Sports News - S Chronicles

Paul Houde | 1954-2024: The Blackhawks lost “their biggest fan in Quebec,” team legend says

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

Since childhood, Paul Houde was a huge Blackhawks fan, whose love for the Chicago team was well known to the general public. “Our biggest fan in Quebec,” says none other than one of the club's legends, Denis Savard, with whom the radio presenter was friends.

“I still remember the support he gave me throughout my career,” said the former forward with 1,338 NHL points. Every time I met him at a game in Chicago, he proudly wore the Blackhawks jersey.

“He talked about the great legends of the Hawks and always ended our conversations by proclaiming in his powerful voice, “Defender Elmer Mooooose Vasko,” he added, referring to the 1960s defenseman Paul Houde loved. Repeat the name… and especially the nickname!

A sweater that would change everything

This unwavering support was born in the 1960s, right in the middle of the glorious era of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull.

“When we played hockey, I was always picked last, and they kept telling me: You're going to be a goalie. I said, “Yeah, if that’s the case, I’ll get noticed.” he explained to our sports director Denis Poissant in 2010, who met him during the Stanley Cup Finals. So I asked one of my aunts to knit me a Blackhawks sweater, a white sweater with an Indian head on it.

“And she did.”

The Canadian mocks legends

His love for the Blackhawks has earned him the ridicule of Canadian players over the years, including Réjean Houle.

“We liked to remind him that we had won the Cup twice against Chicago in the early 1970s,” he remembers.

But Paul Houde didn't hate the Canadian. In fact, he dreamed of a new final between Montreal and Chicago in which “his heart would still have been with the Blackhawks.”

– In collaboration with Rodger Brulotte

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10 takeaways from the 2024 NFL Combine

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

— Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who ESPN's Mel Kiper mocked as the Ravens' No. 30 prospect, had the combine's best time (6.62) in the three-cone drill. Lassiter looked fluid and his physical condition shows on the game tape. Lassiter was the next defensive back to not allow a touchdown last season, and he's a player Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken knows well from his time at Georgia. Lassiter ticks a lot of boxes that would make him a good fit for Baltimore.

– Iowa State’s TJ Tampa is another cornerback who could be on Baltimore’s wish list. He did not train at the Combine while he was still recovering from a hamstring injury. However, Tampa plans to practice at its Pro Day in March. It's important to remember that Pro Days and team visits are still ahead, giving draft prospects who didn't train in Indianapolis another chance to put on a show.

– Wide receiver Xavier Worthy made a big splash by running the fastest 40 in combine history. He had the mic drop moment of the combine, but drops were a problem for Worthy in Texas. It takes more than just speed to become a great wide receiver, but no matter what he does in the NFL, people will remember Worthy's shot. He was also one of the most athletic players in Indianapolis, according to NextGen Stats.

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MLB: A record amount for a contract extension

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

The Philadelphia Phillies have offered pitcher Zack Wheeler a very lucrative contract extension.

On Monday, ESPN learned that the 33-year-old shooter has signed a new three-year contract worth a total of $126 million. This will begin in 2025. Wheeler thus renounces his autonomy at the end of this campaign.

• Also read: Matt Chapman prefers Giants to Jays

• Also read: The Blue Jays are still eluding to victory

With his future annual salary of $42 million, he will be the fourth-highest paid starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.

The Georgia native joined the Phillies via free agency in 2020 after playing his first five seasons with the New York Mets. At that time he received a five-year contract worth $118 million.

Wheeler had his best career moments in Philadelphia. Last year, the right-hander made 32 starts. He had a record of 13-6 and an ERA of 3.61. He also beat 212 opponents.

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Former NFL receiver Braylon Edwards was praised for saving a.jpgw1440

Former NFL receiver Braylon Edwards was praised for saving a life during a YMCA attack

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

A Detroit-area police chief on Monday praised former NFL player Braylon Edwards for helping save the life of an 80-year-old man who was allegedly attacked in a YMCA locker room.

The incident, which occurred Friday morning in Farmington Hills, Michigan, led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man who is believed to have fled the YMCA following Edwards' intervention. The man, identified as local resident Malik Ali Smith, was charged Monday with assault with intent to murder.

In an interview with Detroit station WDIV on Friday, Edwards said that when he entered the locker room, he “heard some noise four rows behind me where there was an argument about music, someone was playing music too loud.” The 41-year-old former Wide receiver said he initially paid little attention to the apparent altercation until it became increasingly violent.

