Outside of drafting and developing prospects, free agency provides NHL organizations with the best opportunity to improve their respective clubs. Sometimes these improvements come by way of making notable player signings or by inking multiple depth players, and in some cases, deciding not to re-sign a player at all. At the same time, there is no doubt that free agency can lead to GMs overpaying...
As the clock hit zero, Lebron James let out a shout of triumph as he and his teammates rushed to the court to celebrate winning another championship for Los Angeles. The celebration was different this year: with no fans present at the arena, the only sounds the audience could hear from home were the Lakers’ cheers of joy as confetti fell in the stadium. A few minutes later, the Lakers were...
2020 has been a tough year for tennis. After the Australian Open back in January, things quickly turned downhill for the professional circuit with major tournaments being cancelled left and right. Wimbledon was cancelled (the last time the tournament was cancelled was during the Second World War), the ill-fated inaugural Adria Tour was abandoned amidst a COVID-related scandal, and Novak Djokovic...
It goes without saying how much COVID-19 has impacted the world of sports. It is now October and it hasn’t been a week since the Tampa Bay Lightning bested the Dallas Stars, winning their second Stanley Cup in franchise history in Edmonton, Alberta of all places. Beyond rescheduling and reformatting the playoffs, the NHL was forced to delay some of the most important dates of the offseason: the...
The night of June 13th, 2019 was supposed to be the greatest night in Masai Ujiri’s professional career. It was the night Ujiri’s Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals 114-110, to secure the first NBA Championship in franchise history. In the dying moments of the game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, Raptors President Masai Ujiri tried to go on the...
On the ice, the Tampa Bay Lightning finally got the equation right. After unceremoniously being removed from the playoffs last year by the Columbus Blue Jackets in an ugly 4-0 series, the Lightning found their stride in the 2020 playoffs. Perhaps it was getting all-star defenceman, Victor Hedman, back. Or perhaps it was the trade deadline depth acquisitions of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow...
On Monday, September 28, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, approved the Kobe Bryant Act. This invasion of privacy bill moved to make it a criminal office for any emergency responders to take or share unauthorized photos of deceased persons at the scene of an accident. This issue first arose earlier in 2020, following the sudden passing of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter...
With new talent in tow,, the Blues appear poised to mount a title challenge In a Premier League offseason in which business as usual was severely dampened by COVID’s impact on normally bursting club coffers, Chelsea had a transfer window for the ages. While financial juggernauts like Manchester City tightened their purse strings, tinpot clubs like Liverpool furloughed staff, and Arsenal players...
A championship-proven team. Free food and drinks. Free penthouses. Coaching and medical staff attending to your needs. A city and country that loves and adores you. The opportunity to repeat as NBA champions. Who would say no to that? Kawhi could’ve had everything he wanted had he stayed in Toronto. Ultimately, the allure of playing in his hometown was the deciding factor for Kawhi to leave...
On September 12, 2020, it was announced that the New York Islanders general manager, Lou Lamoriello, former GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, had won the Jim Gregory award for General Manager of the Year. Much like any time the Islanders scored on or had beaten the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, or Tampa Bay Lightning on the road to the Eastern Conference Final, my dad was quick to let me...
The NHL’s response (or lack thereof) to Jacob Blake’s shooting did not go unnoticed On Wednesday, August 26th, the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic were set to faceoff for Game 5 playoff action in the Orlando bubble. There remained one issue – the Bucks had not yet left the locker room. After a short warm-up and with 4 minutes remaining until tipoff, the Magic walked off the court. Sources...
Three Important Storylines from the NBA Bubble To help mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19, the NBA and the NBPA agreed to complete the 2019-2020 season in isolation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Inside what is colloquially called the NBA Bubble, players were separated from their families for months, subjected to frequent tests and required to wear contact tracing rings and...
March 11, 2020 changed the 2019-2020 NBA season forever. That night, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19 and soon after, the NBA season was suspended until further notice. Just five months later, the NBA playoffs are well underway inside a bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando. It goes without saying that these playoffs are different from others: all playoff teams are...
