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"Gutted for Boeser": Hockey world reacts to Brock Boeser missing Game 7 due to blood clotting issues
News that top-line Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser will miss Game 7 due to blood clotting issues hit the hockey world hard on Sunday. The story was first reported by Vancouver hockey commentator Irfaan Gaffar. Boeser is Vancouver’s leading scorer with seven goals and 12 points in 12 games in the 2024 playoffs. He was playing on the top line with J.T. Miller and Pius Suter. Here is some of the reaction in Vancouver, Edmonton and around the NHL: Vancouver sports commentator Irfaan Gaffar@irfgaffar Brock Boeser will not be available for the Canucks in game seven on Monday. If they advance, his status moving forward is unclear… Yes, it’s a blood clotting issue. Again, this is not career or life-threatening, thankfully. They are going to take it slow and see how Brock progresses. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser is expected to miss Game 7 against Edmonton with a blood clotting issue. The exact timeline for his return is unknown, but several sources stressed this, thankfully, is not considered a life-threatening situation. Vancouver hockey writer Daniel Wagner @passittobulis Devastating news for Brock Boeser and the Canucks. All that matters now is Boeser’s long-term health. Nucks Misconduct hockey blog writer Harsunder Singh Hunjan @HarsunderHunjan I seriously hope Boeser is going to be okay and has a complete recovery! Poor guy has been through so much already in his young life 🙏 All of #Canucks nation is with you Brock Boeser! Let’s get the win for him tomorrow! The Cult of Hockey’s Kurt Leavins @KurtLeavins Never want to see this, no matter who you cheer for. Hoping for a full recovery for Boeser. Vancouver fan Rob Sampare Brotchie @canucker101 Get well Canucks Brock Boeser. Oilers fan Lynn Mercereau @lynnmercereau This is bigger than hockey Sports gambling analyst Rachel Doerrie @racheldoerrie Gutted for Boeser. He’s been through so much the past few years. Loved watching him have the fantastic bounce back this season. Hockey doesn’t matter in these moments. Just hoping Brock gets healthy 🙏🏻⭐️🥦🚀 I can’t believe this needs to be said, but it does: the nature of Boeser’s blood clot is no one’s business and we don’t need to add ;vaccine conspiracy theories’ to the nuclear toxic wasteland that is Canucks/Oilers Twitter right now. Hope for a speedy recovery & leave it there. Canucks fan Alece Anderson @AleceAnderson I’m so sad for him… it’s just one thing after the other. Hope he’s gonna be ok ❤️ Daniel Wagner @passittobulis Win it for Boeser. Oilers fan K-JAM @KevinJamieson86 Boeser is a helluva hockey player and a thorn in the Oilers’ side. I wish he was playing tomorrow, and I hope he finds the good health he needs soon. Sportsent commentator Randip Janda @RandipJanda Awful news on the Brock Boeser front. Luckily it’s not life threatening, but scary nonetheless. Wishing him a speedy recovery and return to full health. Rinkwide Vancouver commentator Jeff Paterson @patersonjeff If ever a player could have played the ‘getting treatment’ card instead of talking to media after a tough loss it was Brock Boeser last night. To his credit, he showed up, answered pointed questions, owned his performance — and today we learned he’s out for Game 7 with blood clot. Oilers fan Reese Campbell @LarisseAtalie As an Oilers fan – I wish Boeser nothing but the best as he navigates his health stuff. When he first came to the YVR, he lived in a hotel I managed (all the young Canucks did)& he and his family were nothing but kind and warm to the hotel staff. This was rare and so appreciated. Sportsnet radio play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor @BatchHockey You just have to feel awful for Brock Boeser. He’s overcome so much adversity and had such a tremendous season. Hoping for a speedy and full recovery for him. Just a brutal blow to have this happen right now. Vancouver sports commentator Brendan Kobliuk JABO Vancouver Playoffs are about heroes. Some heroes you see coming, and others you would never have expected. Hopefully there are guys in that dressing room who are looking at Brock Boeser’s absence as their opportunity to step up and be that hero. This team will need it. Oilers fan Brock W. Harrison @BrockWHarrison Yikes. As much as I want the Oilers to win, and as much as Boeser has dominated them at times this series, you never ever want to see this. Edmonton Journal hockey writer Jim Matheson @jimmathesonnhl Brock Boeser is a helluva player and scorer. Been a big-time playoff threat for Canucks. Blood-clotting issues are serious stuff. Wish him the best Sportsnet commentator