Former F1 world champion’s gives a moving insight into dealing with his grief as a 15-year-old, and reflects on driving with Senna and against Schumacher
“It was awful and to this day I feel the tension that I experienced,” Damon Hill says of the moment he heard on television in November 1975 that his father, Graham, the two-time Formula One world champion, had died in a plane accident. Hill had to leave the living room to find his mother and tell her what had happened.
“It was like having a nuclear bomb and I dropped it on my mum. Of course it was accentuated by the fact I was 15, which is when you haven’t got the defences to deal with it.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins should look to improve their forward depth this off-season. When looking at their roster, it is fair to say that they could use a little bit of help in their bottom six.
Due to this, one player who the Penguins should consider pursuing this summer is Boston Bruins pending free agent Jakub Lauko.
The Boston Herald's Steve Conroy reported that Lauko's agent, JP Barry, confirmed to him that the Bruins won't be sending Lauko a qualifying offer and that he will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. With Lauko being a solid and young bottom-six winger, he could be a decent player for the Penguins to bring in for their fourth line or as an extra forward.
JP Barry, Jakub Lauko’s agent, tells me Lauko will be a UFA, Bruins apparently not tendering him a qualifying offer
In 56 games this season split between the Minnesota Wild and Bruins, Lauko recorded five goals, 11 points, and 119 hits. Furthermore, in 2023-24 with the Bruins, he had a career-high 176 hits. Thus, if the Penguins signed Lauko, he would undoubtedly give the Penguins much more grit in their bottom six. Furthermore, due to this speed and defensive play, Lauko would also be a potential option for the Penguins' penalty kill if signed.
Overall, with the Penguins needing more youth, bringing in a player like Lauko on a cheap one-year contract could be worthwhile. He is also still young enough where he could hit a higher level offensively, so he would have the potential be a nice pickup for a Penguins team in the middle of a retool.
Australian vice-captain Steve Smith has jumped to defence of Michael Di Venuto after the national batting coach copped criticism from former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy.
The Boston Bruins agreed to terms with left winger Morgan Geekie on a six-year contract extension, the team announced on Sunday.
Geekie, 26, is set to earn an average annual value of $5.5 million through the 2030-31 season. He was a pending RFA with arbitration rights, but the Bruins got their second-top scorer this past season under contract for the long term.
After finishing the regular season with a six-game goal streak and 11-game points streak, including a five-point night on April 5, Geekie had a career-high 33 goals and 57 points. Only frequent linemate David Pastrnak had more than him in both categories on the Bruins, with 43 goals and 106 points.
That said, Geekie's goal-scoring nearly doubled his previous career high of 17, set in 2023-24 in his first season with the Bruins. Before that, he played for the Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes.
His shooting percentage skyrocketed from 13.1 percent in 2023-24 to 22 percent this past season. That was the second-highest shooting percentage in the NHL among players who scored at least 30 goals, beating Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl (21.7 shooting percentage for 52 goals) but trailing Tampa Bay Lightning pivot Brayden Point (22.2 percent for 42 goals).
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Manitoban had one of the consistently harder shots in the league as well in 2024-25. His average shot speed of 63.34 miles per hour ranked in the 91st percentile, and he had 64 shots of at least 80 mph, including 10 of at least 90 mph, according to NHL Edge data. The season prior, only 35 of his shots were at least 80 mph.
Geekie played most of the season on a line with Pavel Zacha and Pastrnak, according to moneypuck.com. The season before, he didn't play nearly as much with those two, spending the most minutes with James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic while averaging 15:25 of ice time. This past campaign was a career-high 16:55 average.
Considering Pastrnak is also signed through 2030-31 and Zacha is signed for the next two seasons, the trio could potentially stay together for the long term if that's what new bench boss Marco Sturm and his coaching staff want. The line could help lead the squad offensively through a retooling phase after trading Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and more near the NHL trade deadline and falling to second-last place in the Eastern Conference.
