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Brewers’ Christian Yelich reaches major milestone in his successful comeback from back surgery

MILWAUKEE — Christian Yelich always believed he could get back to hitting the way he had earlier in his career, even as he encountered skepticism about his chances of making a successful comeback from back surgery.

The Milwaukee Brewers slugger has responded by putting together his first 100-RBI season since making his National League MVP run in 2018.

Yelich went 2 for 4 and drove in his 100th run of the year in the Brewers’ 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The milestone reflected how far Yelich has come since back issues ended his 2024 season prematurely.

“There were a lot of questions obviously that I had to answer,” Yelich said. “People doubting whether or not I could play. I felt like I was still going to be able to play at a high level after dealing with what I had to deal with, all the back stuff.”

Yelich was leading the NL in on-base percentage and batting average last year before his season ended. He underwent a diskectomy last August to remove the damaged part of a disk in the spine.

Then he began the long road back.

Now he’s tied for third in the NL in RBIs, behind only Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso. He also has 29 homers, putting him in a tie for eighth in the NL.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy believes those numbers could be even better if Yelich just had a little more luck.

“You’d be astounded how many balls he’s hit at a 100 (mph)-plus rate that were caught,” Murphy said.

Yelich also had to bounce back from a rough start. He was hitting below .200 as late as May 23, at a time when the Brewers owned a losing record.

Once he started heating up, so did the Brewers. Milwaukee (94-59) is 35 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history.

“That’s our guy,” rookie third baseman Caleb Durbin said. “We’ve kind of relied on him all year. He’s the backbone of this team. It’s a team effort, but we go where Yeli goes.”

Murphy has spoken on numerous occasions about how much of an impact the 33-year-old Yelich has made in the clubhouse while helping lead a young team. Yelich and pitchers Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff are the only players remaining from 2018, when the Brewers began a run of seven playoff berths in eight seasons.

“I’m just proud of the guys on the team, especially our young players, because the demand is high here to come in as a rookie on a team that’s winning games,” said Yelich, who is batting .268 with an .813 OPS. “There’s not like that grace period for you to get your feet wet in the big leagues and make mistakes and go through the growing pains.”

Yelich won the MVP his debut season in Milwaukee and was just as productive in 2019 before a broken kneecap knocked him out for the remainder of that year. Yelich wasn’t nearly as effective from 2020-22 while dealing with back issues, but he got his OPS back over .800 in 2023 and made the All-Star Game last year before dealing with another season-ending injury.

Now he’s healthy again as the Brewers get ready for another postseason.

“Just being available for most of the games this year and being able to play is kind of refreshing,” Yelich said. “I knew I’m still capable of playing at a high level if I just do it, if I just play.”

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Yankees ace Max Fried makes winning fun for Aaron Boone and New York teammates

BALTIMORE — There’s nothing like watching Max Fried pitch to alleviate some of the angst and pressure associated with managing the New York Yankees in the midst of a pennant race.

Aaron Boone had a blast watching Fried mow down the Baltimore Orioles in a 7-0 rout. The left-hander struck out 13 and allowed only three singles over seven sparkling innings.

“Fun,” Boone said afterward. “I just love watching him pitch. He’s such a good athlete, and you see the athleticism on the mound — the different ways he can get you out.”

The swing-and-a-miss was the fashion in which Fried (18-5) got most of his outs against the last-place Orioles. Mixing his fastball with a nasty changeups and a drop-down curveball, the lefty struck out everyone in the starting lineup at least once except for Gunnar Henderson.

“I was able both sides of the plate and had a real good feel for my changeup,” Fried said. “I’m feeling really good physically.”

The 13 strikeouts tied a career high and the 18 wins marked a career best for the former Atlanta standout, who signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with New York as a free agent in December.

So far, Fried is looking like a very good investment.

“I feel like he’s in a real good spot. He’s throwing the ball well,” Boone said. “He’s an ace, and he pitches like that. He’s had a phenomenal year to this point.”

And not just on the mound, either.

“The type of person and teammate he is, he’s everything you’d want in bringing someone in to be a featured guy in your rotation,” Boone noted.

The Orioles had no chance. Fried retired 12 straight after allowing a second-inning single to Coby Mayo, and struck out Tyler O’Neill with two on and two outs in the sixth.

