News

Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki takes batting practice, says he will be ready for post-season

BALTIMORE — Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki tested his injured shoulder by taking batting practice Monday and expects to return in time for the post-season.

Tulowitzki hasn't played since Sept. 12, when he cracked his scapula and bruised muscles in his upper back after colliding with teammate Kevin Pillar in a game against the Yankees.

After taking between 30 and 40 swings, Tulowitzki said, "Hitting is the last thing. This is pretty much the first time I have hit live."

Tulowitzki took a few cuts outside before a rain shower forced him to conclude the session indoors.

The Blue Jays obtained Tulowitzki from Colorado on July 28 in a multi-player deal. He's batting just .232 with the Blue Jays, but they're 30-8 with him in the starting lineup.

Manager John Gibbons says Tulowitzki could return sometime this week. The Blue Jays entered Monday's game against the Orioles with a magic number of four to clinch the AL East title.

Asked if he expected to be ready for the post-season, Tulowitzki replied, "Definitely."

The Associated Press

Grande Prairie RCMP looking to identify armed robbery suspect

IndyCar’s James Hinchcliffe returns to the track 4 months after life-threatening accident

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — James Hinchcliffe's smile and sense of humour were on full throttle Monday, four-plus months after life-threatening injuries put his IndyCar career on hold.

The Canadian returned to the cockpit with his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team for a test session at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile Road America course that is expected to host a June 2016 IndyCar race.

Hinchcliffe, a native of Oakville, Ont., was severely injured May 18 during an Indianapolis 500 practice crash. A broken part of suspension from Hinchcliffe's car pierced his upper left thigh, and safety crew members successfully kept the 28-year-old from bleeding to death as he was quickly taken to a hospital.

Besides two surgeries, Hinchcliffe said Monday that he also suffered a serious neck injury in the accident, and recently was cleared to "start training his neck."

Hinchcliffe's recovery was a long one, he didn't want to rush the process, and said doctors left decision-making up to their patient. He said all went smoothly, in and out of the car, during his morning test session.

"I wasn't going to lie just go get back in the car sooner," Hinchcliffe said. "I wanted to make sure when I was back, I was back for good. The first couple of runs, absolutely no ill effects whatsoever. Nothing's leaking. So I think we're all good to go."

Hinchcliffe admitted he had no nerves or hesitation with climbing back into the race car. The desire to get back to work was a motivating factor for many months. The racer was running his first full-time season with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015, after spending three seasons at Andretti Autosport.

Hinchcliffe is a five-year veteran in the open-wheel series, with four victories, including a win five weeks before his accident, in April, at an inaugural road course event in New Orleans.

"We're wired wrong," he said. "We're not right in the head, racing drivers in general. I probably should have felt more anxiety than I did. But it's what we do. It's our lives, it's our passion and nothing was going to keep me out of that car today. Absolutely nothing."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who is Hinchcliffe's good friend and an Andretti Autosport driver, said his former teammate has been upbeat and positive throughout his recuperation. Hunter-Reay was pleased to see that Hinchcliffe didn't miss a beat with his on-track pace.

"If you have a big wreck and you get right back in the race car, it's easy to put behind you," Hunter-Reay said. "But the months off and the rehabilitation and all of that, that's when it becomes hard to get back in the car, and that's when it's hard to get back up to speed and get every last ounce of speed out of the car. He did an excellent job with it today, and I can't say enough about what he's done with it. He's got a lot of heart."

Hinchcliffe said he's pumped to prepare to run at one of his favourite tracks. Next year's race at Road America will be the first for the IndyCar series since 2007. Practice and qualifying is scheduled June 24-25, and the race is set for June 26.

The event will mark Hinchcliffe's first at Road America in an IndyCar. He does have experience at the track, with a Pro Mazda race win at the circuit in 2005, competing in Atlantic races in 2006 to 2008, and running a Tudor car in 2014.

Hinchcliffe kept his emotions in check at Road America, considering the significance of his recovery, and said he might have a little cry Monday night away from the track.

But he had an ultimate goal with his four-plus months of his road to recovery: claiming the top podium spot.

"Winning again," Hinchcliffe said. "That's it. That's all of our motivations for getting up in the morning, for going to the guy, for going to engineering meetings, for coming testing. For everything."

