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Spezza gets hat trick to overshadow McDavid’s 1st NHL goal, Stars beat Oilers 4-2

DALLAS — Jason Spezza, 13 years into his NHL career, took the spotlight from the kid.

Spezza scored three goals, including the tiebreaker late in the third period, and the Dallas Stars spoiled Connor McDavid's first NHL goal with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.

Spezza's go-ahead goal for a 3-2 lead with 4:30 remaining came moments after Kari Lehtonen stopped Nail Yakupov on a breakaway. Lehtonen made his season debut after backing up Antti Niemi in the first two games.

"The breakaway save was a game-saver for us," Spezza said. "He stops the breakaway, we go down the other way and score. That's the hockey game. That's a huge save. Big time."

The Stars had 52 shots, their most since getting 55 in a 3-3 tie with Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 1995. Spezza finished off the hat trick with an empty-net goal.

Anders Nilsson made 48 saves in his first appearance for Edmonton, but he couldn't stop Spezza when the Dallas forward took a dump-off pass from Antoine Roussel in the slot.

"Credit to all the zone time we had," Spezza said. "It felt like we had the puck a lot tonight. Sometimes it follows you a little more. The power play we moved around pretty good. We didn't score a power-play goal, but we got good looks."

McDavid, the 18-year-old who was selected No. 1 overall in the June draft, scored in the second period to pull the Oilers even at 2 after they had fallen behind 2-0.

McDavid almost scored Edmonton's first goal when he appeared to tip a shot by defenceman Oscar Klefbom, who got credit for the goal.

But McDavid didn't have to wait much longer, redirecting a long shot by Andrej Sekera past Lehtonen less than 2 minutes later midway through the second period.

"It's something that I'll remember for the rest of my life," McDavid said. "But like you said, obviously, not the way you want to end that game but pretty special to get it right away."

McDavid struggled in the faceoff circle again, winning just three of nine to put him at 8 of 33 for the season. He had three shots in 16 minutes.

"Connor getting his goal was a nice reward," coach Todd McLellan said. "I know that he's been squeezing the stick tight and I'm sure that he's felt some pressure to score."

The quick scoring burst for Edmonton ended a 90-minute home scoreless streak to start the season for the Stars, who got a shutout from Niemi in the season opener. Lehtonen, the starter for five seasons in Dallas, finished with 26 saves after struggling in the preseason.

"Like I've said, we've asked him to try a few different things," coach Lindy Ruff said. "I said I have to be patient. I thought tonight he looked real good. There was nothing he could do about the first two goals."

Spezza opened the scoring late in the first period by sneaking a shot between Nilsson's pad and the left post on a shot with almost no angle along the boards not far from the goal line.

Jamie Benn, last season's Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's top scorer, put Dallas up 2-0 by easily beating Nilsson on a wraparound goal early in the second.

"There were a lot of guys that wanted the puck tonight," Dallas defenceman Alex Goligoski said. "So that's always fun to see when you look up the ice and four guys are looking at you screaming for it. Everybody was really focused and really wanted it tonight."

NOTES: Stars F Patrick Eaves left in the first period with a lower-body injury and didn't return. Ruff said Eaves would "miss some time." ... The Oilers opened the season with three road games for the second time in franchise history, and lost them all. They went 1-2-0 in 1986-87. ... 20-year-old Russian F Valeri Nichushkin, a 2013 first-round pick, was a healthy scratch for the Stars after a slow start to the season.

___

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the last time Dallas had as many as 52 shots. It was 55 shots in a 3-3 tie with Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 1995, not 52 in a 7-6 loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 3, 1990.

Schuyler Dixon, The Associated Press

Marcel de Jong scores as Canada draws Ghana 1-1 in international friendly

WASHINGTON — Marcel De Jong scored on a long-range strike in the first half as Canada drew 1-1 with Ghana on Tuesday night in an international friendly.