“The noise escalates, and then you hear some pushing and shoving – you know what fighting sounds like – you hear some scuffling, you hear some fists,” Edwards said.

“But when I heard a thud, that was the reason I got up. That’s what made me turn back.”

Edwards told the station he saw the alleged attacker “grab the back of the victim's head by the hair and was about to slam him onto the counter.” The former University of Michigan star said he then moved in and “subdued” the younger man.

Police said Monday that the alleged victim, who police have not identified, was in critical but stable condition at a hospital.

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“Based on the significant injuries inflicted on the victim, it is clear that Mr. Braylon Edwards’ intervention played a critical role in saving the victim’s life,” Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said in a statement. “This is a terrible incident, but Mr. Edwards’ selfless efforts embody the best in our society.”

The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office said Smith was arraigned Saturday and remained in the county jail Monday after bail was set at $250,000. Police said a plea of innocence was filed on his behalf. If convicted of the felony charge, he could face life in prison.

An attorney for Smith told the Detroit News, “My client is reported to be a violent person, and that is simply not the case. He is a young man and has a history of mental health issues.”

“This was a vicious, senseless attack,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “I commend the witness who intervened and we will seek justice for this victim.”

A Farmington police news release Friday, which did not name Edwards, described him as a “good Samaritan” who took action to “stop the suspect in the midst of a brutal attack.”

Edwards is Michigan's all-time leader in catches (252), receiving yards (3,541) and receiving yards (39) and was selected third overall in the 2005 draft by the Cleveland Browns. He moved to the Jets midway through the 2009 season and helped New York to two consecutive AFC Championship games.

Edwards signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and played with the Seattle Seahawks the following season before briefly returning to the Jets to finish his NFL career. The 2007 Pro Bowl selection finished with 359 catches for 5,522 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Edwards is a Detroit native and is retiring as a resident of West Bloomfield Township. Referring to the procedure, which has been hailed as a life-saving procedure, he said on Friday: “That's what you do.”

“At the end of the day,” Edwards said Monday on X: “I simply did the right thing, just like many other good people in this world.”

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The Blue Jays are still eluding to victory

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

The Toronto Blue Jays' preseason plan continued with another loss on Sunday.

This time the Queen City Club lost 3-1 to the Boston Red Sox. This is the seventh loss in nine games since training camp began in Florida.

In today's matchup, singles by Nathan Hickey and Dalton Guthrie in the eighth inning allowed the Red Sox to score two runs and secure the win. Jays shooter Andrew Bash was on duty at the time. He allowed two earned runs on three hits in two innings of work.

The only point for the Canadian team was the work of Alejandro Kirk, who threw the ball out of bounds in the sixth inning. It was his second preseason home run.

During the same period, a single by Masataka Yoshida allowed Jamie Westbrook to step to the plate and tie the score.

The Blue Jays will look to experience the joy of victory on Monday when they face the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Blue Jays are still eluding to victory

Getty Images via AFP

A more difficult day for Julien

For the Minnesota Twins, Édouard Julien had a more difficult day at the plate in their 4-4 draw against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Quebec native was hit three times in as many appearances on the field, including two strikeouts. He has now collected six hits, hit a home run and scored five runs in 13 at-bats since the start of the preseason calendar.

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Five-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey kills and disembowels a moose that became entangled with his dog team

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A veteran musher had to kill a moose after it injured his dog shortly after the start of this year's Iditarod, race officials said Monday.

Dallas Seavey told Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race officials early Monday morning that he was forced to shoot the moose with a pistol in self-defense.

This happened “after the moose became entangled with the dogs and the musher,” the race said in a statement.

Seavey, who has the most Iditarod wins ever with five, said he urged officials to get the moose off the trail.

“It fell on my sled and was sprawled out on the trail,” Seavey told an Iditarod Insider television crew. “I gutted it as best I could, but it was ugly.”

Seavey, who turned 37 on Monday, is not the first musher to have to kill a moose during an Iditarod. In 1985, the late Susan Butcher was leading the race when she used her ax and a parka to fend off a moose, but it killed two of her dogs and injured 13 others. Another musher came by and killed the moose.

Butcher was forced to abandon the race but won four Iditarods. She died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 51.

This year's race started Sunday afternoon in Willow, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Anchorage. Seavey encountered the moose just before 2 a.m. Monday, 14 miles (22 kilometers) outside the race checkpoint in Skwentna, on the way to the next checkpoint 50 miles (80 kilometers) away in Finger Lake.