Which XFL stars could be playing in the NFL in 2020? The XFL’s short-lived renaissance has come and gone with the league’s season cancellation, and, rather than because of its own mismanagement like in 2001, this time it came at the hands of COVID-19—which seems to have eradicated sports from the planet for the time being. Although it was only in existence for a short five weeks, a few players...
NFL, Players agree to new CBA through 2030 Rejoice, football fans. You’re guaranteed labour peace for at least another decade. Last Sunday, the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) agreed to a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement that will last through the 2030 NFL season. It’s a bit surprising that the NFLPA agreed to the NFL’s proposal considering the PA’s...
Maple Leafs’ embarrassing loss to Emergency Goalie causes flashbacks to that Game Seven vs. Boston for fans On February 22, 2020, the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered one of their most embarrassing losses in history when they fell 6-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that was forced to send out David Ayres, a 42 year-old Zamboni Driver for the Toronto Marlies, as an emergency backup goalie after...
Reflecting on the Biggest Canadian Sports Moment of a Generation Sports are usually a great pastime; a 2-3 hour distraction from the mundane realities we put ourselves through. But sometimes they mean just a bit more. Every now and then in the sports world, we get a moment so dramatic, a story so compelling, an event so impactful and emotional, that it causes people to scream with joy and...
What NHL Teams Should be Making Moves at this Year’s Deadline The 2020 NHL trade deadline is quickly approaching. Teams will need to decide whether they’re buyers, sellers, or just letting it ride as we approach the quest for the Stanley Cup. Let’s take a look at a few teams who should be buying (or should’ve bought) at the deadline. Eastern Conference Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning are a team...
The World Reacts to the Death of Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant The world was sent into utter shock two weeks ago when Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others passed away in a tragic helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. The crash immediately sent social media into a frenzy, as conflicting reports caused people to question whether it was a hoax. Bryant’s most recent tweet had...
Three Takeaways From Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV provided the NFL’s 100th season with a storybook ending but it was a weird outcome based on how the game went. The game hummed along quickly and was devoid of big moments, aside from 30 minutes of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, which likely caused many young boys to experience weird feelings they’d never felt before. I predicted a few weeks...
A Tribute to Kobe & Gianna Bryant January 22nd, 2006. I thought it was just another game. It wasn’t. I was at a family friend’s house celebrating his tenth birthday. We spent most of the day building snowmen and playing tag, hide and seek, Nintendo DS, and house. After stuffing ourselves with food and sweets, it was time for the basketball game to start. I wasn’t a basketball fan at the time:...
Forecasting the outcome of Football’s Final Four AFC Championship — #6 Tennessee Titans vs. #2 Kansas City Chiefs Tennessee Titans The Titans are the surprise story of the playoffs. First, they sent the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots packing early with a 20-13 victory in Foxboro — the first time in nine seasons where the Patriots will not be in the AFC Championship. Then...
Reflecting on how each of the seven Canadian NHL teams have fared so far in the roller coaster that is the 2019-20 season As we hit the mid-season mark for the NHL, it’s time again to review our Canadian teams to see how they’ve done thus far. It’s also time to review my pre-season thoughts and note how inexplicably wrong I was. Montreal “Kovalchuk” Canadiens The Habs have had an interesting...
The 2020 Law Games transformed into a breakout campaign for Osgoode Earlier this month, 44 of Osgoode Hall’s finest descended upon Montreal for the 2020 Law Games hosted by the Université de Montréal. Over 5 days, the Osgoode Law Games team competed against 17 other law schools across Canada in a multitude of sports ranging from volleyball to capture the flag to inner tube water polo. Your...
Crosby’s Golden Goal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is Obiter’s choice for Sports Moment of the Decade Picking a top sporting moment of the decade is obviously a very difficult process. So many sports are played around the world at such an incredible level. Honourable mentions would go to the Toronto Raptors winning their first title and bringing Canada its first big 4 North American...