There was a time about 15 years ago when there was a major push to have FM radios in mobile phones. Many phones already came (and still come) with an FM receiver, but it was never turned on. One such campaign led by broadcasters was called NextRadio that seemed to gain traction—and then…nothing. The whole initiative seemed to evaporate, and everyone forgot about it. Why? Basically, broadcasting groups ran into indifference from cell phone manufacturers, sometimes pointing to the fact that FM antennas draw too much power from batteries. In other cases, the chips that run cell phones have changed, making FM tuners less desirable. And finally, once 5G technology kicked in, radio listeners were encouraged to use apps, which, of course, tax your data plan. Some regions did get FM in phones, but for the most part, these radio receivers remain disabled or have been removed altogether. Bottom line? Don’t expect an FM tuner in cell phones anytime soon—or ever.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

As Canada slowly but surely progresses on implementing open banking, what was initially perceived as a risk to the big banks could also present an opportunity for them, experts say.

Open banking, sometimes known as consumer-driven banking, allows individuals and businesses to securely share their financial data across lenders.

Mark Schofield, a managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, said many Canadians have relationships with multiple financial institutions — for example, they bank with one company, invest at another and have an insurance policy elsewhere.

“In the most simple sense, open banking is the ability to securely share your financial data from multiple institutions so you can build a full picture of your own individual balance sheet, your own savings, investments, and ultimately see your financial situation (and) financial health,” Schofield said.

In essence, it could allow Canadians with multiple accounts across different financial firms to see their entire financial picture on one convenient dashboard. It aims to drive competition in the sector by making it easier to switch lenders.

But the big bank incumbents appear to be well positioned to navigate the coming changes.

“I don’t view this as a looming tidal wave. It’s something that could slowly erode market share, but it’s not going to be immediate … I’m not overly concerned about this, nor are we hearing broad concerns from investors,” John Aiken, an analyst at Jefferies, said of the big banks.

After years of study, Ottawa got the ball rolling on open banking with legislation to implement it in the 2024 federal budget.

In June, the Department of Finance published proposed regulations for open banking and held a 60-day comment period that ended in August.

The department estimates that implementing the proposed regulations would cost about $457.7 million over a 10-year period and is projected to generate $13.2 billion in benefits to consumers and businesses over that time-frame.

In the absence of a secure open banking framework, the department said about nine million Canadians currently share financial data through a practice called screen scraping, which exposes them to security and privacy risks. Screen scraping usually involves an individual sharing banking credentials with a third party to access the information an app needs to run.

Aiken said the sense he is getting from the big banks is that they are trying to adapt to the new requirements but it seems “none of them are fully up to speed, even on stage one, and nothing will happen until the Big Six are up and running.”

He said the cost of implementing open banking is already a headwind for the group, and there is a risk it will become “very disruptive,” albeit over a longer period of time.

“The largest deposit holders immediately are probably not going to see that much disruption, but over time — 10, 15 years — we could see more significant erosion in terms of market share,” Aiken said.

However, Aiken said the banks could also benefit in certain ways.

For example, he said banks would be able to get access to information like customer investments held at other financial institutions. The banks could then try to convince those customers to bring their external investments in-house.

“The Canadian banks have far more data within their system that they are utilizing, I would argue quite well, (and) with extra information that’ll be helpful,” Aiken said.

“However, what open banking does is also provide that information to other players, and that is the perceived threat on the fintechs or the digital startups.”

Henry Kim, a professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, said that Canada’s banking system effectively being an oligopoly could help the large lenders adjust.

“With such a high concentration, the banks could sit back and say ‘Well here’s a fintech that’s been doing well and buy them out or replicate that.’ They have significant power already,” Kim said.

As of the fourth quarter of 2025, Statistics Canada figures showed the Big Six banks held a more than 90 per cent share of all banking assets.

Overall, Kim is optimistic that open banking will drive positive changes in the industry.

“Down the road when the dust settles and the ecosystem figures out how all these technologies work, I believe there will be an opportunity for consumers to actually have options and have choice,” he said.

