CFL Power Rankings: Playoffs loom large for the best in the West

Malcolm Kelly breaks down the balance of power in the Canadian Football League through Week 19:

1. Calgary Stampeders (unchanged)

Record: 15-2-1

Streak: Lost 1

Remaining: Bye

Records, be damned. Coach Dave Dickenson made the correct call this week by starting Drew Tate at QB instead of Bo Mitchell. Yes, you'd like to keep the big guy sharp when there are 21 days before your next game (the West final). For Mitchell it will be four weeks. Getting Bo hurt would be nightmarish. So a chance to set a new mark for points in a year is gone, and really, who cares? Stamps also kept star receiver Marquay McDaniel at home, but everyone else played at least some minutes in a plough horse speed loss to Montreal. Tate (22-for-37, 218 yards, two picks) was rusty, as you'd expect for a guy whose last start was a year ago. Now Dickenson must find a way to keep his guys sharp for 21 days. Perhaps a scrimmage with the U. of Calgary Dinos? 

2. B.C. Lions (unchanged)

Record: 11-6

Streak: Won 2

Remaining: vs. Saskatchewan

Wally Buono knew going into the last game at Old Mosaic he had to take the rowdy crowd out of it right away. His Leos did that, overwhelming the Rider offensive line with seven sacks, causing a key early fumble that turned into a major, and dominating all the way. This is all so Wally – his team is peaking at the right time, they have a defence working at peak efficiency and he's given his home fans two more peaks at this good team before the season ends by wrapping up home field in the West semi. Haven't mentioned LB Solomon Elimimian's name much lately, but his star emerged again, with 10 tackles and two sacks. RB Jeremiah Johnson had 101 yards, giving him 209 in two weeks. Nice all around. Tough team to go through in the playoffs. 

3. Edmonton Eskimos (up from 4)

Record: 9-8

Streak: Won 1

Remaining: vs. Toronto

Sing a song of Mike Reilly, his pocket full of passing yards. None of them will mean a thing if the defending champs can't advance at least into a final, whether East or West. Reilly, who sets a standard for himself far higher than anything we might do, is just 110 yards from breaking Ricky Ray's club mark for most in a season (5,664). He had a below average outing this week, falling behind by 10, fighting, then doing nothing in the fourth as Hamilton almost wiped everything out. Reilly was 18-31, 239 yards, bailed out by a superb 159 yard running attack. Eskimos went 3-1 on the long road trip, now head home to play awful Toronto (and Ricky Ray). A win and a Bomber loss, they'll be third in the West and go to B.C. Anything else sends them East to play Hamilton again. 

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (down from 3)

Record: 10-7

Streak: Lost 1

Remaining: at Ottawa

QB Matt Nichols and his offence nicely balanced an awful first half this week vs. Ottawa with an awful second half, losing control of their own destiny as a result. If the Esks win and Peg loses this week, Bombers will open the playoffs on the road. Winnipeg has spent much of this season starting slow, so apparently the group thought messing with success was a bad idea. Nichols threw three picks in the opening 30 minutes, wrecking a decent stat day (35-46, 289 yards, 1 TD). There was no finish to the offence, however, and you certainly can't do that in a future playoff game. Those five penalties on offence hurt. Defensively, playing tighter on first down would help, and it's nice to lead the league in takeaways, but stopping the ground game is a November must. Not good off the bye.

5. Ottawa Redblacks (unchanged)

Record: 8-8-1

Streak: Won 1

Remaining: vs. Winnipeg

No question Henry Burris is heating up after producing 338 yards passing in the Peg on the way to 453 yards net. Consistency? We'll see. Remember they built a big first half lead and then produced only two field goals in the second. Positive signs? Look no further than Mossis Madu, who smacked his way to 125 yards on 21 carries. That's November football. Ottawa will again have four receivers over 1,000 yards (though Chris Williams is out for the season). Great defence this week by Taylor Reed (12 tackles), and Damaso Munoz (10 tackles, a sack and forced fumble). First place in the East is wrapped up, and this type of effort by the RBs sends a message that Ottawa may have struggled through the season at times, but they could be a handful in the playoffs.

6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (unchanged)

Record: 7-10

Streak: Lost 1

Remaining: vs. Montreal

Early second quarter, second and six, Andy Fantuz came from slot left down into the flat, squared up to Edmonton's J.C. Sherritt and made a cut to his right before collapsing. Torn ACL. Every season one of the teams goes through injury nightmares, and Hamilton drew the short straw this time. QB Zach Collaros is back from concussion, but he's running out of receivers. The defence pounds away, but it had long exhausted the roster of backs before losing Johnny Adams to an ankle, and Derrius Brooks (who tweeted he's fine after being stretchered off to hospital following an accidental collision). Still they found a way back against the Eskimos, scoring two fourth quarter majors before falling short. Bubble wrap these guys for the playoffs. 

7. Montreal Alouettes (up from 8)

Record: 6-11

Streak: Won 2

Remaining: at Hamilton

Dear Santa: We have been good all year. We have worked extra hard and are one of the best units in the whole league. We always clean our plates at dinner and try to get along with everyone, except when it's game day and the other team comes over to play. We even do well in other sandboxes. We're second best in average points allowed, and are terrific at stopping the pass. Our teacher, Mr. Thorpe, thinks the world of us. Here's the problem, Santa, most weeks our offence smells like a herd of wet reindeer. They are terrible at pretty much everything – can't throw, can't run, can't catch. If you could put an offence under our tree this year, that would be wonderful. Signed: The Montreal Defence. P.S. thanks for the win this week. 

8. Saskatchewan Roughriders (down from 7)

Record: 5-12

Streak: Lost 2

Remaining: at B.C.

Coach/GM Chris Jones wasn't going to get all teary about the last game at Taylor Field, at least not enough to abandon the game plan of looking at as many bodies as possible. QB Darian Durant, whom Jones said afterwards was definitely going to be resigned for 2017 (we'll see), shared duties in the opening half with young Jake Waters, and would have in the final 30 minutes is the kid hadn't hurt his shoulder. Durant was sacked five times and Waters twice, so neither was getting any help. Riders thrilled the 33,427 fans by punting 12 times in 16 possessions. The defence wasn't too bad, really, led by Henoc Muamba's 10 tackles, and they put some pressure on at times. One game left at Vancouver. The fans have already mentally moved to the beauty new digs.

9. Toronto Argonauts (unchanged - bye)

Record: 5-12

Streak: Lost 6

Remaining: at Edmonton

Altogether fitting that Ricky Ray should play this season's last Argo game back in Edmonton where Mike Reilly could bust the passing mark Ol' No. 15 set in 2008 while wearing Green and Gold. This is an important match for the Double Blue because everyone on that roster is hoping for employment next year. Whoever coaches or generally manages the club will be looking at a lot of film. A disappointing effort came at the worst time, with the new stadium, new ownership, new hope, and three other local pro franchises finding lots of success. Can't remember such a key off-season, one that will determine the near future of a franchise founded in 1873. Next year's most valuable players may well be the owners. 

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CFL Power Rankings: Playoffs loom large for the best in the West

Cubs' Arrieta aims to cancel Cleveland's party plans

Josh Tomlin looked forward to Halloween and dressing up with his daughters, two-year-old Makenzie Jae and one-year-old Myla Kate.

"I might be daddy piggy," he said.

With Cleveland anticipating the city's first World Series championship since 1948 — and its first title clincher at home since 1920 — the Indians' Game 6 starter was happy to be back home ahead of his outing against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

Chicago closed to 3-2 in the Series with Sunday's win at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who haven't won it all since 1908, are trying to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit since the 1985 Kansas City Royals and the first to do it by winning Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rather than celebrate in the cramped visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley, the Indians are in position to party in their own digs at Progressive Field — where a makeshift shrine to Jobu, the Voodoo idol from the Cleveland clubhouse in the 1989 film "Major League," was erected in a stall between the lockers of Mike Napoli and Jason Kipnis.

"He's just chilling over there, doing his thing," Napoli said.

Cleveland fans anticipating home celebration

Cleveland fans have missed out on being there for this year's big events: First, the Cavaliers completed their NBA Finals comeback on the road, beating Golden State in Game 7 for the city's first major pro sports championship in 52 years. Then, the Indians clinched the AL Central crown at Detroit, won the Division Series in Boston and the AL Championship Series at Toronto.

"It'll be ideal. We have a better situation to do it now," Kipnis said. "It would be nice to actually do one in front of the home crowds."

The baseball season spills into an unusual month for the fifth time, with Rocktober parties replaced by two teams hoping for a November to remember.

