Mets Legend Passes

During the early days of the New York Mets franchise, they were a team struggling to find an identity. They were looking for guys to help establish the franchise on the field and off it as well. The first guy to really take that mantel was second baseman Ron Hunt. He spent a short time in New York, but he left his impact on the team, the city and the sport. The legendary 2nd baseman passed away last week at the age of 86.

Hunt spent twelve years in the Majors, the first four of which were with the New York Mets. He was the first Mets player to be elected to not only the all star game but to start an all star game. He was the starting second baseman for the National League in 1963. He then went on to play one year with the Dodgers, three with the Giants, five with the Cardinals and his final year with the Cardinals in 1974. He's ability to crowd the plate and make the strike zone almost disappear. That style at the dish lead him to getting hit by a pitch a record (at the time) 243 times in his career. During his career, Hit had 1,429 hits, 39 home runs, 370 RBI's and was a .273 lifetime hitter. All this to go along with those hit by pitch totals. He made both of his all star appearances playing for the Mets in both 1964 and 1966.

What Hunt did was establish himself with the Mets as one of the early stars for the franchise. He had a solid all around game and really gave the Mets their first star that the fanbase could get behind. He put the team in a sense on the map. He had a unique style of play for this game and it was something that other players studied during the years since his career ended.

Ron Hunt was the first kind of star that the Mets had and he will be forever remembered.

Big Contract In Windy City

When you are becoming the face of a franchise, one would hope you would get paid as such. That's what the Chicago Blackhawks have done. Even though he's going to be missing time at the start of the season, Conor Bedard is going to be staying put for a while in the Windy City. Bedard just inked a new five year deal in Chicago worth $75 Million, coming out to $15 million a year on average.

Bedard was taken first overall three years ago by Chicago, and outside of having his time cut a little his rookie year due to injury, played in all 82 games two seasons ago. Last year his game played numbers dropped again due to injuries, but the point totals went up for the third year in a row. Now, he is slated to miss the first couple of months of this season after having surgery on his shoulder. He injured it during a workout a couple of weeks ago. Bedard was coming near the end of his current deal, having been a restricted free agent going into this season.

Chicago is showing plenty of faith in their budding young superstar by getting him locked up to this kind of a deal now. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that Bedard is going to be the guy in the Hawks lineup and the face of the franchise for years to come. The offensive numbers he's put up when he's playing are worthy of the money he's making.

That might be the only thing that leads me to question this contract. He has had injuries the first few years of his career, including this one, which make it hard to justify the price tag. At the same time, the offensive numbers do justify the money. Bedard will be more than worth his payday and then some, when and if he can have a long healthy career after this current setback.

Bedard getting his new contract does lead one to wonder out loud. If Bedard got this kind of a payday, what's that going to mean for Macklin Celebrini out in San Jose? Celebrini was taken first overall the year after Bedard went in the exact same spot. Celebrini just turned twenty a month ago and is entering his third year of a four year deal he got when he came into the league. He finished 4th in the league in scoring last year with 115 points as a teenager. Celebrini is for the Sharks what Bedard is for the Hawks. He's going to be a big deal in the league for a long time, and he's almost done with his rookie contract, and is going to be due for a massive pay increase. One of which is defiantly going to be worthy of, as he's; making less than a million dollars a year.

Bedard's contract is going to be a sign of things to come for contracts of the big stars, and the young guns, around this league.

NHL Schedule Released

The time has come. it's now. Start marking down your calendars folks! The schedule has just been announced for the 2026-27 National Hockey League season. For the first  since 1994, the NHL will have an 84 game regular season. And what a packed one its going to be.

Now we will dive into more details on things when we do our season preview in a couple of months. For right now, its just the announcements of the schedules. So before we dive into the teams we cover, lets look at some of the important dates for around the league this year out of the 1,344 regular season games.

September 29th: Opening night, five games start the season off!
October 13th and April 10th: All 32 teams in action!
October 21st: Panthers @ Senators (Brady's return to Ottawa)!
October 25th: Canadians @ Jets: Heritage Classic (outdoors)!
November 12th and 14th:  Hurricanes vs Kraken (Global Series Finland)!
December 18th and 20th: Blackhawks vs Senators (Global Series Germany)!
December 21st: Golden Knights @ Hurricanes (Cup Finals Rematch)!
December 31st: Avalanche @ Mammoth (Winter Classic)!
February 6th: NHL All Star Game (UBSA Arena Long Island)!
February 20th: Golden Knights @ Stars (Stadium Series)!
March 6th: Maple Leafs @ Panthers (Bob returns to Sunrise)!

Now lets get right into it. Here's the schedules for the Lightning, Islanders and Rangers!

October:
Oct 1 @ Rangers 7:00 PM
Oct 3 vs Washington 7:00 PM
Oct 5 vs Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Oct 8 vs Minnesota 7:00 PM
Oct 10 @ Islanders 7:30 PM
Oct 13 @ Rangers 7:15 PM
Oct 15 vs Seattle 7:00 PM
Oct 17 vs Vancouver 4:00 PM
Oct 20 @ Vegas 10:30 PM
Oct 23 @ Colorado 9:00 PM
Oct 24 @ Utah 9:00 PM
Oct 29 vs Winnipeg 7:00 PM
Oct 31 @ Nashville 2:00 PM

November:
Nov 3 vs Detroit 7:00 PM
Nov 5 vs Chicago 7:00 PM
Nov 7 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
Nov 8 @ Winnipeg 7:00 PM
Nov 11 @ Buffalo 7:30 PM
Nov 12 @ Columbus 7:00 PM
Nov 14 vs Detroit 7:00 PM
Nov 17 vs Washington 7:00 PM
Nov 19 vs Edmonton 7:00 PM
Nov 22 vs Buffalo 5:00 PM
Nov 25 vs Carolina 7:00 PM
Nov 27 vs Ottawa 3:00 PM
Nov 28 @ Florida 6:00 PM

December:
Dec 2 @ Montreal 7:30 PM
Dec 5 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM
Dec 7 vs Columbus 7:00 PM
Dec 10 vs Boston 7:00 PM
Dec 12 vs Pittsburgh 3:30 PM
Dec 13 @ St. Louis 8:00 PM
Dec 15 @ Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Dec 17 vs Calgary 7:00 PM
Dec 19 @ Toronto 7:00 PM
Dec 20 @ Detroit 5:00 PM
Dec 22 vs St. Louis 7:00 PM
Dec 26 @ Florida 6:00 PM
Dec 28 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Dec 29 vs Nashville 7:00 PM
Thu, Dec 31 vs Montreal 2:00 PM

January:
Jan 2 vs Buffalo 7:00 PM
Jan 5 @ Seattle 9:40 PM
Jan 7 @ Vancouver 9:00 PM
Jan 9 @ Calgary 3:30 PM
Jan 11 @ Edmonton 8:30 PM
Jan 14 vs Vegas 7:00 PM
Jan 16 vs Ottawa 3:30 PM
Jan 18 @ Boston 1:30 PM
Jan 21 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Jan 23 @ Detroit 1:00 PM
Jan 26 vs Los Angeles 7:00 PM
Jan 30 vs Islanders 7:00 PM

February:
Feb 2 @ Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Feb 3 @ Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Feb 12 vs Dallas 7:00 PM
Feb 13 vs Colorado 7:00 PM
Feb 16 vs Florida 7:00 PM
Feb 18 vs Anaheim 7:00 PM
Feb 20 vs Toronto 7:00 PM
Feb 23 vs San Jose 7:00 PM
Feb 25 @ Dallas 8:00 PM
Feb 27 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Feb 28 vs Utah 7:00 PM

March:
Mar 3 @ Los Angeles 10:00 PM
Mar 5 @ Anaheim 10:00 PM
Mar 6 @ San Jose 10:00 PM
Mar 8 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Mar 11 vs New Jersey 7:00 PM
Mar 13 vs Islanders 7:00 PM
Mar 15 @ Washington 1:00 PM
Mar 17 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Mar 18 @ Montreal 7:00 PM
Mar 20 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM
Mar 23 vs Florida 7:00 PM
Mar 25 vs Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mar 27 vs Rangers 7:00 PM
Mar 30 vs Toronto 7:00 PM

