The five players from Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team facing sexual assault charges also have the potential to encounter further sanctions regardless of the outcome of their case.
Richard McLaren, an Ontario lawyer who authored a report into Russia's sports doping at the Olympics, said players could be banned from playing in the NHL due to violating their team's and the league's code of conduct.
"There's a lot of factors," he said. "It involves the player, their team, the league and the players association when it comes to further repercussions."
Lawyers for all five players: Alex Formenton, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, New Jersey forward Michael McLeod and Devils defenceman Cal Foote say their clients intend to plead not guilty.
Formenton, a former Ottawa Senator who plays in Switzerland, surrendered to police in London on Sunday.
The five players have also been allowed to go on indefinite leave from their pro clubs.
The NHL has conducted its own investigation into the sexual assault allegations, which have not been proven in court.
McLaren says even if the players are acquitted in a criminal court, the code of conduct agreement laid out by the players' union and pro clubs means they could be banned from playing in the NHL in the future.
"That's totally possible," he said.
But they can also continue a playing career, McLaren said, adding that in his opinion its unlikely they would be barred from playing in the United States if they're acquitted.
Tom Mayenknecht, a principal in Emblematica Brand Builders and a former sports executive, said the players' behaviour and attitude during the court case could have a bearing on any possible future.
"These things depend not only on what the players have been accused of doing and what they could potentially be convicted on, it's often measured on how they handle it," he said.
He said the players' professional clubs will be required to make a decision on whether to continue to employ them while the case remains without a verdict.
Mayenknecht said sports teams and fans can also have a short memory when it comes to a player's behaviour.
"There are examples of athletes from individual and team sports who have made some horrible errors in judgment and (committed) horrible acts and are not only charged but proven to have done so, and they've found ways to get back to a situation where they can operate moving forward and people have forgiven them," he said.
NHL teams have directed inquiries about the players involved in the case to the league.
The league did not return a request for comment when asked about its role in handling inquiries for teams.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2024.
Raquel Pennington did not agree with just about anything Sean Strickland said before UFC 297, but she did her best not to get caught up in all the drama.
In the main event of UFC 297, Strickland put his middleweight title on the line against Dricus du Plessis, with Pennington facing Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event. But on fight week, the two title fights quickly took a backseat to drama surrounding Strickland when the then-champion showed up to media day wearing a shirt that read, “A woman in every kitchen, a gun in every hand,” and delivered a number of homophobic comments.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Pennington, who is openly gay and has a daughter with fellow UFC fighter Tecia Torres, discussed the intense fight week leading up to the event, saying that while Strickland’s comments were ugly, she tried to stay focused on herself and her goals that week.
“At the end of the day, people are going to talk,” Pennington said. “They’re always going to have their own opinions. You’re allowed to have your own opinion, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to affect my life. What you do with your life doesn’t affect me. I just think it was disgusting on his part to even be concerned about us as human beings and our lifestyle, and just the comments he was making.
“At the end of the day, MMA has grown a ton. The women are here. We’re here to stay. The divisions are growing. You have tons of up-and-coming talent, so to criticize female athletes, I don’t agree with any of that. But I can’t control that, and that wasn’t my focus. My focus was to go out there and accomplish my goal.
“Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell] came in before the press conference, and they asked me how I was doing with everything. It was just one of those things, you take it as a grain of salt, and you dish it out. It’s not going to affect what I’m here doing. At the end of the day, you want to talk, but we’re still your co-main event fight.”
But while Strickland was happy to make comments to the media on such matters, that did not apply to personal interactions. Though the two were around each other a fair amount as the marquee fights for the pay-per-view, Pennington said Strickland never interacted with her personally.
“Every time he came around, we both turned the other direction,” Pennington said. “I stared at him a couple times, and he would just turn the other direction. He’s out there, he’s a great athlete, he’s selling his fights, running his mouth, he’s being — freedom of speech, doing whatever — but no, he didn’t say anything. Interesting character.”
Again, while Pennington doesn’t care for Strickland’s views, she supports White’s stance on how to handle things.
“At the end of the day, that’s why the world is the way it is,” Pennington said. “People are constantly attacking different things. At the end of the day, you should be focused on just yourself, but it’s always going to be that way. I think it’s important for people to stay true to who they are and focus on the things they can control. You can’t control other people, and when you’re letting these other people impact your life, it’s only going to drag you down. It’s going to hold you back from what you want. ...