“It was so tough. He just hammered down and away with that sinker,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “And he painted. That catcher’s setting up on the black and he’s hitting the glove most of the night. The changeup was really good. That is an ace right there without a doubt.”

The surging Yankees have won 17 of 24 to get within three games of first-place Toronto in the AL East. Come playoff time, Boone knows who he can turn to in a big game.

“He’s had a number of pretty impressive games this year,” Boone said. “This was really good, really efficient.”

And a total blast to watch from the Yankees dugout.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Boone said, “watching him when he’s in a rhythm like that.”

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Islanders Mathew Barzal Makes Bold Prediction About No. 1 Overall Pick Matthew Schaefer

EAST MEADOW, NY -- There's been tremendous hype around the New York Islanders' No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, and it's well deserved. 

From the way he's carried himself off the ice to what he's displayed on the ice, there's no confusion as to why he heard his name called before everyone else out in Los Angeles in late June.

 "Matty, what's up, you stud?" Islanders forward Mathew Barzal asked Schaefer on the phone right after he was drafted.

Mathew Barzal's First Comments To Islanders No. 1 Overall Pick Matthew Schaefer Mathew Barzal's First Comments To Islanders No. 1 Overall Pick Matthew Schaefer On Wednesday night, the New York Islanders dropped episode one of "On The Island", their behind-the-scenes footage of the 2025 NHL Draft. 

There's no question Barzal was hyped to have Schaefer with the organization, and now that he's been able to skate with him, No. 13 is still hyped to have Schaefer here. 

"He looks great," Barzal said following day two of training camp. "He's obviously a great skater. It's crazy to think he's only 18 years old. I don't know what the plan is, but he's gonna be one of, if not the best defenseman in the league, I think, at some point, just based on his instincts right now. I mean, he's got it."

That's some praise from Barzal to Schaefer, but something that could certainly be the case down the line. 

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Mitch Marner hits the ice as Golden Knights open training camp with Stanley Cup in mind

LAS VEGAS — The Golden Knights always are going for it, constantly willing to chase top talent in order to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

Their latest big-name acquisition, Mitch Marner, appeared on the ice as Vegas opened training camp.

“We haven’t had a stretch in our history where you know you’re taking a step back,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “That’s not how we feel. We’re going to be pedal to the floorboard.”

The Golden Knights would be among the favorites this season even if they hadn’t acquired Marner in a sign-and-trade deal worth $96 million over eight years. But having one of the NHL’s top playmakers on the roster moves Vegas closer to the front of the contender conversation.

Two-time defending champion Florida is the 6-1 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook and next up are Vegas and Colorado at 8-1 each.

Marner and some of his new teammates attended the Las Vegas Raiders-Los Angeles Chargers game and were shown on the Allegiant Stadium big screen. Included were three of the top five picks from the 2015 draft — Jack Eichel (No. 2), Marner (No. 4) and Noah Hanifin (No. 5).

All on the same club.

It’s not like Marner isn’t used to extraordinarily high expectations.

He comes from the hockey hotbed of Toronto, where he played for the team he grew up cheering on. Marner hoped the storybook tale of leading his beloved team to the championship would eventually come true.

It didn’t, and as disappointed as he was at failing to get past the second round each season, many Maple Leafs fans took it even more personally. As the face of the franchise, Marner often took the brunt of criticism from one of the league’s most rabid fan bases.

He later told Canadian sports network TSN that safety concerns for his family were one of the reasons he wanted to leave. In landing in Vegas, Marner has the chance to start over with a new fan base, and he said he could see their passion at the Raiders game.

“It’s been a lot of fun getting to know the area pretty well now,” Marner said. “It’s been great going out for walks — the sun, the heat, the mountains. The dog’s still getting used to it here with the heat, but it’s just been awesome.”

Marner, like Eichel, is more of a playmaker than a shot taker. He was fifth in the league last season with 102 points and third with 75 assists, both career highs. Marner scored 27 goals.

Eichel produced similar numbers, finishing with 28 goals, 66 assists and 94 points. He acknowledged after last season he probably needs to shoot more often.

One of the key questions going into the season is whether coach Bruce Cassidy will use both players on the same top line or split them up. If they play together like they did in practice— Ivan Barbashev was the third line member — at least one of them will have to be more aggressive.

