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Bruins Hand Out Season Awards

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official New Release) – The Boston Bruins announced the recipients of their 2024-25 season awards for the team. Morgan Geekie has been named the recipient of the Eddie Shore Award, given to the player who shows exceptional hustle and determination, as chosen by the “Legacy Season Ticket Holders.”

David Pastrnak has been chosen the winner of the Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy, awarded to the player exemplifying outstanding performance on home ice as determined by the Boston chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Parker Wotherspoon has been selected for the John P. Bucyk Award for providing exceptional off-ice charitable contributions, chosen by John Bucyk.

Eddie Shore Award
Bruins forward Morgan Geekie has been selected by the “Legacy Season Ticket Holders” as the 2024-25 Eddie Shore Award winner for demonstrating exceptional hustle and determination throughout the season. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound forward, has appeared in 74 games with the Bruins this season, recording career highs in goals (30), assists (23) and points (53). Among active Boston skaters, the Strathclair, Manitoba native ranks second in goals, points, even strength goals (26), even strength points (44) and power play goals (4).

Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy
David Pastrnak has been selected as the Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy recipient for the 2024-25 season for his outstanding performance on home ice this season. Through 39 games at TD Garden this season, the 6-foot, 200-pound forward has totaled 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points with a plus-17 rating. The Havirov, Czechia native leads the Bruins in goals, assists, points, even strength goals (20), even strength points (42), power play goals (4), power play points (10) and shots (157) in home games this season. This is the second consecutive year and the fourth season that Pastrnak has received the Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy (2025, 2024, 2022, 2020).

John P. Bucyk Award
Parker Wotherspoon will receive the John P. Bucyk Award for his contributions in the Boston community this season. Wotherspoon has been involved in several community events including the team’s annual holiday toy shopping, a Halloween visit at Massachusetts General Hospital and various meet and greets. In January 2025, he visited the Richard J. Murphy School to participate in a STEM lesson with a 7th grade classroom. Later in the season, Wotherspoon also participated in a game of goalball with students from the Perkins School for the Blind. The award is named after Bruins legend John P. Bucyk, who is in his 68th season with the organization.

Ullmark Sticks It to Bruins

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OTTAWA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -Two goals and an assist from Drake Batherson led the Ottawa Senators to a 6-3 win over the visiting Boston Bruins. Ottawa opened a 4-1 lead after one period and never looked back, ensuring its fifth straight win and a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1).

Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto each added a goal and an assist, Tyler Kleven and Claude Giroux also scored, and Linus Ullmark made 22 saves for the Senators.

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Ullmark stopped eight Boston shots in the third period.

Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrnak and Marat Khusnutdinov each scored for Boston, which was looking to win its third straight for just the second time this season.

The goals by deadline acquisitions Mittelstadt and Khusnutdinov were their first as Bruins.

Boston’s Jeremy Swayman allowed four goals on 15 shots before Joonas Korpisalo relieved him with 15 saves on 16 shots after the first period.

Ottawa landed the first six shots and validated its dominant start with a 2-0 lead. Pinto scored first on a turnaround shot from the right circle just 3:44 into the proceedings.

The Senators doubled their lead at 9:09 when Nikolas Matinpalo wrapped the puck around the boards to Kleven, who fired a one-timer from high on the left.

Mittelstadt made it 2-1 at the 10:57 mark. After a hard forecheck forced a turnover, Vinni Lettieri sent a backhand pass across the crease to his fellow Minnesota native, who beat Ullmark with a wrist shot.

Then, two goals in a 22-second span put the hosts back in full control at 4-1. Batherson moved the buffer back to two at 16:21, finishing a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle on the power play.

A Swayman misplay helped keep Ottawa’s offense in the zone, and Greig netted the second quick-fire goal after Pinto’s point shot created an open net-front rebound.

Pastrnak struck first in the middle period, deflecting John Beecher’s wrist shot from the point from near the crease at 6:59.

