HAS THE WNBA CREATED A WAR BY ACCIDENT?

By Mark Halpern and Dan Ryans

War is a powerful word to describe what is happening in the
WNBA. Before the season began the league’s audience had already
increased 27% because of draftees Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. These
two new basketball phenoms are tearing it up on the court, which comes
with problems that have been spilling outside of games. This is very
unfortunate as it shows a light on the game that nobody expected. Caitlin
Clark, the No. 1 draft pick of the Indiana Fever, set a record by
out-selling jerseys of certain male athletes. The WNBA unanimously
designated Clark as the face of the league because of what she did in
college on and off the court. It’s an honor that few professional athletes
ever get the chance of being.
On the other side, we have Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, who
is breaking records on the court. Just the other day, Reese recorded her
10th straight double-double setting the bar high for it to be broken. Off
the court, she reminds me of a child begging for more like Oliver Twist.
I truly believe Reese is Jealous of Clark because we see Angel give
Caitlin the business on the court. The verbal abuse towards Clark is
because the WNBA chose a Caucasian and not Reese who is African
American. Resse has a big mouth and acts immaturely during press
conferences about her and Clark.
Throughout this season, we have seen Clark get hammered
violently, not only by Reese, but also other players on teams who support Reese. These WNBA players have beaten down Clark badly
thinking they can get away with it. The big factor is the way Clark is
handling it, which hasn’t been easy. Caitlin knows what it takes to be in
the league. She has taken the licks and keeps on playing. The last time
we saw a race war in basketball was in 1979 when Earvin “Magic”
Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA. It was the same thing, but on a
more violent scale with multiple brawls between the Celtics, Lakers, and
other teams because of Magic and Bird.

I do not believe in any way that the WNBA created this problem
on purpose. No professional league is going to cause an intentional rift,
but it’s out of its hands. We see how Reese talks about Clark and that
shows her weakness and insecurities. Her “I guess some people get a
special whistle” comment, about the referees changing a common foul
call to a Flagrant 1, took it to another level. Reese clearly shows a
southern bravado. No offense, it’s tough to grow up in the South as an
African American and she proved that with determination, hard work,
and a dream. Caitlin Clark is from Des Moines Iowa, much further north
than Louisiana. We have seen the hard work she put in to accomplish her
dreams as well. The League decided on Clark because she is
sophisticated and very well-spoken. The WNBA has had its share of stars. This league has been going strong for 28 years now and made the dreams of thousands of young
girls come true, Reese and Clark included. Women were given the
chance to play the sport they love at the highest level and on the national
stage. Angel and Caitlin have taken this opportunity to the mountain top.
I can’t believe that we are seeing the backlash from Resse and others
who attack Clark physically and verbally. When do we say enough and
start levying fines? You hit them where it hurts, taking the paycheck and
playing time.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have a chance to help pull the
WNBA from bankruptcy. If this behavior continues and clear intentions
are made, it will filter into the audience & advertisers. The WNBA
already is losing money $50 million this year alone. Big sponsors don’t
want to be involved in anything that has to do with this mess. The
League has to get together and talk it out. This issue needs to be
squashed sooner than later.

Nate’s Notes Thoughts: 2024 NHL Free Agency Edition

BY Nate Moser

With the 2024 NHL free agency window officially opened, there has been a lot of activity between most of the clubs in the league. Through everything that happened through the draft weekend up until as I am currently writing this, here are some thoughts I have on teams heading into the 2024-25 NHL season.

  1. The Nashville Predators Look Amazing on Paper

Yes, the key word in all of this is on paper. There are plenty of times, either in the NHL or another sports league, where it appears a super team is about to take power and there is not as much domination to match the hype. One example of this in hockey was when the Toronto Maple Leafs brought former New York Islanders captain John Tavares home. Between him, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander; they had so much offensive firepower that on paper, they looked to be unstoppable. Then, the Leafs stepped on the ice. Since that group was formed together, the Leafs have won only one playoff series. Management over the years have done their best to try and build around these four, but it has not resulted in a significant postseason run. There are even Leafs fans who believe one of the top players in Marner needs to be moved.

Tying it back to the Nashville Predators, general manager Barry Trotz went to work in free agency and brought in quite the haul of free agents. First, he signed superstar and former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos to a four-year contract worth $32 million. Then, Trotz inked a former Bolts teammate of Stamkos’ in winger Jonathan Marchessault, who won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP as well. He was locked up with a five-year deal worth $27.5 million. Being able to land one of Stamkos or Marchessault is an accomplishment considering how sought after each one was, but being able to get BOTH guys is huge for the Predators and their fans. That is a huge endorsement to what Trotz and David Poile before him built for the franchise. Stamkos and Marchessault join a forward lineup that already included Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist, and Colton Sissons.