Jake Arrieta, who pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning to win Game 2, starts on five days' rest for the Cubs against Tomlin, who will have had three days off since throwing 58 pitches in his Game 3 no-decision.

If the Cubs force Game 7, Kyle Hendricks would pitch on regular rest for Chicago against Corey Kluber, who would make another start on short rest and try to become the first pitcher to win three starts in one Series since Detroit's Mickey Lolich in 1968.

Chicago delayed its charter flight to Cleveland until Monday night. In the Wrigley Field clubhouse, a message said: "Halloween costumes are encouraged on the plane."

"We wanted them to have the opportunity to be with their kids today during the Halloween moment," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "After that game last night, believe me, man, I was in no mood to get up and travel today. I think it actually is working out pretty well. We're going to get in at a really good hour, grab stuff to eat and go to bed."

Santana, Schwarber back in lineups

With the switch to the American League ballpark, the designated hitter is back: Carlos Santana for the Indians and Kyle Schwarber for the Cubs. Schwarber was out from April 7 until the Series opener after tearing knee ligaments. He has not been given medical clearance to play the field, so he was limited to one pinch-hitting appearance at home. He is 3 for 8 in the Series with a double, two walks and two RBIs.

"When I managed in the American League, I always thought it was somewhat of a disadvantage going to the National League, subtracting one offensive player, and probably even more pronounced for different teams that have really profound, legitimate DHs," Maddon said. "But for right now, at this moment in time, the fact that Kyle cannot play defence but can still play offence and run the bases, it does work out well for us."

At Wrigley, Santana made two starts in left field, a position he had not played since 2012, and one at first base.

"It helps keeping the body warm, and I like being out there in the field," he said. "Being a designated hitter is a bit more complicated. I try to gather advice on how to do it better. I always ask David Ortiz, and he's giving me good pointers, but there's still room to improve."

Both teams were among the big leagues' best at home this year. Chicago led with a 57-24 record, and Cleveland was tied for second with 53 victories in its own ballpark.

"When you're on the road, one, it's kind of you against the world, which is OK," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "But the biggest thing of all is when you're the home team, you hit last, so you get to use your bullpen differently, and that's a huge advantage."

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Cubs' Arrieta aims to cancel Cleveland's party plans

Matthews vs. McDavid: Will this be the NHL's next great rivalry?

The next great hockey rivalry could start to take shape Tuesday as the Toronto Maple Leafs play host to the Edmonton Oilers, pitting teenagers Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews against each other for the first time in the NHL. 

McDavid, the top pick in 2015, and Matthews, who went No. 1 in 2016, were teammates just six weeks ago when they played for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. The two 19-year-old centres worked well together on the 23-and-under squad, impressing the hockey community with their speed and skill. That team narrowly missed the semifinals, finishing with a 2-1-0 record.  

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"He [McDavid] is so easy to play with," Matthews told reporters Monday. "He does everything so well at such a high speed. Being able to play with him was just a blast."

The experience Matthews gained playing alongside McDavid clearly benefited him ahead of his rookie season in Toronto. Matthews had a record-setting debut, scoring four goals on opening night against the Ottawa Senators. Through his first nine games, he is among the top goal scorers in the league with six to go with four assists. 

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McDavid, though, has been more than keeping pace in his second NHL season. With Edmonton off to a surprising 7-2-0 start, the new Oilers captain leads the league in points with 12 (five goals, seven assists) and is in the top-10 in plus-minus at plus-8. He also had a multi-goal opening night this season, scoring twice and adding an assist against Calgary.

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Not the 1st face off

Tuesday's game won't be their first meeting on ice, though. The pair faced off internationally in the 2015 world junior championship and then at the world championship this past spring. 

McDavid had the edge in both those encounters as Canada came away with the gold, while Matthews and the Americans finished off the podium.

The hype surrounding these two is similar to the decade-long rivalry between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, the highly coveted top picks in 2004 and 2005, respectively. 

Before the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Washington and Pittsburgh finished the 2003-04 season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. While each team has other stars — Pittsburgh in particular benefited from high draft picks (Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury come to mind) — it was the additions of their respective superstars that began the turnaround for those two teams.

Which is exactly what Edmonton and Toronto are looking to do now.

Like Crosby and Ovechkin, McDavid and Matthews are the key pieces in each team's rebuild. Unfortunately, the youthful teams will only meet twice a season — the other is Nov. 29 in Edmonton. 

It's too soon in their careers to determine who has the edge, but McDavid has Wayne Gretzky's early endorsement.

"I don't think there's any question that Connor's the best 19-year-old hockey player I've ever seen, and I saw [Mark] Messier. I saw [Mario] Lemieux. I saw [Guy] Lafleur," Gretzky told the Canadian Press. "This kid is special."

As for the first round of Ovechkin vs. Crosby on Nov. 22, 2005, Sid the Kid's goal and assist topped The Great 8's single assist in Pittsburgh's 5-4 win. 

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Matthews vs. McDavid: Will this be the NHL's next great rivalry?

Canada's Olympic heroes keep the theme for Halloween

Fans are used to seeing the Dufour-Lapointe sisters as freestyle skiing superheroes, but this Halloween they took a more villainous route.

Justine went as Catwoman, while Maxime pulled off an epic Poison Ivy.

Continuing the comic book theme, Meg Benfeito went as Robin, but we can't help but wonder if Roseline Filion is somewhere dressed as Batman.

Hallowe'en '16 #Superheroes #squadgoals http://pic.twitter.com/i2qtYwDZGC

— @MegBenfeito

Canadian soccer star Ashley Lawrence went all bones, no skin.

💀💀💀 http://pic.twitter.com/jeKwhUOlnc

— @AshleyLawrence

Genie copped to having a lame costume…

Really tanked the costume this year 😂 #meow http://pic.twitter.com/G5y9z8GMqB

— @geniebouchard

… but gave kudos to the ladies that dressed up as her.

OMG YASSSS YOU GIRLS ARE SO HOT 🔥 http://pic.twitter.com/DtegRBE6Ck

— @geniebouchard

Wrestler Jasmine Mian is going to be the most popular house on the block …

... while bobsledder Kaillie Humphries reminded Canadians what the holiday is really all about north of the border.

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Canada's Olympic heroes keep the theme for Halloween

Judge's demand for financial records won't change 'amateur athlete' status, says CHL

The top brass in Canadian junior hockey says players in the Western Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League are amateur athletes, not employees. 

It's a position that's caused tension in junior hockey since a former group of players filed a lawsuit two years ago. Those players argued the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and two of its umbrella leagues — the WHL and OHL — operate as a business and therefore should treat their players as employees.

Last Friday, an Alberta judge ruled that the CHL must turn over its tax returns and financial statements in order to determine if the league and its teams are profitable. 

CHL president David Branch says the demand from the judge changes nothing. 

"Nothing about the decision rendered yesterday changes our position that our players are, and have always been, amateur athletes and not employees," Branch said in a statement emailed to CBC.

CHL president and OHL commissioner David Branch says the league will continue to 'vigorously' defend its position that junior hockey players are amateur athletes, not employees. (Greg Plante/Canadian Press )

CHL vice-president and WHL Commissioner Ron Robison wrote in a newspaper editorial also sent to CBC News that the leagues cover "all the necessary expenses needed to compete at the highest level of the Canadian amateur hockey system, including top-of-the-line equipment, room and board and travel costs."

Robison also said the CHL provides players with a year of tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees for each year they play in the WHL. 

Study conducted offered financial estimates

Lawyers for the former junior players commissioned Kevin Mongeon, an assistant professor of sport management at Brock University, to conduct a study on the value of the WHL and OHL franchises. 

According to TSN, many people have been skeptical of the legitimacy of the study's financial estimates. 

Robison said recent reports have "grossly overstated WHL club revenues and franchise values." 

"The majority of WHL clubs either break even or lose money on an annual basis, and we commend our WHL clubs for their commitment to preserving the benefits provided to our players despite the challenges they face," he said.

CBC has reached out to Mongeon for comment about his study.

According to class action lawyer Ted Charney, if Canada's hockey teams were to offer players minimum wage, total salaries would cost each team roughly $300,000. That's something Robison said the league couldn't afford.

"Any change to the status of our players as amateur athletes would result in our clubs having to adjust the benefits currently offered to players," Robison said. "For instance, if our clubs were required to provide minimum wage in addition to the benefits the players currently receive, the majority of our teams would not be in a position to continue operating."

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Judge's demand for financial records won't change 'amateur athlete' status, says CHL

Sens' Anderson inspires teammates with courageous return

No matter which NHL team you cheer for, we were all pulling for Craig Anderson on Sunday evening.