April:
Apr 1 vs Columbus 7:00 PM
Apr 3 @ Boston 3:00 PM
Apr 5 @ Buffalo 7:00 PM
Apr 6 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Apr 8 vs Montreal 7:0) PM
Apr 10 vs Boston 8:00 PM

September:
Sep 30 @ Toronto 7:30 PM

October:
Oct 3 vs New Jersey 7:30 PM
Oct 6 @ Rangers 7:00 PM
Oct 8 vs Chicago 7:30 PM
Oct 10 vs Tampa Bay 7:30 PM
Oct 13 vs Vancouver 7:45 PM
Oct 15 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM
Oct 17 @ Toronto 7:00 PM
Oct 20 vs Anaheim 7:00 PM
Oct 22 vs Los Angeles 7:30 PM
Oct 25 @ Dallas 6:00 PM
Oct 27 @ Nashville 8:00 PM
Oct 29 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
Oct 31 vs Edmonton 3:30 PM

November:
Nov 5 vs Carolina 7:00 PM
Nov 7 vs New Jersey 7:00 PM
Nov 9 @ San Jose 10:00 PM
Nov 12 @ Los Angeles 10:00 PM
Nov 14 @ Anaheim 10:00 PM
Nov 17 vs Columbus 7:00 PM
Nov 19 @ Winnipeg 8:00 PM
Nov 21 @ Detroit 7:00 PM
Nov 23 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
Nov 25 vs St. Louis 7:00 PM
Nov 27 vs Winnipeg 7:30 PM
Nov 28 @ Philadelphia 7:30 PM

December:
Dec 1 vs Florida 7:00 PM
Dec 3 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Dec 4 vs San Jose 7:00 PM
Dec 7 vs Colorado 1:00 PM
Dec 10 vs Calgary 7:00 PM
Dec 11 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Dec 15 @ Utah 9:00 PM
Dec 16 @ Colorado 9:00 PM
Dec 18 @ Vegas 10:00 PM
Dec 20 vs Rangers 7:00 PM
Dec 22 vs Boston 7:00 PM
Dec 26 @ Boston 7:00 PM
Dec 27 vs Ottawa 7:00 PM
Dec 30 vs Washington 4:00 PM

January:
Jan 2 @ Seattle 10:00 PM
Jan 5 @ Vancouver 9:00 PM
Jan 7 @ Calgary 8:00 PM
Jan 9 @ Edmonton 3:30 PM
Jan 13 vs Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Jan 15 vs Dallas 7:00 PM
Jan 16 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Jan 18 vs Nashville 3:00 PM
Jan 20 vs Buffalo 7:00 PM
Jan 22 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Jan 23 vs Seattle 7:30 PM
Jan 26 @ Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Jan 28 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Jan 30 @ Tampa Bay 7:00 PM 

February:
Feb 1 @ Florida 1:00 PM
Feb 3 @ Buffalo 7:00 PM
Feb 12 @ Islanders 7:00 PM
Feb 13 vs Minnesota 7:00 PM
Feb 15 vs Utah 3:00 PM
Feb 18 vs Rangers 7:00 PM
Feb 20 @ Montreal 7:00 PM
Feb 22 @ Columbus 7:00 PM
Feb 23 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Feb 26 vs Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Feb 27 @ Columbus 7:00 PM

March:
Mar 1 vs Washington 7:00 PM
Mar 4 vs Vegas 7:00 PM
Mar 7 vs Pittsburgh 1:00 PM
Mar 9 vs Montreal 7:00 PM
Mar 12 @ Florida 7:00 PM
Mar 13 @ Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Mar 15 @ Boston 7:00 PM
Mar 17 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Mar 20 vs Philadelphia 3:00 PM
Mar 21 vs Buffalo 3:00 PM
Mar 25 @ St. Louis 8:00 PM
Mar 27 vs Detroit 7:30 PM
Mar 30 vs Carolina 7:00 PM

April:
Apr 1 @ Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Apr 2 vs Ottawa 7:00PM
Apr 4 vs Montreal 7:30 PM
Apr 6 vs Detroit 7:30 PM
Apr 8 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Apr 10 vs Columbus 5:00 PM

September:
Sept 29 @ Boston 8:00 PM

October:
Oct 1 vs Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Oct 2 @ Detroit 6:30 PM
Oct 4 vs Utah 6:00 PM
Oct 6 vs Islanders 7:00 PM
Oct 9 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Oct 11 vs Vancouver 6:00 PM
Oct 13 vs Tampa Bay 7:15 PM
Oct 15 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Oct 17 @ Columbus 7:00 PM
Oct 19 vs Anaheim 7:00 PM
Oct 22 @ Toronto 7:00 PM
Oct 24 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM
Oct 26 vs Los Angeles 7:00 PM

November
Nov 1 vs Edmonton 6:00 PM
Nov 3 vs St. Louis 7:00 PM 
Nov 5 vs Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Nov 7 @ Seattle 5:00 PM
Nov 9 @ Edmonton 8:00 PM
Nov 11 @ Calgary 7:30 PM
Nov 13 @ Vancouver 9:00 PM
Nov 16 vs Montreal 7:30 PM
Nov 22 vs Carolina 1:00 PM
Nov 25 @ Buffalo 7:00 PM
Nov 27 @ Chicago 5:30 PM
Nov 28 vs Calgary 7:00 PM
Nov 30 vs Carolina 7:00 PM

December
Dec 3 vs San Jose 7:00 PM
Dec 5 vs Colorado 7:00 PM
Dec 7 vs New Jersey 7:00 PM
Dec 8 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Dec 11 @ Detroit 7:00 PM
Dec 13 vs Columbus 6:00 PM
Dec 15 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Dec 16 @ Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Dec 18 vs Nashville 7:00 PM
Dec 20 @ Islanders 7:00 PM
Dec 22 vs New Jersey 7:00 PM
Dec 27 @ St. Louis 5:00 PM
Dec 29 vs Detroit 7:00 PM
Dec 31 @ Dallas 9:00 PM

January:
Jan 3 vs Columbus 6:00 PM
Jan 5 @ Columbus 7:00 PM
Jan 7 vs Chicago 7:00 PM
Jan 9 @ San Jose 10:00 PM
Jan 11 @ Los Angeles 10:00 PM
Jan 12 @ Anaheim 10:00 PM
Jan 16 vs Boston 12:00 PM
Jan 17 vs Dallas 6:00 PM
Jan 19 vs Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Jan 21 @ Winnipeg 8:00 PM
Jan 23 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
Jan 25 vs Seattle 7:00 PM
Jan 27 vs Florida 7:30 PM
Jan 29 @ Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Jan 30 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM

February:
Feb 3 vs Winnipeg 7:30 PM
Feb 12 vs Islanders 7:00 PM
Feb 14 @ Montreal 1:00 PM
Feb 15 vs Buffalo 3:00 PM
Feb 18 @ Islanders 7:00 PM
Feb 20 @ Philadelphia 12:00 PM
Feb 21 @ Carolina 1:00 PM
Feb 23 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Feb 26 vs Washington 7:00 PM
Feb 28 @ Pittsburgh 1:00 PM

March:
Mar 3 vs Boston 7:00 PM
Mar 6 @ Buffalo 3:00 PM
Mar 7 vs Vegas 6:00 PM
Mar 9 @ Utah 9:00 PM
Mar 11 @ Colorado 9:30 PM
Mar 13 @ Vegas 10:00 PM
Mar 16 vs Ottawa 7:00 PM
Mar 18 vs Toronto 7:00 PM
Mar 20 vs Pittsburgh 8:00 PM
Mar 21 vs Washington 7:00 PM
Mar 23 @ Nashville 8:00 PM
Mar 25 @ Florida 7:00 PM
Mar 27 @ Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Mar 29 vs Minnesota 7:00 PM

April:
Apr 1 @ Montreal 7:00 PM
Apr 3 vs Florida 12:00 PM
Apr 6 vs Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Apr 10 vs Toronto 7:00 PM

Legacy Weekend In Tampa Bay

In the final weekend before the all-star break, the Tampa Bay Rays honored one of the very best players to ever step on the diamond at Tropicana Field. Evan Longoria was inducted into the Rays Hall of fame on Saturday and followed that up with having his #3 retired on Sunday. It was an honor befitting not only the face of the Rays franchise, but one of the biggest faces of Tampa Bay Sports.