On the backend, Trotz also added defenseman Brady Skjei, who spent parts of the last five seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Nashville signed him to a seven-year contract worth $49 million. Skjei during the 2023-24 season produced 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 points in 80 games. Skjei joins a Nashville blue line that also includes captain Roman Josi, Luke Schenn, Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, and Jeremy Lauzon.

Lastly, the Predators locked up their number one goalie Juuse Saros to an eight-year deal worth $61.92 million. Saros has been incredible for the Predators since becoming the man between the pipes after Pekka Rinne called it a career. Looking at the Predators roster altogether, they look like they are one of the most complete teams in the Western Conference, if not the whole NHL. It will be interesting to see how much success they are able to achieve on ice, but on paper, they look like they should be dominant for a lot of the next season.

  1. Guentzel-Point-Kucherov Should Dominate for Tampa

Losing Stamkos hurts significantly, and he will always be one of the best talents ever in the history of the franchise. Putting Stamkos aside, the Lightning won a player sweepstakes of their own by trading for the rights and eventually locking up winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year deal worth $63 million. The hockey world is already predicting that Guentzel will be put on a line with forwards Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. That trio has the potential to be the catalyst for a dangerous offense. The league knows how lethal all three forwards are in their own right, but there is a curiosity there to see how many more points Guentzel may be able to tally with Kucherov and Point. In Guentzel’s career in the league so far, he has posted the following numbers:

  • 2016-17 (Pittsburgh Penguins): 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 40 games
  • 2017-18 (Penguins): 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points in 82 games
  • 2018-19 (Penguins): 40 goals and 36 assists for 76 points in 82 games
  • 2019-20 (Penguins): 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points in 39 games
  • 2020-21 (Penguins): 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points in 56 games
  • 2021-22 (Penguins): 40 goals and 44 assists for 84 points in 76 games
  • 2022-23 (Penguins): 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 points in 78 games
  • 2023-24 (Penguins): 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 50 games
  • 2023-24 (Carolina Hurricanes): eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 17 games

If Guentzel is able to notch this many points without playing with Kucherov and Point, he should be able to hit 100 points with them. I think that happens either in 2024-25 or the following season. Guentzel will hit 100 points in a season as a member of the Lightning. That line will be a terror to handle throughout the league, but only time will tell if this group will make it to the Stanley Cup Final and win another championship like they did in the Stamkos Era.

  1. The Sabres Still Need Top-Six Forward Help

The Buffalo Sabres entered the 2024 offseason having missed the NHL playoffs 13 seasons in a row. They barely missed out at the end of the 2022-23 season but did not capitalize in the 2023 offseason by making more roster moves. Now, after taking a step backward following the 2023-24 campaign, the Sabres are in need to make moves that will put them on the right path to ending their postseason drought. So far, general manager Kevyn Adams and his staff have been added to Buffalo’s forward group by trading for Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals; as well as signing Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. He also added depth on defense by signing Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert to a one-year contract, and also provided depth to the goalie position by inking veteran netminder James Reimer to a one-year deal.

While Adams did a good job in certain areas, Sabres fans are not happy because they still feel that there is a significant hole missing in their top-six forward group. It certainly did not help to buy out the remaining few seasons of winger Jeff Skinner’s contract. Skinner during his time as a Sabre posted the following numbers:

  • 2018-19: 40 goals and 23 assists for 63 points in 82 games
  • 2019-20: 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points in 59 games
  • 2020-21: seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 53 games
  • 2021-22: 33 goals and 30 assists for 63 points in 80 games
  • 2022-23: 35 goals and 47 assists for 82 points in 79 games
  • 2023-24: 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 74 games

Skinner, since being bought out by the Sabres, signed a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers to play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.If Adams does not get someone either in free agency like Vladimir Tarasenko or through trade, fans may fully turn on him and they may want someone else making the calls as Sabres GM. Losing the talent of Skinner takes Buffalo another step back when, if anything, they need to add more skill to the offense. There is still plenty of time between now and when the regular season begins in October, but if Adams does not get another top-six forward to go along with players like Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, things could get uglier for the Sabres and their fanbase.