An emotional Anderson gathered himself and inspired his Ottawa Senators teammates with a 37-save shutout performance in a 2-0 victory against the Oilers in Edmonton.

The 35-year-old goalie had taken a leave of absence from the Senators last week, a day after he made 22 saves in a shutout over the Canucks in Vancouver.

No reason was given for Anderson's departure at the time, but it was revealed on Saturday when Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion disclosed in a moving address that Anderson's wife, Nicolle, had been diagnosed with cancer.

Anderson was with his wife, two sons and other family members back in Florida last Friday when Senators backup goalie Andrew Hammond suffered a groin injury in a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.

As they watched the game, a selfless Nicolle insisted her husband call Dorion to tell him that Anderson was going to rejoin his teammates. They needed him with Hammond down. So Anderson hopped on a plane and flew across North America to come to the rescue.

'A special night'

Anderson was too emotional for post-game interviews after the win in Edmonton. That was understandable and evident after the incredible evening ended.

He sported a purple Hockey Fights Cancer emblem on the back of his mask, while the Senators' and Oilers' coaches wore the same-coloured ties that are associated with the cause.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Anderson bent over, placed his hands on his knees and let tears wash down his cheeks.

Craig Anderson blanks Oilers in emotional return1:44

His teammates hugged him and moments later he skated back onto the ice as the game's first star. Oilers fans stayed to give him a standing ovation and classy Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot stood at his team's bench to applaud his adversary.

"I'll be honest with you, I'm speechless," remarked Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher, who usually has plenty to say after a game. "It was a special night."

'He put a strong face on'

Anderson is a fiery competitor, a leader. He has touched teammates wherever he has played, whether it was in junior with the Guelph Storm or his NHL stops in Chicago, Florida, Colorado and Ottawa.

"He made a big effort in coming here at the urging of his wife," Senators captain Erik Karlsson said in his post-game interview with the TSN broadcast. "We all knew what it meant. He came here and inspired us and led the team the whole way. You could feel the tension and emotion of this game. It was special to be a part of.

"He put a strong face on, but you could see the pain in his eyes."

Anderson, who has won five of his six starts this season, and Nicolle are slated to hold a press conference in Ottawa later this week to talk about the battle that lies ahead.

Trying times

If there is a group or organization that can rally around this turn of events it is the Senators. They are no strangers to trying and tragic times.

In November 2010, assistant coach Luke Richardson's teenage daughter Daron committed suicide. Almost 6,000 people turned up for her memorial service a few days later at Scotiabank Place, now called the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators have embraced a Do it for Daron project that deals with youth mental illness and teenage suicide.

In July 2014, longtime general manager Bryan Murray, now the team's senior hockey advisor, announced he had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

Ottawa assistant coach Mark Reeds lost his battle with cancer in April 2015, and forward Bobby Ryan's mother also passed away due to cancer last July.

So no matter which team you cheer for, it will be easy to support the Andersons and Senators as they battle this cruel disease once again.

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Sens' Anderson inspires teammates with courageous return

Canadian Olympic Committee can't forget to celebrate

The Canadian Olympic Committee is now firmly in the post-Marcel Aubut era.

Last week, for what seemed like the first time since the Aubut scandal tarnished the Canadian Olympic movement, COC CEO Chris Overholt took centre stage with an Olympic-themed lunch at the Empire Club in Toronto.

Overholt spoke passionately of the values of the Olympic movement, highlighted the success of the Canadian team in Rio, pointed to the infusion of youth in Canada's high-performance sport system and gave insight into the COC's strategic direction over the next quadrennial with four major funding announcements.

Despite being about on par with past quadrennial commitments, the numbers made for impressive headlines. The $132 million in funding includes $37 million for Own the Podium, $16 million for developing next-generation Olympians, $5 million for enhancing the capacity of our national sport organizations, a $5-million investment in coaching and $1 million towards Game Plan, a program to better prepare athletes for life after sport.

Everything Overholt preached was aligned with driving Canada's Olympic performance forward. This sounds like an organization attempting to move on from the lingering harassment scandal that marked the end of Aubut's tenure as president of the COC, and striving to keep Canada's athletes at the centrepiece of the conversation. 

Overholt also acknowledged that the COC will be cutting staff "in order to be in a better position to deliver for athletes and partners." The organization didn't say how many people were being let go, but did say the layoffs aren't linked to the Aubut affair.

Apart from the talk of funding and staff cuts, there was an unspoken indication of the new direction that might be taken by current president Tricia Smith and the board of directors.

Big events make big impressions

Under Aubut's leadership the COC didn't hesitate to throw flashy parades, luncheons and sport celebrations. Effectively, they were moonlighting in the events business. It seems like that's about to change under Smith, as no such outward-facing events were mentioned in Overholt's remarks. 

From an athlete perspective, I get it. I believe most would say the COC's money is better spent on athletes and coaches than on throwing big street parties. Yet I also worry that, after years of putting our Canadian athletes in front of our communities post-Games with parades, school visits and hospital appearances, a shift away from these kinds of events may change the relationships current athletes and the public have with the Canadian Olympic team. 

In recent years, the Canadian Olympic Committee has successfully rebranded itself as the Canadian Olympic team. It's now an athlete-driven brand. I've witnessed athletes go from oblivious association with the COC to engaged and proud. Athletes from previous generations have come back to the movement to mentor and celebrate, and sponsors have returned to the table, helping make Olympic values relevant 52 weeks of the year.

Is this all because of a few parties and gala dinners? Not directly, but let's also not underestimate the power of elevating the Olympic movement outside of competition. 

Athletes want to be celebrated for their achievements, brought together to elevate the history of the Games and be put at the forefront of the movement. Many were inspired to become Olympians by specific Olympic moments. If we don't celebrate those moments (past and present), the Olympic movement is in trouble.

I'm not advocating for another lavish Montreal luncheon, nor am I saying events should be the COC's focus. I'm just saying they shouldn't be forgotten. It may not take long for athletes to disengage if they don't see more than a press release with quadrennial funding numbers. 

My hope is that there's a middle ground between the COC's committing to being more fiscally responsible and athlete-centred with its spedning and ensuring they don't just become a middle man for funding.

The COC needs to be the driver when it comes to elevating our Canadian Olympic teams, and sometimes that might take a little spending.

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Canadian Olympic Committee can't forget to celebrate

What happened in Olympic sports over the weekend

It was a golden weekend for many Canadian athletes in action across the country and around the world, from the figure skating rink in Mississauga, Ont. to the bobsleigh track in Calgary.

Here's a look at what you may have missed this weekend:

Skate Canada dominated by Canadians

The latest Grand Prix of Figure Skating event was simply owned by the host country's skaters. Patrick Chan, Megan Duhamel and Eric Radford, and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir all took gold in their events, while Kaetlyn Osmond won women's silver and Kevin Reynolds captured bronze in men's.

Take a look back at the golden performances below.

Patrick Chan wins sixth Skate Canada International title0:49

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir take Ice Dance gold at Skate Canada1:20

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford win third straight Skate Canada International title0:58

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Edin steals Masters final from Jacobs

The Grand Slam of Curling had many of the rinks vying to be Canada's representatives in Pyeongchang in 2018, and the men's final even featured the reigning Olympic champion rink of Brad Jacobs up against Niklas Edin of Sweden.

However, the Swedish foursome took a thrilling win, stealing a victory in an extra end to become the first non-Canadians to win the Masters event.

Niklas Edin becomes first non-Canadian skip to win Grand Slam of Curling Masters1:23

On the women's side, Rachel Homan's Ottawa foursome came into the final as defending champs, but it was another Ontario rink that took the title.

Allison Flaxey, third Clancy Grandy, second Lynn Kreviazuk and lead Morgan Court, took the longest way possible into the final after finishing round-robin play with a 2-2 record, but rolled through the playoffs to reach the final.

A huge score of four in the fifth end against Homan secured the first-ever Grand Slam title for the Caledon, Ont., rink.

Allison Flaxey wins Grand Slam of Curling Masters0:37

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History made in Calgary

Kaillie Humphries and Justin Kripps wracked up wins at the Canadian Bobsleigh Championships in Calgary. Both pilots led their two-man and four-man teams to their respective titles. For Humphries, it was a historic win as it marked Canada's inaugural four-man women's team title.

1st ever 4 woman Canadian Champs 🏆
Stoked to be a part of this opportunity growing & expanding r sport! @TeamCanada http://pic.twitter.com/kGpYJCk4MC

— @melLotholz

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Canadian Trail

Swimmer Michelle Williams and snowboarder Max Parrot turned some heads this weekend, while nominees for the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame class of 2016 were announced. Get the full details in the video player below.