Tamira Madsen, The Associated Press

Leafs change policy, media and broadcasters will not be on charter flights

TORONTO — The Maple Leafs' radio broadcast crew may call all 82 games from Toronto this season after the NHL club changed a travel policy over the summer. 

Longtime play-by-play announcer Joe Bowen and analyst Jim Ralph call the games for all-sports radio stations Sportsnet 590 The Fan and TSN Radio 1050, who split the coverage in the market. Bowen and Ralph will staff all 41 home games at Air Canada Centre but will not be taking the team charter to the 41 road games.

"We can confirm that we had a change in policy this season in that team charters will be for the team and that there will be no members of the media or our broadcast crew accompanying us on flights," Maple Leafs media relations director Steve Keogh said in an email.

A Toronto sports media blogger tweeted Sunday that the team was not willing to pay for travel costs, and a story link said the radio crew would call road games from a Toronto studio while watching on television. Bowen replied to the post on his Twitter feed.

"Unfortunately this is true. We will try to recreate the excitement and do the best we can," he said.

According to Forbes, the Maple Leafs were worth US$1.3 billion in 2014, topping the list of most valuable NHL franchises for a ninth straight year. 

The team has made several big changes since Brendan Shanahan was named president in April 2014. In addition to a number of roster moves, Mike Babcock was hired as head coach last spring and Lou Lamoriello was named general manager over the summer.   

TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. Sportsnet, meanwhile, is owned by Rogers Media, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. Bell and Rogers are competitors but they each hold a 37.5-per cent stake in Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL team. 

It wasn't immediately clear whether the radio stations would pay for the travel costs this season. A TSN spokesperson declined comment and a phone message left with a Rogers spokesperson wasn't immediately returned.

The Maple Leafs will begin the regular season on Oct. 7 at Air Canada Centre against the Montreal Canadiens.

 

 

The Canadian Press

With Petty backing, Ben Carson tells NASCAR fans Confederate flag OK on private property

RANDLEMAN, N.C. — Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Monday said NASCAR fans should continue flying the Confederate Flag, so long as it's on private property, as he received the informal endorsement of racing legend Richard Petty.

Petty's support marks a significant step for Carson, the only African-American in the crowded 2016 Republican field, as he navigates delicate political issues in a region that could play prominently in the selection of the next Republican presidential nominee.

The retired NASCAR driver appeared with the retired neurosurgeon Monday at a camp for disabled children established by Petty's foundation. While he shied away from a formal endorsement, Petty left little doubt about the significance of the appearance.

"We're hoping he's endorsing the camp, we're not necessarily endorsing him, but we are — you know what I mean?" Petty, in his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses, said in a brief interview with the Associated Press. He later posed for pictures aboard Carson's campaign bus.

"He's very humane," Petty said when asked what he liked about Carson. "That's one of his strong points as far as we're concerned."

Formal or not, Petty's support lends Carson some credibility in North Carolina and among a broader swath of Southern states set to play a key role in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia are expected to host Republican primary contests in the first week of March.

Carson has toured the country extensively in recent years, but in some ways, the Detroit native is still learning about the South.

He was cautious when asked to weigh in on Petty's recent comments on the Confederate Flag, a symbol of slavery for many African-Americans and southern pride for whites. The flag is often flown prominently by NASCAR fans before and after races around the country. Petty this summer called the flag debate "a passing fancy."

Carson told the AP that NASCAR fans should continue flying the flag "if it's private property and that's what they want to do."

He also acknowledged the flag remains "a symbol of hate" for many black people and compared it to the Nazi swastika.

"Swastikas are a symbol of hate for some people, too. And yet they still exist in museums and places like that," Carson said, describing the decision about flying the flag "a local issue." ''If it's a majority of people in that area who want it to fly, I certainly wouldn't take it down."

Carson, who has never held elected office, has surged in the polls by tapping into an aggressive anti-establishment sentiment roughly four months before the Iowa caucuses. He said he expects to raise $20 million for the fundraising quarter that ends this month, tangible evidence of his extraordinary appeal.

Yet he remains somewhat unknown compared to his Republican rivals, particularly billionaire businessman Donald Trump.