“I don’t know. I respect Dana and Hunter for giving their concern. I also respect the fact that they give freedom of speech and they give their athletes the platform to be who they are and they just don’t care. A lot of people are constantly criticizing things and attacking Dana and saying different things but he does care about his athletes. He is there, and he did check in on us to make sure things were OK. He was like, ‘I have your back with this situation,’ too. But for me, it’s just one of those things where if I was took focus on it, it was only going to have a negative impact for me.”
This section was produced by the editorial department. The client was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication.
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Tiger Woods of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on Dec. 1, 2023 in Nassau, Bahamas.Photo by Mike Ehrmann /Getty Images
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The future of professional golf was made slightly clearer on Wednesday, after a deal struck between the PGA Tour and the American-based Strategic Sports Group (SSG) that will foundationally change the structure of golf’s pre-eminent professional circuit.
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A players’ meeting explaining the deal was held by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Wednesday morning. Tour members from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the developmental Korn Ferry Tour were invited to attend the video call. An announcement released shortly after the meeting detailed a $3-billion total investment from SSG, beginning with $1.5 billion.
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The injection of capital is expected to put the PGA Tour, led by a battle-weary Monahan, on surer-footing following a two-year financial war with the Saudi-led LIV Golf league that has poached many of the PGA Tour’s most colourful stars, including Jon Rahm, Bryson Dechambeau and Phil Mickelson.
The deal will see the PGA Tour morph from its non-profit roots — a favourite tax-loophole of professional sports — to become a for-profit corporation under the name PGA Tour Enterprises.
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The new company will be led by Monahan and its structure will see the tour’s players, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and others, become equity owners in the new company. A move the PGA Tour hopes will offset some of the risk of players jumping ship to rival LIV Golf.
According to the PGA Tour, players “would collectively access over $1.5 billion in equity” in the new company in the form of grants based on career accomplishments, tournament results, future participation and services.
“By making PGA Tour members owners of their league, we strengthen the collective investment of our players in the success of the PGA Tour,” Mohanan said. “And partnering with SSG — a group with extensive experience and investment across sports, media and entertainment — will enhance our organization’s ability to make the sport more rewarding for players, tournaments, fans and partners.”
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SSG is made up of a group of deep-pocketed sports ownership titans that includes Red Sox and and Liverpool FC owners Fenway Sports Group as well as New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s investment firm HighPost Capital. Included in the consortium, among others, are Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Chicago Cubs owner Thomas Ricketts and Boston Celtics ower Wyc Grousbeck.
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Last June, before negotiations with SSG began, the PGA Tour had announced a surprise framework deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, owners of LIV Golf. The deadline to complete that deal with its chief rival came and went in December, but both sides agreed to an extension.
The PGA Tour will continue working on a deal with the Saudi PIF despite Wednesday’s deal, adding that progress has been made and that new partner SSG has signed off on an investment by PIF.
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Wednesday’s agreement between the PGA Tour and SSG won’t end the big-money war for the future of golf, but it is expected to give commissioner Monahan’s side some much-needed leverage in what has been a rather one-sided battle of attrition between golf’s top tour and the deep-pocketed Saudi PIF.
“The faster that we can all get back together and start to play and start to have the strongest fields possible I think is great for golf,” Rory McIlroy said Tuesday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
For fans, the future of golf won’t immediately look any different with the game’s best players still split between rival tours (LIV Golf’s third season begins this week in Mexico), but Wednesday likely will be seen as the first step to putting a broken professional game back together.
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Once a staunch opponent of LIV Golf and the pre-eminent voice of the PGA Tour, McIlroy’s stance has dramatically softened and, like many fans of the game, he sounds ready to see the world’s best players back competing against one another on a regular basis.
“I’m done with trying to change people’s minds and trying to get them to see things a certain way or try to see things through my lens because that’s ultimately not the way the world works,” the four-time major winner said. “I think life is about choices. Guys made choices to go and play LIV, guys made choices to stay here. If (LIV players) still have eligibility on this tour and they want to come back and play or you want to try and do something, let them come back.”
What the future of professional golf will eventually look like is still a mystery, but we’re finally getting closer to finding out.
“We can now confirm that more than five and a half years after EM’s initial complaint to police, the London Police Service has charged Mike McLeod with sexual assault,” the e-mailed statement from David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein read.
