Australia captain to miss home white-ball series against India
Mitchell Starc retires from T20Is as squad named to tour New Zealand
Australia still expect Pat Cummins to be available for the first Ashes Test, even as the captain deals with stress in his back.
The star quick will miss the upcoming T20 tour of New Zealand and back-to-back home white-ball series against India due to lumbar bone stress.
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The St. Louis Blues had a successful 2024-25 season, as they got back into the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Dylan Holloway was a significant reason for the Blues' turnaround, as he broke out in a major way during his first season in St. Louis.
Holloway proved that he is capable of being an impactful top-six forward in the NHL, as he posted new career highs with 26 goals, 37 assists, 63 points, 165 hits, and a plus-21 rating in 77 games. This was after he recorded nine goals and 18 points in 89 games during his two NHL season with the Edmonton Oilers.
Clearly, the change of scenery benefited Holloway immensely. Yet, when noting that Holloway is still just 23 years old and only 166 games into his NHL career, he undoubtedly has the potential to continue to get better. In fact, with the way he scored this year, the possibility of him blossoming into a 40-goal scorer should not be ruled out. This will especially be the case if he gets the chance to play on a line with star playmaker Robert Thomas.
If Holloway can hit a new level with his goal scoring next season while continuing to make an impact with his physicality, it would only make the Blues an even more challenging team for opponents to face off against. It will be interesting to see what kind of year Holloway has, but he should only get better as he continues to gain more experience.
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Jannik Sinner claimed his quickest grand slam victory with a brutal destruction of Alexander Bublik in the fourth round of the US Open.
The world No 1 had looked a little vulnerable in the previous round, when he dropped his first set of the tournament to Denis Shapovalov, but he needed just an hour and 21 minutes to race to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win against Bublik.
Continue reading...We may never see another player quite like former Detroit Red Wings dynamic forward Pavel Datsyuk, a 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who also recently bid goodbye to competitive hockey by hosting the “The Magic Game” in his hometown of Yekaterinburg.
The name of the event was a clear nod to the nickname affectionately given to him by Red Wings fans, the “Magic Man,” and it featured numerous past and present Russian NHL players. It concluded with a special lap by Datsyuk around the ice, waving goodbye during a roaring ovation from the crowd in attendance at UMMC Arena
FAREWELL MAGIC MAN 🙌
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 30, 2025
A final lap for Pavel Datsyuk. #TheMagicGame#LGRWpic.twitter.com/TFMdN2TERz
Last month, the Red Wings announced that Hall of Famer and former teammate Sergei Fedorov will be honored with his iconic No. 91 jersey being raised to the rafters at Little Caesars Arena before a January game in the upcoming 2025–26 season.
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Datsyuk was asked whether he thought that his No. 13 he wore for his entire career in Detroit could be next on the list to be permanently retired, and in his typical fashion, he responded with humor.
"I think there aren’t many players in North America who want to take number 13 anyway," he said. "After all, they don’t even count the 13th floor in buildings there."
Datsyuk’s career was defined by his dazzling stickhandling, which often left opponents looking completely outmatched.
During his time with the Red Wings, he won the Stanley Cup twice and helped lead the team to within one game of a second consecutive championship in 2009.
He also captured the Selke Trophy multiple times as the NHL’s best defensive forward and was a Hart Trophy finalist as the league’s Most Valuable Player during the 2008–09 season.
Despite his long list of accomplishments, Datsyuk admitted shortly after the announcement of Fedorov’s impending jersey retirement that he didn't think much about his own potential jersey retirement, and that he wouldn’t be bothered if another player eventually wore No. 13 for the Red Wings.
“I’ve never really thought about it. Sometimes people ask me… Sometimes the thought crosses my mind, but nothing concrete," he said in early August. "If I went to every game and looked up at the rafters, that would be different. But what if someone takes number 13 now and plays really well? Then they’ll remember me even more often. So I’d be happy if someone played well wearing 13 in Detroit.”
It wouldn't be a surprise if Datsyuk makes an appearance at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 12 for Fedorov’s jersey retirement ceremony, which will likely feature several of his former teammates who now work within the organization, including Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper, and Kirk Maltby.
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Five years ago today, the Vancouver Canucks started goaltender Thatcher Demko in his first career playoff game — an elimination game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Demko came in for an injured Jacob Markström who had started every game in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs up until that point. By this point in time, Vancouver was down 3–1 in the series, with Demko’s playoff debut being a high-stakes elimination game. Reasonably so, many were apprehensive about starting Demko, a relatively new goalie, with the series on the line. Though, as fans soon learned, there was very little to worry about.