Julie Lopp, whose family owns Lexington Barbecue, where Carson and his team stopped for lunch Monday, said Trump is "a little bit too extreme."

She said she was still learning about Carson, but would likely support him or former technology executive Carly Fiorina in the Republican primary. "I just think he's honest," she said of Carson.

She also suggested there were white southerners who probably wouldn't support Carson because of his race.

"As much as people try to sound like they don't care, some people think a black president will look out for the black lifestyle," said Lopp, who worked in Lexington Barbecue for the last 36 years, adding that women like Fiorina would likely face discrimination from some voters as well.

Carson dismissed such comments with a shrug: "Racism exists everywhere," he said.

Meanwhile, his lack of experience in the South was apparent over lunch.

"What are these?" he asked his wife, pointing to a small fried morsel as they began to eat. "Hush puppies," she responded.

A spokesman later confirmed that Monday was Carson's first time eating hush puppies, a popular southern side dish.

Steve Peoples, The Associated Press

Look out! Here comes SpiderMable; pint-sized cancer patient lives out dream

EDMONTON — Six-year-old cancer patient Mable Tooke first learned about Spiderman in hospital and he quickly became her favourite superhero because, of course, they both have radioactive blood.

So when Mable got to choose anything from The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada, she dissed Disneyland and was set on spending a day swinging around Edmonton and fighting crime with the webbed wonder.

After she woke up Monday morning, she watched a spoof TV newscast in which Edmonton police called on SpiderMable to help save the city and rescue kidnapped Edmonton Oilers Captain Andrew Ference.

Her mother, Lisa Tooke, said Mable had to watch the news story twice because she wasn't sure if it was about her.

"At first that disbelief in her eyes and then a slow smile appears and then a big grin and then a 'Let's go!'"

Elizabeth LoPresti with the wish foundation said the elaborate event was the biggest the organization has ever pulled together. Ference, several police officers and Mayor Don Iveson all took part in the ruse, along with Spiderman himself, who acted as Mable's sidekick for the day and chatted with her about his life in New York City.

LoPresti said Mable's idea may have stemmed from a similar event held for Batkid, a five-year-old leukemia patient named Miles Scott, whose mission to save San Francisco in 2013 touched hearts around the world.

Dressed in her own caped-costume and mask, SpiderMable was whisked around the city by limo and joined Spiderman in various adventures, which included zip-lining through the waterpark at West Edmonton Mall to rescue the feline superhero Black Cat.

"We have a clue about where we're going to go next," the pint-sized superhero next told reporters after stopping for a pizza lunch.

"We're going to get some superhero training and then we're going to track down Mysterio and catch him."

She added that the experience was "pretty cool" but taking lots of energy.

Mable has been undergoing regular chemotherapy since she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013. While her prognosis is good, Mable's mother said the special day gave her a much-needed boost.

"She's getting close to the end of her treatment. It's become such an incredible drag."

Mable not only skipped her Grade 1 class on Monday but also her daily chemo pill, her mother said, since there was so much crime-fighting to do.

Her father, Neil Tooke, was astounded by the scale of the event and said he wasn't sure if Mable knew it was all a game.

"I don't know if she believes it or not but she's going along with it."

He hopes the day helped her "forget about the hospital, forget about procedures, just be a kid again."

Chris Purdy, The Canadian Press

Zombie Walk raises 150 pounds of food for women’s resource society

Campaign to ‘de-normalize’ suicide: some recommendations from Nunavut inquest

IQALUIT, Nunavut — Suicide is a long-running tragedy in Nunavut, where people kill themselves at 13 1/2 times the rate of the Canadian average. Here are some of the recommendations to come out of an inquest into the suicides of two people from Nunavut.

— The territorial government should immediately declare suicide to be a public health emergency in Nunavut

— The government should create a minister responsible for suicide prevention

— A secretariat on suicide prevention should be created and given adequate resources. It should report to the minister

— A public awareness campaign should be created to "de-normalize" suicide

— Suicide prevention curriculum materials should be introduced in schools

— Community grief support networks should be created

— A followup protocol should be established for people who unsuccessfully attempt suicide

— All three regions of Nunavut should have substance abuse treatment centres

— All levels of government should provide adequate, multi-year funding for suicide prevention

— The territorial government should recommit to the goals of Nunavut's 2010 suicide prevention strategy 

The Canadian Press

Notley hints at straying from federal NDP on cap-and-trade proposal

MONTREAL — A federal cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may not be suitable for Alberta, the province's NDP premier said Monday, one day after her federal counterpart proposed such a plan on the campaign trail.