The statement indicated that McLeod denies any criminal wrongdoing and “will be pleading not guilty and will vigorously defend the case.”
The statement added, “None of the evidence has been presented, let alone tested in court. We ask that the public respect Mr. McLeod’s privacy, and his family’s privacy. Because the matter is now before the court, we will not comment further at this time.”
Later on Tuesday, a lawyer representing Dube released a similar statement.
“The London Police Service have charged Mr. Dube with sexual assault. He will plead not guilty and maintains his innocence,” the statement from Louis Stress read. “He will defend the allegations in court. We ask that you respect the privacy of Mr. Dube and that of his family.”
A statement on behalf of Hart — attributed to his lawyers Megan Savard and Riaz Salani — read, “We act for Carter Hart and confirm he has been charged with one count of sexual assault. He is innocent and will provide a full response to this false allegation in the proper forum, a court of law. Until then, we have no comment.”
Julianna Greenspan, representing Foote, said Tuesday night in a statement: “Cal is innocent of the charge and will defend himself against this allegation to clear his name. What is most critical at this time is the presumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial that everyone in Canada is entitled to. As the matter is before the court, I ask that Cal’s and his family’s privacy be respected. There will be no further comment at this time.”
McLeod, Dube, Hart and Foote are the second, third, fourth and fifth players to be publicly identified in the case after Alex Formenton’s lawyer confirmed the former Ottawa Senators player was charged by London Police on Sunday. The Globe and Mail reported that five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team were told to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges last week.
On Sunday, London police told The Athletic that they will “provide all updates” related to the case at a news conference scheduled for Feb. 5.
The Globe and Mail reported the pending charges are related to an alleged sexual assault of a woman by several players in a London hotel room on June 19, 2018, following a Hockey Canada Foundation event.
The allegations were made public in a lawsuit filed by the woman against Hockey Canada in April 2022. In the complaint, filed in Ontario Superior Court, the woman alleged she was assaulted by eight players in a hotel room after the foundation event. Members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team were among those accused of assault in the lawsuit.
Hockey Canada and the woman settled the lawsuit in May 2022.
After the lawsuit was made public, London police and Hockey Canada reopened their investigations into the incident, and the NHL launched an investigation as well. The initial investigation by London police was closed in February 2019, without charges being filed.
When reached for comment, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league won’t be making a statement “at this time.” The NHLPA also declined to comment.
The 25-year-old Hart appeared in 26 games for the Flyers this season. On Jan. 24, Hart requested and was granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Flyers for personal reasons.
Dube, 25, had appeared in 43 games with the Flames this season. On Jan. 21, the Flames issued a statement that read, “Dillon Dube has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team while he attends to his mental health. Dillon is under the care of health professionals, and we request that Dillon’s privacy is respected during this period.”
On Tuesday, the Flames released another statement saying they “have now become aware” of the allegations against Dube and the organization “had no knowledge of pending charges at the time Dillon’s request for a leave of absence was granted.”
McLeod, 25, has appeared in 45 games for the Devils this season. Foote, also 25, split his time between the New Jersey Devils and their AHL farm team in Utica this season. He played 24 games with Utica and four with New Jersey. Last week, the Devils issued a statement in which both McLeod and Foote had requested and been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team. The Devils declined to comment any further to The Athletic on Tuesday night.
TORONTO -- The Blue Jays signed Justin Turner to a one-year deal worth $13 million on Tuesday, bringing one of baseball’s most reliable veterans to Toronto.
The contract includes $1.5 million in roster and performance bonuses, a source told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.
"Justin Turner has proven himself not only as an exceptional player on the field, but also an exemplary leader in the clubhouse,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement. “Justin’s history of delivering in big moments and his consistent pursuit of winning are admirable traits. Additionally, he and Kourtney's commitment to charitable work is equally inspiring and aligns with our team's values. We couldn’t be more excited for the impact Justin will have on our franchise both on and off the field.”
The need for a veteran bat has been clear, and that belief has been shared by some of Toronto’s core players, including Bo Bichette. Speaking recently on 590 The FAN’s “Blair & Barker,” Bichette highlighted Turner as someone he’d like to play alongside when he spoke about how this team can improve.
“I think that, just as players striving to be the best we can be and striving to win a World Series, that should be the case for the whole organization,” Bichette said. “There are great players out there in JT – Justin Turner – and J.D. Martinez. Those are two guys that come to my mind that are bats who can help not only on the field but off the field as well.”