CLARK AND REESE NOT IN OLYMPICS

BY MARK HALPERN W/ CONTRIBUTION FROM MIKE RIFKIN

         The Olympics are right around the corner and the Woman’s USA Olympic team is set but, not with Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese. Both players are fantastic and have probably the biggest following in the WNBA right now. It will be Clark or Reese who will win Rookie of the Year. The team that is assembled has a dream team so to speak with stars like Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and Chelsea Gray. Truly I would think it would have been advantageous to put one if not both for the reason of their play, not their stature. I asked Mike Rifkin who is the lead writer for the network and he gave a great answer “If you want to win you need your best players. Both bring youth and energy to any team. Both provide different skills that it takes to win.” I think Mike said it very eloquently and hit the nail on the head.

     If you want to look at an example of this let’s step back in time to 1992 the “Dream Team” era of the Olympics. Stars such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Karl Malone are just a few names but before the team was finalized there was one spot that wasn’t filled and speculation was either Alonzo Mourning or Christian “The Shot” Laettner. The Honor was given to Laettner because of the magic shot and it put some youth on the team. I understood why they put Laettner on but, there were other deserving players.

    Nothing against any of the players that are on the current team as they all represent the greatest country in the world but, when you have these two youths who would put the ratings through the roof and force them to PLAY TOGETHER (sounds like a Disney Movie) maybe things might just get better from there.

JAMARCUS RUSSELL OYE!

BY MARK HALPERN

     The Las Vegas Raiders over the past few years have been in the news for some infamous things. Well, even more news from an alumnus who was drafted #1 overall in 2007 and that was Jamarcus Russell. Russell who never really panned out went to coaching football after his short time in the NFL. He had been working with his alma mater in Mobile Alabama as a special assistant. He went to local businesses asking for donations for the team. One business owner made a deal with Russler for $74,000.00 to be used in weight room necessities. The owner handed the check over to Russell who then deposited it into a credit union and immediately withdrew $55,000.00.

     Once he was caught, he was fired from his position and was banned from coming to games or being around any players. Russell earned close to $37 million during his time and why he needed the $74k will learn as it comes out.

RIFKIN’S FAVORITE/LEAST FAVORITE FREE AGENCY SIGNINGS

BY Mike Rifkin

July First, better known as the beginning of NHL Free Agency. Teams and fans gets very optimistic based on moves to improve their rosters. Below will be a list with some moves I liked and others I don’t.

FAVORITE: 

Nashville Predators – Ok this might be cheating but nobody had a better day than Barry Trotz’s team. Bringing in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei on the first day of free agency is quite the haul. All three have a ton of playoff experience, but the cherry on top is the announcement of the Predators extending goalie Juuse Saros. As the great Uncle Ben says “With great power comes great responsibility.” Well this season the Predators are going to have to be responsible with the pressure that’s coming. 

Elias Lindholm/Nikita Zadorov – Boston Bruins : Let me start with saying people might not like the term of either deal, but that’s a problem for the future. The Boston Bruins believe they’re in win now mode and both of these players will help them with that. Lindholm will helps fill out the center position and Zadorov gives them a big physical presence on the backend. 

Tyler Bertuzzi – Chicago Blackhawks – I really liked what the Blackhawks did as a whole on the first day of free agency. Tyler Bertuzzi adds a bit of everything to this lineup. Bertuzzi had 43 points in 80 games last season, and isn’t afraid to get into a skirmish in front of the net. (Also adding Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez solid adds for the Hawks)

Anthony Duclair – New York Islanders – The Islanders needed a guy who can skate who has the ability to put the puck in the net. Anthony Duclair has the ability to be a big time player for them. Duclair played for Isles coach in junior hockey, so he’s already familiar with the system. Duclair is still 28 years old and put up 42 points in 73 games last season. 

Chandler Stephenson/Brandon Montour : Seattle Kraken – The Seattle Kraken needed to add offense and they did that and they also added two guys who know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Montour is a year removed from having 16 goals and 73 points in 80 games and is a fantastic skating defenseman. Stephenson is a top three center on a team. He had 16 goals and 51 points in 75 games last season. Stephenson can also help the Kraken’s special teams. 

Least Favorite : 

Sean Monahan – Columbus Blue Jackets – Monahan had a nice year split between Montreal and Winnipeg, but now he is going to be given a different task and that is re-establishing Johnny Gaudreau as a premier offensive player. But with his injury history I don’t know how you justify five years here.

Tyler Toffoli – San Jose Sharks – Toffoli signed a four year deal worth 24 million dollars with the Sharks. Toffoli has won a Stanley Cup, but the Sharks are in the beginning stages of a rebuild, although they might be ahead of schedule by having Macklin Celebrini. But they’re not close so who knows if Toffoli finishes the deal there, but I don’t love the decision, a contender could’ve used his goal scoring ability. 

