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Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
George Springer launches Canada Day fireworks as Blue Jays blow out Yankees to move a game out of AL East lead
Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays gets water doused on him under the CN Tower after their team defeated the New York Yankees in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on July 1, 2025 in Toronto. Photo by Mark Blinch / Getty Images North America The Canada Day ceremony was a thing of patriotic beauty, as it always is for the Blue Jays. And given the world we live in, the latest renewal was perhaps bumped with a greater dose of passion than in the recent past. 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 There was a home team that has been playing well and thus making believers of the vast majority of those clad in red among the 41,129 at the Rogers Centre on a brilliant July 1 afternoon. There was the fact that the villainous New York Yankees were the opponent, the AL East division leaders. It was just the third time the Jays have faced the Bronx Bombers on our nation's birthday, the first since 1987, and Game 2 of a four-game series that has the feel of the biggest around these parts in years. The anthems, the red and white scoreboard and the mammoth Canadian flag covering the outfield for O Canada were just party favours, however. The showstoppers were undeniably the George Springer fireworks, unleashed in broad daylight at that, to lead his team to a rollicking 12-5 victory that delighted the sold out crowd and sent a message to the Yanks. 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. Springer belted not one but two home runs to power the Jays, the second of those a skyrocketing grand slam in the seventh inning, a sky-high blast of pyrotechnics that looked like it might never come back down and brought a thundering roar from the raucous home crowd. That Springer's team-leading 13th homer of the season came a half-inning after a couple of Jays errors allowed the Yankees back in the game added to the enthusiasm and electricity of the moment. He wasn't done either, performing an eighth-inning curtain call with a single that scored two more Jays runs to pummel the Yankees further. 'It's just kind of one of those things where for me, I know what (manager John Schneider) wants from me and what he needs me to do,' said Springer, whose seven RBI were the most in a game in his decorated career. 'I think the biggest thing for me is I've kind of learned how to handle the failure, the ups and the downs. It's not always about getting a hit, you know, it's the process.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's much more than that right now for Springer, who is becoming an offensive leader on the team as he banged out the 99th and 100th homers of his career. He may be a veteran getting longer in the tooth at age 35, but it certainly feels like the Jays are getting vintage George Springer, he of the World Series MVP era with the Astros. 'George is a big time player when he's at his best, and likes moments like that,' Schneider said of his grand slam showstopper. 'He's one of the few guys that has been in spots that not many people have, and it's easy to slow the moment down. It's a big time player, big time swing. 'I think when you think about George being productive, this is kind of what you envision.' Perhaps the biggest and best takeaway of all from Tuesday's win is that with victories in the first two games of this potentially pivotal series, the Jays moved to within a game of the Yankees for the division lead. With that, the possibilities over the next two days are deliciously enticing for a team that finished in the division basement last season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We've really kind of battled back this last month and put a nice race together right in front of us,' Tuesday's starter Kevin Gausman said. 'It's going to be important these last couple of weeks before the (All Star) break.' With a record of 47-38, the Jays moved nine games above .500 for the first time this season and given the wild celebration on the field after the final out, must feel there's nowhere to go but even higher. All three of the Jays homers in the game were of the unlikely variety as Springer's pair came the night after taking a knee to the throat on a slide into third base, a play that had all the looks of a serious injury. The other went to the offensively struggling Andres Gimenez, a three-run shot in the fourth that came off of Yankees stellar starter Max Fried, who had allowed three runs or more in just two of his previous 17 starts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Getting to Fried, who came into the contest with a 10-2 record and stellar 1.92 ERA, was always going to be one of the stoutest challenges of the series for the Jays. Dinging him for a four-run inning on those two homers in the fourth changed the complexion of the game and certainly sent the party vibes to high. With their resiliency, the more the Jays win games like this against big-time opponents, the more the fan base is going to embrace them as summer arrives in earnest and the Rogers Centre becomes the place to be. With five more Yankees games at the Rogers Centre this month, there's plenty left to be settled with the AL East leading Bronx Bombers. And with players like Springer leading the way and doing his thing, the possibilities are fun to dream on. 'The guy you saw today, he can completely take over a game and when he's locked in he'll do that an entire series,' Gausman said of Springer. 'The talent, it's still in there. He's still the kind of player he was in Houston.' 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Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Health setback extends Martinez's absence from Sportsnet's Blue Jays broadcasts