The Blue Jays are betting that Turner, at 39, has another strong season left in the tank after seeing him in the division with the Red Sox one year ago. Turner’s OPS has dipped below .800 only once in the past decade, dating back to his surprise breakout with the Dodgers, but his defensive fit is where this gets interesting in Toronto.
Turner played just seven games at third base in 2023, but that’s because he was on the same roster as Rafael Devers. Along with 98 DH days, the Red Sox found time for Turner at first base (35 starts), and he even covered some second base (four starts) while they battled injuries.
His fit in Toronto could be similar: a little bit of everything.
So much of this depends on what the Blue Jays do next, given that this lineup still needs another legitimate bat. If the Blue Jays dip back into the DH market, led by Martinez and Jorge Soler, that would necessitate Turner playing the field regularly. If they dip into the third-base market, led by old friend Matt Chapman, then Turner would slide into more DH reps and spell Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, a role similar to Brandon Belt’s from a year ago.
Turner would be a clear downgrade from Chapman defensively at the hot corner – almost anyone on the planet is – and Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a skilled defender, so it would be surprising to see the Blue Jays roll out the 39-year-old regularly at third base given their emphasis on defending.
At the plate, Turner’s still got it, which is why the Blue Jays were so drawn to him. With the Red Sox last season, Turner hit .276 with 23 home runs and an .800 OPS, lining him up well to replace Belt’s production. He also owns a .352 on-base percentage over the past three seasons combined, another strength of Belt’s and another skill this lineup needed more of. If the power bats are going to bounce back – namely Guerrero – they’ll need someone to drive in.
The element of experience can’t be overstated, either. Bichette has grown into a thoughtful young leader, fully aware of what his team and clubhouse need. This is no longer a young team by any means, but that leadership is still needed and Turner brings 15 years of MLB experience to town with him. He’s also excelled in the postseason, batting .270 with 13 home runs and an .830 OPS over 86 career games. He won the 2020 World Series as a member of the Dodgers, posting a 1.066 OPS with a pair of homers in the six-game set against the Rays.
Much like Toronto’s previous addition of Kiner-Falefa on a two-year, $15 million deal, this feels like another move that will be given greater clarity when we have the full picture of Toronto’s offseason. As remarkable as it is to say on Jan. 30, with Spring Training just over two weeks away, we don’t have the full picture just yet.
Skate Canada is extremely disappointed with the International Skating Union’s (ISU) position on the long-awaited awarding of medals for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games Figure Skating Team Competition.
The Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that in addition to a four-year ban from competition, the ban includes “the disqualification [of] all competitive results” achieved by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva since the positive test. The ISU in its recent decision is not applying Rule 353, which states that “competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than the disqualified competitor will move up accordingly in their placement.”
Skate Canada strongly disagrees with the ISU’s position on this matter and will consider all options to appeal this decision.
The Toronto Blue Jays have added some much-needed pop to their lineup by agreeing to terms with designated hitter Justin Turner on a one-year contract, a baseball source confirmed Tuesday.
The 39-year-old Turner, who hit .276 with 23 homers and 96 runs batted in last season for the Boston Red Sox, would fill a void at DH in Toronto after the departure of Brandon Belt to free agency.
The Blue Jays have yet to confirm the agreement, which is expected to be worth $13 million US with an additional $1.5 million in potential bonuses.
Turner is a proven playoff performer who will likely slot into the heart of the Toronto batting order, which struggled at times last year. He served as DH for most of last season but also spent some time in the infield, mostly at first base.
Over his 15-year career with the Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, Turner has a .288 average with a .363 on-base percentage and .465 slugging percentage.
He reached the playoffs in nine straight years (2014-22) with the Dodgers. Turner was named a co-winner of the National League Championship Series MVP award in 2017 and won a World Series in 2020.
Would expect Justin Turner to be the Jays' primary DH in 2024, with additional starts at 1B and 3B, based on what I've been told. <a href="https://t.co/bpErqv4OU1">https://t.co/bpErqv4OU1</a>
It has been a rather quiet off-season for the Blue Jays, who were swept in the wild-card round for the second straight year and haven't won a playoff game since 2016.
Toronto re-signed centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier to a one-year, $10.5-million deal last month and inked infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two-year pact worth $15 million.
