NHL News

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Sean Avery breaks car mirror during disagreement with driver
Author of the article:postmedia News
Publishing date:Mar 06, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 1 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
Sean Avery.
Sean Avery. PHOTO BY FILES /Postmedia
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There appeared to be some serious road rage going on between former NHL agitator Sean Avery, who was jogging in L.A on Thursday morning., and a car driver.

TMZ has obtained a video from the incident during which Avery, decked out in a white jogging outfit and black leather gloves, comes around to the driver side of the car and tries to open the driver’s door while smiling and laughing.

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The driver, identified as Niku Azam by TMZ according to the New York Post, blocks Avery from entering the vehicle by slamming the door shut, and afterwards rolls down his window to yell “Psychopath!” to the onetime hockey player.

That heated exchange leads to Avery running around to the front of the car and leaning on the hood while Azam honks the horn until Avery eventually runs back along the driver side and smashes the mirror and runs away.

According to TMZ, the two men were involved in a confrontation in February when Azam unintentionally blocked the road for Avery, and when the driver let the former New York Ranger by he yelled, “Slow down, you fat f–k!” several times.

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Azam claims Avery recognized him from this incident and that’s what led to the latest disagreement.

But in yet another video obtained by TMZ, Avery on his own claims he was hit by the man’s car earlier during an attempt to “run him over.”

“I’m on Yucca Trail (in the Hollywood Hills), somebody in a Prius just hit me,” says Avery to the camera.

“I tried to run after him to get him to stop. He tried to run me over. I don’t know where he was from. I believe he lives on this street. I guess I’ll wait to see the car. My leg’s a little hurt. I don’t need an ambulance or anything.”

Supposedly police were called to the scene.
 

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LILLEY: Trudeau government gives NHL players special treatment with COVID exemption
14-day quarantine forced on average Canadians no longer applies to NHL players

Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:Mar 26, 2021 • 1 day ago • 3 minute read • 82 Comments
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - MARCH 04: Eric Staal #12 of the Buffalo Sabres fires a shot over Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders during the first period at the Nassau Coliseum on March 04, 2021 in Uniondale, New York.
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - MARCH 04: Eric Staal #12 of the Buffalo Sabres fires a shot over Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders during the first period at the Nassau Coliseum on March 04, 2021 in Uniondale, New York. PHOTO BY BRUCE BENNETT /Getty Images
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When Eric Staal lands in Montreal on his flight from Buffalo, he won’t be spending any time in a Government of Canada approved hotel — nor will he need to spend a full 14 days in quarantine, just seven days for the NHLer.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed what several NHL sources have told the Sun previously, the quarantine forced on average Canadians doesn’t apply to NHL players.


I have nothing against the 36-year-old Thunder Bay native traded from the Sabres to the Canadiens on Friday. Nor do I begrudge him the ability to quarantine for seven days, pass some COVID tests and then be allowed to play. What I have a problem with is the ridiculous rules the Trudeau government imposes on the rest of us.

Any regular Canadian, not playing in the NHL, must go into a government-approved hotel for up to three days while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. We’ve heard all about the problems from bad food – or no food – to assaults by guards hired to keep people in their rooms.

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The situation is horrible and most likely unconstitutional in how it has been implemented.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, wearing a protective face mask, attends a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19, in Ottawa, March 5, 2021.
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Canada's Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand speaks as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau puts on a face mask during a COVID-19 news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on March 19, 2021.
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Once you get a negative COVID test and pay your $2,000 hotel bill, then you can go home for the remainder of your 14-day quarantine. What you can’t do is report to work and start flying across Canada to play hockey.

“It’s elitist,” Conservative MP and health critic Michelle Rempel Garner said of the government’s decision.

“It undermines the credibility of the government’s program,” she said. “This is not a policy based on public health outcomes, it is based on arbitrary PR measures,”

Rempel Garner points to people who have to travel to visit sick or dying loved ones but are still forced to quarantine for 14 days, including three at a hotel. She also points out that returning snowbirds who have been fully vaccinated must still do the full 14 days, including the hotel stay, that Staal and other NHL players being traded will get to skip.

