Stanley Cup First Round Picks

Today's the day. We started this journey with 32 teams back in October. Now after a& grueling 82 game schedule for all of those teams, we have sixteen left standing. The ultimate prize is two months from now and its the Stanley Cup. The best of the bunch will be the one holding the trophy over its head at the end of this run.

So lets not waste any more time. Here's how we see the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs going down.

A1 Florida Panthers vs WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
For just the 3rd time in history, we get a battle of Florida in the playoffs. Tampa has won the last two series and there's strong faith in Nikita Kucherov and his superior level of play this year. There's some questions behind him Point and Stamkos in the offensive depth. And there is some worry about the play of Andrei Vasilevskiy. He hasn't looked like himself at times this season. Florida has one of the best goaltending tandoms in the league this season and they have a balanced scoring attack. Vasy may steal a game or two and Kucherov could have a big series. At the end of the day the Panthers depth could win out.

Pick: Panthers in 6!

A2 Boston Bruins vs A# Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews is coming off having a monster year in his own right for the Leafs. He finished with 69 goals, the highest total in the league since 1996. The Leafs have been rolling and have scoring depth to match. But they still have questions in my mind between the pipes for a deep playoff run. Boston is coming in on a mission, trying to get rid of the bad taste in their mouth from last year. Boston has one of the best one two punches in net this year and they have scoring to match it.

Pick: Bruins in 7!

M1 New York Rangers vs WC2 Washington Capitals
Talk about two teams coming in as sort of polar opposites into the playoffs. The Rangers come is as the Presidents trophy winners with 54 wins (which is a franchise record) and 114 points. Washington came in as the last wild card spot with 91 points and a negative goal differntial this year. They backed into the playoffs and haven't looked very good this year. Rangers looked like a well oiled machine this should be a quick series

Pick: Rangers in 5!

M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs M3 New York Islanders
Carolina has been a solid team from wire to wire this season. The Islanders looked, at stretches this year, like a team that was going to bottom out this season. They got hot at the right time near the end of the year to get into the playoffs. New York has blown over 20 games where they have leads in the 3rd period. Sure they have [played much better under head coach Patrick Roy, but there really isn't much hope going in. They may steal a game or two this series, but it's going to be the same result as the first round matchup last year.

Pick: Hurricanes in 6!

C1 Dallas Stars vs WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is back to defend their title, an d the first hurtle on that title defense is the best team in the West the Dallas Stars. Vegas has the experience of doing this last year, and they get help at the start of this playoff run. They get Thomas Hertl off LTIR and into the lineup. Vegas will be without Mark Stone for the playoffs, who's been dealing with injury since February. Dallas is one of the most balanced and deep teams left standing and they have the solid goaltending that could get them far into the post season.

Pick: Stars in 5!

C2 Winnipeg Jets vs C3 Colorado Avalanche
This is gonna be a fun matchups between one of the best scorers in the league and one of the best goalies in the game. Nathan MacKinnon finished second in the NHL in scoring this year, behind only Nikita Kucherov. He Rantanin and Makar lead the offensive charge. After that the scoring totals per player drop off. And not to take anything away from Alexandar Georgiev, but the guy at the other end of the ice in Connor Hellebuyck has been slightly better this year. This is going to be a tough series, but the depth in Winnipeg wins out.

Pick: Jets in 6!

P1 Vancouver Canucks vs WC1 Nashville Predators
What's really intriguing about this series is going to be the battle between the pipes. Jussi Saros against Thatcher Demko.  Give credit where it's due up front, Nashville does have some high powered weapons and a touch more scoring depth. Where the Canucks have the edge is the better defensive game and their high powered weapons top that of what's in the Music City.

Pick: Canucks in 5!

P2 Edmonton Oilers vs P3 Los Angeles Kings
Credit has to be given where its due in Los Angeles, the have a pretty balanced scoring attack. But lets face facts here, you going against the best offensive one-two punch in the game right now. Sure, Conor McDavid got off to a slow start by his standards. But by the time all was said and done, he was playing like a man possessed. And Stuart Skinner has turned another fine season in while tending goal in Edmonton. What has me worried going past round one is can he carry that all the way to a title?

Pick: Oilers in 5!

Century Club Grows

Getting an assist in a National Hockey League game is a tough thing to do. Doing it 100 times in a career is a big thing. Doing that in one season is even rarer air. As a matter of fact, as of last night, its only been done by five guys in a season.

Bobby Orr did it once (1970-71). Mario Lemieux did it once (1988-89). Wayne Gretzky did it 11 times. Now we can add two more names to that list. Conor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov.

This is the second time in league history two guys have done it in the same season. Gretzky and Lemieux both did it during the 88-89 season. We haven't had a 100 assist season since Gretzky complied 122 in a season in 1992.

For the two guys that have done it this year it really is something special. McDavid hitting 100 helpers and counting as he has ore more game left. He won't be able to catch Kucherov for the point lead on the year, but what he's done for this Oilers team this year after the slow start that he got off to is pretty impressive. And he helped power Edmonton into a playoff spot when they got off to a very slow start out of the blocks at the beginning of the year.

As for Kucherov, this is monumental. He already broke his own club record for points in a single season in Lightning history. He set the record for most assists by a winger in a season and most points by a Russian born player in NHL history. The only winger that ever had more points in a season in league history was Jaromir Jagr with 149 in 1996.

Kucherov has been carrying the Lightning for stretches this season and is a massive reason why they're a playoff team. With what these two guys have done and what Nathan MacKinnon is doing in Colorado, it going to make for one hell of a race for MVP at the end of the season.

Legend Hangs Up Headphones

Since 1989, there has been one voice behind the microphone for the New York Yankees on the radio. John Sterling. He has been behind the mic for 5,420 regular season games, and another 211 in the playoffs. He provided the sounds of the summer for fans of multiple generations. He surprised a lot of people Monday announcing his retirement from the booth at the age of 85 siting health reasons.

When you think of Yankees baseball, you can just sit back and hear any number of John's calls. It is high, it is far, it is gone, Yankees win … theeeeee Yankees win, Back to back, and a belly to belly, Bern Baby Bern!. Just to name some of the countless ones that have come across our radios. He would come up for something unique for each Yankee player for when they go deep.

There have been much praise that has been showered upon Sterling during the course of his career. There have been very few that have done it as long as Sterling has or have been associated with one team the way he has. With all the praise John gets for his work, there's also going to be critics as well. He gets made fun of for some of his calls in the past.,

But at the end of the day he been a pilar for Yankees broadcasts and has been an inspiration to many to want to get into this business. The reason for his sudden retirement is citing health issues, and he wasn't going to be able to make it to the end of the season.

The Quickest American

Playing the position of goalie is a high risk and at times thankless job. Its also one of the hardest jobs in professional sports. If you're a good enough goalie to make it to the NHL, you must be doing something right. There have been a lot of great American netminders to play the game. Mike Richter, Tom Barraso, John Vanbiesbrouck, Ryan Miller, Tim Thomas are the names that usually first come to mind. You can add another name to that list. Jonathan Quick. As of this past weekend, Quick won career game #392, passing Ryan Miller for the most by an American born goalie.

Quick has had himself quite the career for himself. He was a third round pick, 72nd overall, by the Kings in 2005. Quick made the jump to the NHL for three games during the 2007-08 regular season, becoming the Kings full time starter the next season. He played a total of 16 seasons in a Kings uniform, winning 370 games, and collecting a pair of Stanley Cup Rings. He then won another ring las season getting traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, playing ten games in Vegas. He signed this offseason with the Rangers, winning another 17 games (as of this writing), including the record breaker over the weekend in Arizona. He's won a Conn Smyth in 2012, the Jennings in 2014 and his three cup rings.

What was so special about Quick?