Before Markström’s injury, the Golden Knights had asserted their dominance over a Canucks team that hadn’t made the postseason since 2015. They kicked the series off with a commanding 5–0 win. While Vancouver took Game 2 in a solid 5–2 effort, Vegas quickly came away with the series lead by winning 3–0 in Game 3, and 5–3 in Game 4. Golden Knights goaltender at the time, Robin Lehner, showed his stuff by registering two shutouts in the first four games of the series. However, as great as Lehner was, part of this was also due to Vancouver’s lack of quality chances.
With their playoff hopes on the line, Vancouver’s roster shakeup in Game 5 came in the form of Demko’s start. Prior to this, Demko had only played in a total of 37 NHL games. During the 2019–20 season, he put up a 3.06 GAA and .905 SV%, as well as a record of 13–10–2 in 25 starts. In 2017–18, Demko played in five playoff games with the Utica Comets of the AHL, posting a 2.69 GAA and .972 SV%. Tension was high among the fanbase, as they weren’t exactly sure what to expect from the goaltender in his playoff debut.
Vegas was a high shot-volume team during the 2020 Playoffs — a trend they continued during Game 5 of the Pacific Division Finals — but that didn’t stop Demko from wowing fans across the entire league. The Golden Knights piled 10 shots on Demko in the first period, 18 in the second, and 15 in the third to finish the game with 43 shots on goal. Stunningly, Demko stopped all but one.
The lone goal to go past Demko was a wrist shot from Shea Theodore that gave Vegas a 1–0 lead with five minutes left in the second period. Though, not looking to waste such a stellar performance from Demko, the Canucks tied it up less than a minute later off a deflection from Brock Boeser. A tally from Elias Pettersson at the beginning of the third period gave Vancouver the 2–1 lead — one that would hold once the buzzer sounded at the end of the game.
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Four years after this performance, Demko was nominated for his first Vezina Trophy and finished in second place with a 2.45 GAA and .918 SV% in the 2023–24 season. While injuries have negatively impacted his playing time within the past year, Demko entered the 2025 off-season healthy, signing a three-year contract extension that will kick in after the 2025–26 season. With at least four more years of Demko as a member of the Canucks, time will tell whether Vancouver can make the postseason in a similar fashion to 2020 — this time with Demko as their starter.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
Barham sacked Lobos quarterback Jack Layne, making facemask-to-facemask contact in the third quarter of the Wolverines’ season-opening, 34-17 win on Saturday night.
If Bishop Montgomery were to cancel the remainder of its season, players on the team could seek hardship waivers to play elsewhere.
Despite the Mets winning on Monday in Detroit over the Tigers, starting pitcher Sean Manaea had another rough outing and continued to look like a completely different pitcher than he was in 2024.
Manaea gave up a home run on his first pitch of the game and went on to allow a total of five runs over 3.2 IP. It's his third straight game without making it through the fifth inning as he's gone 0-1 with a 6.89 ERA over his last seven starts.
With the Mets in a tight playoff race, the team can't afford any more bad outings by starting pitchers.
And it's not just Manaea who's been struggling, following Kodai Senga's disappointing outing on Sunday to the Miami Marlins,manager Carlos Mendoza hinted at a possible change in the rotation. When asked if he views Manaea's spot in the rotation similarly up for discussion as Senga's, Mendoza said both are still part of it.
"They're part of the rotation," Mendoza said. "Our job is to try and find a way to help them. And that's what we'll do and then we'll go from there."
Mendoza added that the Mets need to keep working on helping them return to form, while noting that Manaea's issues are related to him not getting the right amount of elevation his fastball.
"I think the discussion is, 'How are we going to help these guys?,' because they've been right there for us when we need them," Mendoza said. "Manaea was one of them. Senga was obviously down last year but at the beginning of the year. Our job is to continue to go back and look for ways to help these guys.
"Right now, the biggest thing for Sean is he's not elevating the fastball. He's getting hit with it. And obviously not able to use the changeup and sweeper the way he wants to, but it starts with him elevating that fastball -- what makes effective last year. And right now he's having a hard time doing that. Our job, either it's him, Senga, and all of those guys, is to continue to support him and try to find a way to help him. Obviously they're frustrated and they know they're better. It's our job to help them."
Manaea was asked about the problems getting his fastball up in the zone, but is still searching for the answers.
"I have no idea," Manaea said. "I don't know, I have no idea. I feel like I'm doing all the right things, but just not working out right now."