Road to the Olympic Games: Canadian Trail for Saturday, October 291:33

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What happened in Olympic sports over the weekend

Canadian forward Haley Irwin returns after 2-year battle with injuries

Haley Irwin was captain of the Canadian women's hockey team the last time she wore the Maple Leaf.

Her grooming as one of the national team's next leaders began in 2014, but went on a two-year hiatus because of a concussion followed by hip surgery.

The 28-year-old forward from Thunder Bay, Ont., is back wearing Canada's colours again for this week's Four Nations Cup in Vierumaki, Finland.

Canada opens the annual tournament Tuesday against the host Finns. Defending champion U.S. and Sweden are also in the field.

The 2014 Four Nations Cup in Kamloops, B.C., was the last tournament Irwin played for Canada. The road back felt uphill at times.

"It truly has been a very long time," Irwin told The Canadian Press. "Your teammates, your camaraderie in the dressing room and that feeling of family and the competition, it's something I've known my whole life.

"It's not to say that I never truly understood what it meant to wear the Leaf or appreciated it before, but when something is taken away from you ... whether it's through injury or not, you have a different perspective."

Irwin and Hamilton defenceman Laura Fortino were named assistants to captain Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Que., for the Four Nations in Finland.

2-time Olympic gold medallist

Irwin won Olympic gold in both 2010 and 2014. The five-foot-seven 170-pound forward has 32 goals and 37 assists in 82 games for Canada over her career.

She's a power and sandpaper player. Hard to knock off the puck, Irwin's scoring touch was still intact at the national team's camp in September, according to head coach Laura Schuler.

"She's a kid you're scared to play against," Schuler said. "She plays with this intensity and this fierceness. Yet, she knows how to play with composure. If someone takes the puck from her, she gets it back.

"She hasn't been in game shape for a bit. Her ability to find the back of the net has always been there. It was very good to see that part of her game was still there."

The Canadian women can use her offensive spark as they've produced just one goal over their last two games against the world champion Americans.

Irwin was a part of Canada's last win over the Americans, which was the 3-2 shootout victory in the 2014 Four Nations final. The Canadians have lost six in a row to the U.S. since then.

"Our goal is to obviously win this tournament and beat everybody that we go up against," Schuler said.

Irwin suffered a concussion in January 2015, while playing for the Canadian Women's Hockey League's Calgary Inferno. As she closed in on clearance to play later that year, a chronic hip injury blossomed into a condition that required surgery.

Of the two maladies, rehabilitating the hip was more straightforward. Concussions can be a one-step-forward, two-steps-back injury.

Irwin wondered whether she would be able to return to the sport and what her personal future might hold.

"I worked a lot with [a] sports psych during that time and one of the questions she asked me was, 'Who are you without hockey?"' Irwin recalled. "That one stumps you good.

"You learn that your identity is mostly what you do on a daily basis, but there are other aspects of your life that are just as important and that make you tick.

"I had to stop trying to become a healthy hockey player again. I had to become a healthy person again. That helped me get through days."

Canada meets Sweden on Wednesday and concludes the preliminary round Friday against the U.S. The top two teams in the round robin meet in Saturday's final.

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Canadian forward Haley Irwin returns after 2-year battle with injuries

5 things we learned in the NHL last week

Another week of the NHL season has come and gone, but not without teaching us a few lessons along the way.

Here's a look back at some of the most exciting and/or strange events that caught the attention of hockey fans over the last seven days.

1. The Air Canada Centre is a bad place to be a goalie

Just ask Ben Bishop and Frederik Andersen. The Lightning netminder finished Tuesday's game against the host Maple Leafs with a 7-4 win, but it cost him his two front teeth.

---

Two days after Peter Holland gave Bishop a modified Colgate smile, Andersen got a crimson mask thanks to an errant stick from the Panthers' Tom Sceviour.

---

2. Sidney Crosby is back

Great news for the Penguins, bad news for anyone facing Pittsburgh. That includes the Florida Panthers, the first team to face Crosby since he missed the first three weeks of the NHL season with a concussion.

They may have preferred he waited another couple days to get back on the ice:

Sidney Crosby scores in return as Penguins edge Panthers0:22

The Islanders and Flyers were victims No. 2 and No. 3 in a Penguins three-game win streak since their captain returned to action. Crosby has four goals in those three contests, including this laser beam against Philadelphia:

---

3. NHL players solve problems just like the rest of us

Mark Scheifele and Tyler Seguin had a problem. And they solved it in the most effective and fair manner ever devised by the human mind.

Rock. Paper. Scissors.

4. Devan Dubnyk's donuts

The Wild netminder turned away all 94 shots that came his way this week, leading Minnesota to three shutout wins over the Bruins, Sabres and Stars.

Dubnyk is the first goalie in Wild history to record three consecutive shutouts, but he's not the first 'tender to pull off the feat with a Minnesota-based NHL team.

#mnwild's Devan Dubnyk is the 2nd Minnesota #NHL goalie with 3 straight shutouts (Cesare Maniago, North Stars, Dec., 1967), per @EliasSports

— @Russostrib

Dubnyk hasn't been beaten in the last 180 minutes of game action, but he's still far from the modern-era shutout streak record of 332 minutes and one second, set by Brian Boucher with the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2003-04 season.

5. We're talking about practice

Jaroslav Halak's agent took to Twitter to complain about the Islanders' three-goalie roster, and its perceived detrimental effect due to a lack of practice time.

Starting goalie for NY Islanders last game had only 1 quality practice in last 5 days before Penguins game. Going on 2 years of this now.

— @walsha

It seems like Allan Walsh's social media musings caught the attention of New York GM Garth Snow, who may have a solution for the team carrying three goalies. Trade one.

Word tonight is that after @walsha Twitter blast of NYI carrying three goalies, NYI GM has let league know Jaroslav Halak is available.

— @FriedgeHNIC

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5 things we learned in the NHL last week

Patrick Chan's Olympic medal quest aided by advice from Stojko

Imagine running a 1,500-metre cross-country race up and down hills, while leaping over barriers and carrying a sack of potatoes.

That's how Elvis Stojko describes the long program in men's figure skating.

Patrick Chan won his seventh Skate Canada International title on Saturday, but it was with a flawed program that petered out over the final couple of minutes, and had the 25-year-old from Toronto describing himself as the "least-bad skater" on the night.

So Stojko pulled Chan aside to offer advice that could help put him in medal contention at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

"Patrick, he relied on the artistry for so long until everyone caught on, but in the meantime everyone was working on the quads," Stojko said. "Now, he's got one season to get this. He's got to do it now. And I told him 'You're going to make the mistakes bro. You might have to give up competition wins for it."'

The mistakes were many on Saturday. To keep pace with his competition, Chan debuted an ambitious program that included three quads. He started off beautifully, landing a huge quad and triple Axel, but fell on his second quad attempt, and turned the third into a triple. He downgraded several jumps over the final lung-busting couple of minutes.

On a night that saw all but Canadian Kevin Reynolds struggle, Chan's was one of three gold medals for the host nation. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dance title in their first major competition since the Sochi Olympics, and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford won the pairs title. Reynolds landed three quads in his bronze-medal performance.

'You've got to push that limit'

Stojko was famous for doing double run-throughs in practice, and suggested Chan try it. The 44-year-old would do a run-through of his four-and-a-half minute long program, take a one-minute break, then do it again — a taxing workout he could only do every couple of weeks.

"We call it the wall, and you've got to push it, you've got to push that limit all the time that you're always up against it, and it always feels like you're working out in molasses," Stojko said. "After you've done training like that, the wall moves. And it's hard."

As Stojko explained in a lengthy interview Sunday, competition is much tougher on the body than practice. Nerves and anticipation push the heart rate up.

"What happens to any of us when we have anxiety? You're exhausted and you haven't even done anything. Times that by 10 in this environment," said Stojko, who credits his background in martial arts for his approach to sport.

"The stress level you're under drains the tank that much faster. So when you're competing at that high level, and trying all the quads and everything, your tank needs to be larger than at a normal practice."

Chan, who's also a three-time world champ, planned to discuss the double run-through idea with his coach Marina Zoueva. They also plan to explore meditation and breathing exercises.

Stojko has been outspoken about the direction of men's skating, writing a scathing column for Yahoo at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics under the headline "The night they killed figure skating." He was angry that Evan Lysacek of the U.S. won gold with no quad.

Sport embracing big jumps again

He's thrilled the sport is embracing the big jumps again.