He lived up to his last name. He had lightning fast reflexes and made some saves that were tough to make for any normal person. He played his best hockey during the playoffs, and was a MAJOR factor as to why the Kings have their two Cups. He has been on the decline in recent years, that's why he's serving as the backup on Broadway.

But when the game was on the line and you needed a big stop, Quick would be the man to make it. There was some nights, during his time in Los Angeles, where he would keep the Kings in a lot of hockey games. He was one of the better goalies in the league for a stretch and helped get the Kigns back to relevance.

Congratulations to Jonathan Quick for becoming the all time winningest American board goalie in NHL history!

2024 MLB Season Preview

The time has finally arrived. The long journey now begins for thirty Major League Baseball teams. The end goal is simple. Be the last team standing and holding the Commissioners Trophy as the World Series champions. The 2024 season has arrived and lets get right into.

Texas comes in as the defending champions of the baseball world. Can they repeat again? Can the Braves actually get it done again in the Playoffs? What about the two biggest fish that were on the move. Can Ohtani make the same level of impact with the Dodger and get them to the net level? What about Juan Soto with the Yankees?

Here's how we see the thirty teams doing this season.

American League:
AL East:
1. Baltimore Orioles 90-72*
2. New York Yankees 88-74 (WC)*
3. Tampa Bay Rays 84-74
4. Toronto Blue Jays 82-80
5. Boston Red Sox 80-82

When you look at last year, the Orioles seem to really be able to hit their stride in their development. They are a very y0oung and hungry baseball team. Corbin Bernson and Craig Kimbrel were added to a decent pitching staff. They still got a loaded lineup with good young bats they will be just fine at the top of the East this year. Right behind them will be the new and improved Yankees. The only thing that's going to keep the Bronx Bombers behind the O's in the East is the pitching. Yankees have injuries to the top of the rotation to start the season. but they more than make up for it with the bats. Adding Juan Soto, who could be poised for a big year, adds yet another weapon for this loaded team. For as good as they were a season ago, the Rays will be taking a step back this season. Tyler Glasnow isn't there anymore and we are in all likelyhood never going to see Wander Franco again. But with Yandy Diaz, Issac Parades and Randy Arozerona leading the offensive charge they can score runs. What worries me with this Tampa team is can the pitching staff hold up. Then there's the Blue Jays. They still got good bats in the lineup. Vlad, Bo Bichette, George Springer ect. Again the problem with Toronto is the pitching. Outside of adding Justin Turner to the team, ownership north of the boarder is banking on the loaded team trying to rebound from last year. Finally there's the Red Sox. Yes they have Devers and Story. But the bottom of the lineup is trash and the pitching staff is even worse in Boston,. Good luck trying to get a winning team out of this bunch.

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins 85-77*
2. Cleveland Guardians 80-82
3. Detroit Tigers 80-82
4. Kansas City Royals 77-85
5. Chicago White Sox 62-100

It seems like that this is starting to become a recuring theme that the Twins are back at the top of a weak AL Central. This will be a weird season in Minnesota with Sonny Gray and Jorge Polanco no longer in their lineup. Manny Margot was brought in to help with some depth on this team. They got a lineup still lead by Carlos Santana, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez at the top of that rotation should be good for the Twins to build on and run with. Next you have the Guardians, who are just going to miss being a .500 team this year. There's no doubt that Cleveland will put the pressure on Minnesota most of the year. Shane Bieber still the ace on that staff and the only one who really gives me faith at that rotation that he can be good. The problem here is that Cleveland never did a thing to improve this team and its the same group on the field, with Jose Ramirez leading the offensive charge.. Right behind them are going to be the Tigers, who yes have Javy Baez and added guys like Mark Canha and Gio Urshella. But here's the thing with Detroit. Pitching still leaves a few question marks as to how close to ready they really are. They might be able to turn the corner by next summer, but it doesn't look like much right now, at least on paper. If your a fan of the Royals, then this summer isn't going to be for you. Yes you still have Salvador Perez, Bobby Witt Jr, Mil Melendez ect. But the bottom of the lineup leaves something to be desired. Plus pitching hasn't been a strong suit in Kansas City in quite some time, this year won't change either. Finally we have the White Sox, who are looking to get back to a winning record for the first time in a couple of years. Chicago flipped Dylan Chase, giving them prospects sure, but no viable ace on this team to start the year. They got a couple bats worth talking about like DeJong and Benintendi, but facts are the full rebuild is well underway.

AL West:
1. Houston Astros 90-72*
2. Texas Rangers 89-73 (WC)*
3. Seattle Mariners 86-76 (WC)*
4. Los Angeles Angels 77-85
5. Oakland Athletics 66-98

Another season and another AL West title for the Astros. Yes Brantley and Maldonado are gone. Altuve got extended and Josh Hader was brought in to that fine pitching staff. Altuve has a solid core with him in the form of Bregman, Alverez and Tucker. The pitching staff in Houston looks good, if they can manage to stay off the IR trips. Sure the luck hasn't been on their side the last couple season in the playoffs, but there's more than enough talent here to get them to where they need to be come the fall. The toughest competition for them in this division is going to be the defending World Champion Rangers. Texas is going to be without Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer for half the season due to injuries. But the lineup is still stacked with Semien, Garcie and Seager leading that offensive charge. But with everybody that's on this Texas lineup, once they're healthy, there's nothing stopping them from going on another deep playoff run again this year. Right behind them is going to be the Mariners, who missed the playoffs last season after making it the year before. The budget in Seattle has hampered the M's from really adding to this lineup. With Julio Rodriguez still right in the middle of it, there's faith in the heart of that lineup. Same thing with Castillo and Kirby at the start of the rotation. The pen and back half of the batting lineup leaves quite a bit to be desired, which is why if the M's do get in it will be near the bottom of the Wild Card standings. Then we have the Angels, who are now facing their first season without Otani in their lineup. You still got Mike Trout, you might get something out of Anthony Rendon if he can produce. Runs might be a bit above average in Anaheim, but the pitching isn't great and its going to be a long year for the Angels. Finally there's the Athletics, who are starting the process of getting out the door in Oakland. There's nothing to get excited about with the A';s this season. They going to be the easy picking for wins for a lot of MLB teams this season.

National League
NL East:
1. Atlanta Braves 97-75*
2. Philadelphia Phillies 88-74 (WC)*
3. New York Mets 81-81
4. Miami Marlins 80-82
5. Washington Nationals 63-99

Another year, another division title win for the Braves. It's starting to sound like a broken record. You already made a splash bringing Chris Sale into that rotation with Strider and Fried. Not quite the big three of the 90s in Atlanta but man they going to be good. With Acuna, Albies and Olson in the middle of that lineup, this Atlanta team is totally stacked and going to be a very tough team to beat this season. For the Phillies, snagging a wild card spot should be pretty much a lock again this season. The top end of the rotation with Wheeler and Nola is fine, but its the back end with guys like Walker you have to have some questions about. They still got plenty of heavy hitting with Harper and JT and Schwarber. Its a loaded lineup that might be able to compete with Atlanta for the division, but the pitching staff could be what's going to hold the Phillies back a little this season. Pitching is going to be interesting with the Mets as well. Kodai Senga is hurt and will miss the start of the season so Jose Quentana is the top starter on this rebuilt rotation to begin the year  You brought in Manaea and Severino to help in the rotation. JD Martinez was brought in late as a big bat to help out in the middle of the lineup with Lindor and Alonso. They also have high expectations for Batty and Alvarez. Pitching might be what holds the Mets back from a playoff spot. Now the interesting team here is the Marlins. They have an ace in Sandy Alcantra, but the problem is he won't be able to pitch for Miami this season due to Tommy John surgery. There's no depth on this staff at all so having Sandy miss the entire year is a huge blow. Then there's the Nationals, who appear to be heading for yet another 100 loss season this year. The two guys that Washington is expecting to build their future around, CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz, are not quite ready just yet to take on those roles just yet. Going to be a long season in Washington again this year.