Batherson reestablished the three-goal difference again at 11:01, potting the rebound of a Thomas Chabot point shot that Dylan Cozens tipped. The Bruins responded just 2:54 later, as Khusnutdinov took Elias Lindholm’s feed down the slot for a wrist shot goal.

Ullmark made a highlight-reel save with 1:29 left in the second, diving across to snatch Mason Lohrei’s one-timer after Jakub Lauko threaded a cross-ice pass. A Nikita Zadorov post in the final minute also kept Ottawa’s lead at 5-3 after two periods.

Giroux’s empty-netter with 1:16 left in regulation iced the game.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Complete 3-Goal Comeback

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BOSTON – Boston’s Pavel Zacha scored the game-winner with 3:17 left in regulation to punctuate the Bruins’ three-goal third period in a 3-2 win over the visiting Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

On the clinching goal, Zacha was the beneficiary of a backhand pass from David Pastrnak, who spun off a check in the corner and dished a backhand pass out to the crease.

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Pastrnak was the lone Bruin with multiple points (one goal, one assist). His 33rd goal of the season came on the power play and got Boston on the scoreboard with 11:04 left in regulation.

Mason Lohrei also scored and Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots for the Bruins, who have won back-to-back games since finalizing a series of deadline transactions that included dealing captain Brad Marchand to Florida. The longtime Bruin didn’t suit up against his former team in this one.

Dmitry Kulikov and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers, who had a six-game win streak snapped.

Sam Bennett and Seth Jones had one assist each for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves.

Florida led 28-24 in shots on goal, and special teams played a role with both teams finding the back of the net during a power play.

Minutes after Bobrovsky stopped Pastrnak’s partial breakaway, Casey Mittelstadt centered a pass that found the star winger on the doorstep for the first Boston goal.

The Bruins then tied the game with 6:09 left, as Lohrei skated into the slot and fired a wrist shot past Bobrovsky. Jakub Lauko won a puck battle along the wall to create the play.

Kulikov netted Florida’s second shot for the game-opening goal at 4:27 and ultimately took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The defenseman sent a one-timer from the high slot past Swayman, triggering the shot directly off a Bennett faceoff win.

The hosts generated quality chances on back-to-back power plays in the second, but were unable to find a tying goal on either. Bobrovsky made a key stop as the first advantage expired, getting a piece of Pavel Zacha’s drive from the right circle that Ian Mitchell set up.

Swayman recovered from a potential misplay of a carom off the boards, keeping his team in a one-goal game when he dove back to stop Anton Lundell’s open chance with 5:47 left in the second.

Marchand, Bruins Return to Garden Ice

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Two nights after TD Garden hosted the thrilling 4 Nations Face-Off finale, the Boston Bruins are going back to work on their Eastern Conference wild-card chase.

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Boston begins the final stretch of the regular season Saturday with the first of a three-game homestand, facing an Anaheim Ducks team that surged into the NHL’s two-week break.

Bruins coach Joe Sacco knows how important it will be for his team to come out strong. The Bruins remain one point below the playoff cut line — with the three teams both above and below them holding games in hand.

“We have to play some good hockey here in the last 25 games to put ourselves in a position to compete for a playoff spot,” Sacco said. “I don’t know the exact number of (points) that it’s going to take to get in. … But let’s look short term here, two or three games (at a time) and try to take care of business.”

Boston team captain Brad Marchand and goaltender Jeremy Swayman are both expected to play Saturday after concluding 4 Nations on opposite sides of the United States-Canada final. However, top defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm will not suit up.

While Lindholm has remained sidelined with a lower-body injury since November, McAvoy had “an infection in his right shoulder” and suffered “a significant injury to his AC joint” during Team USA’s 4 Nations opener last week, the Bruins said.

“(McAvoy is) such a gamer,” Bruins forward Charlie Coyle said. “He plays hard. Yeah, injuries and things happen, but he was a man possessed playing those games. He was so much fun to watch. It fired me up watching on TV.”

McAvoy was released from the hospital on Thursday and is reportedly on a week-to-week timeline.

