Latest news with #Montrealer
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Germany's Zverev, United States' Gauff named top seeds for National Bank Open
TORONTO – Germany's Alexander Zverev and American Coco Gauff have been announced as the top seeds of the men's and women's sides of the upcoming National Bank Open. Zverev, ranked No. 3 in the world, occupies the top spot with No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, No. 5 Jack Draper of the United States and 24-time Grand Slam champion and sixth-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia all having withdrawn from the tournament. All four players cited injury or need for recovery following the Wimbledon Grand Slam event which ended on July 13 with Sinner defeating Alcaraz for the title. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., are the 24th and 25th seeds. Montrealer Gabriel Diallo is the 30th seed for the men's tournament in Toronto. Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion and No. 2 in the world, holds the top spot for the women's tournament in Montreal. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus withdrew last week due to fatigue. There are no Canadians in the top 32 for the women's event in Montreal. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The top-32 seeds from both sides will have first-round byes in the tournament that runs from Saturday through Aug. 7. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Germany's Zverev, United States' Gauff named top seeds for National Bank Open
TORONTO - Germany's Alexander Zverev and American Coco Gauff have been announced as the top seeds of the men's and women's sides of the upcoming National Bank Open. Zverev, ranked No. 3 in the world, occupies the top spot with No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, No. 5 Jack Draper of the United States and 24-time Grand Slam champion and sixth-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia all having withdrawn from the tournament. All four players cited injury or need for recovery following the Wimbledon Grand Slam event which ended on July 13 with Sinner defeating Alcaraz for the title. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., are the 24th and 25th seeds. Montrealer Gabriel Diallo is the 30th seed for the men's tournament in Toronto. Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion and No. 2 in the world, holds the top spot for the women's tournament in Montreal. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus withdrew last week due to fatigue. There are no Canadians in the top 32 for the women's event in Montreal. The top-32 seeds from both sides will have first-round byes in the tournament that runs from Saturday through Aug. 7. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Bluesfest Day 9: Kaytranada spins a chill DJ set to wind down the fest
Article content Kaytranada closed out the 31st edition of Bluesfest on Sunday with a solo DJ set that wound down the nine-day party with a chill vibe that was not too heavy, not too loud and fully danceable. Article content With about 10,000 in attendance, it wasn't a massive crowd by Bluesfest standards, especially for an artist who pulls in many millions of views on his YouTube channel. But as the only electronic headliner on this year's program, he had the attention of a demographic that came dressed for the dancefloor, which, in this case, was the rain-dampened dirt in front of the Canadian War Museum. Article content Article content Article content The Haitian-born Montrealer, aka 32-year-old Louis Kevin Celestin, didn't talk much as he conjured a groove-driven set, his surging bass lines dripping with hip hop-laced beats, and often topped off by the ethereal sound of angelic vocals floating overhead. Article content Article content Add a non-stop barrage of strobe-powered lights pulsing to the beat and a closing blast of fireworks, and it was a blissful night for the throngs of fans dancing together on the plaza, including a handful of young women on their boyfriends' shoulders. Article content The instrumental jam band of Canadians barely noticed the change in weather. They were focused on unravelling some intense grooves to warm up the dancers for Kaytranada, and drummer Alexander Sowinski was urging everyone to get loose and shake it out. Article content 'We came to take you on a ride,' Sowinski declared, giving a special shoutout to the band's friends and family in the audience. Turned out it was a homecoming for their Ottawa-born bassist, Chester Hansen, a Canterbury grad. Article content The ride was a musical one that took us down into the funky depths, over a tapestry of jazz and up into the psychedelic atmosphere, with a wonderful salute to the rhythms of Brazil along the way. Article content Article content When the rain hit, Sowinski and his cohorts got even deeper into it, gaining momentum with the increasingly heavy precipitation. Most of the audience scattered in search of shelter in the museum, but a devoted bunch stuck it out to shake and shimmy in the rain.