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs 83-79*
2. St Louis Cardinals 82-80
3. Cincinnati Reds 81-81
4. Milwaukee Brewers 80-82
5. Pittsburgh Pirates 75-87

In what's probably going to be a very tight divisional race, the Cubs seem to have an edge, but boy is it going to be close. Chicago had been close to challenging for the division title, but what's going to put them over the top was signing Cody Bellinger. He's thrown right into the middle of a Cubs lineup with Swanson, Happ and Gomes that's going to be tough to contend with. Justin Steele is going to get a chance to develop more behind a proven innings eater in Kyle Hendricks. The only thing that cost the Cardinals last season with injuries to the pitching staff. If everybody can stay healthy in St Louis this season, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Cards as the division champions again this season. Gray, Mikolas and Lynn make a pretty damn good top three at the start of the rotation. But behind Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, how much offensive depth is there to really be able to overtake Chicago this season? A team in this division that could be sneaky good this season could be the Reds. Elly De La Cruz has all the makings to be a huge star in this game. He's got plenty of young talent around him that's on the rise like Matt McClain, Spencer Steer, Jonathan India and Noelvi Marte. There not quite where they need to be yet but they will take big strides this year in the Central in Cincinnati. Then there's a team who's going to take a big step backwards this year in the form of the Brewers, who are coming off yet another division title win a season ago. Brandon Woodruff is done for the season with injury and Corbin Burns isn't even an option anymore. Sure Freddy Peralta could pick up some of the slack in the rotation, but it might not be enough to get them into the playoffs. The bats are OK with Yelich leading the chard, along with Adames and Contrareas, but they don't have the firepower like the other teams ahead of them. Finally, we got the Pirates, who are once again looking up at the rest of the Central. Pittsburgh is in the middle of a slow rebuild. They got some good young pieces on that ball club, guys like Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Mitch Keller. The development around them hasn't come along just yet.

NL West:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers 102-60*
2. Arizona Diamondbacks 96-66 (WC)*
3. San Diego Padres 86-76 (WC)*
4. San Francisco Giants 81-81
5. Colorado Rockies 63-99

Another year, another division title in the West for the Dodgers. Othani is in Dodger Blue (but won't be pitching this year). Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow were added to that rotation. Freddy Freeman, Mookie Betts Max Muncy. That's a loaded ballclub that seems to be putting all their eggs in one basket. Here hoping for their sake it ends up paying off. Next up will be the defending NL Champions the Diamondbacks, who are coming off surprising a lot of people last season. They added to the rotation by bringing in Eduardo Rogdriguez to that solid staff. With the bats in their hands, Joc Petterson and Eugenio Suarez to the likes of Walker and Marte. Its going to be a fun season of baseball in Arizona. Going back to California is going to be another wild card spot, this one taken by the Padres. It will be close for them to take a playoff spot as they started slashing payroll a little in San Diego this winter. They still have decent pitching with Darvish, Musgrov and Chase, but that's only if they could stay healthy. They have solid hitting with Tatis, Machado and Bogarts in the middle of things. It will be enough to at least keep somewhat competitive in the wildcard race. Now things are looking quite different for the Giants. You took a big step in pitching by adding Blake Snell, who just won the Cy Young a season agon. Him and Webb at the top of the rotation this year are going to make a good one two punch. They brought in Jung Hoo Lee from Korea who has big expectations. Matt Chapman was also added with a big bat into thee heart of the lineup. San Francisco isn't quite there yet, but the steps are being made in the right direction. Bringing up the rear in the West will be the Rockies. Pitching in Colorado wasn't very good to begin with, and injuries have only made it worse. You still have some pop out of Bryant and Blackman in their lineup but yeah there won't be enough to be able to compete.

Baker Back In The Kitchen

When you take over for a legend in the NFL, you got some pretty big shoes to fill. That was Baker Mayfield's task in Tampa Bay, taking over for Tom Brady. Not only did he take over, but he lead them to a playoff spot. And that got him a big contract.

Baker signed a three year deal worth $115 million, $50 million of which is guaranteed.

Baker's coming off a career year last season. 4,044 passing yards on the season, with 28 touchdowns and 10 picks. The passing yards and touchdowns are both career highs for Baker. The biggest thing for Baker was leading the Bucs to wins in five of the final six games of the season and power them to a division title and a playoff birth. They made it even more impressive by leading them to a win over the Eagles when it mattered most in the playoffs.

The biggest change between last year and this upcoming season for Baker is that he's got a new offensive coordinator to work with. Dave Canales is gone, having taken the job as head coach in Carolina. Liam Coen takes over as the offensive coordinator. So there is a little bit of familiarity there with the new OC coming in this season.

For Mayfield, this is his statement of I'm here and staying around a while. There was a lot expected of him when the Browns took him with the first overall pick in 2018. He helped get the browns to an 11 win season and a playoff birth in 2020. Then had a falling out in Cleveland. That lead to him going to Carolina then getting traded to the Rams. So when Tampa signed him, there was a lot of questions around him and if he could actually deliver. He did his first year in the Bay, with not only a winning record but a division title as well.

Now he's got another three years here in Tampa to show that he was worth what he's getting paid.

Stinger Hangs Them Up

Yes we know it doesn't get talked about much on the blog or the show, but for this one, its important to take a second to recognize one of the best to ever do it. Steve Borden. He started his career back in 1985 under different gimmicks, but since the summer of 1987 he's been known by one name and one name only. Sting. This past Sunday saw the final match in the legendary career of the man called Sting.

From 1987 until the company closed its doors in 2001, Sting was the face of the company that was known as World Championship Wrestling. For years, WWE had the Undertaker as their go to look and measuring stick for the company and rightfully so. That's what Sting was for WCW. And even after WCW closed its doors, he went on to have fantastic runs in TNA, Then he had a brief spell with WWE, which nobody ever thought would happen, before wrapping up his career with AEW.

What made Sting so great?

First there was the look. He was built quite well and had the ability to be able to go with anybody. he also had an intimidating look with the facepaint. A look which he adapted and changed numerous times over the year. It gave his character a breath of fresh air every time he changed the look up. But one thing never changed. His professionalism. Nobody in the business ever had a bad word to say about Sting. And for the longest time, Sting had been the face of the company that was the main competition for WWE. He did that out of not only loyality to the company but also to kind of keep WWE's hands off so they didn't take away his legacy in a sense.

Sting is considered by many fans and wrestlers alike as one of the top ten greatest wrestlers to ever step foot inside of a ring. Ric Flair has often cited Sting as one of his greatest opponents. Same thing has been said by the late Big Van Vader. If you watched his run in AEW, you know this to be true. It's amazing that, even in his 60s, Sting still had it by pulling off high spots like jumping through other wrestlers through tables and off ladders. Never thought I'd actually write that. But that shows the adaptability and greatness of the Stinger.

So thanks for the memories Sting. Its been one hell of a run.

Record Setting Night For Clark

There's a new name at the top of the record books in College Basketball. That name is Caitlin Clark. The senior Iowa point guard just passed “Pistol” Pete Maravich for the most points in the history of College Basketball. Sunday against Ohio State, Clark finished with 35 points, giving her 3,685 career points. Pistol Pete had 3,667 in his time at LSU back in the 60s. Clark is now the greatest scorer in the history of college ball, men or women.

