A sport at a crossroads and what to watch this weekend

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OK, here's what you need to know right now from the world of sports:

An ex-Olympic coach's sexual assault trial is now in the hands of a judge

Closing arguments were made today in the case of former gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker. The 55-year-old was Canada's head gymnastics coach at the 2016 Olympics and the director of the women's national team at last year's world championships. He has pleaded not guilty to one count each of sexual assault and sexual exploitation (the latter charge has been incorrectly reported, including in this newsletter yesterday, as invitation to sexual touching).

The complainant, now in her 30s, has made several accusations against Brubaker. She claims he would pick her up from school and take her to his house, where he would occasionally spoon her in bed and tickle her belly before driving her to practice. She also says he would regularly kiss her on the lips to say hello and goodbye, starting when she was 12 years old. Brubaker admitted in court to kissing her, but said the kisses were innocent. He also admitted to taking her to his house between school and practice, but denied ever laying in bed with her. Brubaker also denied her accusation that he occasionally touched her inappropriately during sports massages.

Brubaker's lawyer argued today that the woman made false accusations because she felt betrayed after not making it to the Olympics. The lawyer also reiterated Brubaker's claim during testimony that it wasn't possible for Brubaker to have laid in bed with the complainant because his wife was almost always home at the same time.

Justice Deborah Austin is expected to deliver her decision on Feb. 13. It's a judge-only trial, so there's no jury.

If you want some perspective on the larger implications of this trial, CBC Sports reporter Jamie Strashin writes that the Brubaker case is just the latest sign that gymnastics is at a crossroads. It's important to note that Brubaker has not been convicted of anything. But something has to change. In the wake of the unimaginable crimes committed by Larry Nassar and the subsequent (and deserved) ruination of USA Gymnastics, it's fair to question whether the sport as we know it can — or even should — continue to exist.

Quickly...

The Lightning showed the Leafs who's boss. In last night's showdown between the two top teams in the NHL standings, Tampa Bay came out on top 4-1. It was closer than the score indicates — Toronto outshot Tampa 49-21 and hit a bunch of crossbars/posts — but Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy shined in his first game back from a foot injury. Less close is the race for the NHL's best record. Tampa has won nine in a row and leads second-place Toronto by eight points. That gap is as large as the one separating the Leafs from 17th-place Dallas.

The Chargers' wild comeback threw a wrench in the NFL playoff picture. Los Angeles overcame a two-touchdown deficit with about eight minutes to play to stun Kansas City last night on a very gutsy last-second two-point conversion. If the Chiefs held on, they would have clinched their division and a first-round playoff bye. They're still in the playoffs, but the surging Chargers now own an identical 11-3 record. The Chiefs have looked like a Super Bowl team all season, but they may have peaked too early — their powerful offence doesn't look quite the same without underrated receiver Sammy Watkins, who's been out with a foot injury, and running back Kareem Hunt, who was cut a couple of weeks ago after a video surfaced showing him assaulting a woman.

Is oxygen a banned drug in skiing? Not exactly, but it looks like a German racer will be stripped of a World Cup win for using an oxygen mask. Stefan Luitz sucked in some extra air between runs of a recent giant slalom in Colorado, which is at high altitude. Skiing's anti-doping rules prohibit oxygen tanks at competitions. If the decision stands, Luitz will be stripped of the win and the prize money that went with it, but he won't face any further punishment.

What to watch this weekend

It's the weekend. That means a lot of sports. Here's what you should watch:

Friday night

NBA — Toronto at Portland (10 p.m. ET). The Raptors will try to make it 3-for-3 on their West Coast road trip after beating Golden State two nights ago. Kawhi Leonard missed both games to start the trip, but Kyle Lowry came through with 21 and 23 points. Someone else may have to pick up the slack tonight as Leonard (hip) and Lowry (back) are both listed as questionable. If you can get the game, flip over to Oklahoma City vs. Denver too. It starts at the same time. The Nuggets are the surprise Western Conference leaders and OKC is only a half game back in the standings.

Saturday

NHL — Philadelphia at Vancouver (10 p.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC Sports app, CBCSports.ca). On a night when no hockey matchup really stands out, why not check out the NHL's most exciting rookie? In 28 games, Vancouver's Elias Pettersson has 33 points (14 more than any other rookie) and 16 goals (seven more than any other rookie). Philly is giving up the third-most goals per game in the league, so there's a pretty good chance Pettersson puts on a show.

Sunday

Curling — The National men's championship final (noon ET on CBC, CBCSports.ca). Curling's Grand Slam series is in Conception Bay South, N.L., this week and you know who the locals are hoping makes it to the title game. Brad Gushue and the b'ys from just up the road in St. John's are trying for their second Slam title of the season. It's their first time playing in Newfoundland since their landmark Brier win in 2017, when they became their province's first Canadian men's champions in four decades.

CBC Sports reporter Devin Heroux is covering the National in his trademark tireless fashion and you can follow his live tweets here. If you want more curling, CBC is also showing a women's quarter-final game live Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.

NFL — New England at Pittsburgh (4:25 p.m. ET). The most interesting football game of the week is between two good teams coming off shocking losses. The Patriots fell victim to Miami's miraculous last-second trick play, while a blocked field goal sealed the Steelers' fate against lowly Oakland. Both teams still lead their divisions but have yet to clinch a playoff spot — unusual for them this late in the season.

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