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The Australian team’s banner at the Olympic Village in Vancouver has displeased Olympic authorities. (CBC)

Members of the Australian Olympic team say they will defy an order to take down a giant flag they’ve hung on the side of a condominium building at the Olympic Village in downtown Vancouver.

The green and gold flag, measuring about 50 square metres, shows a golden kangaroo wearing red boxing gloves.

The International Olympic Committee has ordered the flag to be taken down because it’s a registered trademark. Displaying a registered trademark goes against IOC rules.

The trademark is owned by the Australian Olympic Committee, which does not object to the flag’s use by the Australian Olympic team.

“We do it every Games,” Mike Tancred, an AOC spokesman, told the website news.com.au.

Tancred said the team intended to keep the banner flying.

Ilya Kovalchuk finally got his wish and was dealt away from the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday evening.

The New Jersey Devils wound up landing the proven Russian sniper, along with prospect defenceman Anssi Salmela, in exchange for defenceman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft selection.

Kovalchuk, the first overall selection in the 2001 NHL entry draft, was in Washington with his former Thrashers teammates when he found out he had been traded to New Jersey. The Thrashers play the high-flying Capitals on Friday, while Kovalchuk will play for the Devils when they entertain the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.

The 26-year-old never demanded a trade from the Thrashers, but he certainly made it clear to Atlanta general manager Don Waddell that he wanted out when he turned down two different lucrative proposals last fall.

Waddell revealed that he was willing to make Kovalchuk the highest-paid player in the league, but that Kovalchuk turned down a 12-year, $101-million US tender and a seven-season, $70-million pact.

So Waddell moved swiftly to rid himself of a major-league headache. He told Kovalchuk and his agent on Thursday to expect a trade by the weekend. Waddell later issued a statement, outlining the frustrating negotiation process with Kovalchuk earlier Thursday.

“Our goal from the start of this negotiating process was to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract,” Waddell said in the statement. “During the process, Kovy affirmed his desire to be a Thrasher for life.

“We’ve spent several months exploring scenarios with Kovy and his agent to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and offered many lucrative packages in an attempt to meet his financial objectives … he has declined all of our proposals and we can’t reasonably go any higher,” Waddell said in the statement.

“If we went beyond these offers,” he continued, “we would not be able to retain the young players on our roster when it came time to sign them or invest in other top-tier players needed to assemble a truly competitive team.”

Word is Kovalchuk, scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, simply didn’t want to sign on with Atlanta long-term because of the club’s uncertain future. Thrashers ownership has had internal legal battles for years, and Kovalchuk was concerned that the team would not be around by the end of the proposed long-term contract.

Devils desperate for roster shuffle

Enter the Devils, who desperately needed a roster shuffle. Since forward Patrik Elias was sidelined with concussion problems last month, New Jersey has struggled along at 3-6-1 in their past 10 games.

Now they have landed Kovalchuk and Salmela, a minor-league defenceman originally signed by New Jersey and traded to the Thrashers a year ago.

In Oduya, the Thrashers get a solid two-way defender from Sweden. But he has never accounted for more than 22 points in his four NHL seasons.

The 29-year-old has two more years at $3.5-million a season remaining on his contract.

Bergfors, 22, is a restricted free agent on July 1. In his first full season with the Devils, he has scored 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games.

Cormer, meantime, is a top prospect, but the former Canadian junior captain arrives with baggage. He was the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies player who last month landed a vicious elbow to the head of Quebec Remparts opponent Mikael Tam and was banished for the season and playoffs by the QMJHL.

But this sort of elite-rental player trade rarely favours the team giving up the big-name player.

The Thrashers were in a similar situation two years ago, when they gave up Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-round pick, which turned into centre Daultan Leveille, a Michigan State sophomore from St. Catharines, Ont.

Armstrong is the only player currently in the Thrashers lineup. Christensen was later dumped in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for Sudbury Wolves junior Eric O’Dell and Esposito’s career has been hindered by a series of serious injuries.

