As the world of sport continues to grow, Canadians and their sports teams are front and centre as they make their mark around the globe — and in no small way. This past week, there were numerous major moments featuring Canadian talent, and some highlights from across pro sports that are just too good to ignore.
The Toronto Blue Jays added another arm to their staff by signing Tyler Rogers to a three-year contract, the Vancouver Canucks made some waves by trading their captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, and Alphonso Davies made his return to the pitch after missing the last nine months with a torn ACL.
Also, John Cena wrestled the final match of his historic WWE career, Kaylie Buck earned her first career World Cup medal, and reigning Vezina and Hart trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck made his return to the ice on Saturday.
With that being said, here’s an update on some of the things you might’ve missed from our Canadians last week, and what you should have marked on your calendar moving forward.
Why Blue Jays fans should be excited by latest pickup in Tyler Rogers
The Toronto Blue Jays added some juice to their bullpen, signing Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million dollar deal on Friday.
Rogers spent the last season with both the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, posting a 1.98 ERA over a league-leading 81 appearances. The 34-year-old also adds an unorthodox look for Toronto, as he uses a submarine-like motion to deliver his pitches.
Rogers doesn’t throw incredibly hard, but he locates well and mixes in a sinker and slider combination that consistently keeps hitters off-balance. Since 2021, he has a 3.1 per cent barrel percentage, the lowest mark in the majors for pitchers with at least 200 innings pitched.
Much to the delight of Blue Jays fans, the potential mix of Trey YeSavage and Rogers could prove to be dangerous for MLB hitters. Their vertical release points are incredibly different, with YeSavage holding the highest release point and Rogers holding the lowest in 2025.
Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins are truly going for it, as the Jays have now spent a combined $277 million on Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Rogers. And according to John Schneider, the team is still interested in signing both Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker. Nothing’s guaranteed, but considering what we’ve seen so far, it’s safe to say that this team won’t be quiet as the offseason continues.
Canucks trade Quinn Hughes in blockbuster trade with the Wild
One of the NHL’s best defencemen is now taking his talents to Minnesota.
On Friday, the Vancouver Canucks made waves by trading their captain and star defenceman Quinn Hughes to the Wild. In exchange, the Canucks received a bunch of young talent in Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft.
It didn’t take long for Hughes to get off to a great start with new team. Less than two days after the trade, he ripped a shot past Jeremy Swayman to get on the board for his first goal with the Wild. He added three shots on goal in just under 27 minutes of ice time in the Wild’s 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Hughes was in his eighth season with the Canucks after being selected by them in the first round of the 2018 draft. Two years ago, he won the Norris trophy as the league’s best defenceman, posting a career-high 17 goals and 75 assists.
With the 2025-26 campaign, the 26-year-old entered the fifth of a six-year, $47.1 million deal. The American now leaves Vancouver as one of its greatest defenders, ranking first in points (432), assists (371), power play points (190), goals (61), and multi-point games (110) for back-liners.
The Canucks will now turn their attention to a potential re-tool, rather than a full rebuild. Buium and Rossi were the Wild’s sixth and seventh-leading scorers at the time of the trade, and they’ll now add some solid depth to the Canucks’ top lines. Ohgren is a solid young talent who’s only in his second year, and the future first-round pick is the cherry on top.
It’ll be interesting to see what Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin does from here.
Alphonso Davies returns to action for Bayern Munich after missing last nine months with knee injury
Canadian soccer fans, rejoice!
Alphonso Davies made his return to the pitch for Bayern Munich after missing the last nine months with a torn ACL. The defender suffered the injury during Canada’s Nations League match against the United States back in March.
On Tuesday, Bayern’s manager Vincent Kompany said that “anything before Christmas” would be a bonus for Davies. However, with his team up 3-1 in Champions League play against Sporting Lisbon, Kompany elected to put the speedy left-back in with just three minutes to go in the game.
Davies didn’t seem rusty in his first taste of action, stopping a potential counter attack just seconds into his return. He finished with four touches, three passes and one tackle in just two minutes of action.