Rachel Notley, on the first leg of a business trip to Montreal, New York City and Toronto, told executives and politicians that a national cap-and-trade system "may not be our best road forward."

She added that Alberta — whose economy is heavily dependent on the greenhouse gas-intensive oilsands — must get its act together to reduce emissions or risk having a "solution imposed on us" by the federal government and international resource markets.

On Sunday, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair proposed a national carbon trading system to combat man-made greenhouse gas emissions, which are considered by an overwhelming number of international scientists as the leading cause of climate change.

He said provinces would be allowed to opt out of a national scheme if their efforts are as good as or better, but didn't provide details.

"We're not going to replace something that's working," Mulcair said.

Notley said her province "may address climate change using different tools than Ontario and Quebec will use," referring to a deal between those provinces to work together to cut emissions with a cap-and-trade system.

While Notley didn't provide specific targets or details about her strategy, she said Alberta will move away from coal-fired plants — which she said account for 55 per cent of the province's electricity supply — and look into renewable energy, energy efficiency and some form of carbon pricing.

"We will be looking for a strategy to phase out the use of coal as quickly as we reasonably can," she said, adding she will "phase in change prudently, as our economy recovers," in recognition of the fact Alberta is likely to run at least a $5-billion deficit this year because of a drastic drop in oil prices.

But Notley said she recognizes her province needs to change the way it is perceived nationally and internationally regarding the fight against climate change — and soon.

"If we don't get it right on this issue, a solution is going to be imposed on us — sooner or later — by others. By the federal government, and by our markets, who will increasingly insist that energy products then buy be mined and processed responsibly."

Alberta's opposition party, Wildrose, decried the fact Notley didn't specifically mention major resource projects involving the oilsands, such as TransCanada's Energy East pipeline, which the company wants to build to move crude from Alberta through Ontario and Quebec to be shipped overseas.

"Working to promote Alberta is critical, and today would have been a great time to talk about the importance of Energy East to our economy here at home, and across Canada," Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said in a statement.

Energy East is a politically sensitive issue across Canada, particularly in Quebec, where opposition to the project is strong.

Notley took no questions after her speech.

 

Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press

All the buzz about leaner Lowry as Toronto Raptors prepare to open camp

TORONTO — Eyes turned and followed Kyle Lowry when he strode into the Air Canada Centre practice gym on Monday. Who's the skinny guy in Lowry's jersey, someone joked.

The Toronto Raptors' traditional season-opening media day had an air of newness. But nothing was as remarkable as the new and improved Lowry, who had teammates and media alike marvelling at his off-season metamorphosis.

"I see him in the locker-room the other day. And I'm like 'Man, I've never seen this before. You've always been this short, chunky, bulldog-fat kid that I've known since my first year in the NBA,'" Patrick Patterson recounted, prompting laughter from reporters. "I'm like 'Seeing you like this, it's like the evil twin brother or something. I don't know.'

"It's just weird but I'm happy for him. He looks great. Talking to him, he said he feels great so I'm proud of him."

The Raptors point guard is coming off a roller-coaster season that saw him earn NBA all-star honours then struggle down the stretch. The Raptors set a franchise record with 49 wins, and won the Atlantic Division title. But they were swept by the Washington Wizards in the opening round of the playoffs.

Lowry went into the off-season vowing to turn things around. His body was a big part of that. 

"Sometimes you get older, you've got to change your body a little bit. And I'm not a young pup no more, but it's just about the future for me, it's about being healthy," Lowry said.

The 29-year-old, who's listed at six foot one and 196 pounds, hired a nutritionist, and said he changed the way he ate. He wouldn't say how much weight he'd lost, but it was a couple of belt loops at least.

"None of my pants fit, I can tell you that much. Dead serious," he said.

The change was clear in his lean face, cut arms and narrow waist. 