Ottawa forward Jason Spezza, right, sends the puck into the crease, where it would eventually skid past Vancouver goalie Andrew Raycroft. (Pawel Dwulit/Canadian Press)

The familiar refrain of Jason Spezza scoring and Brian Elliott stopping everything in sight continued on Thursday night as the Ottawa Senators extended their franchise record winning streak to 11 games with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Spezza scored for the eighth consecutive game, a goal that held up as the winner. Milan Michalek scored early in the first, with Chris Kelly capping the night off with an empty-net goal.

Elliott finished with 29 saves to extend his personal win streak to a franchise record nine games. Elliott sports a paltry 1.21 goals-against average over the past nine games.

The Canucks made the Senators sweat late in the game. Already down a defenceman with Erik Karlsson hitting the dressing room with an undisclosed injury, Ottawa blue-liners Matt Carkner and Anton Volchenkov took successive penalties to give Vancouver life.

After making a number of stops, Elliott had no chance on Kyle Wellwood’s goal for the Canucks, the result of a pretty passing play.

The Senators have outscored their opponents 37-13 during their streak. They will try to make it a dozen Saturday in Toronto (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7 p.m. ET).

Vancouver has now dropped two in a row on its Olympic-imposed road trip. The Canucks return to action Saturday afternoon against the struggling Boston Bruins, losers of nine straight.

Canucks goalie Andrew Raycroft made 18 saves in his first start since Dec. 5. He played two periods of shutout hockey in relief of Roberto Luongo on Saturday to help Vancouver come back against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

About the only aspect of Ottawa’s game that hasn’t been fully clicking is the power play, but the Canucks quickly obliged their hosts via a Mikael Samuelsson high-sticking penalty just 52 seconds after puck drop.

Michalek deftly redirected Mike Fisher’s pass from the boards past Raycroft.

Alex Kovalev also assisted on the goal, giving him 11 points in his last 11 games.

Ottawa kept coming and buzzed around the Vancouver net just past the six-minute mark. Peter Regin misfired on a great chance from the slot, while defenceman Carkner hit Raycroft high with a point shot soon after.

The Canucks stemmed the tide only at the midway mark of the period when Senators forward Chris Kelly went off for a minor penalty.

Mason Raymond rang his shot off the post, with the puck then bouncing off Elliott’s back and just wide of the opposite post.

The Senators went up by two late in the first, when Vancouver defenceman Christian Ehrhoff got caught in the Ottawa end.

Spezza outwaited Shane O’Brien on a 2-on-1 with teammate Michalek and sent the puck into the crease. Michalek, O’Brien and Raycroft all whiffed with their sticks, extending Spezza’s franchise record goal-scoring streak.

Tanner Glass of the Canucks tried to give his team a boost during the period by starting a fight, but all he got for his troubles were several Carkner blows to the head.

Jarkko Ruutu deflected a shot to test Raycroft early in the second, but it was Vancouver who would start to enjoy the best scoring chances.

Wellwood had two chances during a Vancouver flurry midway through the period, and Elliott stretched to make a glove save on Canucks defenceman Alex Edler.

The intensity picked up in the final minutes of the period. Aaron Rome belted Fisher into the boards, while Chris Neil and Rick Rypien engaged in a prolonged scrap.

Kovalev cut in from the wing on Raycroft but could not slide the puck past the Canucks goalie, while at the other end Henrik Sedin’s shot got through a screen but was stopped by Elliott.

Ottawa defenceman Chris Campoli fell to the ice in the waning seconds of the period, allowing Steve Bernier to skate in alone. The big Vancouver forward could not get his backhander past Elliott.

Senators forward Jonathan Cheechoo kept Raycroft honest in the third, forcing the Vancouver goalie to make a glove save, but the best chances came from the Canucks.

Ryan Kesler skated in alone but could not lift the puck over the hot Ottawa netminder, while Sami Salo’s blast from the point was gobbled up without a rebound.

Ottawa lost both games to the Canucks last year and had last beaten them in the 2003-04 season. The teams will play again in Vancouver on March 3, the day of the NHL trade deadline.

Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak makes a save as teammate Jaroslav Spacek and Boston forward David Krejci battle in front. (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)

Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak was again the overwhelming reason for his team’s success on Thursday night, making 45 saves and stopping all three attempts in a 3-2 shootout victory in Boston.

Brian Gionta again demonstrated his shootout prowess, roofing a backhand shot over Tuukka Rask for the only shootout goal in six attempts by the teams. Gionta has scored on both shootout attempts this season, helping beat Toronto earlier.

The Canadiens were dominated for most of the first two periods but only trailed by a pair, thanks to their star Slovakian netminder. With just under three minutes remaining in the middle period, Glen Metropolit and Roman Hamrlik scored 39 seconds apart to put Montreal on even terms.

The teams traded a number of great chances in the third without the desired effect and headed past regulation for the sixth time in the last 10 meetings.

Montreal (27-25-6) has now won all three games against their Northeast rivals this season after getting dominated by them last season.

The Canadiens will play two weekend matinee games, both to be shown on CBC and CBCSports.ca. Pittsburgh visits on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Boston the next day at 3 p.m. ET.

The Habs are 2-0-1 in their last three and jumped over Philadelphia into sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Halak stopped 45 shots against Vancouver on Tuesday in a 3-2 home victory. He has faced an average of 34.5 shots in his 26 starts for Montreal this season.

Mark Recchi and Blake Wheeler were the only Bruins to solve him, with Rask finishing with 23 saves.

Boston, the Eastern Conference champs last season, have now lost nine in a row (0-7-2). It is the longest franchise losing streak since the 1924-25 season, when the Bruins lost 11 straight.

Boston’s last home win came on Jan. 1, a game played at Fenway Park.

The Bruins haven’t won at TD Banknorth Garden since Dec. 30, which was also Rask’s last victory. The Finnish rookie has now lost his last five starts.

Boston (23-23-9) peppered Halak early on.

Former Canadien Michael Ryder, rumoured to be on the trading block, split the Montreal defence early in the first to get a strong chance on Halak. At the other end, Mathieu Darche tested Rask.

The Bruins flurried in the second half of the period but always seemed just one play short of scoring. Blake Wheeler couldn’t corral a big rebound of a point shot, while Halak just got a piece of a Patrice Bergeron deflection.

Boston finally scored on their third power play of the period, with Andrei Markov summoned to the box for the dreaded “puck over the glass” delay of game call.

Much-maligned defenceman Dennis Wideman — who’s had difficulty placing his point shots on target — found the mark with a blast that veteran Recchi tipped past Halak.

It was Recchi’s 556th career NHL goal, tied for 23rd overall with Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars and former Bruins great Johnny Bucyk.

The Canadiens got their own power play late, but while they couldn’t connect, they ended the period with a hint of momentum, with Scott Gomez sending a shot just wide.

Boston outshot Montreal 15-5 in the period.

The Bruins went up by a pair early in the second as Krejci drew three Montreal players to the right side before firing his shot on net, leaving Wheeler uncontested for the rebound goal.

Halak denied Wheeler and Ryder on scoring chances and later denied Wheeler again after a nice set-up from Bergeron.

Boston defender Matt Hunwick took a hooking penalty late in the frame that gave the visitors life. Metropolit again burned his old team, starting the play and then potting the rebound after Gomez had two whacks at the puck.

Metropolit has four points in three games against Boston this season.

Hamrlik scored just 39 seconds later on a wrist shot from the point that got through traffic.

Halak nearly got caught out of his net early in the third but Sturm couldn’t take advantage.

The teams traded power-play chances, but it was Stum while short handed with the best chance for either team.

Rask earned his keep by robbing Benoit Pouliot with about seven minutes left

Montreal forward Maxim Lapierre went off for boarding with just under four minutes left. Boston fired three shots on the power play, none of which hit the net.

The Bruins were on target time and again in overtime, with Hamrlik in the box for a leg trip, but Halak was in a zone. At the other end, Markov had a glorious short-handed chance that Rask foiled.

