Maple Leafs' William Nylander joins Team Sweden for world championship
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There is a little more hockey in William Nylander.
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After hinting he'd be interested in joining Team Sweden at the world hockey championship in the tournament's host country after his Maple Leafs were eliminated, the Toronto winger was added to the Tre Kronor roster on Wednesday, just in time for the playoff round.
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It will be his seventh appearance for Sweden including junior hockey representation. He had five points in three games in the 2022 worlds and had two assists in three games during February's 4 Nations Face-Off.
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Sweden plays Czechia in a quarterfinal match on Thursday, while Canada, which finished first in its group, meets co-host Denmark.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Little separating Oilers, Panthers in razor-thin Stanley Cup final ahead of Game 3
Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues (17) checks Oilers centre Connor McDavid (97) during the third period in Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Edmonton on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson SUNRISE, Fla. — A puck over the glass. A tricky bounce off the glass. The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers have played a razor-thin, extra-time opening to their Stanley Cup final rematch. The teams expect more of the same with the NHL's title series tied 1-1. 'These games could have gone either way,' Edmonton defenceman Mattias Ekholm said Sunday following practice at Amerant Bank Arena. 'It's just a little, little detail here and there. And even though you try to do everything right in your power and your will, something could end up going wrong.' The Oilers got things started with a 4-3 victory on a power-play goal in overtime from Leon Draisaitl off a slick Connor McDavid setup after the Panthers were whistled for delay of game. Florida responded two nights later when Brad Marchand took advantage of a funny hop in the defensive zone before receiving a breakaway pass to seal a 5-4 double OT triumph. Playing in his fourth Cup final after winning in 2011 with the Boston Bruins and losing in both 2013 and 2019, Marchand said there's zero room for error through 8 1/2 periods of hockey. 'You can't make any mistakes,' the veteran forward said at the Panthers' practice facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 'It's very tight out there. It's been a battle. Very intense.' So what's it like being part of a game and a series — with so much hanging in the balance — where one moment can change everything? 'It's fun,' Oilers centre Adam Henrique said as the teams prepped for Monday's Game 3. 'This is the time of year you want to be playing. It's a grind and a challenge to get here. Every shift matters so much because it might be a 1-0 game and a 2-1 game, and those mistakes could either cost you or pay dividends for you. 'The emotions that go into it can be a roller-coaster. Just trying to manage those and having the blinders on to how we have to play, it's a challenge in itself.' Draisaitl, whose team lost Game 7 in last year's final in the same building it will visit Monday, finished a gorgeous passing sequence with his second goal of the night for Wednesday's winner after Panthers forward Tomas Nosek shot the puck out of play in his own zone for a delay-of-game penalty. Marchand, meanwhile, hit the post earlier in Friday's first OT session before scoring his second of the evening on a stretch pass from Anton Lundell in the second extra period after an Ekholm point shot that missed the net resulted in a friendly Florida bounce. 'Every play matters … 50/50 battles matter,' said Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard, who was caught slightly flat-footed on the game-deciding breakaway following that difficult carom off the glass. 'You just can't let one (lost) battle lead to another battle because that's when things are going to hurt.' Draisaitl said the razor-thin margins — eight goals apiece, not much room to operate, big saves, big goals and chances at both ends — shouldn't come as a surprise. 'Gone the distance and extra,' he said. 'Two really good teams going at it. You have to stay detailed and know that all those little bounces matter.' Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch said the smallest details could make the difference for a pair of clubs at the top of their crafts. 'Not taking anything for granted,' he said of the message to his group. 'Whether that's extending a shift or not getting the puck out, not getting the puck in, not finishing your checks … it all adds up.' The final tally will likely decide the team hoisting hockey's holy grail. QUESTION MARK Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who plays left wing on the top line with McDavid and is part of both the top power-play and penalty-kill units, missed practice. The reason for his absence wasn't disclosed, but Knoblauch said the team thinks he will be available Monday. 'We'll play it by ear,' said the coach. 'He'll be a game-time decision.' MIXING IT UP Edmonton put its defence pairs in the blender. Ekholm flipped spots with Darnell Nurse alongside Bouchard. Nurse skated with John Klingberg, while Brett Kulak and Jake Walman made up the third pair. MCJESUS MOMENT McDavid produced a highlight-reel assist — one even more jaw-dropping than usual — in setting up Draisaitl's man-advantage breakthrough in Game 2's first period. Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad, who goes way back with Edmonton's No. 97, ended up tumbling to the ice as McDavid shook Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward, before toe-dragging the blueliner to the ice and delivering a perfect pass. 'He's got multiple options, so that's the biggest challenge,' Ekblad explained. 'You're trying to block a shot, you're trying to block a low pass, a backdoor pass. 'And a walk-on-water toe drag. So, ya, McJesus.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