De Jong found the back of the net in the 29th minute, beating Ghana goalkeeper Razak Brimah.

Ghan's Albert Adomah would answer back before the end of the first half, getting a shot past Canadian 'keeper Kyriakos Stamatopoulos in the 44th minute.  

Junior Hoilett was one of six players making their debut for Canada at RFK Stadium.

"We're pleased that each and every one of the players that appeared tonight played with not just honour for the country but they played with a sense of pride and positive play," Canadian assistant coach Michael Findlay said. "In terms of performance we're very happy but we can't be satisfied as we didn't win the game."

Canada starts the first leg of a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Nov. 13 in Vancouver against Honduras. 

The Canadian Press

Kershaw ends post-season skid, pitches Dodgers past Mets 3-1 to send NLDS to Game 5 in LA

NEW YORK — Clayton Kershaw finally came through in October, just in time to save the Los Angeles Dodgers from another early exit.

Pitching on short rest with the season on the line, Kershaw shut down the New York Mets for seven innings and Justin Turner delivered a key hit against his former team that sent the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory Tuesday night and forced the NL Division Series to a deciding Game 5.

The series shifts back to Los Angeles on Thursday night, with fellow Dodgers ace Zack Greinke scheduled to start against Jacob deGrom. The winner hosts the wild-card Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series opener Saturday.

"Definitely happy to be going back home," Kershaw said. "They like us a little better there."

With Chase Utley on the bench again, the Dodgers handed hometown Mets rookie Steven Matz his first loss in the major leagues.

Kershaw's one-out single led to a three-run third. Adrian Gonzalez blooped an RBI single and Turner added a two-run double, providing enough support for the lefty ace.

The reigning NL MVP and three-time Cy Young Award winner snapped a five-start losing streak in the playoffs — the longest in Dodgers history.

"I'm actually really happy for him. I mean, this kid is tremendous. Everything that you're supposed to be, he is," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "This guy's an animal, the way he works, represents us, the game of baseball, himself. I mean, he's really a credit to the game, and so you're really happy for him to be able to do that tonight."

After dropping the series opener 3-1 to deGrom, Kershaw was 1-6 with a 4.99 ERA in 12 career post-season games, including nine starts. He lost elimination games each of the past two years, once on three days' rest.

But this time, Kershaw was just as dominant as he normally is during the regular season.

"There's no curse or anything," he said. "Just got to get through the seventh."

He struck out eight, walked one and yielded only three hits, quieting another revved-up crowd at Citi Field as the night wore on. Daniel Murphy hit his second solo homer off Kershaw in the series, both coming in the fourth inning.

Kenley Jansen got four outs for his second save. With two runners on in the eighth and the count full, he retired Murphy on a fly to right. The right-hander then worked a 1-2-3 ninth as the Dodgers ended a seven-game losing streak in road playoff games.

"I feel confident with Zack going in Game 5 back home," Kershaw said. "I really wanted to win tonight, definitely. For a lot of reasons, but obviously most important was just to give Zack a chance."

Kershaw improved to 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA in a trio of playoff starts on three days' rest. He has 23 strikeouts in 19 innings during those games.

With a $290 million payroll that's $66 million higher than any other team, the Dodgers are seeking their first pennant since winning the 1988 World Series. They've captured three straight NL West titles but won only one playoff series during that span — in part because Kershaw got little run support in four consecutive post-season losses to St. Louis.

But after Los Angeles allowed 13 runs to the Mets in Game 3, a Dodgers post-season record, Kershaw restored order when his team absolutely needed it.

The 24-year-old Matz was pitching in a big league game for the first time in 19 days after a balky back sidelined him late in the season. Still, he looked sharp early and snapped off several effective curveballs.

That same pitch caused him trouble, too.

Kershaw singled to left-centre on a 2-2 curve for the first hit of the game. With two outs, Howie Kendrick grounded a single up the middle and Gonzalez dumped an RBI single into centre.

