All Your Latest News

J.S. Giguere’s perfect run as a Toronto Maple Leaf is over.

Through a series of deflections and amusing bounces, the San Jose Sharks snapped Giguere’s shutout streak and handed him his first loss wearing the blue and white, a 3-2 choice on Monday in Toronto.

Tied 2-2 into the late stages of the third period, the Sharks’ Ryan Clowe scored the winner with 6:39 to go, also giving the Leafs (19-30-11) their eighth loss in their last 10 games.

It was the fourth win in five games for San Jose (39-11-9).

Despite the loss to one of the NHL’s top road teams — the Sharks now boast a record of nine straight wins as the visitors — Toronto came out firing on all cylinders, out-shooting, out-hitting and out-scoring the Sharks in the first period.

That extra jump may have been due to some of the young blood in the Leafs’ lineup. With forwards Fredrik Sjostrom and Christian Hanson out sick with the flu, Nazem Kadri was called up for his first NHL appearance, and he made an immediate impression.

On the 19-year-ancient’s very first shift — which happened to be on the starting line — Kadri launched a no-look pass from just inside the Toronto blue-line to Viktor Stalberg in the neutral zone. Stalberg, sprung on a partial breakaway, was the first to test Evgeni Nabokov with a hard slapper that the Russian goalie smothered.

It was the beginning of a busy period for Nabokov, who faced 13 shots compared to the seven sent toward Giguere in the opening frame.

As for the physical play, Dion Phaneuf acquainted himself with San Jose stars early by laying out Dany Heatley with a huge shoulder check in the Leafs zone just minutes into the game.

By the midway point of the period, Toronto’s Colton Orr and San Jose’s Jody Shelley got into a tussle off a face-off in the Leafs end. Shelley may have knocked down the Leafs’ tough-guy in small order with a booming right hand, but mere seconds after that dust up, the Leafs were the first ones on the scoreboard.

With Alexei Ponikarovski pressuring Rob Blake behind the Sharks’ goal, Phil Kessel picked up the turnover, made his way to the front of the net and slid a quick pass over to a wide-open Tyler Bozak.

The rookie centre tapped the puck into the empty half of the net for his third goal of the season and a 1-0 lead at the 10:43 mark of the first.

Bozak nearly had his second point of the night just over a minute into the second period when he delivered a pass to Ponikarovsky, whose slapper bounced off the crossbar and dribbled out of the crease.

Terrible bounces erase Giguere’s streak, Leafs’ lead

A span of less than three minutes saw both the Leafs lead and the shutout streak of Giguere erased. A deflected shot by Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle snapped the Toronto goalie’s unbeaten mark at 143:17.

The 32-year-ancient netminder is the first person in Leafs history to post shutouts in both of his first two matches, beating New Jersey Devils 3-0 and the Ottawa 5-0

Boyle’s shot from the blue-line bounced off the stick of Toronto’s John Mitchell and over the glove of Giguere to tie the game, and 2:23 later the Sharks doubled their goal total when Joe Pavelski was the beneficiary of a giveaway by Kessel in the Toronto zone.

As Kessel lost a pass in his skates, San Jose’s Ryan Clowe picked up the puck and sent it to Pavelski, whose low shot from the high-slot eluded Giguere on the blocker side.

Some excellent pressure by the Leafs top line with just over four minutes to go nearly knotted the game at two, but Nabokov was able to deny Ponikarovski from point blank.

As a Tomas Kaberle shot from the point was knocked down by the Sharks ‘keeper, the rebound was picked up by Ponikarovski at the side of the goal, who tried to deke around the prone goalie but a poke check dispatched that scoring chance.

Phaneuf’s physical play made an impact in the late stages of the second period, stepping into Jody Shelley at the Sharks bench and drawing an vital penalty.

With the Sharks down a man, Kessel scored off a rebound chance that beat Nabokov under the blocker to make it 2-2 with 40 seconds to go in the middle frame, setting up a tight third period.

The winner came 6:39 into the third when Devin Setoguchi tried to centre the puck from behind the Toronto goal but had the puck bounce off the skate of Toronto’s Carl Gunnarsson. That amusing bounce sent the puck right onto the stick of Clowe, who snapped it past Giguere.

With the net empty, Kaberle saved a shot into the Leafs goal and allowed Stalberg to get two fantastic chances right in front of the Sharks’ goal, but Nabokov denied both with 10 seconds remaining to cement the win.

Alexei Morozov, right, and Ilya Kovalchuk embrace after Russia beat Canada for its second straight IIHF world championship on May 10, 2009. (Alexander Nemenov/Getty Images)

When it comes to global puck, Canada’s men and women are second best, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation.

The federation released its pre-Olympic rankings on Monday, just days before the Vancouver Olympics start.

Russia sits on tops of the totals with 2,925 points, while Canada sits in second position with 2,905.

Sweden, the defending champion from the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, is third with 2,795. Finland and the United States round out the top five.

In the women’s pre-Olympic report, the United States is ranked first with 1,790 points, ahead of Canada (1,750 points) and Sweden (1,675 points).

The federation based its rankings on points awarded for the final positions in the last four IIHF world championships. The team that wins the world championship or an Olympic gold medal receives 1,200 points.

