Hit ‘n Run

Hockey Night in Barrie

BARRIE — Prime Minister Stephen Harper dropped the puck Aug 12 to start off Hockey Night in Barrie, a fundraiser for the southern Ontario city’s Royal Victoria Hospital cancer care centre.

Clipboard in hand, Harper then joined Don Cherry of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada behind the bench as the game got underway.

The prime minister coached the blue team, which won the game 11-8.

Earlier in the evening, the professed hockey fan got a healthy round of applause from the thousands of people who packed the arena for the charity match.

“What other country in the world would you have 5,000 people come out on a hot ... night in a cold rink to support a great charity?” Harper told the cheering crowd. “Isn’t this great?”

But he was soon eclipsed by the deafening roar when Cherry’s name was called.

“Cherry! Cherry!” the crowd chanted.

As Harper soon discovered, it's hard to compete when there are hockey stars in the room.

The game featured over 20 former and current NHL players, including Wendel Clark, Darcy Tucker and Shayne Corson.

They were joined on the ice by Conservatives Peter MacKay and Dean Del Mastro, as well as former Olympic skater Kurt Browning and singer Michael Burgess, who belted out the national anthem.

Garret McMullen, 12, who lost his mother to cancer over a year ago, was by the prime minister's side during the opening ceremony. “I’d really like to help find a cure for cancer, and I just think I’d really make my mom proud doing this,” he said.

Former NHLers Mike Gartner and Steve Thomas also played during the fundraiser, which raised $200,000 for the centre.

Guy Lafleur acquitted

MONTREAL — Quebec’s highest court has acquitted former NHL hockey star Guy Lafleur, earlier convicted of giving contradictory testimony at his son's sexual assault and forcible confinement trial.

A panel of three judges at the Quebec Court of Appeal announced the unanimous decision on Aug 17 in Montreal.

In a written statement, Lafleur’s lawyer Louis Belleau said his client is delighted by the decision, given his “bitter” experience with the judicial system.

Last year, Lafleur was found guilty of a charge of providing contradictory testimony under oath during his son Mark's bail hearing in 2007, and received a suspended sentence and a criminal record.

The conviction carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail. Lafleur was also ordered to make a $10,000 donation to a drug rehabilitation centre, and pay a $100 fine.

Guy Lafleur was asked to testify at his son’s bail hearing after he agreed to supervise him and ensure he abided by court orders during his trial.

During his testimony, Lafleur told the court that Mark was respecting his curfew while he lived with his parents in Ile-Bizard, a suburb of Montreal. But Lafleur failed to mention that he drove Mark twice to a nearby hotel in order for his son to visit with his girlfriend.

The hockey great eventually mentioned the two hotel visits in subsequent court proceedings, prompting the charge against him.

Lawyers representing the Hall of Fame player argued that the charge was not warranted because the judge overseeing Mark Lafleur’s bail hearing did not take into consideration that their client thought the curfew only applied to hours, and not location.

The Quebec Court of Appeal agreed.

Hilary Duff weds NHL’s Comrie

LOS ANGELES — Actress Hilary Duff tied the knot on Aug 14 with Mike Comrie, a free agent hockey player who last played for the Edmonton Oilers.

The pair, who were engaged in February, sealed the deal in an intimate 100-person ceremony, which was held at a California mansion around sunset, according to MTV.

Audiences met the former child star as “Lizzie McGuire,” the lead role in the television series of the same name, and have watched her grow up over the years.

Duff, 22, has also succeeded as a singer and business woman, while Comrie, 29, has cut the ice playing professional hockey in the NHL.

Former CFLer Ledbetter denied bail

OTTAWA — Ex-CFL quarterback Cody Ledbetter was denied bail Aug 13.

The former Hamilton Tiger-Cat has been in jail on charges of assault causing bodily harm and uttering a threat after a July 31 altercation with his girlfriend in Ottawa.

Ledbetter, 37, surrendered to police a week earlier and faces deportation to the United States.

He was a backup quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers until he retired in 2002.

In 2005, Ledbetter pleaded guilty to two counts of having sex with a 16-year-old girl from the high school in Alvarado, Texas, where he was a coach. He was given 10 years probation.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Ledbetter fled the U.S. in 2009 when it appeared his probation would be revoked; a warrant was issued in January.

The sheriff’s office in Johnson County, Texas, put him on the top of its most-wanted list in March.

Ledbetter was serving 10 years of probation after pleading guilty in 2005 to two counts of having an improper relationship with a female student, but later fled to Ottawa, breaking the terms of his probation.

After quitting the CFL, Ledbetter is reported to have taken a job as an assistant football coach at a high school in Texas.

He is also facing two counts of indecency with a child dating back to 2004.

Lopes-Schliep wins London event

LONDON — In the best performance of the London Grand Prix track and field meet, Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep won the women’s 100-metre hurdles.

Lopes-Schliep captured the gold at the UK event Aug 13.

The Whitby, Ont, hurdler raced to an impressive 12.52 seconds, a meet record for the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist. Lopes-Schliep also posted the fastest time of the season.

Australian Sally Pearson finished second in 12.61 while American and world indoor champion LoLo Jones came third in 12:66.

Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont, finished a distant seventh in 12.96.

Facing possibly the deepest field in all of track, Lopes-Schliep got off to a strong start but remained behind Pearson, the Olympic silver medallist. Undaunted, the Canadian began to make up ground before passing the Aussie for good in the latter part of the race.

The victory puts Lopes-Schliep into a first-place tie with Jones (14 points) in the Diamond League standings.

Probert autobiography to be published

DETROIT — The family of Bob Probert has decided to publish the memoir the longtime NHL enforcer was working on prior to his death.

