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Optional training: four skaters, including Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon

Yesterday, Canada played at the Bell Centre around 8 PM. There were ceremonies before the game. It was an intense duel – especially for a Sidney Crosby who isn’t at 100% physically. There was overtime.

And after? That same Crosby was among the last to speak to the media. He went back to the hotel… and he is already focused on preparing for Canada’s next game.

How? By showing up in Brossard, despite all the snow outside, for an optional practice.

What you need to know is that the practice was really optional. There were only four skaters and two goalies… the two who didn’t play yesterday: Samuel Montembeault and Adin Hill.

Travis Sanheim and Sam Bennett also did not play.

This means that apart from Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, all the other players who skated are guys who didn’t touch the ice yesterday. This is truly noteworthy for the two guys from the Maritimes.

This shows that the best are the best for a reason.

Of course, we can understand that the defensemen (especially Drew Doughty) opted out, given their playing time yesterday. But still: MacKinnon and Crosby did not warm the bench either last night.

And I want to remind you: getting to Brossard in that storm is not optimal.

Inevitably, all of this makes us dream about the possibility of seeing Crosby join Nathan MacKinnon one day in Denv– oh no, I was wrong. That’s not what I meant. What a mistake.

But joking aside, MacKinnon has the right mentor to become one of the best in history.

In a nutshell

– Wow.

– Aaron Rodgers leaves the Jets.

– The impact of Saku Koivu is significant.

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Eric Engels: One must not underestimate the value of David Savard

David Savard holds significance in Montreal, and everyone knows it.

We have seen him help the Canadiens in his own way over the past few years, and even though he is 34 years old, he is still able to make an impact on the ice.

Players who have the courage to stand in front of any shot like he does are not common in the NHL. Especially since Savard has a wealth of experience after winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning.

But I will repeat what I said a little earlier in the text: David Savard is 34 years old.

He no longer possesses the qualities of a fit defenseman, and it shows when we see him on the ice.

Nonetheless, we should not underestimate his value in the eyes of Eric Engels (Sick Podcast) for a pretty simple reason: right-shot defensemen available on the market are rare.

And in the context where Savard is willing to do anything to help his team, he has interesting characteristics for a club aspiring to the Stanley Cup:

Eric Engels’ point is 100% valid.

After all, we know that right-shot defensemen are a rare commodity in the NHL… And with his background, Savard can be interesting for almost any NHL team.

But still, it depends on what Kent Hughes wants to do with him.

Savard – who seems to be nearing the end of his time in the NHL – would probably be interested in the idea of finishing his career in Montreal with the role he currently has.

And if that’s the case, the idea of keeping him is interesting for the Canadiens’ GM because Savard has what it takes to help the Canadiens in certain areas even if he isn’t playing.

The Canadiens’ poor performance over the past two weeks also complicates Kent Hughes’ job.

The team would never have traded Savard if he were still in a position to fight for a playoff spot… But things are different right now.

And that’s why David Savard’s name continues (and will continue) to attract attention until March 7.

In brief

– Happy listening.

– Ivan Demidov has demonstrated the extent of his talent.

– To read.

– To follow.

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Shea Theodore’s injury: lucky that it didn’t happen to Nick Suzuki

Nick Suzuki is the only captain in his division not participating in the Four Nations Clash. Is that a shame? For the experience he could have gained, yes.

But what about the rest?

Right now, the Iron Man of the Canadiens is resting and is unlikely to get injured. At this level, that must be a certain relief for the Montreal Canadiens.

I say this because even though Shea Theodore’s injury is part of the game, it still remains that the guys who are at the Four Nations Clash are at risk of injuries.

And right now, the Golden Knights must not be satisfied.

What we know is that Theodore will return at the beginning of the playoffs will not return for the tournament. Canada, until proven otherwise, will have to roll with only six defensemen.

If there are any other injuries, some guys might join Team Canada in Boston. But right now, Jon Cooper will have to work with the roster he has on hand.

Fortunately, Canada won yesterday against Sweden – even if it was in overtime. After all, if the team had lost the game and a defenseman, it would have cried in town.

And that would have overshadowed what went well (and less well) during Wednesday night. For example?

1. Seeing Sidney Crosby being applauded by the crowd at the Bell Centre is not a surprise. He has always been appreciated at his true value in Montreal, and yesterday that was even more evident. Mario Lemieux and he were received like kings by the crowd.

Even when he is an opponent, he is respected. But when he wears the colors of the local team, we see how much he can be appreciated at his true value in Montreal.