There were reports this month that Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodriguez had agreed to a four-year deal but the club has not confirmed the signing.
Turner declined his $13.4-million player option with the Red Sox and received a $6.7-million buyout instead.
The Blue Jays will open spring training Feb. 15 when pitchers and catchers report in Dunedin, Fla. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 20, four days before the team's pre-season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Toronto will begin the regular season March 28 at Tampa Bay.
Canada should be upgraded to bronze after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified from the 2022 Olympics on Monday, almost two years after her doping case caused turmoil at the Beijing Games.
The verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport means the Russians are set to be stripped of the gold medal in figure skating's team event.
The United States finished second and is set to be named Olympic champion instead. Japan originally finished third and Canada placed fourth.
"The Canadian Olympic Committee applauds the ruling by (CAS) to disqualify Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva from the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games," the COC said in a statement. "This decision demonstrates the importance of rigorous anti-doping measures in sport, and we recognize that this is another important case in the fight for clean sport and upholding the Olympic values.
"We believe today's decision is an important milestone in this years-long case. We once again congratulate the affected Team Canada athletes for their incredible performances two years ago, and their enduring strength of character during this long process."
Should the Canadians be elevated to third, it would mean a bronze medal for Roman Sadovsky, Madeline Schizas, Kristen Moore-Towers, Michael Marinaro, Vanessa James, Eric Radford, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
Here’s the decision: A four-year ban for Valieva from Dec 2021 to Dec 2025. Her Olympic results are disqualified, CAS says. A huge win for clean sport and massive loss for the Russian doping system. <a href="https://t.co/7ArFoisqNv">pic.twitter.com/7ArFoisqNv</a>
The International Olympic Committee decided not to present any medals for the event in Beijing, where the 15-year-old Valieva was the star performer hours before her positive test for a banned heart medicine was revealed.
"Skate Canada applauds the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's doping violation during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games," the organization said in a statement Monday.
"This ruling underscores the significance of stringent anti-doping measures and the need for continuous vigilance in protecting the integrity of figure skating and all sports."
CAS said it upheld appeals led by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which asked the court to disqualify Valieva from the Olympics and ban her. A Russian sports tribunal had cleared her of any blame.
The CAS judges banned her for four years, through December 2025 — about seven weeks before the next Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
The IOC is responsible for reallocating medals and its executive board is next scheduled to meet in March.
Canada finished fourth in the overall standings with 26 medals, one behind Germany. Norway was first with 37 medals and the Russian Olympic Committee was second with 32.
"We now anticipate the day when we can wholeheartedly celebrate these athletes, along with their peers from around the world," the U.S. Olympic body's CEO, Sarah Hirshland, said in a statement.
A message left with the Canadian Olympic Committee was not immediately returned.
The likely new Olympic champions are Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou.
Valieva's legal team said it is reviewing the CAS decision before deciding whether to appeal to the Swiss supreme court, lawyer Andrea Pinna said in a statement. Pinna, who is based in Paris, led the skater's defence at the appeal hearings in September and November.
Appeals to the Swiss supreme court can be made on narrow procedural grounds, not the merits of the case.
Valieva's lawyers had argued she was contaminated by traces of the trimetazidine medication they said her grandfather used.
"Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it," the court said in a statement, "the CAS panel concluded that Ms. Valieva was not able to establish, on the balance of probabilities and on the basis of the evidence before the Panel, that she had not committed the [doping violation] intentionally."
Kirsten Moore-Towers and Canada's Michael Marinaro, seen competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics, are among the Canadian team that placed fourth in the figure skating team event at the Games in Beijing. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images)
The judges decided that, according to Russian anti-doping rules, Valieva could not benefit from having been a minor at the time of the positive test.
There was "no basis under the rules to treat them any differently from an adult athlete," said the court, which did not publish its detailed verdict pending a review of confidentiality issues.
The case provoked legal chaos at the Olympics because Valieva's sample, taken six weeks earlier at the Russian national championships, was not notified by a laboratory in Sweden until hours after she competed in the team event on Feb. 7, 2022.
Intense scrutiny at 2022 Games
Valieva continued to skate at the Olympics after rulings by a Russian tribunal and a separate CAS panel did not hold her responsible as a minor.
The intense scrutiny on Valieva led to an error-filled skate in the individual event, where she had been favoured for gold but dropped to fourth place.