Tough Guy, due to be published Oct. 26, will recount Probert’s career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, when he was one of the most feared players in the game, and also delve into his off-ice troubles.

Probert was co-writing the book with Kirstie McLellan Day at the time of his death. He died of a heart attack in July at the age of 45 while boating with his family on Lake St. Clair.

“He was really excited and happy about the opportunity to tell it like it really was — behind the headlines,” Dani Probert, his widow, said in a statement released Aug 13 by publisher HarperCollinsCanada. “After much deliberation, my family and I have decided to fulfil Bob's dream and publish the book.”

Probert is survived by his wife and four children.

Cohon backs Ticats in stadium dispute

HAMILTON — CFL commissioner Mark Cohon threw his Cohon threw his support behind the Ticats owner on Aug 11, one day after Hamilton city council voted to build a new downtown stadium for the 2015 Pan Am Games at a site the club opposed.

“I look at this as the commissioner of the CFL, and having known Bob Young for years, what Bob is trying to achieve is a long-term vision for the Tiger-Cats,” Cohon told CBC Sports. “He adopted a franchise that was essentially bankrupt. He's been the caretaker of that franchise and invested millions of his own dollars to help that franchise. The light at the end of the tunnel is a new stadium that will help him and help the fans for future generations.”

The Ticats’ future has been the hot topic of discussion since Young, who bought the team in 2003, withdrew his team’s support for a new stadium in the city. The plan for the new stadium would have seen the facility play host to some of the 2015 Pan Am Games before becoming home to the CFL club.

Young's refusal to support the downtown facility potentially leaves the Ticats without a home after next season, when their current lease at Ivor Wynne Stadium expires.

Young had promised $15 million toward the new facility, with an additional $59 million in other funds if the CFL club managed the stadium and if it was built in the East Mountain area of the city.

Despite the city council vote, there are still hurdles to overcome before ground is broken, and Cohon thinks the city should consider the Ticats before making a final decision on the location of the stadium.

“The fact of the matter is this is also about a legacy program,” Cohon said. “It’s about having a legacy tenant. It's not about building a 15,000-seat stadium with no anchor tenant that is only going to be used for two weeks during the Pan Am Games. We’re talking about a 141 years of history with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This is not going to be resolved in one or two days. We need to step back and understand that there are a lot more things that have to take place in the coming weeks and months.”

Cohon also played down speculation that the Ticats could relocate if a new stadium deal is in place that suits the CFL’s club needs.

“I’m not going to speculate as to whether we're going to move the franchise,” Cohon stated. “We all want to find a way to resolve this so that there is a stadium that works for the Tiger-Cats, the city and the Pan Am Games.”

Rodriguez hits 600th homer

NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez hit the 600th home run of his career Aug 4, snapping a 46-at-bats funk without a homer by drilling a 2-0 pitch from Toronto’s Shaun Marcum over the centre-field fence at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez’s two-run homer helped the Yankees defeat the Blue Jays 5-1.

The third baseman raised a hand slightly in triumph as he rounded the bases in the bottom of the first inning and was congratulated by Yankees captain Derek Jeter at home plate, three years to the day after he swatted his 500th homer.

Rodriguez, who also halted an 0-for-17 skid at the plate, received kudos from his other teammates and emerged from the New York dugout for a curtain call. He also tipped his cap to the Yankees faithful when he took the field in the second.

He joins a select group, becoming just the seventh player in major-league history to hit 600 home runs. Rodriguez is also the second Yankee to achieve the feat, joining Babe Ruth, who hit 714 long balls. Barry Bonds leads with 762.

At 35, A-Rod is the youngest player to hit 600 home runs. Ruth accomplished the feat at 36 years, 196 days. The Sultan of Swat did it in fewer games, though — 2,044 to 2,227 for Rodriguez.

The pursuit of the home run record gets lucrative now. As part of his 10-year, US$275-million, 10-year deal signed after opting out of his contract during the 2007 World Series, Rodriguez can earn up to $30 million more for six milestone homers. The first would tie Willie Mays. He would get $6 million more each time for matching Ruth, Aaron and Bonds and breaking the record.

Rodriguez hit No. 100 in August 1998 with Seattle, No. 200 in May 2001 and No. 300 in April 2003 with Texas. His 400th home run came on June 8, 2005, against Milwaukee during his second season with the Yankees.

Pettersson wins Canadian Open

TORONTO — Carl Pettersson of Sweden posted a one-shot victory at the Canadian Open on July 25, one day after setting a course and tournament record.

Pettersson shot 67 to finish 14-under at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto and win his fourth PGA Tour title.

“It’s unbelievable,” exclaimed the Swede. “I still can’t believe I won the tournament.”

Dean Wilson of the U.S. came into the final round four shots ahead of a large group of players and at one point Sunday had a five-shot lead over Pettersson.

But Wilson shot 74 on the day, finishing a shot behind the winner.

Pettersson, who flirted with missing the cut two days earlier, turned his game around July 24 with a round of 60. He narrowly missed a 30-foot putt that would have made him the fifth man in PGA Tour history to shoot 59.

On the final day of the tournament, Pettersson turned the heat up on Wilson by making consecutive birdies at Nos 13-15 and cruised home from there. He appeared headed for a two-shot win heading to the final green, but he bogeyed the 18th before having an easy tap-in for the title. He earns US$918,000 for the victory.

It was a crushing loss for Wilson, who got into the $5.1-million tournament on a late sponsor's exemption and had the chance to secure his tour card for the next two years with a win.

The 40-year-old had been struggling with his game and earned his best finish since winning the 2006 International. Wilson now shares something in common with former college roommate Mike Weir, who finished second at the 2004 Canadian Open after losing to Vijay Singh in a playoff.