“We’re both going to have to shoot it,” Marner said. “I think we’re both going to get some good opportunities. We’ve got to be comfortable in the areas to not be afraid to shoot. Barby’s going to be around the net hunting those pucks, so just try to get it around there.”

Eichel contract remains priority

McCrimmon said after last season that keeping Eichel, who has one season left on his eight-year, $80 million contract, was high on the agenda. He maintained that stance with camp opening.

“We have tremendous regard for the player and what he’s meant to our organization,” McCrimmon said. “I think he feels the organization’s been very good for him as well. We’ll continue to have dialogue.”

Eichel was not made available to the media after taking part in only one of two practice sessions. Cassidy said Eichel had tweaked something in the first session and was kept out for precautionary reasons.

Eichel said during the NHL media tour that he wasn’t opposed to continuing negotiations if nothing gets done before the season begins.

“If a contract happens organically, then it happens,” Eichel said at the time. “Right now, you’re just focused on trying to get yourself in as good of a place as you can be to start the season and help the hockey team.”

Pietrangelo still involved

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who won Stanley Cups in St. Louis and Vegas, has been one of the Golden Knights’ key figures as much as for his leadership abilities as his on-ice performance.

He is not playing this season because of a major hip injury and his NHL future is in question.

McCrimmon said Pietrangelo plans on living in Las Vegas and be involved with the club.

“He’s around the facility lots,” McCrimmon said. “He wants to stay connected, stay busy, so we expect to see him a fair bit.”

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Stars goalie Jake Oettinger hopes to laugh about how last season ended. Former coach Pete DeBoer has 1 regret

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger looks forward to one day being able to laugh about how last season ended, when he quickly was pulled after allowing two goals on the only shots he faced in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.

“In the long run, I feel like I’m gonna look back on it as something that helped me,” Oettinger said during the opening day of training camp for the Stars. “And when we do win it all, it’s going to be, you know, look back and laugh and feel like that was something I had to go through in order to get to that.”

The Stars have been to the playoffs four consecutive seasons with Oettinger in net. They lost in the conference final the past three seasons, with Edmonton knocking them out the last two.

Oettinger was pulled only 7:09 into that 6-3 loss last May, in what was a curious and much-discussed decision by now-former Stars coach Pete DeBoer. After the game, DeBoer pointed out that Oettinger had lost six of his previous seven playoff games against the Oilers and he was hoping that a goalie switch would spark the team in an elimination game.

Well, that obviously didn’t happen and instead prompted questions about how the move would impact the relationship between the coach and the 26-year-old goalie whose eight-year, $66 million contract extension signed last October kicks in this season. The two didn’t immediately talk in the aftermath of the decision.

“A little more blown out of proportion than it actually was. I think stuff happens, emotions run high and people say and do things on a whim that maybe they look back and regret,” Oettinger said. “I mean, I’ve done that in my life. I’m sure everyone here has done that. ... You just learn from it, and that’s what I did.”

Eight days after their season-ending loss, the Stars fired DeBoer. General manager Jim Nill said then that input from players and fallout from the Oettinger move were not the only factors in the decision to move on from the coach who had a 149-68-29 record in regular-season games and 29-27 in the playoffs over three seasons in Dallas.

Only regret for DeBoer

DeBoer told NHL.com in a story posted this week that he still had no reservations about pulling Oettinger, but did regret how he handled the postgame narrative.

“Listen, we were all to blame for coming up short again, and it starts with me,” DeBoer said in his first public comments since being fired. “It was on me, it was on all the coaches, it was on all the players, it was on the organization as a whole. We all created the disappointment. We were all to blame, not just one guy.”

As for his accurate reference to Oettinger losing six of the previous seven playoffs games to Edmonton over two years when responding to a postgame question about why he made the switch, DeBoer said he should have made it clearer that those losses were on everyone.

“It wasn’t just him. It was all of us,” DeBoer told NHL.com. “It was all of us.”

Asked about DeBoer’s comments, Oettinger said, “I think he hit the nail on the head with what he said, so let’s leave it at that.”

Young standout goalie

Oettinger was part of the Stars’ impressive 2017 draft class, the 26th overall pick late in the first round after Dallas got standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen with the third pick. High-scoring forward Jason Robertson was chosen 39th overall in the second round.

In 251 regular-season games (242 starts) over five NHL seasons, Oettinger has a 149-66-27 record, .912 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average. He is 32-30 with a .912 save percentage and 2.56 GAA in 65 playoff games, and the only two of those he didn’t start was when making his NHL debut during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season completed in a Canadian bubble.

