When the Montreal Canadiens were considering whether they should use the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft on Slovak winger Juraj Slafkovský, we were given a glimpse at their draft meetings through the team’s annual behind-the-scenes draft video. In one of those meetings, Canadiens co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov made his pitch […]
Juraj Slafkovský and the weight of a nation Read More »
The NBA’s Utah Jazz opened their preseason slate on Friday night against a barnstorming New Zealand team called the Breakers. The night before, Jazz owner Ryan Smith was on the other side of the world, in a hotel room in Scotland, to play in a pro-am golf tournament. That might seem like a poorly timed
Inside Utah Hockey Club’s unprecedented five-month scramble to NHL opening night Read More »
Connor McDavid waited for his family in the elevator so they could sneak in quickly without being noticed. His brother hugged him first. But there were no words as the McDavids ascended the Conrad hotel in Fort Lauderdale. It was well after midnight — hours after the final seconds of the final game fell away
‘The sun will rise’: Connor McDavid’s summer of healing Read More »
Can the Florida Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions or is it the Edmonton Oilers’ turn to go from runners-up to No. 1? What will happen in the Eastern Conference wild-card race? After kicking off The Athletic NHL staff’s season predictions Thursday with individual awards, today we look at team expectations. Who makes the playoffs?
NHL 2024-25 season predictions: Stanley Cup winner, playoff teams, dark horse and more Read More »
Denise Ilitch was tired of being told no. For the last few years, she had been championing the idea of varsity women’s hockey to the University of Michigan administration. Because while the school is known as a men’s hockey powerhouse — with nine national championships, the second most all-time — Michigan has never iced a
Inside the fight to bring DI women’s hockey to Michigan: ‘Women belong on the same ice’ Read More »
By Rustin Dodd, Zack Meisel and Andy McCullough When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snapped a record 26-game losing streak in December 1977, head coach John McKay tried to look on the bright side. “Three or four plane crashes and we’re in the playoffs,” he said. It was hard to blame him. The year before, the
Where do the 2024 Chicago White Sox rank among the worst teams in any sport? Read More »
Chloe Primerano had a choice to make. Less than two years after making the switch from boys to girls hockey, Primerano was already one of the sport’s best young players, leading her team in scoring and winning Canadian Female Prep High School MVP in her 10th grade debut season. And after her international debut at
This hockey phenom made an unusual career choice. Why she could be ‘one of the greats’ Read More »
By Dom Luszczyszyn, Sean Gentille and Shayna Goldman The fifth annual NHL Player Tiers are here and we’ve upped the ante. This year we’ve cooked up a list of the top 150 players in the league separated into five groups: the MVP cornerstones, the franchise pillars, the All-Star candidates, the bona fide stars and the elite support. That’s one
NHL Player Tiers 2024-25: Connor McDavid levels up again, goalies join the discussion Read More »
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In March 1993, the morning after two of his relief pitchers died in a boating crash, then-Cleveland Indians manager Mike Hargrove arrived at the team’s spring-training facility at approximately 6 a.m. to find the parking lot full and most of the players already in the clubhouse. The team leaders thought it was
Tragedy in the locker room: How 2 teams coped with the deaths of beloved teammates Read More »
Noah Powell was sitting in his usual chair by the TV at his home in the suburbs north of Chicago, surrounded by a close-knit group of family and friends. The group hadn’t travelled to Vegas for the 2024 NHL Draft. Powell kept the gathering small because he had no idea if he’d even be picked. He’d
Read his lips: Philadelphia Flyers prospect Noah Powell’s star is on the rise Read More »