In an interview after the 2026 Global Open Finance Summit last month, Steve Boms, executive director of the Financial Data and Technology Association, said the earliest consumers could get access to open banking tools would be toward the end of 2027.

The summit featured talks from Bank of Canada and Finance Department officials on the implementation of an open banking framework. It also included discussions on how major financial institutions are viewing the situation.

In markets where open banking is further along than Canada, Boms said financial institutions were defensive at first, but that changed.

“Over time, it became more of an offensive posture and by that I mean being able to interact with customer permission data in ways that delight customers, that provide them more options, more tools that can expand creditworthiness and access to affordable credit,” he said.

He said that lenders with the most resources to spend on tech development and marketing could stand to benefit from consumer-driven banking changes.

“The banks aren’t just going to be the data providers; they’re also going to be the recipients because the third party also has to share data with the customer’s consent. So I actually think there’s a lot to like from the Canadian banks’ perspective,” Boms said.

Ethan Teclu, a spokesperson for the Canadian Bankers Association, said in a statement that it is committed to fostering innovation and competition in Canada’s financial sector in a responsible way.

“As the voice of banks in Canada, the CBA has advocated and collaborated with our members and the government to provide guidance on creating a consumer-driven banking framework that serves Canadians while ensuring the stability of our financial system,” the statement reads.

“As Canada moves towards implementation, we can apply learnings from other jurisdictions, such as the benefits of a phased approach, regulatory efficiency, and moving towards more secure, interoperable ways to share financial data.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

EDMONTON – Angel Houle says she’s never voted in an Alberta provincial election, but this month’s referendum is different.

Not only is she casting a ballot, Houle is helping outfit First Nations’ leaders with everything they need to get out the vote on Oct. 19.

That’s when Albertans decide whether the province should stay within Canada, or hold a second, binding referendum on breaking away.

Houle, along with other staff at the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, has been organizing workshops to build teams among member nations. Those teams are boots on the ground, spreading the word on where and how to vote.

It’s about fighting for a united Canada and for the treaties and agreements that underpin and secure that unity.

“The decisions being made in this referendum matter to treaty people and our nations and our future generations,” Houle said in Edmonton.

“It’s important to let everyone know that silence could be consent in this referendum.”

Houle said lately community members have been vocal about wanting more information.  “It tells me that they’re wanting to participate, so that they know their voice is heard.”

First Nations people are among many groups — on both sides of the issue — spreading the message and rallying support for the vote.

Albertans are to vote on 10 questions. Nine focus on immigration and constitutional issues. The last is on separation.

The campaign has exposed rifts and a consequential lawsuit between First Nations and Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government.

Smith says First Nations remain valued partners. First Nations leaders have wondered how that can be so, given they feel their people, land and treaties — signed before Alberta even became a province — have been treated as an afterthought in the separation debate.

Some First Nations have called in help from seasoned organizers.

Tania Cameron is an Ojibwa woman from Ontario who launched the First Nations Rock the Vote campaign from her living room more than a decade ago. She recently spent more than a week in Alberta giving presentations, sharing get-out-the-vote strategies, and working with leaders across communities, including Treaty 8 Sovereign First Nations.

The momentum is building, Cameron said.

“People are talking; people feel that they’re on a mission.”

She said she saw people organizing voter registration drives, educating others about treaties, and participating in ceremonies to bless and recognize the importance of the work.

“There’s a lot of provinces watching, a lot of treaty chiefs across the country watching what’s happening in Alberta.”

Cameron said Alberta First Nations had such a high turnout in the 2015 federal election that some communities ran out of ballots. On-reserve voting turnout rose by about 25 percentage points, she said.

She believes they could make a similar mark on the referendum results.

“We’re going to show our political muscle,” Cameron said. “It’s about relaying the message from the people that separation is off the table.”

There are hurdles: making sure everyone has the required identification, getting them to the polling stations and overcoming language barriers.

Houle said First Nations groups are translating the questions for those whose first language isn’t English. They’re planning to ensure chiefs and other officials are at polling stations to help sign special forms verifying voters’ eligibility if needed.