Iain MacIntyre @imacSportsnet Got to feel awful for Brock. Longest-tenured Canuck, who emerged better and stronger after two years of anguish…. It’s like the hockey gods convened a special meeting. They were not happy. They were like, “You mean, the Canucks might still win this thing with their third-string goalie?! What else can we do? Brock Boeser!” TSN reporter Farhan Lalji Big loss for #Canucks leading playoff goal scorer. Even if the team makes it through game 7 it doesn’t sound like Boeser’s return would be imminent. The team’s playoff mantra has been, “Resilient.” That would have been put to the test Monday night regardless, now even more so. Canucks fan Trent Leith @trentl14 You’ve gotta be kidding me. Brock Boeser finally reached his potential as a 40+ goal scorer, is tied for fourth in playoffs scoring with 7 goals in 12 games. Then he has to leave the series right before a crucial game seven at home. This poor guy can’t catch a break. #Canucks OIlers fan X-JESSE @97OrangeCrush29 🙏 speedy recovery to Brock Boeser. All the best. – Oil Country The Hockey Spotlight @nhlspotlight Oilers twitter has not disappointed at the news of the Boeser news. I respect every one of you who’ve came out in support for him. Canucks fan 𝕐 – 𝔾𝕞𝕒𝕟✨ @NotoriousGman88 No Boeser. No Demko. If the Canucks pull if off, that would be MASSIVE! The Cult of Hockey’s David Staples @dstaples Brock Boeser damn impressive this series, both shooting the puck but also defending. Reminded me of Jari Kurri now and then… Wishing him well in recovery from blood clotting issue. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch (asked what it’s like to lose a top player suddenly ): It’s amazing when you lose a player like that — obviously you look at your line-up is weaker just without a top player. I’ve seen it numerous times. — but it’s amazing how guys steps up. Everyone steps up and collectively. Sometimes you’re just a beter team. In the long term it’s not a recipe for success, but short term, you look what happened at the Boston series losing (Brad( Marchand (to injury)(. Yeah, we got to be ready…We have to anticipate a team that is going to be really stepping up their game. Related LEAVINS: 9 Things McCURDY: Player grades Game 6
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5 THINGS: Edmonton Oilers set for Game 7 showdown vs. Canucks
Don’t muck this up. Everyone’s watching. And it’s anyone’s game at this point. After putting together their best effort of the playoffs, and finally looking every bit like their stacked roster oozing elite offensive talent backed by solid defence and reliable goaltending suggests, the Edmonton Oilers forced a Game 7 showdown against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. The winner moves on to face the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final, while the loser packs up their stalls and leaves the rink lamenting the one that got away and trying to avoid thinking, “There’s always next year.” Here are five factors to consider going into the big game: 1. A series of swings Saturday’s game was the first in the series that wasn’t separated by a single goal. The Oilers displayed a dominance they had been lacking since jumping out to a 4-1 lead midway through the opening game — one they somehow ended up losing 5-4 after surrendering four unanswered goals. After that, it’s been back and forth, with Edmonton keeping pace with the Canucks in back-and-forth fashion, and both teams doing just enough to win their piece of the pattern. Right up until Game 6, that is. The 5-1 score was the Oilers’ biggest margin of victory since defeating the Los Angeles Kings 6-1 in Game 3 of their first-round series on April 26, which also happens to be the last time Edmonton won by more than a goal until Saturday’s game. Just as long as they didn’t use up all their offence in that one. 2. Skinner back in there If you were looking for a redemption game by Stuart Skinner, you got one. Sure, he faced only 15 shots. But it’s not like he could do anything about that, other than make 14 saves for a .933 save percentage. And that’s barrels more than the .793 percentage he limped off the ice with after allowing 12 goals on 58 shots in his first three starts of the series, before being replaced by backup Calvin Pickard. And just like the Oilers did when Pickard came in, Skinner’s return to duty provided a much needed spark for the ones playing in front of him, leading to a win in both games the starting goaltender was changed. If nothing else, Skinner’s playoff performances here in his first two NHL seasons have shown he can’t simply be ridden the entire race, and is at his best with some built-in rest. It’s how the Oilers went on their incredible 16-game win streak to salvage a horrendous start to the season, and will be the way to go if they want to make it 16 more here in the playoffs. But first things first, they need to get win No. 8 on Monday. 