The drama continued when she left the ice. The reaction of her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, was fiercely criticized by skating experts and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
Bach said in Beijing one day later he had been "very, very disturbed" to watch the "tremendous coldness" of Valieva's entourage.
The case came to CAS to challenge a Russian anti-doping tribunal verdict in late 2022 that Valieva was not at fault. That ruling suggested disqualifying her only from the national championships and letting her keep her Olympic results and gold medal.
WADA asked CAS to impose a four-year ban and to disqualify Valieva from the Olympics. The International Skating Union requested a two-year ban and disqualification.
Valieva, who turns 18 in April, has not competed internationally since the Beijing Olympics.
Four days after the closing ceremony, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and five days after that, the International Skating Union banned Russian skaters from its events. That ban is still in place.
Since the Olympics, Valieva has skated on an expanded Russian national competition circuit and in various TV events and ice shows. She is no longer the near-unbeatable skater she appeared to be before the Beijing Olympics and has twice been beaten at the Russian nationals by younger skaters from the same training group under Tutberidze.
Although scores at nationals are often inflated, Valieva's 237.99 points — third at the Russia championships — would have been the best in the world by more than 10 points this season.
When an athlete 16 or younger tests positive for a banned substance, international rules require an investigation of their entourage. Both the Russian anti-doping body and WADA were expected to look into the case but neither has published any findings and there is no indication anyone else is facing anti-doping charges in the case.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers were on the brink, needing to a spark to overcome a big deficit and avoid a third straight loss in the conference title game.
Brandon Aiyuk delivered with an improbable catch that helped save San Francisco's season.
Purdy's 51-yard pass that deflected off a defender's facemask into Aiyuk's hands helped the Niners rally from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl.
The 49ers (14-5) scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the third quarter to tie the NFC championship game and then pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a rematch against Kansas City after losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl four years ago.
“No one was rah-rah,” Purdy said. “No one was freaking out. It’s football. There’s a lot of experienced guys on this team, veteran guys who have been in crazy situations. We were just like, ‘We have to do our job.’”
San Francisco mounted the fourth comeback ever from 17 points down or more in a conference title game thanks to some big plays by Purdy and bad mistakes from the Lions (14-6), including two failed fourth downs in field-goal range. Detroit fell short of reaching the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
“We played as bad of a first half as we could, but we were still within 17. There’s plenty of points there you can make up," Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “The D shut them out there in the second half and this dude right next to me (Purdy) made it happen.”
After being questioned about whether he could lead a comeback, Purdy has now done it twice in as many weeks. He engineered a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter to beat Green Bay last week and then had an even bigger comeback against the Lions.
He finished with 267 yards passing and a touchdown, along with 48 yards rushing thanks to a pair of 21-yard scrambles.
Christian McCaffrey had two TD runs and little-used backup Elijah Mitchell scored on a 3-yard run to make it 34-24 with 3:02 to play as the Niners got over the conference title game hump after losing the past two seasons.
“There’s been unfinished business for a while, man. Our team was set out for this for a long time,” Shanahan said. “It’s been a long year to get to this point, and we got it done today. It was hard at the beginning, but the character we have in our team, the type of guys we have, we can’t wait to get to Vegas, man.”
The Niners blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams two years ago and then were forced to play much of last year’s title game loss at Philadelphia without a functioning quarterback after Purdy injured his elbow on the opening drive and fourth-stringer Josh Johnson left with a concussion early in the third quarter.
But San Francisco managed to make the long journey back to this stage and now is in position to deliver the franchise its record-tying sixth Super Bowl title and first since the 1994 season.
A magical season for the Lions ended in heartbreak. Detroit remains the only team to play every season of the Super Bowl era without reaching the ultimate game. This looked like it could be the year to end that drought when Detroit won back-to-back playoff games after winning just one in the previous 56 seasons.
But the Lions couldn’t finish the job despite holding a 24-7 halftime lead.
“When you lose that way, it’s hard,” coach Dan Campbell said. "You feel like you get your heart ripped out. But I’m proud of that group and I’ll go anywhere with that group.”
San Francisco settled for a field goal on the opening drive of the second half before the game completely flipped in a four-minute span.
Campbell opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the San Francisco 28, but Josh Reynolds couldn’t hold onto a pass from Jared Goff, leading to a turnover on downs.
The Lions then seemed to have a potential interception when Purdy’s deep pass bit Kindle Vildor in the face mask, but the ball popped up and was caught for a spectacular 51-yard gain by Aiyuk.