What Pistol Pete did in his three years at LSU was beyond impressive. Why? Because at the time he played there there was no shot clock or three point line. Just imagine how much higher Pete's numbers would have been had not only that been a part of the game back then, but what he did his first year. See when Pete got to LSU he wasn't allowed to play on the varsity team as a freshman. He scored 741 points his first year at LSU, which would have added even more to his totals. I just wanted that to be put into perspective for people to appreciate what happened on Sunday.

See Caitlin Clark had all these things that Pete never did. She's been able to change the game in this moment for not only college basketball, but for Women's sports. Look at what she can do on the floor. She can hit shots from anywhere on the court, making her the moist dangerous player in the game. Not only can she hit shots from anywhere, but her range as a shooter has been compared to that of Golden State star Stephen Curry..

She has become such a generational talent, that wherever Iowa goes, they are selling out buildings. She's creating that much of a buzz. It's become must see TV watching her step foot on the floor every night. It amazing what she has been able to do for not only College Basketball but Women's Sport has been amazing. What's even more impressive about her is how she carries herself.

Her comment about the record post game on Sunday speaks volumes.

"A record is a record. I don't want that to be the reason people remember me. I hope people remember me for the way I played with a smile on my face, my competitive fire. Sure, they can remember the wins but also just like the fun me and my teammates had together."

That speaks volumes about her character as a person and its a great thing to see in sports.

Another Big Night In The Bay

It seems like every time we turn around, Nikita Kucherov adds another milestone number to his career totals. Yesterday afternoon, in the Lightning 4-1 win over the Devils, Kucherov had a hand in all four goals. He scored once and added three assists. The point totals pushed him to over 100 on the season. He sits at 102 as of this writing.

It's the 4th time in his ten year career that he's hit the century mark in points in a season. He hit 100 in 2018, lead the league with 128 in 2019 and had 113 last year.

With hitting the century mark, he becomes the 5th active player in the league to have hit the 100 point mark in a season at least four times. The other guys are Sidney Crosby (six times) Conor McDavid (six times), Leon Draisaitl (four times) and Alex Ovechkin (four times).

He's the first player to hit the 100 point mark this season. He also did that in his Art Ross year in 2019. He joins a pretty elite list of guys who became the first player to hit the century mark multiple times in their career. The other guys are kind of good. The list includes Wayne Gretzky (nine times), Mario Lemieux (six times), Phil Esposito (six times), Conor McDavid (five times), Jaromir Jagr (four times), Guy Lafleur (three times), Sidney Crosby (twice) and Evgeni Malkin (twice).

Yes, we realize that's a lot of numbers to be throwing at you at once. But, believe me, it's helping to build a case here. As of this writing, the Lightning sit 5th in the Atlantic division with 69 points, just one back of Detroit. That's good enough to get them the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference as the last wild card spot. It's a seven point lead on the New Jersey Devils, the next closest team to them.

You take Nikita Kucherov out of the Tampa lineup, they aren't close to sniffing that last playoff spot. That's my point. The guy is the frontrunner for the Hart as league MVP this year (which would be the 2nd time in his career he's won it should he be able to snag the award). Sure you can also make an argument for Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche as well. Take MacKinnon out the Avs lineup, they fall well out of 3rd place in the Central division (where they currently sit). You can even make a case for Conor McDavid in Edmonton, has his play as of late has helped get the Oilers back into the playoff race in the West.

The biggest reason this sticks in my craw so much is that there are some people in the national hockey media that are pushing hard for Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs to take MVP. Not to take anything away from what Matthews is doing this year, as of now he's the leagues only 50 goal scorer. But you take hi m out of the Leafs lineup, they are still a talent heavy team and can still be a playoff team with him not there. You take Kucherov out in Tampa., the Bolts go nowhere.

Milestone Moment For Kane

Yes it feels weird to us too. Seeing Patrick Kane wearing anything other than a Blackhawks sweater. He spent a little time on Broadway last year, but now seems to have found himself comfortable in his new home in Detroit. Last night, in Detroit's overtime win over the Seattle Kraken, Kane recorded his 800th NHL assist. By doing so, Kane has added his name to some pretty rare company.

He becomes the 4th right wing in league history to record 800 or more assists. He joins Mark Recchi (956), Gordie Howe (1,049) and Jaromir Jagr (1,155). He also becomes just the 3rd American Born player to hit such a milestone, joining Phil Housley (894) and Mike Modano (813).

It's worth noting that when you look at the list of all time American scorers Brett Hull's name is at the top of the list. Hull played for the US on the international stage but is Canadian by birth.

So with Kane hitting 800 assists, its pretty obvious to all watching he's further cementing his place in the hall of fame. Both the US Hockey and the Hockey Hall of fame in Toronto. Kane has had a career that most players could only dream of. As of this article, he's 7th all time in goals at 460,3rd in assists with now 800, and 2nd in points (behind only Mike Modano) at 1,260.

If there was any doubt as to the greatness of the former Blackhawk, they have been put to bed in Detroit. He still has something left in the tank. It wasn't anywhere near as good as it was while in Chicago, but there are still some flashes of the talent here in Detroit. By the time all is said and done in Kane's career, he will come close to taking over Mike Modano as the greatest American  scorer to play in the NHL.

Congrats to Patrick Kane on hitting 800 career assists

Rivals Take It Outside

Lets take this outside. That's what the NHL is doing over the next two nights. And they doing it with two of its more fierce rivals. Coming to a nationwide audience from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, we get the two Stadium Series games for this year. First up its the New Jersey Devils playing host to the Philadelphia Flyers. Then tomorrow afternoon the New York Islanders serve as the home team as they take on the New York Rangers.

Last time the event was held in the New York, Metro area was at Yankee Stadium in 2014. It was just between the three teams, the Islanders Rangers and Devils. Now we throwing the Flyers into this mix. So with that being said, lets take a look back at these two rivalries.

With the first game up tonight between the Devils and Flyers, there have been some wild nights between these two hockey clubs. Known as the Battle Of The Jersey Turnpike, it started out as a quite rivalry. After the Devils relocated from Denver in 1982, there wasn't much between the two teams other then proximity. New Jersey was still trying to find its footing in those parts. The rivalry with the Flyers didn't really start taking off until they had their first playoff meeting in 1995. New Jersey pulled off what was considered an upset beating the Flyers that year, and that planted the seed. They would go back and forth in the division over the next few years. By 2000, things had started to heat up.

This rivalry really took off during the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000. New Jersey had blown a lead in the division late in the season, with the Flyers passing them. They met in the conference finals and the tide turned there. All thanks to a Scott Stevens hit on Eric Lindros. We all know the hit. It pretty much started the beginning of the end for Lindros career, as he was not even close to the same player again after that hit. That hit took this rivalry to a whole different level.

There have been up and down moments for both of these franchises but they still find a way to be thorn in each other sides during the regular season, no matter where they are in the standings. Now they get to take it outdoors.

Same can be said for the Islanders and Rangers, who are taking this rivalry outside for the second time in history. First was in 2014 when the two teams met outdoors at Yankee Stadium. the Battle of New York all started when the Islanders came into the league with expansion in 1972 and were dropped into the same division as the Rangers. The Isles were looked as the little brother when they came into the league and didn't get respect from the boys from Broadway. But the Islanders found their footing and success quicker than expected and passed the Rangers, in a sense. But the rivalry really seemed to take off thanks to Denis Potvin's check on Ulf Nilsson, resulting in Nilsson breaking his ankle.

There have been many memorable games played between the two, a lot of which happened in the playoffs. The Islanders upset on JP Parise goal to get the Islanders their first playoff win in 1975. 1981 was memorable for the end to end rush made by Bob Bourne. 1984 the series was ended by Kenny Morrow with his overtime winner as the Islanders were making their drive for five. The last time the clubs actually met in the playoffs was 1994, a series which the Rangers swept on their way to a cup championship. 

