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Arizona Cardinals Game Release

NFL Editor
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Arizona Cardinals Game Release

THIS WEEK’S PREVIEW

The Cardinals make their 2021 regular season home debut when they host the Vikings at State Farm Stadium on Sunday. Arizona enters the game looking to start the season 2-0 for the second straight year – and for just the seventh Ɵ me in the last 31 seasons.

Sunday’s game begins the Cardinals 16 regular season at State Farm Stadium, where the team is 10-5 in home openers. After playing in front of a largely empty stadium last season due to the pandemic – Arizona welcomes the return of a full house for Sunday’s game. The Cardinals played just five home games with the general public in limited attendance last season, and those five games saw a combined 9,600 fans in attendance. The venue will far exceed that number this weekend.

When it comes to the series between the Cardinals and Vikings, playing at home makes a significant difference. The home team has won seven in a row – and 11 of the last 12 – in the series between the two teams. Arizona has won two straight against Minnesota at State Farm Stadium.

After shuƫting down RB Derrick Henry and the Titans high-powered offense in last week’s opener at Tennessee, the Cardinals defense faces another big test in RB Dalvin Cook. The Cardinals shut down the Titans offense to the tune of 13 points, 248 yards and 86 rushing yards last week, while allowing an NFL-low 3.88 yards per play. Much of the damage done by the Cardinals defense last week came courtesy of LB Chandler Jones, who had a career game with 5.0 sacks to go along with two forced fumbles and six QB hits.

Minnesota’s defense is also coming off a productive outing in its overtime loss to the Bengals in Week 1. The unit recorded five sacks, seven QB hits and seven tackles for loss. On Sunday the Vikings defense faces QB Kyler Murray, who is coming off a career game in which he set career highs for total TDs (5) and passing TDs (4) in leading the Cardinals to a 25-point win at Tennessee.

Following this week’s game the Cardinals will embark on a two-game road trip when they travel to Jacksonville in Week 3. That is the first of consecutive road games on opposite coasts for the Cardinals, who head back West for a showdown with the Rams in Week 4. After back-to-back road games to start the year, the Vikings will return to U.S. Bank Stadium for their regular season home opener

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

The Cardinals make their 2021 regular season home debut on Sunday. Arizona is 10-5 in home openers since beginning play at State Farm Stadium in 2006.

This week marks the return of CB Patrick Peterson, who played 77 games (including postseason) at State Farm Stadium during his 10 seasons (2011-20) with the Cardinals.

After facing the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in RB Derrick Henry last week, Arizona’s defense will face RB Dalvin Cook in Week 2. The NFL’s two leading rushers last season, Henry and Cook combined to run for 3,584 yards and 33 TDs in 2020. Arizona held Henry to just 58 yards on 17 carries last week, including just nine carries for eight yards in the first half.

LB Chandler Jones recorded six tackles, a career-high 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, six QB hits and four tackles for loss last week. Jones now has 102.0 sacks in 125 career games. His per game sack average (.816) ranks 2ⁿǖ in NFL history behind only Reggie White (.853) among players w/ at least 75 games played.

QB Kyler Murray accounted for a career-high five total TDs (4 passing, rushing) and threw for a career-high four TDs last week in Tennessee. It (121.0) marked Murray’s fifth career game with a passer rating of 120+.

There were 13 different players who made their Cardinals debut last week. That includes rookies LB Zaven Collins, WR Rondale Moore and CB Marco Wilson – who all started in their NFL debut.

The Cardinals defense was dominant in last week’s win. The unit totaled 6 sacks, 3 takeaways, 9 QB hits, 8 tackles for loss, 8 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

CARDINALS-VIKINGS ALL-TIME SERIES

This week’s matchup between the Cardinals and Vikings marks the 27th all-Ɵ me regular season meeting between the two teams in a rivalry that dates back to 1963. The Vikings hold a 15-11 advantage in the all-time series.

Sunday’s contest marks the Cardinals 14th Ɵ me hosting the Vikings and Arizona has a 7-6 home record in the previous 13 matchups. Although this will be the 10th meeting between the two teams since State Farm Stadium opened in 2006, it marks just the fourth to take place on the Cardinals home field. Five of the last six meetings between the Cards and Vikings have taken place in Minnesota.

Home field advantage has been significant in this series, with the home team winning seven in a row – and 11 of the last 12. Arizona enters Sunday’s game having won two straight at home against the Vikings, including a 23-20 victory over Minnesota in its last visit to State Farm Stadium in 2015.

Sunday’s game marks the ninth time in the last 14 seasons the Cardinals and Vikings will have squared off .