3. Solving Silovs At the other end of the ice, the Oilers may have come up with the blueprint on how to beat Arturs Silovs. The 23-year-old Latvian netminder has been doing the yeoman’s work in the playoffs for the Canucks since being called up from the farm in the wake of injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith. This round, his legs have proven tough to beat, as he gets up and down and side to side with an efficiency belying any lack of experience. And while the Oilers have managed to find the five hole from time to time, it was the glove that let him down most on Saturday. 4. Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots … Evan Bouchard has stood out in this series unlike any other. And on a roster boasting the league’s top-two scoring leaders in the playoffs, Leon Draisaitl (eight goals, 15 assists) and Connor McDavid (two goals, 19 assists), that’s not always the easiest thing to do. The thing is, Bouchard is doing it. The defenceman is keeping pace with the potent pair, offensively, coming in at third overall with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 11 games. He’s scored two game-winners so far in the series, both on blasts from the blue line, and earned another with a nail in the proverbial coffin to go ahead 3-1 midway through Game 6. What he’s been doing is putting shots on net, and the rest of the team is starting to follow suit, abandoning constant attempts at perfect passes around the net and carefully crafted set plays, in favour of just putting pucks on. The strategy is proving as sound as it is simple. Why abandon it now? 5. Enjoy this one In sports, winning and losing are two sides of the same coin. And it’s the price of being a fan. The good times for some must come at the expense of others. But instead of just flipping coin after coin and recording whether it comes up heads or tails, it’s important at a time like this to pause for a moment and consider how this one comes down to the final two Canadian clubs in contention for the Stanley Cup, which hasn’t made its way north in over 30 years. But let’s face it, the short-term bragging rights for one city are every bit as important as anything right now. E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge Related Game 6 rout doesn't mean Edmonton Oilers have solved Canuck riddle Oilers notebook: Holloway channels McDavid to put Canucks on their heels
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SIMMONS SAYS: On second thought, Craig Berube was a good hire for the Maple Leafs
I wanted to dislike the hiring of Craig Berube as head coach of the Maple Leafs. I wanted to call it convenient, all too quick, bringing in a middle-of-the-pack Stanley Cup winner, with an otherwise average coaching record, to take over a club in need of major alterations. Then I started asking people I trust about Berube. People in hockey. People up high. Accomplished general managers and coaches. And I was surprised by their answers. They more than like Berube as a coach. They believe in him. They think his style and his personality might be the complete opposite of that of the fired Sheldon Keefe at a time when opposite may, in fact, be necessary. “Other than the big dogs, who is better than Craig?” asked a lifetime NHL coach in response to a question. “If you’re not going to get (Jon) Cooper and you’re not going to get Lavi (Peter Laviolette) or DeBoer (Peter DeBoer), who’s better? “Craig’s best quality is he builds team. He’s a motivator. He can inspire people to do uncomfortable things. You need that in hockey. He knows the game and he’s a lot more creative than people realize. He’s not a my-way-or-the-highway kind of coach. He’ll work with you. He’ll give you lots of rope. He believes in second chances. “Listen, the value system in Toronto needs to change. It’s going to take a whole coaching staff, not just Craig, to get that done. That’s the commitment here. To get that value system to change and I believe he can do that.” A current high end GM was asked to rate the coaches in the Atlantic Division in order and he went: 1. Cooper, Tampa; 2. Berube; 3. Jim Montgomery, Boston; 4. Paul Maurice, Florida. The ranking more than surprised me. When I asked why he had Berube ahead of Montgomery and Maurice, he said: “presence and leadership. “He has instant credibility in an NHL locker room. He won a Stanley Cup, he knows what he doesn’t know and is comfortable with that. He cares and players care in return. This is the most opposite hire of what I believe Sheldon was.” THIS AND THAT That Berube won a