Best of February 2013

Edtor's Note - There is an image in this gallery that might be upsetting.

&nbps;

WINTER...

LUCAS OLENIUK - Racers navigate the slippery corners during the annual Icycle race at the Dufferin Grove rink.

...HINT of SPRING...

RICK MADONIK -  Jose Bautista, with his bat over his head, stretches as he prepares to hit some balls during batting practice at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. 

 

...WINTER...

CARLOS OSORIO - A man shovels a sidewalk at King and Bay as snow hits Toronto in the early morning hours on February 8th.

 

...SPRING...

RICK MADONIK - Jose Bautista watches some of his teammates taking batting practice during an easy workout at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

 

...WINTER...

CARLOS OSORIO - A man keeps dry inside the First Canadian Place while commuters walk along King Street as snow hits Toronto on February 8, 2013.

 

...SPRING...

RICK MADONIK - Jose Reyes stretches out his legs. 

 

...WINTER...

COLIN MCCONNELL - Ten year-old Quinn Kerrig does a fancy jump off a bump on a hill on the Kingsway in Etobicoke.

 

...SPRING...

RICK MADONIK - Pitcher Sergio Santos, during his wind up.

 

...WINTER...

COLIN McCONNELL -  And now the thaw begins for a while in Toronto as seen from Polson Street.

 

...SPRING...

RICK MADONIK -  The shadow of a coach as he hits ground balls to infielders.

 

...WINTER...

RICHARD LAUTENS - A man makes his way along the snow covered Glen road footbridge near the corner of Sherbourne and Bloor around the dinner hour.

 

COLIN MCCONNELL - Four year-old Oliver McLeod wanders around the enchanted garden at the eighth annual Bloor-Yorkville Ice-Fest.

 

VINCE TALOTTA - Matthew Brooks watches his son Oliver, 3, full of emotion after he finishes building a tower out of lego at the Harboufront Centre on Family Day.

 

RANDY RISLING - Mayor Rob Ford holds a North American Great Horned Owl at the Toronto Sportsmen's Show at the Direct Energy Centre.

 

DAVID COOPER - Mayor Rob Ford wipes his eye with his hand during the proceedings as the city's compliance audit committee decided not to prosecute.

 

DAVID COOPER - Merle Henry, Tyson Bailey's grandmother, is comforted beside his casket after she FELL to the floor overcome by grief. MORE ON COVERING THIS STORY.

 

DAVID COOPER - Toronto Star reporter Josh Tapper gave up the internet and his smart phone for a week.

 

RICHARD LAUTENS - Dad,  Kevin wipes back a tear as Joshua prepares to go to surgery with his mother Karen, right,  for his final surgery to correst a facial palsy. 

 

PAUL WATSON - Aya Mohammed al-Hussein suffered severe burns when a small shard of hot shrapnel burst through the roof of her home in Aleppo, Syria and ignited the hand-mixed fuel in a space heater, spraying her with flaming oil.

 

BERNARD WEIL - Commuters on the Bloor-Yonge subway station heading south on Yonge at 8:45am experience perhaps the worst crush the Toronto underground.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Visitors check out the Mazda SkyActiv-D engine at the Canadian International Auto Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. MORE PICTURES FROM THE AUTO SHOW.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Young Folk dancers look on from the wings as people start to ring in the Chinese New Year at Scarborough Town Centre, the event featured Thunder Drums, Folk dancing and the God of Fortune.

 

DAVID COOPER - Walter Klassen holds a fantasy gun that actually fires blanks that was created on his 3D printer and a fantasy alien throwing star also 3D printed.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - A rider digs out of the foam pit after trying to land a trick at the JoyRide bike park in Markham. The park features ramps into a foam pit and a padded half pipe to practice jumps. The park attracts riders from all over the province, country and the world.

 

ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE - Grid row set up for slot car race at the Mini Grid slot car race track located inside the Grand Prix Kartways at Downsview Park.

 

VINCE TALOTTA - Layla, a mini Dachshund runs through the tunnels and entertains the family day crowd  at the Pawsway Family Day dog demo event at the Harboufront Centre.

 

TARA WALTON - Seven-year-old Elizabeth Halcro makes snow angels during Sunday's Toronto Maple Leafs Skate for Easter Seals Kids at the Air Canada Centre.  The skate is a fundraising event that allows participants who have raised $150 to skate with Toronto Maple Leaf Greats in support of Ontario's kids with physical disabilities.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Tongue out, James van Riemsdyk  breaks past a diving Luke Schenn to score Toronto's fifth goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2.

 

RENE JOHNSTON - Toronto Maple Leafs James van Riemsdyk celebrates his goal against his old team the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

LUCAS OLENIUK - Nikolai Kulemin is hauled down by Buffalo's Alexander Sulzer in front of goalie Ryan Miller in first period action. 

 

LUCAS OLENIUK - Canadian basketball phenomenon Andrew Wiggins leapt to the net and completed a slam dunk in the first half as his Huntington Prep basketball team played the United Leadership Academy at McMaster University in Hamilton.

 

RENE JOHNSTON - Toronto Raptors new star Rudy Gay goes up for the slam against New Orleans Hornets.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Alan Anderson goes up on Anthony Randolph to make a key basket as the Toronto Raptors beat the Denver Nuggets 109-108

 

RICHARD LAUTENS - Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin dunks.

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Nene gets a hand in and on the face of Amir Johnson as the Toronto Raptors lose to the Washington Wizards 90-84.

 

RICHARD LAUTENS -  Calgary's Curtis Dickson gets sandwiched between Rock players, Bill Greer (left) and Sandy Chapman on his drive to the net.