Tomas Plekanec skated in alone in the dying seconds of overtime, but a Boston defender prevented him from getting both hands on the stick for his shot.

Halak’s most impressive shootout save came when we he did the splits to make a right pad save on Krejci.

Toyota acknowledges problems in the brakes of the 2010 model of its popular hybrid Prius. (Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press)

Toyota Motor Corp. will recall 270,000 Prius hybrid vehicles over brake problems in the United States and Japan, according to a top Japanese business newspaper.

The report comes after Toyota said Friday that it will investigate possible brake problems with its luxury Lexus hybrid in Japan and the United States. That announcement was made as the U.S. Transportation Department launched a formal investigation into brake problems in the 2010 Toyota Prius.

The newspaper Nihon Keizai reported that Toyota will soon notify Japan’s Transport Ministry and the U.S. Department of Transportation about the recall, which would affect the new Prius hybrid model. The car went on sale in the United States and Japan in May 2009.

Toyota cannot announce a recall in Japan until it notifies the ministry.

No decision yet, Toyota says

Takayuki Fujimoto, a Transport Ministry official, said the government has yet to receive a recall notice from Toyota. Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said Friday that Toyota had not yet decided whether to recall the Prius.

“Nothing has been decided on whether we will recall or not,” she said.

But Takeuchi said Toyota has launched a probe into the Lexus HS250h because it uses the same brake system as the Prius hybrid.

Takeuchi said that Toyota has not received any complaints about the Lexus HS250h model, and that the probe is to ensure safety.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Transportation Department probe will look into reports of temporary loss of braking ability on uneven road surfaces.

Toyota, already reeling from a massive recall involving faulty gas pedals, acknowledged Thursday there were design problems with the antilock brake system of the latest model of its gas-electric Prius hybrid.

Takeuchi said the automaker discovered design flaws in the new Prius and had corrected them for vehicles sold since January, including those shipped overseas.

But the company is still investigating how to inform people who bought their cars earlier. The model in question first hit showrooms last May. About 170,000 of the new model of cars were sold in Japan and 103,000 in the United States.

The revelation of problems in the company’s flagship green car adds to the woes of the world’s No. 1 automaker, whose reputation as a quality leader has taken a blow with the worldwide recall of 4.2 million vehicles with accelerator pedals that have the potential to stick.

About 180 complaints about braking problems in the third-generation Prius have been reported in the U.S. and Japan. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. says there have been four reports of crashes.

Toyota Canada said Thursday it was aware of “a small number of isolated reports of inconsistent brake feel in certain 2010 model year Prius vehicles and we are investigating those reports.”

NDP questions minister’s reaction

MP Brian Masse, the NDP transport critic, accused Transport Minister John Baird of ignoring public safety concerns relating to Toyota.

“You have to wonder about the cozy relationship of Transport Canada, the minister and Toyota because public safety is not being investigated here in Canada,” Masse told CBC News. “But abroad it’s actually going through extensive and comprehensive hearings.”

But Baird’s office rejected the accusations, saying Transport Canada “has been quite engaged with the U.S administration and Toyota on this file.”

“Transport Canada officials have worked since the beginning with Toyota Canada to ensure corrective action is taken and that the safety of Canadians consumers is protected,” said an email from the minister’s office to CBC News.

Transport Canada was not made aware of issues related to the gas pedal recall until it was announced by Toyota.

Transport Canada said it has received five complaints relating to brake concerns on the 2010 Prius — all in the past two months.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said two of the complaints involved crashes that resulted in injuries. Japan’s Transport Ministry said Wednesday it has received 14 complaints since July about brake problems with the new hybrid.

The gas pedal recall applies to 270,000 vehicles in Canada and 2.3 million in the United States. Toyota said Thursday the U.S. recall could cost $2 billion US — $1.1 billion in direct costs and $770 million to $800 million in lost sales.

2 Ontario plants affected

The company halted sales in January of eight recalled models in North America, including the top-selling Camry and Corolla, until it fixes the issue. The Prius was not one of the models covered in the gas pedal recall.