We've already discussed, at length, what Longoria has done for the Rays during his ten-year playing career here in Tampa Bay. So, we are going to pass that for the time being. What the events this weekend at the at Tropicana Field did for me was twofold. One it led me to wonder who the next version of Evan Longoria for this Rays franchise could be. The other is who besides Longoria is that athlete here in Tampa? Who was that guy that helped elevate Tampa Bay sports to the next level in the national spotlight.

As for who's the next possible Longoria for the Rays, that seems like a fairly obvious answer. That's the guy who's currently at third base here in Tampa, and the starting third baseman for the American League at the All Star Game, Junior Caminero. The numbers that Junior have at this point in his career are almost an exact mirror of what Longoria did during that same time frame. If Junior can stay healthy, and improve his defensive game just a little, he has all the ability in the world to be the next version of Longoria and what he did for baseball in this town. Here's hoping that Rays management finds a way to keep Junior here and playing at third for his entire career and properly build around the guy.

That's what Longoria did for the Rays. When he came up in 2008, it was the first of two world series trips in Tampa. And from that Longoria put his stamp on this town and this team because of how good he was. He wasn't going to be the greatest player in the league, but he was for this team. He was such a solid all around player and person, that he helped make Tampa a place to watch baseball. He really helped put Tampa Rays baseball on the map and that's his greatest achievement.

Now it is safe to say that Longoria is the best player that the Rays have ever had and he helped really put them on the map in the game of baseball. What other Tampa athletes seemed to do that for the teams they played for. For the Bucs, there's three names that come to mind right away for what they did for this city and this franchise. LeRoy Selman is the first name to think of for how bad the Bucs were at that time. Sane thing can be said for either Warren Sapp or Rhonde Barber when they got here. And Mike Evans did that on the offensive side of things for the Bucs, and Mike Alstott as well.

For the Lightning, the three names that really come to mind as being the legacy for that franchise are Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Lecavalier got them on the map as being the main guy to build the Lightning around and turn that franchise around. Same thing can be said for the two guys who passed him on the points list in Stamkos and Kucherov.

So it's been a big weekend in Tampa Bay and there's more to come in the future.

Bronx Bats Whiffed

Being a hitter in Major League Baseball is a tough thing to do. Doing it as a collective team needs to be done if you hope to win games at that level. Striking out is a part of the game. But at the rate the New York Yankees have gone the last couple of days, well it's quite alarming if we are being honest with ourselves.

Over the last two games in Tampa Bay against the Rays, the Yankees struck out a total of 34 times combined, and yet still came away with a split of the first two games. It was 17 strikeouts on Monday in a 5-1 win, followed up by ANOTHER 17-strikeout game in a 6-4 loss last night.

Ian Seymorew and Griffin Jax had done the most damage against Yankees hitter. Seymopre struck out 12, while Jax fanned 10 the night before. During Jax start, the Yankees made up for the swing and misses by hitting home runs to get their runs across the plate. Again, that's turning into an alarming number. The Yankees are still nine games above .500 (as of this writing) and four games back of the Rays for first place. To be fair, the Rays have had a good pitching staff this year, and showed it off the first two games against the Yankees. And it proves the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting.

It is a scary observation that they are swinging and missing that much, which is a possible explanation for why they have won just two out of their last ten games. It's not going to get any easier for the Yankees for having to deal with Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen the final two games of the series. It won't get much easier going against Zach Littelle and Cade Cavalli as two of the three starters in the Washington series heading into the All Star Break.

Thankfully the Yanks have built themselves enough of a cushion to get through this bit of a rough stretch. At the same time, it's starting to set off alarms with what the offense is going through. Not only in the Bronx but around baseball as well. The trend that its either strikeout or home run for hitters around the league.

IT's kind of scary what the game of baseball has become. Don't get me wrong I love dominating pitching performances around the game, but this is a little much. I'm old school in that I'd rather see a guy take the mound, go seven innings and make the ball move, rather than blowing people away with straight gas. That's why we won't see another 300 game win in the sport. Same thing goes for 3,000 hits by hitters. It's because its home run or nothing. It's rare we see good all around hitters in this sport anymore now a days. And what we've seen from the Yankees the first two games in this series in Tampa Bay have proven that.

Play Like An All Star

We are a little over a week away from the 2026 Major League Baseball All Star Game. July 14th, the best of the best will gather in Philadelphia for the 96th midsummer classic. It's one of the rare times we get to see the games best line up with different lineups and it really does lead to some fun scenarios and matchups.

We don't have to wait any longer. Here's the full roster and lineups for the All Star Game this year.

American League:
Starters:
Catcher: Shea Langeliers Athletics (1st)
1st Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Blue Jays (6th)
2nd Base: Ernie Clement Blue Jays (1st)
3rd Base: Junior Caminero Rays (2nd)
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr. Royals 3
Outfielders: Byron Buxton Twins (3rd), Aaron Judge Yankees (8th), Mike Trout Angels (12th)
Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez Astros (4th)

Reserves:
Catchers: Dillon Dingler Tigers (1st), Adley Rutschman Orioles (3rd)
1st Base: Nick Kurtz Athletics (1st), Ben Rice Yankees (1st)
2nd Base: Travis Bazzana Guardians (1st)
3rd Base: Miguel Vargas White Sox (1st)
Shortstop: Kevin McGonigle Tigers 1
Outfielders: Randy Arozarena Mariners (3rd), Cody Bellinger Yankees (3rd), Riley Greene Tigers 3rd)
Designated Hitter: Yandy Díaz Rays (2nd)

Pitchers:
Bryan Baker Rays (1st), Dylan Cease Blue Jays (1st), Aroldis Chapman Red Sox (9th), Jacob Latz Rangers (1st), Parker Messick Guardians (1st), Drew Rasmussen Rays (2nd), Joe Ryan Twins (2nd), Cam Schlittler Yankees (1st), Cade Smith Guardians (1st), Ranger Suárez Red Sox (2nd), Louis Varland Blue Jays (1st), Michael Wacha Royals (2nd)

National League:
Starters:
Catcher: Drake Baldwin Braves (1st)
1st Base: Freddie Freeman Dodgers (10th)
2nd Base: Ozzie Albies Braves (4th)
3rd Base: Max Muncy Dodgers (3rd)
Shortstop: CJ Abrams Nationals (2nd)
Outfielders: Brandon Marsh Phillies (1st), Andy Pages Dodgers (1st), Juan Soto Mets (5th)
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani Dodgers (6th)

Reserves:
Catchers: William Contreras Brewers (3rd), Hunter Goodman Rockies (2nd)
1st Base: Bryce Harper‡ Phillies (9th), Matt Olson Braves (4th)
2nd Base: Luis Arráez Giants (4th)
3rd Base: Sal Stewart Reds (1st)
Shortstop: Otto López Marlins (1st)
Outfielders: Corbin Carroll Diamondbacks (3rd), Pete Crow-Armstrong Cubs (2nd), Jordan Walker Cardinals (1st), James Wood Nationals (2nd)
Designated Hitter: Kyle Schwarber Phillies (4th)

Pitchers:
Chase Burns Reds (1st), Jhoan Durán Phillies (1st), Raisel Iglesias Braves (1st), Max Meyer Marlins (1st), Mason Miller Padres (2nd), Jacob Misiorowski Brewers (2nd), Eduardo Rodríguez Diamondbacks (1st), Chris Sale Braves (10th), Cristopher Sánchez Phillies (2nd), Paul Skenes Pirates (3rd), Logan Webb Giants (3rd), Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dodgers (2nd)

So what do you think? Did anybody get snubbed from the game?

Hockey Hall Makes Call

Getting induction into a hall of fame, in any endeavor, means you are one of the very best at whatever you do. There are six new names that are getting enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2026. Going into the builder's category will be Brian Burke. In the players category we will see the induction of Cindy Curley, Keith Tkachuk, Pekka Rinne, Carey Price and Patrice Bergeron. All of these members will take their place in the hall on November 9th in Toronto.

We start with the builder's category and the only new member in the form of Brian Burke. Burke began his career in professional hockey in 1987 as vice president and director of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks. He held that role until 1992 when he took over as GM of the Hartford Whalers, lasting there for a year before moving to the NHL offices as senior vice president and director of hockey operations for the league. It was a position he held until 1998, when he ended up back in Vancouver as the GM of the Canucks. He then went on to become team president for the Ducks, Maple Leafs, Flames and Penguins. Some of the moves that Burke made during his career have drawn some ire from fans, but more often than not, Burke did an admirable job of being able to build and run teams.