“He’s, I think, a top-three goalie in the league for sure,” said Mikko Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition last March who like Oettinger is starting an eight-year contract extension. “That’s a big advantage to have a goalie who you can trust. And he works hard off the ice. You know he wants to get better, which is really good also.”

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Miami's Tyler Herro to miss start of NBA season after undergoing foot surgery

The Miami Heat open the season with a tough stretch of the schedule: 11 of their first 15 games are against playoff teams from a season ago, and six of the team's first eight are on the road.

Miami will have to navigate that stretch without its All-Star guard, Tyler Herro, who will miss the start of the season as he recovers from foot surgery, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. While there is no timetable yet for his recovery, he will miss the start of the season, according to multiple reports.

This is not a new injury (the details of which are not public) but an ankle injury during offseason workouts added to it. Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald detailed what led to Herro's decision.

Herro, 25, first felt discomfort in his left ankle during a workout earlier this offseason, according to a league source. Herro received platelet-rich plasma and cortisone injections in recent weeks in hopes of avoiding surgery, but the discomfort never subsided and surgery was deemed necessary to avoid more issues down the road.

Herro is coming off his best NBA season and his first as an All-Star, averaging 23.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, with a 60.5 true shooting percentage fueled by him shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. He was the heart of the Heat attack.

That role likely now falls to Norman Powell, who the Heat acquired this summer. Last season with the Clippers, Powell had a career year (but was not an All-Star in the deep West). Last season, Powell averaged 21.8 points a game while shooting 41.8% from 3-point range.

Miami spent the summer trying to find a trade away Terry Rozier, who is owed $26.6 million — $24.9 million of that is guaranteed — but could find no takers, and buyout talks went nowhere. Now, that may turn out to be fortunate, if more expensive than the Heat hoped, because the veteran moves into a key rotation role until Herro returns. Rozier averaged 10.6 points a game last season but struggled with his shot, hitting 29.5% from 3 and with a true shooting percentage of just 49.7 (for comparison, the league average was closer to 57).

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Unai Emery needs progress but goalless Aston Villa have faith and blame PSR

Transfer spending curbs and a grim start weigh on Sunday’s Sunderland trip. Could the Europa League offer a boost?

The statistic doing the rounds this week was that Chris Wilder has been sacked and reappointed as the Sheffield United manager since Boubacar Kamara scored Aston Villa’s last league goal four months ago. Villa have been slow out of the blocks and this is unusual territory for Unai Emery, who has spent the best part of three years almost exclusively exceeding all expectations, elevating a team who were near the bottom of the Premier League into one capable of bloodying the noses of European superpowers in the Champions League.

But a sticky start, of four Premier League matches without a victory or goal – they are the only team in the English professional pyramid to carry that ignominious mantle – and a midweek Carabao Cup exit, has been rather in keeping with a difficult few months. Villa headed into the summer knowing incomings would be limited owing to the financial picture and they sold Jacob Ramsey, a homegrown and well-regarded player, plus some on the fringes, to help balance the books. But uncertainty lingered around key players until the September transfer deadline, none more so than their goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who had been keen to move. The additions of Harvey Elliott, who will join permanently next summer, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelöf belatedly provided a much-needed boost.

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There's Optimism Around Potential Adam Fox-Vladislav Gavrikov Defensive Pairing

Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Based on the first two days of training camp, it appears as if Adam Fox will be paired alongside Vladislav Gavrikov. 

The New York Rangers invested a lot of money to stabilize the defense this summer, as they signed Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract. 

The idea in signing Gavrikov was not only to help sure up the defense as a whole, but also to help reignite Fox’s game. 

After years of playing with Ryan Lindgren, Fox had multiple defensive partners last season, which seemed to negatively impact his level of play. 

Gavrikov provides a steady and reliable presence for Fox, who is excited about the opportunity to potentially create a strong partnership on the ice with Gavrikov.

"He's an elite defenseman, and I think everyone wants to play with a guy like that,” Fox said of Gavrikov. “He’s pretty similar to what I’m used to, playing with someone who is super reliable. You know what you’re getting when he’s out there and he’s a smart player too. I’m sure that chemistry will come a little bit more. It has been good being able to skate with him a little bit.”