The Bruins now have about $16.4 million in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia. Cole Koepke, Parker Wotherspoon and Henri Jokiharju becomes UFAs on July 1 if they don't re-sign by then, and John Beecher and Jakub Lauko were pending RFAs. That said, the Bruins are not expected to give Lauko a qualifying offer, which would make him a UFA, according to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald.
The Chicago Blackhawks and the rest of the National Hockey League have the 2025 draft behind them. Now, it's about taking the selected draft class and developing them to their full potential.
It all starts on Monday with Development Camp. For the third straight year, this will be an off-ice program. The Blackhawks released the roster for this year’s edition:
Forwards
Nathan Behm
Sacha Boisvert
Jiri Felcman
Anton Frondell
Parker Holmes
Nick Lardis
Martin Misiak
John Mustard
Vaclav Nestrasil
Jack Pridham
AJ Spellacy
Julius Sumpf
Joel Svensson
Riku Tohila
Marek Vanacker
Mason West
Defensemen
Ashton Cumby
Ty Henry
Ryan Mast
Janne Peltonen
Goaltenders
Adam Gajan
Seven of the eight selections made by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 NHL Draft are attending. That includes all three first-round picks.
From Monday to Thursday, the prospects will participate in off-ice workouts and meet with the Media.
Rockford IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale, Assistant General Manager of Player Development Mark Eaton, and GM Kyle Davidson will also speak throughout the week.
The Vegas Golden Knights’ 2025 Development Camp, will be in full swing from Monday, June 30, through Thursday, July 3. All on-ice sessions will take place at City National Arena on Rink A and are open to the public.
Development Camp presented by Martin-Harris Construction gets started tomorrow! Read below for our full schedule 👇https://t.co/6mx3gEIzB1
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 29, 2025
The Knights will feature 26 players taking the ice, including four of the most recent additions to the team from the 2025 NHL Draft: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Mateo Nobert, Alex Weiermair, and Gustav Sjoqvist.
One notable name appearing in the rink is forward Trevor Connelly, the Golden Knights’ most recent first-round draft pick (19th overall) from 2024. Since being drafted he played his 2024-25 season with AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Connelly appeared in six games, recording one goal and three assists.
This year’s camp structure is taking a more focused approach.
“A little more time with fewer people,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I think that would be the long and short of it. I think we're going to have everybody at the dev. camp that we want to see.”
The Development Camp schedule is as follows:
Monday, June 30
Practice, 1:15 p.m. PT
Tuesday, July 1
Practice, 10 a.m. PT
Wednesday, July 2
Practice, 3:15 p.m. PT
All Development Camp participants will once again team up with Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, introducing them to the Las Vegas community. They will prepare and serve meals for more than 600 men, women, and children in need throughout Southern Nevada. Note that Wednesday’s event is closed to fans.
PHOTO COURTESY: Star Building Systems / City National Arena.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Washington slugger James Wood became the first major leaguer since Barry Bonds to be intentionally walked four times in a game in the Nationals’ 7-4, 11-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Bonds was intentionally walked four times in four different games in 2004. The only other players since at least 1955 to be intentionally walked four times in a game are Wood, Roger Maris, Garry Templeton, Manny Ramirez and Andre Dawson — who drew five intentional passes for the Chicago Cubs against Cincinnati on May 22, 1990.
Wood’s intentional walks came with men on second and third in the fifth, a man on second in the seventh, a man on third in the ninth and a man on third in the 11th.
Australian admits he got a bit too close to teammate at Red Bull Ring
McLaren pair finish one-two as championship race tightens up
It was the moment the great McLaren battle could have all gone disastrously wrong. Oscar Piastri moved to pass McLaren teammate Lando Norris but locked his wheels and veered perilously close to his championship rival.
The Australian regained control to eventually finish immediately behind the British driver in an enthralling Austrian Grand Prix that tightened up the race to the world title.
The Florida Panthers have two big pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs), Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad, who can hit the market on July 1. However, they also have some other solid players who can become UFAs at the start of next month, including defenseman Nate Schmidt.
After being bought out by the Winnipeg Jets last off-season, Schmidt was very good for the Panthers this year, but especially during the playoffs. Because of this, he should be a popular target if he ends up testing the market this summer.