Cam Talbot/Jack Campbell – Detroit Red Wings –  Alex Lyon, Ville Husso and James Reimer manned the net for the Wings last year, and it was interesting to say the least. Talbot had a solid year for the LA Kings and Campbell has struggled mightily in Edmonton that they bought him out. But maybe this works for the Wings and yes these are short term deals, but based on some goalie trades maybe the Wings were better off pulling that off instead because these guys don’t move the needle for me. 

Jake DeBrusk – Vancouver Canucks – Yeah this one is all about the term. Seven years for DeBrusk is a lot. He is 27 years old and is coming off 40 points in 80 games this season. He has scored 25 + goals three times in his career, the Canucks are going to need him to produce, otherwise we might be looking at another Loui Eriksson situation.

Can’t Get Out Of Their Own Way

By: Mike Rifkin

July first is the opening of free agency across the NHL, and it gets hockey fans excited for what the next season will show. We saw a ton of movement (more on that in a different article) of really good players, and it made for interesting social media interactions. But then because of who runs the NHL they made a foolish mistake. 

Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that former Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman, Joel Queeneville, and Al MacIsaac are eligible for reinstatement and can be hired by a franchise starting July 10th. All three were suspended by the league because of their lack of response in the Kyle Beach sexual abuse case. I have a few problems when it comes to this situation. The first is that these guys don’t deserve a second chance. The league had an opportunity to make a statement and showed it stood with survivors of sexual abuse, instead they folded and we really shouldn’t be surprised, just look at what happened when it came to Pride nights across the league this season. The other major problem I have with this is that the league tried to bury this during free agency. They didn’t want anyone to realize what they were doing, while they knew exactly what they were doing. Gary Bettman continually gets in the way of the league, but here’s the thing is Gary Bettman going to sit at a podium answering questions based on this decisions, if these guys are hired are they going to answer questions about the situation that took place in Chicago and what they learned from it? The NHL is coming off a fantastic Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final, and had a flurry of moves on the first day of free agency, but we’re here talking about something that the league should have taken care of and that is the fact that none of the three gentlemen should have jobs in the league, but once again Gary Bettman gets in the way of his league. 

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling 6/29/2024

BY JEFF KNAPP

First and foremost, I’d like to take this moment to send my condolences to the entire family of Polaivao Leati Sika Anoa’i. Brother of Afa, and ½ of The Wild Samoans, one of the greatest tag teams in all of pro wrestling. He is also the father of Roman Reigns and Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i. He and his brother wrestled and won tag gold in every promotion they competed in, from Big Time Wrestling (The original Sheik’s promotion) WWF, AWA, NWA, Georgia, Continental, Mid-South and Stampede.

In much brighter news, Rhea Ripley and Buddy Matthews got married this past Sunday (23rd). I wish them a long and happy marriage. 

Also, over the weekend, former WWE and TNA wrestler, Cassie Lee announced the birth of her 2nd child. Congratulations!!

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “HHH” Levesque appeared on the Pat McAfee show to promote the agreement between the WWE and the state of Indiana which will bring 3 major events to the city of Indianapolis. He also discussed the WWE Raw’s move from the USA Network to Netflix in 2025, and specifically how the company will not face much of the censorship issues that they currently need to deal with while on TV. 

“Netflix is a completely different animal. It’s a streaming service, how are commercials going to work? How are breaks going to work? What’s the length of time? What are the restrictions? What are not restrictions? Just as an example, us being on FOX, if the crowd chants ‘holy shit’ or something much worse, they just take the audio (out). Sometimes they take the picture and the audio off and it’s just a black screen.”

“The Rock comes in, and you sorta kinda can’t tell The Rock what to do, right. What are we gonna tell him? So he does what he does. But we won’t have those issues with Netflix. The ability to be live globally, the ability to have everything seen all at once everywhere, it’s a game-changing moment. I think in many ways, not to disparage other partners because we want to be everywhere, but that’s sort of where the world is heading is streaming services.”

Saturday July 6th is the WWE’s Money in the Bank PLE and below is the updated card for the show:

    World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins

    If Priest retains, Rollins can’t challenge for the title ever again as long as Priest is champion. If Rollins wins, Priest exits The Judgment Day

    Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker

    Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline

    Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. TBD

    Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: IYO SKY vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. TBD

After NXT we found out that Chase U will face Axiom and Nathan Frazer for their NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT Heatwave when they competed in a tag team turmoil match against Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Malik Blade & Edris Enofe, Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne and Angel & Berto

After Shawn Spears defeated NXT Champion Trick Williams in a non title matchup, GM Ava made Trick’s Heat Wave Championship match a fatal 4-way, with Trick Williams, Shawn Spears, Ethan Page and Je’von Evans.