A critical part of Fox’s game is his ability to create offense, but he wasn’t able to do that as effectively last year with a large defensive burden placed on his shoulders. 

The hope is that Fox will be able to unlock that part of his game with Gavrikov by his side. 

“Foxy is a great player, a great play-maker,” Gavrikov said. “Can do anything with the puck, skating very well as well. If I’m going to be with him, I’ll be happy to have him as a partner. I think we can create some offense on the other side, and play good defense.”

Mike Sullivan's Presence And Voice Felt Profoundly Through Rangers' First Day Of Training Camp Mike Sullivan's Presence And Voice Felt Profoundly Through Rangers' First Day Of Training Camp You hear a lot about the coaching bump in the NHL, and it appears the New York Rangers may be in the midst of that with Mike Sullivan. 

Fox and Gavrikov are clearly the Rangers’ two top defensemen currently on the roster, so there’s an argument to be made that they should be separated in order to create a balanced D-core.

However, Sullivan hinted that it may be the best course of action to have these two blueliners play together. 

Sullivan has been emphatic about the fact that Fox remains one of the premier defensemen in the NHL, and he wants to do everything he can to unlock his full potential. 

“How do we find a way to help Fox capture his very best game? I know we have the conversation, do we have the ideal partner for him? Because if we could find an ideal partner for him, where he could build and develop chemistry, that would suggest that it would set him up for success,” Sullivan said. 

Nothing is set in stone yet, but all signs are pointing toward Fox and Gavrikov playing together, which could make for a lethal defensive duo.

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Jonathan Kuminga's agent hoping to find middle ground in Warriors contract talks

Jonathan Kuminga's agent hoping to find middle ground in Warriors contract talks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Aaron Turner’s 6-year-old son, Jaxson, is asking the same question on a daily basis as everybody when it comes to Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga: “Have we got a deal done?” 

The answer remains the same: No deal. 

More than two and a half months have passed since the opening of NBA free agency and Kuminga’s agent, Turner, hasn’t been able to come to terms with the Warriors and general manager Mike Dunleavy. As first reported by ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania, and later confirmed by NBC Sports Bay Area, the Warriors currently have three contract offers on the table for Kuminga: Three years and $75.2 million with a team option on the third season, two years and $45 million with a team option on the second season, and three years for $54 million without any options. 

Kuminga so far has turned down all three deals. The reason isn’t so much money in a closed market that didn’t have any teams with proper salary cap space. His request is turning the team option into a player option and he’ll sign the contract. 

The last and final avenue is the qualifying offer. Kuminga has until Oct. 1 to sign a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer. Signing the qualifying offer would essentially be turning down over $40 million in guaranteed money from the Warriors’ highest offer, but it also would help Kuminga, who turns 23 on Oct. 6, control his destiny. He would be an unrestricted free agent next summer and assuredly wouldn’t be traded during this upcoming season. 

Understanding the risks of the qualifying offer, Turner and Kuminga are confident multiple teams with more cap space next summer would line up to sign him after such an unprecedented offseason.

“There are teams salivating that JK takes this QO,” Turner says.

Signing the qualifying offer is a very real possibility, though Turner told NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest episode of Dubs Talk that doing so isn’t a desired outcome. If the team option doesn’t turn into a player option, will Kuminga be signing the qualifying offer?

“I mean, I hope not,” Turner said. “I don’t think JK wants that. I don’t think the Warriors want that. Hopefully we figure this out and come to a middle ground that makes sense for everybody and everybody can put their best foot forward. 

“We don’t need all these distractions. … I’m not blaming anybody, but you’ve got to get everybody on the same page going into the year. I think it’s vital for everyone’s sake. I know JK wants that. I hope the Warriors want that. I would think they’d want that. Hopefully we get something done.” 

The Warriors are yet to include a player option on any contract they have offered Kuminga. 

Kuminga joined Turner at the end of his interview Friday with 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” and had his agent relay a message to Warriors fans of “I love you guys.”

“He loves the fans, he’d love to stay and be part of it,” Turner says. “Just because he gets a player option, it’s not like he’s leaving necessarily. Everybody is like, ‘Oh, he’s gone.’ Why? You have his Bird Rights, you’re the Warriors, what a platform. But he’d have some say and it would be because he wanted to stay. 