Broadcaster, 76, most recently called Toronto game on May 28 in Texas, but took all of June off Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Toronto Blue Jays television analyst Buck Martinez watches a bullpen pitching session during baseball spring training in Dunedin, Fla., Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. Photo by Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS The last thing Buck Martinez wants is for Blue Jays fans and his fellow Sportsnet broadcasters to be fussed over and have the story be about him. But when his lengthy absence from the play-by-play broadcast booth was extended on Monday night for what he's describing as a 'little health setback,' an update to fans was delivered in the top of the second inning of the Blue Jays-New York Yankees contest at the Rogers Centre. 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 'Hey Blue Jays fans, I was planning to be back in the booth tonight after some scheduled time off, but I recently had a little health setback,' Martinez's statement on the broadcast said. 'While I'm feeling pretty good, I'm going to take some extra time off out of an abundance of caution. 'I hope to see you at the ballpark soon. As always, thanks for your love and support!' The 76-year-old most recently called a game on May 28 in Texas, but took all of June off — much of it scheduled, as he told the Toronto Sun in early June. Martinez's reduced workload in recent seasons — down to 100 games — is designed to be lighter in the middle of the season, while loading up on games near the start and end when interest peaks — especially if a playoff push is involved. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He told the Toronto Sun at the time that his plan was to return for the big four-game series against the Yankees, including Tuesday's much-celebrate Canada Day game. That changed in recent weeks as Martinez has had to address medical issues. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Martinez missed more than three months in the booth in 2022, when he was diagnosed with cancer but returned during the season after successful treatment. In the absence of the popular Sportsnet personality, Joe Siddall picked up added games in June and was alongside play-by-play man Dan Shulman for Monday's much-anticipated Yankees contest. 'I want everybody out there to know that Buck really feels the love from everybody in Blue Jays Nation,' Shulman said on Monday's broadcast after reading Martinez's statement. 'He could not be more appreciative and, Buck, we are all thing of you. We know you're watching every single pitch. 'To everybody, thank you for your concern and we can't wait to have Buck back in the booth with us again soon.' Blue Jays fans young and old feel the same way. As for Martinez himself, he's as tough as they come and has every intention of returning to the airwaves as soon as he can. Read More Toronto Maple Leafs World Toronto Maple Leafs World Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Opportunity awaits for Blue Jays to turn Yankees series into a Canada Day party
Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Max Scherzer will get the start against the New York Yankees on Monday night. Photo by Phil Long / The Associated Press Last place, first place, winning streak or losing one, when the Blue Jays celebrate the red and white Maple Leaf for the annual Canada Day game, it's one of the great days on this country's sporting calendar. 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 The 2025 renewal of the official start to summer, a July 1 baseball party on Tuesday, has the potential to be so much more, however, for a Blue Jays team threatening to make diehard believers of their fan base once again. A four-game series against the American League East New York Yankees couldn't come at a more festive time for a Jays team that spent most of June re-establishing themselves as a division contender. The hot streaks have tended to outweigh the tepid ones and after what felt like a significant 5-3 win over the Red Sox on Sunday, finished off a 4-2 road trip through Cleveland and Boston that improved their record to 45-38. Manager John Schneider's team is still very much a work in progress, one battling through injuries and inconsistencies through much of the season to date, but vastly improved from a year ago with potential upside still remaining. 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. Starting Monday, however, a chance to gain further ground on the Yankees the most direct way, has to be enticing for Schneider and a tight-knit group that has shown its resiliency over the first half of the season. The opener of the Yankees series, which like the Canada Day extravaganza the following day, is expected to be a sellout. And those at the Rogers Centre will see a terrific pitching matchup between the Jays Max Scherzer and Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon. Scherzer has made a career of thriving in the big moments and it's like Monday's stage will be made for him in his second start back from an elongated residency on the injured list. A first-inning matchup of Scherzer vs. Yankees star Aaron Judge sure sounds like an alluring way to get things rolling. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Next up for the Jays is Kevin Gausman who faces another New York ace in Max Fried. High stakes, superstars and a national holiday: What's not to celebrate. On the long and winding road to 162 games, hyperbole is best avoided any time before September when predicting the importance of any given MLB series. That disclaimer aside, the showdown with the Yankees truly feels like the biggest series the Jays have had since sometime late in the 2023 season. For the Yankees, there's a chance to expand the three-game lead they maintained after a 12-5 win over the Athletics on Sunday. For the Jays, there's opportunity to both tighten the race and in their first homestand of the second half, show they have serious designs on not just a wild-card spot, but of chasing down the division. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Looking further ahead, with the trade deadline suddenly looming at the end of July, the more headway the Jays make, the more incentive heightens for general manager Ross Atkins to do some damage at would could be one of the most critical junctures of his career. There's plenty of baseball left, yes, including another home series against the Yankees later this month. But with a captive audience celebrating the nation's birthday, what effectively is the start of summer and a team finishing of a June showing they are worth getting behind in a big way, it could be a rocking time at the dome. Complicating matters is the fact that the Jays are six days in to a 16 games in 16 days stretch that at some point will lead to weariness. Of course, finishing off a series win on Sunday at Fenway — their eighth series in their past 10 — would have injected a burst of energy for what awaits. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Now that the standings show they are in contention for the division, it's also time for the Jays to start bumping up their record against co-inhabitants of the AL East. Even in taking the last two against the Sox on the weekend, the Jays have lost five of their last seven to division opponents and are 12-13 overall. That said, winning their latest series allowed them to move five games ahead of the Red Sox, who are teetering on the wrong side of playoff discussions. For a team looking to elevate beyond the wild-card discussion — and third place in the East given they trail both the Yankees and Rays — that will have to change. Monday and the three days to follow would be as good a time to start as any. Read More Sports Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls Columnists