Stanley Cup in St. Louis has basically zero meaning now that he is coaching the Leafs. Randy Carlyle won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim before arriving in Toronto. How’d that one work out? … Toronto Sun hockey writer Terry Koshan pointed out that only one coach in the modern history of the NHL has won a Cup coaching more than one team. And that man happened to be Scotty Bowman … A list of middle-of-the- pack coaches were one-time Cup winners. Among them: Al MacNeil, Jean Perron, Dan Bylsma, Bob Hartley, Terry Crisp, Tom Johnson … Great coaches who haven’t won Cups: Pat Quinn, Roger Neilson, DeBoer, Ron Wilson, Maurice, Alain Vigneault, Bryan Murray, Bruce Boudreau … Curious to have heard the exchange of ideas between Berube and general manager Brad Treliving during the interview process. Wonder what Treliving said when Berube asked: “Who’s our goalie?” or “What are we doing with Mitch Marner?” … The team Berube has agreed to coach may not exactly look like the team on paper in late May … Freddy being Freddy. Where have you seen this before? Freddy Andersen did to the Carolina Hurricanes what he did to the Leafs way too often. He let it in a terrible goal with Carolina leading 3-1 in the third period of Game 6. The series with New York should have gone to a seventh game. The crappy goal — see Leafs vs. Capitals, Leafs vs. Bruins playoff time — is almost impossible to recover from … I give up. I don’t know what goalie interference is anymore, if I ever knew. And I don’t know cross checking is anymore, if I ever knew … My first choice to coach the Leafs, if available, was Joel Quenneville. My second choice, if available, was Rod Brind’Amour. The question of availability is a moving target. A number of teams have approached the NHL of late to inquire about Quenneville’s availability and some have contacted the former coach directly. Still, no word on what it will take to clear him after the sexual assault scandal from Quenneville’s staff with the Blackhawks of 2010. But teams did call the league. Leafs may also have inquired about Brind’Amour’s circumstance before finalizing the decision on Berube. HEAR AND THERE For those counting, this is 11 seasons for Nathan MacKinnon — five of them with Cale Makar and just one Stanley Cup. It tells you, teams win championships in hockey, individuals do not … Anyone who says Valeri Nichushkin quit on the Colorado Avalanche doesn’t comprehend the power of addiction. … “Look who’s left in the playoffs?” a former coach of giant credentials asked me. “Teams coached by Lavi, by Paul Maurice, by Pete (DeBoer) and by (Rick) Tocchet. Never mind retreads. Having that experience matters. And being comfortable in your own skin, that’s very important for a coach.” … When Berube won his Cup, he had Alex Pietrangelo, future Hall of Famer, on defence. When Bruce Cassidy won his Cup in Vegas, he had Alex Pietrangelo. When Carlyle won he had Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer on defence. When Quenneville won he had Duncan Keith. When Darryl Sutter won, he had Drew Doughty. When Cooper won, he had Victor Hedman. Berube now has Morgan Rielly. One of these things is not like the other … There is no evidence to indicate that either Leafs’ captain John Tavares or Marner will waive their no-trade arrangements this summer. But this much we know: If they do waive, there are teams interested in both those players and the prices they’re willing to pay is somewhat surprising … Berube has never coached a player who has scored more than 37 goals in a season. That was Jordan Kyrou, in Berube’s last full season with the Blues. Now coach, meet Auston Matthews … NHL teams still looking for coaches — Winnipeg, Seattle, Los Angeles, New Jersey, San Jose and we’re not sure about Columbus because the Blue Jackets don’t have a general manager … NHL goaltenders have never been better equipped or better prepared to play. But while they’re consumed with technique, too many still don’t know how to read the game or the play. It makes for more great stops and more dubious goals against than ever before … Ed Belfour was the most economical goalie I’ve ever seen up close. He was always square to the puck. He rarely made a great save because he didn’t have to … In my next life, I want to come back as a TSN network programmer. That way two channels won’t have bull riding on at the same time that Overdrive isn’t found on any of the five TSN channels … Love you Darren Dutchyshen. Always have. Always will. Rest well, big man. SCENE AND HEARD Is there anything less meaningful than Ross Atkins talking process and patience? The Blue Jays couldn’t hit last year. They couldn’t score last year. They can’t hit this year. The can’t score this year. His process