Author Archives: Ryan Plessl

Lance Stroll Shows Signs Of Struggle!

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Canadian Formula One (F1) driver Lance Stroll was in a unfortunate accident on February 19th while riding his bike and training in preparation for the up coming F1 season. Stroll missed all of pre-season testing and underwent surgery to fix his hands, allowing him to return for the first race weekend of the season.

However, while Lance assured everyone that he would be fully fit to compete it seems that as the weekend progresses this is not the case. Stroll and his team released a statement yesterday with an update on how he was feeling:

“I’ve been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend.

I would like to thank the F1 community for their support and privacy, as well as the team who have helped my recovery. Now I’m ready to get my head down and concentrate on racing this weekend – something I’m really looking forward to.”

You can read more about Lances statement here:

Lance Stroll Will Race!

Lance has now participated in two practice sessions and has shown signs of struggles in both.

Lances actual results weren’t bad as he secured sixth place both times. Stroll was consistently struggling on the radio though  and complained to the team that he couldn’t complete some of his turns due to his hands.

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It’s already difficult and requires an insane amount of strength to control an F1 car but racing with metal bolts in your wrist complicates the process dramatically!

Let’s hope Lance can improve his condition over the course of the rest of the weekend. If he can improve he has a real chance to fight for some podiums over the first half of the season.

Raptors Lose To Wizards!

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The Toronto Raptors could have used the win tonight against the Washington Wizards. The team had no such luck though in a game that was never really close.

The Eastern conference has just six wins separating the number six ranked Brooklyn Nets and twelfth ranked Indiana Pacers. With the Raptors sitting at number nine and the Wizards at ten heading into this game, it was important to both teams that they try their best to pick up a win tonight.

The Wizards were firing on all cylinders from the get go and the Raptors defence was struggling to keep up. Kyle Kuzma, in particular, was having a great night, scoring three after three and seemingly unstoppable. The Raptors tried to adjust their strategy, but couldn’t keep up.

The first half ended with the Wizards up by as much as fourteen points at some moments, but the Raptors still had hope. As the third quarter began the Wizards continued to pour it on though. Kuzma was still hot, and the Raptors were unable to stop him. He finished the night with 30 points.

The final score was 119-108 for the Wizards.

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While this isn’t what the Raptors had hoped for they stayed ahead of the Wizards in the standings and have plenty of time to bounce back from a singular loss. The Raptors have also showed signs of progress over the past few weeks going 7-3 in their last ten.

However, the team will have to make some significant changes if they want any chance at winning when they face the Wizards once again Saturday afternoon.

Lance Stroll Will Race!

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Canadian Formula One (F1) driver Lance Stroll was in a unfortunate accident on February 19th while riding his bike and training in preparation for the up coming F1 season. However, its now been confirmed that Stroll will race in Bahrain this weekend!

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Details on this accident were scarce for the past two weeks but Aston Martin put out a press release today to clear up any confusion. Lance stroll detailed the incident:

“It was frustrating not to be out in Bahrain for the pre-season test and I was disappointed to miss the three days of running. However, given the injury to my wrist, the team and I felt it was best to focus on recovery so that I would be ready for this weekend and the long season ahead.

It was an unfortunate accident – I fell from my bike when my tyre caught a hole in the ground but thankfully the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly.“

It is also confirmed that Lance will be racing with metal screws in his wrists this weekend.

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Having a minor surgery and racing a week later is almost unheard of in F1. To have surgery on your hands is something else entirely though. The strength you would need in your wrists to be a F1 driver is already super high due to the amount of G-forces drivers experience. Now Stroll will be having to control the car with significantly weaker wrists. However, Stroll is confident in the preparation he has put in to come back to the sport so soon:

“Since then, I’ve been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend.

I would like to thank the F1 community for their support and privacy, as well as the team who have helped my recovery. Now I’m ready to get my head down and concentrate on racing this weekend – something I’m really looking forward to.”

Let’s hope the Canadian can fight through the pain and preform well in the first race of the season.

Canadian Kevin Owens is Taking His Revenge!

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Canadian wrestler Kevin Owens has comeback to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and has been taking his revenge on the Bloodline over the last few weeks.

Kevin Owens has been involved in a long feud with the Bloodline over the course of the past few months. Kevin Ownes started out his feud with the team while trying to get his best friend Sami Zayn back on his side. Owens faced off against the team as the main event for two pay per views (PPV) in a row. Along the way Owens eventually gave up on getting his best friend back and now just wanted revenge. Kevin Owens lost his singles match against Roman Reigns for the WWE championship at the Royal Rumble but succeeded in getting Sami Zayn to turn on the team and join his side.

Owens didn’t fully forgive Sami for turning on him in the first place though. After Owens match with Roman Reigns he left Sami to deal with he Bloodline on his own and disappeared for a month.