On Wednesday, TNA announced the signing of a new tag team out of British Columbia, Canada, Judas Icarus and Travis Williams AKA Sinner and Saint. 

Donovan Dijak has announced that the WWE will not be resigning him when his contract expires on 6/28 and will be a free agent. He is a great wrestler, and he will be on TV sooner than later. (I’m talking to you TNA).

On Friday at the CMLL Viernes Espectacular event at Arena Mexico Atlantis Jr. Defeated Kyle Fletcher to become the new ROH World Television Champion.

Speaking of the CMLL Super Viernes show, the rest of the results are as follows:

Micro Sagrado, Chamuel & KeMalito def. Tengu, Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II.

2/3 Falls Match: Raider & Vegas def. Los Viajeros del eSPACIO (Futuro & Max Star) (2-1).

2/3 Falls Match: Zeuxis, Persephone & Stephanie Vaquer def. Skadi, Lluvia & Tessa Blanchard (2-1).

2/3 Falls Match: Star Jr & Ultimo Guerrero (w/ Perico Zacarías) def. Titan & Templario (2-0).

2/3 Falls Match: Mistico, Volador Jr & Esfinge def. Ángel de Oro & Los Infernales (Averno & Euforia) (2-1).

ROH World Television Championship Match: Atlantis Jr (w/ Atlantis) def. Kyle Fletcher (c) to win the title.

In a shocking display of violence, Solo Sikoa and the rest of the current Bloodline viciously attacked “The Wiseman” Paul Heymen for not acknowledging Solo as the Tribal Chief. 

This coming Sunday is AEW’s Forbidden Door PPV and the updated card goes as follows:

Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Will Ospreay (AEW World Title)

Jon Moxley (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (IWGP World Title)

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush vs. Dante Martin vs. El Phantasmo (TNT Title Ladder Match)

Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer (c) (TBS & NJPW STRONG Women’s Titles)

“Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa (AEW Women’s Title)

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Orange Cassidy

MJF vs. Hechicero

Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi (Owen Hart Cup)

Kris Statlander & Momo Watanbe vs. Willow Nightingale & Tam Nakano

Minoru Suzuki vs. Chris Jericho for the FTW Championship

Hiroshi Tanahashi & The Acclaimed vs. The Elite (Kazuchika Okada and The Young Bucks)

Rollcall of Current Champions from Around The Wrestling World

WWE

Undisputed WWE Champion – Cody Rhodes

World Heavyweight Champion – Damian Priest

World Tag Team Champions – The Judgement Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)

WWE Tag Team Champions – Grayson Waller & Austin Theory

WWE Women’s Champion – Bayley

Women’s World Champion – Liv Morgan

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Isla Dawn & Alba Fire

WWE US Champion – Logan Paul

WWE Intercontinental Champion – Sami Zayn

NXT

NXT Championship- Trick Williams

NXT Women’s Champion – Roxanne Perez

NXT North American Champion – Oba Femi

NXT Women’s North American Champion – Kelani Jordan

NXT Tag Team Champions – Nathan Frazer & Axiom

NXT Heritage Cup – “The Don of NXT” Tony D’Angelo

AEW

AEW World Champion – Swerve Strickland

AEW TNT Champion – VACANT

AEW Women’s Champion – Toni Storm

AEW TBS Champion – Mercedes Mone

AEW World Tag Team Champions – Young Bucks

AEW & ROH Unified Trios Champions – Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Austin & Colton Gunn)

AEW International Champion – Will Osprey

AEW Continental Champion – Kazuchika Okada

TNA 

TNA World Champion – Moose

TNA X Division – Mustafa Ali

TNA Tag Team Champions – The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers)

TNA Digital Media Champion – AJ Francis

TNA Knockouts Champion – Jordynne Grace

TNA Knockouts Tag Champions – The System (Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich)

ROH

ROH World Champion – Mark Briscoe

ROH TV Champion – Atlantis Jr.