"I feel faster, I feel a lot lighter, I feel quicker, I feel sharper. I still feel strong because when I go in the weight room, I still move the same weight I've always moved," he said — then added to a reporter: "I can still bench press you."

His wife is a fan.

"It's nice having abs, I can walk around with my shirt off, my wife's like 'wow.' She likes me," he said, laughing.

Lowry averaged 17.8 points a night last season, his best games coming before February's all-star game. His playoff numbers told the tale of his disappointing second half of the season: 12.3 points a game, down from 21.1 a year earlier.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes Lowry's fitness will help him sustain a high level of play throughout the season, and applauded his hard work.

"Believe me, Kyle put his nose to the grind and did that all himself. He's the one who had his own trainer. He had his own regimen that he went through this summer that most of our guys probably couldn't make it through," Casey said. "He ran the hills in Vegas, he did a lot of stuff that he did on his own.

"And my hat is off to him for doing that because he could've relaxed and took the summer off but he didn't. He knew what he had to do and he did it."

Like Patterson, DeMar DeRozan first learned of Lowry's transformation via a photo posted on Instagram.

"It was a shock, it was a shock to everybody, it was a shock to me so I made him come see me in L.A. to make sure it's real," DeRozan said. "That's big. That takes a lot of discipline, when you play at a certain size your whole career in the league, to be able to drop that much weight. When he came to see me in L.A. I didn't believe it when I seen him. But he did it.

"I think he's trying to be more athletic, trying to play above the rim or something. . . he's a lot quicker, a lot more aerodynamic," he added, with a devilish grin. 

The sting of last season's ugly ending lingered for a while for DeRozan and Lowry, but the two said the best thing to do was learn from it and move on.

"Nobody wanted to go out like that, especially with how we started off the season and expectations everybody had for us," DeRozan said.

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri certainly didn't want the team to go out like that, and thus made several off-season changes.

Among the new faces in camp, which opens Tuesday in Vancouver: forwards DeMarre Carroll and Luis Scola, and Canadians Cory Joseph and Anthony Bennett.

———

Follow Lori Ewing on Twitter @Ewingsports 

 

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press

Parents call death of three kids in car crash ‘worst nightmare’

VAUGHAN, Ont. — The parents of three young children who died in a crash involving an alleged drunk driver north of Toronto said Monday they are in shock and called it their "worst nightmare."

The children's mother, Jennifer Neville-Lake, who also lost her father in the crash, told Toronto television station CP24 the news hasn't fully sunk in yet.

"It's like the worst nightmare, as a daughter, as a parent, to have to go through and just know it was caused by someone's stupidity... It just kills me," she said.

Daniel Neville-Lake, 9, his brother Harrison, 5, and sister Milly, 2, died after the crash that took place Sunday afternoon in Vaughan, Ont.

Jennifer Neville-Lake said her father often took care of the children because she and her husband both work full time.

Daniel was devoted to dance, having taken ballet for several years, and went to Cubs meetings every week, his mother said. He loved to play strategy games, she said.

Harrison — nicknamed Harry — was a bilateral hand amputee and was often sick, Jennifer Neville-Lake said. He also had a developmental delay, she said.

"Harry was just so happy. He loved beauty, loved to dance, loved long flowing hair and dresses and pink and My Little Pony," she said.

Milly, she said, was "feisty" and loved to play outside.

The two youngest siblings died together in hospital, holding hands, as their grandmother — who was driving the van and suffered serious injuries — sang to them over the phone, Neville-Lake said.

"She didn't know that my dad had died," she said. "She was driving and was pinned in the car and was screaming the kids' names and she couldn't...there was no answer.

"At first she thought it was her hearing but it wasn't until I called her from Sick Kids and I said, 'Mommy the babies are dying, I need you to sing to them please,' so she did, she sang to each of them, and then she found out about my dad." 

Police said all were travelling in the same vehicle when their car was struck by another car. Fire officials said they were T-boned by the other car. A third vehicle was also involved in the crash but its two occupants were not injured.

A 29-year-old man was charged with a dozen impaired-driving offences and appeared briefly in court Monday. Marco Muzzo of King Township, Ont., also faces six charges related to the dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

He is due in court for a bail hearing Friday. Crown attorney Brian McCallion said he will be contesting Muzzo's release.