Production at two Toyota manufacturing plants in southwestern Ontario was halted this week because of the recall.

The company made its recall cost projection in its quarterly earnings release, which reported a net profit of about $1.7 billion US in the quarter ended in December and forecast an annual profit of $880 million.

Toyota also raised its full-year sales outlook to 7.18 million units from 7.03 million. The revised forecast remains lower than the 7.57 million vehicles it sold in the previous financial year.

With files from The Associated Press

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has suspended Val-d’Or Foreurs defenceman Marco Scandella indefinitely for hitting an opponent in the head only weeks after it suspended another player for an elbow hit.

The latest incident occurred in a game Wednesday against the Rimouski Oceanic, with Scandella elbowing Alexandre Durette in the head during a collision near the boards.

Durette’s helmet was broken on the play, but no penalty was called.

“This afternoon, [QMJHL disciplinarian] Raymond Bolduc informed me of his decision to suspend Marco Scandella indefinitely,” league commissioner Gilles Courteau said in a statement Thursday. “After seeing the hit, I believe it is the right decision while the disciplinary process runs its course.

“Our position is clear: we have a responsibility to protect our players. Their safety is our No. 1 priority.”

Scandella was considered to be one of Canada’s top defencemen at this year’s world junior hockey championship in Saskatchewan last month.

The player, who turns 20 later this month, was a second-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2008 NHL entry draft.

Bolduc will gather testimony from on-ice officials as well as players and members of both teams, then analyze the facts and review his findings with a committee before deciding what action to take.

No timetable for when a decision will be reached has been set.

Last month, the QMJHL suspended Patrice Cormier of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for the rest of the season. Cormier came off the bench during a game, headed to centre ice and elbowed Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts in the head.

Tam required hospitalization after suffering a head injury and broken teeth.

Cormier was the captain of Canada’s world junior team.

With files from CBCSports.ca

Superstar Ilya Kovalchuk was traded late Thursday from the Thrashers to the Devils. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ilya Kovalchuk’s exorbitant contract demands left Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell little choice but to deal with the Devils.

Kovalchuk, 26, was traded Thursday evening by the Thrashers to the New Jersey Devils with defenceman Anssi Salmela in return for defenceman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft pick.

Waddell was forced to ship Kovalchuk elsewhere because he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and the superstar’s asking price to stay put was simply too high.

Kovalchuk spurned Atlanta’s offers of $70 million over seven years and $101 million US over 12 years — pacts that Waddell considered historic in proportion — in the hope of landing a long-term deal worth $11 million annually.

Amid rumours that a trade was imminent, Waddell released a statement Thursday morning confirming the two sides had reached an impasse.

“Our goal from the start of this negotiating process was to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract,” he said. “We’ve spent several months exploring scenarios with Kovy and his agent to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and offered many lucrative packages. Unfortunately, we’ve reached an impasse.”

Kovalchuk has racked up 31 goals and 27 assists for 58 points in 49 games this season, his eighth in the NHL since he was drafted first overall by Atlanta in 2001.

A two-time 50-goal scorer and perennial all-star, Kovalchuk has totalled 328 goals and 615 points in 594 NHL games, all with the Thrashers.

Salmela, meantime, is essentially returned to the Devils, who traded him to Atlanta for defenceman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz last March 2.

The 25-year-old Finn has one goal and five points in 29 games this season.

Oduya, a Swedish Olympian, has two goals and four points in 40 games this season. He was injured for five weeks and missed 15 games.

The 28-year-old rearguard ranked second on the Devils in ice time this season, averaging a little over 21 minutes per outing.

Oduya still has two years remaining on his current contract at a salary cap hit of $3.5 million US.

Bergfors, 22, ranks fifth in rookie scoring this season with 27 points, including 13 goals.

The Swedish forward was drafted 23rd overall by the Devils in 2005.

Cormier, a teenage prospect with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, recently garnered headlines for a vicious elbow that earned him a suspension for the remainder of the QMJHL season.

A highly regarded forward, the Moncton native was captain of the Canadian national team that won the silver medal last month at the world junior championship in Saskatoon.