Turner then lined a 2-0 curve into the left-field corner to make it 3-0, tormenting his former team yet again. Let go by the Mets after the 2013 season — they declined to offer him arbitration — he is 7 for 15 (.467) in the series with four doubles and three RBIs.

"Honestly, I never thought he'd be this good of a hitter. He's one of the best hitters in the game," Kershaw said. "We thought he'd be a great utility player, and he's turned out to be our 3-, 4-hole hitter and our starting third baseman. So can't say enough about him."

His next time up, Turner was intentionally walked.

"He's changed his batting style a little bit, but he's a good baseball player. He always has been. He did a great job while he was here. We root for him. We all cheered for him. We like him," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "So we're happy for him. He's got an opportunity to play every day in L.A. and he's making the most of it."

Matz grew up a Mets fan on Long Island, about 50 miles from Citi Field, and his family attended the game. He went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six major league starts this season, but the team saw enough to pitch him in the playoffs — in part because Matz threw gems to help clinch championships at Class A in 2013 and Double-A last year.

One of Matz's best outings came at Dodger Stadium, where he tossed six shutout innings of two-hit ball with eight strikeouts July 5 to win his second major league start.

This time, the left-hander was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth after giving up three runs and six hits.

"The one pitch I know he wants back is the pitch to Kershaw," Collins said. "We've got all the confidence in the world that if we get to the next round, he's going to be a part of that rotation."

PLAYOFF PERFORMER

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis extended his post-season hitting streak to 12 games, setting a franchise record. He has hit safely in 15 of 16 career playoff games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: Slumping C Yasmani Grandal (left shoulder) was available off the bench after he "kind of pinched something" in his last at-bat Monday night, manager Don Mattingly said. Ellis was scheduled to catch Kershaw anyway, with a lefty on the mound for the Mets.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Greinke allowed a pair of solo homers during a 5-2 victory in Game 2. He went seven innings and struck out eight without a walk. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA in eight post-season starts. He was 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA this season, the lowest in the majors since Atlanta ace Greg Maddux posted a 1.63 mark in 1995. Los Angeles went 43-22 this season in starts by Kershaw and Greinke, and the duo combined to go 35-10 with a 1.90 ERA.

Mets: Making his post-season debut last Friday at Dodger Stadium, deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings. Last season's NL Rookie of the Year struck out 13, matching Tom Seaver's franchise record for a post-season game.

Mike Fitzpatrick, The Associated Press

Colton Parayko scores first two NHL goals to lead Blues past Flames

CALGARY — Colton Parayko scored his first two NHL goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Playing his third-career game, the 22-year-old defenceman broke a 2-2 tie at 4:47 of the second period on a 55-foot wrist shot that eluded Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller.

The goal came on the first man advantage of the game for the Blues (2-1-0), who had been shorthanded four times in the first period.

The St. Alberta, Alta., native, who had family in attendance, then gave the Blues some insurance with 32 seconds left in the second on another long shot from the same distance, this one changing directions slightly on the way and slipping under Hiller's arm.

It was the third-straight goal for St. Louis, which entered the period down 2-1 but tied it at 2:49 when Troy Brouwer scored on a breakaway. Scottie Upshall also scored for the Blues.

Mason Raymond, Jiri Hudler and David Jones scored for Calgary (1-2-0). The Flames, who fell to 0-2 on home ice, are back in action Friday night in Winnipeg against the Jets.

Calgary was held to just 10 shots through 40 minutes, but got back to within one 1:42 into the third period on a bad turnover deep in his own end by Blues captain David Backes. Michael Frolik quickly fed Jones, who fired his first of the year behind Brian Elliott. Backes broke his stick over the net afterwards in frustration.

The Flames weren't able to find the equalizer despite a late push in the final couple minutes.

Elliott had 15 saves to improve to 2-0-0 on the season. Hiller turned aside 24 shot in falling to 1-1-0.

