Latest news with #Kingsbury
Otago Daily Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Happy hooker's 100th
Wakatipu Prems' Phil Kingsbury, supported by Bradley Cross, pictured during his 100th game for the side last Saturday. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Leading the Wakatipu Prems rugby side on to the field for his 100th game, there was no one prouder at the Queenstown Rec Ground last Saturday than hooker Phil Kingsbury. It was made more special when his side then beat Alexandra to qualify for this Saturday's final against Upper Clutha. "Semifinal I reckon is sometimes the hardest — statistically we normally bail out at the semifinal, so it'll be good to go back over to Wanaka and have another crack at them." After studying architecture in Wellington, before later setting up his own building company, Wyndham-raised Kingsbury came to Queenstown in 2016. After playing that year for the Wanderers, he joined the title-winning Prems the following season. Nicknamed 'Sweet Chilli', he says playing rugby makes up just a third of what he likes about the game. "I enjoy the camaraderie and I enjoy the fitness. "There's something about the camaraderie — anyone can drink in the clubrooms but only a select few can drink in the changing rooms, and you build a bond down there and it's something special." As for a playing highlight, Kingsbury singles out taking the White Horse Cup off Upper Clutha in Wanaka last year. He turns 40 late this year, after teammates Paulie Tuala and injured Josh Aperahama-Paenganui also bring up that milestone. "I give them beans that they are as old as the hills and need to give up." As for his own future, Kingsbury — who didn't even play when he was 23 till 29 — says "my wife maybe has other ideas, but I always said I'd like to play as long as I could until they politely ask me to leave". But he admits he might be tempted to pull the pin if Waka pick up the Central Otago title this Saturday, after which he'd happily play for the Wanderers again. And if he did step aside, he says the Prems would still be in good stead as young Thomas Hulsman is "absolutely fantastic". "Like I said in my speech the other night, I realise I'm the ghost of Wakatipu past, but if all I'm there to do is 20 minutes at the end, I'm happy." Wakatipu no.8 Anton Huisman about to dot down in last Saturday's semifinal win at the Queenstown Rec Ground. Heading to Wanaka for this Saturday's final against Upper Clutha, Wakatipu coach Jordan Manihera's delighted with the position his team's in, despite losing to them both times this season — including a 17-6 loss over there just two weekends ago. "We're actually in the most perfect position we can be. "I'm really excited for us as a squad to go in as the underdogs this week, because the last time we went over to Wanaka as underdogs, we took the White Horse Cup off them. "So I think our mindset is we've got nothing to lose and everything to gain." Manihera says despite that recent loss, "there were still some good nuggets in defence and some attack play but we just couldn't finish off opportunities we created for ourselves". He adds he was happy with last Saturday's 26-7 semifinal win over Alexandra, and says despite being 7-6 down at halftime "that's probably the first time we've actually started really well as well". Meanwhile, the Wakatipu Wanderers also play a final this Saturday in the Southland division 3 comp, against Pirates Old Boys, after winning their semifinal against Waiau Star 26-23 in Tuatapere last weekend.
Toronto Sun
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
A banner day at PWHL entry draft resets Toronto Sceptres roster
Get the latest from Mike Ganter straight to your inbox Montreal Victoire's Mikyla Grant-Mentis (18) battles with New York Sirens' Ella Shelton (17) during PWHL action. The Canadian Press There is a pillow calling Gina Kingsbury's name following today's PWHL Awards ceremony and she can't wait to accept the invitation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Like all the various decision-makers in the PWHL, the Sceptres GM has been burning the midnight oil for weeks now as the league went through the business of adding two expansion teams into the league on equal footing while still doing the work necessary to prepare for a six-round entry draft. Kingsbury and her staff arrived in Ottawa needing to fill some big holes in their lineup, solve an overcrowded goaltending situation and basically get the organization back on solid footing after enduring the roller-coaster ride that was the expansion process. Kingsbury should sleep well in the coming days because it appears she has addressed all of those needs. It began with a move that will likely not get the attention it deserves given how divided the attention of the league's followers was on draft night with all the new faces coming into the league. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While teams were stockpiling potential in the young college stars or in some cases veteran international talents, Kingsbury and the Sceptres dealt away their first pick, third overall, to acquire 27-year-old defender Ella Shelton from New York. Shelton has long been a favourite of both Kingsbury and Sceptres coach Troy Ryan, who have seen her talent up close for years as a member of the Canadian national team. But the Ingersoll native, who always has seemed like a natural fit in Toronto, wound up in New York in the inaugural draft and thrived in the Big Apple even as the Sirens themselves struggled to find consistency. Shelton easily is among the top five defenders in the league and joins another in that group in Toronto with Renata Fast, giving Ryan and his coaching staff a pair of defenders capable of doing whatever the team needs most at any given moment in a game. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In a league that is morphing more and more to a win-now mode given the roster upheaval expansion brings — and don't kid yourself, more is coming, next year if not the one after that — getting a league-proven star at the very top of her game is good business. 'Bringing Ella to Toronto is something we are really excited about,' Kingsbury began in her post-draft interview. 'We have always wanted Ella Shelton in Toronto. I think anyone would want Ella Shelton in their lineup. 'Once we saw (Sirens GM Pascal Daoust) was having more and more signings on the defensive side, we thought he would be more willing to let go one of his (more accomplished) defenders,' Kingsbury said. 'So, we started to have conversations about what that would look like and eventually came to an agreement.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kingsbury said that move was very much connected to the next big shoe to drop on draft night, which came in Round 2 when the Sceptres again stole the spotlight by sending their starting goaltender of the past two years, Kristen (Soupy) Campbell, to Vancouver in exchange for Vancouver's second- and third-round picks. Toronto also sent its third-rounder to Vancouver in the deal. 'They kind of had to happen simultaneously,' Kingsbury said of the two deals. 'Obviously we were in discussions about moving Soupy somewhere and Vancouver was always of interest and interest from her as well. 'So, moving her and having the opportunity to pick again in the second round gave us more courage to give up our first-round pick if that makes sense. It allowed us to go after a defender when possibly you would be thinking forward if you looked at our lineup, but having those two picks in the second round gave us the courage to say 'yeah, this is the right choice for us.'' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. With those two picks in the second round, Toronto would address some holes up front created by the loss of players like Sarah Nurse and Hannah Miller, as well as Izzy Daniel and later in free agency losing Hayley Scammura. With those picks, Toronto appeared to focus on size, but not solely size. Read More In selecting Emma Gentry, a five-foot-10 forward out of St. Cloud State, Kiara Zanon, a high-scoring Ohio State forward, and Clara Van Wieren, a 5-foot-10 co-captain at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the Sceptres got a little bit of everything. Gentry brings size and physicality, not to mention an underrated ability to put the puck in the net. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Zanon is a self-described rink rat who breathes, eats and drinks hockey 24 hours a day. It doesn't hurt that she's an offensive machine as well. Van Wieren brings another leader into Toronto's locker room who seems to share a lot of the same attributes that have made Sceptres' team captain Blayre Turnbull such a fixture in Toronto. Both are responsible centres who can be counted on to do the little things and the hard things properly and consistently. In total, draft day should allow Kingsbury her first restless sleep in the past month and the Toronto fan base some confidence in knowing that a Walter Cup remains well within reach despite all the recent roster upheaval. mganter@ Toronto & GTA NHL Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA MLB
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
IIHF including women in tournament bonus money ‘significant', says Canada's Kingsbury
CALGARY – The International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to share tournament bonus money with women after years of men in the driver's seat is both symbolic and practical, says the general manager of Canada's women's team. 'It's very significant,' said Hockey Canada women's general manager Gina Kingsbury. 'For years, these types of topics have been brought up to the IIHF and they've always been shut down. 'More money invested in the women's game is really important.' The IIHF stated in a website report during its annual congress that 'development support,' worth nearly $9 million Swiss francs (C$15 million) in 2025, will be distributed to member federations based on their countries' performances across the men's and women's world championships, the men's under-20 championship and the men's and women's under-18 championships. 'Furthermore, the support will be weighted according to IIHF World Ranking,' the IIHF stated. The IIHF's development money was previously given to federations based only on men's world championship results. 'This has been a talking point on the women's side of the game for a long time,' said Canadian defender Renata Fast. The IIHF says the money will be split with 40 per cent going to the men's championship, 40 per cent to the women's championship, 10 per cent to the world junior men's tournament, and five per cent each to the men's and women's under-18 championships. That equates to roughly four million Swiss francs (C$6.7 million) going to federations based on the international results of their women's teams. 'It just signals that the IIHF is realizing that they need to modernize some of the things that have just been in place for years and years and years, and recognizing the growth of the women's game and the importance of acknowledging that and valuing it,' Fast said. 'The prize money to me symbolizes that.' The IIHF had previously argued that development money wasn't shared with women because the men's world championship turns a significant profit, while the women's tournament does not. 'Our organization wants to encourage its members to develop women's hockey and junior programs,' the IIHF said in an emailed statement. Even though Kingsbury sits on the IIHF's women's committee and Fast on the IIHF athletes' council, the report of bonus-money redistribution was buried in a congress report and came as a surprise to them. 'It just shows that there's a shift in thinking, maybe,' said Kingsbury. 