CARDS-VIKINGS ALL-TIME REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Overall Regular Season Series: 11-15
Cardinals at home vs. MIN: 7-6
First Meeting: 10/6/63 @ Minnesota, W, 56-14
Last Meeting: 10/14/18 @ Minnesota, L, 27-17
Last Cardinals win vs. MIN: 12/10/15 vs. Min, W, 23-20

Preview: GAME 3: Arkansas State (1-1) at Washington (0-2)

NCAAFB Editor
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Preview: GAME 3: Arkansas State (1-1) at Washington (0-2)

Sept. 18, 2021 | Husky Stadium

Seattle, Wash. | 3:15 p.m. (CT)

Radio: EAB Red Wolves Sports Network (107.9 FM, flagship)

Matt Stolz (pxp), Phillip Butterfield (analyst), Brad Bobo (sideline)

Television: Pac-12 Network

JB Long (pxp), Max Browne (analyst)

Live Stats: AStateStats.com

Live Game Notes: twitter.com/AStateGameDay

 

ON TAP:  Following a pair of home games to begin its 2021 campaign, Arkansas State returns to action Saturday with its first road test of the season at Pac-12 foe Washington.  The contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Network, and every A-State football game can be heard live on 107.9 FM in the Northeast Arkansas area.  The live broadcast can also be accessed on the official A-State Athletics web site (AStateRedWolves.com).

 

THE PRINCIPALS:  Playing two consecutive home games to start a season for the first time since 1987, the Red Wolves knocked off Central Arkansas 40-21 to start the year before falling 55-50 against Memphis the following week in a game that came down to the final play.  A preseason Top-25 team, Washington will enter the contest with an 0-2 record after falling 13-7 at home against Montana and 31-10 at Michigan.

 

HEAD COACH BUTCH JONES:  Butch Jones was announced as the Red Wolves’ 31st all-time head football coach on December 12, 2020.  Jones not only brought 11 years of head-coaching experience at the NCAA FBS level with him to Jonesboro after previous stops leading the football programs at Tennessee (2013-17), Cincinnati (2010-12) and Central Michigan (2007-09), but he also spent the last three seasons (2018-20) working as part of Nick Saban’s staff at national-power Alabama.  During Jones’ first 11 seasons serving as a head coach, his teams combined to win four conference championships, played in eight bowl games and finished ranked in the AP Top 25 five times.  He has coached a combined 77 all-conference honorees and 27 NFL Draft picks.

 

DEBUT GAMES:  Butch Jones is A-State’s 31st all-time head coach, but became just the 11th to claim a victory in his first ever game at the school.  Each of the two head coaches (Blake Anderson and Bryan Harsin) immediately preceding Jones won their initial games, but Harsin in 2013 was actually the first to do so since Larry Lacewell in 1979,  snapping a streak of seven head coaches to drop their debuts.  A-State’s head coaches to win their first game at the school include Jones (2021), Anderson (2014), Harsin, Lacewell, Bill Davidson (1971), Gene Harlow (1955), Glen Harmeson (1954), Bill Adams (1939), Jack Dale (1931), Bill Stanley (1924) and Clint Young (1913).  Among the same group, Davidson was the last to win his first two games in 1971.

 

THE ARKANSAS STATE – WASHINGTON SERIES:  The Red Wolves are traveling to Seattle this week for their first ever matchup against Washington, which is their first against a Pac-12 member since playing USC in 2015.

 

A-STATE vs PAC-12 CONFERENCE:  Arkansas State is set to face a current member of the Pac-12 for just the third time in school history.  The Red Wolves’ only other two meetings against a current member of the league came in their 2012 season opener at No. 5 Oregon (L, 57-34)and in 2015 at No. 8 USC (L, 55-6).

 

FAMILY TIES:  Research indicates that Butch Jones is one of nine FBS head coaches in the nation with a son currently playing at an FBS institution.  Adam Jones, one of Jones’ three sons, is currently a redshirt freshman wide receiver for the Red Wolves after transferring from Central Michigan to A-State after Jones accepted the Red Wolves’ head coaching position.  Jones’ oldest son, Alex, is also in his first season in an offensive quality control position for the Red Wolves.  His youngest son, Andrew, is a member of the freshman football team at Valley View in Jonesboro.

 

AN A-STATE VICTORY WOULD …:  give the Red Wolves their first victory in school history over a Pac-12 member . . . mark the second straight season it has defeated a Power 5 conference opponent (W 35-31 at Kansas State last year) and it give the Red Wolves three victories over a P5 team since moving to FBS status in 1992 (also won 18-14 at Texas A&M in 2008) . . . give the Red Wolves a winning record after three games for the first time since 2018 and just the sixth time since moving to FBS status in 1992 (2021, 2018, 2013, 2008, 2003, 1995).