The 36-year-old Marchand posted points in six of his final seven games before the break. Now, he looks to carry the momentum of a medal-winning week back to the Bruins.

“It means a little bit more being here,” Marchand said of winning the best-on-best tournament in Boston. “I care tremendously about this city and the people and the fans; have a lot of friends and family here. But at the end of the day, when you get on the ice, you don’t think about that stuff.”

Pastrnak Stays Hot, Bruins Win

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s David Pastrnak registered his first hat trick of the season and an assist to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

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The Bruins never looked back after Pastrnak scored a go-ahead goal in the first period before increasing the Bruins’ lead to three on two occasions during the final frame.

The star winger is riding a 10-game point streak. He was named thr NHL’s “First Star” of the month of January.

Pavel Zacha had a goal and an assist, Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle each scored, and Brad Marchand and Matt Poitras each dished out two assists for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game skid.

Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves in the win.

J.T. Miller scored two goals for New York less than 24 hours after being re-acquired in Friday’s blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. Jonny Brodzinski netted the other.

The 31-year-old Miller was playing his 342nd regular-season game as a Ranger and his first in 2,533 days (Feb. 25, 2018).

New York’s goalkeeper, Igor Shesterkin, stopped 19 shots.

After losing a 1-0 lead, Pastrnak flipped the score back in Boston’s favor with 2:51 left in the first, taking a Brandon Carlo feed from behind the goal line and quickly snapping it glove-side.

The game’s first two-goal lead was established 3:39 into the second when Coyle was stationed outside Shesterkin’s crease to deflect an Andrew Peeke point shot.

Jets Beat Bruins, 6-2

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BOSTON – Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele capped a two-goal effort with the eventual game-winner and Wakefield, R.I., native Parker Ford scored in his NHL debut as the visiting Jets beat the Boston Bruins 6-2 Thursday night.

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Scheifele’s second goal 35 seconds into the third period marked the 328th of his Winnipeg career, tying him with Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history.

Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov added a goal and an assist, Kyle Connor scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves for Winnipeg, which is on a five-game win streak.

The Jets scored four third-period goals and found the back of the net on two of four power plays in the game (50 percent).

Elias Lindholm led the Bruins with a goal and an assist, while Brad Marchand also scored and added 14 penalty minutes.

Joonas Korpisalo stopped 21 shots in Boston’s second consecutive loss and third in a five-game span (2-3-0).

The Bruins climbed out of a 2-0 hole to tie the game when Lindholm buried a shorthanded goal off Pavel Zacha’s faceoff win 11 seconds into the third. Winnipeg never trailed after Scheifele took an Ehlers feed down the middle to provide an answer just 24 ticks later.

Ehlers was credited with the Jets’ insurance goal less than a minute later, poking the puck off Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei’s stick and into an open left side of Korpisalo’s net at 1:17.

Ford extended Winnipeg’s lead to 5-2 at 5:57. After Alex Iafallo settled down a Logan Stanley centering feed in the slot, the former Providence College captain cashed in with a wrister.

Connor scored an empty-net goal with 36.6 seconds remaining.

Namestnikov lifted the visitors to a 1-0 lead just 2:55 into the first, putting home a power-play goal from low on the left side. Cole Perfetti’s shot from the wing created a rebound that Nino Niederreiter sent to Namestnikov across the crease to bang into an open side of the net.

Minutes after a Josh Morrissey snipe past Korpisalo was called back due to offside, Scheifele doubled Winnipeg’s lead with a goal that counted, tipping in Neal Pionk’s point shot at the 11:31 mark.

Marchand scored his second goal on the man advantage in as many games to bring Boston within one at 15:34. The Bruins captain slid down from the top of the left circle and snapped a shot past Hellebuyck.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Win in Matinee at Garden

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Charlie Coyle scored the tying and winning goals in the third period as part of a three-point effort, helping the Bruins surge past the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Monday afternoon.