ROH Pure Champion – Wheeler Yuta

ROH Tag Champions – The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

ROH Women’s Champion – Athena

ROH Women’s TV Champion – Billie Starkz

NWA

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion – EC3

NWA World TV Champion – Max The Impaler (unified men’s and women’s)

NWA World Jr Heavyweight Champion – Joe Alonzo

NWA National Champion – Thom Latimer

NWA Mid America Heavyweight Champion – Jeremiah Plunkett

NWA World Tag Team Champions – Blunt Force Trauma – (Carnage & Damage)

NWA US Tag Team Champions – VACANT

NWA World Women’s Champion – Kenzie Paige

NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions – The King Bees (Charity King & Danni Bee)

NJPW

IWGP World Champion – Jon Moxley

IWGP Global Heavyweight – David Finley

IWGP Junior Heavyweight – Sho

Strong Openweight Champion – Gabe Kidd

IWGP Television Champion – Jeff Cobb

IWGP Tag Team Champions – TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions – Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors)

Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions – TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls)

NEVER Openweight Champion – Shingo Takagi

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Champions – Los Ingobernables de Japón  (Yota Tsuji, Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi)

KOPW 2023 – Great O Khan

IWGP Women’s Champion – Maya Iwatani (Shared with Stardom)

Strong Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer (Shared with Stardom)

AAA – Triple A Worldwide

AAA Mega Champion – Nic Nemeth

AAA Latin American Champion – Octagon Jr

AAA World Cruiserweight Champion – Komander

AAA World Tag Team Champions – Nueva Generacion Dinamita (Sanson & Forastero)

AAA World Trios Champions – Los Vipers (Abismo Negro Jr, Psicosis & Toxin)

AAA Reina de Reinas Champion – Flammer

CMLL – Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

CMLL World Heavyweight Champion – Gran Guerrero

CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion – Averno

CMLL World Middleweight Champion – Templario

CMLL World Welterweight Champion – Titan

CMLL World Lightweight Champion – Stigma

CMLL World Tag Team Champions – Los Nuevos Ingobernables (Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja)

CMLL World Trios Champions – Los Bárbaros (Dragon Rojo Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario & El Terrible)

CMLL World Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer

CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Champions – Stephanie Vaquer and Zeuxis

Stardom

World of Stardom Champion (main title) – Maika

Wonder of Stardom Champion (secondary title ie IC tite) – Saori Anou

Goddess of Stardom Champions (tag) – Fukuoka Double Crazy (Hazuki and Koguma)

Artist of Stardom Champions (trios) – Empress Nexus Venus (Maika, Mina Shirakawa & Xena)

High Speed Champion (lightweight or x type of title) Saya Kamitani

Nate’s Notes News: Hockey Hall of Fame, Ryan Suter, Claude Julien, & Ken Holland

By Nathan Moser

The Hockey Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday who is part of their Class of 2024. There are a total of seven members who will be inducted: Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Shea Weber, Krissy Wendell-Pohl, Natalie Darwitz, David Poile, and Colin Campbell. Datsyuk spent his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a part of two Stanley Cup championships (2002, 2008), and is one of the best to ever don the Red Wing sweater. He finished his time in the league having played in 953 games and accruing 918 points in that span (314 goals and 604 assists). His two best statistical seasons for Detroit happened in 2007-08 and 2008-09 (97 points each), both seasons where the team went to the Stanley Cup Final and played against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those two statistical seasons are broken down below:

  • 2007-08: 31 goals and 66 assists for 97 points in 82 games
  • 2008-09: 32 goals and 65 assists for 97 points in 81 games

Additionally, Datsyuk suited up for 157 postseason games. He scored 42 goals and 71 assists for 113 points in 157 games. He played with some legendary teammates like Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Dominik Hasek, and Chris Chelios among others, but he earned becoming a legend in his own right. He brought so much skill every night to the rink and some of his goals are absolute highlight reel material. He won the Selke Trophy three times, the Lady Byng four times, and played in three NHL All-Star Games.

Roenick joins Datsyuk into the Hall of Fame having played in 1,363 games. In that time, he accumulated 513 goals and 703 assists for 1,216 points. He played for several organizations throughout his time in the NHL. He started off with the Chicago Blackhawks before also suiting up for the Phoenix Coyotes (two stints), Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. He was a part of 17 postseason runs. During that time, he tallied 53 goals and 69 assists for 122 points in 154 games. He never won the Stanley Cup, but he was a nine-time NHL All-Star.

Weber played most of his career with the Nashville Predators. He was drafted by them in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, known as one of the deepest classes in the history of the sport. He spent parts of 11 campaigns in Nashville. His stats during his time there are below:

  • 2005-06: two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 28 games
  • 2006-07: 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 79 games
  • 2007-08: six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 54 games
  • 2008-09: 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points in 81 games
  • 2009-10: 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points in 78 games
  • 2010-11: 16 goals and 32 assists for 48 points in 82 games
  • 2011-12: 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 78 games
  • 2012-13: nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points in 48 games
  • 2013-14: 23 goals and 33 assists for 56 points in 79 games
  • 2014-15: 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points in 78 games
  • 2015-16: 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points in 78 games

Weber was dealt during the 2016 offseason to Montreal for PK Subban. He was with the Canadiens for parts of five seasons before officially being done playing after the 2020-21 campaign. He finished his career playing in 1,038 games. During that span, he produced 224 goals and 365 assists for 589 points. He played in seven NHL All-Star Games.

