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Dave Hyde: Time for Dolphins to shed ugly narratives in Green Bay — or be buried by them againArticle content No surprise that No. 97 is leading the NHL in points, or very close to the top. Happens every season, right? Like the brightest star coming out at night. But it’s not Connor McDavid . It’s currently Kirill Kaprizov. Now, McDavid, who has won the Art Ross trophy five times, could still reel in the Minnesota Wild winger by Christmas — he’s picked up 100 places in the points race, the last few weeks—but Kaprizov is second with 33 points in 18 games, one back of Colorado’s Nate MacKinnon, the reigning Hart trophy winner. He went into the Edmonton Oilers game Thursday with 13 goals and 20 assists, also plus 17. Kaprizov, who certainly is in the MVP conversation, leads or co-leads the NHL in points-per-game (1.83), has 27 primary points and 19 even-strength and has more three-point games, six, than scoreless ones, three. He’s on pace for 150 points, but if you ask the 27-year-old Russian if he likes the test of going against McDavid, who has 24 points, frankly a megastar who lives in another orbit, he demurs about that stuff. But his coach John Hynes doesn’t. He says there’s a “He’s good, I’m good” factor. “The top guys, in my experience, it’s about the competitive level. There’s a respect there to be able to test themselves,” said Hynes. “That’s why the guys at the top of the league are extreme competitors, they like the challenge of playing each other.” “Like I saw where MacKinnon was disappointed that (Alex) Ovechkin wasn’t going to be playing (in the Avs-Caps game Thursday) because he’s out,” said Hynes. But, Kaprizov downplayed the mano-o-mano aspect. “I like playing against everyone,” said Kaprizov. “He’s a star, one of the best players in the league, but every team has star players.” What does he wish he had that McDavid has? “He’s one of the best players, how I say, in the world, he’s fast, good hands. Everything,” he said. But Kaprizov can wheel, too. “No, I’m slow,” he said, with a laugh. He’s far from that. “I don’t like to talk about my game. You guys can talk about it. I don’t like to say something good or not so good. I just play,” said Kaprizov, 27. But, he one of the starriest athlete in the Twin Cities area. He gets recognized, out for dinner, or out getting a coffee. The attention is polite and welcome. “I don’t care (about posing for cellphone photos, autographs, chats). I was this way when I was younger, too. I wanted pictures of players, or the signings. It’s nice when kids know you,” he said. “There were players on my team, growing up, players you would not know, but it was important for me to see them out in the life, not just on TV.” Now, everybody wants to see Kaprizov, who was drafted in the fifth-round in 2015 but didn’t come over to the NHL until 2020. He is a dog-on-bone, wanting-the-puck player, coming out of traffic with it. Big shot, clever, worker. Not McDavid quick, but quick enough, with a skating style like Sidney Crosby, like Doug Weight had here in his Oilers days. Where did he learn that? “Playing for Ufa, from (teammate Teemu) Hartikainen. I think he played in Edmonton,” said Kaprizov, of the big-body Finnish winger who was an Oilers sixth-round draft pick in 2008, a very good AHL scorer who got into 50 NHL games before he left North America far too soon and returned to Europe where he’s been a star in Russia, and now at 34, playing in Switzerland. Former NHLer Wes Walz, who had 54 goals in 56 games for the WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes in his last year of junior, played 607 games in the show, was an assistant coach in Tampa for the Lightning, and now works on the Wild broadcast, was once a checking centre and knows a special talent when he sees one. “Kirill can score off the rush. But where he does his damage is down below the dots. He reminds me of Crosby, with his footwork below the goal line,” said Walz. “You watch him in a puck battle and he’ll come up with the loose puck and you’ll think how did he just get six feet of separation? What just happened? It’s his footwork, the skating thing. It’s not next-level skating, but it’s different. It allows him to win pucks all over the ice. He does play a 200-foot game.” Walz appreciates all the stars because he used to have to try and check them, and he especially likes the stars who aren’t one-trick ponies — all offence, all the time. Walz loves MacKinnon’s game as he tromps through the neutral zone and he plays both ends, but a quarter of the way through the schedule, Kaprizov has shown to be great with the puck and very sound without it. “I know Nathan MacKinnon is leading the league in scoring but he’s plus-two. You watch Kirill in his own zone, on the wall. As a former player you don’t get impressed with a lot but when you watch this guy play, it’s very inspiring,” said Walz. Walz was a teammate of Marian Gaborik, the first superstar for the Wild. He was a dynamic talent, but Kaprizov is a cut above with 108- and 96-point seasons. Gaborik’s high in points was 83. “We had a game-breaker with Marian but this is a different level. Marian had straight-line speed, powerful, kind of reminded me of a Pavel Bure,” said Walz. “But Kirill hounds the puck, second and third opportunities.” It’s so hard to get a superstar on an NHL team, and not just be a worker-bee group. Kaprizov doesn’t kill penalties — no sense blocking a shot and breaking a bone — but he’s sound enough defensively and reads the offensive tendencies so well that he’s also on the ice