Canadiens’ Price out 30 days for mental health purposes
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price voluntarily entered the NHL/ NHL Players’ Association joint player assistance program, a stunning announcement Thursday, less than a week before start of the season and just three months after the former NHL MVP backstopped Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final.
The league and players’ union said Price, 34, will be away from the team while he takes part in the program. The union did not specify why he entered the program, but Price’s wife, Angela, cited mental health as a reason in an Instagram post showing Price and their three children.
“Part of the privilege of being in the position our family is in, is that we also get a public platform to show how there is and can be a path for anyone who is struggling,” she wrote. “No matter what is on the line, we hope we can communicate the importance of putting your mental health first not just by saying it, but by showing up and doing the work to get better. Carey’s showing up for himself and our family and making the best possible decision for us.”
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said Price would be in the program for at least 30 days. He said the news caught him by surprise, but he encouraged everyone to seek help when needed.
“Because your hockey career lasts so many years, but you have the rest of your life — your kids, your family — that’s the most important thing,” he said.
The issue of mental health among professional and amateur athletes has grown in prominence over the past year, with tennis star Naomi Osaka and Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles among those both citing it as the reason they stepped away from certain competitions or events.
The issue certainly familiar to the Canadiens. Star forward Jonathan Drouin has opened up about his anxiety and insomnia, which prompted him to take a break from hockey last spring during Montreal’s playoff push.
”(It’s) the elephant in the room sometimes. We don’t say anything and it’s very personal,” Bergevin said. “I salute (them for speaking out) and I’m glad they did. If there’s other players in the NHL who have different issues, whatever that is, I think the NHL and NHLPA are really looking at the well-being of their players.”
• Chicago winger Patrick Kane and defenseman Seth Jones and Toronto center Auston Matthews were the first three players named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team.
“It’s no secret we’re excited about the prospects of our team for the 2022 Games,” said USA Hockey general manager Stan Bowman, who also runs the Blackhawks. “Patrick, Auston and Seth reflect the high level of talent that will make up our final roster as we strive to bring gold back home to the U.S.”
The U.S. has not won Olympic gold since 1980. NHL players began participating in the Olympics in 1998 and went five times before the league skipped the South Korea Games in 2018.
The league, Players’ Association and International Ice Hockey Federation asked each country to pick three players before the start of the NHL season. Each country’s list of 55 players is due in mid-October with final rosters — three goalies and 22 skaters — unveiled in January.
Canada, which won gold in in 2010 and 2014, announced Edmonton’s reigning NHL MVP Connor McDavid, Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo as its first three players.
“We’ve got it pretty well nailed down,” Canada GM Doug Armstrong told The AP by phone this week. “There’s a couple of tweaks that we’re going to have to make here before it has to go in, but I would say we’re one of the countries that you wish it didn’t exist because your remaining guys are going to have a great October, November, Decembers, but so be it. That’s just the way it has to be. Just because of the depth of the Canadian hockey program, you want to try and make that list as accurate as possible.”
Sweden selected back-toback Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Victor Hedman,
Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog and New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad. Finland started with Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, Carolina forward Sebastian Aho and Colorado winger Mikko Rantanen. The Czech Republic selected Boston winger David Pastrnak, Tampa Bay winger Ondrej Palat and Columbus winger Jakub Voracek.
The tournament starts Feb. 9 in Beijing.
• The Colorado Avalanche announced that coach Jared Bednar tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the next two preseason games against the Dallas Stars. Assistant coaches Ray Bennett and Nolan Pratt will take his place on the bench, the team posted on Twitter.
• Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman was suspended for one preseason game and one regular-season game without pay for boarding Winnipeg Jets forward Jansen Harkins.
Court: Ronaldo lawsuit should be dismissed
A federal magistrate judge in Nevada sided with Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyers against a woman who sued for more than the $375,000 in hush money she received in 2010 after saying the international star raped her in Las Vegas.
In a scathing recommendation to the judge hearing the case, Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts blamed Kathryn Mayorga’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, for inappropriately basing the civil damages lawsuit on leaked and stolen documents shown to be privileged communications between Ronaldo and his lawyers.
“Dismissing Mayorga’s case for the inappropriate conduct of her attorney is a harsh result,” the magistrate wrote in his 23-page report to U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey. “But it is, unfortunately, the only appropriate sanction to ensure the integrity of the judicial process.”
“Stovall has acted in bad faith to his client’s — and his profession’s — detriment,” Albregts decided.
• English Premier League club Newcastle was sold to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a protracted takeover and legal fight involving concerns about piracy and rights abuses in the kingdom.
The 300-million-pound ($409 million) takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund initially collapsed last year over concerns about how much control the kingdom’s leadership would have in the running of Newcastle.
PIF has had to offer assurances to the Premier League that its chairman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and in turn the state will not have any control of the running of Newcastle.
• Leaders Brazil and second-place Argentina had uninspiring performances in their World Cup qualifying matches Thursday, but gained key competition points as they try to secure their direct spots for Qatar next year.
Playing without Neymar, Brazil won 3-1 at Venezuela, and Argentina had a scoreless draw at Paraguay.
Brazil trailed bottom-ofthe-table Venezuela until the 71st minute, when Marquinhos leveled the match in Caracas. Gabriel Barbosa scored the second goal from the spot in the 85th minute and substitute Antony scored the third from close range in added time.
Nets’ Irving ineligible for exhibition game
The Brooklyn Nets listed Kyrie Irving as ineligible to play in their home exhibition game today, another strong indication he has not met New York’s vaccination requirement.
Irving has not been with the Nets for any of their practices in New York, where professional athletes are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to practice or play.
The Nets are prevented by law from revealing whether he has been vaccinated, but listed him as “ineligible to play” in the injury report for their preseason game today against Milwaukee. There is nothing related to the NBA that would cause a player to have that designation.
Unless Irving is vaccinated, he would have to miss the Nets’ 41 home games and their two road games against the New York Knicks. The NBA has said he wouldn’t be paid for any of those games.