CBC
16 hours ago
- CBC
For some, it's #MeToo vs. #HimToo at the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial
WARNING: This article contains graphic details, references sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone impacted by it. Outside the London, Ont., courthouse where five former world junior hockey players are on trial on sexual assault charges, supporters of the complainant — carrying signs reading, "I believe you E.M." and "We Believe Survivors" — have been confronted by #HimToo movement backers with signs of their own: "5 careers ruined" and "E.M. cheated." The polarization echoes what's happening on social media and in discussions across Canada as this high-profile trial plays out, with closing arguments starting Monday. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote have all pleaded not guilty; the complainant is referred to as E.M. as her identity is protected under a standard publication ban. On May 16, in a heated conversation with an unidentified female E.M. supporter outside the courthouse, a man could be heard speaking about testimony and evidence that have come up in the trial, but are being seen from different perspectives and interpretations. "Inviting guys for a three-way with a woman might not be the right thing. It might not be something you want your sister to partake in," said the man, giving his take on a text message entered as evidence. "However, it is not illegal when a girl is consenting to this. It is not criminal when a girl consented to this. Michael McLeod has had his career ruined. Hopefully, [McLeod's lawyer] David Humphrey can go and exploit what this girl's lies are." (McLeod has pleaded not guilty to a second charge, of being a party to the offence for allegedly inviting players to his hotel room to engage in sex.) The woman outside the courthouse challenged the man on his notion of consent in a situation where one woman is naked in a room with up to 10 hockey players. "She went to a room with one man," the woman said of E.M. "And she stripped naked and masturbated in front of the men," the man replied. "And then the man made a phone call and invited others to join," the woman countered. That discussion continued for nearly 20 minutes, while E.M. supporters chanted their support and shouted "shame" at the defendants as they walked into the courthouse. The Crown has emphasized the issue of consent is central to this case, arguing it involves whether the complainant "voluntarily" agreed to each and every sexual act while it took place. As part of her marathon testimony in the trial that began in late April, E.M. testified she only had consensual sex with one of the players: McLeod. She said that at other times, she was degraded, humiliated, spit on and slapped while being pressured into performing sexual acts she did not agree to on players in Delta hotel room 209 after a Hockey Canada gala in London in June 2018. Some of the witnesses, including Hart, have testified E.M. was an active participant in what they say were consensual sex acts, wanting "a wild night," asking the players to engage with her and taunting them when they didn't. Refuting rape myths Advocates of #MeToo who have been following the case closely say it's hard to counter rape myths online or outside the courthouse. "We see people online commenting these things, saying these hateful things, talking about consent ... talking about women in this very kind of demeaning and harmful way. Particularly, you know, very kind of slut-shamey [sic] comments, just doing this for a cheque, things like that," said Landon Kenney, a male allyship educator at the Sexual Assault Centre of Waterloo in Ontario who has been at the London courthouse to support E.M. Protesters clash outside court 2 days ago Duration 1:28 A large part of Kenney's work is conducting education sessions in schools, and with sports teams and community organizations on consent, healthy masculinity and relationships, how to be an active bystander and how to challenge rape culture. Kenney believes change will come through educating young people. In the meantime, he worries the #HimToo movement is using this trial to ramp up a "culture war." "The young men in this trial have become figureheads for a movement that they probably want nothing to do with," he said. "They have fallen on the side of a culture war even if they didn't mean to or wish to, where there are groups of people out there who have a vested interest in trying to ensure that conversations like this happen, that the messaging like this gets out online where, they say, coming forward is ruining these people's lives, [the complainant is] just doing it for attention — a lot of the kind of classic victim-blamey [sic] rhetoric." One of the observers in the London court every day is a man who identifies as the co-founder and director of False Allegations Canada, an organization dedicated to "aiding individuals facing the complexities of false allegations, providing a lifeline for those in need." He agreed to an interview request with CBC News, but only on