in the last minute, protecting a one-goal lead. Like McDavid, like Leon Draisaitl here. Kaprizov is one of the 10 best players in the NHL. “You guys here haven’t had to worry about that (star power). We knew how we had to play in this organization for years. We knew the best two offensive players were on the other team every night. You wouldn’t see them most of the night, you would be checking the hell out of them, they would get half a chance and you lose 3-1 or 3-2. Now, Kirlll is the game-breaker,” said Walz..” Walz always played hard and responsibly. But when the surpremely gifted ones have that worker gene, too, look out. “What I didn’t know about Kiril before coming over from Russia was his desire to be great. It’s like what you guys watch every day. There’s a lot of great players who don’t have that desire. He’s the first guy on the ice, you have to kick him off after practice. Some nights he plays 23-24 minutes.” “He has that goofy gene where he can do something at the end of a shift, kind of reminds me of Leon where you’re thinking he can’t get much done here after an 80 seconds on the ice, and all of a sudden he’ll protect the puck and get to the middle of the ice,” said Walz.CI Hosts Social Responsibility Assessment of Tuna Fisheries in Samoa
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Jimmy Carter, the Georgia peanut farmer who as US president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt has died, according to US media. He was 100. or signup to continue reading A Democrat, he served as president from January 1977 to January 1981 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 US election. Carter was swept from office four years later in an electoral landslide as voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor. Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other US president. Along the way, he earned a reputation as a better former president than he was a president - a status he readily acknowledged. His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, persistent unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his final 444 days in office. In recent years, Carter experienced several health issues including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 instead of undergoing additional medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died in November 2023, at age 96. He looked frail when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair. Carter left office profoundly unpopular but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 in recognition of his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David accords, ended a state of war between the two neighbours. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for talks. Later, as the accords seemed to be unravelling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for personal shuttle diplomacy. The treaty provided for Israeli withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. By the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates that exceeded 20 per cent and soaring gas prices, as well as the Iran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America. These issues marred Carter's presidency and undermined his chances of winning a second term. On November 4, 1979, revolutionaries devoted to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, seized the Americans present and demanded the return of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States and was being treated in a US hospital. The American public initially rallied behind Carter. But his support faded in April 1980 when a commando raid failed to rescue the hostages, with eight US soldiers killed in an aircraft accident in the Iranian desert. Carter's final ignominy was that Iran held the 52 hostages until minutes after Reagan took his oath of office on January 20, 1981, to replace Carter, then released the planes carrying them to freedom. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementPrincipal U.S. Mega-Cap ETF (USMC) to Issue Dividend of $0.15 on December 31st
$700B Industry Shake-Up: Rhuna x Plume Transforming Events for 2M+ Attendees & 200M+ Blockchain Transactions!A FORMER Jersey doctor who is behind bars for a long history of financial crimes has been given extra prison time after trying to block authorities from recovering stolen money and spending thousands on expensive dinners and holidays while owing the taxpayer millions. Gerald Martin Smith, who was jailed earlier this year for obtaining a Covid loan with a fake name and using part of it to help pay off a £72m court order, has had 13 months added to his sentence. Smith, who was previously jailed for stealing millions from a software company, deliberately “obstructed” investigators from taking control of his properties in central London to help repay the millions he owes to taxpayers. Undated handout picture of Gerald Smith of Wentworth, Surrey, who was jailed for eight years after he stole £35m from a computer software company in Berkshire. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday November 14, 2007. The multi-millionaire businessman serving an eight-year prison sentence for fraud has been ordered to pay nearly £41 million. The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) said it believed the confiscation order was the largest amount secured under criminal proceedings to date. See PA story CRIME Businessman. Photo credit should read: PA Wire...REF:CRIME Businessman 1.jpg.NOP. (39476488) The Serious Fraud Office, which oversees financial crime cases in the UK, uncovered Smith’s orchestration of a plan to conceal the ownership of a Bloomsbury property containing three apartments to avoid paying an £80m court order. The former doctor persuaded an old friend from medical school to transfer ownership of the property to a company registered in the British Virgin Islands that Smith secretly controlled. Smith also changed the locks and arranged for two tenants to occupy the flat to further obstruct the selling of the property that was required to recover stolen funds. Investigators also discovered that Smith continued to breach court-imposed spending restrictions by receiving regular financial support from his brother. Over a 19-month period, he spent over £53,000 dining at luxury London restaurants and enjoying holidays in Mallorca. Smith was jailed for eight years in 2006 for stealing £35m from a software company called Izodia. The theft caused the collapse of the stock market-listed company and shareholders lost all their investments. In 2007, the former doctor was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £41m – the largest order made in criminal proceedings at the time. Smith did not pay any of the stolen money back following his release, and he told the court in 2019 that he was too poor to pay back what he owed – despite visiting numerous luxury destinations and using a private jet for more than 100 trips in a single year. In 2022, Mr Smith avoided jail after what was described as “lavish” spending of frozen assets at bars, restaurants and wine merchants. He was instead handed an eight-month suspended sentence. Mr Smith’s criminal record dates back to 1993, when he was jailed for two years for taking £2m from the pension fund of Farr Group, a construction company. Serious Fraud Office director Nick Ephgrave said: “We are determined to prevent criminals benefiting from their crime, and wherever assets are hidden or obstructed, we will go after them. “This sentence should serve as a warning to Mr Smith and those assisting him that we won’t stop in our recovery and enforcement of court orders against him.”
AI no longer flavour of the season but a reality at scale; 2025 to see AI turn into business value PTI Updated: December 29th, 2024, 17:26 IST in Business , Sci-Tech 0 Pic- IANS Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin New Delhi: Artificial intelligence (AI) transitioned from a temporary trend to a widespread reality, gaining traction across industries due to its potential to enhance efficiency, generate revenue and create entirely new roles, yet concerns around its use and impact on jobs remained. Gone are the days when it was merely a buzzword; AI has now become an integral part of business strategy across various sectors. But its full impact on jobs is little known and so is the issue of intellectual property, data ownership and its privacy implications, and liability – who is liable if an accident or mishap occurs due to the use of AI. Also Read Stock markets to end 2024 with positive returns despite roller coaster ride 52 mins ago Mcap of 6 of top-10 most valued firms climbs Rs 86,847.88 cr; HDFC Bank, RIL biggest gainers 1 hour ago As technology becomes increasingly human-like and pervasive, organisations are now striving to unlock business value through innovative methods to engage customers and employees, enhance operational efficiencies, and generate new revenue streams, Wipro CIO Anup Purohit said. “We are working towards a future where AI is integrated seamlessly into everyday operations beyond the honeymoon period and into a mature phase,” he said in an interaction with PTI. “This growth isn’t confined to technology firms; conventional sectors like banking, finance, and healthcare are also progressively integrating AI to improve operational efficiency and boost customer engagement. “AI is no longer the flavour of the season but is now the reality at scale. It is gaining momentum across all business domains and sectors. Even those that were traditionally considered laggards like BFSI or healthcare are looking forward to embracing AI. “CIOs today are shifting their approach away from POC to executing initiatives at scale ... to turn the GenAI ‘trend’ into business value by solving real business problems and cutting out the noise while managing costs,” Purohit said. However, Indian enterprises will need to scale AI by expanding the gamut beyond basic virtual assistants and predictive analytics to a combination of AI-tech-based scalable use cases, according to nasscom. “With the global AI market valued at approximately USD 235 billion and projected to grow to over USD 631 billion by 2028, AI is redefining industries and economies. The possibilities seem endless, from predictive analytics in agriculture to personalised healthcare solutions. In addition, emerging technologies such as quantum computing and federated learning are poised to redefine the AI landscape and open new frontiers,” Tech Mahindra COO Atul Soneja said. Agentic AI: The new frontier of Autonomous Intelligence The futuristic movies where technology takes over human tasks are set to become a reality in 2025, as an increasing number of enterprises adopt agentic AI to handle mundane and repetitive jobs. Arun Parameswaran, MD, Sales, Salesforce India, believes 2025 will mark the true dawn of agentic AI – a new era where AI systems move beyond being reactive assistants to becoming proactive, autonomous agents capable of transforming customer engagement, business efficiency, and decision-making. “We will witness AI agents working collaboratively, transforming productivity and redefining problem-solving