The difference between the two is that the Flyers and Devils has been more of an equal rivalry over the years, in terms of batteling for playoff spots and division titles and what not. islanders and Rangers has been more of a locational rivalry. There's no denying that the rivalry has been fierce and produced some highly entertaining hockey over the years.

Taking it outside the next two days is going to make for some entertaining and must see TV.

Magic Night For Shaq

When it comes to the Orlando Magic, Shaq is one of the first players thought of with the franchise. Tuesday night, Shaq got one of the highest honors that a player can get. His number 32 was retired in Orlando. It's the first number to be retired by the Magic. Its the third time Shaq has had his number retired by a franchise, having his number retired previously by both the Lakers and Heat.

Shaq has had a number of first for the Orlando Magic. He was the first player to be taken as the number one overall pick by the Magic. He was the first Magic player to play in an All Star Game. He was the first player to win Rookie Of The Year in Orlando. He was also the first big time superstar to leave Orlando. Shaq joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Elvin Hayes, Bob Lanier, Moses Malone, Earl Monroe, Dikembe Mutombo, Oscar Robertson, Nate Thurmond and Charles Barkley as the only players to have their number retired by multiple franchises.

Given some of the guys that Shaq played with in Orlando, guys like Nick Andersen and Penny Hardaway, it was a bit of a surprise that Shaq was the first one to get his jersey retired. It also took a long time to finally get it done. It was in the 35th season of Magic basketball that it finally happened. Shaq had a brief career in Orlando, playing his first four years in the league in Orlando. He really took off when he went to Los Angeles, but that doesn't diminish what he did here for Orlando. He was the first big superstar that the team had.

Shaq not only made a name for himself in Orlando, he help make the Magic a name brand as well. Him and Penny Hardaway really helped establish the Magic as a major brand in not only the NBA but in sports in general. Here's a perfect example of the kind of impact a guy like Shaq had on this Magic team. Orlando had only won 70 games over its first three seasons before Shaq arrived. His rookie year, the Magic made the playoffs and finished the year with a 41-41 record. They won 50 games and another playoff trip in year two. Year three was 57 wins and a trip to the NBA finals. His last year was a 60 win season, which is still the franchise record. That's the kind of impact Shaq had.

Congratulations to Shaq on having his number retired in Orlando.

NFL Honors

On the eve of the biggest game of the season for the NFL, they honored the best of the best. Right before Super Bow 58, the NFL announced the Hall of Fame class for 2024 as well as handing out the awards for the 2023 regular season. Its the one night on the football schedule where they honor the best in individual achievement in a great team sport.

Before we look at the individual awards, here's the full list of the Hall of Fame Class going in this upcoming August:

Dwight Freeney
Devin Hester
Andre Johnson
Julius Peppers
Patrick Willis
Randy Gradishar (senior)
Steve McMichael (senior)

Now then, here's the hardware that was handed out during NFL Honors.

Coach Of The Year: Kevin Stefanski Cleveland Browns
Tight group this year with a number of qualified candidates who could have walked away with the award this year. Look at what Dan Campbell was able to do in Detroit. Hell Stefanski even tied with Demeco Ryans, the head coach with Houston. The only reason Stefanski won it was because he got one more first place vote to be able to snag the award. And why not. He was able to get the Browns into the playoffs and with a winning record using FIVE different starting quarterbacks this season. Sure Ryans beat hom out in the playoffs, but again remember this is the regular season awards.

Offensive Rookie Of The Year: CJ Stroud Quarterback Houston Texans
Stroud is the first player in Texans history to claim offensive rookie of the year honors, and there have been a few good ones. The first year QB out of Ohio State set Texans rookie records for passing yards with 4.108 and touchdowns with 23 while leading them to a playoff spot. He also set an NFL record 1ith 191 consecutive passes to start a career without throwing an interception. The only player who came close to Stroud in the category was Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.

Defensive Rookie of The Year: Will Anderson Jr, Defensive End Houston Texans.
Anderson becomes the 3rd Texans defensive player to walk away with the defensive Rookie of the Year honors, joining Bryan Cushing and DeMarco Ryans. Anderson just beat out Jalen Carter of the Eagles and Kobie Turner of the Rams, the only other guys to get first place votes. Anderson was a huge threat on the Texans defensive line.

Defensive Player of The Year: Miles Garrett Defensive End Cleveland Browns
Talk about another close race. it was between Garrett and TJ Watt of the Steelers. Yes Watt may have had more tackles and sacks this season, but no other defender struck more fear into the hearts of opposing offenses this year than Garrett did. Garrett caused havoc for the opposition in a way that no other defender did around the league this year

Offensive Player of The Year: Christian McCaffery, Running Back San Francisco 49ers
You could have made an argument for CeeDee Lamb in Dallas or Tyreek Hill in Miami. Sure, Tyreek and Cee Dee both had over 1,700 yards in receiving yards. but nobody was putting up the overall numbers of McCaffery. Ran for 1,459 yards and caught another 546 yards. Nobody had as many yards or had as much of an impact on a game as McCaffery did for the Niners offense.

MVP: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
For the 2nd time in his career, Jackson came home with MVP. He became the 11th player in league history to win multiple MVP awards. And he beat out some stiff competition to get the award this year. Guys like Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffery, Josh Allen (who got the only other first place vote) and Brock Purdy. Sure Dak and McCaffery may have had the better statistical years than Jackson did. but the eye test sticks out here more than anything and without Jackson in the Baltimore lineup, the Ravens don't finish the year as the top team in the AFC this season.

Title To Kanas City

This is starting to become a habit. For the 2nd year in a row and third time in the last five years, the Kansas City Chiefs are champions of the football world. Kansas City pulled out a thrilling 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers. It's the fourth super bowl win and sixth overall championship for the Chiefs.

And it seems like that's becoming a trend for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Fall behind ten points in the Super Bowl and then wake up and find your game. They were down 10-0 early in the 2nd and 10-3 at the half. They found a way to come back late in the 4th quarter and force overtime. It always seems like Mahomes plays better when he's in a ticked off mood.

Both teams played slightly sloppy football as the game went on. Mahomes threw a couple of bad passes, one of which was picked off. Christian McCaffery, who had 160 total yards for the 49ers, had a big fumble for San Francisco, which is rare for him to cough up a ball like he did. There was also the story of penalties on the day as well. It was a sloppy, penalty filled first half.

This marks just the second OT game in Super Bowl history, with the last one coming at Super Bowl 51 with New England beating Atlanta. This Super Bowl lasted 74 minutes 57 seconds of game time. Its the longest Super Bowl in history and 7th longest playoff game in NFL history.

Now then, this game leads to a couple of big questions. Does this make the Chiefs and Dynasty? Can we put Mahomes in the GOAT conversation?

When you think of great dynasties, there's a few that come to mind right away. New England Patriots from 2001-2018 are the first one people think of. Then there's the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972-79. You have the Vince Lombardi led Green Bay Packers during the early 60s. You also have the San Francisco 49ers teams that ran from 1981 to 1994. This Kansas City team we've seen over the last five years can challenge these teams for that spot. They may come close to challenging the Cowboys teams from 1991 to 1995 for being a top five team on this dynasty list.

The Chiefs have now gone to and won two straight Super Bowls. They've won three in the last five years, only losing to the Buccaneers in 2020. Oh yeah, and they've also been to now six straight AFC title games as well.

As far as Mahomes goes, you can safely now put him in the argument for being a top ten QB all time. And he's only o28 years old, there's now doubt that when his careers over he's gonna be a top five all time QB. The performances he's put on in these kind of big games make it hard to bet against him come this time of year, Its also funny that people are getting tired of seeing him here in this kind of game. There's any easy solution to this issue for other teams around the league. Beat him in the playoffs. Easier said than done. But if you tired of seeing Mahomes here? Find a way to get the job done and beat the Chiefs.

