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Doug Gilmour and ex-Leafs/NHLers take cancer fight to the street rink

Doug Gilmour and ex-Leafs/NHLers take cancer fight to the street rink

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Any NHLer will tell you the most underrated members of a team are its equipment managers.
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'One hundred per cent,' said former Maple Leafs captain Doug Gilmour. 'You just look at all the hours they put in during the day. And at night, when we'd get off a plane and able to go right to bed, they're on their way to the rink to get our stuff ready.'
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It was a jolt to many Leafs and former NHLers to learn a decade ago that Scott McKay, Toronto's long-time equipment man in the Pat Quinn era, had a cancer diagnosis. He has survived, but the battle continues and friends want to help him raise funds and awareness in a big way.
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On Thursday, Gilmour, Curtis Joseph, Shayne Corson, Brad May and Raffi Torres will reveal Street Hockey For The Cure, to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society, the Scott McKay Foundation and the St. Michael's Hospital Foundation. Proceeds of the Sept. 13-14 tournament near the grounds of the Hotel X at Exhibition Place will go to reducing the financial burden of cancer patients throughout treatment, such as the Wheels For Hope transportation program.
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'It could be an aunt, an uncle and in my case it was a really good friend. Bob Lavelle,' he said. 'He used to be my marketing guy, the man who started the NHL player softball tournament in Niagara Falls. They discovered a lump in his shoulder when he wasn't that old and was gone.
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'We want to be there for Scotty, who has really given back to the community, despite his diagnosis.'
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The 3-on-3 tournament is open to ages 13 to 50-plus and includes a special division for first responders. Each team will get to meet Gilmour and the NHLers, while playing on a half-scale rink with dasher boards, netting and volunteer officials
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'We've done different thinks like this for Easter Seals and the homeless,' said Gilmour, now a Leafs club ambassador.
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SIMMONS SAYS: Blue Jays' LaMacchia hit a home run with Clancy
SIMMONS SAYS: Blue Jays' LaMacchia hit a home run with Clancy

Toronto Sun

time4 days ago

  • Toronto Sun

SIMMONS SAYS: Blue Jays' LaMacchia hit a home run with Clancy

When the Blue Jays hired scout Al LaMacchia, one year before the team played its very first game, they didn't realize what a bonus it was that he happened to live in San Antonio, Texas. And it was during the expansion draft of 1976 that LaMacchia highly recommended a 20-year-old Texas League pitcher with a 6.77 earned run average for the San Antonio Brewers. The pitcher's name: Jim Clancy. 'If it wasn't for Al, I don't think we pick Clancy,' Pat Gillick said on the phone the other day. 'Al lived in San Antonio and he got a chance to see Clancy a lot. He really liked what he saw. He believed in him.' This doesn't happen often from any expansion draft in any sport: Clancy, chosen in the third round of the two-team draft, went on to pitch 12 seasons for the Blue Jays. He started 345 games in all, completed 73 of them, threw 2,204 innings as a stalwart of those early Jays teams. By today's standards of babying pitchers, those numbers are simply astounding. 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Maple Leafs acquire forward Dakota Joshua from Canucks for 2028 fourth-round pick
Maple Leafs acquire forward Dakota Joshua from Canucks for 2028 fourth-round pick

Edmonton Journal

time6 days ago

  • Edmonton Journal

Maple Leafs acquire forward Dakota Joshua from Canucks for 2028 fourth-round pick

This time, Dakota Joshua is sure to stick with the Maple Leafs. Article content On Thursday, Toronto traded to reacquire its 2014 draft pick, sending the Vancouver Canucks a fourth-rounder in 2028. Article content Joshua missed time early last season in Vancouver when diagnosed with testicular cancer, undergoing surgery to remove a tumour. Article content 'Dakota went through a lot last season before the year even started and we were very impressed in how he handled such a difficult off-ice situation,' said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. 'Once healthy, he tried hard to help the team in many ways, and we want to wish him the best moving forward in Toronto.' Article content Article content After Joshua was drafted, the physical forward did appear at rookie training camp for Toronto, where he was hard to miss at 6-foot-3 and 200-plus pounds. But after a championship with Sioux Falls of the USHL and four years at Ohio State, he didn't sign with the Leafs and was traded to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations, starting with that club in 2020-21. Article content The Dearborn, Mich., native hit stride with the Canucks in the 2022-23 season, in which he played 79 games. He reached a career-high 18 goals in 2023-24, with an additional eight playoff points. After returning following his surgery in late November, he was limited to 14 points in 57 appearances. He was the Vancouver beat writers' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance. Article content All the while in the NHL, he has provided a muscular presence and had a memorable fight with veteran Leafs defenceman Mark Giordano a couple of years ago. Joshua, together with free agent signing winger Michael Pezzetta, is part of general manager Brad Treliving's effort to toughen the Leafs lineup with an eye to playoffs. Article content

Maple Leafs acquire forward Dakota Joshua from Canucks for 2028 fourth-round pick
Maple Leafs acquire forward Dakota Joshua from Canucks for 2028 fourth-round pick

National Post

time6 days ago

  • National Post

Maple Leafs acquire forward Dakota Joshua from Canucks for 2028 fourth-round pick

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired forward Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks, the team announced Thursday. Article content In exchange, the Canucks receive a 2028 fourth-round draft pick. Article content Article content Joshua had 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 57 games with Vancouver in 2024-25. Article content The 29-year-old made his season debut on Nov. 14 after working his way back from treatment for testicular cancer last year. Article content The diagnosis came after a career year that saw Joshua score 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games in 2023-24. He added four goals and four assists in 13 post-season games. Article content The Canucks rewarded him with a four-year, $13-million US contract extension at the end of June 2024. Joshua underwent surgery in early September before making his return to competition. Article content 'Dakota went through a lot last season before the year even started and we were very impressed in how he handled such a difficult off-ice situation,' said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. 'Once healthy, he tried hard to help the team in many ways, and we want to wish him the best moving forward in Toronto.' Article content The Dearborn, Mich., native has 78 points (40 goals, 38 assists) in 241 career regular-season NHL games split between Vancouver and St. Louis. Article content The six-foot-three, 206-pound centre was chosen by Toronto in the fifth round (128th overall) in the 2014 NHL draft. Article content

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