at an unprecedented scale. The future will not just be about using AI; it will be about creating and customizing agents that collaborate to understand and execute strategic tasks and decisions, both in personal and business contexts,” he said. AI agents will significantly enhance business processes by improving efficiency and customer service, Purohit said. Sky’s the Limit: Cloud Computing soars alongside AI In addition to AI, cloud computing continues to gain traction. Major players like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are expanding their footprints in India, catering to the increasing demand for scalable and flexible IT solutions. This shift towards cloud services is enabling businesses to innovate rapidly and respond more effectively to market changes. According to research firm IDC, the overall Indian public cloud services market is expected to reach $24.2 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 23.8 per cent for 2023-28. “The integration of AI with cloud services will allow companies to quickly scale their AI models, manage extensive datasets in real-time, and gain insights for smarter decision-making. “The combination of AI and cloud services will help businesses innovate more swiftly, respond to market changes with greater flexibility, and maintain a long-term competitive edge,” Purohit said. Adapt or fade away: Upskilling essential amid AI boom The rapid evolution of technology is also reshaping the job landscape and demand for skilled talent is set to soar as AI continues to redefine job roles across sectors. “With the rapid deployment of AI-led solutions, the industry will soon witness a demand-supply gap of skilled talent. Future professionals will need to build deeper business and communications skills, such as listening, problem-solving, as well as specific domain expertise to leverage AI to solve complex business problems,” Purohit said. Future professionals will need a robust blend of technical expertise and soft skills, including adaptability, emotional intelligence, and strong communication abilities. As businesses increasingly rely on AI-driven solutions, there will be a critical need for individuals who can bridge the gap between technology and business strategy. “AI/Gen AI will impact knowledge work (white-collar work) in ways that no prior technology has, and this is likely to cause significant and continuous shifts in knowledge work (the what) and ways of working (the how) for all businesses. All businesses will need to define work next-practices continually to remain competitive,” TCS CTO Harrick Vin said in an interaction with PTI. Future roles will require greater levels of critical thinking, design, strategic goal setting, and creative problem-solving skills, he said. “This would mean different things in the context of various types of work. For example, for the domain of software DevOps, teams will start to de-prioritise basic scripting skills for infrastructure provisioning and configuration, low-level monitoring configurations and metrics tracking, and test automation, among others. Instead, they will focus more on product requirements analysis, definition of acceptance criteria, software and architectural design,” Vin said. For professionals entering the tech industry in 2025, he listed three primary and most needed skills’ — Learning to learn; Critical thinking/analysis; and Techno-functional skills for applying computational thinking and methods to solve complex domain problems. 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The Houston Astros didn't have the season they hoped to have in 2024. Houston struggled out of the gate to the point where it seemed like it could be sellers ahead of the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline. The Astros turned things around and ended up back in the postseason but didn't make as deep of a run as the team had hoped. Clearly, the Astros have a lot of talent and could contend once again in 2025. While this is the case, it seems like the team is at a crossroads. Houston star third baseman Alex Bregman is available and it's unclear if he will be back. Even if he does return, the Astros have a hole at first base that needs to be addressed. The Athletic's Tim Britton, Aaron Gleeman, and Chad Jennings listed the Astros among "best fits" for Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker at a projected $44 million price tag in response. "Christian Walker didn’t get regular playing time in the majors until age 28, but the late-blooming slugger has turned into one of MLB’s best all-around first basemen. He’s topped an .800 OPS and won a Gold Glove award in three straight seasons while averaging 32 homers per 150 games. One of baseball’s premier defenders, Walker led all NL first basemen with 14 Outs Above Average in 2024. "He might be too old to secure a big long-term payday, but Walker should have a sizable short-term market and could be seen by some teams as an appealing alternative to Pete Alonso given the likely massive gap in price tag...Britton's projection: two years, $44 million. Best fits: (Houston Astros), (Milwaukee Brewers), (New York Yankees)." Walker hit 26 home runs in 2024 and drove in 84 runs. Both of those metrics would be improvements for the Astros. They can afford a $44 million deal and it makes almost too much sense. More MLB: Mets beloved 4-time All-Star predicted to depart for Astros in free agency