Super Bowl 58 Preview

The time has finally arrived. Super Bow 58 is here! We started this back in September with 32 teams all fighting it out for the right to be here in Las Vegas this weekend. Now, we're down to the final two. One team looking to add its name to a new list of Dynasties. The other, trying to get back to a former level of glory, something it hasn't done in thirty years.

The San Francisco 49ers do battle with the Kansas City Chiefs for the biggest prize in all of football. San Francisco won the NFC west with a 12-5 record, which was best in the NFC. It got them a first round bye. They kicked off their playoffs with a divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers. They then followed it up by beating the Detroit Lions in the NFC title game to reach the Super Bowl. San Francisco is 5-2 lifetime in the Super Bow. As for Kansas City, they won the AFC West at 11-6, finishing 3rd in the conference. They opened up the playoffs with a wild card round win over the Miami Dolphins. They then went on to beat the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. They finally closed out the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game to reach the Super Bowl> Kansas City is 3-2 lifetime in the Super Bowl

This is a rematch of the game from 2020, which was won by Kansas City.

This year going to be much of the same as the last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl. its going to be a hard hitting, close affair. There's no doubt that the Niners have the edge in the run game. McCaffery has been better than Isiah Pacheco. So figure the Niners get the edge there. What's going to make the difference here is the play of the Quarterbacks.

Hey, give credit where its due for Brock Purdy. Nobody had him pegged as the one Mr. Irrelevant to be the one to get to the Super Bowl. But here we are. He's going up against a very experienced leader and starter in Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is the man in this matchup, at least among the QB's. No disrespect to Brock Purdy.

What's going to separate the teams on this Super Sunday is going to be the play of the defense. Edge here goes to the Chiefs who are going to be able to get more pressure on Purdy then the Niners will be able to on Mahomes. Even when the Niners can get pressure, Mahomes has the better ability to make plays out of nothing or scrambling around. That's going to be the difference maker in this game.

Pick: Chiefs 35, 49ers 27

Baseball Hall Makes Call

We have reached that time of the year. The Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2024 has been announced. Three guys have gotten the call they've been waiting for and are getting into the hall this year. Catcher Joe Maur, 1st Baseman Todd Helton and third baseman Adrian Beltre are getting induction into Cooperstown later this summer.

Lets start with the guys who got in. Joe Mauer got in on his first year on the ballot, having played his entire 15 year career in Minnesota. .306 lifetime hitter, three batting titles, AL MVP in 2009. Finished his career with 2,123 hits. Was never much in the way of the power department as the other two guys his going in with, but man could this guy hit. Never really drove in a high number of runs, as his career best was 96 the year he won MVP. He finished with 923 RBI in his career and managed to score 1,018 runs. He could do it all pretty much at the plate, and behind it too, for the Twins.

Next we have Todd Helton. Played his entire 17 year career i He also played in four all star games, was a five time gold glove winner and won four silver slugger awards.n Colorado, playing over one hundred games in all but three seasons. He finished his career playing in 2,247 games, collecting 2,519 hits, 369 home runs and 1,406 RBI and a .316 lifetime batting average. He had five straight seasons in the heart of his career with 100 or more RBI, seven straight 20 or more home runs, including six straight of 30 or more. Helton played in five all star games, won three gold gloves and four silver sluggers, as well as the NL batting title in 2000, the year he hit .372. With the exception of triples and steals, Helton holds every major offensive career record for the Rockies. The guy has been the face of the Rockies franchise since coming into the league and carried that team at times. He's going to go down in the books as the best player Colorado ever had. It was Helton's sixth try getting into the Hall.

Finally, getting in on his first year on the ballot, was third baseman Adrian Beltre. Beltre played 21 years in the Majors, split between Texas (8 years), Los Angeles (7 years), Seattle (5 years) and Boston (1 year). He played in 2,933 games, collecting 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 1,707 RBIs. He finished his career as a .286 lifetime hitter. Beltre is considered one of the great power hitters to ever swing from 3rd base. Man could he hit. In the field, he may not have had the most orthodox playing style, but he was good enough to win five gold gloves in his career.

Of note of guys that are now off the ballot next year is Garry Sheffield, who failed to reach the 75% needed for induction on his final year on there. The only other first year guys to stay on the ballot for next year were Chase Utley and David Wright. The biggest name to headline the first year eligible next year is Ichiro.

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

And then there were four. Championship Sunday has arrived and we got two fantastic matchups ahead this afternoon. For the first time since 2017 that the AFC title game isn't in Kansas City. Its also the sixth straight AFC title game for the Chiefs. As for the other side, its the third straight year and fourth time in the last five years we see San Francisco in the NFC title game. The biggest story of the weekend is the fact that this is the first time since 1991 that Detroit is playing in an NFC title game. So here's how we see this going down today.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens 3PM CBS
Fully expect a fairly high scoring game in this one. Yes Mahomes has the better record against Lamar, he's 3-1 in four meetings. That's all in the regular season, they've never met in the playoffs before today. The difference between the QB's lately has been out of pocket ability. Mahomes hasn't been as good hitting receivers moving out of the pocket as he has in years past. Lamar has had better luck of doing that. Going to be a tightly contested ball game. End of the day it feels like it could be a Ravens year.

Pick: Ravens 27, Chiefs 21

Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers 6:30PM Fox
Waiting for 30 years for a title game appearance is a long time to wait. Well Lions fans, tonight your long wait is over. The only thing standing in their way from a first ever Super Bowl Appearance is the best team in the NFC this season. It gonna be a battle of running games in this one. San Francisco has McCaffery and Detroit has a two headed attack of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. This is where the pass game is going to become a factor. For as good a team as the Lions have been this year, they have one of the weaker pass rushes and pass defenses left standing in the playoffs. This is gonna be a slugfest but at the end of the day the Niners experience wins out.

Pick: 49ers 35, Lions 30

NFL Divisional Round Preview

And then there were eight. We've hit the divisional round in the NFL with four huge games this weekend. All with the end goal of getting one step closer to the Super Bowl. We had two big teams in the NFC fold up like cheap lawn chairs last weekend. AFC went according to plan, if you will. Lets not waste any more time. Here's how we see it going down this weekend for the Divisional Round.

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens Saturday 4:30PM ESPN/ABC
Houston came out like a house of fire last week, beating up pretty good on the Cleveland Browns. But this week is a different animal facing the best team in the AFC in the Ravens. Look CJ Stroud was great against Cleveland last week, but he wasn't pressured. Baltimore has the type of defense that's going to make CJ really uncomfortable in the pocket and get him on the move. There's no doubt that Houston can find a way to try and get pressure on Lamar Jackson, but he's so good on the run its going to make it a lot tougher on that Houston defense. Baltimore was the best team in the AFC for a reason and they show it in this one.

Pick: Ravens 30, Texans 20

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers Saturday 8:15PM Fox
This is the 10th all time meeting in the playoffs between Green Bay and San Francisco, which is an NFL record. Green Bay is coming off a rolling win in Dallas last week. Now it goes to a totally different animal, facing the best team in the NFC out West. Jordan Love wasn't really pressured last week against the Cowboys and will now get it turned up a little against the Niners. And San Francisco is riding a five game winning streak coming into this matchup. Oh and the 49ers have the best rusher in the game this season in Christian McCaffery. San Francisco has a more balanced attack between the run and pass than what Green Bay saw a week ago.

