Tee Up with Brent Lale: July 16
Catch up on this week's top local sports stories with CTV News London's Brent Lale.
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National Post
32 minutes ago
- National Post
NHL all-time record scorer Ovechkin calls for Russian return to global sports
MOSCOW — NHL all-time record goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin called for Russian athletes to be allowed to compete at the world's top sporting events again, as he was greeted by hundreds of adoring fans during a visit to Moscow on Saturday. Article content The Washington Capitals ace received a jubilant reception during his first trip home since scoring his 895th goal last April to overtake the previous all-time record held by Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. Article content Article content 'I hope that in the near future we will be allowed to participate and the guys will be able to take part in Olympiads and world championships to represent their country,' the hockey superstar told AFP. Article content Surrounded by swarms of journalists and ecstatic fans, he walked a Moscow high-end street which had been decked out with 'Ovechkin 8' hockey jerseys and signs reading 'eternal record'. Article content Russians have had little opportunity to celebrate international sporting success over the past three years, kicked out of a host of competitions over the Kremlin's Ukraine offensive. Article content But Ovechkin's triumph offered them a rare chance to do so. Article content 'That would be epic' Article content Hundreds of fans lined up for an autograph at an outdoor ice rink, which serves as a football pitch during warm months. Article content 'Ovi, Ovi,' the fans chanted Ovechkin's American nickname. Article content This rink in a typical Moscow suburb is where the 39-year-old left wing striker took the first steps of his illustrious career. Article content The rink stands out from the grey high-rise apartment blocks surrounding it, after having been carefully renovated by a sponsor, replete with a massive sign reading 'eternal record 895' freshly painted on its surface. Article content Article content Antonina Mikhailova, an IT manager wearing Ovechkin's jersey, told AFP: 'Whatever happens in the world, sport has no borders.' Article content 'That would be epic, we must do that!' insisted Fyodor Troshin, an amateur hockey player also waiting for Ovechkin, of the prospect of Russian athletes returning to international sport events. Article content 'People like Alexander Ovechkin are bringing Russian sport closer to (international) leagues,' the 40-year-old added. Article content Despite his prowess on the ice, Ovechkin's politics and Russian connections have stoked some controversy, as he has been a prominent supporter of Vladimir Putin's 25-year rule, even after troops were sent to Ukraine. Article content In a political balancing act, Ovechkin has not denounced Moscow's Ukraine offensive, but he has also carefully veered away from supporting it — despite knowing such a move would be welcomed by Putin. Article content
The Province
an hour ago
- The Province
New book unravels the story of B.C. sports mogul and Australian fugitive Con Jones
Jones fled Australia after a sports betting debacle and reinvented himself in Vancouver Former Province editor John Fuller has written a book on early Vancouver sports promoter Con Jones. Here he is with some photos from a Jones scrapbook, which brims with historical artifacts. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. You've probably never heard of Con Jones. But he was once a household name in Vancouver, a fixture in local newspapers and sports pages in the 1910s and '20s. 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 Jones owned a chain of tobacco shops called Don't Argue, which featured early Vancouver's most unforgettable logo: a guy in a bowler hat shoving another guy in the face. He also ran several pool rooms and a bowling alley. However, the real source of his wealth was probably gambling, which was illegal but tolerated by the police. With his profits, he founded a professional lacrosse team, and even built his own sports stadium by the PNE, Con Jones Park. For all the notoriety he received, the details of his background seemed a bit fuzzy. Jones was Australian, but his life Down Under was a mystery. So John Fuller set out to unravel it. It took a decade, but Fuller has just released a Jones bio, Fame Fortune and Fear: The Rise and Fall of Con Jones (Tellwell). 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. It's subtitled 'Australian fugitive, Canadian sports mogul.' A studio portrait of Con Jones in 1904. Jones was a very successful sports promoter in Vancouver in the 1910s and 20s. It turns out that Con Jones wasn't his real name. It was Thomas Shortel. He changed it after he fled Australia when his betting shop didn't have the money to pay out to customers after the Melbourne Cup, a big horse race. Essentially, he bet the favourites would lose, and he wouldn't have to pay out the money. 'The first two favourites came in first and second,' relates Fuller, 68, a former copy editor at The Province. 'He gambled and lost, and had to take off. 'If the favourites lose, that's great, I'm legit, I've got this money. And if the favourites win, I'm just taking the money (and skipping town).' That's the game.' He sailed to Vancouver with his brother, arriving in November 1903 with the money he didn't pay to bettors. Most people on the lam would have stayed out of the public eye, but Tom Shortel was a showman, with a penchant for the limelight. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So he became Con Jones, opened a pool hall with card tables and started promoting special events, like smokers, through amateur sports clubs. 'In those days, the cities had what they called a 10-cent rule,' explains Fuller, who was born in London, England, grew up in South Africa and immigrated to Canada in the 1980s. 