Staal won’t be the only player to get this treatment. With the NHL trade deadline coming up on April 12, we can expect many more to be in the same position. But family members hoping to visit for Easter or Passover will be out of luck — they’ll be stuck for 14 days.


This isn’t the first time the feds have allowed this happen. During the NHL’s training camps last year, players from out of the country reporting to Canadian team were told they could quarantine for seven days and, if they passed several COVID tests, would be free to leave quarantine.

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There was a pilot program in place in Alberta late last year that allowed average citizens to leave quarantine early after getting a negative test, adhering to certain conditions on where they could not go and obtaining further testing that also had to be negative. That pilot project was shut down when the Trudeau government brought in the hotel quarantine program.

If the Trudeau government, or any government, wants the public to buy into rules around things like quarantine or COVID restrictions, then the rules must be seen to be fair and evenly applied. In allowing this exemption, the Trudeau government is making a mockery of their own rules and saying that in Canada not everyone is treated the same.

If seven days quarantine with multiple negative COVID tests is good enough for NHL players, it should be good enough for the rest of us. Average Canadians should not be treated like second class citizens in their own country.

blilley@postmedia.com
 

spaminator

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TNT luring Gretzky as NHL analyst with $5M payday: Report
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:May 10, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers.
Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers. PHOTO BY FILE PHOTO /Postmedia
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Media reports suggest hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is headed to TNT as the centrepiece of its NHL coverage.

According to the New York Post, The Great One was being chased by both ESPN and TNT but a $5-million salary and encouragement from pal Charles Barkley trumped the sports giant.


The Post reports that Gretzky’s role would be similar to Barkley’s on Inside The NBA.

Barkley was reportedly instrumental. The NBA legend and Gretzky were neighbours and friends in Arizona, sources told the tabloid.

The problem for ESPN/ABC — currently in belt-tightening mode — was they were only willing to offer Gretzky something in the $2-million range, sources said. And when the bidding got too high, ESPN bowed out.

Gretzky’s people sniffed that the story was not true.


“Absolutely not true,” said Mark Shapiro, whose company represents Gretzky. “That’s cute, but nobody bows out on The Great One. If he goes to Turner, it’s because they gave him a much better offer than ESPN.”

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Walter Gretzky, father of Hockey Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky, waves to fans as the Buffalo Sabres play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.
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Starting next year in the U.S., ESPN and TNT are taking over NHL rights from NBC.

So far, TNT has penciled in Kenny Albert and Eddie Olzyck as its lead game announcers while ESPN has not named names so far.
 

spaminator

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WARMINGTON: Ron MacLean sorry but insists he was misunderstood
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Publishing date:May 26, 2021 • 12 hours ago • 3 minute read • 49 Comments
Sportscaster Ron MacLean speaks during the Calgary Flames 40th season luncheon at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 9, 2020.
Sportscaster Ron MacLean speaks during the Calgary Flames 40th season luncheon at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 9, 2020. PHOTO BY AZIN GHAFFARI/POSTMEDIA /Toronto Sun
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Even though he wasn’t drinking, Ron MacLean used rum to explain a misunderstanding that had some calling for his job.

While he apologized for comments on Hockey Night in Canada, the legendary host says they were not homophobic.


Saying he can see why people misconstrued his words, MacLean said he was referring to a photograph of a party and not referencing sexuality.

During the second intermission in Game 4 of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens series, MacLean said to panellist and former NHL player Kevin Bieksa, “you have a photo of a guy with his tarp off, you’re definitely positive for something.”

The immediate reaction on social media called for MacLean to apologize or even be dismissed. Former ESPN and CNN broadcaster Keith Olbermann told his 1 million Twitter followers “a homophobic joke” is “indefensible.”

MacLean tweeted “earlier in the show, we had a fun moment featuring a photograph featuring our colleague Anthony Stewart enjoying a rum party.” The photo was behind Bieksa who participated in the broadcast from his home.