The Blues have dominated the Flames in recent years going 7-0-1 in their last eight games. During that span, St. Louis hadn't trailed in a game to the Flames until Raymond scored 1:14 into the first period on the first shot of the game.

Calgary got three consecutive power plays in the first period but were unable to take advantage and were held to one shot. Upshall was able to reverse the trend and tied it at one at 16:46.

The Flames retook the lead at 17:31, finally converting on a power play. Johnny Gaudreau collected his fifth point of the season by setting up Hudler.

The Blues continue their six-game road trip Thursday night in Edmonton against the Oilers.

Notes: St. Louis lost defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk (lower body) in the second period and Calgary left-winger Lance Bouma (lower body) also hobbled off the ice and never returned in the second. ... Referee Brad Meier worked his 1,000th NHL game. He was honoured in a pre-game ceremony. ... Scratches for the Flames were RW Josh Jooris and G Joni Ortio. ... Rookie Robby Fabbri (concussion) did not dress for St. Louis.

Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press

RCMP investigate death in Grande Prairie

Sheriff: Former NBA star Lamar Odom found unresponsive at Nevada brothel, hospitalized

PAHRUMP, Nev. — Authorities say former NBA and reality TV star Lamar Odom has been hospitalized after he was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel.

Nye County Sheriff Sharon A. Wehrly says the department got a call Tuesday afternoon requesting an ambulance for an unresponsive man at the Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada about 70 miles outside of Las Vegas.

A sheriff's statement says Odom was stabilized and taken to Desert View Hospital in nearby Pahrump.

Officials then tried to have him flown to a Las Vegas hospital, but he was too tall for the helicopter that was available and he was driven by ambulance.

There was no further word on Odom's condition.

The 35-year-old retired from the NBA in 2013 and saw reality TV fame through his four-year marriage to Khloe Kardashian.

The Associated Press

Former NBA star Lamar Odom found unresponsive at Nevada brothel, hospitalized

PAHRUMP, Nev. — Sheriff says former NBA star Lamar Odom found unresponsive at Nevada brothel, hospitalized.

The Associated Press

City looks at introducing new water and sewage rates

CP NewsAlert: Oilers forward Connor McDavid scores first NHL goal

DALLAS — Connor McDavid has scored his first-career NHL goal.

The 18-year-old Oilers superstar, who was drafted first overall in the 2015 NHL draft, beat Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen in the second period to tie the game 2-2 for Edmonton.

More coming.

The Canadian Press

Michael Hutchinson’s 40 saves propels Jets to 4-1 win over Rangers

NEW YORK — Brian Little scored twice and Michael Hutchinson made 40 saves to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Stuart each added a goal for Winnipeg, which improved to 3-1-0. The victory ended a four-game road trip to begin the season for the Jets.

Despite being outshot 20-8 in the period, the Jets went into the second intermission with a 2-1 lead thanks to Little's short-handed goal at 18:49. Little, whose 52 points were third most on the Jets last season, one-timed a feed from Jacob Trouba.

His power play goal at 10:35 of the third period sealed the game for the Jets, who handed New York its first loss of the season.

Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves.

Mats Zuccarello scored New York's lone goal.

The Rangers actually led 1-0 when Zuccarello's third goal of the season opened the scoring 6:45 into the game. The sequence began with Rick Nash harassing Blake Wheeler into an offensive zone turnover. Nash dumped it to Derick Brassard, who quickly found an uncovered Zuccarello.

The advantage lasted for all of 46 seconds.

Ehlers tied the game 1-1 with a power play strike from above the right faceoff circle.

Stuart's empty netter at 17:56 ended the scoring.