Pick: 49ers 31, Packers 21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions Sunday 3PM NBC
This is a much different animal for the Bucs this week going to what has been a tough place to play this year in Ford Field in Detroit. Yes the Lions had a much closer game last week against the Rams, as compared to what the Bucs did against the Eagles. Tampa may have found their offensive stride last week at home, but this is different. Detroit will be turning up more of the pressure on Baker then what Philly did last week. Problem is, Bowles hasn't found a way to beat Geoff since 2019 when he was Bucs defensive coordinator. Yes the Bucs will get the big plays they need, but Detroit will make them too.

Pick: Lions 34, Buccaneers 21

Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills Sunday 6:30PM CBS
Another cold weather battle between these two teams in what going to be the most intriguing matchup on the second day of the weekend. Part of what makes this so interesting is that this is the first time that the Chiefs have had to go on the road since Mahomes came into the league. Its going to make things tougher, but watching Mahomes has made it clear. Never count him out. This game is going to be a total shootout between Mahomes and Josh Allen. This game maybe the toughest one of the whole weekend to be able to pick because this maybe the closest matchup of the weekend.

Pick: Chiefs 33, Bills 30

Milestone Night In Tampa

Nikita Kucherov has been having a big year for the Lightning this season. As of this writing, he leads the NHL in scoring with 75 points and is second in the league with 47 assists. Why is that so important? Because his 47 assists put him up to 500 for his career. He had three assists last night in the Lighting 7-3 win on home ice over the Minnesota Wild. The 3rd helper, which was an assist on Steven Stamkos powerplay goal,  put him to 500 in his career.

Through 688 career games, all with the Lightning, Kucherov is sitting at 304 goals, 500 assists and 804 points. Those goals are 4th all time in Bolts history, points are 4th, and assists are 4th as well. With that 3rd assist last night put him to 500. He joins Victor Hedman (545), Steven Stamkos (564) and Martin St Louis (588) as the only Lightning players to reach 500 assists for the Lightning.

A milestone such as this is only adding to the aura of Kuckerov here in Tampa. His first couple of years he took to find his footing. Once he did, he's been one of the elite players in the game. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that when he's all said and done Kucherov is going to go down as a top five player in this teams history.

Congratulations to Nikita Kucherov on hitting 500 career assists.

Play Like An All Star

We are a little over two weeks away. It's the best of the best in the NHL gathering in Toronto for All Star weekend. This year, the three on three four team format is staying put. But it will be done a little differently. They are going back to a fantasy draft that was used from 2011 to 2015. We won't know team roster until they hold the draft on February 1st. But we do know the players playing in this years game and it is very Canada heavy. 

Here's the list of players heading to this years all star game.

Goalies: Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins), Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado Avalanche), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers), Cam Talbot (Los Angeles Kings), Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers), Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks), Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)

Defenseman: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres), Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)

Forwards: Frank Vatrano (Anaheim Ducks), Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes), David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins), Elias Lindholm (Calgary Flames), Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes), Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Boone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets), Alex DeBrincat Detroit (Red Wings), Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers), Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers), Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild), Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils), Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Seattle Kraken), Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs), Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) Jack Eichel Vegas Golden Knights), Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks), J. T. Miller (Vancouver Canucks), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals)

So what do you guys think? Did they get the selections right?

Milestone Night For Flower

When you get taken first overall in a draft in sports, there's usually pretty high praise and high expectations surrounding your game. For Marc Andre Fleury, that was the case when he was taken first overall in the 2003 NHL Entry draft. Now, here we sit over twenty years later, and Fleury sits at #2. After shutting out the Islanders 5-0 last night, it gave Fleury career win #552, good for second most in the history of the league, only trailing Martin Brodeur.

Fleury is a long shot at catching Marty, but passing Patrick Roy for second on the list is a pretty big deal.

Taken first overall in 2003, Fleury has really made a name for himself between the pipes in this league. Played thirteen years with the Penguins, winning 375 games and three Stanley Cups in the Steel City.  He then spent his next four years in Vegas, helping getting the Golden Knights on the map. In Vegas, he won his only Vezina trophy and 117 games. He then went to Chicago for a year where he won 19 games in a Hawks uniform. Finally he landed here in Minnesota, picking up 41 more wins in three years with the Wild. In total, he has started 1,007 games in the NHL (and counting as of this writing), becoming just the 4th goalie in history to do so. He joined Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo as the only ones to do so.

What Fleury has done in his career has been nothing short of amazing. He's been hailed around the league as being a fantastic teammate, which speaks just as much volumes about his career as anything he's done between the pipes.

Some of the saves that Fleury has made during his career have defied logic. He's been that good. There was a stretch when he first got to Vegas where he really carried that team and kind of set the bar for what quality goaltending should be for the Golden Knights. He first started doing that in Pittsburgh as well. Believe me the bar was already set high with what guys like Tom Barrasso did in that city. He took that bar and moved it up to an even higher level. Even now, eight years after he was taken by Vegas in the Expansion draft, the Penguins still haven't found the right guy to fill his skates and its doubtful they ever will.

Congratulations Fleury on becoming the second winningest goalie in the history of the league!

NFL Wild Card Weekend

And away we go. We started this journey with 32 teams. It ended after 272 regular season games, we are down to the final fourteen left standing. All with one goal in mind. Hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions come the second weekend in February. This is the beauty of playoff football. Anything can happen on any given week. One bad snap, one dropped pass, one missed tackle. Could change everything for a team. Its playoff football baby.

So lets not waste anymore time. Here's how we see wild card weekend going down.

Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans Saturday 4:30PM NBC
Its old against new with CJ Stroud taking on Joe Flacco in the quarterback battle. Cleveland has already done this once this year, going into Houston and winning a game. Happened week 16 with Flacco throwing for 368 yards.  Granted Stroud missed that game, so that's adding a much different element this time around. Even with Stroud around most of the year, Houston had a middle of the pack offense during the regular season. They're going up against a defense who allowed the fewest yards against in the entire league. Both teams come in having won three of their final five games. Close matchup, but here is where past playoff experience wins out.

Pick: Browns 35, Texans 27

Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs Saturday 8PM Peacock
Playing at Arrowhead is a tough thing to do. This is going to be even tougher for Miami this weekend. They lost three of their final five games to close out the regular season. That and the Dolphins are missing two of their top pass rushers heading into this game Saturday night. Four of the six losses the Dolphins had this year we're on the road. Yes the Fins have the best passing attack, and total offense, in the game this season. Never count out Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game. He keeps that going this week.

Pick: Chiefs 27, Dolphins 20

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills Sunday 1PM CBS
This game is nothing against the Steelers, who have put up a great year winning ten games, including the final three of the regular season. But they are going to be without their best defender in TJ Watt. And they facing a hot Buffalo club who closed the season on a five game winning streak. Buffalo really is playing great football right now. Pittsburgh, while a good team, isn't as good on defense without Watt on the field. Even when he was there it's hard to find a statement win by this defense all seas.

Pick: Bills 30, Steelers 14

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys Sunday 4:25PM Fox
You wanna talk about a high scoring affair. Both starting QB's in this game, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott, are playing outstanding football at the moment. But here's were Dallas gets an edge. They have been a top five overall offense and a top five in the passing attack. Oh and on the other side of the ball, Dallas has a top five overall defense as well. This isn't a knock on the Green Bay attack, as the Pack have come in winning three straight games. Green Bay is going to make this a tight one, but at the end of the day Dallas pulls it out.

Pick: Cowboys 35, Packers 27

Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions Sunday 8PM NBC
This is the most interesting matchup of the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs. Why? Because these two QB's got traded for each other before the start of the 2021 season. Stafford got his ring his first year with the Rams, while Stafford is still waiting. Detroit has been a dominating team from start to finish this year, while the Rams surprised everybody by coming back to make the playoffs. They won seven of their final eight games to lock up a playoff spot. There's no doubt the Lions are good, but the Rams are red hot right now. We calling an upset here.