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This was not the first time a picture of a player without clothes was seen in this segment. Another former player in the raw was also noticed on this same shelf in February.

But in this instance, MacLean wrote “in the second intermission, Kevin quipped that he was the most positive person on the panel” to which he “directed viewers to that photo using ‘tarp off’ (shirtless) to specify the picture with the rum bottle and quipped ‘you’ll be testing positive for something.’ I meant the rum.”


David Palumbo, of the You Can Play Project — a group that works to ensure the safety and inclusion of all who participate in sports, including LGBTQ athletes — told the Toronto Sun he accepted the apology, noting that MacLean has been “staunch ally” of theLGBTQ community.

On May 17, MacLean tweeted a picture with a rainbow hockey stick to celebrate “the International Day against Homophobia, Tremophobia and Biphobia” and commented “today, like every day, I stand with the LGBTQ2S+ community, and pledge to keep learning and advocating. I see you.”

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He wrote Wednesday that he “reached out” to “guiding lights in the equity-seeking arena” to “tend to the hearts of us all.”

In this time of cancel culture, many careers have been ended after perceived insensitive remarks, including former Coach’s Corner icon Don Cherry and former NBC analyst Jeremy Roenick.

But Palumbo said this is “not on the same level” and “falls into the move-on category.”

Perhaps cutting people a break for a dumb remark or tweet is the new normal that could come out of this. Either that or bring back Grapes, too!

The “tarps off” terminology came up in a 2020 in an NHL.com video in which players T.J Oshie and Anthony Duclair talk about slang used to describe going “shirtless.”

MacLean had a celebrated shirtless appearance playing air guitar a decade ago in a Vancouver bar. He said on the Steve Dangle Podcast two years ago that was “my party trick” and “good fun” and something he did not regret “one bit.”

He did apologize after Cherry, as a host of Coach’s Corner, embarked on a “you people” poppy rant that got him fired in 2019.

“Don Cherry made remarks that were hurtful and discriminatory which were flat out wrong” and “I owe you an apology, too, (since) I sat there, did not catch it and did not respond,” MacLean said at the time.

It’s unclear if MacLean will apologize on the next broadcast.MacLean tweeted “if you only heard the last line in isolation I completely understand how that misunderstanding occurred. I am deeply sorry.”

However, it all started with the rum, he said.
1622121408001.png
 
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Mowich

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Eagle Creek
YEAH HABS!!!! Great game by the Canadians and great come-back from 3 down. Carey was priceless. On to Winnipeg.

GO CANADIANS.....................GO!
 
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spaminator

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Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks dies from fireworks blast
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Jul 05, 2021 • 9 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Matiss Kivlenieks of the Columbus Blue Jackets tends net in his first NHL game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2020 in New York City.
Matiss Kivlenieks of the Columbus Blue Jackets tends net in his first NHL game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2020 in New York City. PHOTO BY BRUCE BENNETT /Getty Images
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Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died Sunday night of chest trauma — not a head injury from a fall — caused by a fireworks mortar blast. He was 24.

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The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s office reported preliminary results Monday after an autopsy. Police in Novi, Mich., now say the mortar-style device began to tilt and fire at a group of people at a Fourth of July party. Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and among those trying to exit the tub to get out of the way, police Lt. Jason Meier said. Investigators are calling his death accidental.


The Detroit News said he was taken to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi, where he was pronounced dead.

“We are shocked and saddened by the loss of Matiss Kivlenieks, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his mother, Astrida, his family and friends during this devastating time,” John Davidson, president of hockey operations, said in a team statement. “Kivi was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten.”

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Police originally said the Latvian died from a head injury while hurriedly trying to get out of the hot tub amid a fireworks malfunction. Police deemed it a “tragic accident,” saying Kivlenieks fell and hit his head on the concrete.

An undrafted free agent from Riga, Latvia, Kivlenieks signed with the Blue Jackets in May 2017 and spent most of his time with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. With the Blue Jackets, he played in two games in 2020-21 and six (four starts) in the prior season and had a career record of 2-2-2 with a 3.09 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. He made his NHL debut on the road against the New York Rangers on Jan. 19, 2020, getting the win in the 2-1 game after saving 31 of 32 shots.