NOTES: Winnipeg scratched defencemen Paul Postma and Ben Chiarot, and right wing Anthony Peluso. New York scratched right wings Jesper Fast and Emerson Etem, and defenceman Dan Boyle. The only Ranger not to play in the first four games of the season is Etem, who was acquired in a draft day trade from Anaheim. "I would say we're going to look for an opportunity to put him in the lineup," New York coach Alain Vigneault said during his pregame press conference. "I'm not exactly sure when that's going to be." ... Vigneault noted defenceman Kevin Klein would get to play on New York's man advantage units. "(He's) got a good shot, a heavy shot," Vigneault said, before joking, "I'm not the smartest guy in the world."

Denis P. Gorman, The Associated Press

Fleischmann’s goal lifts unbeaten Canadiens to 3-2 victory over winless Penguins

PITTSBURGH — Tomas Fleischmann finished off an odd-man rush with his first goal of the season early in the third period to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.

Fleischmann scored off a feed from David Desharnais and Carey Price made it stand up as Montreal improved to 4-0. Max Pacioretty scored twice for the Canadiens. Price finished with 31 saves as Montreal wrapped up a perfect four-game road trip to start the season.

Beau Bennett and Kris Letang scored for Pittsburgh, which dropped to 0-3. Phil Kessel picked up an assist in his home debut with the Penguins, who picked the All-Star forward up over the summer in a blockbuster trade with Toronto.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots for the Penguins, who are winless through three games for the first time since 2005.

Twice Pittsburgh rallied from one-goal deficits to tie it but had no answer after Fleishmann finished a rush that started when Pittsburgh rookie forward Sergei Plotnikov appeared to be tripped by Desharnais in the Montreal zone, springing the Canadiens. Fleischmann ended it by easily slipping a pass from Desharnais by Fleury.

Price, the reigning MVP, kept the Penguins at bay, including a beautiful glove save on Sidney Crosby with 2:17 to go in which the goaltender smothered the one-timer with his glove and left pad while lying on his stomach.

The Penguins spent the off-season acquiring a marquee talent to pair with Crosby and bolstering the bottom six in hopes of reducing some of the load off their stars. While coach Mike Johnston expected it to take time for things to gel, he didn't expect to watch his team to slog through a pair of listless losses on the road in which the Penguins managed all of one goal in six periods.

Johnston preached the importance of a better start, but playing the first meaningful game at home in six months seemed to do little to jolt the Penguins to life.

Montreal's smothering defence didn't help.

Pacioretty gave the Canadiens the lead 5:46 into the game, taking a cross ice feed from Brendan Gallagher then firing a shot from between the circles and beating a late-arriving Fleury. The Penguins produced just four shots in the first 20 minutes, including a wrister at the end of a two-on-one from Crosby that signalled the two-time MVP's first shot on goal of the season.

Bennett tied it 5:31 into the second, creating a takeaway at one end then beating Price with a shot over the goaltender's right shoulder. Pacioretty put Montreal back in front just over three minutes later with a power-play goal from the right circle, the puck glancing off Fleury's glove on its way to the net.

Letang knotted it again just past the game's midway point with a fluttering wrister that Price couldn't quite pick up. Evgeni Malkin and Kessel picked up the assists — the first of the season by an Penguin — but Price settled down and Montreal's red-hot start continued when Fleischmann slid the puck by Fleury early in the third.

NOTES: Montreal scratched defencemen Greg Pateryn and Jarred Tinordi as well as winger Paul Byron. ... Pittsburgh scratched forward Bobby Farnham and defencemen Adam Clendening and Tim Erixon. ... The Penguins host Ottawa on Thursday. ... Montreal play the New York Rangers in the home opener at the Forum on Thursday.

Will Graves, The Associated Press

Pelosi, Kiesewetter score as U.S. eliminates Canada from qualifying for Rio

SANDY, Utah — Marc Pelosi and Jerome Kiesewetter scored as the United States shut out Canada's under-23 soccer team 2-0 on Tuesday night in a CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

The loss eliminates Canada's chances of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The U.S. will face Colombia in a home-and-away series in March with the winner moving onto Rio.