Vancouver Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
What the Puck: Expect the Canadiens to take a step forward next season
In the sweltering dog days of July, our thoughts naturally turn to … next season's Montreal Canadiens lineup! For us hockey obsessives, it's part of the beauty of living in Quebec — hockey talk never stops, even during a summer heat wave. I remember years ago swimming in a lake in the Townships and spending a half-hour in the water in the noonday sun chatting Habs with my buddy Karsten. The chatter is more animated than usual this summer, given that the Canadiens management team of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have added some key pieces and let go a few supporting-role players. The big additions are defenceman Noah Dobson and winger Zachary Bolduc . Both are upgrades any which way you look at it. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The signing of Montrealer Joe Veleno Wednesday is a much more minor add. The centre from Kirkland inked a one-year $900,000 contract with the Habs and presumably he's at best a fourth-line centre or maybe even someone who can help the Rocket in Laval. He's a left-shot centre and that's something the Canadiens strongly needed. But thus far in the National Hockey League, he's underwhelmed. The departures include David Savard, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Emil Heineman and Michael Pezzetta. Savard was very good on the penalty kill and did yeoman service blocking shots. But he retired for a reason — he was seriously banged up after all those years sacrificing his body on the ice and by last season he was literally lumbering around. With Dobson being added to the blue line, the D is better, no questions asked. Dvo and Army are big losses because, with Jake Evans, they were the team's key PK dudes. So others will have to step up in that department. Heineman was a forward with some toughness and skill, but Bolduc last season showed he can also play that gritty style and he clearly has way more offensive upside than Heineman. Here's the key question right now about nos Canadiens: Do you think they will take a step forward next season, a step back or stay at about the same level? I would say the team will take a modest step forward and will probably be back in the playoffs. But there are no guarantees. To move forward, Juraj Slafkovsky has to play a consistent full season, something he's yet to do. Patrick Laine has to continue to pop in those power-play goals on a regular basis. Lane Hutson can't have a sophomore slump. Dobson has to show that he's more like the guy who put up 70 points two seasons ago than he is the fellow who only garnered 39 points last season. Bolduc, honestly, I have no worries about. He's going to be great. The other cool thing is that with the addition of Veleno gives Montreal six Québécois players, the most local players the team has had since 2008-2009. I have to applaud this as a chap who published a book last year, Le CH et son peuple, that made the case that the bleu-blanc-rouge had their greatest success when the roster was at its most Québécois. The six Quebecers are Veleno, Bolduc, Alexandre Carrier, Mike Matheson, Samuel Montembeault and Samuel Blais. It's interesting to underline that the team now has two bilingual anglo West Islanders in Veleno and Matheson. So much for the stereotype of the unilingual anglo! I posed the question about whether the Habs were moving forward or backward to the hockey-mad folks on my social networks and here are a few responses. Neath Turcot: It's going to be the most interesting year in a long time. I do think they will make the playoffs. Is Montembeault going to step up and be the man? They now have second round potential, but maybe not enough experience to get beyond that. But they will be one of the most fun teams in the league to watch. Sébastien Joannette: 'Trust the process.' This time … I actually believe. With Dobson finally giving us a real top-pair defenceman and Demidov arriving straight from his teenage KHL domination tour, things are starting to feel dangerously competent. Add a maturing core, a coach the players would probably follow into a volcano, and yeah — I'm all in. This season: big step forward. Two years from now? Parade planning. Don't act surprised. David Lametti: Improved on D: Dobson a major improvement, possibly Reinbacher. Improved top 6: Demidov gets a full season, Slaf only getting better; Bolduc; Dach healthy. Laine an enigma, but at least is healthy and hopefully a half-step quicker. Losing Armia and Dvorak is tough on the PK, but Evans still anchors it with Anderson. Bottom six of Evans, Anderson, Gallagher, Veleno, Newhook and room for Kapanen, Florian X, Beck. Goaltending is underrated and Fowler is waiting. Eminence grise: Probably won't make the playoffs, unless you think Joe Veleno just put them over the hump, lol. Adam Noodelman: I think a step forward in points but probably still a wild card in the playoffs because the top 3 teams in the Atlantic Division are still quite formidable in the regular season. Wild card 1 should be attainable though. Anna Winters: Same level. Doug Miller: We are going to be far better and an absolute joy to watch! Teams will not take the Habs lightly and will play their starting goalies all the time.
Ottawa Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
What the Puck: Expect the Canadiens to take a step forward next season
In the sweltering dog days of July, our thoughts naturally turn to … next season's Montreal Canadiens lineup! For us hockey obsessives, it's part of the beauty of living in Quebec — hockey talk never stops, even during a summer heat wave. I remember years ago swimming in a lake in the Townships and spending a half-hour in the water in the noonday sun chatting Habs with my buddy Karsten. Article content Article content The chatter is more animated than usual this summer, given that the Canadiens management team of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have added some key pieces and let go a few supporting-role players. The big additions are defenceman Noah Dobson and winger Zachary Bolduc. Both are upgrades any which way you look at it. Article content Article content The signing of Montrealer Joe Veleno Wednesday is a much more minor add. The centre from Kirkland inked a one-year $900,000 contract with the Habs and presumably he's at best a fourth-line centre or maybe even someone who can help the Rocket in Laval. He's a left-shot centre and that's something the Canadiens strongly needed. But thus far in the National Hockey League, he's underwhelmed. Article content The departures include David Savard, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Emil Heineman and Michael Pezzetta. Savard was very good on the penalty kill and did yeoman service blocking shots. But he retired for a reason — he was seriously banged up after all those years sacrificing his body on the ice and by last season he was literally lumbering around. With Dobson being added to the blue line, the D is better, no questions asked. Article content Article content Dvo and Army are big losses because, with Jake Evans, they were the team's key PK dudes. So others will have to step up in that department. Heineman was a forward with some toughness and skill, but Bolduc last season showed he can also play that gritty style and he clearly has way more offensive upside than Heineman. Article content Here's the key question right now about nos Canadiens: Do you think they will take a step forward next season, a step back or stay at about the same level? Article content I would say the team will take a modest step forward and will probably be back in the playoffs. But there are no guarantees. To move forward, Juraj Slafkovsky has to play a consistent full season, something he's yet to do. Patrick Laine has to continue to pop in those power-play goals on a regular basis. Article content Lane Hutson can't have a sophomore slump. Dobson has to show that he's more like the guy who put up 70 points two seasons ago than he is the fellow who only garnered 39 points last season. Bolduc, honestly, I have no worries about. He's going to be great.
