Then the back-to-back announcements: Jakub Dobes and Ivan<\/a> Demidov<\/a> named to the NHL\u2019s All-Rookie Team and Cole Caufield to the NHL\u2019s Second All-Star Team.<\/p>\n And finally, a tie that felt like a win when Canada\u2019s men\u2019s team got the tying goal from Cyle Larin to avoid an embarrassing loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in its first World Cup match on home soil.<\/p>\n The bad? The Carolina Hurricanes saved the NHL from the embarrassment of having Carter Hart waltz around with Lord Stanley\u2019s Cup \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t make his presence on the ice a whit more palatable. Hart and the four other members of the London Five should all be under lifetime bans from hockey. That they are not is a permanent black eye for a sport that has plenty.<\/p>\n As if that weren\u2019t enough, Stan Bowman showed the world that he learned nothing in Chicago by pursuing Mike Babcock to coach the Edmonton Oilers<\/a>. If there was any doubt from the way he handled players at other coaching stops, Babcock put it to rest in Columbus when it became clear that his interest is in humiliating players and breaking them down, not in teaching them to win.<\/p>\n And finally, the ugly: Long before he allowed his federation and his sport to be shamed by the racist banning of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan from the U.S., it was clear that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino was the biggest coward on the world stage. He proved that in Qatar four years ago.<\/p>\n But Infantino\u2019s craven capitulation was a blow to everything the World Cup is supposed to represent: inclusion, fairness, equality, a way to bring the world together. \u201cFootball Unites the World.\u201d<\/p>\n When he allowed Africa\u2019s greatest referee to be banned by the orange monster in the White House and his minions, the president of FIFA showed how easily the world can be divided.<\/p>\n Thanks, but no thanks: I hope the NHLPA succeeds in shutting down the talk of Babcock coaching the Oilers, but even if the desperate fools who run the Oilers franchise get away with hiring Babcock, we don\u2019t want to see Connor McDavid flee to the Bell Centre.<\/p>\n Yes, McDavid is a great player \u2014 but the instant the Canadiens add him to the roster, the tightest team in hockey would become \u201cConnor McDavid and his supporting cast.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanks, but that\u2019s a hard no.<\/p>\n Ted, lassoed: It was not until several minutes after Canada tied its World Cup opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina that we realized that it was not celebrity fathead Ryan Reynolds who scored the winning goal, but a chap named Larin who actually plays for Canada. Who knew?<\/p>\n Sports broadcasts over the past month have been divided three ways: Gambling promos, lengthy commercial breaks and gratuitous shots of celebrity fatheads.<\/p>\n It was a sign of the times, culminating in the pug-ugly NBA Finals, which were taken over by Ben Stiller (who is famous for making three movies in which he was upstaged by a museum) fashion victim Spike Lee and Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, who has more millions in the bank than hairs in that sorry excuse for a moustache.<\/p>\n But Worst Celebrity Fathead honours for the week go to Jason Sudeikis, who had no problem pumping up Donald Trump\u2019s World Cup with that \u201cFootball Unites the World\u201d hypocrisy. Ted Lasso was a sappy character, but he had integrity. He would have left the building rather than let himself be used by the likes of Trump and Infantino.<\/p>\n More from Alexander the Great: I\u2019ve been slow to believe in Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander. I thought all the winning was simply a coincidence, more a product of a good team than the QB.<\/p>\n But Game after game, he finds a way. He did it again Friday, leading the Als past the revolting Chad Kelly and the Argos to a 37-30 win. Sooner or later, ya gotta believe.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n Happy birthday, Martin St. Louis: The coach who has transformed the franchise turns 51 on Thursday. The clumsy handling of the end of Brendan Gallagher\u2019s Canadiens career<\/a> aside, St. Louis has proven that you don\u2019t have to be a Babcock, John Tortorella or Michel Therrien to succeed.<\/p>\n St. Louis teaches, he sets the example, he leads, he inspires. He\u2019s the man.<\/p>\n Heroes: Cole Caufield, Jakub Dobes, Ivan Demidov, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9, Cyle Larin, Jesse Marsch, Lewis Hamilton, Russ Anber, Rod Brind\u2019Amour, Davis Alexander, Micah Awe, Tyson Philpot &&&& last but not least, the great Marie-Philip Poulin.<\/p>\n Zeros: Gianni Infantino, FIFA, Carter Hart, Alexander Zverev, Chad Kelly, Kelly McCrimmon, John Tortorella, the Vegas Knights, Mike Babcock, Daryl Katz, Stan Bowman, Marty Walsh, Gary Bettman, WWE, Dana White, Jason Sudeikis, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu &&&& last but not least, David Samson and Jeffrey Loria.<\/p>\n Now and forever.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0616-spt-col-todd-2026-1.jpg\")
The Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin hoists the Walter Cup at Quartier des Spectacles on May 30. Dave Sidaway \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n![\"Alouettes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/alexander.jpg\")
Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander looks for an open receiver during first half at Molson Stadium on Friday. Evan Buhler \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n