“It’s been a long summer. We’re all tired, but we’re continuing to push through and hopefully we find a solution and cooler heads prevail.” 

While the Warriors have offered more money on a yearly basis, Kuminga received larger contract offers from the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, both of which featured player options. The Kings and Suns, according to Turner, also have promised more of a basketball investment into Kuminga than the Warriors have through his first four years and in regards to the 2025-26 NBA season with their current roster construction. 

Both the Kings and Suns, Turner says, would have fulfilled Kuminga’s goal of a larger role, starting and closing games. The same can’t be said for the Warriors following last season’s trade of Jimmy Butler. 

None of the six players taken ahead of Kuminga in the 2021 NBA Draft have won a championship like he did as a rookie. None of them have played with multiple futuqualre Hall of Fame players. All of them have received larger opportunities, more leeway to make mistakes and have signed contracts of at least $100 million. 

That’s part of why the player option matters so much to Kuminga. He believes the combination of his fluctuating role his first four seasons, along with the present and future of how he fits the Warriors, and being seen purely as a midseason trade asset deserves the good will of a player option.

“The theory on this has been from the beginning, if we’re going to take a number that keeps the team under the second apron and what matters most is the win-now and maximizing Steph [Curry’s] window and building a roster, fine. That’s great, we will fall in line,” Turner said. “But allow us to have the back end of the deal. JK can still stay on the Warriors. There’s nothing that says he couldn’t. They’ll have his Bird Rights. But it’s his choice.

“And if you believe in yourself, a player option is very, very, very valuable. It’s almost an insurance policy as opposed to having to pick it up. It’s a way to create flexibility. … That’s our theory. Give us the back end for the sacrifices up front of not being able to really chase his personal ambitions and fully expand his game, possibly getting traded in three months and just the back and forth of this for years.” 

The desire is a player option. The threat is signing a qualifying offer. The team option isn’t fully off the table for Kuminga and Turner, too. Turner has even presented hybrid options as well. 

“We’re not opposed to a team option,” Turner said. “A team option has been discussed and we’d be open to it, but then our theory and thinking is to just move the number up on the front end then. I get it, that’s difficult, you might have to make some tough choices but then you have the back end of the deal. I’ve also talked about hybrid deals. Inherently that 1+1 deal you lose your Bird Rights if you get traded. It has an inherent no-trade clause on the first year of it. Let him keep that. 

“Where would that put us? It’s in the same place we’re at right now, but you’re not in the base compensation rule and JK has a seat at the table. I think if you’re JK you have to think about this: He’s been in the same place for four years and the runway has never really been cleared. So he’s looking at it like, ‘Man, I want to make sure the next place I go there’s a runway. There’s a real clear, very defined plan. I don’t want to just get tossed to another team where I don’t really know what the plan is.’ I don’t fault him for that. It’s a fair ask on his part. 

“Those are the deals, that’s why the PO means so much in this certain negotiation.”

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Final Year Of His Contract and 36 Years Old, Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky Isn’t Worried and Feels Great

Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky has played plenty of hockey throughout his career, but the past three seasons of dominance are more than any other netminder in the NHL.

The 36-year-old has played in 162 regular-season games in the past three seasons and 66 post-season games. Not only has he just played in those games, but he's also excelled and could be considered the most important player on the Panthers' roster.

With the success comes the worry that fatigue could catch up to him, but Bobrovsky says otherwise.

"I had a good summer. I was focused on the mental side of it," said Bobrovsky. "My goal was to clean everything up, you know, to clear everything up and get ready for the season, and especially mentally, to be excited, to be fresh and not thinking much about hockey. I thought I did a good job with it. I felt like the summer was so long for me, and I'm so excited to be back. I'm so excited to see everybody, the guys, the coaches. I'm so excited to be here in this facility, locker room, everything. I'm hungry and happy and appreciative for the situation that’s in front of us."

Sergei Bobrovsky (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

Losing Spencer Knight for almost all of the previous two seasons forced Bobrovsky to dress in more games than the Panthers would have likely wanted to. The addition of Daniil Tarasov should give the Russian netminder more opportunities to rest.  

“It is a huge honor, and a huge opportunity,’’ said Tarasov. “I was super-excited when I was traded, got the call from Bill and especially from ‘The Bob.’ It was a huge welcome, they said it was great to see me here as a Panther.”