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Coyle was the beneficiary of Matthew Poitras’ primary assists on both late-game goals, including the deciding tally at 14:11

David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm each registered a goal and an assist, while Vinni Lettieri also scored for Boston, which is 3-0-1 in its last four games.

Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves.

Rookie Will Smith, a native of nearby Lexington, Mass., led the Sharks with a goal and an assist in his first NHL game in Boston.

Barclay Goodrow and Fabian Zetterlund also scored and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 27 shots for San Jose, which has lost three in a row and six of seven.

Performing well with new linemate Marchand, Coyle took a Poitras feed off the rush and banked the go-ahead goal off Askarov’s pads. The game-tying goal came several minutes earlier at 8:22 when Poitras fed Coyle a backhand pass, who sniped a shot past Askarov from the slot.

Marchand and Lindholm iced the game with empty-netters in the final 1:15.

The Sharks had scored twice in the second period to turn around a 2-1 deficit, with Smith bringing them back even at 8:52. The local native capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by placing a perfect glove-side wrist shot off a give-and-go with Mikael Granlund.

Smith’s goal was his seventh and the 25th goal by Sharks rookies this season, the most in the NHL.

A successful penalty kill helped vault San Jose to its first lead when Zetterlund scored with 4:42 left before the second intermission. After Smith’s shot was blocked, Zetterlund picked up the puck, skated down the wing and buried his own rebound after a net drive.

Boston’s opening goal came as Vinni Lettieri tipped Jordan Oesterle’s shot from the right point five-hole on Askarov at 9:21 of the first. It was his second tally in as many games.

Goodrow evened the score for San Jose at 13:16, charging down the middle of the ice to snap home Nico Sturm’s centering pass from behind the end line.

The Bruins’ power play converted for the fourth time in as many games at 7:02 of the second. Pavel Zacha circled the cage and fed Pastrnak for a one-time goal from close range just below the right circle for a 2-1 Boston lead.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 12

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – When the Boston Celtics raised Banner 18 to the rafters of the TD Garden this past Fall, it marked the 12th title for New England area pro teams in 24 years, or since the year 2000. Since the New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady with the 199th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots led the way for titles with six since 2001. Banner 18 was the second NBA title for the Celtics in that span and MLB’s Boston Red Sox managed four championships after breaking the “Curse of the Bambino” way back in 2004.

The question at the dawn of 2025?

What happened?

First, let’s look at the Patriots:

Tom Brady, a legit VVIP in the Greatest of All-Time discussion amongst NFL quarterbacks, departed from Foxborough on St. Patrick’s Day of 2020 with six championship rings in his bag of tricks. Three days later, the fate of the Patriots was sealed when Brady (and eventually TE Rob Gronkowski) signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two year deal lined Brady’s pockets with an additional $50m (and he added incentives, too) and put a seventh NFL championship ring on his finger in 2021.

Just preceding the development of Brady as the Patriots’ starting QB, head coach (and defacto GM) Bill Belichick took the reigns of New England and created an NFL dynasty like none other. From 2000 to his departure on January 11, 2024, the Patriots compiled a regular-season record of 266–121–0 over 24 seasons. Belichick is the most successful coach in Patriots history, by far, as his 266 wins with the franchise are more than quadruple those of runner-up Mike Holovak. Belichick compiled a 30–12 record in the playoffs with the Pats, including a 6–3 record in Super Bowls. He led the Patriots to 17 divisional titles, including five consecutive titles from 2003 to 2007 and eleven consecutive titles from 2009 to 2019. This streak of 11 consecutive playoff appearances is the most in NFL history for any team.

As most NFL fans know, when Belichick’s exit was combined with Brady’s departure, it sealed the Patriots’ fate.

Fast forward to the regular season just completed and an autopsy on the 2024 New England Patriots results in a (4-13) record with the only quality win coming in the final weekend of the season with a 23-16 win over Buffalo coming a week after the Bills had locked-in as the AFC’s No. 2 seed.

The season was a complete disaster, resulting in the one-and-done firing of coach Jerod Mayo, one of the most popular former players in New England history.