Due to this, let's look at three teams who could look to sign Schmidt if he becomes a free agent on July 1.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche could be on the hunt for more defensive depth this off-season. This is especially the case if they end up losing pending UFA defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Thus, they could be a team to keep an eye on when it comes to Schmidt.
When looking at the Avalanche's roster, Schmidt could be a great fit on their third pairing. Furthermore, with the Avalanche being contenders, they certainly could be interested in a defenseman with 99 career playoff games and a Stanley Cup on their resume, like Schmidt.
New York Rangers
The Rangers could be another team to watch when it comes to Schmidt. When looking at their defensive group, it is clear that they could use some help on their left side. Thus, it would make sense for them to pursue Schmidt if he hits the market.
If the Rangers signed Schmidt, he would give them another solid veteran on their blueline to help mentor their younger players. In addition, he would be a clear upgrade to their bottom pairing, which is a need for a Rangers club looking to have a bounce-back season in 2025-26.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes could also be a good landing spot for Schmidt. The Hurricanes have two notable pending UFA defensemen in Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov, so they could end up looking for new blueliners this off-season. On a short-term deal, Schmidt could make a lot of sense for them.
Schmidt would provide the Hurricanes with another proven defenseman if signed, which is never a bad thing for a team to have.
The Houston Rockets have been busy this offseason: • Trade for Kevin Durant • Re-sign Fred VanVleet • Extend Steven Adams • Work out deals to keep Jae'Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green
Now they have reached a contract extension with starting forward Jabari Smith Jr. for five years, $122 million ($24.4 million a year on average), reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. This is a straight five-year contract, with no player or team options. This new contract kicks in a year from now, Smith Jr. has one year remaining on his rookie deal at $12.4 million.
Jabari Smith Jr. as a Rocket:
— 13.0 PPG — 7.5 RPG — 1.7 3PG
Joins Luka and Lauri as the only players with those averages in their first three seasons. pic.twitter.com/DkZofq1gw0
Smith is part of the young Rockets' core that broke out and won 52 games this season, reaching the No. 2 seed in the West. In 57 games last season, Smith averaged 12.2 points and 7 rebounds a game, shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc.
Smith, the No. 3 pick in the 2022 class, becomes the first player to sign a contract extension from that group. Three players from that class — Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams — are expected to sign max (or near max) extensions. Other names to watch include the Kings' Keegan Murray, the Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin, the Pistons' Jaden Ivey, the Nuggets' Peyton Watson, the Hawks' Dyson Daniels, the Jazz's Walker Kessler, and the Rockets' Tari Eason.
Former NBA forward Bojan Bogdanović announced his retirement on Sunday.
The sharpshooter played professionally overseas in Europe early on in his career, before he broke into the NBA with the Nets during the 2014-15 campaigns.
He spent the first two years of his three-year pact in for Brooklyn, but with a visit to free agency looming they decided to ship him off to the Washington Wizards ahead of the 2017 trade deadline.
Bogdanović went on to spend time with Indiana, Utah, and Detroit before he landed back in the Big Apple ahead of the 2024 deadline -- this time landing with the Knicks.
He appeared in 29 regular season games for the Knicks, but was limited to just four during the postseason before he ended up being shutdown to undergo surgeries on his left foot and left wrist.
The 36-year-old was then sent back to Brooklyn as part of the Mikal Bridges trade, but he didn’t appear in a game due to the injuries -- which have now forced him to decide to hang up the sneakers.
“Sometimes in life, you don't choose the moment,” he wrote on social media. “The moment chooses you. After 14 months of battling a foot injury, two surgeries, and countless efforts to get back on the court, the time has come to close a chapter.”
Bogdanović averaged 15.6 points on 39.4 percent shooting from three in his NBA career.
James Harden had an All-NBA season for the Clippers, carrying their offense — with Paul George on the East Coast and Kawhi Leonard hurt the first part of the season — averaging 22.8 points and 8.7 asissts a game, leading the team to 50 wins and a tie for the 3/4/5 seeds in the West (the Clippers were the fifth seed based on tie breakers and lost in the first round to Denver).
