestyle relay. The Aussies clocked 3:30.60 with 3:31.04 for the US. The Netherlands took bronze in 3:33.89. On the men's side in the 4x100, Australia also took gold in 3:08.97. Italy took silver in 3:09.58 with bronze for the United States in 3:09.64. There were three other semifinal results on Sunday. Qin Haiyang of China took the 200 breaststroke in 58.24 with Paris Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi second in 58.62. The Italian was initially disqualified for moving on the blocks, but was later reinstated on appeal. Gretchen Walsh of the United States and Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium tied in the 100 butterfly in 56.07, and Maxime Grousset of France took the men's 50 fly in 22.61. Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