They’re also reaching out to off-reserve members with an upcoming information session.

Voting demand across the province has already been sky high. Elections Alberta has dispatched more than 652,000 mail-in ballots.

The agency estimates the referendum could see an 85 per cent turnout, which would surpass the provincial record of nearly 82 per cent in the 1935 general election.

Some First Nations chiefs have already made their voices heard.

In March, as separatism talk swirled, chiefs converged on the legislature and called on Smith’s government to nip the separatist movement in the bud. From the gallery overlooking lawmakers, some yelled at the UCP to denounce separatism.

“Traitors!” shouted one chief.

It was a coalition of First Nations that launched a court fight, arguing a citizen-initiated petition to hold a separation vote was invalid because the province hadn’t followed through on its constitutional duty to consult First Nations.

In May, a judge agreed and quashed the petition. Soon after, Smith announced the government would appeal, putting the lawsuit in legal limbo.

Smith then announced the referendum anyway, citing hundreds of thousands of Albertans who signed petitions for one side or the other.

Tsuut’ina Nation Head Chief Ellery Starlight said the vote is critical, but the division it has brought has been destructive.

The nation in southern Alberta is a signatory to Treaty 7. Canada is predicated on treaties, he said, and all Albertans have a responsibility to vote for unity.

“There are a lot of people that are motivated,” Starlight said.

“We have to help them along the way. But coming up to the vote, why is it only us?” he asked.

“Why is it only the First Nations that have this kind of a campaign, and we’re the poorest demographic in Canada?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Debris from a missing Ontario air ambulance that had been carrying six people, including four Canadians,
has been spotted off the coast of the United States.

The U.S. Coast Guard said search crews found a debris field roughly 150 kilometres southeast of Boston and confirmed it belonged to the missing aircraft.

A statement said the search continues for the occupants, and that Coast Guard cutter William Sparling will spearhead the effort throughout the night.

The frantic search began after the Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the plane early Saturday as it travelled from Bermuda to Boston.

The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 jet, belongs to Latitude Air Ambulance, a Hamilton-based medical evacuation company.

Clarence Togeretz, operations manager for Latitude Air Ambulance, told The Canadian Press that the missing aircraft was transporting a patient and their family member, with two pilots and two medical staff on board.

The four crew members are Canadian, he said, while the two passengers are Bermuda nationals.

Togeretz said Latitude had been tracking the flight and lost contact with it around 1:30 a.m. Saturday as it was approaching Boston.

When the plane failed to reach the tarmac, the company reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard, Togeretz said.

Togeretz said the company is “dealing with the situation with as much positivity and optimism as we can.”

“We’re praying for a safe outcome,” he said.

The operations manager said this is the first time Latitude Air Ambulance has lost contact with one of its planes.

The company offers emergency medical transportation by plane worldwide, according to its website.

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon wrote on social media that the government is closely monitoring the situation and working with authorities as the search continues.

“My thoughts are with everyone on board, as well as their families, loved ones and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time,” he wrote.

Bermuda Premier David Burt wrote in a statement that the government is in contact with the families of those on board and U.S. searchers.

Ontario’s air ambulance service provider Ornge reacted to the news of the missing plane on Saturday, writing in a social media post that it hopes “the aircraft and all passengers are located safely and quickly.”

Togeretz said Latitude Air Ambulance is in contact with Transport Canada. The Canadian Press reached out to the federal agency for comment but did not immediately hear back.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER – Goaltender Leevi Merilainen wants to make the most of the opportunity the Vancouver Canucks have given him.

Vancouver claimed the 24-year-old from Oulu, Finland, off waivers from the Ottawa Senators late last month. Merilainen made his first start as a Canuck Saturday, making 23 saves in a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames.

“It felt good to get the win,” said Merilainen. “It was sort of weird playing for the first time for a long time.”

Merilainen earned praise from his teammates and head coach Manny Malhotra for his performance.

His best save of the night came late in the second period. With the Canucks trailing 1-0, he stopped Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh on a Calgary 3-on-1 breakaway.