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He played for Team Latvia in the 2021 IIHF World Championships this spring and was 1-2 with a 2.18 GAA, .922 save percentage and one shutout in four games.

“One thing I loved and appreciated about him was he had a great smile and always was in a good mood,” former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno told ESPN. “I know it’s cliche, but that’s exactly the kind of guy he was. Just enjoying his life as a 24-year-old living out his dream and you could tell he didn’t take one day for granted, which makes this tragedy even more hard to bear, Praying for his family and all of us who knew him. Hard day for a lot of people in that organization.”
 

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Trainers sue Philadelphia Flyers, allege Zambonis made them gravely ill
Author of the article:postmedia News
Publishing date:Apr 18, 2022 • 8 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A pair of Philadelphiy Flyers athletic trainers are reportedly suing the team owners after both were diagnosed with blood diseases they allege came from cancer-causing carcinogens emitted from Zambonis at the NHL club's training facility in Voorhees, N.J.
A pair of Philadelphiy Flyers athletic trainers are reportedly suing the team owners after both were diagnosed with blood diseases they allege came from cancer-causing carcinogens emitted from Zambonis at the NHL club's training facility in Voorhees, N.J.
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A pair of Philadelphia Flyers athletic trainers are reportedly suing the team’s owners after both were diagnosed with blood diseases that they allege came from cancer-causing carcinogens emitted from Zambonis at the NHL club’s training facility in Voorhees, N.J.


Jim McCrossin, 64, Flyers’ director of medical services, and assistant athletic trainer Sal Raffa, 42, were both diagnosed with incurable and nearly identical blood diseases and/or cancer in the spring and summer of 2021, according to the Crossing Broad sports blog.

McCrossin joined the team in 2000 and Raffa took his post in 2004.

McCrossin developed rare medical conditions– essential thrombocythemia, myeloproliferative neoplasm, and the blood cancer myelofibrosis — which are terminal. The latter developed thrombocythemia, which is incurable.

The pair alleged they contracted these diseases due to excessive exposure to carcinogens emitted from the ice-resurfacing machines. They say the training room where they have worked for the past two decades butts up against the Zamboni room.


Law firm Kline & Spector filed a 27-page complaint on behalf of the trainers and their wives.

Among the defendants named were entities that own the Flyers: Comcast Holdings Corporation; Comcast Spectacor Holdings Company, LLC; Comcast Spectacor, LLC; Comcast Spectacor Ventures, LLC; Flyers Skate Zone LP; FPS, LLC; FPS, LP; FPS Rink, LLC; FPS Rink, LP; FPS Urban Renewal, Inc., as well as unkown companies related to the ice-resurfacing equipment.

The complaint accuses the defendants of negligency, strict liability, and a loss of consortium.

The Flyers said in a statement to Crossing Broad, “the safety of our employees and guests at the Flyers Training Center and all of our facilities is always a top priority for us. We have looked into the allegations made by Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa over the course of several months, and, based on that, believe that their claims have no merit. Beyond that, we cannot comment further given that this matter is in litigation.”
 

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Innovative hockey fan builds unique Stanley Cup with 3-D printer
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Publishing date:Aug 12, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Shawn Wilson hoists his 3-D printer version of the Stanley Cup.
Shawn Wilson hoists his 3-D printer version of the Stanley Cup. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /TORONTO SUN
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If you can’t win a Stanley Cup, build one.


That’s exactly what Shawn Wilson did. With his 3-D printer.

“It took more than 100 hours,” said the 38-year-old Boisbriand, Que. resident. “The printer was running for more than two weeks.”

When the 36 separate pieces were finished printing, the aviation industry worker by day and hobbyist by night was in a position to assemble his own replica of the legendary trophy.

“I made it as authentic as possible,” he said.

So he left in the spelling mistakes of names and other glitches.