Muzzo's lawyer Rudi Covre would only say that his client is struggling.

"I'm sure you can appreciate that this is a very tough time for him," he said outside the courthouse after the hearing.

"It's a difficult period in his life right now. We're going to have to get through it."

The two boys were students at St. Joachim Elementary School in Brampton, Ont. — Daniel was in Grade 4 and Harrison in senior kindergarten, according to the school board.

Grief counsellors are at the Catholic school and Tuesday's mass will be dedicated to the siblings, spokesman Bruce Campbell said. A memory table has also been set up in the foyer for students to share their feelings and recollections, he said.

"It's obviously a shock," he said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people moved by the tragedy sought to help the family by donating to an online fundraiser in their name. By mid-afternoon Monday, more than $60,000 had been raised through the GoFundMe campaign.

Many expressed their condolences on the site.

"Such a sad story. I taught one of the boys a few years back in daycare and can't imagine this happening to such a wonderful, loving family," one woman wrote.

"I pray that this family can deal with this most horrific event. The loss of your father and all three of your children is absolutely heart-wrenching. My condolences xo," said another.

MADD Canada said there are somewhere between 1,250 and 1,500 deaths related to impaired driving in Canada each year. Andrew Murie, the organization's CEO, said both the federal and provincial governments need to increase penalties for impaired drivers.

The Canadian Press

New Raptors like the city but not the traffic gridlock that comes with it

Toronto's restaurants are already getting a thumbs-up from new Toronto Raptor DeMarre Carroll. But the city's traffic is definitely a downer.

"There's a lot of good food," the six-foot-eight 215-pound Carroll said Monday at the Raptors' media day. "I'm an Italian (food) guy myself, so I've been in a lot of restaurants.

"The people here are nice. Wherever I go, people say 'Hey, DeMarre.' So it's kind of cool, man, to have this many fans, have this many people who recognize you and understand what you did, and how much they love you."

Carroll joins the Raptors from Atlanta after stints with Memphis, Houston, Denver and Utah.

Argentine veteran Luis Scola, who had previous NBA stops in Houston, Phoenix and Indiana, also spoke highly of his new home.

"I think the city is amazing," he said. "I thought the city was amazing before I got here and I'm actually even more impressed with the city. I think it's probably the best city in the NBA to play (on).

"It has some challenges — the winter obviously, the traffic obviously — but those are challenges you have in all the cities of the north. And those are challenges you have in any big city. And I'm from Buenos Aires so I've dealt with traffic since I was born. So it doesn't really bother me that much.

"So I'm happy to be here. I believe it's going to be a great outside basketball experience for me and my family, especially for my family. They have a chance to live in another country and get to know another culture and get to know another city."

Rookie Delon Wright has also noticed the city gridlock.

"I like it so far, besides the traffic," said the 23-year-old guard from the University of Utah. "It's be better if I walk but I have a car now. But I like the city, I love it."

———

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

Senior boys volleyball team off to good start

Senators sign local defenceman Fraser to a one-year, two-way contract

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have signed defenceman Mark Fraser to a one-year, two-way contract.

The deal will carry an annual value of $800,000 in the National Hockey League and $125,000 in the American Hockey League.

Fraser, 28, spent time with both the New Jersey Devils and the AHL's Albany Devils last season, recording four assists and 55 penalty minutes over 34 games with New Jersey. The Ottawa native registered three points (one goal) and 45 penalty minutes in 18 games with Albany.

Fraser will add depth to the blue line after the Senators suspended young defenceman Mikael Wikstrand for leaving training camp and returning to Sweden.

Originally drafted by New Jersey with their third-round pick (84th overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft, Fraser has played in 219 career NHL games with the Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers.

Fraser appeared in two pre-season games with Toronto on a professional tryout before being cut.

The Canadian Press

Photos appear to show cut-down trees housing Bald Eagle nest near Site C

Brad Fast named director of hockey operations at Michigan State

Chilliwack officer, formerly of Chetwynd, honoured with National Award from MADD

Court adjourned to October for accused in Taylor death

Canadian women’s volleyball team off to good start at NORCECA championship