He added on the pitch's importance: "It's a big part of a my game, I get a lot of swing and miss up there. When it's a couple of inches below, it gets hit or it's not setting anything else up. So yeah it's pretty huge."
The left-hander has taken a step backwards this season after pitching like an ace down the stretch in 2024. After missing the beginning of the 2025 season due to injury, Manaea returned on July 13 and has gone 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA and 59 strikeouts over nine starts (10 games) and 45.0 IP. Last year, he pitched to a 3.47 ERA and 12-6 record over 32 starts, recording 184 strikeouts over 181.2 IP.
He acknowledged that it's been a disappointing season for him, unable to take his game to the next level, but will continue to work on finding a way to fix it.
"Very, I have high expectations of myself, I know this organization does," Manaea said. "Everyone's pulling their weight, everyone's doing their thing, and then I'm just not. It's very, very frustrating. Wish I had an answer for it, but I don't. I'll figure it out, just don't know when."
He added: "Just stay the course, feel like I have the right routines going. Just trying to control the things that I can control. At the end of the day I just got to execute, just be better."
Mendoza briefly discussed the team's plan for a six-man rotation moving forward earlier Monday, saying David Peterson will start on Friday against the Reds after the team's off day. He did not add any more specifics, but said they could get "creative."
Whether that means something different for Manaea or Senga remains up in the air.
Ryan Helsley had another up-and-down outing on Monday as he works to fix his pitch tipping.
The Mets' hard-throwing right-hander entered trying to protect four run lead in the bottom of the seventh.
He was immediately thrown into danger, though, as Tigers All-Star outfielder Riley Greene led off the inning with a double off the right field fence.
Helsley was able to retire the next two batters easily, but he allowed Detroit to creep closer as Zach McKinstry lifted an RBI single to right.
Carlos Mendoza then pulled him for Brooks Raley, who ended the frame.
Helsley’s ERA is now up to an ugly 9.31 mark in 13 outings since being acquired from the Cardinals.
He’s allowed a baserunner in 11 of those appearances, and he's given up at least one run in six of them.
Despite another shaky showing, Mendoza actually liked what he saw from Helsley on Monday.
“I honestly thought he was better,” the skipper said. “They came out aggressive, a lot of first-pitch swinging. The groundball gets through and then the soft line drive, but he attacked and threw strikes, they just came out swinging and got him for a run.
“The fact that he threw strikes and was attacking hitters is a positive.”
For the Mets to make some noise down the stretch, they’ll need Helsley to get back to being the dominant late-inning arm he was for St. Louis.
While the 2024-25 season was a tough year for the New York Rangers, Brett Berard was a nice bright spot from it. The 22-year-old forward played in his first 35 NHL games with the Rangers in 2024-25, where he posted six goals and 10 points. He also performed well while down in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, recording nine goals and 23 points in 30 games.
Overall, Berard took a nice step in the right direction in his development this past season. More importantly, he showed clear promise when given the chance to play for the Rangers. Now, as we head into the 2025-26, he is undoubtedly a clear breakout candidate for the Blueshirts.
Berard has the upside to become a very solid forward in the NHL, and it would be significant for the Rangers if he taps into his potential more in 2025-26. It is not a secret that the Rangers' top nine could use a boost, and Berard taking that next step would certainly help things on that front.
It is going to be interesting to see what kind of season Berard has from here, but it is hard not to feel excited about his future with the Rangers.
Rangers Superstar Nearing 2 Big Milestones Since his arrival in the NHL during the 2015-16 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Artemi Panarin has been a star. This remains the case today with him being 33 years old, as he recorded 37 goals and 89 points in 80 games this past season with the New York Rangers. This was after he set career highs with 49 goals and 120 points with the Blueshirts in 82 games in 2023-24. The Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama on Saturday in what was easily the biggest upset of the weekend.
CHICAGO — The Atlanta Braves claimed infielder Ha-Seong Kim off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
Atlanta also activated shortstop Luke Williams from the 10-day injured list before its series opener against the Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Rolddy Muñoz was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, and infielder Austin Riley was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Active major league rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players on Monday.
The 29-year-old Kim, who can play shortstop, second base and third, is expected to join the Braves on Tuesday. He has been on the IL with lower back inflammation since Aug. 21.
He signed a two-year, $29 million contract with Tampa Bay in February that includes a $16 million player option for next year.
Kim has been limited to 24 games this year. He is batting .214 with two homers and five RBIs.