 

ECLIPSING 300:  Quarterbacks James Blackman (306) and Layne Hatcher (276) combined to pass for a school-record 582 yards that were also the third most in Sun Belt history last week versus Memphis, marking the fifth consecutive game dating back to last season that the Red Wolves have thrown for at least 300 yards.  A-State has also completed at least four touchdown passes in each of its last five games, including its first two this season and last three of 2020.  Both Hatcher and Blackman came off the bench versus UCA and Memphis, respectively, to throw four touchdown passes.

 

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST:  Not only did A-State set the school record for passing yards (582) last week versus Memphis, they also broke the school record for first downs in a game with 35.  The Red Wolves finished the contest with 98 plays, the second most in school history, and 680 yards of total offense for the fourth most ever by an A-State team.  Wide receiver Jeff Foreman finished the outing with a career-best eight receptions for 198 yards, which were the sixth most in school history for a single game.  Foreman has posted at least 100 receiving yards in four of the Red Wolves’ last five games, dating back to last season.  Additionally, Te’Vailance Hunt caught nine passes covering 123 yards, giving A-State three receivers this year with at least 100 receiving yards in a game.   Corey Rucker had 138 yards against UCA.

 

RUSHING RED WOLVES:  Although A-State was unable to hit the century mark with 98 rushing yards last week versus Memphis, five A-State players combined to post 194 rushing yards in the Red Wolves’ season opener.  The 194 yards were just five shy of the team’s season-best total for all of last season.  Running backs Alan Lamar, Marcel Murray and Johnnie Lang Jr. each ran for at least 36 yards against the Bears.

 

ON THE RETURN:  A-State running back Johnnie Lang Jr. posted three punt returns for 44 yards against UCA, surpassing the team’s 11 total punt return yards for all of last season.  Lang averaged 14.7 yards per attempt with a long return covering 29 yards.  A-State didn’t attempt a punt return last week versus Memphis.

 

ON THE RETURN (PART II):  Running back Alan Lamar posted six kickoff returns for 113 yards against Memphis, marking the first time an A-State player eclipsed 100 return yards since Roshauud Paul posted 126 against Appalachian State last season — a span of seven games.  Paul’s total marked the only time last season an A-State player went over 100 yards in kickoff returns.  Lamar’s six returns tied the seventh most in school history for a single game.

 

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE:  A-State won the turnover battle in each of its first two games this season, posting two interceptions against UCA and two fumble recoveries against Memphis while turning the ball over only once (fumble vs UCA).  A-State held a -4 turnover margin last season, posting 12 turnovers gained to its 16 turnovers lost.  The Red Wolves posted multiple turnovers in back-to-back games just once last season (Oct. 3 at Coastal Carolina, Oct. 10 vs Central Arkansas).

 

PICK IT OFF:  Cornerback Samy Johnson and EJ Alexander each intercepted a pass in A-State’s season opener, which matched the Red Wolves’ single-game season high for all of last year.  A-State picked off just six passes for the entire 2020 season.  Alexander intercepted his first career pass at A-State, while Johnson collected his third.

 

STOPPING THE RUN:  A-State’s defense allowed just 42 rushing yards to UCA, which were its fewest allowed in a game since limiting New Mexico State to 35 yards on Oct. 28, 2017.  The Red Wolves finished their season opener versus the Bears with 6.0 tackles for loss of 21 yards.  Three of those came from defensive end Kivon Bennett, matching his career high originally set at Tennessee.

 

EXPERIENCE UP FRONT:  Arkansas State entered the season with nine different offensive linemen who had combined to start 149 career games at the FBS level, which was the fourth most in the nation behind only Minnesota (180), Miami (159) and Michigan State (151).  Including players who have started at least one FCS game, the Red Wolves had 10 o-linemen who combined for 157 career starts, which was also the fourth most in the nation behind Illinois (193), Minnesota (180) and Miami (159).

 

RUCKER HONORED:  Wide receiver Corey Rucker was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6 after recording nine receptions for 138 yards and three touchdowns against UCA.  He was also named the league’s offensive player of the week following the Red Wolves’ 2020 season finale.  Over his last three games played, he has recorded 23 receptions for 524 yards and eight touchdowns — he has at least one TD reception in each of those three outings.

 

HOME SWEET HOME:  Arkansas State has strung together 16 consecutive years (2005-20) with a winning record at Centennial Bank Stadium dating back to 2005.  The Red Wolves are now 72-20 (.783 winning percentage) when playing at home since the 2005 season.  A-State’s actual on-field record all-time at Centennial Bank Stadium is 164-83-1 since it opened in 1974.