"I think it's awesome," said Stojko, who was working in Mississauga as Skate Canada's ambassador. "People say the sport's going too gymnastics. But if you take out the jumps and you limit the guys, then it just becomes a recital. You've got the art form, but you need that athletic side to blend them together. To have a clear-cut winner, you've got to have that technical side."

He pointed to Duhamel and Radford. The two-time world champs added a throw quad Salchow last season, then a throw triple Axel this year.

"It's going to keep them one step ahead," Stojko said. "They're not going to rely on the judges to say the artistic is better than everybody else. They're not going to rest on that and say 'I hope they pick us."'

Critics argue the focus on the quads is hard on the skaters' bodies.

"Look at hockey. Look at football. Look at all these other sports where they push the body," Stojko said. "People come to watch that excitement. If you take all the quads out, you're going to see a lot of perfect performances, but it's going to end up being boring again."

The 25-year-old Chan is embracing the big jumps — if only by necessity.

"We're going to keep pushing the boundary," he said. "But something's got to give, either you'll have skaters who won't last very long due to injury, or the component/presentation side starts getting affected.

"But it's cool to see these guys pushing the boundaries, I'm in awe. It's going to be interesting to sit back and see where it does top out, where it does suffer."

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Patrick Chan's Olympic medal quest aided by advice from Stojko

Senators' Anderson blanks Oilers in emotional return

Craig Anderson made 37 saves to record his second shutout in as many starts, as the Ottawa Senators were able to come away with a 2-0 victory against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Anderson returned to the Senators on Saturday night after leaving the team on Thursday to be with his wife, Nicholle, who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Anderson & Sens upon the completion of his shutout victory http://pic.twitter.com/DnNuBeBQRy

— @myregularface

Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan scored for the Senators (5-3-0), who have won two of their last three.

The Oilers (7-2-0) had a five-game winning streak come to an end.

There was no scoring in a rather sedate opening period, with Edmonton putting seven shots on Anderson, and the Senators taking four on Oilers starter Cam Talbot.

Edmonton had a great chance seven minutes into the second period, but Anderson made a big kick save on Oilers rookie Jesse Puljujarvi.

Ottawa finally broke the deadlock 12:18 into the middle frame as Tom Pyatt was rewarded for some hard work, sending a backhand pass from behind the net in front to Hoffman, who scored his first of the season.

Hoffman then hit a post with a power-play blast later in the period.

Anderson made another huge save midway through the third, stopping Jordan Eberle from point-blank range.

Ottawa put the game away with an empty-netter from Ryan with 32 seconds remaining.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday, as the Senators head home to face the Carolina Hurricanes and the Oilers embark on a five-game road trip, starting in Toronto.

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Senators' Anderson blanks Oilers in emotional return

Cubs stay alive with tense Game 5 win

Aroldis Chapman got eight outs in the longest relief appearance of his career and the Chicago Cubs held off Cleveland 3-2 Sunday night, cutting the Indians' lead in the World Series 3-2.

The Cubs won a Series game at Wrigley Field for the first time since in 1945. They'll try to extend their season in Game 6 at Cleveland on Tuesday night when Chicago right-hander Jake Arrieta faces Josh Tomlin.

Kris Bryant's homer sparked a three-run burst in the fourth inning that gave Jon Lester and the Cubs the lead.

Carl Edwards Jr. relieved Lester to begin the seventh with a 3-2 edge. With a runner on second and one out, Chapman was called in.

The hard-throwing closer hadn't pitched in the seventh inning since 2012. Chapman escaped the jam, then shut down the Indians for a save.

Jose Ramirez homered for Cleveland. Losing pitcher Trevor Bauer went four innings.

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Cubs stay alive with tense Game 5 win

Broom evolution takes centre ice at Masters

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Broom evolution takes centre ice at Masters

Team Edin grabs early lead at Masters Grand Slam final

Team Edin leads Team Jacobs 1-0 after three ends at the Grand Slam of Curling Masters from Okotoks, Alta.

The men's final is live now on CBC TV and CBCSports.ca. 

Team Edin makes good on the double https://t.co/XRDxveIijQ https://t.co/Pt7sslBXo6

— @CBCOlympics

Brad Jacobs, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., reached the final by beating Steve Laycock's rink with a thrilling 5-4 extra-end win on Saturday.  

Sweden's Niklas Edin topped Reid Carruthers 8-3 in Saturday's other semifinal. 

Later on Sunday, Caledon Ont., native Allison Flaxey will face Ottawa's Rachel Homan in the women's final of the Grand Slam of Curling Masters. 

Be sure to catch the final day of the WFG Masters on Sunday, Oct. 30.

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Team Edin grabs early lead at Masters Grand Slam final

Toronto FC and New York City FC bring plenty of star power to Eastern semi

For the second time this week, Toronto FC faces the biggest game in franchise history. And the stars will be out in force for this one.

New York City FC's trio of designated players — David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard — have a resume that may outshine that of Toronto's Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. It will make for a marquee matchup Sunday in Game 1 of the MLS Eastern Conference semifinal at BMO Field as Toronto enters uncharted playoff territory.

Game 2 goes Nov. 6 at Yankee Stadium.

"It sets up for a wonderful spectacle, if you will, for the league. And what the league's about," said Toronto coach Greg Vanney.

The stars have similar numbers this season.

Villa, Pirlo and Lampard totalled 36 goals and 18 assists in a combined 83 games. Giovinco, Bradley and Altidore combined for 30 goals and 27 assists in 78 games, including Wednesday's 3-1 first-round playoff win over Philadelphia.

Together the six are earning some $39 million US this season, according to the MLS Players Union.

The New York DPs sport a bigger number when it comes to age. Their total is 109, compared to 84 for Toronto.

New York City FC (15-10-9) finished one point ahead of Toronto (14-9-11) in the standings.

Toronto has never beaten NYCFC, losing twice and tying three times. Both meetings this season ended in ties — 2-2 in New York on March 13 and 1-1 in Toronto on May 18 with some of the DPs missing from both games.

The New Yorkers score — and concede — goals in bunches. NYCFC ranked first in the league with 62 goals and 17th in goals conceded with 57. In contrast, Toronto was seventh in scoring with 51 goals and tied for second in goals conceded at 39.

"Certainly defensively we have our work cut out for us," said veteran Toronto centre back Drew Moor.

"If you stay tuned in on them and communicate well, you might have a chance to keep them off the scoresheet," Moore said of the NYCFC DPs. "But Villa is certainly an MVP candidate, (he) scored a lot of goals (23) this year and he's getting some pretty good service from some very good players."

While the designated players may hog the limelight, both teams have plenty of players that can make a difference.

Vanney pointed to defenders R.J. Allen and Ronald Matarrita and midfielders Tommy McNamara and Jack Harrison as players to watch.

"They've got a good solid team," he said. "We can't get too caught up in just the three so-called stars for them."

Veteran Spanish defensive midfielder Andoni Iraola also plays an important role for NYCFC, helping set up their attacks from the back.

"He's their pivot guy ... He's vital because he's the one guy who kind of manipulates the game a little bit in space, aside from the three (DPs) that we already know of," said Vanney. "He's an important factor and he also allows the Pirlos and the Lampards to do the things that they're capable of doing because he's very disciplined in sitting in front of that back group and protecting them and protecting the spaces when they have to go out.

"He's experienced, he knows his role and he's quite good at it."

In what might be a good omen for Toronto, Saturday was National Cat Day. Iraola admits to a "small phobia of cats," saying they always bring him bad luck.

Canadian Silviu Petrescu will referee Sunday's game, which may well be a sellout of some 30,000.

Altidore and Toronto defender Nick Hagglund collided and the ball bounced off Hagglund's chest to Osorio, who belted it home.

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Toronto FC and New York City FC bring plenty of star power to Eastern semi

Masters Grand Slam of Curling

1st stop on the Grand Slam tour in Okotoks, Alta.

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Kluber leads Cleveland to 3-1 Series lead

Corey Kluber earned his second win in this World Series and the Cleveland Indians moved within one victory of their first championship since 1948, routing the Chicago Cubs 7-2 Saturday night with home runs by Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis.

Leading the Series 3-1, Cleveland can finish off it at Wrigley Field on Sunday night, when Trevor Bauer starts for the Indians and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

Kluber limited Chicago to five hits in six innings, becoming the first pitcher to win Games 1 and 4 since Cincinnati's Jose Rijo in 1990.

Santana's homer off John Lackey and a run-scoring throwing error by third baseman Kris Bryant on Kluber's infield hit gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead in the second.