the condition of anonymity. CBC denied that request. Kenney dismissed the argument that complainants like E.M. are making false allegations, saying that in Canada, most sexual assault allegations are not reported to police. According to a Statistics Canada report in November 2024, for instance, only six per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police and only one in 19 led to an accused person being sentenced to custody. They are less likely to result in charges and convictions compared to physical assaults. Kenney said the driver for the #HimToo movement is often the concern about false accusations, which he also says is very rare. "The statistics show [it's] very, very unlikely. People are far more likely to get away scot-free with wrong things that they have done than they are to be wrongfully accused of things they have not." 'Crown didn't have a lot of evidence' Opinions about false accusations and "buyers' remorse" — denying later that consent was given — are rampant on social media. It's also a question mark for some people who have been closely watching the London trial, forming their beliefs based on the witnesses' testimony and evidence presented. Steven Janowicz is a hockey player adviser at Elwood Sports Management near Detroit, Mich. He also coached boys' high school hockey for many years. Janowicz contacted CBC News, asking why the London case is not getting more attention in U.S. media. "If it would have been some NBA players or NFL players, it'd be front page every day," he said in a followup interview. Janowicz said he has raised the case with friends and colleagues, and most of them think, as he does, that "it was just a bad situation that they [the players] walked into. … I think everyone was hoping they were not the instigators." During the proceedings, court heard McLeod sent out a text message to some of his then teammates, inviting them to his room for a "3 way" and oral sex. Janowicz said he has been more convinced by testimony that E.M. was the instigator. "It has been tough for the players to relive that again, that whole experience, because I think in hindsight, again they're probably wishing that they never went to that room," he said. Janowicz wonders why charges were laid and how this ever got to trial because "it just seemed like the Crown didn't have a lot of evidence." Court heard that an original investigation conducted by the London Police Service (LPS) in 2018 was closed early into 2019 after the detective in charge, Stephen Newton, said he couldn't find grounds for charges. Under cross-examination recently, though, the now-retired sergeant admitted he had not thoroughly followed up on some investigative leads — for example, while he knew about McLeod's text invitation, he didn't try to get it, and he did not ask Dubé about the allegations he slapped E.M.'s bare buttocks. After a settlement with E.M. by Hockey Canada became public in 2022, police started a second investigation that ultimately led to the charges. When it comes to the issue of consent, Janowicz said, he was taught that when a woman says no, she means no — and that should be respected. As he read about E.M.'s testimony and lengthy cross-examination, "I've never heard her saying no. So I have a quandary with that. … I didn't hear E.M. say that, the Crown never presented that. "It seems like based on what everybody has presented, the Crown and the attorneys for the players, she was more willing for some type of, like, a raunchy sex movie. I mean, I'll just put it out there — it is what it is," Janowicz said. In her opening statement, assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers addressed that question specifically, saying, "You will not hear from E.M. that she said "no" to the specific sexual acts that constitute a sexual assault, nor that she was physically resisting at those times. But we anticipate you will hear E.M. testify that when she was in this hotel room, at age 20, intoxicated, and a group of large men that she did not know were speaking to each other as if she were not there, and then they started telling her to do certain things — she did not feel that she had a choice in the matter." Donkers and others have pointed out that consenting to one kind of sexual activity does not automatically mean consenting to another; it's a continuous process and the absence of "no" does not mean "yes." Believing stereotypes Still, a new study conducted in Quebec suggests stereotypes about sexual assault are common, particularly when it comes to who is believed, who is blamed and what counts as consent — despite years of social awareness programs, including the #MeToo movement. "What we found is that a significant portion of the population still holds beliefs that still believe rape myths, which are erroneous beliefs about victims, perpetrators and sexual assaults," said Dominique Trottier, a psychology professor at Université du Québec en Outaouais and one of the study's collaborators. "Most of the population did not fully reject statements such as the victim is lying about what she endured or that she feels bad afterwards after the fact so she is lying about the fact that she consented," Trottier said in an interview. The study indicates 77 per cent of men and 53 per cent of women did not fully reject the idea that some people make false sexual assault accusations out of revenge. A quarter of all respondents — 27 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women — also expressed ambiguity about the issue of consent, particularly in scenarios involving alcohol, non-verbal communication, coercion and social power