 

FOR STARTERS:  Arkansas State won its season opener this year for the first time since 2018, running its record in such games since moving to FBS status in 1992 to 7-23.  The Red Wolves six season-opening wins since moving to FBS status include:

 

2021 vs Central Arkansas (W, 40-21)

2018 vs Southeast Missouri State (W, 48-21)

2014 vs Montana State (W, 37-10)

2013 vs UAPB (W, 62-11)

2008 at Texas A&M (W, 18-14)

2006 vs Army (W, 14-6)

1995 vs Utah State (W, 21-17)

 

34-YEAR SPAN:  Arkansas State began its 2021 campaign with back-to-back home games for the first time since 1987.  The Red Wolves hosted Central Arkansas in its season opener on Sept. 4 and Memphis this past Saturday.  The Red Wolves also opened their season at home for the sixth time over the last nine years.

 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS:  The Arkansas State football team was picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division in the league’s preseason coaches poll.  The Red Wolves received one first-place vote and 38 points, 11 fewer than a Louisiana team that picked up nine first-place votes.  A-State checks in as the West Division No. 2 pick for the third consecutive season in the poll.  The Red Wolves return six starters on offense and nine on defense from last year’s squad.

 

PRESEASON ACCOLADES:  Between Athlon Sports, Phil Steele’s, College Football News and Pro Football Focus, 13 different A-State players have received preseason All-Sun Belt Conference recognition.  The A-State players who have been recognized include defensive end TW Ayers, defensive lineman Kivon Bennett, linebacker Caleb Bonner, safety Antonio Fletcher, wide receiver Jeff Foreman, wide receiver Dahu Green, kicker Blake Grupe, defensive lineman Terry Hampton, offensive lineman Andre Harris Jr., quarterback Layne Hatcher, running back Marcel Murray, wide receiver Corey Rucker and tight end Reed Tyler.

 

A LOOK BACK:  A-State’s first spring camp under HC Butch Jones wrapped up April 17 with its spring game at Centennial Bank Stadium.  There were several spring-camp team awards presented as the football staff chose five individuals who maintained consistent success on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom.  The players recognized for “consistency in performance” were wide receiver Corey Rucker (offense), linebacker Caleb Bonner (defense) and kicker Blake Grupe (special teams).  Senior safety EJ Alexander was awarded the “Pack Performance Award” for his consistent performance in the weight room.  Defensive back Taylon Doss was issued the 4-6/A to B” award for his performance on special teams in the secondary.

 

IT’S GOOD:  Junior kicker Blake Grupe was responsible for a career-high 14 points during Arkansas State’s game against Memphis as he connected on all three of his field goal attempts and made 5-of-5 extra points.  The Sedalia, Mo., native’s 14 points tied the seventh most in school history and were just three shy of tying the fifth most in Sun Belt Conference history.  His three field goals made tied the most of his career, and he was successful on a 48-yard attempt that was the longest of his career.  Grupe’s other two field goals covered 37 and 34 yards.  He has already made five field goals this season, giving him 49 for his career that stand as the third most in school history.  He ran his career points-scored total to 287, which gives him the fifth most points by kicking in Sun Belt history.

LES CANADIENS DE MONTRÉAL ACCUEILLERONT LE REPÊCHAGE 2022 DE LA LNH

NHL Editor
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LES CANADIENS DE MONTRÉAL ACCUEILLERONT LE REPÊCHAGE 2022 DE LA LNH

Le repêchage 2022 de la LNH aura lieu au Centre Bell les 7 et 8 juillet

 

NEW YORK  – La Ligue Nationale de Hockey annonce aujourd’hui que les Canadiens accueilleront le repêchage 2022 de la LNH. Cette édition 2022 marquera la 27e fois que les Canadiens accueillent le repêchage, une première depuis 2009. La ville devait accueillir le repêchage 2020 de la LNH, qui s’est plutôt déroulé de façon virtuelle pour des raisons de santé et de sécurité relatives à COVID-19.

 

Le Repêchage de la LNH 2022 se déroulera sur deux jours, soit le jeudi 7 juillet (premier tour télévisé sur les ondes de Sportsnet, TVA Sports, ESPN ou ESPN2) et le vendredi 8 juillet (deuxième au septième tours; les détails sur la télédiffusion seront annoncés quand ils seront connus). Les dirigeants, dépisteurs et entraîneurs de clubs seront présents sur le plancher du Repêchage de la LNH tandis que des milliers de partisans et des centaines de journalistes de la presse écrite, de la télévision et de la radio sont attendus pour l’occasion.