Francisco Lindor added an RBI single in the third, Lonnie Chisenhall hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth off Mike Montgomery, and Chicago native Kipnis blew open the game with a three-run homer against Travis Wood in the eighth.

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Kluber leads Cleveland to 3-1 Series lead

Team Brad Jacobs advances to semifinals at Masters Grand Slam

The reigning Olympic champion rink of Brad Jacobs beat skip Mark Nichols and Team Gushue 6-5 in a close game on Saturday afternoon at the Grand Slam of Curling Masters in Okotoks, Alta.

Team Jacobs is victorious over Team Gushue at @grandslamcurl
FINAL SCORE: 6-5 https://t.co/hYHNmGt5yt

— @CBCOlympics

Jacobs, along with teammates Ryan Fry, plus E.J. and Ryan Harnden, earned a semifinal date with the unbeaten Steve Laycock on Saturday evening. 

Nichols continued as a strong stand-in for Olympic champion Brad Gushue, still out with a lingering hip issue. 

It was a tight and low-scoring game through the fourth end with Jacobs leading 2-1. 

During the fifth end Nichols responded to a Jacobs steal by scoring two with the hammer to go up 3-2. Team Jacobs snapped back in the sixth with a deuce of their own to regain the lead at 4-3. 

The deuce trend continued into the seventh. A simple freeze was all Nichols needed to post a double in the seventh for a 5-4 lead to the final end. 

Some shaky late rocks would upend Nichols, and Gushue could only watch from behind the boards as Jacobs and company won the quarter-final without needing to throw the hammer.

Team Jacobs vs. Team Gushue's shot of the game: https://t.co/fEYhquzpgR

— @CBCOlympics

In other match-ups Sweden's Niklas Edin toppled John Epping's Toronto rink 6-4. Reid Carruthers won the battle of Winnipeg rinks, dropping Mike McEwen by a score of 5-3.

The women's quarter-finals take place at 5 p.m. ET.

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Team Brad Jacobs advances to semifinals at Masters Grand Slam

Road to the Olympic Games: Skate America

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Road to the Olympic Games: Skate America

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Masters Grand Slam of Curling

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Olympics champs Virtue, Moir on top at Skate Canada

The fans spotted them the moment they stepped onto the ice for the group warmup, and the cheering barely let up.

More than two years after their silver medal skate at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir made a triumphant return — finally — on Friday, winning the short dance at Skate Canada International. It was a moment not lost on anybody.

"The feeling out there today was right where we wanted it to be," Moir said. "The fans were electric for us, and that was a truly special moment. Technically we have to work on getting a little bit stronger, but we're right where we want to be at this time of year."

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Virtue and Moir, who won Olympic gold in Vancouver then silver in Sochi before stepping away from competition, scored 77.23 points with their program to music by Prince, and take a one-point lead over Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates into Saturday's free dance.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto were third.

Chan 'comfortable' in short program

Patrick Chan won the Skate Canada short program Friday night, and Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva took the women's lead at Hershey Centre.

Chan fell on his triple Axel but his beautiful quad toe loop to open the program was enough to secure him first place. Skating to The Beatles' "Dear Prudence" and "Blackbird," he scored 90.56 points.

"Comfortable," Chan said. "The jumps didn't turn out to be feeling the way they did in practice, but that's normal jitters and adrenaline from being in competition."

Japan's Takahito Mura was second at 81.24, followed by Canada's Kevin Reynolds at 80.57, and Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan at 79.65.

Medvedeva, the world champion, had 76.24 points. Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond was second with 74.33, followed by Russia's Elizaveta Tuktamysheva at 66.79, and Japan's Rika Hongo at 65.75.

Earlier Friday, Canada's two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford easily won the pairs short program, while Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch were third.

Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., debuted their new throw triple Axel in their short program to Seal's "Killer," to score 78.39 points. China's Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao sit in second.

The Canadians have a throw quad Salchow in their long program, but rules don't allow for quads in the pairs short event.

"We thought 'Okay now, how can we increase our base value of the short without a quad, and we already do the hardest jump [side-by-side triple Lutz,] the only way was to learn the hardest throw triple which is the triple Axel," Duhamel said.

"We only learned to throw single Axel in March, it hasn't even been a year since we learned a single, so to already be able to land the triple and do it in competition is a huge accomplishment for us.

"We want to just keep pushing ourselves and pushing the sport."

Pushing themselves keeps things fresh, Radford added.

"Meagan and I have always said we find skating fun, day in and day out," he said. "Probably the reason I think is because we push ourselves day in and day out, and if we were just doing the same elements year after year, it would get boring. It's challenging but it's fun for us to keep pushing the sport like this."

Osmond's comeback continues

It seems like Kaetlyn Osmond has already endured a career's worth of injuries at just 20 years old.

But the two-time Canadian champion is feeling better than she has in years, and was second in the women's short program Friday at Skate International, writing her comeback story with three huge triple jumps in a powerful skate to Edith Piaf's "Sous le Ciel de Paris."

The Marystown, N.L., native scored 74.33 points to top her previous best score set way back at the 2013 world championships.

Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva, the 2016 world champion, is the leader going into Saturday's long program with 76.24.

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was sixth.

Osmond, who burst onto the skating scene with a bronze medal at the 2012 Canadian championships when she was just 16, was sidelined for the 2014-15 season with a gruesome broken leg. Her broken fibula required a plate and seven screws to stabilize.

She was shaky in her comeback last season, finishing 11th at Skate Canada last year, falling four times in her long program.

"I think it shocked me a little bit," she said, on the difficulties of her comeback. "Definitely last year at Skate Canada it hit me a little hard the way that I competed. But it was an eye-opener and it did prove to me that it isn't going to be easy. I knew I had a long road ahead of me.

"Now that I've got that under my belt, I got the training under my belt, I feel a lot better this year."

Osmond, who won Skate Canada in 2012, would require two surgeries on her leg, the second to remove the kitchen drawer's worth of hardware. There were times, she said, she wondered if she'd ever be back at top form.

"When I was at my complete worst, it was a question of would I be able to come back," she said. "But since I've been back and since I've been able to perform again and to practise great again, it's never been a doubt in my mind as to why I came back.

"Each day I find something new to love about this sport that I never would have known if I didn't go through everything I did."

The Friday night session at the Hershey Centre will feature Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who are competing in their first major international event in two years, and Patrick Chan, who is taking aim at another Skate Canada title.

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Olympics champs Virtue, Moir on top at Skate Canada

Cleveland spoils Chicago's party to take Series lead

Cody Allen escaped a ninth-inning jam and the Cleveland Indians pitched their fifth shutout this post-season, holding off the Chicago Cubs 1-0 Friday night for a 2-1 lead as the World Series returned to Wrigley Field for the first time since 1945.

The Cubs put runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth before Allen struck out Javier Baez to end it.

Pinch-hitter Coco Crisp hit an RBI single in the seventh off Carl Edwards Jr. for the lone run.

Indians starter Josh Tomlin went 4 2/3 innings, then Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Allen took over.

The Cubs have been blanked four times in the last eight games this postseason. It was their first 1-0 loss in the World Series since Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox beat them in 1918. Game 1 winner Corey Kluber starts for Cleveland on Saturday night on three days' rest, and John Lackey goes for Chicago.

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Cleveland spoils Chicago's party to take Series lead

Pj Kwong's pros & cons from Skate Canada

Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Mississauga, Ont.

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Pj Kwong's pros & cons from Skate Canada

Duhamel, Radford lead after short program at Skate Canada

Canada's two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford easily won the pairs short program, while Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch were third.

Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., debuted their new throw triple Axel in their short program to Seal's "Killer," to score 78.39 points. China's Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao sit in second.

The Canadians have a throw quad Salchow in their long program, but rules don't allow for quads in the pairs short event.

"We thought 'OK now, how can we increase our base value of the short without a quad, and we already do the hardest jump [side-by-side triple Lutz,] the only way was to learn the hardest throw triple which is the triple Axel," Duhamel said.

"We only learned to throw single Axel in March, it hasn't even been a year since we learned a single, so to already be able to land the triple and do it in competition is a huge accomplishment for us.

"We want to just keep pushing ourselves and pushing the sport."

• CBC's skating insider Pj Kwong offers her assessment of Canadian skaters at this weekend's event:

---

Pushing themselves keeps things fresh, Radford added.

"Meagan and I have always said we find skating fun, day in and day out," he said. "Probably the reason I think is because we push ourselves day in and day out, and if we were just doing the same elements year after year, it would get boring. It's challenging but it's fun for us to keep pushing the sport like this."

