With playoff races heating up in the NHL, we have a new "Save of the Year" leader in the clubhouse.
The Anaheim Ducks paid a visit to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, and despite a tough loss, fans were treated to quite a spectacular stop with the glove earlier in the game.
In the first period, Brock Boeser attempted to score off a pass from a teammate near the crease, and John Gibson got a good chunk of it.
However, the puck stayed in the air and appeared to be heading toward the back of the net.
So, Gibson did his best "Pistol Pete" impression and went behind-the-back with his glove to make the miraculous save.
The puck actually came out of the glove, but the refs blew it dead; and at the very least, the puck is better off in front of the net than in the back of it.
It wasn't all fun and games for Gibson, though, as he wound up leaving the game later on with a lower body injury.
Canucks winger Drew O’Connor crashed into him in the crease. Both players tumbled awkwardly into the net, with Gibson staying down on the ice for several minutes before getting up slowly and leaving the ice with help. O’Connor was given a goaltender interference penalty, and Lukas Dostal came on in relief of Gibson.
Gibson stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced before leaving and Dostal made 14 saves. The Ducks trailed 3-1 early in the third period, but were unable to connect on a potential equalizer.
Anaheim was coming off an impressive 6-2 victory over the reigning Western Conference champions, but their playoff hopes took a hit with the loss. Vancouver, too, is fighting for a playoff spot, and earned the much-needed win.
Saquon Barkley's record-breaking contract with the Philadelphia Eagles has some fine print that Travis Kelce isn't glossing over.
During this week's episode of Kelce's podcast "New Heights" with his brother Jason, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end called out the Eagles for the many incentives included in Barkley's contract.
Barkley's two-year, $41.2 million deal, with a $20.6 million per year salary, made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
However, only $36 million of that deal is guaranteed, while Barkley can earn an additional $15 million if he fulfills certain incentives.
"Eww," Kelce said in response to the incentive aspect of Barkley's deal. "I don't like that one bit.... Does he have to get a 2,000-yard season every year?"
The incentive clauses in Barkley's new contract are unknown at this time. His previous contract, which he signed with the Eagles last offseason, included incentives for earning first-team All-Pro honors, rushing for at least 1,000 and then 1,500 yards, and victories in each round of the playoffs.
Barkley ended up cashing in on all of those, with 2,005 rushing yards on 345 carries with 13 rushing scores while catching 33 passes for 278 yards with two more touchdowns. He was then the centerpiece on their playoff run to Super Bowl LIX, where they beat Kelce's Chiefs.
And now, Kelce doesn't approve of the incentives in Barkley's deal, especially the ones that are based on team success, like playoff wins.
"So you have to rely on someone's vote to get your incentive?" Travis Kelce asked. "That's f---ed up."
Shohei Ohtani’s greatness can’t be overstated enough, but another all-time great hitter in baseball thinks the game is a bit easier for the Los Angeles Dodgers star compared to his time in MLB.
Barry Bonds, arguably the greatest hitter of all time, appeared on the "All The Smoke" podcast where he shared his belief that ballplayers have it easier in the batter’s box compared to his time in the league from 1986-2007.
"The game has just changed," Bonds said. "The game is way different than it was when I played. The same way Michael (Jordan) talks about it or anybody does. Ohtani is not gonna hit two home runs without seeing one go (by his ear) in my generation. I don't care what he does. He's not gonna steal two bases without someone decapitating his kneecap to slow him down. It's a different game back then."
Bonds has a point regarding intentional pitches thrown up and in on batters to give them a scare – the game has regressed in that aspect on the pitcher’s mound.
However, Bonds isn’t trying to take away what Ohtani has been able to accomplish since Ohtani came over to the States from Japan.
"The pitching and hitting have been outstanding for what he's done," Bonds said of Ohtani. "Baserunning. He's a complete player. There's no doubt about the type of player he is and what he's accomplished in his career."
But the point still stands in Bonds’ eyes: In a game where celebrating home runs is encouraged now instead of frowned upon, Ohtani doesn’t have to worry about retaliation – at least not like he would have in the past.
"They should be better than us hitting-wise, because they can hit a home run, throw their bat up in the air, run around, get a taco, come back down and have a limo drive them around," Bonds said, jokingly. "All these antics that we weren't allowed to do.
"If I did anything like that, I'm gonna see a star. I'm gonna see a hospital, but I ain't gonna see baseball that day."
Bonds, of course, is a polarizing former star within the game of baseball, owning the most home runs ever, breaking Hank Aaron’s record with his own 762 over his illustrious career.
Despite being considered arguably the greatest hitter of all time, Bonds remains out of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York due to being a central figure in MLB’s steroids scandal.
Bonds was indicted in 2007 on perjury charges as well as obstruction of justice for allegedly lying in front of a grand jury during the government’s investigation into BALCO, a main manufacturer of an undetectable steroid that was running rampant in the league.
The perjury charges were eventually dropped, but Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2011. He had to fight until he was exonerated on appeal in 2015.
During that time, Bonds’ 10 years of eligibility on the Hall of Fame ballot didn’t see voters giving him the 75% acceptance rate to be an inductee, some of which stating they wouldn’t vote for him due to the belief he used PEDs.
Ohtani was caught up in his own scandal this past offseason, though he was the victim rather than the culprit.
Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was found to be stealing millions from the Dodgers star’s bank account to cover gambling losses. Federal prosecutors asked for a 57-month prison sentence while also asking Mizuhara to pay $16.9 million of restitution to Ohtani and another $1.1 million to the IRS.
After Pat McAfee called Canada a "terrible" country for booing "The Star-Spangled Banner" ahead of a WWE event in Toronto, he got ugly messages in an Instagram direct message.
Elizabeth Irving performed the U.S. national anthem as a chorus of boos rained down at the Elimination Chamber. Irving also sings the national anthem ahead of Vancouver Canucks and Vancouver Whitecaps games.
McAfee loudly lambasted the Canadian fans, and the country as a whole, for the booing during the Peacock broadcast.
"It kind of sucks that it's in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing," McAfee shouted at the broadcast table. Boos had occurred in the country since the beginning of February in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs and "51st state" cracks.
McAfee defended his comments earlier this week, and it came at a cost on social media.
McAfee wound up sharing Instagram direct messages he got that called him "f---ing pathetic," a "p----," and wishing death upon himself and his daughter.
"i hope that little brat f---ing dies." one message said.
"if you want to s--- on free speech you better be ready to die," another wrote.
"Good morning beautiful people... Standard Wednesday over here… just some random wishing death upon me & my daughter... Hope you all have a great day," McAfee shared.
McAfee addressed some of the backlash he received earlier this week.
"I’m very proud and thankful that I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America… Canadians have a lot of passion for their country and I understand it…You booed our country and I said you’re terrible.." McAfee wrote in a post.
After Canada defeated USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted to X, "You can't take our game – and you can't take our country."
NASCAR is accusing 23XI Racing of "willfully" violating antitrust laws, court documents show. The company is co-owned by six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan.
A contentious two-year negotiation period on new charter agreements led to the lawsuit. Charters are NASCAR's equivalent of a franchise model. Teams that have charters receive a minimum of 36 spots on every race weekend.
A 30-page lawsuit filed in the Western District of North Carolina argued that Jordan's entity, more specifically business manager Curtis Polk, circumvented antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in connection with the most recent charter agreements. Polk is listed as a defendant in the filing.
Front Row Motorsports also declined to sign the new agreements, which were presented to the teams last September shortly before the start of NASCAR's playoffs. Restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins owns Front Row Motorsports. In addition to Jordan, Polk and driver Denny Hamlin are co-owners of 23XI Racing.
The charters were fought for by the teams ahead of the 2016 season and have twice been extended. The latest extension is for seven years to match the current media rights deal. 23XI and Front Row refused to sign and sued, alleging that NASCAR and the France family, who own the stock car series, are a monopoly.
NASCAR was defeated in round one in court. The two teams have been recognized as chartered organizations for the 2025 season as the legal dispute winds through the courts. NASCAR has also appealed a decision to have the case dismissed.
"Today’s counterclaim by NASCAR is a meritless distraction and a desperate attempt to shift attention away from its own unlawful, monopolistic actions," attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who is representing 23XI and Front Row, said in a statement.
"NASCAR agreed to the joint negotiations that they now attack. When those joint negotiations failed, they used individual negotiations to impose their charter terms, which most of the teams decided they had no choice but to accept."
The counterclaim suggested that Polk was the ringleader in the fight against the current charter proposals. NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates told the Associated Press that Polk lacks a complete understanding of NASCAR's business model.
"Curtis Polk basically orchestrated and threatened a boycott of one of the qualifying races for a major event, and others did not go along with him," Yates said. "He got other teams to boycott a meeting that was required by the charter. When you have a threatened boycott of qualifying races that are covered by media, that’s not a good thing for other race teams, not a good thing when you are trying to collectively grow the sport."
The qualifying race in question was last year's pair of 150-mile duels that set the field for the Daytona 500.
"I don’t think Mr. Polk really understands the sport," Yates added. "I think he came into it, and his view is it should be much more like the NBA or other league sports. But it’s not. No motorsport is like that. He’s done a lot of things that might work in the NBA or might be OK in the NBA but just are not appropriate in NASCAR."
Meanwhile, Jordan has previously stated that he is suing NASCAR on behalf of all the teams so everyone can be on equal footing in terms of benefits as a participant in the top motorsports league in the U.S.
Just over three months after winning the franchise's first NWSL Championship, the Orlando Pride enters 2025 in the unfamiliar position of league favorite.
"It'll feel great because you worked your butt off to get back," Graham said about playing in the Super Bowl in the week prior. "I know the team worked their butt off to get here, and I want to be there for them."
Graham said before the season that this would be his final year, but has not publicly declared whether he will retire since the Super Bowl win.
Graham has played the most games of any player in Eagles history with 206, 13 more than Jason Kelce, who is second in franchise history with 193.
Graham was one of two position players, and four overall, left from the Eagles’ championship team in the 2017 season to play in their Super Bowl win against the Chiefs.
In the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, Graham strip-sacked Tom Brady with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter to seal the 41-33 win for the Eagles.
In their 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago, Graham played 18 snaps without a tackle or sack.
Graham had 3.5 sacks in 20 tackles in 11 regular-season games last season.
Manchester United took the lead through Joshua Zirkzee but were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday as Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 1-0 defeat at AZ Alkmaar.