New Jersey drafted him in the second round (54th overall) in 2008.

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean presents Kelsey Roy of Carleton Place, Ont. with a Medal of Bravery during a ceremony at Rideau Hall on Thursday. Roy saved her mother, who fell through the ice on Mississippi Lake. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean gave 47 people bravery decorations Thursday, including an Ontario girl who pulled her mother from a frozen lake and three Regina men who pulled a woman from a burning car seconds before it exploded.

The decorations recognize selfless acts that saved lives and sometimes cost rescuers their own. One U.S. Coast Guard officer received the Star of Courage, while 46 others were given the prestigious Medal of Bravery.

While some of the awards were given posthumously, recipients in attendance at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa included soldiers, police officers, volunteer firefighters, electricians, elevator repairmen and even children.

Kelsey Roy of Carleton Place in eastern Ontario was just eight when she saved her mother’s life.

She and her mother, Karin Roy, were enjoying a winter outing along Mississippi Lake in March 2007 when her mother fell through the ice and into the frigid waters. She yelled at her daughter to leave the scene, fearing she would also fall in. Kelsey instead crawled along the thin ice, grabbed her mother and pulled her to safety.

“I’ve seen what it’s like to lose someone who is close to you, my grandpa died and my great-aunt died, and I just knew I couldn’t let my Mom go under, ” Kelsey said after the ceremony.

She also confessed some of her friends are kind of jealous of all the attention she is receiving for her act of bravery.

Harry Prymak said he could do without the attention. A press operator at the Winnipeg Free Press for 31 years, Prymak is used to printing the headlines, not making them.

Three years ago, Prymak and some friends were icefishing on Lac du Bonnet, Man., when they heard screams on the lake. An inexperienced snowmobiler had fallen through the ice.

Prymak said he got down on his belly and slid over to the hole where the snowmobiler had gone in.

“[I)] grabbed him by the arm and proceeded to pull him up on the ice, but the ice broke away and I also fell in,” he said.

Prymak is not a strong swimmer, but went after the drowning man until Prymak’s friends pulled them both out.

“It all happened too fast, I don’t think anything went through my head, I should have sat back and thought about it a little better, but I thought it was urgent to try and get him out, ” Prymak said.

A trio of men from Regina were equally bold when they came across a burning car in a ditch during a road trip in British Columbia.

In July of 2007, Mark Barnard, Andrew Hilderman and Michael Landry were driving from Kelowna to Sicamous when they saw smoke and heard screams in the ditch. The driver of the car was trapped inside by her seatbelt.

“The smoke was unbelievable,” said Hilderman. “You couldn’t see an inch in front of your face. It was just this wall of black smoke pouring out of the inside of the car. The interior of the car was on fire. She was screaming for help. It was an inferno. It was worse than you see in movies.”

The men got a knife from a passerby, cut the driver’s seatbelt and pulled her out of the vehicle. Seconds later, it exploded in a ball of flames.

“The tires were exploding, a lot of people were yelling at us to get out of there, and I just thought, ‘They blow up in the movies, they don’t blow up in real life,” Landry said.

“But no, it definitely did, and that’s when I realized the danger.”

The three men have become friends with the driver, Julie Wharram, who travelled from Toronto to Ottawa with her family to reunite with her rescuers for the first time since the accident.

“They’re awesome and I love them and my family loves them and we think about them everyday and we have their picture on our fridge and look at them everyday, ” she said.

In addition to bravery, the three men share another trait: modesty.

“I’m a normal person, who lives a normal life,” said Hilderman. “I wake up and put my pants on one leg at a time. I don’t consider myself a hero but people insist on calling me that.”

But the three men do admit to occasionally using their new honorific after their name, MB, which stands for medal of bravery.

“I’ve already put it on resumes, and filled out forms with MB on it. And every time I do, I just smile to myself, like, ‘That actually happened,’ ” Hilderman said.