Will this make him want to fi– oh, just forget it.

And when we see the quality of play offered by an aging and physically battered Crosby last night, we realize that the tournament is important for him… and that he is really strong, despite his age.

2. International hockey is important. Even though it wasn’t an Olympic match, the guys were skating at a crazy speed (Drew Doughty has never played in such a fast game), and the atmosphere was electric.

Good for them.

3. Seeing Mitch Marner being applauded at the Bell Centre must feel strange for him. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when an opposing player wears Canada’s colors at the Bell Centre.

Auston Matthews, however, had every reason in the world to be booed before the game.

4. Hearing Jon Cooper say that the Bell Centre is the best arena (away, since he won’t disrespect the Lightning’s facilities and fans) is pleasant to hear.

But it’s not surprising.

5. How much confidence did Jordan Binnington inspire in you? How much would Jon Cooper, who painted himself into a corner by saying publicly that there would be no goalie rotation, send a panic message by putting Jordan Binnington against the Americans?

The goalies must not sink Team Canada…

6. Would Mark Scheifele or Evan Bouchard, to name just those two, have made a difference yesterday? Would Canada have won in regulation with them?

The bad decisions of the management must not sink Team Canada…

in brief

– Sidney Crosby, the greatest player to represent his country? That’s Jon Cooper’s opinion.

– To read.

– Huge signing in Boston.

– To note.

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Martin McGuire (again) victim of a microphone left on

This is not a good week for Cogeco Media.

First, the station has to deal with the story of Louis Lacroix, who is in trouble after posting a comment on social media linking street gangs to Kendrick Lamar’s show.

In the short term, he is taken off the air. We will see what comes of it.

But then yesterday, on the sidelines of the Four Nations Confrontation, another situation occurred that does not reflect well on 98.5. This happened during a post-game broadcast.

On YouTube (in a link that will surely not be available for long), during the post-game of Bonsoir les sportifs, we noticed that the microphones’ sound was not cut during a commercial break.

As a result, we heard what Martin McGuire had to say to his technical team, which is the worst nightmare for a radio man. And let’s just say it was not a celebration of good moves. Far from it, even.

Basically, the hockey game commentator was upset to see that in the middle of an interview with Nathan MacKinnon, there was a cut.

This generated anger from Martin McGuire, who told a member of his technical team that it proved what he had said earlier that morning: it makes noise at 98.5.

He added this.

We try to play at being big, but we are not big. – Martin McGuire

He did not like the fact that despite a good broadcast during the game, it ended badly due to the technical error with MacKinnon. And from the way he speaks, it feels like he wants people in the booth to know that not everything is as rosy as they believe.

Several times during the YouTube broadcast, we heard the comments of people who thought they were not on air. It’s not supposed to be like that. It proves McGuire’s point: making the mistake and leaving it open for the public makes noise.

At BPM Sports, for example, you hear nothing during the breaks on YouTube.

At the time, the 98.5 YouTube link was not the most listened to, which allowed the error to go under the radar to a certain extent. A little more, at least, than the time he spoke against Americans on air when he thought the microphones were off.

That was during the 2020 playoffs.

Let’s also note that during the online broadcast, McGuire did not look at the camera for YouTube at all. I don’t know if he liked the concept in the first place, but clearly, he must not like it this morning with everything that comes of it.

overtime

With Renaud Lavoie having communication problems (and letting a nasty word slip on air) at TVA Sports and the guys from HFTV also struggling with communication towards the end of their live broadcast (which was very good) at TVA Sports, it was quite a night on air.

Obviously, communication at the Bell Centre was not optimal.

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4 Nations: Sidney Crosby dominates in a victory for Canada

Finally! It is tonight that the Four Nations Face-Off in the world of hockey is kicking off, as the Canadian team and the Swedish team are clashing at the Bell Centre.

While Jordan Binnington was the goaltender for Canada, Filip Gustavsson was the one for Sweden in this first match.

Here are the complete lineups:

Before the match, a ceremony honoring the four countries participating in the competition was held on the ice.

The highlight of it? Auston Matthews getting booed loudly, but also Mario Lemieux receiving a massive standing ovation from the fans present at the Bell Centre.

We then got to enjoy the beginning of the game… and the Canadian team did not wait long before raising the crowd.

When Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon combine their efforts on a power play, it creates… a magical sequence:

Then, a few minutes later, while Sweden still had not registered a shot, Brad Marchand doubled the lead for his team.

For the first time in his life, Marchand received some love at the Bell Centre.