GUINNESS "panic-buying" has pubs fearing they may run out before Christmas as the drinks giant warned of a cap on the number of kegs available. Pubs may run out of the drink, one of Britain's most popular pints , following the unprecedented spike in demand for the black stuff. The number of kegs that pubs can receive have had “allocation limits” placed on them by its owner, drinks giant Diageo, as it aims to manage supplies across the UK. While it has been quick to reassure drinkers that taps will not run dry, one pub company warned its managers that "quantities may be limited through the festive season ". The spike in demand is understood to have come from a spell of colder weather and four weekends of rugby union internationals in November. This may have stretched supply of the Irish stout, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. Read More on Pubs The once unfashionable brand has even birthed its own fan base, with so-called "Guinnfluencers" now all over social media . Stars ranging from Hugh Jackman all the way to Kim Kardashian have shown their love for the drink . Earlier this year, Diageo’s chief executive Debra Crew said sales of the black stuff among UK women had increased 24 per cent. The drink also has a special place amongst rugby fans, having been affiliated with the sport for 60-years, and has been the official beer of the Six Nations since 2007. Most read in Money England , Scotland and Ireland played four home matches in the autumn internationals series, while Wales played three in November. Pubs were regularly packed out with fans both celebrating and drowning their sorrows. An email from one large pub company to publicans, seen by The Times , said it while it was managing the situation, "stock allocation" would be in place. It did however add that regular deliveries of Guinness would take place throughout December, although quantities available for order may be "limited" over the festive period. Other pub operators have confirmed they have been “restricted”. One publican said some of his competitors were “ panic buying ” to prepare for the festive period, further stretching supply. A spokesman for Diageo said: “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain. "We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible. This comes as boozers were outraged after it was announced a dozen popular beers are set to be axed from pubs over Christmas. Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) is ditching 11 classic British cask beers in a matter of weeks. The bizarre decision is said to have a "huge impact" on pubs and pub-goers. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) were the first to spot the delisting, slamming the decision as "another example of a globally owned business wiping out UK brewing heritage". READ MORE SUN STORIES The organisation's Cider and Perry campaigns director and vice chair Gillian Hough fumed: "This loss of consumer choice is the inevitable outcome of a brewing conglomerate run by accountants and the bottom line. "This is a sad and disappointing decision that puts both the history and the future of British brewing in jeopardy."When Jon Montgomery’s moustache was just a patch of reddish stubble, it could only dream of becoming an astronaut. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * When Jon Montgomery’s moustache was just a patch of reddish stubble, it could only dream of becoming an astronaut. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? When Jon Montgomery’s moustache was just a patch of reddish stubble, it could only dream of becoming an astronaut. The Movember movement started in 2003 in Australia, when a group of friends grew moustaches during the month of November to bring attention to men’s health issues, charging $10 to take part in the challenge with the money going to prostate cancer. The Movember movement started in 2003 in Australia, when a group of friends grew moustaches during the month of November to bring attention to men’s health issues, charging $10 to take part in the challenge with the money going to prostate cancer. It has since grown to a worldwide initiative that now encompasses many other ways of fundraising during the month, including walking 60 kilometres to remember the 60 men who die by suicide globally every hour, or hosting a Mo-Ment event. The ruddy muzzy always knew it was destined to go fast, to go far and to live life on the edge. That much was certain when it held on for dear life while its host whipped around the skeleton track in Vancouver to win a record-setting, beer-soaked gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. But in the 14 years since, as the Russell-born Montgomery’s gone on to enjoy a successful post-athletic afterlife as a television host, his whiskers still yearned to go where no Manitoban “lip sweater” had ever gone before. And so, Montgomery partnered with Movember for a manscaped mission, aiming to raise awareness for men’s physical and mental-health causes. ( host, who has raised $10,000 for Movember since 2012, has a personal connection to the cause; his father went through prostate cancer.) On Sept. 22, in a field in Kingston, N.Y., Montgomery’s moustache trimmings were strapped into a space-proofed container, attached to a balloon, and launched to a cruising altitude of 35,472.9 metres above mean sea level for a two-hour-long solo flight at the very edge of the earth’s stratosphere. “It just really changed my perspective,” the moustache told the upon its return. “Made me wonder whether other lifeforms exist, and whether they grow facial hair, too.” SUPPLIED Manitoba Olympian Jon Montgomery sent his ’stache into space in September. Its adventures left the discussing the most memorable Manitoban