Now Kevin Owens has been making his return to the WWE slowly over the course of the past few weeks. His initial return took place at the Elimination Chamber event where he returned the favour to his friend Sami Zayn and saved him from a Bloodline beat down.

Sami then asked for Owens help to takedown the Bloodline but Owens refused and told Sami to ask his friend Jey. You can read all about that interaction here:

Sami Zayn Needs Kevin Owens Help!

However, Owens has been taking his revenge on the Bloodline by himself over the past few weeks. Owens ran through the crowd and attacked Solo and Jimmy Uso on Monday night RAW. Owens hit Solo with a super kick and Jimmy with a stunner. He then immediately left the ring hollering at the Bloodline on his way out.

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Canadian brothers Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn need to sort out their problems and work together to once and for all defeat the Bloodline. That seems to be the direction the WWE is taking with this storyline. Let’s hope the reunion hug is worth the wait!

What’s Next For Jake Paul- Canadian Journalist Ariel Helwani Comments

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Jake Paul faced off against Tommy Fury Sunday night and the match did not disappoint!

The fight started out pretty slow with lots of clinching but Tommy Fury got the upper hand in most exchanges. Halfway through the match there was some controversial decisions by the referee that led to point deductions for both men. Tommy Fury didn’t let that phase him though as he dominated the later rounds. Tommy Fury seemed to have won every single round all the way up until the final round where Jake Paul knocked down Tommy Fury. The knockdown didn’t seem to matter for the judges though as the final result was a split decision win for Tommy Fury.

The fans seemed to enjoy this fight and many were happy that Jake Paul finally faced a real boxer and lost. Fans and experts of the sport have been saying for a long time that when Jake finally fought a real boxer he would lose. Fans will be happy to know that they were right about this. However, there’s a feeling of emptiness and uncertainty in the YouTube boxing world now that Jake has finally lost a fight.

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At the start of his boxing career Jake Paul laid out a clear path that he was going to take in his career. He started by defeating Gib, Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley X2, and Anderson Silva. He then planned to beat Tommy and go on to face the undefeated KSI.

The match against KSI was what all the fans wanted to see as Jake and KSI have had a long and complicated history.

However, now that Jake has lost against Tommy the KSI fight loses its hype. The fans no longer want to see Jake and KSI they want to see the two undefeated fighters KSI and Tommy fight.

Canadian fight journalist Ariel Helwani seemed to have a different opinion on this though and laid out to the fans how they could book and promote this fight to still be interesting:

This could be a way to bring fans back in and be engaged in a Jake and KSI fight. Let’s hope boxing promoters see this potential and finally get Jake and KSI in a boxing ring together.

Canucks Win In Overtime!

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The Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Dallas Stars Monday night in a back and forth exciting match up!

Anthony Beauvillier got the scoring started for the Canucks. He slap shotted the puck right past Jake Oettinger to score his fifth goal as a Canuck! Dallas fired back though as Captain Jamie Benn brought the puck all the way up the ice and scored on the returning Thatcher Demko. Conor Garland scored shortly after though to give the Canucks the lead once again. Vasily Podkolzin then scored to extend the Canucks lead heading into the second period.

Dallas mounted a comeback in the second period as new signee Evgenni Dadonov scored to make it a one point game. Anthony Beauvillier scored once again though to being the lead back up to two and get his sixth point as a Vancouver Canuck. Roope Hintz then scored for Dallas to make it a one point game headed into the third.

Dallas Stars player Nils Lundkvist was the only player to score in the third period sending the game to overtime.

No need for a shootout though as Canucks fan favourite Andrey Kuzmenko scored just under one minute into overtime.

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The Canucks won with a final score of 5-4.

This was a good game for the Canucks. Younger players like Anthony Beauvillier, Andrey Kuzmenko, and Conor Garland all scored for the team. Demko looked good in his return to the team and overall the Canucks looked like a functioning unit.

The Canucks will return Thursday against the Minnesota Wild at home.

Who Will Win The All VS All Pro Division?

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All VS All (AVA) grappling competition returns this weekend on March 4th and 5th. The question on everyone’s mind though is who will walk away with the $1000 cash prize for the mens no-gi pro division!

AVA is a submission only grappling tournament that has taken British Columbia by storm these past few years. The event is popular due to its ruleset and submission only structure. Competitors are also put into a round robin bracket which means maximizing matches for competitors.

The most popular bracket at the AVA competition though is the mens no-gi pro division.

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The mens no-gi pro division brings out some of the best grapplers in Canada to try and win the cash prize of $1000. Now AVA has upped the stakes though and will be giving out title belts as well as the $1000 cash prize. This has incentivized even more of Canadas best to come out and compete.