The U.S. got on the board in the 69th minute after a corner kick went off a pair of players in front of the net before reaching Pelosi just outside the box. His shot was deflected off Canada's Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare and into the net.

Kiesewetter gave the U.S. a two-goal lead in the 84th minute when he was awarded a penalty shot after being taken down in the box by Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. Kiesewetter made no mistake — putting his shot into the right-hand corner of the net.

The United States pressured the Canadians for the majority of the match, forcing Canada to play some tough defence.

Canada went down a man in the 45th minute when Giuliano Frano received his second yellow card of the game and a subsequent ejection after a challenge on Pelosi.

Crepeau made some big stops in the 61st minute with the Americans pressing, coming out to poke the ball loose from U.S. striker Jordan Morris. Crepeau followed that up in the 81st with another nice save — punching a Pelosi shot over the net.

One of Canada's better chances in the second half came in the 55th minute when forward Michael Petrasso took on four Americans on the right wing. 

The Canadians reached the third-place game after falling 2-0 to Mexico in the semifinal. The Mexicans and Honduras guaranteed themselves a spot in next summer's Olympic Games as the tournament's top two teams. Mexico and Honduras played for gold later on Tuesday.

The Canadian Press

City Council working out Application for Peace River Agreement

B.C. court hears Harper ad concerns lawyer for mentally ill man who killed kids

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Stephen Harper made a mistake in an election ad when he linked criminality to a mentally ill man's actions, says the family of three children killed by their father.

But defence lawyers for Allan Schoenborn allege the Conservative leader's statement was deliberately scripted.

In the ad, Harper raises Schoenborn's case and says his party puts public safety first "in deciding how to treat criminals like that."

Schoenborn stabbed his 10-year-old daughter and smothered his eight and five-year-old sons at their Merritt home in April 2008.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled in February 2010 that Schoenborn was "not criminally responsible" on account of a mental disorder.

Dave Teixeira, who speaks for Darcie Clarke, the children's mother, defended the minute-long commercial that aired last week while Harper was campaigning in B.C. 

"Certainly, the prime minister misspoke because Schoenborn is not a criminal," Teixeira said Tuesday. "He was found not criminally responsible."

The ad has drawn the ire of mental health experts, who say it stigmatizes mentally ill Canadians. They have argued that the new law, Bill C-14, would instead create new dangers by dissuading people from getting proper treatment.

Teixeira said the family is also against stigmatizing the mentally ill and they have no political leanings, but disagree Harper's tactics are political opportunism.

"It's not surprising any party would try to highlight the good work they have done."

Schoenborn's lawyers say Harper is using their client as a political pawn in the final stretch of a contested campaign.

"It's at best a very disingenuous position to take, and it's at worst a completely cynical manipulation of a very tragic case," Rishi Gill said outside court.

"He is not a criminal, although he committed a horrendous act. He is a mentally disordered offender and he should be treated as such."

Gill referenced the contradictory broadcast during a brief court hearing Tuesday. He told a judge that Harper's comments during an election show the case's "unique" importance.

"You don't need to make your arguments now," Justice Martha Devlin said. "I understand the significance of it."

The B.C. Review Board, which has custody of Schoenborn while he is being held in a psychiatric hospital, has repeatedly said public safety is its top priority in plans for his rehabilitation.

Officials for Harper did not reply to requests for comment.

The controversial radio ad was broadcast while court proceedings are underway that could block Schoenborn from receiving treatment deemed beneficial by his doctors.

The children's family opposes escorted day passes that an independent tribunal granted as part of Schoenborn's rehabilitation. 

Crown lawyers want to apply new Conservative legislation that would reverse the community outings, label the man a "high-risk" accused and lock him up indefinitely.

At the next court date scheduled for Nov. 4, Schoenborn's lawyers plan to argue that Bill C-14 should not apply to their client because it was passed more than four years after the verdict.