Aside from the drafting of QB prospect Drake Maye, the Patriots are depleted in talent department at nearly every position, aside from cornerback Christian Gonzalez and special teams ace Brenden Schooler. There’s no quick solution, although the Pats have more cap room than any other NFL team.

Of course, the Patriots didn’t help themselves when they won their final game of the season and went from NFL Draft first round pick No. 1 to pick No. 4. The only saving grace? The New England Patriots’ schedule for 2025 will include (Dates TBA):

Home @ Foxborough

*Buffalo Bills

*Miami Dolphins

*New York Jets

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

New York Giants

Las Vegas Raiders

Road Games

*Buffalo Bills

*Miami Dolphins

*New York Jets

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

*AFC East divisional opponents

Maybe the expected signing of former Patriots outside (and eventually inside) linebacker Mike Vrabel, will provide an added edge in training and execution next season. Vrabel, an accomplished NFL head coach and most recently a consultant with the Cleveland Browns, has been interviewing for head coaching jobs throughout the NFL. In addition to a key hire for head coach, the Patriots’ front office must draft very well over the next two seasons while improving via trades and free agency.

Now? A look at the Boston Red Sox:

Offseason moves include: The Sox’ moved for an ace in starting LH pitcher Garrett Crochet, acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox while shoring up the (possible six man) rotation and bullpen with free agent signing of reliever/closer Aroldis Chapman (age 36, 335 saves); signing of former LA Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval and a stab at another ace in acquiring former Dodgers ace Walker Buehler could call for the 6th Man award!

Buehler, 30, went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA during the 2024 regular season after missing the previous year recovering from Tommy John surgery. But in the 2024 postseason, he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and added a save. Not bad.

The Red Sox lost free agent OF Tyler O’Neill who came out smoking in the spring of 2024 only to falter and fall to injury later in the summer. But, prospect Kristian Campbell will join OF Jarren Duran, INF Triston Casas and the Sox lone superstar in 3B Rafael Devers in a make-it-or-break-it offensive line-up.

Stiff competition in the AL East places the Red Sox solidly behind the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, so a postseason berth is not likely in 2025.

Next up? The NHL Boston Bruins snapped a six-game losing streak with a big win at Florida on Saturday afternoon. The Bs (21-19-5) – went (8-9-3) early on to cause the dismissal of coach Jim Montgomery on November 19th after the club lost four of five.

Looking back, in his first season as Boston’s head coach (2022-23), Montgomery led the team to a historic season with the best single-season record in league history (65-12-5). The Bruins logged 135 regular season points and an .823 points percentage, also NHL bests. Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award that season as the League’s top coach. But, the Bruins lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round, and it was the Panthers – not the favored Bruins – who went on to the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s been downhill ever since with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron, the Bs highly respected captain and soul, leaving the club with quite a void. Can interim head coach Joe Sacco shed that preliminary title with a second half seson run to the Cup Playoffs?

And that brings us to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Without a doubt, the Celtics remain a solid contender for the 2025 NBA title, but they find themselves a distant third – behind the East’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the West’s Oklahoma City Thunder – when a look at the standings bring a realistic look of the ‘25 Finals.

The Celtics are a mediocre (8-7) over their last 15 games going into Sunday’s game against a struggling New Orleans Pelicans (8-31) team. Truth be told, the Cs have been battling a variety of injuries all season long. Bigman Kristaps Porzingis return brought hope, but he’s been slow in acclimating back into the regular rotation. Others – from PG Jrue Holiday to all-star swingman and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum to sharpshooter Sam Hauser to bigman Al Horford to reserve Luke Kornet to starting off guard Derrick White, have been in and out more often than teens at a Souther California burger joint. Boston coach Joe Mazzula has juggled 17 starting lineups during a first half-season timespan.

This week, a Friday/Saturday back-to-back against Orlando and Atlanta will provide another test. Will the Celtics regain that laser focus or will the likes of Tatum turn the ball over eight times, like he did this past Friday night in a 114-97 loss to the visiting Sacramento Kings?