Shawn Wilson admires his Stanley Cup creation. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Shawn Wilson admires his Stanley Cup creation. SUPPLIED PHOTO
“The next team going on will be the Colorado Avalanche,” said Wilson, who was inspired to use today’s technology to create it after his beloved Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2021 playoffs.

“My brother-in-law posted it and I have been getting a lot of calls,” he said with a laugh. “Even the NHL retweeted it.”


The question is, what’s next?

“There is a lot of interest from people wanting to have one,” said Wilson.

Some want to have a vanity piece for their Man Caves and others want to put their names on it. Wilson just wants it to be about fun while staying true to the history of the cup.

“I learned a lot about the cup when I was building it,” he said.

The Stanley Cup is an iconic trophy but a 3-D version can also serve as a popcorn born. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The Stanley Cup is an iconic trophy but a 3-D version can also serve as a popcorn born. SUPPLIED PHOTO
One of the things he noticed is, with the names of new teams going on, every few years a new band needs to be added and one removed. It means names like Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe are no longer on the Stanley Cup but placed in a frame in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“In 2029 the last Toronto Maple Leafs team (to win) in 1967 is going to come off,” said Wilson.

This reality could be a real opportunity for Wilson, who could create up-to-date Stanley Cup replicas that keep the old iconic names on some versions — for collectors and families alike.


In many ways, there’s opportunities to actually get some of those names spelled right or even add a teammate that was left off. A good example of that is in the engravings of the 1951 Toronto Maple Leafs team where Danny Lewicki’s name is spelled Lewiski. It bothered Danny up until his death in 2018. Wilson said, with 3-D printing, all you have to do is make the change.

Another great example would be with Maple Leafs left winger John Brenneman, who played 41 of the 70 regular-season games in the 1966-67 season but was sent down to the minors at the end of the season that would later become legendary. That was the last time the blue and white won the Stanley Cup. Soon to be 80, Brenneman is almost a ghost in terms of his contribution to that championship season. With no Stanley Cup ring, invitations to reunions and or mention on the Stanley Cup, it’s like he didn’t exist. Wilson’s invention can repair oversights like that.


But is a unique marketing opportunity for the NHL, which is very good at keeping up with modern pop culture, music and thinking outside the box. The Stanley Cup is the best trophy in all of sports and Commissioner Gary Bettman knows that better than anybody.

“There is such mystique to the Stanley Cup,” said Wilson. “It was super exciting to create one.”

He admits the only thing that would be more exciting is to win one as a player or coach. But for those who can’t, this is the next best thing.


SO CLOSE, SO FAR AWAY
You don’t get any closer to winning the Stanley Cup than John Brenneman did.

Or further away.

“It was a special group of guys and a great year,” the 79-year-old Fort Erie-born Brenneman said May 2, on the 55th anniversary of that legendary 1967 Toronto Maple Leaf Stanley Cup win, the team’s most recent.


He would know, because he was there. For part of it.

“I played 41 games for the Maple Leafs in 1966-67,” said the left winger, who wore No. 24.

But toward the end the season he was sent to the minors. His name was not included on the Stanley Cup. He didn’t partake in the parade or receive a Stanley Cup ring.

Of course, whether he should or shouldn’t be is a great debate topic. But he certainly had more impact on the ice than executives Harold Ballard and John Bassett, two of the seven non-skaters whose names are on the Stanley Cup.



Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan has done a nice job in honouring the team’s history and past players and it would be a nice gesture and perhaps some good luck for a team trying to get past the first round of the playoffs to present Brenneman a Stanley Cup ring.

Better late than never. It would be the right thing to do And a great moment for Brenneman, who went on to play 152 NHL games.

But it was his season with the Maple Leafs in 1966-67 that made him part of a Stanley Cup team.

Almost.
1660396232348.png1660396282422.png1660396341701.png
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
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Innovative hockey fan builds unique Stanley Cup with 3-D printer
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Publishing date:Aug 12, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Shawn Wilson hoists his 3-D printer version of the Stanley Cup.
Shawn Wilson hoists his 3-D printer version of the Stanley Cup. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /TORONTO SUN
Article content
If you can’t win a Stanley Cup, build one.