Harden also had a $36.7 million player option for next season, but he is turning that down to sign a two-year, $81.5 million contract to remain with the Clippers, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and quickly confirmed by others. The second year of that contract is partially guaranteed and includes a mutual option, which means that if Harden exercises the option (which seems likely), the Clippers can waive him but incur a dead cap hit for the guaranteed portion.
This was expected. They needed each other and had nowhere else to turn. Harden was the heart of the Clippers' offense last season and they need him to play at that level again to be competitive next season. For Harden, there wasn't a free agent market for him (only Brooklyn would have the cap space to sign him near the price he is asking, and it is rebuilding, not looking for players who will be 36 by the start of next season).
The Clippers wanted him back, but on a short-term deal. Now, Harden and Kawhi Leonard each have two years left on their contracts, as does every other rotation player on the roster, outside of Ivica Zubac, who has three years remaining. The Clippers have set themselves up for a pivot in a couple of seasons (possibly one, as they could start trying to trade players with expiring deals next summer).
The Clippers have more business to do this summer: Nicolas Batum opted out of his $4.9 million player option for next season. The Clippers would like to and expect to re-sign him, but that will cost a little more than what he was going to make.
Veteran prop comes out of Maroons retirement for Game 3
Blues camp back Brian To’o to recover from injury to play in Sydney
Canberra veteran Josh Papalii has been ushered out of State of Origin retirement to give Queensland’s forward pack fire and brimstone in this year’s decider, while NSW coach Laurie Daley has named an unchanged 17.
Papalii called time on his Origin career ahead of the 2023 series but will be named at starting prop when Billy Slater unveils his 17 for Origin III on Monday. The 33-year-old prop has been instrumental in the first-placed Raiders’ charge up the ladder this year and will add extra vigour to Queensland’s pack come 9 July in Sydney.
Clippers guard James Harden is expected to sign a two-year, $81.5 million deal with the Clippers after declining his player option. (Brandon Dill / Associated Press)
Clippers executives were serious when they said they had not soured on James Harden's future with the franchise after an underwhelming postseason performance.
Harden declined his player option for $36 million with the Clippers on Sunday and intends to sign a two-year deal with the team for $81.5 million, league sources with knowledge of the deal not authorized to discuss it publicly said. The second year is a player option and is partially guaranteed.
The deal gave Harden a raise and the Clippers some salary flexibility going forward.
“He’s our No. 1 priority,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, told the media after the first round of the draft Wednesday night. “We’re super hopeful that James is here and he’s here for a long time. He has a player-option, so he can opt-in … or he can opt-out and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides. But James, as you guys know, was phenomenal and we hope to continue to see his play.”
Though the Clippers drafted a center in the first round with the 30th pick, getting Yanic Konan Niederhauser of Penn State, Frank said his team “probably will have at least three centers.”
The Clippers can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception that’s projected to be about $14.1 million on a player or two, and perhaps even find a center.
Harden played in 79 games this past season, played the fifth-most total minutes in the NBA (2,789), was fifth in the league in assists (8.7), averaged 22.8 points per game and was the only player with 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.
Harden, however, struggled during the postseason, averaging 18.7 points per game in the series the Clippers lost to the Nuggets. He scored just 33 points combined in Games 4, 5 and 7 losses, including seven points in Game 7.
Clippers guard James Harden looks to shoot during the team's win over San Antonio Spurs on April 8 at Intuit Dome. (Carrie Giordano / Associated Press)
Harden turns 36 in August and was not made available to speak with media during traditional exit interviews every team typically hosts to close out a season.
“When it was James this year with no Kawhi, with Norm [Powell] and [Ivica] Zubac and the rest of the group, we really asked James to do a lot,” Frank said shortly after the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs.
“And at his age to deliver what he did…[He played in] 79 games, and he does that time and time and time again. We have a deep appreciation for that sort of availability and to be able to deliver and do what he did…We have a great level of appreciation for what James did this year.”