Now starting with the players category, we have to look at Cindy Curley. She helped put women's hockey on the map in the US. She starred at Providence College from 1981 to 1985, winning back to back national titles in 1984 and 1985. During her time there, she scored 110 goals and 115 assists for 225 points. She joined the US national team in 1987 after a successful tryout for the team. She had a big impact on the global stage during the inaugural 1990 IIHF Women's Hockey Championships. She also won silver in 1992, 1994 and 1996. Knee troubles cut her career short, but doing what she did in not only college but at the national level, helped put women's hockey on the map before it truly went global.

Coming from the NHL level, we have to start with Keith Tkachuk, who after 15 years, finally got his induction. He w3as drafted by the Winnipeg Jets 19th overall in the 1990 draft and made the jump to the big club in 1991. He played in Winnipeg until 1996, when he moved with the franchise to Arizona. He stayed with the Coyotes until halfway through the 2000-01 season, when he was traded to the Blues. He played in St Louis until 2007 when he spent half a season in Atlanta. He then went back to St Louis for his final three years, retiring in 2010. Tkachuck played 1,201 games, scoring 538 goals, 527 assists and 1,065 points, to go along with 2,219 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he played 89 games, scoring 28 goals, 28 assists for 56 points and 176 penalty minutes. Keith played in five all star games during his career and made his legacy as one of the top power forwards in the history of the game. Before his induction, Tkachuk had the 2nd most goals of anybody not already in the hall (behind only the 566 scored by Patrick Marleau). He could hit, he could score goals and was a very hard man to move from in front of the net. HE played almost with a sense of a bull in a China shop.

Another big name, getting in on his first year on the ballot, was at the opposite end of the spectrum in Patrice Bergeron. Picked 45th overall in 2003 by the Boston Bruins, Bergeron joined the team that first season, and became a fixture in Boston after the lockout in 2006. He spent his entire career in Boston, retiring  in 20923. While in Boston, he played 1,294 games, scoring 427 goals, 613 assists for 1,040 points and just 494 points. Come playoff time, Bergeron played in 170 games, scoring 50 goals and 78 assists for 128 points. Bergeron played in three all star games, won the Mark Messier leadership award in 2021, the Stanley Cup in 2011 and a six time winner of the Selke Trophy for the best defensive forward in the game. That's what made Bergron successful during his career. Not only was he a great leader, having been Bruins captain for the final two years of his career. He had the offensive skill to be a top six forward in Boston and was one of the elite defensive forwards the sport has seen.

Going from forwards we go to the goal, where we have two netminders getting induction. First is Carey Price, who was taken 5th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2005. Price joined the team that first year out of the lockout and played all 15 years of his NHL career in Montreal. He played in 712 games in Montreal, winning 361 times, with a career .917 save percentage and a2.51 lifetime goals against average. During his career, Price was a seven time all star, winning the Jennings Trophy, Vezina Trophy and most importantly of all the Hart Trophy in 2015. Playing internationally for Canada, he won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the World Cup of Hockey 2016 and the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship. He had such q1uick movements in the nets he was hard to be able to really get a read on what he was going to be able to do.

A guy that he inspired was fellow hall inductee Pekka Rinne. Rinne was drafted by the Predators 258th overall in 2004. He joined the Preds in 2008 and played his entire 13 year career in Nashville, retiring in 2021. He played 683 games, collecting 369 wins, had a .917 save percentage and 2.43 goals against. He was a four time all star and winner of the Vezina Trophy in 2018. He is tied for seventh in NHL history in GAA and tied for fifth in save percentage among goalies with 500 games played. Rinne may not have been as technically sound as a guy like Price, but what got him to the level he did was his athletic ability. He had made some pretty athletic saves during the course of his career that are highlight material.

So, what say you. Did the hall get this right? Any big snubs left out this year?

Star Hanges Up Skates

Spending sixteen years playing in the National Hockey League is quite a long time. And doing it at one of the highest levels in the sport says a lot. That's what Jonathan Toews did during his career. After a long and lengthy career, coming back after missing two years cause of illness, Toews is going out on his own terms. 

Toews was drafted 3rd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006 (only Erik Johnson and Jordan Staal drafted ahead of him). Toews started in the big leagues with the Hawks in 2007 and played there until 2023. He then stepped away from the game for two years to deal with health issues. He finally came back for the 2025-26 season to go out on his own terms with his hometown team the Winnipeg Jets.  

Toews won three Cups with the Hawks, won the Conn Smyth Trophy in 2010, a Selke Trophy in 2013 a Mark Messier Leadership award in 2015m he played in six all star games. He played in 1,149 games, scoring 383 goals and 529 assists for 912 points. He played in 137 games, scoring 45 goals and 74 assists for 119 more points in the playoffs. HE's also got a few records to go along with all those point totals. He's the fastest to ever be appointed a team captain in just 64 career games. He holds Blackhawk records for most career OT goals with 16, most assists in a playoff year with 22, most points in a playoff year with 28 (both done in 2010) and most overtime goals in a season with 5.

While he may not have been the flashiest player on his team while in Chicago, that tittle went to Patrick Kane, he was probably the best all around player on those Hawks teams. That's why they were able to really build around him. He had a good head for the game, was a good skater and had great ability to move the puck to the right guys. Oh, and his shot was pretty good as well.

He did things quite well at both ends of the rink, as his point totals and the best defensive trophy win in 20134 suggests. To be able to take over as the leader of the Hawks at 20 years old and in just his second season in the league speaks volumes to how not only mature a player he was, but the type of leader he was as well. Toews was and is a great ambassador for the game and great example of how to go about playing the game of hockey the right way.

We know one thing for sure, his #19 will be hanging from the rafters of the United Center within the next few years. And its also a pretty fair shot that he might just see an enshrinement in Toronto too.

NHL Hands Out Hardware

In the game of hockey, or any other team sport for that matter, the logo on the front is considered more important than the name on the back. Rightfully so. However, at the end of each year, the National Hockey League does honor the individual accomplishments in the great team game. As the Stanley Cup Playoffs wore on, the NHL handed out the hardware for the 2025-26 regular season. It was a way of honoring the best of the best from the year that was around the NHL. We take a look at that right now. Here's the full list of NHL award winners from the season that was.

All Rookie Team
Goalie: Jakub Dobes (Montreal Canadiens)
Defense: Matthew Schafer (New York Islanders), Alexander Nikishin (Carolina Hurricanes)
Forwards: Ivan Demidov (Montreal Canadiens), Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks), Jimmy Snuggerud (St Louis Blues)

All Star Teams:
First Team:
Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Defense: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Forwards: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jason Robvertson (Dallas Stars)

Second Team:
Goalie: Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals)
Defense: Evan Bouchard (Edmonton Oilers), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)
Forwards: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins), Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens)

Now, here's the full list of the hardware handed out for the 2025-26 season.

William Jennings Trophy (Lowest Goals Against Average): Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood (Colorado Avalanche)

Rocket Richard Trophy (Goal Scoring Leader): Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche 53 Goals)

Art Ross Trophy (Leading Scorer): Conor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers 138 Points)

Mark Messier Leadership Award: Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche)

Bill Masterton Trophy (perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication): Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche)

Lady Bing Trophy (sportsmanship and excellence): Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

King Clancy Trophy (leadership and humanitarian contribution): Marcus Foligno (Minnesota Wild)

Ted Lindsey Award (Outstanding player as voted on by the NHLPA): Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

Selke trophy (best defensive forward): Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens)

Jack Adams Award (Best Coach): Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Calder Trophy (Top Rookie): Matthew Schafer (New York Islanders)

Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman): Zach Werenski (Columbus Ble Jackets)

Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender): Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Hart Trophy (League MVP): Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)

So now the big question is, did they get the award winners right? It was a close race for the Hart, but it rightfully went to Kucherov. it was nothing against McDavid or MacKinnon, both of whom had fine seasons. But there were stretches where Kucherov carried things in Tampa with all the injuries and what not that the Lightning had to deal with and when scoring goals at times was hard to come by. Same thing with Vasilevskiy getting the Vezina for top goalie. The only thing that kept Sorokin from getting his hands on it was the team around him faltering down the stretch and leaving him out to dry, which is why he looked off at the end of the year. Schafer winning the Calder, rightfully so, was a runaway win. 3rd leading scorer among all rookies, and playing heavy minutes for the Islanders all as an 18-year-old, What Werenski did in Columbus was pretty impressive. 81 points to finish 2nd to Bouchard in defenseman scoring and helping the Jackets to a playoff spot while playing shut down D was good enough to take the award.

