Former Eagle involved in Flames captain injury: Cape Breton Sports In Brief for Oct. 22, 2026

A Cape Breton Eagles alumnus was involved in the injury to Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund on Sunday.

Backland left the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper-body injury after taking a hit from former Eagle William Carrier. Backland is considered to be day-to-day.

The 37-year-old Backland has appeared in eight games with the Flames this year, posting a goal and two points.

Carrier, 31, has six assists in 11 games with the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes this season.

He played three-and-a-half seasons with the Eagles from 2010 to 2014.

The Flames were scheduled to play the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

An NHL player with Cape Breton connections continues to make his mark on the Ottawa Senators franchise.

Forward Drake Batherson, the son of Norm Batherson and grandson of Matt and Kay Batherson of North Sydney, moved into ninth place on the Senators all-time goals list with his 153-career goal last Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Batherson is now one goal behind teammate Tim Stutzle for eighth place on the franchise’s goals list.

He’s now 273 goals away from breaking the record, which is held by Daniel Alfredsson (426).

The 28-year-old Batherson also played parts of three seasons with the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

In nine games this season, Batherson has four goals and six points. The Senators were scheduled to play the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, but the score result was not available at publication time.

Caper Memorial moved to Saturday and Sunday

For the second time in as many weeks, organizers of the Caper Memorial have been forced to once again change the dates for the stock car racing season finale in Cape Breton.

Bud’s Speedway announced on Wednesday the Caper Memorial will now take place on Saturday and Sunday instead of Friday and Saturday because of the forecast of rain for Friday.

Racing will take place both days, beginning at 1 p.m.

Saturday’s lineup will feature racing in the hot rod classic, bandolero, legends and sportsman. Track champions will also be crowned in the hobby stock and mini stock divisions. A drift showcase will also take place.

On Sunday, racing action will be held in the bandolero division, while track champions will be crowned in the V6 thunder and street stock divisions. A mini madness as well as pumpkin smash enduro and king of the hill trailer race will also be held.

The event was originally scheduled for last Friday and Saturday but was postponed due to weather conditions.

Visit Bud’s Speedway Facebook page for the latest updates.

The Cape Breton Capers soccer teams have been ranked in the U Sports top 10 rankings this week.

The men’s team, coming off a pair of victories over Moncton and New Brunswick last weekend, were ranked No. 6 in the country.

Other teams ranked were the University of British Columbia (1), York (2), St. Francis Xavier (3), Montreal (4), Toronto Metropolitan University (5), Toronto (7), Victoria (8), University of Calgary (9) and Carleton University (10).

Meanwhile, the women’s team, who posted a win and a tie last weekend against Moncton and New Brunswick, remained at No. 7 in the country, a position the team has held for most of the season.

Other teams ranked were the University of British Columbia (1), Montreal (2), Ottawa (3), Calgary (4), Guelph (5), Dalhousie (6), Toronto (8), Trinity Western (9) and Nipissing (10).

Both Capers teams will wrap up the Atlantic University Sport regular season this weekend with games against Acadia and Mount Allison on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

A Cape Breton Eagles player will take his talents to the United States after this season.

Forward Eliot Litalien has committed to the NCAA’s Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., for the 2027-28 season.

The 20-year-old is in his fifth and final season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and his second campaign with the Eagles.

Litalien has appeared in 10 games with Cape Breton this season, posting two goals and nine points along with 20 penalty minutes and a -4 rating.

Nick Burke was presented with the Lydia and Everett Dickson Inspiration Award by the Cape Breton Fiddlers Marathon on Monday.

Burke is the past race director and board chair of the Cape Breton Fiddlers Marathon for more than nine years, dedicating countless hours to growing the event, strengthening the organization, and promoting health and fitness throughout the community.

Under Burke’s leadership, programs including the Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run, Kids Run Series, Learn to Run, and Marathon Weekend continued to grow and reach more people across Cape Breton.

Through challenging times, including COVID-19 and post-tropical storm Dorian, Burke demonstrated incredible leadership, resilience, and commitment to the mission of the Fiddlers Marathon.

A Cape Breton hockey official was recently among the officiating team at the Atlantic Challenge Cup in Moncton.

Brody O’Handley of the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association was the lone Cape Breton official to attend the elite competition earlier this month. He served as a linesman at the event.

Overall, eight officials from Nova Scotia attended the Atlantic Challenge Cup including for referees and four linesmen.