“When I saw him catch that, I was like that’s insane,” Purdy said.
Purdy found Aiyuk three plays later for a 6-yard score.
“Before the game, a ladybug landed on my shoe. And you all know what that means,” Aiyuk said. “That’s all I can say. Other than that, I don’t know.”
Jahmyr Gibbs then fumbled on the next play from scrimmage, setting up a 1-yard run by McCaffrey to tie the game at 24.
It only got worse from there for the Lions with Reynolds dropping another pass on third down, leading to a punt that Detroit had a chance to down at the 1 but botched.
Purdy then drove the Niners to a 33-yard field goal by Jake Moody and their first lead of the game.
“Momentum certainly changed pretty quickly," Goff said. “They scored, we didn’t convert the fourth down, they scored again, we turned the ball over. That little sequence right there makes it tough.”
Campbell bypassed a chance at a game-tying field goal on fourth-and-3 from the Niners 30 midway through the fourth quarter. Goff threw an incomplete pass and the Niners drove to the insurance touchdown.
Goff added a TD pass to Jameson Williams with 56 seconds to play, but the 49ers recovered the onside kick to seal the win. Goff finished 25 for 41 for 273 yards and a touchdown.
San Francisco’s heralded front seven had no answer in the first half for Detroit’s offensive line, which repeatedly opened up big holes, giving the backs several yards even before first contact.
The Lions ran for 148 yards in the first half, getting TD runs from Williams, David Montgomery and Gibbs.
Michael Badgley added a late field goal to give Detroit a 24-7 lead at the half, tied for the second-biggest scoring output for a road team in the first half of a conference title game since the NFL-AFL merger.
He broke his left knuckle at practice Friday afternoon and is out week to week, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Saturday in Winnipeg. Järnkrok is expected to miss three to four weeks. It’s a more damaging injury than it might seem, as it’s the first major injury the Leafs have suffered at forward all season.
Keefe was already short on forwards, especially ones he could really trust. Järnkrok is one of those players. Keefe has used him in every conceivable scenario this season. Power play. Penalty kill. Protecting leads. Chasing a goal with the net empty. Järnkrok has spent time on each of the team’s top three lines this season.
Keefe had even been dropping him out with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to start and end periods lately in place of younger forwards like Matthew Knies and Pontus Holmberg. Just to make sure nothing bad happened. He trusted Järnkrok that way.
The Leafs have no Swiss Army-style forward like him to lean on now, and could stand to add one ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.
“He doesn’t get a lot of attention,” Keefe said of Järnkrok, “but inside our room, I think he’s got a great deal of respect he’s earned with the way he plays the game.”
Keefe was reluctant to trust his third line with Järnkrok around.
How much will he play that Max Domi-led group now, especially in third periods when the Leafs are defending a lead?
The Leafs haven’t leaned much on their fourth line either this season, which means that more will be asked of Matthews, Marner, and William Nylander, especially up top.
Though he’s currently stuck in a nine-game drought, Järnkrok ranks fifth on the Leafs with 10 goals. His absence means one less viable candidate to put the puck in the net behind the big guys.
The Leafs have scored 89 goals since Dec. 1. Matthews, Marner, and Nylander have 48 of them — 54 percent from three players.
This team has had all kinds of trouble on the penalty kill this season. Järnkrok is one of the few experienced killers up front. He’s played lately on the second unit with Nylander. In his absence, the Leafs will have to grant more minutes to one of Matthews, Noah Gregor, Knies or Holmberg, all of whom have bounced in and out of penalty-killing duty this season.
The Leafs do catch a break here. The first week of Järnkrok’s absence will come during the All-Star break.
He might only end up missing six to 10 games, which is still a blow when the playoff race is as tight as it is right now for the Leafs.
To this point, the only Leaf forwards to miss significant time with injury this season are Ryan Reaves and Bobby McMann. The Leafs have been fortunate that way.
Received the maximum allowed after a phone hearing with NHL's Department of Player Safety Friday to determine the length of his suspension.
Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher dives toward the puck while battling with Islanders defenceman Adam Pelech during second period Thursday night at the Bell Centre. One period later, Gallagher laid out Pelech with a dirty hit.Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal Gazette
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While many in the Canadiens organization were reluctant on Friday to discuss Brendan Gallagher‘s nasty hit from the night before, Michael Pezzetta had no qualms coming to his teammate’s defence.