'If we grow the women's game and if we kind of entice countries that may not have as strong of numbers on the women's side, or as strong a team … they'll be more motivated to invest in the women's side.' The IIHF may want to motivate countries to devote equal resources to men's and women's hockey, but it's ultimately each federation's decision how to use its developmental money. 'What also would be interesting is maybe if there's a federation where the women's program is stronger than the men's program in terms of a ranking standpoint, and how now their women's team can actually bring them in some prize money in an instance where their men's programs never did, that would be huge,' Fast said. Canadian women have never finished outside the medals at either the world championship or under-18 championship. Canada took silver and the under-18 team gold in 2025. Canada's men claimed under-18 gold, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals in both the men's and under-20 championship. 'If the women's program is stronger than the men's, there will be an increase in the support,' IIHF Director General Matti Nurminen said during the congress. 'If the men's and women's programs are as strong, there will be no real impact.' Hockey Canada and USA Hockey — perennial 1-2 finishers — already have the largest women's hockey budgets in part because their female registration far outstrips other countries at a combined 200,000 players. Nevertheless, Kingsbury says she would welcome any funding the women's teams are able to generate through international success. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'Any increase in funds, trust me, we've got lots of projects and ideas that could grow our game and could help the women's program,' she stated. 'There's always more we can do.' After lopsided women's hockey scores at the 2010 Olympic Games — and then-IOC president Jacques Rogge warning 'we cannot continue without improvement' — the IIHF committed 2 million Swiss francs to international women's hockey development. More equitable shares in the IIHF's bonus structure 15 years later is seismic, said Kingsbury. 'Our women's committee, for many years, I remember even before I was on it, the big topic was always the trophy for the women's worlds is smaller than men's and we don't get prize money,' Kingsbury said. 'Both those things have changed.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
NBC Sports
28-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kliff Kingsbury on Jayden Daniels: I expect him to take a big jump in 2025
Quarterback Jayden Daniels had a sensational rookie season for the Commanders, helping the club reach the NFC Championship Game and winning offensive rookie of the year. But as good as he was in his first season, Daniels still has plenty of room for growth in 2025. Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury noted on Wednesday that Daniels is in line to make significant strides in the coming season. '[Y]ou can see the comfort level was there this year,' Kingsbury said in his press conference, via transcript from the team. 'I mean, just watching him move around, he's not thinking as much, he's playing fast, and letting his natural gifts kind of take over, and that's what we want to see. 'So, I expect him to take a big jump.' Kingsbury sees Daniels as a self-motivated player and as such, didn't necessarily need the quarterback to work on something specific in the offseason. 'He works extremely hard,' Kingsbury said. 'I mean, that's all he kind of thinks about is how he can get better and watches a ton of film, watches a ton of football overall. And so, that organically really takes care of itself in a way when you have a guy who wants to be that great. 'He is very highly motivated to be as good as he can be, and that's always exciting for the organization.' Plus, it helps that Daniels is staying in the same offense with the same play-caller that he had as a rookie. 'Yeah, it's huge,' Kingsbury said of that factor. '[B]eing able to take the ownership of it and understand it inside and out, where now you're correcting people, you don't even need the coaches. And he's kind of getting to that point.' Daniels completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a rookie. He then completed 66 percent of his throws for 822 yards with five touchdowns and one pick in three postseason games.
NBC Sports
28-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury isn't worried about keeping everyone involved on offense
The Commanders made an unexpected trip to the NFC Championship Game last season and their plans for making another run this year included trading with the 49ers to acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Samuel's receiving and running skills add a new wrinkle to the Commanders offense and they also add another mouth for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to feed as he tries to build a productive unit. Feeding Samuel will mean that others have to go without the ball and that has rankled players around the league in the past, so it wasn't unusual for Kingsburty to field a question about keeping everyone happy during a Wednesday press conference. Kingsbury said that he's 'never had a great player that didn't want the ball' and that he's confident all will be just fine as long as the team can win games. 'They know bringing Deebo in, there's gonna be less but we're gonna be better,' Kingsbury said. 'I think when they're able to sacrifice for that and understand that the ultimate goal is winning, then it all works itself out. But you want those guys. They're gonna be pissed. I'm gonna get cussed out a few games, but it comes with the territory. You'd rather have really good players cussing you out than bad players cussing you out.' Kingsbury is correct about winning curing most issues around a football team, but it's not a guaranteed outcome and the Commanders will need to get everyone on the same page long enough to pile up the victories that assure no one will rock the boat too severely this fall.