Krissy Wendell-Pohl, who is currently a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was inducted to the Hall. She played in 147 games for the U.S. National Team between 1997 and 2007. She helped the USA capture the silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, while also helping the team capture the bronze medal in the 2006 Olympics. She also is remembered for her performance, specifically in the 2005 IIHF World Championship when she was named MVP of the tournament and USA won their first gold medal in the tournament. Wendell-Pohl finished her international career with 106 goals and 141 assists for 247 points.

Natalie Darwitz, like Wendell-Pohl, also played for the U.S. National Team. She even was a captain for the USA. She won two silver medals in the Winter Olympics (2002 and 2010) as well as a bronze medal (2006). She also won three gold medals in World Championships for the USA, as well as two gold medals in Four Nations Cup tournaments. She posted 39 goals and 33 assists for 72 points in 50 international games. Since her time playing, Darwitz has also gotten into coaching, including spending time with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

David Poile is one of two builders being inducted in the 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame class. He first was the general manager of the Washington Capitals for 15 seasons before becoming the first GM in the history of the Predators. With the Capitals, he helped bring in some of their best players in franchise history like Rod Langway, Peter Bondra, and Sergei Gonchar. In Nashville, he was responsible for bringing in most of the best talent ever in Predators history. He was responsible for players like David Legwand, Jordin Tootoo, Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Mike Fisher, Weber, Ryan Ellis, Patric Hornqvist, and Pekka Rinne among others. He became the winningest GM in NHL history. Poile recently retired from the Predators GM job, and he was replaced by his former head coach Barry Trotz.

Colin Campbell was also inducted in the builder category. He has been the NHL’s senior executive vice president of hockey operations since 1998. He was a player and coach before that and has made an impact in the sport for many decades now. His time working for the NHL helped with scouting, officiating, and overall hockey operations.

Stars Buyout Ryan Suter

Buyouts in the NHL are underway, and the Dallas Stars took advantage of that with longtime defender Ryan Suter. The 39-year-old blueliner will become an unrestricted free agent after being with Dallas for three seasons. He accrued 17 points in 82 games (two goals and 15 assists) in 2023-24. Suter has been in the NHL since being drafted by the Predators in the 2003 Draft. He played for Nashville for seven seasons before joining forward Zach Parise as members of the Minnesota Wild during the 2012 offseason. He was with the Wild for nine seasons before signing a contract with the Stars.

Blues Hire Claude Julien

The St. Louis Blues added to the coaching staff by hiring longtime bench boss Claude Julien. Julien is mainly remembered for his time as head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2007-08 until midway through 2016-17. He also coached for the Montreal Canadiens twice as well as the New Jersey Devils. His overall coaching record in the NHL is 667-455-10-152. This is a smart move by the Blues. Julien brings a lot of hockey knowledge to the staff and he has a 2011 Stanley Cup ring to prove it. He joins a St. Louis group led by head coach Drew Bannister. In addition to the Julien news, assistant coach Steve Ott has been promoted to associate coach. Time will tell how this coaching crew works out and how well the Blues play in 2024-25.

Ken Holland and Oilers Part Ways

Longtime NHL general manager Ken Holland will no longer work for the Edmonton Oilers. Both Holland and the organization have agreed to part ways, as his contract expires on July 1. This comes after the Oilers were eliminated by the Florida Panthers, who won their first Stanley Cup championship in organization history. It was the first time Edmonton made it to the Stanley Cup Final since they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games back in the 2006 playoffs. The last Cup they won was in 1990. Holland will be replaced on an interim basis by CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson, but he will be looking for GM replacements as he does not want to be permanent GM for the franchise.

ICED COLE

BY MARK HALPERN

    On Tuesday night 06/25/24, the New York Mets kicked off their subway series against the cross-town rival New York Yankees. Over the past 20 games, the Mets have been one of the hottest teams winning 15 of their last twenty, and have put themselves in a great position to be BUYERS come this trade deadline. This series is just about winning or losing, it’s bragging rights for a few days and in New York, a few days can feel like an eternity. In these games, the Yankees had some of the hottest hitters in baseball such as Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Volpe. They have been playing solid baseball. As for the Mets, it took a purple cartoon character named Grimace (McDonald’s mascot) and the Mets started changing the lineup it has worked and the pitching has been Steller.