In each round-up, there are far too many questions and not nearly enough definitive answers to the woes facing the New England clubs, the Celtics included.

It might be time for some major shake-ups at each and every club. The NBA Trade Deadline is February 6 (3:00pm ET).

And, how ‘bout dem Revs?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA is investing in a biomechanics program, according to reports from Sports Business Journal, the sports business trade magazine that reported on of a league-wide memo to all 30 NBA teams. According to SBJ, the league established two biomechanics committees, studying “a number of factors — the size of players, the nature of the game, the number of games in the season, the hardcourt surface — (all indications) that there’s reason to think about biomechanics that could be as helpful in basketball as almost any sport,”

BANNED FROM BASEBALL: You think Pete Rose had issues? The two fans who interfered with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium have been indefinitely banned from all MLB stadiums and facilities. … The letter read: “On October 29, 2024, during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, you interfered with play by intentionally and forcefully grabbing a player. Your conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior.

“Based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities. You are also hereby banned indefinitely from attending any events sponsored by or associated with MLB. Please be advised that if you are discovered at any MLB property or event, you will be removed from the premises and subject to arrest for trespass.”

TIDBITS: The need to cancel a few games in Los Angeles doesn’t come close when comparing the toil of the all-out devastation on-going in the LA area as wild fires burn as much land, homes, businesses in spaces equal to the size of the City of Minneapolis or the island of Manhattan. The League and teams also had concerns as the support to the games and arenas would take away first responder personnel fighting the wild fires. … Said the league in a statement cancelling two additional games, “The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local officials in Los Angeles and Inglewood about the ongoing situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts. … The league and its players put their money where their mouth is with a cool $1m donation. … “The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are donating one million dollars for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and other organizations to support those affected by this disaster and are working with the Lakers and Clippers on ways to support longer term assistance and rebuilding efforts.” … The NFL was forced to move its Monday Night Playoff games between the Minnesota Vikings and the LA Rams to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. … The LA Chargers changed their practice schedules to minimize their players’ outdoor time in coastal El Segundo. The Chargers are on the road Saturday against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round. … The LA Kings of the NHL were the first to postpone a regular season game, cancelling their Wednesday home game against Calgary at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings are now in the midst of a five-game road trip and play their next game January 20th against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. … The PGA Tour has not yet decided whether to play the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in LA, scheduled for Feb. 13-16. … There are several wild fires spread out across the neighboring towns of Los Angeles, including Pacific Palisades. At Santa Anita, the horse racing track is being used to stage fire fighting and relief equipment. The track, located in Arcadia, is near the smoldering Eaton fire that decimated Altadena. … The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

The Philadelphia 76ers are (4-17) against NBA clubs playing .500 or better basketball and that fact contributes to the Sixers’ (15-21) record overall. … If the NBA Playoffs began today, the once mighty 76ers would not qualify to play, nor attempt to play in.

selective focus photo of DJ mixer
Photo by Alexey Ruban on Unsplash

ADIEU VENU: That was quick. What was proclaimed to be the greatest viewing destination in the history of sports broadcasting has been scrapped. Gone. Left of the editing room floor. Kaput. Said Disney in a statement on the venture which would’ve been the mother of all ESPN, “After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period,” the statement read.

Disney was supposed to join forces with FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery and package ESPN, ESPN2, ABC (Sports), Fox, Fox Sports 1, TNT, TBS and others for a whopping $42.99 per month.

Fubo-TV jumped into the fray and filed an anti-trust lawsuit to stop the venture. As of this week, Fubo has settled its lawsuit and will merge efforts with the Walt Disney Co. and its Hulu + Live TV streaming service and join together to create the second-biggest digital pay-TV provider.