“He did a fantastic job,” said Malhotra. “He looked really poised and calm in net. When a goalie plays calm like that, it bleeds into the play of the 5-on-5 in front of him.

“He made some huge stops. That (3-on-1) could change the momentum of the game. He did a fantastic job coming in for his first game and make the stops he needed to make.”

The Canucks trailed 1-0 after the first period but then battled back with four goals in the third to register their second win of the season.

Liam Ohgren celebrated his 100th NHL game by scoring one goal and assisting on defenceman Elias Pettersson’s winner as Vancouver improved to 2-1-0.

Drew O’Connor and Aatu Raty, into an empty net, also scored for Vancouver. Tom Willander and centre Linus Karlsson each had two assists.

Matt Coronato, on the power play, scored for the Flames (0-2-0). Devin Cooley made 23 saves.

The Senators drafted Merilainen in the third round, 71st overall, in 2020.

In 2024-25, he played 12 NHL games, managing a 8-3-1 record, 1.99 goals-against average .925 save percentage and three shutouts.

In 20 games last season, he was 8-10-1, had a 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage.

With other goaltenders in the system, Ottawa decided Merilainen was expendable, resulting in him coming to Vancouver.

“When it happened it was a little weird,” Merilainen said about moving across the country. “Being like four years with one organization, and all of a sudden you come over here and have a fresh start. For sure it’s exciting.

“It’s a new opportunity, knowing it’s a team that wants me here.”

Merilainen did make a brief appearance in Vancouver’s 9-7 loss to Edmonton on Thursday night, replacing Kevin Lankinen midway through the second period. He allowed one goal on 11 shots.

Merilainen said having that taste of action made him hungry for the main course of starting a game.

“I was pretty confident,” he said. “The Oilers game went OK, and I had a good summer.”

It was a physical game with Calgary forward Adam Klapa fighting Canuck defenceman Luke Schenn less than three minutes into the first period. O’Connor’s third-period goal was set up after Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson delivered a huge hit on Parekh, freeing up the puck.

“I love that,” Merilainen said. “I love a physical game. It’s more entertaining for me to watch.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers have proven they can get it done without running and gunning.

Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist to give him nine points through three games as the Oilers won their second game in a row, defeating the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Saturday.

Owen Michaels and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers (2-0-1), who opened with a pair of high-scoring affairs against the Vancouver Canucks, losing the first 6-5 in OT before going up 8-2 in the rematch only to end up having to squeeze by with a 9-7 victory.

“We defended well for the most part and were able to stick with it. Eventually you’ll find a bounce or a look at some point,” said Draisaitl, who scored his third of the season to put his team up 2-1 with just 2:27 left in the third.

“That is certainly how we want to play. The last game got away from us a little bit and it was not the easiest situation, but you can certainly play better and tonight was a solid, solid effort.”

McDavid, with two goals and seven assists on the season, became the first player with seven or more assists through his team’s first three games of a season since Brad Marchand did it with Boston in 2018-19.

Devon Levi made 19 stops to earn the win in the Oilers’ net, getting the start again despite allowing seven goals in his last appearance in Vancouver on Thursday.

“I personally walk away from that Vancouver game just with the win. That’s all I took from that game. Turn the page and get to work the next day,” said Levi, who spent the entire year in the AHL last season with the Buffalo organization. “It’s not easy, but I’ve definitely been through harder. Just the past few years, there’s definitely been some adversity that’s really taught me it’s one day, it’s one game. The ups, the downs? They come, they go.

“Just knowing that the coaches trust me, the boys trust me, definitely improves confidence as a goalie, for sure. The support system here has been amazing so far. It definitely feels good.”

Oilers head coach Mike Babcock was certainly happy to see the goals against come down.

“We didn’t give up a touchdown!” he said. “We got good goaltending tonight. We made a mistake on that second penalty kill and they had a bell-ringer and he made the save.

“We turned the puck over on a reverse and they end up with a great chance. You have to give him credit because we haven’t had that. That was really positive tonight.”