dynamics, Trottier said. People aged 15 to 25 and those 66 and older were more likely to express beliefs that undermine victims, the research found. Petition backing E.M. When Karen Barnes, Kelly Proudfoot and Tosh Southwick start chatting online, the topic can range from travel plans, to politics, to top stories in the news. Former colleagues at Yukon University, they've had a lot of discussions lately about the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, particularly around E.M.'s testimony and cross-examination by the five defence lawyers. "The thing that really sort of struck home for all of us was that this woman was having to do this alone," Barnes said from her home in Chemainus, B.C. "I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone," Proudfoot added from Europe, where the Whitehorse resident is currently travelling. The friends wrote an open letter they tried to get published in southern Ontario newspapers. They also attempted to get it directly to E.M. through the courts. When none of that worked, they decided to put it online in the form of a petition. "We don't know your name, but we know your courage," it starts. "As women watching from across the country, we are heartbroken, enraged, and in awe of your strength. You are walking through fire in that courtroom in London, Ont. — reliving the horror, subjected to endless questioning, standing alone against a system and a culture that have failed you again and again. "We believe you." The petition has been up since May 12 and has thousands of signatures. Proudfoot said she has been touched by many of the comments, but also disheartened so few people have signed the petition compared to the approximately 40,000 people who have read it. "For me, it's the silence," she said, adding people seem afraid to support E.M. publicly. Coming from the hockey community of Whitby, Ont., and having worked for the NHL's Calgary Flames early in her career, Proudfoot said some people have told her not to get involved — that E.M., who launched a civil lawsuit, received a settlement from Hockey Canada and it should be enough. Proudfoot rejects that, saying her message to them is simple: "I love hockey, and I believe E.M., and I think there's lots more to that story. But right now, what I want is [for E.M.] to know that she has support and feel like she can go on in her life, that there are people that believe in her." Supporters of E.M. plan to be back at court on Monday as closing arguments begin. They're also planning events for the day Justice Maria Carroccia hands down her decisions — which could still be weeks away. Defence lawyers have already complained to the court that the protesters are intimidating the players, and "forcefully and loudly" advocating for results when they chant: "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now." Hart's lawyer, Megan Savard, described it as "name-calling, bullying, attacking."
CBC
20 hours ago
- CBC
'Let's go Oilers!': Whatı̀, N.W.T., spreading hockey cheer during playoff finals
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl might be surprised to learn that some of their biggest fans are on the shores of Lac La Martre in the subarctic community of Whatı̀, N.W.T. It's true: Whatı̀ residents love the Edmonton Oilers. When the team faced the Florida Panthers Wednesday night in a finals rematch, the Tłı̨chǫ community of just over 600 people showed its support with watch parties, parades, potlucks and seas of orange jerseys. Shaun Moosenose has become the unofficial organizer of those events — a role he says he got thrown into as passion for the team took off. For the first game of the finals Wednesday night, he organized a barbecue and potluck at the community's cultural centre. He said he's enjoyed seeing the community unite for the team. "I think it's just something great for the community that they get together and we just focus on one thing," he said. After posting online about the community's parade for the Oilers in the last round of the playoffs, Moosenose said people have been sharing like crazy and he's been receiving donations for more Oilers swag. He said people in Yellowknife 250 kilometres southeast of Whatı̀ and as far away as Whitecourt, Alta., have donated T-shirts and Oilers gear for the community. All that outpouring of support — and the effect he saw that have on his fellow residents — helped spark his own drive to celebrate. "This whole entire Oilers fan club thing just took off. And you know, I think it's just something great for the community that they get together and we just focus on one thing and one thing only," he said. Moosenose said he's never been a big Oilers fan himself — though he's reluctant to admit it — but even he is getting into cheering for the team. "[Seeing] the smiles and the joy ... the people actually love the Oilers and they're huge fans, and I ended up spending money on some merchandise myself," he said. Now the proud owner of an Oilers jersey and a hat, he said he's excited to be part of the celebration. Meanwhile, Francis Beaverho and his son Bernard are spreading that Oilers spirit to other communities. The father and son, also from Whatı̀, drive their truck — decked out in towering Oilers flags — around Yellowknife and up the road to Dettah. Beaverho says he inherited his love of hockey from his dad. When people see his truck, he said, they're happy. Some of his flags come from Edmonton — he buys them when he takes trips south. Some of them, he gives away to people who are as excited for the team as he is. He and Bernard say they love hearing people honk and cheer when they see his vehicle.