“The guy’s not a dirty player,” Pezzetta said following the team’s brief morning practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. “He has played over 700 games in the NHL. He has never been suspended. He plays hard, battles hard in front of the net. You just never want to see something like that happen, but the game happens fast. It’s just one of those plays.”
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Gallagher, the veteran 31-year-old winger, was on the ice for practice Friday but wasn’t made available to the media. He had a phone hearing at noon with the league’s Department of Player Safety, following his illegal third-period check on New York Islanders defenceman Adam Pelech. On Friday evening, word came down that Gallagher had been suspended for five games.
The department’s video explaining the suspension said Gallagher’s elbow “makes direct and forceful contact with Pelech’s head and it is the head that absorbs the vast majority of the force of the check.” It said the hit was avoidable, making the check illegal. Gallagher had no “relevant history” of player safety suspensions in his 723-game NHL career, which avoided a longer suspension, it said.
The team will forfeit US$169,270.85 of Gallagher’s salary, with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Gallagher received a five-minute major and match penalty for an elbow to the head of Pelech, who went to the team’s dressing room after regaining his senses. Pelech missed 21 games last season with a concussion after being checked into the boards by St. Louis defenceman Robert Bortuzzo during a Dec. 6 game.
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“I think we all saw what happened,” new Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said after the game.
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The visitors, trailing 3-1 at the time of the penalty, scored two power-play goals, only to have Montreal’s Sean Monahan score the winner, his second of the game, 80 seconds later.
Since Gallagher’s hearing was held over the phone and not in-person, his suspension was limited to a maximum of five games. The Canadiens are in Pittsburgh Saturday night (7 p.m., CBC, Citytv, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM), their final match before a weeklong bye, during which the team won’t practise or play. Gallagher is expected to be replaced in the lineup by Jesse Ylönen, a healthy scratch the last three games.
Jake Allen is scheduled to start in net, according to head coach Martin St. Louis, who will spend the week in Connecticut with his family. Allen is coming off a 4-1 loss to Ottawa on Tuesday, although the final Senators’ goal was into an empty net.
“I’m hoping (to see) continuity,” St. Louis said. “Our third period against Ottawa and the way we started (Thursday) night. Obviously we shot ourselves in the foot with the penalties. I’m hoping to have some continuity with our team play, stay out of the box and give ourselves the best chance to finish on a good note, go on our break and hit the reset button.”
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While St. Louis did his best to come to Gallagher’s defence, stating players who aren’t intense never get penalized, he wasn’t as accommodating of Arber Xhekaj‘s gestures. The hulking 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenceman has been penalized three times — two against the Islanders — in two games since being recalled from AHL Laval. And St. Louis clearly is starting to lose patience, simply saying Thursday night he didn’t like Xhekaj’s penalties.
Xhekaj understands he must curb his enthusiasm and lack of discipline.
“I started off pretty well, but once I got those two penalties, I kind of hurt the team a little bit,” Xhekaj said on Friday. “I’ve got to figure out how to stay out of the box. The (coaches) want me to play my game obviously, but they definitely don’t want me to put the boys on the penalty-kill.”
Xhekaj, who was demoted to the Rocket in early December, said he believes some of the borderline penalties he was assessed wouldn’t have been called in the AHL.
“But they’re calling it now,” he said. “I have to find that balance. They might call them in the AHL, but I think they let things go a little bit more. Personally I think they do.”
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Xhekaj admitted his two minors against the Islanders, for high-sticking and interference, were preventable. “I’m young, I’m learning and I’m always looking to improve my game,” he said. “I’m still figuring it out.”
Monahan, David Savard and Jake Evans (therapy day) didn’t participate in Friday’s practice.
Notes: With his goal and assist against the Islanders, captain Nick Suzuki became the seventh player in franchise history to produce 60 multi-point games at age 24 or younger. He joins Guy Lafleur, Stéphane Richer, Henri Richard, Steve Shutt, Bernie Geoffrion and Mario Tremblay. … Cole Caufield on Thursday became one of 10 Montreal players 23 or younger in the past 40 years with a points streak of at least eight games. He’s the first since Max Domi, who had points in 11 straight games, during the 2018-19 season. Caufield had a goal and assist against the Islanders. He has six goals in his last seven games, improving to a team-leading 17 goals.
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