Michaels, a 24-year-old Michigan native, went undrafted before helping Western Michigan win their first national championship in program history in 2025. He signed as a free agent with Edmonton and surprised many by making the team out of camp. He now has two goals in his first three pro games at the NHL level.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, it hard to find the words,” he said. “I’m just happy to see them go in the net and it helps playing with some great linemates and everyone has been awesome so far.”

Edmonton now owns a 16-4-1 overall record against the Kraken and 9-1-0 all-time at home, with eight consecutive wins. The Oilers have four of the top five scorers all-time against Seattle, with Draisaitl first with 35 points in 16 games, McDavid second with 28 points, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins third and Zach Hyman fifth.

Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman were among seven players already out with injuries for Edmonton.

It was the 126th time that Draisaitl and McDavid have both scored in the same game. Edmonton is 95-21-10 when that occurs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Thomas Chabot and the Senators watched every other team raise the curtain on the NHL season.

The wait turned out to be well worth it.

Chabot had a goal and an assist in his first game as captain in Ottawa’s grinding 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

“It’s fun to be back home and watch some hockey at 7 p.m. on TV, but you want to be the team out there,” said the defenceman now wearing the “C” in the nation’s capital after Brady Tkachuk was shipped to the Florida Panthers in June after demanding a trade. “The week was long, but I thought we put in some good work.”

“Pretty boring” added Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark, who made 27 saves. “Camp was short … we’ll see if there’s a little blessing in disguise.”

The victory, however, was tainted by the loss of No. 1 blueliner Jake Sanderson in the first period when he re-aggravated a lower-body injury.

“We’ll know more in the next few days,” said Senators head coach Travis Green, who is also minus shutdown option Artem Zub. “Sandy was smart enough to pull himself early enough that he didn’t re-aggravate it too badly. He just felt that it was coming and took himself out.

“A smart thing to do.”

Chabot said Sanderson was “devastated” on the bench after getting hurt.

“It sucks” he said. “You feel for a guy. Unfortunately, I’ve been on that side of things quite a lot over my career.”

Toronto pushed in the second period with Ottawa down to five defencemen before the visitors steadied themselves to even the score 2-2, and were then rewarded midway through a spotless third when Stephen Halliday swatted home a loose puck just as a power play expired.

The Maple Leafs’ high-flying attack featuring Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Kirill Marchenko looked primed for a late onslaught, but the Senators kept their structure and didn’t allow Toronto to get goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky out of the net for an extra attacker in the final minutes.

“That’s our guys playing their game,” Green said. “We want to be aggressive when we can. When you’ve got the lead, it’s important that you stay aggressive, but also play smart.”

Ullmark made a couple of huge stops along the way, including one he called “90 per cent luck” on Nylander in the second, to go along with some friendly bounces off posts and crossbars.

“Hips aren’t moving the way they should be in the beginning of the season,” he said. “When push comes to shove, I was able to sort it all out.”

After a long runway, so was the rest of the roster on a Saturday night in Toronto.

“If you’re going to wait a week and you had to pick a spot you want to play, it’d probably be here if it wasn’t at home,” Green said. “Any time you play the Leafs in this building, there seems to be a little bit of more emotion.

“It’s probably good that we played here.”

BATTLE OF ONTARIO

Maple Leafs associate coach Daniel Alfredsson, who suited up for 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Senators before spending the last three in the nation’s capital as an assistant, held a media availability ahead of facing his former team for the first time.

“It’s different, no question, being on the other side,” Alfredsson said. “We wish them the best and wish us a little bit better.”

ROOKIE LAPPED

Toronto rookie Gavin McKenna had a unique rookie lap in Tuesday’s season-opening game when Bobrovsky stepped on the ice first. First-year players normally get a couple of twirls at the start of warm-ups alone ahead of their first game before being joined by the rest of the team.

“Completely forgot,” Bobrovsky told reporters Friday after practice. “I came to (McKenna) and I also told him … so I pretended that it was my first game, too. But no, I didn’t mean to do that.

“It just happened by accident.”