— Follow @TamsynBurgmann on Twitter

Tamsyn Burgmann, The Canadian Press

Cubs clinch post-season series at Wrigley Field for 1st time, beat Cardinals 6-4 to win NLDS

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs clinched a post-season series at Wrigley Field for the first time ever, getting home runs from Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez in beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Tuesday to win the NL Division Series in four games.

A day after hitting a post-season-record six homers, the Cubs hammered their way into the NL Championship Series by taking the best-of-five set before a rollicking crowd.

Manager Joe Maddon's bunch of wild-card Cubs will face the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Mets matchup. The Mets took a 2-1 lead into Game 4 Tuesday night.

The Cubs last reached the NLCS in 2003, when they lost in seven games to the Marlins. Chicago dropped those final two at home, including the infamous Bartman defeat in Game 6.

Wrigley Field hosted its first Cubs game in 1916, eight years after they last won the World Series.

Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press

2 new films scrutinize Brazil’s World Cup legacy; both conclude event was harmful for Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO — Last year's World Cup in Brazil may have been the "cup of cups" for soccer fans, but for Brazilian taxpayers, who forked out some $11.5 billion for the month-long tournament, its legacy has proven negative, according to two new films.

"Brazil vs. Brazil" and "The March of the White Elephants" show the dark underbelly of the mega-event, which saw thousands of poor people removed from their homes and billions poured into state-of-the-art stadiums, some of which are now being used as parking lots or wedding venues. The critical documentaries, which screened at the Rio Film Festival that closes Wednesday, come as Brazil enters the final stretch before next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and amid an unfurling corruption crisis at World Cup organizer FIFA.

"I think it was terrible for Brazilians," said Laura Colucci, a Sao Paulo native who co-produced "White Elephants" along with her South African husband, Neil Brandt.

"They felt betrayed, they felt embarrassed, they felt defeated," said Colucci, adding that the harm wrought by the tournament has gone well beyond Brazil's 7-1 pummeling by Germany in the semi-finals.

In the year leading up to the 2014 tournament, many Brazilians were angered by the spiraling costs of preparations and the chronically woeful state of the country's public schools and hospitals. Thousands took to the streets in the biggest protests in a generation. Once the ball started rolling, however, most here left politics aside, embracing Brazil's five-time champion national team and the chance to host soccer's biggest event.

The documentary directors come from very different backgrounds. "Brazil vs. Brazil" is by celebrated Brazilian director Marcos Prado, who produced the 2007 police drama "Elite Squad," while "White Elephants" is by Australian documentarian Craig Tanner. However, both reach similar conclusions about what hosting the World Cup meant for Brazil.

Both films draw on interviews with similar sources, including anti-World Cup activists, academics, politicians and people who were forced out of their homes to make way for stadiums and other infrastructure.

Taxpayers, the films show, ended up stuck with the bill for stadiums that cost several times their initial estimates. Some were built in cities such as the remote agricultural capital of Cuiaba, which does not have a first-division soccer team. In some cities, including Rio, slum dwellers were pushed out of their homes, in principle to make room for parking lots or other facilities.

And with World Cup tickets out of the price range for most in this middle income nation, local spectators were overwhelmingly from the country's elite, exacerbating the divide between rich and poor in this most unequal of societies.

Today, without permanent tenants, those so-called "white elephant" stadiums are now playing host to the occasional wedding or are parking lots.

The only real winner from the 2014 World Cup, the films suggest, was FIFA. The Zurich, Switzerland-based not-for-profit posted revenues of nearly $5 billion off the Brazil World Cup.

FIFA didn't respond to a request for comment on the films.

Images of top Brazilian officials including President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inacio Luiz da Silva, embracing FIFA head Josep Blatter and other FIFA top brass drew groans from the crowds at the Rio Film Festival.

Both the FIFA officials and the Brazilian leaders have suffered major reversals of fortune since the World Cup. Criminal probes on two continents into allegations of large-scale corruption helped forced last week's suspension of Blatter, who had reigned over FIFA for 17 years.