On the men’s side, Russia won the two consecutive world championships, edging out the Canadians 2-1 last year and knocking them off in a 5-4 overtime in 2008.

Canada won the tournament in 2007, and Sweden won in 2006.

The IIHF will release its “final” world rankings after the Vancouver Olympics and will also factor in the results from the 2006 Olympics, which were excluded from the pre-Olympic rankings.

The system uses a four-year cycle.

According the IIHF’s calculations, Canada will overtake Russia in the overall rankings if it wins a gold medal in Vancouver.

Col. Russell Williams, centre, and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk, left, speak to Defence Minister Peter MacKay during his visit to CFB Trenton on Jan. 17. (Department of National Defence)

A military commander from Canadian Forces Base Trenton in eastern Ontario has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two women.

Col. Russell Williams, 46, of Tweed, the top commander at 8 wing CFB Trenton, was arrested Sunday in Ottawa, Ontario Provincial Police Det.-Insp. Chris Nicholas said at a news conference Monday.

Williams has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jessica Lloyd, 27, whose body was found Monday off Cary Road in the municipality of Tweed.

Lloyd had been missing since Jan. 28 from her home outside Tweed, about 30 kilometres north of Belleville.

Ontario’s chief coroner is to conduct an autopsy on Lloyd’s body, which arrived in Toronto late Monday afternoon.

Williams was also charged in the death of Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38, of Brighton, Ont., who was killed in her home Nov. 25. Comeau served with the 437 Squadron at CFB Trenton.

Nicholas said police linked the two slayings because of similarities in the cases. They do not expect to make any other arrests.

In addition to the murder charges, Williams faces counts of forcible confinement, break and enter, and sexual assault in relation to two home invasions in the Tweed area in September.

As wing commander at CFB Trenton, Williams oversaw operations at the air force base, which according to the Department of National Defence is “the heart of Canada’s air mobility forces.”

“He was just a bright, bright star,” said Maj.-Gen. Yvan Blondin, the commander of 1 Canadian Air division and Williams’s immediate superior.

“And if you talk to people on the [base], they will probably tell you that they admired the wing commander. He was involved in everything in the community here. Nobody had one thought that something like this could be possible,” he said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Williams now in custody

Williams made a court appearance Monday afternoon for a bail hearing, walking confidently into the provincial courthouse in Belleville, Ont. His hands and legs were shackled and he wore a blue prison-issue jumpsuit and blue booties.

Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38, left, was killer Nov. 25, 2009. The body of Jessica Lloyd, 27, right, was found by police Monday morning. (Canadian Press)

When questioned, he said he understood the proceedings against him. He was remanded in custody and will appear in court by video on Feb. 18.

A publication ban was ordered, as is typical in bail hearings, and the names of the sex assault victims cannot be published either.

Lloyd was last heard from on the night of Jan. 28, when she sent a text message to a family friend. She did not report for work in Napanee the next morning.

Her disappearance prompted a massive air and ground search by police, the military and more than 100 volunteers. It was called off by police after two days.

A handful of distraught-looking people were in the courtroom for the bail hearing Monday, and one man uttered an obscenity as as Williams got up to leave.

The mayor of Quinte West, the region where the military base is located, said his community is in disbelief over the charges.

“Well, it’s just shock,” Mayor John Williams said, speaking about his own reaction. The mayor is not related to the accused.

The mayor said he was in Williams’ office last Thursday.

‘He was just a bright, bright star’ —Maj.-Gen. Yvan Blondin

“I deal with the wing commander on a honestly regular basis and the best word to describe it is shock,” the mayor told CBC News.

Nicholas said Williams was brought to the attention of police based on evidence gathered while questioning people along Highway 37 last Thursday night.

Police would not comment on possible links among the cases other than to say they took place within the same geographic area. They said they were looking at where Williams has been for the past several years and were continuing their investigation.

OPP at accused’s Ottawa home

As of 3 p.m. Monday, OPP officers were parked outside a home that Williams and his wife own in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood, waiting for a search warrant that would allow them to enter.

Police said his wife was at home at the time of his arrest.

“We were really getting ready to invite them for dinner,” Michael Gennis, who lives next to Williams and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, on Edison Avenue. Gennis said the two had been living next door to him and his partner for about a month.

“They were lovely people in my encounters — with Mary Elizabeth more [so] — but even with Russ,” Gennis told CBC News.

“It’s very surprising. I just texted my partner to say … ‘Oh my God, you wouldn’t believe what’s going on here.’”

On Monday morning, police searched their second home in Tweed.

Lt.-Gen. André Deschamps, chief of air staff for the Canadian Forces, issued a statement that “although one is considered innocent until proven guilty, in light of the seriousness of the charges, and in consideration of the high level of responsibilities” attached to Williams’ position, an interim wing commander for 8 Wing Trenton will be appointed to replace him.

A review will also be done by 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg to determine the most appropriate action pending the outcome of his trial, said the statement from Deschamps.

It was not immediately clear if the military has suspended Williams in the meantime, or if he will continue to be paid while he is relieved of his duties.

With files from The Canadian Press