This is terrific news for head coach Jesse Marsch and the Canadian men’s national soccer team, as they’ll likely get their captain back for their next upcoming fixtures heading into the World Cup.
However, with the surging play of Richie Laryea over the past few months, it’ll be interesting to see where Marsch ends up deploying Davies. He’s played on the wing in the past, so that could be a possibility, but only time will tell.
Trish Stratus, multiple WWE stars pay tribute to John Cena on his retirement
John Cena has officially retired from professional wrestling.
In front of a jam-packed crowd in Washington, D.C., Cena capped off his retirement tour with a match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Before the match, Cena was greeted by numerous WWE Hall of Famers, including Mark Henry, Booker T, and Toronto-native Trish Stratus.
Last year, Cena announced that he would retire from in-ring work after spending nearly 24 years doing so. Since his debut back in 2002, Cena has transformed into one of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment industry. During his career, Cena won 17 world championships, acted in numerous films and granted the most wishes ever for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Along with his catchy entrance music, Cena also coined his iconic “You Can’t See Me” phrase during his potent career.
The 48-year-old also received numerous posts and tributes from sports teams. Cena used to dawn throwback jerseys during his “Doctor of Thuganomics” phase, which made for some pretty cool tribute posts.
Cena’s final match ended up being an epic one, and although he went on to lose it in controversial fashion, it’s fair to say that he left the company in a good place.
Kaylie Buck breaks through with first career World Cup silver medal
With the odds seemingly stacked against her, Kaylie Buck delivered one of the best performances of her career on Saturday.
On one of the Olympic courses in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the snowboarder made an unprecedented run to the finals in the parallel giant slalom World Cup. Buck had zero top 10 finishes in the event coming in, but managed to defeat multiple top-tier competitors en route to the silver medal.
In the first heat of classifications, Buck defeated fellow Canadian and three-time junior world champion Aurelie Moisan. After that, she took down Claudia Rigler in the quarter-finals, and followed that up with a win over rising star Jasmine Coratti in the semis. The cinderella run came to an end in the final, as she went on to lose to 10-time World Cup winner Sabine Payer.
Buck finished 23rd and 30th, respectively, in the two events prior to this one, seemingly making her one of the underdogs heading into Saturday’s contest. After three events, she now stands in eighth place in the overall standings. The Oakville, Ont., native will have a chance to build on that, as the next World Cup event takes place on Thursday in Carezza, Italy.
Connor Hellebuyck returns, helps Jets get back on track with 5-1 win over Capitals
Sometimes you just need your big guns to get you over the line, and that’s exactly what the Winnipeg Jets received on Saturday.
Connor Hellebuyck made his return to the ice and looked sharp, making 24 saves to help Winnipeg secure a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The reigning Vezina and Hart trophy winner was expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery three weeks ago.
Hellebuyck seemed a lot more confident than the team doctors and coaching staff, saying that he expected it to be a three-week absence from the jump. This is a major return for the Jets, who went 2-8-1 during the starting goaltender’s absence. They were also in the midst of a three-game losing streak prior to Saturday’s contest.
They’ll look to continue to ride this momentum later tonight, when they take on the Ottawa Senators. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Canadian Player of the Week: Connor McDavid
Another year, another tremendous start to the season for Connor McDavid.
This past week, the Oilers captain did what he does best, blistering through defences to create scoring opportunities for his team. McDavid racked up nine points in a four-game stretch, which also included a few awesome highlights against the Red Wings and Maple Leafs.
In a year that’s been highlighted by the scorching play of Nathan MacKinnon and time-travelling greatness of Sidney Crosby, McDavid has quietly built another terrific season for himself. The three-time Hart trophy winner has 18 goals and 34 assists, putting him second in the NHL in points with 52 on the season.
The Oilers have been up and down in 2025, but a trade for former Stanley Cup winning goalie Tristan Jarry could have their momentum flip immediately. As long as McDavid continues to do what he does best, this team will have a chance to make another run to the Stanley Cup final next spring.