The ONLY award that I think was given to the wrong guy, and it feels weird to even be writing that honestly, was the Jack Adams. No disrespect to the man who won it in Jon Cooper of the Lightning. Despite all the injuries and missing key guys for stretches, Cooper guided the ship in Tampa to keep them in a playoff spot almost the entire season after a bit of a slow start. And the fact that it took 14 years for Cooper to finally win the award, when in years past, he's been runner up when he should have won was a crying shame. Don't get it wrong it's a great thing that he finally got it and the recognition that he finally deserves for the coaching job he's done here in Tampa. But in all honesty, it should have gone to Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres this season. Buffalo was in last place in early December. They had also gone without a playoff appearance since 2011 and hadn't won a division title since 2007. All of those things changed as the season went along. Buffalo ended not only the playoff drought but won the division for the first time in almost twenty years and won a playoff round. Lindy did a marvelous job guiding that team with the talent they have and getting the most out of them. The Adams should be residing in Buffalo not Tampa this year, that's the only award that was given to the wrong person this year.

Carolina Climbs Mountain

Twenty years is a bit of a wait, but for the Carolina Hurricanes, the wait is worth it. Carolina has had one Stanley Cup title, that being in 2006 with a win over the Oilers. Since then, the Hurricanes have come close a few times, but they haven't gotten to the top of the mountain since then. Until now. For the second time in their history, the Carolina Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup Champions, having beaten the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to claim the title.

Before we dive into things with the Champions, let's not take anything away from what Vegas did on their run. Going six games in each of the first two rounds and then sweeping the Presidents Trophy winners in the Western Conference Finals is a huge accomplishment. Then they took the opener in the series and even held a two games to one series lead thanks to the double OT win in game three. Mitch Marner proved he was worth what Vegas paid him in that sign and trade in the offseason. After that, Vegas seemed like they ran out of gas. But hey, the fact they have played in the finals now three times in their nine years of existence says a lot. It speaks to how well the team is being run and how they are able to keep themselves in the hunt with smart player moves at the right time to keep them in the race in the West.

But they ran into a better team in Carolina. The Hurricanes have been one of the most consistent teams in hockey over the last number of years. After an eight-year stretch of missing the playoffs, Carolina has made the post season eight straight years, going at least two rounds in each of those years. Oh, and they've gone to at least the conference finals in three of the last four years, with winning the title this year.

And this year, Carolina had the 2nd best record in all of hockey, behind only Colorado. Finishing the year with 53 wins, the 2nd most in team history (behind the 54 wins they had in 2022). And some of the moves that went on in this finals were impressive. For as good as Freddy Anderesen was during this playoff run, when he faltered at the end, Brandon Bussi came in and cleaned up. Bussi play proved that he's ready to take the reigns in the Hurricanes net. And with Pyotr Kochetkov the 3rd option in goal, Carolina won't have to worry about having a problem in net anytime soon.

As the finals wore on, the Hurricanes system and style of play seemed to take over and wear down the Golden Knights. Vegas looked out of gas by the time game six really got rolling. They had nothing left in the tank. It was a good mix of veteran and young guns doing what they had to do to fill the back of the opposing net.

Congratulations to the Hurricanes for winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in their history!

The Waiting Is Over!

It's a phrase that New York Basketball fans have waited a very long time to hear. Fifty-three years in fact. It took five games against a good San Antonio Spurs team to do it but for the first time since 1973, the New York Knicks are the champions of the basketball world.; New York has won its 3rd NBA title, and first since 1973, beating San Antonio in five games to clinch it.

And for a Knicks team that has been on the rise since the end of the 2021-22 season, this has to be one of the most cleansing feelings ever. This is a Knicks team that had made the playoffs three straight years at the turn of the decade in the 2010s, followed by a string of seven straight under .500 basketball. That was broken at the turn of the 202s with a winning record and a playoff appearance in 2021. They missed out again and finished under .500 the next year. That offseason was viewed as a major turning point for the club, who at the time were getting beat up pretty good by some experts in the media for the moves they made. Getting Jalen Brunson from Dallas that offseason, which was lambasted by the media at the time, proved to pay off bigtime four years later.

Each year after that was at least a 2nd round appearance. They made it all the way to the conference finals last year, before finally climbing to the top of the mountain this year.

October got off to a slow start for the Knicks, but by the time November had hit, they found their stride and never looked back. Sure, there was a bit of a dip with an under .500 month in January, but by the time we hit the seasons halfway point in the middle of January, the Knicks were sitting at 25 wins. Once March hit, the Knicks caught fire and, well, the rest is history.

After a scare early on the first round against Atlanta, losing games two and three of that series, New Ork hit their stride again. From there, they polished off the Hawks, then steamrolled pasted the 76ers and Cavaliers to reach the finals. Once San Antoinio became the opponent, outside of the hiccup if you want to call it that in game three, the Knicks kept right on rolling.

But during that run, there were two nights where you really felt there was magic in the air for this run. The first came in the opening game of the Conference Finals against Cleveland, where they trailed by as many as 22,. but stormed back. They liked that performance, the Knicks decided to do it again. This time it came in Game Four of the Finals at home against the Spurs. It was a 29-point lead for San Antonio that went poof thanks to the last second heroics of OG Anunoby, who tipped in the game winner right before time expired.

For that shot alone, OG will be a made man in New York the rest of his life, as will Jalen Brunson for that matter with the way he played during this entire Knicks run. And thanks to those two performances, the Knicks exercised a lot of ghosts of sorts from Madison Square Garden. It's the first title win since the 1973 finals. Sure, the Knicks had made the finals twice since then, losing to the Rockets in 1994 and then to the Spurs in 1999. In Between titles for the Knicks there had been some very lean years. There were some seasons in the mid-80s that were less than stellar. The 90s were better but they couldn't finally get to the top, having come oh so close twice. The turn of the century was even worse for the Knicks, but they finally turned the corner and are on top of the mountain once again.

New All Star Format

Last week, the National Hockey League announced its plans for the 2027 NHL All Star Game. The game, and weekend festivities, are set to take place February 5th and 6th at UBS Arena on Long Island. There are some big changes to be made to not only the game itself but to the skills competition, which is set to take place on the 5th, with the games on the 6th.

The NHL All Star Game first took place in 1947, becoming a battle of the conferences in 1969. 2009 was the last time we saw a battle of East vs West in the game, which then changed for a couple of years to fantasy drafts. Then in 2016 it changed to the battle of divisions, which held steady until another division like game, turned into a draft in 2024. The last two years have missed out due to the four nations tournament and the Olympics. Because of the success of those two events, the NHL is making the change this year.

For the skills competition next season, the league has made some changes. They are going to spotlight 10 young stars 25 or younger. Those ten guys are going to compete in eight events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Passing Challenge, One Timers, Stick Handling and Accuracy Shooting. Players will earn points based on placement in each event. Top four point earners from this will advance to a shootout, facing one all star goalie. The top two from the shootout will face off in an obstacle course finale.

As for the game itself the next night, the format is getting another overhaul. IT's still going to be three on three games, but its going to be broken up into five teams: USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland and the World (the remaining countries who have players in the league). This group set up will face off in a round robin exhibition tournament. Each team will have 11 players: nine skaters and two goalies. Each team is going to play four 5-Minute games during this tournament. no overtimes, no shootouts. The top two te34ams will face off in a ten minute final based on a point system. The points will be 2 for a win, 1 for a tie and 0 for a loss.

I will give the NHL credit where its due for trying to change the game up and come up with some interesting ideas to draw fans to the entire weekend. But by dividing up the game into five countries and playing a round robin tournament is just dumb. Keep the four nations and Olympics as their own ideas. Olympics are a given every four years now. The four nations proved to be a huge success, so do that every two years between Olympic games. Every year between Olympics and Four-Nations keep an All Star Game. That Idea is something that would be fun and can work with.