GREEN PASTURES

Green was behind the bench for his 500th NHL game.

The former NHL forward was asked following the morning skate how he’s changed since first stepping into the coaching limelight.

“Like anything in life, the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel, the more things you learn,” Green said. “A lot different coach today than I was 500 games ago.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” he added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

MONTREAL – Tyson Philpot added three more milestones to an already remarkable season Saturday night.

And it was coupled with the Montreal Alouettes clinching the East Division in a dominant 37-10 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in front of a sellout crowd of 23,035 at Percival Molson Stadium.

“Every night I went to sleep, I envisioned this moment,” said Philpot, who finished the game with 11 catches for a season-high 207 yards. “(Quarterback) Davis (Alexander) gave me the great opportunities, coaches called up great plays and it was a great team win.”

The 26-year-old receiver first broke Terry Evanshen’s single-season record for receiving yards by a Canadian with a 46-yard catch late in the second quarter, surpassing Evanshen’s mark of 1,662 yards set with the Calgary Stampeders in 1967.

The reception was also Philpot’s 113th of the season, setting a new Alouettes franchise record and surpassing the previous mark of 112 shared by Ben Cahoon (2003) and Jamel Richardson (2011).

Philpot added his third record late in the third quarter, catching his ninth pass of the night to move past former Ottawa Redblack Brad Sinopoli for the most receptions by a Canadian in a single CFL season. Sinopoli’s previous record of 116 had stood since 2018.

They are accomplishments Alouettes head coach Jason Maas can only marvel at.

“Since the beginning of training camp to now, when he has had the opportunities, 99 times out of 100, he’s making them,” said Maas. “Sure, there’s a couple plays here and there he would probably love to have back, but the consistency he’s been playing with, the professionalism of coming into the building every single day ready to learn and practice hard and then go out and put it all on the line on the field. … He’s been tremendous.”

For Philpot, setting the Alouettes’ receptions record carried particular significance.

“I remember being six years old tackling my brother in the backyard, envisioning being one of the best ever,” he said. “I’m definitely far from that, but just to be in the conversation of having the most catches in Alouettes history is really a dream come true. There’s no better organization to do it for.”

Philpot’s historic night was part of a dominant offensive performance from Montreal.

Alexander threw for 440 yards and a touchdown in his first career win against the Blue Bombers.

The 27-year-old American finished just one yard short of his career high of 441 yards, achieved against the Argonauts earlier this season.

Alexander, however, was quick to deflect attention away from himself and onto Philpot after the game.

“I’ve been with him since 2022,” said Alexander. “We came in together. I got to watch him play with the great quarterbacks we had before me and I knew the potential was there. He had an unbelievable off-season. He kind of took it to the next level.”

Montreal came out firing early, with Alexander connecting with Philpot for a 52-yard gain on the opening drive before finding Rohan Jones for his first career CFL touchdown. After Winnipeg briefly tied the game on an Ontaria Wilson score, the Alouettes took control and outscored the Blue Bombers 30-3 over the remainder of the contest.

“I said to Davis when there was three minutes left, ‘I think this is the most complete game we’ve played,’ said Philpot. “I feel like we could have finished the game better. We had a couple two and outs at the end, but at the end of the day, we knew what was on hand.”

Caleb Evans scored twice on one-yard runs and Stevie Scott III added a rushing touchdown.

Winnipeg (7-8), meanwhile, dropped their second straight game and currently sit in last place in the crowded West Division standings.

“They beat us pretty good,” added Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea. “Philpot makes some great catches, balls were delivered well and he comes up with contested catches. They got on us early with highly skilled plays.”

The Alouettes remain unbeaten at home this season at 8-0 and snapped a four-game regular-season losing streak against Winnipeg dating back to October 2024.

“It definitely meant a lot to us, but most importantly, we wanted to find a way to get a win,” Alexander said. “We set out one of our goals. The boys showed up and we were ready tonight.”

The victory, coupled with the Toronto Argonauts 24-17 loss to the B.C. Lions earlier Saturday not only secures the East Division for Montreal, but also guarantees Montreal will host the Eastern Final on Nov. 7.