The Panthers' confidence to beat any team they are matched up against is sky high, but avoiding external factors like injuries and fatigue can be unavoidable. Adequate rest and a rotation with plenty of depth, the Panthers possess, could help avoid those lingering issues that tend to affect teams come playoff time. 

Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky Ranks Fourth In NHL Network's Top 10 Goaltenders RankingsPanthers' Sergei Bobrovsky Ranks Fourth In NHL Network's Top 10 Goaltenders RankingsFlorida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky landed at No.4 on the NHL Network's top 10 goaltenders list heading into the 2025-26 season.
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Ashley Barnes’ father-in-law conspired with jockey to ‘stop’ horse from winning

  • Hillsin drifted from 2-1 to 11-1 before Worcester race

  • Premier League player was warned off last year

A two-year investigation into the running and riding of Hillsin in a race at Worcester in July 2023 concluded on Friday when Dylan Kitts, Hillsin’s jockey, and John Higgins, an associate of the gelding’s owner, were found to have conspired to “stop” the five-year-old from winning.

Chris Honour, Hillsin’s trainer, was cleared of involvement in the conspiracy but found to have misled the local stewards at a subsequent inquiry, while Higgins’s son-in-law, the Premier League footballer Ashley Barnes, was issued with an exclusion order by the British Horseracing Authority last year after refusing to co-operate with its investigation.

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Canadiens Pay Classy Homage To Dryden

Ken Dryden (© Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)

The hockey world lost a legend earlier this month, as Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden sadly passed away on Sep. 5 at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. 

Dryden, of course, put together a Hall of Fame career with the Canadiens. During his eight-year NHL career with the Habs, he recorded a 258-57-74 record, a .922 save percentage, a 2.30 goals-against average, and 46 shutouts. Due to his incredible play, he won the Vezina Trophy five times and the Stanley Cup six times during his time with the Habs. He was also a Conn Smythe Trophy winner (1971), Calder Memorial Trophy winner (1972), and a five-time All-Star. 

Now, the Canadiens have rightfully paid homage to Dryden in a classy way. The Canadiens players currently have a number and mask decal on the back of their helmets to pay respect to Dryden.

This is a nice gesture by the Canadiens, and it is certainly warranted for a legend like Dryden. He is one of the greatest Canadiens of all-time. 

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Clayton Kershaw's possible Dodger Stadium finale will be on Apple TV+. Here's why

Los Angeles, CA - August 26: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches at the bottom of the 3rd at the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium last month. Kershaw is poised to make his final home regular-season start on Friday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Dodgers fans pay up, in significant numbers and in significant amounts, to watch their team on SportsNet LA: Home team, home channel.

Not on Friday, though, when Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for what might well be the final time at Dodger Stadium.

The exclusive broadcast rights for the game belong to Apple TV+, as part of a package of Friday night games bought from Major League Baseball. Apple is guaranteed a minimum of four exclusive broadcasts for whatever teams it chooses to air, according to a league official. Friday’s game will be the Dodgers’ fourth on Apple TV+ this season, so it remains exclusive to Apple.

The alternate Apple game Friday involves the Toronto Blue Jays. As it became apparent the Blue Jays might clinch a playoff spot on Friday, Apple and MLB agreed that Sportsnet — the Blue Jays’ equivalent of SportsNet LA – could air a simulcast of that Apple TV+ broadcast. (That change was announced Thursday morning, before a Jays loss and Cleveland Guardians win made it impossible for Toronto to clinch on Friday.)

Read more:'I’m really at peace.' Why Clayton Kershaw decided to make resurgent 2025 season his last

However, the Jays will total five exclusive Apple TV+ broadcasts this season.

This will not be the first bit of Dodgers history limited to the Apple audience. In 2022, when Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run, the game was on Apple.

The man who called the Pujols game for Apple also will call the Kershaw game for Apple: Wayne Randazzo, the voice of the Angels.

Kershaw, the 11-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young award winner, said Thursday he would retire at season’s end. After the weekend series against the San Francisco Giants, in which Kershaw is scheduled to start Friday’s game, the Dodgers finish the regular season on the road. The Dodgers have not said what role, if any, Kershaw might fill on their playoff roster.

Fans can sign up for a free seven-day trial of Apple TV+ here. (If you're signing up just to watch Kershaw, you'll need to cancel within the seven-day window, or you'll be billed $12.99 each month.)

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.