For the all star game, go back to what you did for the eight years before the season long lockout. From 1998-2004 it was a regular 5 on 5 game that saw North America take on the World. Go back to something like that if you want to keep that international flavor for the all star game on years that four nations and Olympics aren't happening. Doing this for the game isn't going to fly with a lot of fans and it's going to keep a certain group of eyes off the product. I understand you trying to grow the game with ideas like this, but it makes no sense and nobody's going to play any harder for something like this. Keep it as close to an actual game as possible and use the old international format for the game, that should keep fans engaged and wanting to watch.

2026 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

The time has finally arrived. We started this journey back in early October, with 32 teams all chasing the same goal. To win the Stanley Cup, the greatest prize in all of hockey. Well now we have two teams left. In two weeks' time, or less, a new champion in the hockey world will be crowned. This year's final poses an interesting matchup as it will see the Carolina Hurricanes taking on the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vegas is in its ninth year of existence and is playing in its 3rd Cup Finals. They lost to Washington in five games in 2019 and won in 2023, beating the Panthers in five games. Vegas got to this year's finals by beating Utah in six games, Anaheim in six games and Colorado in four.

Carolina has been in the NHL since 1997 and are also in the finals for the third time in their history. The lost to Detroit in five games in 2002 and beat Edmonton in seven games in 2006. In order to reach the finals this year, Carolina swept Ottawa, swept Philadelphia and beat Montreal in five games.

You have to give credit where its due to the Vegas Golden Knights. After going through tough six games series in the opening two rounds, they pulled off a major upset in the conference finals by sweeping the heavily favored Avalanche right out of the playoffs. It's a big surprise Vegas is here because once the playoffs got started, whoever was going to come out of the Pacific side of the bracket in the West was going to be the underdog by comparison to the Central winner. But Vegas has plenty of playoff experience in its lineup. There are fourteen guys in the Vegas lineup who have played in at least one Cup Finals, 11 of whom where on that cup winning team three years ago. So, the experience is there. And they've had their guys producing most of the playoffs. The two leading scorers in this year's playoffs, Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel, play in Vegas. So, they have the scoring touch to get the job done. And lets not forget about the play of Carter AHart in net, who's got a goals against of 2.22. He's been standing on his head on some nights to help propelled Vegas to where they are right now.

But then there's the team they are squaring off against in these finals. The Carolina Hurricanes have one loss all playoffs. That loss was the first game against Montreal in the conference finals, and that can be attributed to the long layoff Carolina had before the series started. Sure, Carolina isn't going to run teams out of the building with their scoring efforts. The biggest margin of victory for the Hurricanes in the playoffs has been three goals. What's Carolina secret? Its two-fold. Its balanced scoring for one. The top three scorers, Taylor Hall, Jackson BVlake and Logan Stankoven, are the only guys on this team that have double digits point totals in this years playoffs. The next closest one is Nikolaj Ehlers who has 9. So its been a balanced attack. The other thing that's propelled the Hurricanes into the finals is the goaltending. Frederik Andersen has a 1.41 goals against, a .931 save percentage and has played every minute in this years post season. Carolina also plays an airtight defense around him, hlping out with those numbers.

This series is going to be a tight checking series. Sure, Vegas has more experience in playing in the finals, but right now Carolina is the better overall team. Vegas is going to make it a tougher series but this seems like its the Hurricanes year.

Pick: Hurricanes in 6!

Hockey Legend Passes

Being an enforcer, or a pest depending on how you want to look at things, came with the territory of playing in the National Hockey League. That's the way the game was throughout the 80s and early to mid 90s. One of those guys who was at the top of the list of agitators at that time was Claude Lemieux. Having played 21 seasons in the NHL, Lemieux could get under your skin and then beat you with a big goal or a great pass. The four-time Cup winner passed away on Thursday at the age of 60.

Lemieux was a second round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 1983. After playing sparingly over the first three years of his career, he joined the Habs full time in 1986. He played there till 1990 when he went to New Jersey. He then played for Colorado (1995-2000), New Jersey again (2000), Phoenix, Dallas and a brief stop in San Jose to finish his career in 2008. By the time he was done, he played 1,215 regular season games, totaling 379 goals, 407 assists for 786 points. All this while racking up 1,777 career penalty minutes. He found another gear come playoff time. He has his name on the Cup four times: 1986 with Montreal, 1995 and 2000 with New Jersey and 1996 with Colorado. He played in 234 career playoff games, scoring 80 goals 76 assists for 158 points and 529 more penalty minutes.

When people think of Lemieux two things come to mind. One is his clutch goal scoring in the playoffs, as the Devils found out twice in both 1995 and 2000. He knows how to hit the back of the net in the biggest moments come springtime. But when people think of Lemieux, most think of 1996., The hit that started it all. Game six, Western Conference Finals, Red Wings and Avalanche. Lemieux threw a hit on Red Wings forward Kris Draper, a nasty hit from behind that messed up Drapers face. It was the hit that sparked the big rivalry between the Avs and Wings at that time. And that, famously, lead to what became fight night at the Joe. March of 1997, Colorado made a trip to Detroit to play the Wings and that night saw one of the most memorable line brawls in the history of the game. And that all stemmed from Lemieux hit in the previous year's playoffs.

Lemieux knew what his role was when he played, and he did it to perfection. Sure, not all of his hits were clean or legal. Most teams knew that and tried their best to prepare for what was coming. That was just Claude being Claude. He did his job and he did it well. When his career ended, he went on to become a very well represented player agent around the league.

Even in his passing, Claude is becoming an agent of change in the game. After it was revealed that he had passed, Lemieux's brain was donated to Boston University's CTE Center to be able to research the long-term effects of repetitive brain injury that stems from the way he played and the way the game was played back in the day.

Even in passing, Lemieux is still effecting change in the game!

Western Final Speaks Volumes

The National Hockey League's Western Conference Finals spoke volumes. And it tells the tale of two different teams and two different stories.

For the winning team, the Vegas Golden Knights, its sets the bar so high for new teams in sports. For the losing team, the Colorado Avalanche, it speaks volumes to the curse or whatever you want to call it, for winning the Presidents Trophy.

The most obvious one is what we going to dive into first, and that is the fact that for the third time in the nine-year existence of the Vegas franchise, they are playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. This is a huge accomplishment for two reasons. First is the way this year has gone. The pacific Division in the West as a whole this year seemed the weakest of the other three in the league. And let's be real, they were huge underdogs to Colorado, or for that matter whoever was going to come out of that side of the bracket. Going into the playoffs, three of the teams that came out of the Central were the favorites, be it Colorado, Dallas, and even Minnesota. The Pacific had two 40 plus win teams and neither of them got out of round two, that being Anaheim (who was a surprise in its own right) and Edmonton. Vegas went in and beat them up in the first two series.

Then once the Conference Finals got started, they looked like a team on a mission. Sure, Colorado had injuries, more on that in a bit, but Vegas stuck to their game and are back in the Finals. Vegas has quickly started to establish themselves as a force in the West. Three trips to the Finals in nine years?!?!? That comes down to the way ownership and upper management has built this team to be a contender and stay that way. Good drafts, making the right trades at the right times, and being able to keep that group together. They aren't quite an elite level franchise in this league just yet, but the level of success they have attained in their first ten years in the league is quite impressive. They've only missed the playoffs once, and in the other nine seasons have failed to get out of the first round just twice. That's eye-popping stats to think about and speaks volumes about how the team is built and run.

From the side of the coin, the Colorado Avalanche have some things to be able to look at this offseason. With the year that Colorado had, coming this far, while a great accomplishment, is a letdown. There was supposed to be a finals appearance at least for this team, instead it ends like this. A whimper in the Western Conference Finals. Yes, there were injuries that may have played a factor. Cale Makar missed the first two games due to injury and that looked like it played a major factor for Colorado. They couldn't recover and find their legs at all in the series from that.

The other storyline from this is the impact of the President's Trophy. It doesn't mean a damn thing. No President's Trophy winner has had success in the last thirteen years. Meaning that the last team that finished the regular season with the best record to make it to the finals was the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks (they also won the Cup that year as well). Yes, it is kind of cool to finish the regular season as the best team in the league. But all of that flies right out of the window once the playoffs start. And its been those teams that don't get the right mojo going once spring hockey starts. This is the time of the year where the hottest teams go the deepest. Colorado was playing fairly well in the first two rounds, but the injuries got them at the wrong time, among other things. And because of that it's going to lead to some things for Colorado to take a look at during the summer months.