Pick: Rams 30, Lions 27

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Monday 8:15PM ABC/ESPN
Yes, the Eagles maybe the better team, record wise, they just haven't come even close to looking like it as of late. Philly has lost five of its final six games. This after only losing once the first half of the year. Philly was a dominating team, now they're coming in limping. Tampa has won five of their final six games to get into the playoffs. The thing that has me worried about this Bucs team is they haven't been a powerhouse of a team the last two weeks. This maybe the week they get things going in the right direction. Expect solid days from both Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans

Pick: Buccaneers 27, Eagles 21

Milestone Night For Coop

Coaching professional sports is not an easy thing to do. Being a success at it is even harder to do. Winning 500 games in the sport of hockey as a coach is so very tough to do. But Jon Cooper did it. Thanks too Nick Perbix scoring almost halfway through overtime last night in the Lightning 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, Jon Cooper joined that 500 win club.

He became the 3rd fastest head coach ever to join that club, doing it in 839 games. Only Bruce Boudreau (837) and Scotty Bowman (825) have done it faster. Cooper is the fastest to reach 500 wins with one team, and the 29th coach in league history to win 500 or more games. 

He still got a long way to go if he even hopes to catch Scotty Bowman for the all time record.

Still, being able to win 500 or more games behind an NHL bench is pretty impressive. And being to be able to do it all with one franchise speaks volumes. Coop took over for Guy Boucher as head coach here in Tampa in March of 2013 and has been there ever since. Aside from that short stretch at the end of the 2013 season, Cooper has only missed the playoffs once in his tenure as Bolts bench boss, that coming in 2017 missing the playoffs by just a single point. IN that time, he's won two Stanley Cups and been to the finals on two other occasions. Aside from his cup rings, he's been a finalist for the Jack Adams as coach of the year twice, 2014 and 2019.

Cooper has had a great run in Tampa with many high quality players playing under him. They all believe in his system and he's taken the talent that he has around him and made it work inside said system to achieve the ultimate goal. There's never any doubt that Cooper should have his plaque in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame when all is said and done. The man knows how to get the best out of his players and help keep a winning feeling alive and well here in the Bay area.

It's safe to say that Copper has passed John Tortorella as the best head coach this Lightning franchise has ever had. Nothing against Torts and what he did here in Tampa. Cooper just had more sustained high levels of success. We would even go so far to say that Cooper will go down as one of the top five greatest coaches to ever lead a team here in the Tampa area. Yes that even includes the Bucs and rays coaches as well!

Huge Signing Up North

There's no doubt that the Toronto Maple Leafs have a goal in mind. Like every team, they want to win a Stanley Cup. And why not, Toronto has been waiting the longest. The Leafs haven't won the Cup since their last title all the way back in 1967. Toronto is hoping to change that in the near future, locking up their offensive core. They've already signed, Tavares Matthews, Marner to long term deals. now they add William Nylander to that list. Nylander signed an eight year extension with Toronto worth $92 Million.

There's no doubt Nylander has major offensive upside and this is a good deal for him. But it leaves one to wonder.

Toronto has a lot of money locked up in only a handful of guys that they're trying to build around. I get that. But in the salary cap era, that not really gonna help bring a title to town. Especially with bigger pieces still needed by the Leafs if they're going to make anything happen come spring time. The core four that the Leafs have, which is now Tavares, Matthews, Marner and now Nylander will be eating up over $40 million of Toronto's cap space starting next season.

Look, there's no doubt that Nylander is worth his paycheck. He's become an elite level player in this league. 484 points in 558 games in the NHL for Nylander. The last two years have seen him hit 80 points or more, including a 40 goal season last year. He's well on his way to that again this year, with 54 points in 37 games, as of this writing. They guy has finally hit his stride as a scorer at this level and will help keeping the Toronto offense moving.

That's an issue though. I'm not taking anything away from what the Leafs can do as an offensive hockey club. There's no doubt that they've got the horses to put the puck in the back of the net. That's never been called into question. What is being called into question is the paydays here. Toronto has a lot of money locked up into four guys. None of it is locked up into reliable goaltending. Which, as we all know, is critical come playoff hockey. That's what's been holding the Leafs back on long playoff runs for a long time. Its been either in net or on the blueline.

Now why is this story a big deal? Well the obvious reason is the Leafs lock up a star. But it also goes to show a model of what the Leafs feel they need to do to win. Look at what the Lightning have done over the years. The Bolts have built long term playoff success by not only keeping the core stars, but being able to build around them. Toronto hasn't done that and won't be doing it really. That's what's going to be holding them back. They had better try and find help through say the draft or a trade to fix or mend or whatever you want to call it the goaltending and defense.

Clinching Scenarios Week Eighteen

We are down to the final two days of the regular season for 2023. No time to waste. Here's how teams can clinch the playoff spots on the final weekend of the year.

AFC:
Clinched:
Baltimore Ravens (13-3): Clinched AFC North #1 Seed and Home Field
Kansas City Chiefs (10-6): Clinched AFC West
Cleveland Browns (11-5): Playoff Spot
Miami Dolphins (11-5): Playoff Spot

Buffalo Bills (10-6) @ Miami Sunday 8:25PM
-Buffalo can win the AFC East with a win
-Buffalo can clinch a playoff spot with a tie OR losses by Jacksonville or Pittsburgh

Miami Dolphins (11-5) vs Buffalo Sunday 8:25PM
-Miami can clinch the AFC East with a win

Houston Texans (9-7) vs Indianapolis Sunday 1PM
-Houston can clinch the AFC South with a win AND a Jacksonville loss
-Houston can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR a tie and losses by both Pittsburgh and Jacksonville

Indianapolis Colts (9-7) @ Houston Texans Sunday 1PM
-Indianapolis can clinch the AFC South with a win AND a Jacksonville loss
-Indianapolis can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR a tie and a loss by Pittsburgh

Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) @ Tennessee Sunday 1PM
-Jacksonville clinches the AFC South with a win

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) @ Baltimore Saturday 4:30PM
-Pittsburgh can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND losses by either Buffalo, Jacksonville or a Houston-Indy tie

NFC:
Clinched:
San Francisco 49ers (12-4): NFC West #1 Seed and Home Field
Detroit Lions (11-5): NFC North
Dallas Cowboys (11-5): Playoff Birth
Philadelphia Eagles (11-5): Playoff Birth
Los Angeles Rams (9-7): Playoff Birth

Dallas Cowboys (11-5): @ Washington Sunday 4:25 PM
-Dallas can clinch NFC East with a win OR a Philadelphia loss

Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) @ Giants Sunday 4:25PM
-Philadelphia can clinch NFC East with a win AND a Dallas loss

Atlanta Falcons (7-9) @ New Orleans Sunday 1PM
-Atlanta can clinch NFC South with a win AND a Tampa Bay loss

New Orleans Saints (8-8) vs Atlanta Sunday 1PM
-New Orleans can clinch the NFC South with a win AND a Tampa Bay loss
-New Orleans can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND losses by both Green Bay and Seattle

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) @ Carolina Sunday 1PM
-Tampa Bay can clinch NFC South with a win OR a tie and a New Orleans loss
-Tampa Bay can clinch a playoff spot with a tie AND losses by Green Bay and Seattle

Green Bay Packers (8-8) vs Chicago Sunday 4:25PM
-Green Bay can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR Minnesota, Seattle and Tampa Bay losses

Minnesota Vikings (7-9) vs Detroit Sunday 1PM
-Minnesota can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND losses by Green Bay, Seattle and either New Orleans or Tampa Bay

Seattle Seahawks (8-8) vs Arizona Sunday 4:25PM
-Seattle can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a Green Bay Loss
-Seattle can clinch a playoff spot with a tie AND losses by Green Bay and either Tampa Or New Orleans