Seavey arrived in Finger Lake later Monday, where he dropped off a dog that had been injured in the encounter with the moose. The dog was flown to Anchorage where he was examined by a veterinarian.

Alaska State Troopers were notified of the dead elk and race officials said every effort would be made to save the meat.

Race rules state that if a large game animal such as a moose, caribou or buffalo is killed to protect life or property, the musher must gut the animal and report it to race officials at the nearest checkpoint. Mushers who comply must, if possible, help gut the animal, the rules say.

New race director Warren Palfrey said he would continue to gather information about the meet in light of the rules, according to the Iditarod statement.

Musher Paige Drobny confirmed to race officials that the moose was dead and in the middle of the course when she arrived in Finger Lake on Monday.

“Yeah, like my team went over it like it was 'middle of the road,'” she said.

Seavey wasn't the first musher to encounter a moose on this leg of the race.

Race director Jessie Holmes, a member of National Geographic's reality TV show “Life Below Zero” about life in rural Alaska, had an encounter between these two checkpoints, but it is not clear whether it was the same moose.

“I had to punch a moose in the nose out there,” he told a camera crew, but gave no further details.

The 1,000-mile (1,609 kilometers) race across Alaska will end sometime next week when the winning musher leaves the ice of the Bering Sea and crosses the dimpled finish line in Nome.

___

This story has been corrected to show the checkpoint is in Skwentna.

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Phillip Danault scores a hat trick

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

Phillip Danault scored a hat trick and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Sunday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.

It was the 12th, 13th and 14th successes for the Quebecer, but the first time he had found the net at home this season. This is also his second hat trick in his National League career.

Danault equalized in the first third. The former Montreal Canadiens accepted a very long season from Kevin Fiala and presented himself alone in front of Nico Daws, whom he slowed down with a sharp shot.

The Victoriaville native did it again in the second third. He took advantage of Matt Roy's quick thinking and a poor move from the opposing goalkeeper to set the wheels in motion.

Thanks to a sixth runner, Danault finally completed his hat trick in an abandoned cage.

The Kings' other goals came from the sticks of Fiala and Alex Laferriere. Pierre-Luc Dubois also provided an assist, ending a series of failures. In his last five appearances he had not blacked out the top scorer list.

Timo Meier scored the Devils' only goal in the 15th second of the game. Nico Hischier scored an assist, his 25th of the season. This is the fifth time in his seven seasons in the National League that he has reached that mark.

In front of the victorious cage, Cam Talbot made 30 saves. Daws was removed from the game after allowing four goals on 13 shots. He was replaced by Akira Schmid, who was perfect on eight shots.

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There are growing signs of Kirk Cousins possible move to.com2Fdownloads2F1281486116

There are growing signs of Kirk Cousins possible move to Atlanta

Sports News / By Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

Vikings fans who would like to forget the 1998 NFC Championship might have another reason to think about it.

The team that beat the Vikings on this day in January 1999 could be poised to steal quarterback Kirk Cousins.

We can't go into the details at the moment. But we get very credible hints that Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta. Which of course would mean he would sign with the Falcons.

The Falcons have always been the top alternative to the Vikings for Cousins, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next Wednesday. And for a good reason. His wife, Julie, grew up in nearby Alpharetta, Georgia. Her parents still live there.

Apparently the Vikings have decided they want to keep Cousins, but only at a cost. They seem to think he won't get a better deal elsewhere. When he does, they seem content to let him go.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told PFT Live on Tuesday (video attached) that he desperately wants Cousins back. And we believe him. Do others in the organization, from GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, feel the same way?

The counter would probably be that Cousins is 35 years old and recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Additionally, in six years with the Vikings, the team only made the playoffs twice. (If not for his injury, they probably would have made it in 2023.)

The appeal for Cousins, beyond the contract, would be a plethora of players with excellent skill sets — and the fact that the NFC South is currently weaker than the NFC North.

The Vikings still have exclusive negotiating rights with Cousins for six days. If they want to keep him, they could make him an offer he won't refuse.

Of course, it might be too late for that. If the Falcons had given Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, enough indications last week about what they were willing to do, Cousins might have already decided to leave. And he might not be interested now in the Vikings doing what they could have done before the Falcons caught his attention.

The Falcons had previously been linked to a trade with the Bears for quarterback Justin Fields. Ultimately, this may have just been misdirection designed to potentially give them a chance to snag Cousins while the Vikings assumed no one else would make him a better offer than what the Vikings made .

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