Canada gives out three bravery decorations: the Medal of Bravery, Cross of Valour and Star of Courage. Anyone can nominate a person who has risked injury or death to save another. The incidents don’t need to have taken place in Canada and the rescuer doesn’t have to be a citizen, but Canadians or Canadian interests must be involved.

Lions owner David Braley, right, wants to buy the Argos, too. (Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

The end appears near in the ongoing Toronto Argonauts ownership saga.

For a second straight day, the Argos’ proposed sale to B.C. Lions owner David Braley wasn’t ratified by the CFL’s board of governors at meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla. Again, league officials said that because work continues on the transaction, the matter couldn’t be presented to the governors for ratification.

But on Thursday, Argos co-owner David Cynamon told The Fan 590 — an all-sports radio station in Toronto — that by the end of the week the CFL club will either be sold to Braley or remain with Cynamon and co-owner Howard Sokolowski.

“But one thing we’re committed to is to make sure one way or the other it’s finalized this week,” Cynamon said.

Cynamon and Sokolowski have spent much of the off-season kicking around the idea of selling the franchise they rescued from the jaws of bankruptcy in 2003, or securing additional business partners to help offset their mounting losses. A CFL source requesting anonymity said at least one group has inquired about purchasing the Argos and had a representative meet with Cynamon and Sokolowski.

However, the meeting ended quickly when the asking price for the franchise was unveiled at between $12 million and $15 million.

The Argos owners, with help from the CFL, also attempted to land a new partner but couldn’t formally secure one.

Last June, it was revealed Braley fronted Sokolowski and Cynamon half the $2-million franchise fee to purchase the Argos and continued to lend the team money.

If Braley purchases the Argos it could present a potentially embarrassing situation for the CFL. Not only would one man own 25 per cent of the league, it would also create an obvious conflict-of-interest situation.

But there are no provisions within the CFL’s constitution preventing one person from owning two different teams. There is also support within the board of governors for Braley having two separate franchises.

And recently constitutional amendments were made so that CFL commissioner Mark Cohon would have to be informed of any financial transactions made between owners, thus creating transparency.

Yet to hire a head coach

Resolving the ownership issue would certainly be welcomed by the Argos, who’ve yet to settle on a head coach and are anxiously attempting to sell season-ticket packages. Last week, the club offered its head coach’s job to Montreal offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich but he opted to remain with the Grey Cup-champion Alouettes.

With that development and Calgary assistant George Cortez joining the Buffalo Bills, the expectation was former Winnipeg head coach Doug Berry had become the top candidate for the Argos’ job. However, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers having hired former Saskatchewan assistant Paul LaPolice as their new head coach, Hamilton defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall could re-enter the picture in Toronto.

The Argos asked for — and received — permission from Hamilton to speak to Marshall about their head coach’s spot, but that was with the expectation he’d likely be hired in Winnipeg.

Whoever takes over as coach will be the club’s fourth in two seasons and face the task of rebuilding a club that’s 7-29 over that span.

Kathy O’Rourke, second from right, and her P.E.I. rink exit the ice triumphant after sewing up a playoff berth on Thursday. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Team Canada’s Jennifer Jones scored five in the fourth end en route to an 11-4 win over Nova Scotia’s Nancy McConnery as Draw 16 came to a close at the Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., on Thursday afternoon.

Canada’s final placing in the standings will be determined following their game against Ontario’s Krista McCarville in the final round-robin draw later Thursday.

Both rinks are tied at 7-3.

Kathy O’Rourke’s P.E.I. rink (8-3) officially clinched a spot in Friday’s page playoffs, despite a 10-5 loss to B.C.’s Kelly Scott (6-4).

In other Draw 16 results, New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly beat Manitoba’s Jill Thurston 9-6 and Alberta’s Valerie Sweeting stole two in the eleventh end to beat Northwest Territories/Yukon 9-7.

Thurston is tied for fourth with Scott at 6-4.

In the morning draw, O’Rourke won 9-5 over Newfoundland; McCarville defeated Nova Scotia 7-3; Quebec’s Eve Belisle (5-5) edged New Brunswick 6-5; and Northwest Territories/Yukon won 9-5 over Saskatchewan.