That’s exactly what Shawn Wilson did. With his 3-D printer.

“It took more than 100 hours,” said the 38-year-old Boisbriand, Que. resident. “The printer was running for more than two weeks.”

When the 36 separate pieces were finished printing, the aviation industry worker by day and hobbyist by night was in a position to assemble his own replica of the legendary trophy.

“I made it as authentic as possible,” he said.

So he left in the spelling mistakes of names and other glitches.

Shawn Wilson admires his Stanley Cup creation. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Shawn Wilson admires his Stanley Cup creation. SUPPLIED PHOTO
“The next team going on will be the Colorado Avalanche,” said Wilson, who was inspired to use today’s technology to create it after his beloved Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2021 playoffs.

“My brother-in-law posted it and I have been getting a lot of calls,” he said with a laugh. “Even the NHL retweeted it.”


The question is, what’s next?

“There is a lot of interest from people wanting to have one,” said Wilson.

Some want to have a vanity piece for their Man Caves and others want to put their names on it. Wilson just wants it to be about fun while staying true to the history of the cup.

“I learned a lot about the cup when I was building it,” he said.

The Stanley Cup is an iconic trophy but a 3-D version can also serve as a popcorn born. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The Stanley Cup is an iconic trophy but a 3-D version can also serve as a popcorn born. SUPPLIED PHOTO
One of the things he noticed is, with the names of new teams going on, every few years a new band needs to be added and one removed. It means names like Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe are no longer on the Stanley Cup but placed in a frame in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“In 2029 the last Toronto Maple Leafs team (to win) in 1967 is going to come off,” said Wilson.

This reality could be a real opportunity for Wilson, who could create up-to-date Stanley Cup replicas that keep the old iconic names on some versions — for collectors and families alike.


In many ways, there’s opportunities to actually get some of those names spelled right or even add a teammate that was left off. A good example of that is in the engravings of the 1951 Toronto Maple Leafs team where Danny Lewicki’s name is spelled Lewiski. It bothered Danny up until his death in 2018. Wilson said, with 3-D printing, all you have to do is make the change.

Another great example would be with Maple Leafs left winger John Brenneman, who played 41 of the 70 regular-season games in the 1966-67 season but was sent down to the minors at the end of the season that would later become legendary. That was the last time the blue and white won the Stanley Cup. Soon to be 80, Brenneman is almost a ghost in terms of his contribution to that championship season. With no Stanley Cup ring, invitations to reunions and or mention on the Stanley Cup, it’s like he didn’t exist. Wilson’s invention can repair oversights like that.


But is a unique marketing opportunity for the NHL, which is very good at keeping up with modern pop culture, music and thinking outside the box. The Stanley Cup is the best trophy in all of sports and Commissioner Gary Bettman knows that better than anybody.

“There is such mystique to the Stanley Cup,” said Wilson. “It was super exciting to create one.”

He admits the only thing that would be more exciting is to win one as a player or coach. But for those who can’t, this is the next best thing.


SO CLOSE, SO FAR AWAY
You don’t get any closer to winning the Stanley Cup than John Brenneman did.

Or further away.

“It was a special group of guys and a great year,” the 79-year-old Fort Erie-born Brenneman said May 2, on the 55th anniversary of that legendary 1967 Toronto Maple Leaf Stanley Cup win, the team’s most recent.


He would know, because he was there. For part of it.

“I played 41 games for the Maple Leafs in 1966-67,” said the left winger, who wore No. 24.

But toward the end the season he was sent to the minors. His name was not included on the Stanley Cup. He didn’t partake in the parade or receive a Stanley Cup ring.

Of course, whether he should or shouldn’t be is a great debate topic. But he certainly had more impact on the ice than executives Harold Ballard and John Bassett, two of the seven non-skaters whose names are on the Stanley Cup.



Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan has done a nice job in honouring the team’s history and past players and it would be a nice gesture and perhaps some good luck for a team trying to get past the first round of the playoffs to present Brenneman a Stanley Cup ring.