Party Like It's 1999

The city of New York is about to party like it's 1999! It's something that fans of the New York Knicks have been waiting almost thirty years to do. With their 130-93 win in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks completed the sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers and punched their ticket to the NBA finals for the first time since 1999.

The last time the Knicks made it this far was a five-game loss to the Tim Duncan led San Antonio Spurs in 1999. This will be the 9th total trip in franchise history to the Finals for the Knicks, who are seeking their first NBA title since 1973.

There's a lot to unpack here with what the Knicks have been doing in these playoffs. First off, it's the dominating point output. The Knicks have outscored Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland by a combined 262 points during their playoff winning streak, the largest margin in any 11-game span in NBA history. There's domination and then there's this, which has the Knicks operating at a whole different level. They are going to try and keep this going against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City, both of whom are a very different animal then anything the Knicks will have faced in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

We can get into more details about that as the finals get set to get rolling, as there's still two to three more games to be played to decide who the Knicks are going to face.

What this run means for New York sports, epically New York Basketball goes beyond measure. Twenty-seven years is a long time to wait between finals appearances for the Knicks, a team who in 2018-19 won just 17 games and were the worst team in the league that year. And now here we sit. That's an amazing turn around, not just for the Knicks, but any sports franchise. And this is a huge boost for the New York Sports scene. Here's why. The Jets haven't played for a Super Bowl since 1969, the Giants 2011. Yankees last world series appearances was last year, the Mets in 2015. The Islanders haven't played for the Cup since 1984, the Rangers 2014. 

Seeing the Knicks go this far has been a major morale boost for New York City and it's fans. This is something that has been a long time coming and has clearly shown the fruits of the labor that Knicks management has put in over the last number of years to turn this team from the bottom of the league to what is now a major threat in the Eastern Conference.

Is This Team Even Salvagable?

For the 2026 New York Mets, there had been a decent level of expectations. This team may not have been talented enough to really challenge for a division title in the National League East, but they should have been competitive enough to be in the thick of things as a wild card team at least in the NL. And for a while there, it looked as if the Mets might be able to overcome their early season struggles and right the ship enough to make a game of it in the long run. As of me writing this, I'm not totally sold.

Let's take a step back here for a moment and go back to the beginning of the season shall we. With all the talent that was moved out during the winter, and with what it was replaced by in the locker room, there was a level of concern for the club. Would they have been contenders for the division title with the Phillies and even the Braves with the talent that's been brought on board? Not totally no. I just didn't get the feeling that they'd have enough go of it in the bats to really be able to stay with the likes of Philadelphia or Atlanta at the top of the division. They had enough pieces here to be able to make a showing of it and get in as a wild card, in theory, sure.

But what we thought would happen at the beginning of April, and what we are looking at right now at the start of the last week of May, are two very different things.

To be fair, injuries have taken their toll on this team. Lindor out hurt, Alvarez hurt, Holmes hurt, Polanco hurt. I can keep going. They have had a few guys like AJ Ewing make some noise in the playing time they're getting with guys down, but it's not much. And sadly it's not enough to carry the team while waiting for the big guns to come back and get back on track. Outside of Ewing and Juan Soto, nobody on this team who's seeing the field regularly is hitting above .250. That's disastrous right there.

They're coming off a weekend series in which they not only got swept by the Miami Marlins, who many projected to be a bad team this year anyway, and in said sweep they scored just two runs the entire time. They can't for whatever reason, get the job done right now with getting guys across the plate during prime chances. To call this maddening would be an understatement.

There's no doubt in anybody's mind at this point moves have got to be considered being made, some of which quite frankly should have been done already. There's no way you can take into account predicting injuries, that's not possible. But you had to have known at the start something this year wasn't going to work out right. The manager can only do so much with the tools he's been given and for that, David Sterns deserves to get his walking papers for what he's done to this team. let's be honest here He built this garbage on the field and should get three to five for doing what he did to a team that was three wins away from a world series appearance just two seasons ago. Carlos Mendoza isn't safe either for not being able to change things with the team that he has been given. How its taken this long for moves to be made with the Mets I have no clue, and still nothing has been done to change it at the time of this writing.

That vent being said, is this still salvageable for 2026. As a playoff team, I'm not totally sold on that bill of goods yet. Can they salvage this year to finish at or above .500? That's a more realistic yes. Will they do either thing? I can't say for sure, only time will tell. But what I can say is that, from what we've seen so far, moves have to be made from the bench and front office to try and change things, because what we are looking at right now isn't working. And if we are being totally honest its embarrassing for what amount of money has been spent on payroll for this club to be where they are at the time of this writing.

Stanley Cup Conference Finals Preview

And then there were four. We have hit the conference finals in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's going to be a battle of wills in both conference finals. One team is looking to end the drought of an entire nation. The other three are trying to get back to the top of the mountain themselves. Those three teams have all won at least one title in this century, while the other is seeking its first title since 1993. The top two teams in these series have dominated on their way here, with just one loss between them. One team has gone six games in each series, while the other has gone seven in both series. It's going to be a fun two week stretch to reach the finals. So here's how we see the conference finals going down.

We will start with the Western Conference Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Colorado is 8-1 so far in the playoffs and are looking to become the first Presidents Trophy winner to reach the finals since 2013 (Blackhawks won the cup that year). Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have gone six games in each of the first two rounds.

Vegas has had to do this without the play of their captain Mark Stone, who missed the last three games of the last round due to injury. But the team hasn't seemed like it missed a beat thanks to the play of both Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel in the first two rounds. Marner leads the playoffs in scoring at the time of this writing, and Eicheil is 5th in scoring. IT's not just those two guys carrying the load in Vegas, as you've seen production all playoffs long from guys like Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl as well. And in net, Carter Hart has been a big surprise, with a 2.37 goals against and a 917 save percentage in his 12 games.

For as good as Vegas has been, Colorado still appears to have been head and shoulders above everybody else. in these playoffs. Colorado may not have guys in the top ten in scoring in the playoffs, outside of Nathan MacKinnon, but Colorado has the most balanced scoring team in the post season. The only thing that I would even remotely put into question here is the play of Scott Wedgewood. Don't get anything twisted he's been good. His 2.21 goals against and .914 save percentage have been good. But he did look a little rocky in game three against Minnesota. If Colorado really wants to go all the way, he needs to be better than he has been in this post season.

This is going to be the tightest series that the Avs will have played and it's going to be a big test, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to the depth. Colorado has that it seems in spades in this series. Vegas is going to give the Avs a run, there's no doubt about it. At the end of the day, the best team will stand tall at the end.

Pick: Colorado in six!

Now for the Eastern Conference Finals, which will pit the Montreal Canadians taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina has had plenty of time off, having won both of their first round games in sweeps. The Canes haven't played in twelve days by the time the puck dops in this series. That could be detrimental to the Hurricanes in that its going to get them off to a slow start. Then again, Carolina, much like Colorado, has had balanced scoring all throughout the playoffs. It hasn't been to the same degree of power as the Avs, the Canes have still gotten contributions from almost everybody that's in their lineup. Another big reason for Carolina being where they are has been the play of Frederik Andersen.. A 1.12 goals against and a .950 save percentage are both the best in the playoffs. He hasn't really been tested in the first two series, and even when he has, he's answered the bell.

And while Carolina has been dominating on their run here, Montreal has had a much rockier path, having to go seven games in both series. There are times in the previous two series that Montreal has looked totally overmatched. Yet thanks to the play of guys like Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson here we sit. Montreal has been just as balanced as Carolina has with their scoring. And rookie Jakub Bobes has been playing out of his mind as the playoffs have gone along.

For as much fun as it has become watching Montreal do what they do in this year's playoffs, I think the magic finally runs out here. Carolina's just too good of a defensive team and too balanced for Montreal to overcome.

Pick: Hurricanes in 5

NFL Schedule Released

The time has finally arrived. Let's start marking the calendars right now. The 2026 National Football League schedule has been released! We will have the full scheduled here in a minute for the Jets, Giants and Buccaneers. Before we get into that, let's take a look at some of the notable games on the docket for the rest of the league.