In Brazil, Rousseff's political future appears uncertain amid a tanking economy and a spiraling investigation into corruption at the state-run oil giant at Petrobras that's ensnared lawmakers from her governing Workers' Party.

"There is nothing in the film that's new — not one scrap of information in there that's not publically available with a Google search," said Brandt, co-producer of "White Elephants." ''But when you join all the dots together, that's the eureka moment."

____________

Follow Jenny Barchfield on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jennybarchfield

The Associated Press

Video surfaces in abduction of Canadians in Philippines

Two men who identify themselves as Canadians taken hostage last month in the Philippines have appeared at gunpoint in a video that is circulating online.

One man introduces himself as Robert Hall who says he is OK, but in grave danger.

Another says he is John Ridsdel and urges the Canadian government to help the hostages.

Canadians Hall and Ridsdel, a Norwegian man and a Filipina woman were taken hostage by gunmen from the Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort on Samal Island in the Philippines in September.

Another man identifies himself in the video as the Norwegian hostage while the woman doesn't say a word.

All four are surrounded by masked men armed with guns and machetes.

The two Canadians appeal to the Canadian and Philippine governments to stop military operations.

One masked man says he wants the Canadian and Philippine governments to stop the bombings before negotiations can begin.

The masked man did not identify himself or say which group he was with.

The abductions last month from the southern Philippine resort were a reminder of the long-running security problems that have hounded a region with bountiful resources, but hamstrung by poverty and an array of insurgents and outlaws.

Among the suspects were the Abu Sayyaf group, a brutal al-Qaida-linked organization that has pulled off mass kidnappings for ransom in the last 15 years.

The Deparment of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa says it is aware two Canadians were taken hostage in the Philippines and that Canadian officials are in contact with Filipino authorities.

 

The Canadian Press

Police seek mother, son in Dodger Stadium fight that critically injured fan

LOS ANGELES — Two people suspected of critically injuring a man outside Dodger Stadium are believed to be a mother and son, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday.

Police declined to release the ages of the mother and son or discuss what precipitated the fight on Friday night, but Beck said detectives were reviewing video that captured the assault in hopes of tracking the pair down.

The man injured in the fight was in critical condition at a hospital. Detectives were hoping to interview him Tuesday for more details about what happened, Beck said.

The fight happened in a stadium parking lot after the Dodgers lost the opening game of the National League Division Series to the New York Mets, 3-1. It began with an argument and quickly escalated into violence, police said.

Beck declined to discuss whether the injured man and the suspects knew each other, or whether they were rooting for opposing teams.

Beck called the assault very unusual, saying that stadium security has been significantly enhanced since a 2011 beating that left San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow with brain damage.

"Anyone who goes to games now sees uniformed officers inside the venue as well as outside the venue, particularly for championship games or key rivalries," Beck said. "But it is a big facility, and you can't be everywhere all the time."

Beck urged anyone who saw or recorded the incident to contact police.

Should the Mets return to Los Angeles for a Game 5 on Thursday, Beck said police will have a strong presence at the stadium, "particularly with the tensions between the two teams right now, and the fans obviously."

"There's been a significant amount of rivalry here — a lot at stake," he said.

Police said fan expulsions were higher than usual at Friday's game though they didn't have specific figures.

Dodger spokesman Steve Brener said Tuesday that the team had no comment.

Security at Dodger Stadium came under national scrutiny after a 2011 attack in the parking lot on opening day left Stow with brain damage. Two men — Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez — pleaded guilty in the beating and went to prison.

Stow sued the Dodgers and their former owner Frank McCourt, blaming them for the attack because of insufficient security and lighting. A jury faulted the team, along with Sanchez and Norwood, and awarded Stow nearly $18 million after a six-week trial in 2014.

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Amanda Lee Myers, The Associated Press

Dawson Creek RCMP respond to several vehicle thefts