After 20 minutes, the score was 2-0 for Canada. Sweden had hardly any shots on net after 20 minutes.

That said, in the second period, Sweden found some rhythm… and they finally tested Jordan Binnington.

And it paid off: Jonas Brodin scored the first goal for his team.

Nonetheless, Canada regained a two-goal lead before the end of the period, courtesy of Mark Stone.

Sidney Crosby made a brilliant play on the sequence.

After 40 minutes, the score was 3-1 in favor of Canada.

In the third, however, Sweden made a push. Adrian Kempe brought both teams to within one goal at the beginning of the period.

Binnington did not look particularly solid on that sequence…

Then, a few minutes later, it was Joel Eriksson Ek who found the back of the net.

All of a sudden, the score was tied.

Canada then attempted to regain the lead, and they had a magnificent play…

But Filip Gustavsson completely robbed Devon Toews of a goal. What a stop by the Swedish goaltender.

We eventually needed overtime to separate the two teams. Reminder: for this preliminary round, overtime is a 3-on-3 session for 10 minutes followed by a shootout.

Nathan MacKinnon was dominant during this 3-on-3 session, but in the end, it was Mitch Marner who secured the victory for Canada.

Sidney Crosby recorded a third assist in the match on this winning goal… and he received a lot of love from the fans on site.

Final score: 4-3 Canada (OT)

The action will resume tomorrow, as the United States and Finland will make their entrance, also at the Bell Centre. The game will once again be at 8 PM.

Overtime

– It was nice to see the best players in the world defending the colors of their country. Just seeing Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon together on a power play was a joy to watch.

– Shea Theodore left the game in the second period due to an arm/wrist injury. He underwent X-rays and did not return to the match. His health status will need to be monitored, and if he cannot play in the next match, Travis Sanheim will take his place. Let’s remember that a team cannot call for backup unless they have fewer than 18 healthy skaters.

– Jordan Binnington was not particularly good in this match. I wonder if Jon Cooper will trust him again for the next game (Saturday, against the United States) or if he will look to Adin Hill or Samuel Montembeault.

– Sidney Crosby does not really look like a 37-year-old player carrying an injury. He was incredible tonight.

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Regular season games in Quebec: it would be “too complicated,” according to Gary Bettman

On January 27, Michael Andlauer caused quite a stir in the NHL. The owner of the Senators, who had just announced that his team would play preseason games in Quebec next fall, added another layer to the conversation.

Basically, he opened the door to playing regular season games in Quebec… and that, really didn’t make the NHL happy.

Ultimately, Andlauer had to retract his statement. One might wonder if the pressure came from the NHL or from people in Ottawa who are afraid of seeing the team move (or both), but clearly, someone somewhere didn’t want it to happen.

And tonight, as part of the start of the 4 Nations Confrontation, Gary Bettman gave a brief interview to TVA Sports… and he addressed the topic of regular season games in Quebec.

Except he didn’t exactly open the door to the idea:

[Playing games in Quebec] is not that simple. – Gary Bettman

Bettman didn’t really want to explain why it’s so complicated, but he noted that Andlauer, in saying that, probably got a little too worked up.

And that’s when Élizabeth Rancourt had the good idea to mention the regular season games that take place in Europe… which don’t seem “too complicated.” His response?

It’s not the same thing. – Gary Bettman

No, he didn’t specify the reason.

On the substance, Bettman is right to say that it’s not the same thing. After all, one of the two scenarios involves disrupting the schedule of certain teams during the season by making them play across the Atlantic… while the other option wouldn’t be very different from playing games in Montreal for visiting teams.

I’ll let you guess which of the two avenues is the simplest in the commissioner’s eyes. The answer may surprise you.

In brief

– 4 Nations: Jon Cooper motivated his players by talking about… P.K. Subban.

– A first defeat in the AHL for Cayden Primeau this season. It had been almost a month since the Rocket lost.

– Pat Brisson discussed a few hot topics in the NHL on the air with 98,5 Sports. [98.5 Sports]

– Very cool!

– Great signing for the Padres.

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A snowboarder makes history (despite a fracture)

On January 24th, during the X Games in Aspen, Colorado, a highly recognized extreme sports competition, the young Japanese snowboarder, Hiroto Ogiwara, made history.

In fact, the 20-year-old athlete achieved the very first recorded 2340 in the history of an official competition!