Kim made his big league debut with San Diego in 2021. He hit .242 with 47 homers, 200 RBIs and 78 stolen bases in 540 games over four seasons with the Padres.
Williams, 29, had been sidelined by a left oblique strain. Riley, 28, had season-ending core surgery last month.
BOSTON — Boston’s Trevor Story had a strange Fenway Park homer in the sixth inning against Cleveland on Monday when the ball went off an outfielder’s glove and then the Pesky Pole.
Facing right-hander Jakob Junis, Story hit a 306-foot fly down the right-field line, where Jhonkensy Noel tried for a leaping catch. The ball ticked off Noel’s glove and then the pole as Story stopped at second and umpires gathered to discuss the play.
Umpires ruled the ball foul, then conducted a video review. Crew chief Jordan Baker then announced the call had been overturned, giving Story his 23rd homer and Boston a 6-3 lead in a game it went on to win 6-4.
“It was nice. It was obviously cool to get one on the Pesky Pole, I think that’s the first one I got,” Story said. “It was crazy. I didn’t know what was going on at first and then finally the last few (replays) I saw it hit the pole. I felt good about it.”
Story said it felt strange waiting on second because he initially thought it would be a ground-rule double.
“It’s weird for sure. You’re trying to stay locked in in case it’s a foul ball,” he said. “It’s just kind of a weird time. After I saw the last couple of clips, I felt good about it.”
It ended up being the shortest (non inside-the-park) homer in the MLB this season. The previous shortest was a walk-off past the Pesky Pole by his teammate Ceddanne Rafaela on June 4.
CHICAGO — Carlos Santana was contacted by a couple teams after he was released by Cleveland last week. Once he heard from Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, he knew what he wanted to do.
“The day before I come here, he called me and said ‘Hey, I need you here,’” Santana said. “I say ‘Oh, yes,’ I don’t think twice.”
Santana joined Chicago on Monday after signing a one-year contract. The Cubs also added Aaron Civale to their roster one day after they claimed the veteran right-hander off waivers from the White Sox.
Outfielder Kevin Alcántara was recalled from Triple-A Iowa, and outfielder Owen Caissie was sent down. With Pete Crow-Armstrong slumping at the plate, Alcántara could be used in center field against left-handed pitching.
Santana joined the contending Cubs in time to be eligible for the team’s playoff roster. The MLB deadline used to be midnight ET at end of Aug. 31, but it was changed in the offseason to noon ET on Sept. 1. Active major league rosters also expanded from 26 to 28 players on Monday.
“We just think adding kind of some veteran players to strengthen, fortify, offer some insurance to the roster is really what we’re looking for,” Counsell said before Chicago’s game against Atlanta. “Not anticipating, frankly, big roles, but should things happen, then their roles could expand.”
The 39-year-old Santana was let go by the Guardians on Thursday, ending his third stint with the franchise.
Chicago has Michael Busch at first base, and Seiya Suzuki is the team’s primary designated hitter. But the addition of Santana puts an experienced switch hitter on Counsell’s bench.
Santana batted .225 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs in 116 games with the Guardians after signing a $12 million, one-year contract in December. The former Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner is the majors’ active leader with 1,330 career walks.
Santana played for Counsell at the end of the 2023 season, after he was traded from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee.
“I come to here for hope, for making championship,” Santana said. “Before I retire, I want to make a champion. ... I’m open for any situation that (Counsell) needs me.”
Santana has appeared in 30 playoff games, batting .205 with five homers and 13 RBIs. He made it to the 2016 World Series with Cleveland, losing to the Cubs in seven games.
“I think he’s at a stage of his career where he’s interested in one thing, just being a part of fun, being a part of winning,” Counsell said. “And he’s earned a great reputation in the game, and it’s always good adding people like that.”
Civale is 3-9 with a 5.26 ERA in 18 starts this year. He was traded from the Brewers to the White Sox for first baseman Andrew Vaughn on June 13.
The Cubs plan to use Civale in a bulk role out of the bullpen, keeping him stretched out in case he is needed in the rotation at some point.
“Not a lot of pitching went on the waiver wire in August,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “But Civale is a guy that we had talked about at the (trade) deadline also. He was having a solid year as a starter there and pitching well.”
The 30-year-old Civale is 42-44 with a 4.18 ERA in 135 career starts, also playing for Cleveland and Tampa Bay. He was moved to the bullpen by the Brewers, but he said he wanted to continue to start — leading to the trade to the last-place White Sox.
“It’s a good opportunity,” Civale said of joining the Cubs. “Just doing my best to take advantage of it and trying to come in here and help the team.”