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Chris Bassitt bombs as Blue Jays rocked in 15-1 Beantown blowout
Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Blue Jays outfielder George Springer stands in front of the scoreboard during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 28, 2025, at Fenway Park. Photo by Mark Stockwell / AP photo The close-up camera shots in the dugout of Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker often tell the story of what's going on with the team and on Saturday they spoke volumes. 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 In fact, the zoomed-in pictures came early at Fenway Park as Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt was getting hammered by the Red Sox, eventually leaving after two-plus miserable innings. Yes, the Fenway Follies that so often mark games at the Boston baseball cathedral can — and often do — go both ways. So, a day after blanking the Bosox 9-0, the home side turned the tables with a 15-1 blowout, handing the Jays their most lopsided defeat, not just of the season but since the New York Yankees beat them by the same margin on Sept. 20, 2020. It was pretty much as ugly as it sounded, too, especially early on for the veteran right-hander Bassitt. And the disastrous outing was the latest case study of the fact that there are times when almost anything goes at Fenway. Prior to Saturday, Bassitt owned a skimpy 1.89 ERA over five starts in Boston, his lowest at any big-league park. 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. But a 35-pitch first inning in which the Red Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead — and all nine hitters made a plate appearance — set a miserable tone for a confident Jays team that allowed the plummeting Sox to snap their six-game losing streak. How bad was the second-shortest start of Bassitt's career? Well, 13 of the 19 batters he faced reached base and it was just the third time in his career that he's allowed eight earned runs or more, this after tossing at least six innings in each of his previous four starts. All six of the Red Sox runs that were scored while Bassitt was still on the mound came with two outs as the usually crafty hurler showed a complete lack of finish. The eight runs Bassitt was on the hook for by the time of his premature exit — with none out and the bases loaded in the third — came as he allowed eight hits, four walks and one plunked batter. Bassitt's ERA ballooned from 3.61 to 4.29 as he recorded just six outs from the 70 pitches he threw, only 44 of them for strikes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The early ineptitude made the middle match of the three-game weekend series a dud from the outset. By the time the Red Sox had stopped thumping, their 15 runs surpassed the 13 the Jays surrendered in that ugly shutout loss to the Rays in Tampa on May 25. As well, the previous time they've allowed more than 15 runs in a game was a year ago when they were shellacked in a 16-8 loss to the New York Yankees at the Rogers Centre that launched the second half of the miserable last-place 2024 season. The Jays, who are 3-2 thus far on the six-game road trip and 44-38 overall, will attempt to claim the rubber match on Sunday when lefty Eric Lauer, one of the biggest success stories of the Jays this season, is scheduled to face Boston righty Walker Buehler. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Sox scored three runs in each of the first three innings and turned it into a game for Jays manager John Schneider to preserve bullpen arms as best he could. To that end, the skipper put in backup catcher Tyler Heineman to pitch the ninth. Never a pleasant experience, Heineman plunked the Sox's first hitter Jarren Duran with a 'fastball.' At least the backstop limited the Sox to one run … So much for entering the world of a positive run differential, where the Jays found themselves (plus-1) prior to Saturday's contest … With the Yankees losing 7-0 to the Athletics on Saturday, the Jays remain three games behind the Bronx Bombers for the division lead … The Red Sox have now won seven of their past nine at Fenway, hoping to regain momentum after their disastrous West Coast road trip … The 18 hits for the Red Sox topped the 16 the Jays put up in Sunday's well-rounded shutout and equalled a season high surrendered against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 15. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Jays made a roster shuffled prior to Saturday's game, sending outfielder Alan Roden back down to triple-A Buffalo while recalling infielder Will Wagner to take his place on the roster … As well, the Jays announced that right-handed starter Spencer Turnbull, who had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, cleared waivers and was released … Prior to the now vanquished six-game losing streak, the Red Sox had won eight of their previous nine games … The Jays still have a 6-3 record against the Sox this season, including a 4-2 mark at Fenway … There's a reason the Red Sox like wearing those rather loud yellow alternate jerseys, which honour the spirit of Patriots Day weekend and the Boston Marathon. They're now 39-17 in the bright duds after Saturday's breakout. rlongley@ Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
Toronto Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
What was NHL thinking with draft format that set league's entry draft back decades?
Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox James Hagens, left, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the Boston Bruins during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. Photo by Damian Dovarganes / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS One of the highlights (low bar, admittedly) of the spectacularly ridiculous NHL entry draft on Friday night came when comedian Adam Sandler announced the Boston Bruins choice with the seventh overall pick in the opening round. 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 The joke, however, was on the league and its idiotic decision to effectively ruin the presentation of one of its signature events. With representatives from teams not on site in Los Angeles for the first time and the traditional meet and greet between player and management done remotely, well, you just knew there were going to be cringe-worthy moments. And on cue, seconds after Happy Gilmour himself announced James Hagens as the Bruins prized selection, there may as well have been a laugh track. Once on stage, the Boston College product walked into something called the Draft House — don't ask — to look at a group of Bruins executives beamed in via Zoom from Boston. And look was all Hagens could do. What was supposed to be an emotional welcome to the NHL moment instead turned awkward, thanks to technical difficulties that muted those Boston staffers presumably excited with their newest would-be star. So instead of an attempt at legit emotion, Hagens sheepishly waved at the screen and said 'thanks for drafting me.' 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. It got worse, as absurd moments stacked up on each other. It was unclear who the NHL could possibly have identified as a target audience that would appreciate what was happening, but from bizarre to juvenile, the misses were many. Awkwardness was always going to be part of the show when the NHL went for cheap and contrived by opting for its 'decentralized' draft format for the first time, allowing GMs and their vast hockey operations departments to work from home, essentially. Unfortunately it set one of the league's signature events back decades with a futile format bordering on embarrassment. It sucked the emotion out of what was a dream sequence for every young hockey player with NHL aspirations. It muted the excitement of the respective fan bases, given the cold and awkward approach to unveiling their new talents. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And don't even begin to think about how whatever that was compares with one of the true must-watch TV events of the year for football fans, the NFL draft. The main event itself was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles where commissioner Gary Bettman was live, as were the first-round picks. But once a player was drafted and on stage, and sauntered into that inane Draft House for a contrived video interview with his new employers, it tended to go off the rails — at best — and fail spectacularly at worst. There was a clear delay for second overall pick Michael Misa who tried (and largely failed) to have a conversation with his new GM, Mike Grier. Awkward. There was a nasty echo when Utah's pick Caleb Desnoyers tried to talk with the Mammoth brass, requiring the host to repeat the question. Change the channel. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And on it went. Production wise, Sportsnet made the best of a poor situation stacked against producing great TV, circumstances largely out of their control. Host David Amber kept things moving in the fast-paced show, quick analysis was imparted from Sam Cosentino and solid interviewing came from Ailish Forfar who made the best of the prime assignment. The draft show itself wasn't without some big moments, the emotional zenith coming when Meredith Gaudreau, widow of the late Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau, was called upon to announce the Blue Jackets' first pick at No. 14 overall. 'My greatest honour is representing him,' an emotional and strong Meredith Gaudreau said as she held it together as chants of 'Johnny, Johnny' rang out in the theatre. 'I'd like to thank every single team and every single fan base (for their support). It's truly an honour to be here.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Of course, one can only imagine how powerful that appearance would have been had it taken place in the traditional format for the draft, in an arena packed with hockey fans. The other emotional highlight of the night belonged to the first overall pick Matthew Schaefer and his tribute to his late mother Jennifer, who died in February of 2024. The Islanders adding a yellow cancer ribbon to his jersey was a tug-at-the-heartstrings touch of class. Those moments aside, in making a decision to diminish the impact and potential of a signature moment in one of the most important weeks in the hockey calendar, the NHL pretty much got what it deserved — something to be ridiculed and mocked by fans of their sport and others alike. It was a bust for viewers and a calamity for the league. But the biggest losers? The first-round picks and their families denied the full-on experience and emotion of what should have been one of the best moments of their young hockey lives. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto Raptors Columnists Music Crime Canada