Osmond's comeback continues

It seems like Kaetlyn Osmond has already endured a career's worth of injuries at just 20 years old.

But the two-time Canadian champion is feeling better than she has in years, and was second in the women's short program Friday at Skate International, writing her comeback story with three huge triple jumps in a powerful skate to Edith Piaf's "Sous le Ciel de Paris."

The Marystown, N.L., native scored 74.33 points to top her previous best score set way back at the 2013 world championships.

Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva, the 2016 world champion, is the leader going into Saturday's long program with 76.24.

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was sixth.

Osmond, who burst onto the skating scene with a bronze medal at the 2012 Canadian championships when she was just 16, was sidelined for the 2014-15 season with a gruesome broken leg. Her broken fibula required a plate and seven screws to stabilize.

She was shaky in her comeback last season, finishing 11th at Skate Canada last year, falling four times in her long program.

"I think it shocked me a little bit," she said, on the difficulties of her comeback. "Definitely last year at Skate Canada it hit me a little hard the way that I competed. But it was an eye-opener and it did prove to me that it isn't going to be easy. I knew I had a long road ahead of me.

"Now that I've got that under my belt, I got the training under my belt, I feel a lot better this year."

Osmond, who won Skate Canada in 2012, would require two surgeries on her leg, the second to remove the kitchen drawer's worth of hardware. There were times, she said, she wondered if she'd ever be back at top form.

"When I was at my complete worst, it was a question of would I be able to come back," she said. "But since I've been back and since I've been able to perform again and to practise great again, it's never been a doubt in my mind as to why I came back.

"Each day I find something new to love about this sport that I never would have known if I didn't go through everything I did."

The Friday night session at the Hershey Centre will feature Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who are competing in their first major international event in two years, and Patrick Chan, who is taking aim at another Skate Canada title.

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Duhamel, Radford lead after short program at Skate Canada

Sweden's Hasselborg remains unbeaten at WFG Masters curling

Sweden's Anna Hasselborg defeated Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni 8-5 on Friday to remain unbeaten at the WFG Masters curling competition.

Tirinzoni scored three points in the second end but Hasselborg fought back with a deuce and a single to tie the game 3-3 after four. A four-point end in the sixth put the game out of reach as Hasselborg improved to 4-0.

South Korea's EunJung Kim was also undefeated at 3-0 after 11 draws at the Pason Centennial Arena. Winnipeg's Jennifer Jones and Ottawa's Rachel Homan were in a four-way tie for third place at 2-1.

In early afternoon men's play, Jim Morris of Vernon, B.C., topped Scotland's Kyle Smith 7-5, Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., beat Edmonton's Brendan Bottcher 7-5 and Toronto's John Epping dumped American John Shuster 8-2.

Saskatoon's Steve Laycock led the men's standings at 4-0. Team Gushue, skipped by Mark Nichols of St. John's, was in second place at 3-0.

Friday morning's action consisted of Draws 10 and 11 while two more draws (12 and 13) are scheduled for later Friday at the first Grand Slam event of the season.

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Sweden's Hasselborg remains unbeaten at WFG Masters curling

Shannon Szabados 'a leader,' not dressing room cancer: ex-teammate

Storm Phaneuf describes a model teammate in former goaltending partner Shannon Szabados after they were released on the same day, two games into a 56-game schedule by the Peoria Rivermen of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel told CBC Sports on Wednesday that he only signed the 30-year-old Szabados, as a "package deal" in order to get defenceman Carl Nielsen, a friend of the Canadian goalie, and that their relationship was "cancerous" within the dressing room.

But Phaneuf painted a very different picture of Szabados' interaction with the team.

"Shannon is very nice. She talks to everybody and is friendly to everyone," Phaneuf, 20, told CBC Sports on Friday, four days after Trudel released the goalies following a pair of weekend losses to open the season, and placed the 28-year-old Nielsen on indefinite suspension to retain his SPHL rights.

"Shannon is not the kind of girl who would make a situation awkward. In the [dressing] room she was a leader, talking loud and giving tips to the other guys."

Trudel, however, said he noticed a drastic change in team morale shortly after Szabados and Nielsen joined the team in September, noting cliques began to form that turned a close-knit group from last season that had fun and won games into one that had become quiet and unproductive on the ice.

Phaneuf, who missed some of the Rivermen's 10-day training camp while battling the flu and travelling to the border in Detroit to pick up his U.S. work visa, said he never saw any cliques during his time with the team.

'It's not like they were holding hands or kissing each other. They seemed like good buddies.' - Former Peoria goalie Storm Phaneuf on ex-teammates Shannon Szabados and Carl Nielsen

"They were always together and it became kind of weird," Trudel, in his third season behind the team's bench, said of Szabados and Nielsen, a former captain with Orlando of the ECHL. But to get the native of Lorain, Ohio, the coach had to take Szabados, whom he said "was fourth on the depth chart after camp."

Phaneuf, a former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League goalie from Gatineau, said he never felt uncomfortable in the dressing room with Szabados and Nielsen, who have been inseparable since meeting at a hockey camp this past off-season in Denver.

"It's not like they were holding hands or kissing each other, not at all," said Phaneuf. "They seemed like good buddies. Cancerous is a very big word. I've seen way more cancerous situations [elsewhere in hockey].

"She was a good goalie partner, giving me tips on the ice. She's 10 years older and has more experience [in the game] than me. She was [encouraging and cheering] everyone."

Thanks to everyone for the support!
Just over here wanting to have fun playing a silly game called hockey! Thats all :) #itsjustagame #calm

— @ShannonSzabados

Phaneuf, like Szabados, has yet to latch on with another club but is confident he could remain in the SPHL.

The six-foot-two, 210-pound netminder played four seasons in the Quebec league with Blainville-Boisbriand, Shawinigan and Chicoutimi before posting a 3.12 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in a 41-game stint last year with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League.

"My career is not done because somebody cut me after one [start]," he said.

Phaneuf made his professional debut in Peoria's Oct. 21 season opener against visiting Huntsville (Alabama) but was pulled at the 35:05 mark when the Havoc scored three times in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie en route to a 6-1 win.

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The next night, Phaneuf stopped 11 of 13 shots in 35:45 of relief of Szabados, an Edmonton native, as Huntsville completed the sweep with a 5-1 victory.

"After our first two games, I thought our goaltending wasn't good enough to compete, and changes had to be made," said Trudel in a statement upon Monday's release of Phaneuf and Szabados, who won Olympic gold with the Canadian women's team in 2010 and 2014.

In two games, she posted a 6.10 goals-against average and .792 save percentage, compared to Phaneuf's 5.08, .786 totals.

Phaneuf said he had "maybe a two-minute meeting" with Trudel on Monday during which he was notified about his release and was told "he looked stressed in the net" in the opening game, but Phaneuf disagreed and said he felt good and calm.

'I liked the guys a lot'

"[Huntsville scored some] nice goals and we made some mistakes defensively," said Phaneuf, who remains in Illinois skating with the Danville Dashers of the Federal Hockey League while his agent, Christian Daigle, attempts to find him a team. "It's a team sport so, yeah, I was pretty shocked to be released after [starting] one game.

"I'm sure even [Montreal Canadiens goalie] Carey Price and [Hall of Famer] Patrick Roy had bad games in their life. … It's a very weird situation [in Peoria] but I made some good friends there and I liked the guys a lot."

Current Rivermen defenceman Mark Corbett of Burlington, Ont., declined an interview with CBC Sports, saying through a text message that the team had moved past the events of this week and preferred not to comment further.

"We have a game tonight and [Saturday] and my mindset is on that," wrote the 26-year-old, a third-year pro who played 49 games for Peoria last season after the team waived him after one contest, only to re-sign him last Nov. 21.

"As a leader here," Corbett added, "I am focused on getting our team back in the win column."

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Shannon Szabados 'a leader,' not dressing room cancer: ex-teammate

Hockey Night in Canada: Free live streams on CBC Sports app

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NHL suspends Bruins' David Pastrnak 2 games for head hit

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak was suspended two games on Friday for an illegal check to the head of New York Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi.

Pastrnak delivered the hit in the second period of a 5-2 Bruins loss on Wednesday night and was assessed a minor penalty. Under the terms of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement he will forfeit $10,277.78.

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Drafted 25th overall in 2014, Pastrnak has been a revelation for the Bruins in his second season, already with five goals and eight points in seven games playing the right side on the club's top line.

He'll be eligible to return to action Nov. 3 against the hometown Tampa Bay Lightning.

Click the video below for the NHL's explanation of its decision to discipline Pastrnak.