       The first game on Tuesday featured Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (I think he needed more rehab time) and David Peterson the Met’s back-end starter. Gerrit Cole is the best pitcher in baseball and I am not throwing shots at anyone. When Cole is on and pinpoint his pitches and isn’t injured, he is a 20-game winner any year. However, that version of Cole hasn’t reemerged yet. Most of Cole’s pitches missed the point or were left flat over the plate. Cole was also on a pitch restriction as he is working his way back from injury. His final line against the Mets wasn’t pretty. Cole pitched 4innings giving up 7 hits and 6 earned runs to go along with 4 home runs and 4 walks (something Cole doesn’t do much). Getting destroyed doesn’t help build up his confidence. You could see his frustration after each pitch missed where he wanted to be and when you fall behind to a 3-0 count, those Met Hitters are going to capitalize and Nimmo, Bader, and Vientos (twice) found his weakness and exploited it.

      One thing I have always said is “Never count out the Yankees.” They have a great team and are in a rough patch right now. If I was a Yankee fan and I am glad I am not, yes it’s concerning about Cole but the rest of the team is playing and there is a reason you’re in first. As for the Mets, this was a statement saying we can beat the best, and now is the time for Stearns and Cohen to sit down and see what they can BUY to help make the push to try and catch the Phillies but, realistically one of the 3 wild card spots are now in reach.

Nate’s Notes News: Panthers Win Cup, Ullmark to Senators, and Meruelo Walks Away

By Nate Moser

In this edition of Nate’s Notes News, there are a few topics to discuss as the 2023-24 NHL season comes to an official close. First, congratulations to the Florida Panthers on winning their first Stanley Cup championship in their 30-year history. It was a well-fought series for both Florida and the Edmonton Oilers. Many people thought the Oilers were done for after Game 3, but they battled back and were one win away from claiming their first title since 1990 and Canada’s first one since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Panthers general manager Bill Zito will now have to try and re-sign some of their top contributors before they hit free agency in Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour among others.

Ullmark Traded to Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators addressed their starting goalie position through trade on Monday. The Linus Ullmark-Jeremy Swayman iconic hugs in Boston are done between the two, as Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for goalie Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first-round pick. In addition, the Senators will also retain 25% of Korpisalo’s salary. Ottawa moves on quickly from the Korpisalo experiment not even a calendar year after inking him to a five-year contract on July 1, 2023. The results were not good enough for the Senators and they are one of the organizations in the Eastern Conference who must make a push for the 2025 postseason. If they do not make it, there could be possible management replacements. Goaltending has been an issue for Ottawa in recent seasons. Since Craig Anderson left the team after the 2019-20 season; the Senators have had Matt Murray, Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Hogberg, Anton Forsberg, Joey Daccord, Mads Sogaard, Cam Talbot, Dylan Ferguson, Magnus Hellberg, Kevin Mandolese, Leevi Merilainen, and Korpisalo playing in net for them. Now, they turn to Ullmark in hopes that he will be the next star netminder for them. He first debuted in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and spent parts of six campaigns with them, before signing on with the Bruins during the 2021 offseason. His best season came in 2022-23 when he made the All-Star Game and won both the Vezina Trophy for best goalie and the William M. Jennings Trophy along with Swayman. The Senators and their fans hope that he can return to Vezina form when he suits up for Ottawa in 2024-25. After that, they will have to see if they can re-sign him if he plays well.

Meruelo Walks Away as Coyotes Owner

After the land auction for property in North Phoenix was cancelled that was originally planned for June 27, Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is giving up on reactivating the franchise, in a report from PHNX Sports. I do not think this means the Coyotes will not come back. The NHL must find the next owner or ownership group to bring back the franchise as an expansion team. The key to this is to try and find a spot in Phoenix. If you ask me, the Coyotes moving to Glendale is where things started to go south to an extent. Having the team in Phoenix will make a difference for filling the arena and getting support. I think Gary Bettman and the NHL management will figure out a way to get a team back there. Maybe it will be in the five-year window that the league gave Meruelo to reactivate them or maybe it will be longer. However, I believe that hockey belongs in Arizona and that there can be a great team there with substantial backing and support. The Vegas Golden Knights have already proven that hockey can work in the desert and that may be the same with the new Utah franchise as well. There is work to be done for all parties involved, but I do not think NHL hockey is done in Arizona. They will get their team back; it is just a matter of when.