Better late than never. It would be the right thing to do And a great moment for Brenneman, who went on to play 152 NHL games.

But it was his season with the Maple Leafs in 1966-67 that made him part of a Stanley Cup team.

Almost.
View attachment 15173View attachment 15174View attachment 15175
i came close to not posting this because of the beloved montreal canadiens nonsense. :(
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
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More pain for ex-NHL star as parents' killer seeks parole
But after reading emotional impact statements from Don Edwards and his family, George Harding Lovie's parole hearing was abruptly postponed


Author of the article:Michele Mandel
Published Dec 01, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

Hours after his parents’ vicious murder by George Harding Lovie, after all the police officers and the forensic teams had left and the black bags holding the bodies had been taken to the coroner’s office, Don Edwards had the gruesome task of returning to his childhood home to lock up.


More than 32 years have passed since that terrible day, and still the gruesome scene is seared in his memory: the pools of blood on the floor, the bullet holes that shattered windows and wedged in kitchen cabinets, the jagged shards of glass that littered the home – all evidence of the senseless violence his parents suffered at the hands of their daughter’s vengeful ex-boyfriend.


Still dressed in their pyjamas, desperate to prevent Lovie from breaking in, Donna, 61, was shot twice and husband Arnold, 63, was stabbed five times.

“It was a sight that never leaves my mind,” the 68-year-old former goalie for the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames said. “I’ve struggled with PTSD as have many of my siblings. It’s changed all our lives.”

Just five weeks before the murders, Lovie had been arrested for allegedly raping Edwards’ sister Michele at knifepoint in her home – a charge that was never prosecuted and an allegation Lovie continues to deny. Released on bail a day later and ordered to stay away from his ex, he began stalking her soon after.


“Prior to his death, our father had taped a piece of paper to his wallet and inscribed on it was the make of the car, colour and license plate number of his eventual killer,” Edwards would write in his victim impact statement. “The purpose for this, following the sexual assault and unlawful confinement with a weapon charges, was to try and protect his family.”

Instead, he protected his daughter with his life.



Lovie lay in wait for Michele that March morning in 1991 under her porch in Glanbrook, a suburb of Hamilton, armed with a rifle he’d just purchased and a knife. When he emerged as she left for work, the terrified woman fled across the street to her parents’ home.

He followed – with tragic results.

“Do you like me now?” Lovie taunted her as he plunged his knife into her father. “How do you like me now?”

After serving 28 years of his life sentence in prison for the double murders, Lovie was freed on day parole in 2019 to a halfway house in Sudbury. Since then, his day parole has been renewed every six months with more and more days allowed at his apartment with conditions that he stay out of parts of Ontario where the Edwards family live.


And still he taunts them.



Lovie now wants full parole and a virtual hearing was scheduled for next week.

Edwards and many other members of their family once again had to prepare gut-wrenching victim impact statements, forcing them to relive the horror all over again.

“The pain, suffering and stress we have endured is mind shattering,” he had written. “Grief counselling, ongoing and continuous medical doctor visits, having to depend daily on prescribed stress and anxiety medication, therapy meeting with psychiatrist, and the private security measures that we have been forced to undertake are just a few of many items we have had to address.”


He is determined to stop Lovie from getting full parole. He believes their very lives depend on it.

So he and his family braced themselves to face him again, though they were angry this hearing wouldn’t be in person. Then came word a few days ago that, apparently after reading their emotional statements, the manipulator has abruptly decided to postpone his hearing until March 2024.

“As victims, we have no rights,” Edwards complains. “The laws in Canada are completely aligned with the offender. I’ve been to Ottawa, I’ve been to Parliament. We’ve backed bills that life should mean life and we had over 100,000 signatures. It’s a total uphill battle.”

Like so many victims, he believes the Canadian justice system has let him down.

“You know, I was very proud to be Canadian. I had the honour to play with Team Canada in ’81,” Edwards said. “But boy, they ripped the heart out of me.”

mmandel@postmedia.com