Names like Christian Tremayne, Justin Mullin, Jon Chan, Greg Walters, Cameron Carew, and Reynaldo Camacho are all signed up so far. Who will walk away with the cash prize and title belt though?

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The safe bet is Reynaldo Camacho. Reynaldo is the only competitor in the bracket that has won the pro division before. Reynaldo has showed he has what it takes and knows how to win the bracket as well as multiple other local tournaments.

However, the predicted winner almost never wins this bracket. That’s what makes the bracket so special and why so many competitors from all over Canada come out to test themselves.

Come watch the AVA this weekend to see who will win the mens no-gi pro division!

Canadian Grappler Oliver Taza Suffers Tough Defeat!

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Oliver Taza is a Lebanese-Canadian professional Jiu jitsu fighter who has soared to new heights as of late.

In the past month alone Taza has beaten tough Tenth Planet black belt Ben Eddy, and Shawn Melanson in super fights. Taza didn’t just win those fights either, he outclassed both men and inevitably submitted both men.

Taza had a big challenge in front of him last night though at Who’s Number One (WNO).

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Oliver Taza was scheduled to face off against Jonnatas Gracie. Gracie is a very accomplished black belt with his latest title being the IBJJF no-gi world championship in 2022.

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The match started out with a feeling out process with both men a little hesitant to go for takedown openings. Taza was able to score a quick single leg takedown though to bring the action down to the mat. Taza then sat back into a leg entanglement to try and finish the fight early but Jonnatas Gracie had other plans.

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Gracie hit a beautiful back take off the leg entry. Taza was able to avoid getting his back taken but Gracie used the back take to sweep Taza and come up to pass his guard. While this would eventually lead to a submission for Gracie against less formidable opponents, Taza stayed composed and avoided being submitted for the remainder of the match.

Staying composed doesn’t win matches though and Jonnatas Gracie got the unanimous decision win.

It’s hard to see such a huge Canadian grappling star like Taza suffer a tough defeat but Taza has battled back from loses before and only comeback better. Taza has no current fights lined up but will be looking to get back in action as soon as possible.

The Elimination Chamber In Canada Shatters Records!

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World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held the Elimination Chamber event last Saturday night in Montreal. The matches were incredible from the top to the bottom of the card and the main event delivered after being built up for over a year. All those reasons are what caused the Elimination Chamber event to make history for the WWE.

The Elimination Chamber is a unique event where competitors are locked into a steel cage to fight each other. Two competitors start in the middle of the steel cage while the rest start in pods. Every few minutes a random superstar is released from the pod to enter the fight. The last superstar in the elimination chamber is the winner.

With this intriguing concept the Elimination Chamber usually does pretty well when it comes to viewership, revenue, and gate.

This Elimination Chamber event set new records for the pay per view (PPV) though.

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The event was the most viewed Elimination Chamber in WWE history, saw the all time Elimination Chamber gate record, had the most merchandise sales in Elimination Chamber history, and had the most views on social media in Elimination Chamber history, up roughly 310% from 2022.

Why was the Elimination Chamber so special this year? The event has the steel cage every single year so it’s not like the WWE was bringing anything super new to the table. The answer is quite simple though. Sami Zayn.

Sami was finally given a title shot after building up his feud with Roman Reigns for over a year now! He wasn’t just given a title shot anywhere though, Sami was given a title shot in front of his hometown crowd in Montreal. The fans loved every second of watching him compete and put on a show. While Sami may have lost the fight, he won the fans hearts and helped set all these record for the WWE Elimination Chamber event.

Dana White Shares His Plans To Return To Canada!

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Dana White, president and partial owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has finally announced his plans to bring the biggest fighting organization in the world back to Canada.

It’s been a long time since the UFC came to Canada. The last event held here was UFC Fight Night in September 2019. That event took place in Vancouver and saw Justin Gathje take on Cowboy Cerrone. Justin Gathje won the fight launching his 2020 title run campaign.

Dana White was asked by the media what his plans are in regard to the UFC coming back to Canada. Dana announced that the plan was to get the UFC back to Canada sometime in the very near future.

Canada has always been a very important market for the UFC but Dana said Covid made it very difficult for him and the rest of the crew to make the trip to Canada. Fighting here would mean every fighter would have to be vaccinated, venue prices would be higher then places like Vegas, and everyone would have had to deal with the Arrivecan app.

Now that mandates are looser though and the UFC has started to return to places that had similar restrictions in place like Australia, the UFC’s return to Canada seems imminent. Dana confirmed this and said that the UFC will return to Canada sometime in 2023.

While no dates are announced yet local fighting promotion Battlefield Fight League (BFL) posted a video of Dana talking about his plans to come back to Canada on their Instagram today with the caption “it’s almost that time again-stay tuned…”

Time will tell when the UFC will return to Canada but let’s hope for fight fans sake it’s sometime in the very near future!