doesn’t work. My patience is over. The next thing I want to hear Atkins say: “Anybody know a good real estate agent?” … It’s not your money or mine, and there is no salary cap in baseball, but the fact that George Springer is signed for two more seasons at $25 million a pop is almost offensive. The more Springer plays, the worse he plays. All this for $149,176 per game. Springer, by the way, turns 35 in September … The Blue Jays first World Series win in 1992 seems even more impressive when you look back at who was pitching for Atlanta. Hall of famer Tom Glavine started two games. Hall of famer John Smoltz started two games. And 22-year-old ace Steve Avery started two games. The Jays won the Series but scored only 17 runs in six games played … The next year, the Jays scored 45 runs in six games over Philadelphia with should be hall of famer, Curt Schilling making two starts for the Phillies. Roberto Alomar hit .480 in that World Series and Paul Molitor hit .458, scoring 10 runs and knocking in seven others … And since then, no World Series … When Yoshinobu Yamamoto was getting lit up in spring training, the narrative was the Dodgers wasted all that money signing the Japanese free agent. But since the season started Yamamoto has a 4-1 record with a 3.21 earned run average in nine starts in Los Angeles … Next time I hear someone lecturing me about how hard Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits the ball, I will happily point out that Luis Arraez, batting champion of both the American and National Leagues, doesn’t hit the ball very hard and has a .324 lifetime average … If my math works and I hope it doesn’t, the young fireballer Paul Skenes will not pitch in Toronto the weekend the Pittsburgh Pirates are here at the end of the month. Skenes made his second big league start on Friday, pitched six innings, allowed no hits, struck out 11 in Chicago to register his first career win. He’s scheduled to pitch, barring rain-outs, in games before and after the Blue Jays series … After this weekend, Jays play 10 games against the dreadful White Sox and the semi-dreadful Tigers. This is a time to go 8-and-2 and make a push, if there is still a push in it for this Blue Jays club. AND ANOTHER THING The longer it is between the time Vince Carter played for the Raptors and whatever day this happens to be the more the mythology of his time in Toronto changes. It’s as though some of the past has been erased. Carter has been deservedly elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame and will inducted this summer. Toronto basketball voices seem consumed with the notion of the Raptors honouring and possibly retiring his number. The same people, however, don’t seem to mention Chris Bosh, who played 106 more games for the Raptors than Carter did, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2021. Bosh’s jersey shouldn’t be retired. He never won a playoff series as a Raptor. Carter’s jersey shouldn’t be retired either: He never won a best-of-seven series as a Raptor either. What would you be honouring him for? Winning a slam-dunk competition? … It’s pretty clear now that TNT is losing its NBA television rights. What isn’t clear is what happens to the brilliant Inside the NBA show and halftime shows with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. They’re better than most games … Kind of a sad ending to a great first Toronto season in the PWHL. I watched all five periods of the double overtime loss in Minnesota. The game sounded more spectacular than it actually was … This represents good news for Canada: Jaylen Brunson is not on the U.S. Olympic basketball team and should be. Indiana’s Tyrese Halliburton was chosen ahead of the Knicks scoring star. Brunson is averaging 27 points a game in the playoffs … I’d like to be Scottie Scheffler’s lawyer if the World No. 1 golfer had a bent finger, a hand issue, an elbow problem anything that bothered his golf game after his altercation with police in Louisville on Friday? How big of a cheque would they be writing? … I hope, strictly for entertainment purposes, that Connor McDavid is still alive and well in the Stanley Cup playoffs by the time you wake up Sunday morning … Happy birthday to Reggie Jackson (78), Jari Kurri (64), Archie Manning (75), Kevin Garnett (48), Marty McSorley (61), Connor Hellebuyck (31), Donyell Marshall (51), Bill Laimbeer (67), Rick Cerone (70), Michael Che (41) and Manny Malhotra (44) … And hey, whatever became of Brian Rafalski? Berube will quickly command the respect factor needed to lift Leafs Embattled Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins fails to calm turbulent waters ssimmons@postmedia.com x.com/simmonssteve
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