moustaches, sifting through old boxes of hockey cards, scanning LP sleeves and asking the general public for suggestions. The following star soup-strainers made the barbershop cut. About 150 years before Montgomery’s moustache witnessed the vastness of the universe, a man named Telrean noted the absence of Manitoba’s most important moustache in a diary entry, written on Sept. 23, 1874, in Saint Hyacinthe. ARCHIVES The founding father of Manitoba, Louis Riel, is known for his trademark moustache. “With emotion, I shook the hand of Riel, the young hero of Manitoba,” he wrote after meeting the Métis icon. “He was tall, bronze like the Métis, without showing much trace of his Indian blood. He wore sideburns without a moustache.” As detailed in a 1949 entry in the Manitoba Historical Society’s Transactions series, a publication that preceded Manitoba History, in 1874, the 29-year-old Riel had just visited Washington, where he’d met with sitting American president Ulysses S. Grant. (Grant had by that point tamed his Civil War scruff). Meanwhile, Riel’s father, Louis Sr., who died in 1864, is seen in most photographs with a sideburn-full-beard combo. You might have a hard time envisioning Louis Riel without his ‘stache, which has become an indelible element of our province’s founder’s visual identity, a downward crescent blending revolution and grandiose intelligence in one follicular swoop. Riel’s is without a doubt Manitoba’s most consequential moustache. There are more than 1,200 members of the , a tribute to the hirsute frontman of the Guess Who, the biggest band to ever emerge from Winnipeg. “I AM NOT BURT HIMSELF!” the group’s administrator writes. “This is the official UNOFFICIAL fanclub of Burton Cummings’ moustache — the moustache is what contains all Burt’s superpowers.” SUPPLIED Singer Burton Cummings once shaved his moustache, but the hair returned by 1981. There might be some Samsonian truth in that: on each of his first three solo albums, the St. John’s neighbourhood-raised songwriter made the muzz — and those curly locks — a focal point of the album art. But when he released the singer debuted a naked lip. “Singer Burton Cummings has a new image,” The Canadian Press reported on April 2, 1980, one month before the album’s release. “Cummings, now a short-haired rocker, says he woke up one morning, took a look at himself and realized he was bored with what he saw. Deciding to make a change, he hacked off his hair close to his scalp and shaved off his moustache.” For 1981’s Cummings hired photographer John Rowlands to handle the cover art. With his thumbs meeting in the album’s centre, forming a crude W, Cummings framed the lower third of his face, his lip once again graced by that superpowered moustache. Yes, these Jets featured current head coach Scott Arniel and a 19-year-old star centre named Dale Hawerchuk, but there’s a case to be made that the 1982-1983 Winnipeg club is the greatest moustache team of all time. KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets 1.0 defenceman Dave Babych sported a legendary bushy ’stache. Coached by reigning Jack Adams winner Tom Watt — a mustachioed dead ringer for Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky — and co-captained by bare-lipped American Dave Christian and the gloriously stached right-winger Lucien DeBlois, the Jets limped to a 74-point finish before losing to the eventual Smythe Division champion Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers later lost the Stanley Cup to the New York Islanders, who won their fourth straight championship behind a roster featuring St. Boniface’s Butch Goring, a Lady Byng-winning gentleman with an incongruently grizzly moustache. Perhaps the Jets blew it by having an all-time lineup of dusters well before it came time to grow playoff beards. The unofficial leader was defenceman Dave Babych, who wore the thickest moustache this side of Lanny McDonald for most of his 19-year career, the first five spent as a Jet. (In a January 1984 column, sports editor Hal Sigurdson noted, “Dave Babych has shaved his moustache, while Dale Hawerchuk is growing one.”) KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets 1.0 player Doug Smail was a speedy, and hirsute, forward. On the blueline, Maurice Mantha earned the nickname Moe. Saskatchewan speedster Doug Smail donned a horseshoe moustache above his Moose Jaw. Wearing No. 16 and a respectable ‘stache, former Brandon Wheat King Laurie Boschman scored 74 points in only 61 games, trailing only the baby-faced Hawerchuk (92 points) and the French-born Paul MacLean — a first-ballot moustache Hall of Famer who finished the year with 76 points. While the all-star MacLean is remembered as a prototypical power forward who scored 40 goals for the Jets on three occasions, most modern hockey fans became acquainted with him during his tenure as a cantankerous, award-winning bench boss. During the 2013 season, MacLean, then coaching the Senators, went viral when an Ottawa fan sitting behind him in a suit and tie — and walrus moustache — was dubbed “Paul MacClone” by Sportsnet. The auto parts salesman’s facial hair was covered by local and national press. “Now, some of my customers call me Coach,” Watson told the ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the . Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the while earning his degree at Ryerson University’s (now Toronto Metropolitan University’s) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. . Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. 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