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NHL suspends Bruins' David Pastrnak 2 games for head hit

Road to the Olympic Games: Canadian curlers' toughest task

Hosted by veteran broadcasters Scott Russell and Andi Petrillo, Road to the Olympic Games chronicles athletes' journeys on and off the field of play. Here's what to look for on this weekend's show on CBC Television and CBCSports.ca.

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The great contradiction inherent in curling is that the best in the world make it look so easy.

The powerful and graceful glides to delivery, the double raise take-outs, the draws to the button and even the sweepers manipulating a rock through a tiny port on the way to a specific resting spot in the distant scoring zone known as the house are just as easy as pie. 

• Watch the men's quarter-finals Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (CBC TV, CBCSports.ca)
• Watch the men's final Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (CBC TV, CBCSports.ca.)
• Broadcasters: Bruce Rainnie, Olympic gold medallists Joan McCusker and Kevin Martin, along with Olympic silver medallist Mike Harris.

Until you try it yourself, you can't fully appreciate that this is one of the most subtle and exacting sports on the face of the earth which demands a multitude of skills that only a select few have come to fully grasp.

In addition, as the elite season begins anew with the Grand Slam and the Masters in Okotoks, Alta., there is one truth to this Olympic pursuit which lurks in the background. 

Hands down, the toughest thing to do in curling, especially if you're Canadian, is to repeat as gold medallist at the Olympic Games.

In fact, just getting the chance is not guaranteed. 

Just because you reign as Olympic champion doesn't mean you'll be allowed to defend your title. Since curling came onto the Olympic program in 1998 at Nagano no team has revisited a trip to the top of the podium with the exception of Sweden's Anette Norberg who won in both Turin in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010.

Defying history

History tells us no Canadian rink has ever made more than one appearance at the Olympics. While skip Kevin Martin took teams to 1992 Albertville, when curling was a demonstration sport, 2002 Salt Lake City, where he won silver, and that gold-medal performance in Vancouver in 2010, he did so with a vastly different lineup on each occasion. 

This inability to build a curling dynasty on the Olympic stage speaks to the depth of competition in Canada, which remains the dominant country in the sport, and also to the changing landscape where so-called "super teams" are constantly fashioned and refined in order to get to and prevail at the Canadian Olympic trials.

The trials take place the December before the Games and have evolved into the best tournament in the world, featuring the finest men's and women's teams in Canada with the victor emerging from a winner-take all-format to have a shot at Olympic glory.

This coming season Jennifer Jones of Manitoba and Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., gyrate towards a date with destiny. They are both Olympic champions who have kept their teams in tact over the course of the quadrennial between Games. But neither is taking anything for granted.

"Men's teams in curling have gotten better and better since 2014, particularly the younger ones and they have made winning for us more difficult," Jacobs said via email. "It's evident they want what we accomplished in 2014 and rightfully so – teams are working very hard and getting really good."

Jacobs eyes Olympic trials

Jacobs has not yet secured his place in the Olympic trials, which will be held in Ottawa at the tail end of 2017, but through the process of accumulating points in the Grand Slam and major tournaments such as the national championships (the Brier), he's confident his foursome, which includes Ryan Fry as well as his cousins E.J. and Ryan Harnden, will get the opportunity to reclaim what has unquestionably become curling's greatest prize - namely the Olympic gold medal.

"We committed to each other 100 per cent after we won gold in Sochi and we've all kept that mindset," Jacobs insisted. "It means being in the best physical shape of our lives, displaying as much passion and intensity as possible and providing amazing entertainment for everyone watching. Open and honest communication on a curling team is key and I believe we have that aspect covered."

That said it will take a Herculean effort for Jacobs and his group to make history in South Korea. The modern game dictates that there is little room for error and it boasts a bevy of ambitious teams who have, for all intents and purposes, professionalized curling. 

Jacobs and his group embody an ultra-athletic and demonstrative approach to an ever evolving sport which is distinctly less recreational and unquestionably more about high performance with each passing season.

"One thing is for sure, we want another taste of that Olympic dream and we are going to do everything in our power to make it happen," Jacobs said without hesitation.

"The problem is we will have a lot of great teams in our way. Our team is all about growing the sport, attracting young people to the game and bringing something new to the equation. That's part of our brand now – hopefully we can look back and say we were successful in doing so."

The journey to that end continues with the advent of the high stakes campaign beginning this weekend. At the end of the road may be the chance to turn the toughest trick in curling. 

And that, simply put, is to reach the Olympic pinnacle once again in what is often thought of as the great Canadian pastime.

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Road to the Olympic Games: Canadian curlers' toughest task

Canadian sports doctor Anthony Galea found guilty of professional misconduct

A renowned sports doctor who was convicted in the U.S. for importing unapproved and mislabeled drugs, has been found guilty in Canada of professional misconduct.

In a ruling issued on Monday, the discipline committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) ruled that Dr. Anthony Galea committed "an act of professional misconduct...[that] would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional."

Galea had previously faced charges related to selling an unapproved drug, conspiring to import an unapproved drug, exporting a drug and smuggling goods into Canada. He avoided prison in the U.S. after pleading guilty in Buffalo, N.Y., in July of 2011 to the mislabeled drug charges.

Famous former clients

Galea was not licensed to practice in the U.S. when he traveled across the border to treat athletes, including professional football and baseball players in several American cities.

Galea's famous former clients included golf superstar Tiger Woods and baseball player Alex Rodrieguez.

Athletes often sought him out for platelet-rich plasma therapy, a treatment used to speed healing that involves extracting blood from patients and re-injecting just the plasma.

He became the focus of Canadian and U.S. authorities in 2009, when his assistant, Mary Anne Catalano, was stopped at the border in Buffalo with a small quantity of human growth hormone, Actovegin and vials of foreign homeopathic drugs.

The CPSO says that a penalty hearing has been scheduled for Galea.

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Canadian sports doctor Anthony Galea found guilty of professional misconduct

Skate Canada will be scary good

Skate Canada International is going to be all treat and no trick.

The Halloween weekend event in Mississauga, Ont., will bring us not only a dramatic men's rematch, but also the return to the Grand Prix circuit of ice dance legends and 2010 Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. 

Here's a look at the skaters to watch in each competition.

Chan vs. Hanyu reloaded

2014 Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and silver medallist Patrick Chan duked it out last year when Skate Canada was held in Lethbridge, Alta. Hanyu finished an unthinkable seventh in the short program before leapfrogging five skaters in the free to finish with a silver medal as Chan won the competition.

This time I expect Hanyu to jump out in front during the short program and stay the course all the way to the top of the podium. The Japanese skater has already established himself as the man to beat by tossing out the first-ever quad loop jump in competition last month in Montreal, while Chan tends to ease into the season more slowly.

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Sweetening the pot for me is the chance to watch a healthy Kevin Reynolds vying for top honours. At one time before his plague of injuries and boot issues, the Canadian was fifth in the world in 2013. Reynolds has already earned a silver medal in the pre-season Ondrej Nepela Memorial event, which bodes well for his confidence.

Virtue & Moir in a league of their own

There should be no battle for the top spot in the dance event, which will likely go to Virtue and Moir, the two-time world champions. 

The real competition will be among teams trying to round out the podium. Look for Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier to dazzle with maybe my favourite short dance of the season so far. It's disco-themed and let's just say it takes me back. I'm also looking forward to seeing how 2014 world champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy will reinvent themselves after two consecutive fourth-place finishes at worlds.

Medvedeva on a roll

The worst result posted by Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva during a terrific run that started with a victory at the 2015 world junior championships is a second-place place finish at last season's Rostelecom Cup Grand Prix. Aside from that, she's won everything else in the women's division, from the Grand Prix Final to the European and world titles. It's as rare as hens' teeth to see a skater jump from junior to senior world titles in consecutive seasons, but Medvedeva has a rare kind of consistency.

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I want to see if Medvedeva can keep it going against a solid field at Skate Canada that includes fellow Russian Elizaveta Tuktamysheva — the European and world champion in 2015 — and Canadian Kaetlyn Osmond, the surprise Skate Canada winner in 2012.

Duhamel, Radford own pairs

Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford have owned the pairs competition over the last couple of seasons. The Canadians haven't been beaten at any of their Grand Prix events in that time, and have medalled at each of the last two Grand Prix Finals.

There's no reason to think they won't continue to dominate, despite the best efforts of a number of other teams, including fellow Canadians Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch and last week's Skate America's silver medallists Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier of the U.S.

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Pj's gold medal picks

Men: Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan)

Ladies: Evgenia Medvedeva (Russia)

Pairs: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford (Canada)

Dance: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Canada)

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Skate Canada will be scary good