Week 1, Patriots @ Seahawks: Super Bowl Rematch to kick off the regular season

Week 1, Dolphins @ Raiders: Fernando Mendoza NFL Debut 

Week 2, Lions @ Bills: Buffalo opens their new stadium 

Week 12, Thanksgiving Triple Header: Bears @ Lions, Eagles @ Cowboys, Chiefs @ Bills

Week 16, Christmas Triple Header: Packers @ Bears, Bills @ Broncos, Rams @ Seahawks

That's just some of the great action we can expect around the NFL this year. Now let's dive into it. Here's what the teams we cover on the show will be doing this year for games.

September 13th @ Cincinnati 1PM FOX
September 20th vs. Cleveland 1PM CBS
September 27th vs. Minnesota 4:05PM CBS
October 4th vs. Green Bay 1PM FOX
October 8th @ Dallas 8:20PM Prime
October 18th vs. Pittsburgh 1PM CBS
October 25th @ Carolina 1PM FOX
November 1st vs. Atlanta 1PM FOX
November 8th @ Chicago 8:20PM NBC
BYE WEEK
November 22nd @ Detroit 1PM CBS
November 30th vs Carolina 8:15PM ESPN
December 6th vs. Los Angeles Chargers 1PM CBS
December 13th @ Baltimore 1PM FOX
December 20th vs New Orleans 1PM FOX
TBD @ Atlanta (Flex Game)
TBD vs Lons Angeles Rams (Flex Game)
TBD @ New Orleans (Flex Game)

September 13th vs Dallas 8:20PM NBC
September 21st @ Los Angeles Rams 8:15PM ESPN
September 217th vs Tennessee 1PM CBS
October 4th vs Arizona 1PM CBS
October 11th @ Washington 1PM FOX
October 18th vs New Orleans 1PM FOX
October 25h @ Houston 1PM FOX
BYE WEEK
November 8th @ Philadelphia 1PM FOX
November 12th vs Washington 8:15PM Prime
November 22nd vs Jacksonville 1PM CBS
November 29th @ Indianapolis 1PM FOX
December 6th vs San Francisco 1PM FOX
December 13th @ Seattle 4:25PM FOX
December 20th vs Cleveland 1PM CBS
December 28th @ Detroit 8:15PM ESPN
January 3rd @ Dallas 1PM FOX
TBD vs Philadelphia (Flex Game)

September 13th @ Tennessee 1PM CBS
September 20th vs Green Bay 1PM FOX
September 27th @ Detroit 1PM FOX
October 4th @ Chicago 1PM FOX
October 11th vs Cleveland 1PM CBS
October 18th @ New England 1PM CBS
October 25th vs Miami 1PM CBS
November 1st vs Las Vegas 1PM FOX
November 8th @ Kansas City 1PM CBS
November 15th vs Buffalo 1PM CBS
November 22nd @ Los Angeles Rams 4:05PM CBS
November 29th @ Miami 1PM CBS
BYE WEEK
December 13th vs Denver 1PM CBS
December 20th @ Arizona 4:05PM FOX
December 27th vs New England 1PM CBS
January 3rd vs Minnesota 1PM CBS
TBD @ Buffalo (Flex Game)

Stanley Cup Second Round Predictions

And then there were eight. We now have eight teams left standing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The second round of the Cup playoffs has finally arrived, and we have quite a few storylines still floating around going into this round.

Can Colorado keep the pace they have all season long? Can Minnesota continue its hot streak after its first round upset? Can Anaheim keep their great play up? Was Philadelphia a first round fluke or are they for real? Can Montreal end the drought for Canada? What about Buffalo? Are they for real? A lot of these questions and more will be answered over the next week and a half or so as the second round gets rolling.

Yes some of the games have already started in round two, but the predictions made here have been made before any of the games actually got underway and have not been changed based on the way opening games have gone.

Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens

Buffalo is coming off winning their first playoff series since 2007, taking out the Bruins. Montreal is coming off a bit of an upset beating Tampa and winning a round for the first time since 2021. Buffalo is coming into this a little more rested, having won in six. Montreal is coming off a very physical very tight series against Tampa. This is going to be another tight series and another even series. It’s going to make for must see TV, of the four series we have left. Because of the atmosphere in both buildings and the rivalry between the two franchises. What’s going to swing the series is the play of the big boys. Montreal had its role players pull it out against the Lightning, their big line was held in check. Buffalo’s big guns acted like it against Boston. Don’t get it twisted, Buffalo had their role players have an impact too, bhut the big guys played just as much of a role. That’s going to be the difference in the series.

Pick: Buffalo in 6!

Carolina Hurricanes vs Philadelphia Flyers

Carolina was the best team in the East all year and showed it in a sweep against Ottawa in the first round. Philly came in and beat the Penguins in a bit of a surprise win. A big reason for that was the play of Dan Vladar in the Flyers net, he had two shutouts in the series and allowed more than two goals just twice in the series, both losses. And Philly got pretty balanced production from most of its lineup, there wasn’t one line that really stuck out in that series. Carolina was just as good in their four game sweep of Ottawa. It was the big guns that had an impact too as well as the role guys. Hall, Stankoven and Blake all had big series. And just like Vladar did in that first round for the Flyers, Freddy Andersen was just as good for the Hurricanes. This series won’t be as easy for the Hurricanes as the first round was. The Flyers are going to come out and push hard. At the end of the day, the Hurricanes depth and talent will win out.

Pick: Hurricanes in 6!

Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild

Colorado proved in the first round why they won the Presidents Trophy, winning in a sweep over the Kings. Minnesota pulled off the big upset in the first round, knocking off the favored Stars in six. This series is going to be a run and gun, high scoring series. Minnesota not only had balanced scoring, but their big guns acted like it against Dallas. They had balance and put a lot of pressure on the Stars and it killed Dallas as the series went along. That’s going to play a factor in the series as they will be able to stay stride for stride with the Avs. At the same time Colorado showed why they were the best team in the league in the first round. It was the same thing in Denver, with balanced scoring and the big guns leading the way as everything went along. Expect a lot of high scoring hockey in this series.

Pick: Colorado in 7!

Vegas Golden Knights vs Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim is coming off an upset win over the Oilers in six in the opening round, while Vegas had to go the same against Utah. This is going to be the other most evenly matched meeting of this entire second round, as both teams have the same skill level and got the same production out of said skill level. Anaheim youth movement proved to be too much for the Oilers in the opening round, where Vegas experience is what won out against Utah. And Vegas had to do it coming back from down two games to one in that series. It going to come down to who’s big guns are going to have more firepower in the series. And the edge, for me at least, goes to Vegas.

Pick: Golden Knights in 6!

Broadcasting Legend Passes

Television and Radio announcers. They make the games come to life. And for 36 years, one man did just that for New York Baseball. Whenever people think of the New York Yankees, naturally the legends of the game always come to mind. Ruth, Gerig, DiMaggio, Jeter ect. There’s one name on that list of legends who never made a play or hit a long ball. But boy did he make those moments come to life. That person was John Sterling, who for 36 years painted the word picture on the radio for one of the greatest franchises in any sport anywhere in the civilized world. Monday morning, it was announced that John had passed away at the age of 87.

The cause of his passing was due to heart failure at a hospital in Englewood New Jersey. This coming a couple of months after suffering a heart attack at the beginning of the year.

John’s career had spanned 5.420 regular season games and another 211 in the playoffs. He started calling games for the Yankees in 1989 and never missed a broadcast, a streak of 5,060 games, until missing one in 2019. He finally retired from the booth just before the start of the 2024 season. During his legendary career, John’s had quite a few different partners in the booth, ranging anywhere from Jay Johnstone (1989–1990), Joe Angel (1991), Michael Kay (1992–2001), Charley Steiner (2002–2004), and Suzyn Waldman (2005–2024). Sterling was on the air for 24 Yankees postseason trips, seven World Series appearances and five World Series titles.

Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win! It is high, it is far, it is gone! Those are the two most famous things that any baseball, or sports fan, associates with John Sterling. He also had a unique way to come up with induvial calls for players when they would go deep, or make a spectacular play, during the course of a season.

Aside from his baseball career he also had stints behind the microphone for the Washington Bullets in the NBA and even called games on the radio for the New York Islanders from 1975-78. John provided so many thrills for so many fans, love him or hate him. He left a legacy that will never be forgotten in the sports world.

John Sterling, gone but not forgotten.