sports // no. 5 ¢ Whitecaps keep their playoff hopes alive Have an idea for a story? Minews@theotherpress.ca ¢ Abbotsford star gets off to tremendous start in the NFL e Some ‘scary’ sports moments ..and more Some ‘scary’ sports moments » Sometimes it is not a ‘treat’ to watch sports Brandon Yip Senior Columnist ctober usually is the month when professional sports leagues in North America have started their seasons: the NHL, NBA, and NFL are playing games to the delight of sports fans and the MLB and MLS are in playoff mode. However, the year 2020 has changed our world significantly and professional sports are not immune. Many professional leagues have altered their regular schedules by revising them to be shorter or shortened and played in isolated bubbles. But perhaps in some strange way, the pandemic appears to be very appropriate and “normal” for the tradition of Halloween. Many sports events have occurred during Halloween, and there have been some “spooky” and “scary” moments in the sports world. Here is a look back at some of the weirdest and strangest moments (albeit some did not occur on Halloween but they are very appropriate for the occasion). Horror on the ice In March 1989, Clint Malarchuk, goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, was involved in one of the scariest incidents in NHL history. In a game at the Buffalo Auditorium (no longer exists), Malarchuk was involved ina collision with St. Louis Blues defenseman, Steve Tuttle. Tuttle accidentally skated over Malarchuk’s neck, partially severing his jugular vein. Blood was spurting everywhere; some fans seated in the front row fainted. Television cameras veered away from Malarchuk bleeding. Fortunately, Malarchuk survived the incident, mainly due to the Sabres’ trainer Jim Pizzutelli, a Vietnam War veteran— who was able to reduce the bleeding. Vampire on the soccer pitch International Uruguayan soccer player, Luis Suarez, is known for scoring with his feet. But during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, his teeth took precedent over his feet Illustration by Athena Little Canucks in 1984 were scary to watch The Vancouver Canucks in the 1980s were a struggling team, and loyal fans had difficulty watching them lose game after game. The Pacific Coliseum was usually half-empty for Canuck home games as the team kept losing. It seemed fitting that on Halloween night in 1984, the Canucks gave their fans another “huge scare” by dropping a 10-3 decision to the Los Angeles Kings. Night of Mr. November The World Series in 2001 played a game on Halloween. Okay, nothing scary happened here! But it was game four between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees. The game continued past midnight, making it the first time baseball was ever played in November during the playoffs. Notably, Yankee star shortstop, Derek Jeter, hit a walk-off home run to earn the title of “Mr. November.” Photo by Arnaldo Fragozo Don't need Batman! On October 31, 2009, during an NBA game between the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs, Halloween was prevalent in the air. A bat flew just above the court during the first quarter. The game had to be halted in order to attempt to catch the bat. Spurs player, Manu Ginobili, did not need to wear a Batman costume because he turned into Batman on his own—swatting and striking down the annoying little creature to save the day and game! when he got the munchies of the human kind—and bit an opposing player. During a group match between Uruguay and Italy, Suarez and Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini collided, with Suarez then biting Chiellini—leaving marks. Oddly, the bite marks were clearly visible, yet FIFA took two days to make a decision about the incident. FIFA would ban Suarez for nine international matches (included the remainder of the World Cup). Safe to say, Suarez probably was not invited to any team dinners—even if there was food! Whitecaps keep their playoff hopes alive » Team grabs their eighth win of the season Mo Hussain Sports Reporter Ihe Vancouver Whitecaps picked up a huge victory over the weekend, as their 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes tied them for seventh place in the Western conference—keeping their playoff hopes alive. The Whitecaps were down 1-0 at halftime, but two goals from defender Ali Adnan and striker Tosaint Ricketts in the 51st and 57th minutes respectively sealed the Whitecaps’ eighth victory of the season. The victory is quite remarkable considering how both teams combined for a total of six shots on target, the Whitecaps picked up 12 more fouls than San Jose, and San Jose managed to possess the ball 62 percent of the game. “Tt was a battle, the character that we showed tonight coming from a goal down and the fight we brought the whole game from start to finish was fantastic,” said Ricketts ina post-game interview. “We came in knowing we need three points. We wanted to get one back on San Jose. That second half showed what type of character we have on this team.” The Whitecaps have now won three of their last four games and have 24 points heading into Tuesday’s matchup against the second-seed Seattle Sounders. It will be interesting to see whether the team can pull off an upset as the Sounders haven't won their last three games; but if they do, it can definitely help them get one step closer to qualifying for the playoffs.