'The city inspectors would tolerate gambling as long as nobody could lose more than 10 cents at a time, and Con just milked that to the max. He would have all sorts of different little games going on in his building that the guys could play.' A clipping from one of the scrapbooks of Con Jones. It shows an illustration of Jones in his straw hat holding a globe labelled Vancouver lacrosse champions, with the Minto Cup on top of the globe. When the authorities tried to put a stop to all the gambling going on, Jones hired the best lawyers. 'He managed to keep himself on the right side of the law through high-powered legal muscle,' said Fuller, who is selling his book online through Amazon and Chapters/Indigo. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'His little trick was he never participated ever in the stakes of any game. He would have a little slot on the side of the table, (and) before each hand got dealt, you had to drop a penny in the slot. 'It's amazing, (his) wealth was built up sort of a penny at a time.' Jones spent a fortune enticing star lacrosse players to play for a team he began in Vancouver. Some were also hockey stars. Jones paid Newsy Lalonde $5,000 to play for his lacrosse team, at a time when Lalonde made $1,300 per season to play for the Montreal Canadiens. It worked. Jones' lacrosse team won the Minto Cup over the archrival New Westminster Salmonbellies in 1911. His finances also grew with the Don't Argue chain, which included 20 East Hastings St., longtime home of The Only seafood restaurant. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But behind the scenes there always seemed to be turmoil. Fuller believes Shortel/Jones may have been blackmailed in Australia by a ruthless newspaper owner named Norton. Victoria Johnson was the illegitimate daughter of Con Jones, and quite an accomplished con artist. Courtesy of John Fuller. In Australia, Shortel/Jones also left behind an illegitimate daughter, Victoria Johnson, who reconnected with him when she was 17 and was constantly causing a kerfuffle. Victoria had a knack for conning wealthy men out of their money, which eventually landed her in an Australian jail. 'She was a real talent, in a criminal sense,' said Fuller. 'It was breathtaking, the scope of it. She would pretend to be someone really wealthy who had this huge inheritance coming, and then once she got to know somebody, she would borrow money from them, usually quite a big sum. And then disappear.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jones and his family still managed to remain quite respectable in the public eye, building a handsome mansion in Shaughnessy in 1922 that was adorned with the latest rage, a King Tut-themed chandelier. Jones also put a $1,000 down payment on a site in east Vancouver to build Con Jones park in 1920, which was a major venue for lacrosse, soccer and baseball for decades. It's now known as Callister Park, after the man who had sold it to Jones, who had never paid off the mortgage on the land. Fuller discovered all this through his grandmother Margaret, whose second marriage was to one of Con Jones' sons, Dill. When his grandmother died in 2002, she left behind boxes of the Jones archive, including diaries, metal token/coins that were used at the Don't Argue, and a couple of dazzling scrapbooks featuring newspaper clippings, photos and illustrations. Sadly, the health of Jones declined in the 1920s after decades of alcoholism. He died on June 3, 1929, at only 59 years old. jmackie@ The back of a vintage playing card from Vancouver's Don't Argue tobacconists. Photo by Handout / Vancouver Sun The dust jacker for John Fuller's book Fame Fortune and Fear, The Rise and Fall of Con Jones. The scrapbooks of Con Jones contain a treasure of historical artifacts, such as this illustration of Jones. John Fuller holds a 'Don't Argue' token from the Con Jones collection. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / 10108629A Con Jones's old mansion had accoutrements like King Tut wall sconces. Photo by ian lindsay / Vancouver Sun Don't Argue tobacconists/pool hall was located on the second floor of 26 East Hastings when this photo was taken on July 9, 1936. If you look closely, under the Don't Argue sign is one for Only Fish, which had 20 East Hastings as its address. The Holden Building is to the right, which was Vancouver's city hall at the time. Leonard Frank Vancouver Archives AM54-S4-: Bu P56 Photo by Leonard Frank / PNG Vancouver Canucks News News News Celebrity
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Spain edges Canada in men's rugby test match with penalty kick on final play in Edmonton
Spain's penalty kick on the final play of the game was enough to defeat the Canadian men's rugby team 24-23 in Friday's test match. The host Canadians recovered from an 11-6 halftime deficit at Edmonton's Clarke Stadium to take a 20-11 lead on the strength of two tries by Calgary's Matt Oworu. Peter Nelson of Dungannon, Northern Island, contributed 13 points from the tee for Canada, but Spain capitalized on a last-minute penalty to snatch the win. Lopez Bontempo's 25-metre kick sealed the victory for the visitors. Back-to-back yellow cards to Canada's props — Calixto Martinez for a high tackle and Emerson Prior for collapsing a maul — had handed momentum back to Spain. A penalty try and another Bontempo kick brought the score to 23-21. The match wrapped July's test window for Canada ahead of the Pacific Nations Cup. Canada opens against the United States in Calgary on Aug. 22 in a match that doubles as the start of Canada's 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification campaign. "I think we showed we have the talent to hang with everyone," Oworu said after the loss to Spain. "When we were pushing to score at the end, we just slipped for half-a-second, and that's just test rugby. It's a game of inches, and we just missed on that last inch."