A 2340 is a trick that consists of performing six and a half rotations in the air. As soon as he took off from the jump, Ogiwara immediately began his spin, giving himself the necessary time to complete the entire maneuver before finishing his run by landing in front of the spectators while celebrating his feat. This is a milestone, so we can understand his excitement.

https://twitter.com/XGames/status/1883008236556869695

The judges gave him a score of 97.33, securing the gold medal with nearly 3 points ahead of Taiga Hasegawa in second place. Notably, Rocco Jamieson completed the podium trio.

This achievement was made despite the fact that Ogiwara had sustained a minor fracture in his arm during a prior training session. He had received the green light to participate in the tournament, but one might still think he wasn’t at 100%, nonetheless. This information makes this accomplishment even more impressive, and hats off to the young man for his remarkable resilience!

The young athlete continues to make waves in his field, having been on a steady rise since his official debut in 2017, starting competitions of this kind at the age of 12.

He is particularly known for his triumphs at the Japanese junior ski championships, in addition to having won major honors at the senior level afterward (2021 and 2022).

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Sabrina Carpenter is breathtaking on the cover of Vogue

Sabrina Carpenter marks a turning point in her career by gracing the cover of the March 2025 edition of Vogue.

Photographed by Steven Meisel, the singer and actress adopts a glamorous, retro look reminiscent of both Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, sporting platinum blonde hair and a stunning powder blue satin corset.

In her interview with Vogue, Sabrina confides that Short n’ Sweet, her musical alter ego, is just an amplified version of herself.

For the March 2025 issue of Vogue, author Abby Aguirre met with the singer of the popular song Espresso on the road and delves into her busy year.

On Instagram, the star shared her cover, expressing all her emotions.

Her impeccable look is the result of the work of makeup icon Pat McGrath and renowned hairstylist Guido Palau, who contributed to this enchanting transformation. The other photos truly evoke the cinema icon Marilyn Monroe.

In one of them, Sabrina is lying on a white fur rug, dressed in a pink sequined dress, while in another, she wears a sumptuous yellow satin gown and elegantly poses on a pink sofa.

With this cover, Sabrina continues to impose her style and charisma, proving that she is much more than an emerging star; she is a true icon in the making.

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Centre Bell: a monstrous ovation for Mario Lemieux

This evening, Canada and Sweden will face off at the Bell Centre as part of the first match of the 4 Nations Showdown. It’s obviously a match that was highly anticipated… and the NHL made sure to highlight it.

How? With a pre-game ceremony to honor the four countries.

As both teams were on the ice, a legend from each of the four countries was introduced to the crowd, along with the captain of each team.

And when it came time to present the legend of Canada, none other than Mario Lemieux made his appearance…

And the Bell Centre gave him a massive ovation.

More details to come…

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4 Nations: Nick Suzuki, the only captain of the Atlantic who is not from the tournament

This evening, for the first time since 2016, the best hockey players in the world face off on the international stage. It is happening at the Bell Centre as Canada and Sweden clash.

It’s great to see this again.

However, what stands out is that there are no players from the Canadiens in uniform tonight. Samuel Montembeault is part of the Canadian team, but he is in the press box… while the other representatives of the CH are playing for Finland.

For a little while, we hoped to see Nick Suzuki part of the Canadian lineup. After all, he is one of the best Canadian centermen… and is capable of handling defensive assignments. That said, he was overlooked by the Canadian team.

Interestingly, what we see is that Suzuki… is the only captain of an Atlantic team not present at the tournament. The other seven are all there.

What is interesting, however, is to see how well represented the captains of the Atlantic are compared to other divisions. Indeed, in the other three divisions combined, only three captains (or four if we consider Quinn Hughes, who is injured and will not participate in the tournament) are on their national team.

It should be noted, however, that six captains (Radko Gudas, Anze Kopitar, Roman Josi, Nico Hischier, Anders Lee, and Alex Ovechkin) could not represent their country… simply because their country is not in the tournament.

We can wonder how close Suzuki was to being part of the Canadian lineup… but we know that Mark Scheifele is among the players who would have been considered (before?) the captain of the Canadiens. It may have taken more than one absence for Suzuki to make it to the tournament.

The good news for Suzuki, however, is that he still has plenty of time to defend the colors of his country. Whether it is at the 2026 Olympics or the World Cup in 2028, he could eventually be chosen by the Canadian team.

But today, he is the only captain of his division enjoying two weeks off. And it’s quite unusual to see that, considering he is recognized as one of the good centermen in the NHL.

In a nutshell

– It’s his turn to play.

– Indeed.

– Bravo.

– Michael Misa reaches the 100-point plateau this season.

– Happy reading!