“We said, by the end of the week, there could be an opportunity for us to finish the week in first place, which is a box you want to check,” said Maas. “When the opportunity arose, our guys went out and played like it. I was so proud of all three phases from start to finish.”

Philpot, however, is already looking beyond the division title.

“The job is not done,” he said. “Our goal is win a Grey Cup and we won’t stop until we do that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Stephen Halliday scored the winner in the third period and Linus Ullmark made 27 saves as the Ottawa Senators downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday night.

Thomas Chabot, with a goal and an assist in his first game as captain, and Michael Amadio provided the rest of the offence for Ottawa (1-0-0). Claude Giroux added two assists.

Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko replied for Toronto (1-2-0). Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots.

Chabot opened the scoring with 68 seconds left in an even first period. The Ottawa defenceman joined the rush and fired a rebound past Bobrovsky after Giroux tipped Shane Pinto’s initial shot.

Matthews tied things 33 seconds into the second when he redirected Morgan Rielly’s point shot before Marchenko — acquired a day before the season from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a blockbuster deal — backhanded his first past Ullmark on a power play after taking a pass from Darren Raddysh at 7:06.

Amadio knotted the game again at 12:40 when he finished off a 2-on-1 break with Tim Stutzle before Halliday provided the winning margin at 9:46 third just as a penalty expired.

The Maple Leafs split their first two games of the NHL season — a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens and 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders — while the Senators were the last team to start their schedule.

Ottawa defenceman Jake Sanderson didn’t return after appearing to aggravate a nagging injury in the opening period.

TAKEAWAYS

Senators: Chabot replaced Brady Tkachuk as captain after the bruising forward requested a trade and was dealt to the Florida Panthers in June.

Maple Leafs: Associate coach Daniel Alfredsson, who played 17 seasons in Ottawa and spent the last three campaigns as an assistant, was behind the bench against his former team for the first time.

KEY MOMENT

Halliday swatted home a loose puck in Bobrovsky’s crease midway through the final period just as a Marchenko penalty of high-sticking expired.

KEY STAT

Toronto centre John Tavares donned a Maple Leafs jersey for the 600th time in the regular season. The 36-year-old is the 25th player in franchise history to reach the milestone.

COMING UP

Senators: Visit the Boston Bruins on Monday.

Maple Leafs: Host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

EDMONTON – Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist to give him nine points through three games as the Edmonton Oilers won their second game in a row, defeating the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Saturday.

Owen Michaels and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers (2-0-1).

Devon Levi made 19 stops to earn the win in the Oilers’ net.

Bobby McMann replied for the Kraken (1-1-0) who continued to struggle in Edmonton. Philipp Grubauer recorded 22 saves for Seattle.

After McMann made it a 1-1 game 9:06 into the second period, it was Draisaitl who eventually broke the deadlock.

Draisaitl scored with 2:27 left in regulation, with McDavid adding an empty-netter with 1:05 remaining.

TAKEAWAYS

Kraken: Since joining Seattle last season, McMann has 11 goals in 20 games.

Oilers: Michaels, a 24-year-old Michigan native, went undrafted before helping Western Michigan win their first national championship in program history in 2025. He signed as a free agent with Edmonton and surprised many by making the team out of camp. He now has two goals in his first three pro games at the NHL level.

KEY MOMENT

Edmonton went up 2-1 with just 2:27 to play in the third after a puck caromed off of McDavid to Draisaitl out front and he buried his third of the campaign.

KEY STAT

Edmonton has owned Seattle, entering the contest with a 15-4-1 overall record against the Kraken and sitting at 8-1-0 all-time at home against them with seven consecutive wins. The Oilers have four of the top five scorers all-time against Seattle, with Draisaitl first with 34 points in 15 games, Connor McDavid second, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins third and Zach Hyman fifth.

UP NEXT

Kraken: Have their home-opener against the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

Oilers: Head to Anaheim to play the Ducks in a first-round rematch on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press