IN OTHER SPORTS BUSINESS NEWS: Former NBA China CEO Derek Chang was named President and CEO of Liberty Media. In a January 8th announcement by Liberty Chairman John Malone, Chang’s work with leading the NBA China efforts from 2018 to 2020 when the league expanded its efforts and created a stand-alone entity with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. Greg Maffei stepped down from his CEO rile in November (2024). Maffei was a driving force behind Liberty’s acquisition of Formula 1 in 2017. After his stint with the NBA, Chang worked in executive roles with EverPass Media, DIRECTV, Scripps, Charter and TCI. EverPass Media was a 2023 effort between the NFL and RedBird Capital Partners to market the NFL League Pass and other sports offerings (Peacock, Thursday Night Football) to commercial customers.

XFINITY AND BEYOND: Here in Boston, Comcast’s Xfinity service has made a move that might take the NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s Bruins right off your remote come this Tuesday, unless customers are ready to anti-up and extra $20 a month for a premium sports package. Come springtime, the same goes for fans looking to watch the Red Sox on NESN. Comcast – Xfinity’s parent company – reached agreements with NESN and NBC Sports Boston to move the channels from its Popular TV (or basic cable package) to its Ultimate TV (premium) level of service. The midseason timing is a killer for Cs and Bs fans who are looking to save some money on their monthly bills.

PARTING WORDS AND MUSIC (from the The Appalachian lap dulcimer): Here’s a treat and something completely different from the usual weekly music clip. This week, a loyal reader sent along a very short clip – highlighting the great movie line, “It ain’t a fit night out for man or beast.” … The famous line comes from the 1933 W.C. Fields motion picture, “The Fatal Glass of Beer,” set in the Yukon. (By the way, a common mistake when quoting the epic is to use the word (nor) instead of the proper (or) when delivering the goods – which comes at the 4:55 mark or so. Enjoy.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

-TL-

Bruins Win with 1.2 Seconds Left

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SUNRISE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s David Pastrnak scored with 1.2 seconds left in overtime for theBruins, who snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon in Florida.

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Pastrnak, who finished with two goals and one assist, got the game winner on an attempted pass that deflected in off the stick of Florida’s Sam Reinhart. The puck carried over the head of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for Pastrnak’s sixth goal in his past five games.

The Bruins, who earned their first win of the calendar year after an 0-5-1 stretch since 2025 began, got one goal each from Morgan Geekie and Oliver Wahlstrom.

The Panthers got two goals from Reinhart and one from Evan Rodrigues.

Maple Leafs Trick Bruins

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Toronto’s Matthew Knies recorded his first career hat trick and added two assists as the Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Boston Bruins 6-4 on Saturday night.

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Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and four assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won three games in a row.

Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) returned after missing six games and had an empty-net goal and two assists. Jake McCabe contributed a goal and an assist, and Joseph Woll made 26 saves.

David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins, who have lost three straight. Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic also scored, and Pavel Zacha had two assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots.

Pastrnak hit the goal post with a shot 32 seconds into a fast-paced first period.

McCabe opened the scoring at 3:29 of the first with a wrist shot from the left circle on a nifty pass from Marner.

The teams traded goals 12 seconds apart early in the second period.

Knies redirected a shot by Matthews at 3:37 after Boston failed to clear the puck, and Toronto led 2-0.

Geekie answered immediately with an eight-foot wrist shot. He pounced on a loose puck after Zacha jabbed at it following Charlie Coyle’s shot.

Boston tied the game at 18:44 of the second. After an icing call against Toronto, Frederic won the faceoff and scored with a 21-foot wrist shot from the slot after the return pass from Charlie McAvoy.

Knies scored on an eight-foot backhand at the end of a two-on-one with John Tavares at 3:43 of the third period.

Pastrnak tied the game 34 seconds later on a 34-foot snap shot after stealing the puck from a Maple Leafs player.

Toronto regained the lead when Knies scored at 5:28 on a high shot that hit the post and went in. Matthews won the puck at the end boards and made the pass into the slot.

Marner scored into an empty net at 17:55 of the third.

Pastrnak responded with a goal on a 14-foot wrist shot at 18:10, and Matthews sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 19:29.

–Field Level Media