 

 

« Nous sommes fiers d’annoncer qu’une fois de plus, nous allons tenir notre Repêchage en présence des grands partisans des Canadiens de Montréal, a déclaré Gary Bettman commissaire de la LNH. Hôte du premier Repêchage de la LNH en 1963, Montréal est un endroit magnifique pour réunir la famille de la LNH afin de tourner nos regards vers l’avenir de notre sport alors que nos clubs inviteront les meilleurs espoirs de partout dans le monde à rejoindre leurs rangs. Nous remercions aussi Geoff Molson et tous les membres de l’organisation des Canadiens pour leur coopération et leur soutien alors que nous avons dû organiser le Repêchage à distance au cours des deux dernières années. »

 

« Nous sommes très heureux d’avoir été choisis par la Ligue afin d’accueillir le repêchage, qui aura lieu à Montréal pour la première fois depuis 2009 », a mentionné France Margaret Bélanger, Présidente, sports et divertissement du Groupe CH. « Au nom de tous les partisans et de l’organisation, nous tenons à remercier la LNH pour ce vote de confiance, qui nous permettra de présenter enfin cet événement d’envergure après deux éditions virtuelles, en plus de faire vivre une expérience inoubliable à plusieurs jeunes joueurs. »

 

« Le hockey de la LNH étant un attrait touristique de marque dans la métropole, Tourisme Montréal est heureux de remplir son mandat en contribuant au retour de cet événement dans notre belle ville », se réjouit Yves Lalumière, président-directeur général de Tourisme Montréal. « Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir à nouveau les équipes et les joueurs dans la première ville sportive au Canada. »

 

Le Repêchage de la LNH offre l’occasion aux partisans de hockey d’être témoins du début de carrière des plus récentes étoiles de la LNHMD. Les récents premiers choix au repêchage comprennent Alex Ovechkin (Washington, 2004), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh, 2005), Erik Johnson (St. Louis, 2006), Patrick Kane (Chicago, 2007), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay, 2008), John Tavares (NY Islanders, 2009), Taylor Hall (Edmonton, 2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton, 2011), Nail Yakupov (Edmonton, 2012), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado, 2013), Aaron Ekblad (Floride, 2014), Connor McDavid (Edmonton, 2015), Auston Matthews (Toronto, 2016), Nico Hischier (New Jersey, 2017), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo, 2018), Jack Hughes (New Jersey, 2019), Alexis Lafrenière (NY Rangers, 2020) et Owen Power (Buffalo, 2021).

 

Le Repêchage de la LNH s’est déroulé dans différents hôtels de Montréal, aux bureaux de la Ligue à Montréal ainsi que dans l’enceinte historique du Forum de Montréal, de 1963 à 1984. L’événement a été présenté à l’extérieur de Montréal pour la première fois au Palais des congrès du Toronto métropolitain en 1985. Montréal a ensuite accueilli le Repêchage en 1986, 1988, 1992 et 2009.

Montreal Canadiens to Host 2022 NHL Draft

NHL Editor
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Montreal Canadiens to Host 2022 NHL Draft

NEW YORK – The National Hockey League announced today that the Montreal Canadiens will host the 2022 NHL Draft™ at Bell Centre. The 2022 event will mark the 27th time the City of Montreal will host the NHL Draft, and the first time since 2009. The city was scheduled to host the 2020 NHL Draft, which was moved to a virtual event for health and safety precautions due to COVID-19.

 

The 2022 NHL Draft will be held over two days: Thursday, July 7 (Round 1, televised on Sportsnet, TVA Sports, ESPN or ESPN2) and Friday, July 8 (Rounds 2-7, television information to be announced when available). NHL club executives, scouts and coaches will be present on the NHL Draft floor while thousands of fans and hundreds of print, television and radio media are expected to attend.

 

“We are proud to announce that, once again, we are conducting our Draft in front of the great fans of the Montreal Canadiens,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Montreal, the site of the first NHL Draft in 1963, is a wonderful place to bring the NHL family together and to focus on the future of our game as our Clubs call the names of top prospects from around the world. We also thank Geoff Molson and the entire Canadiens organization for their cooperation and support while we needed to conduct the Draft remotely the past two years.”

 

“We are very excited to have been chosen by the League to host the draft, which will take place in Montreal for the first time since 2009,” said France Margaret Bélanger, President, Sports and Entertainment of CH Group. “On behalf of all fans and the organization, we would like to thank the NHL for this vote of confidence, which will allow us to finally present this major event after two virtual editions, while providing an unforgettable experience to several young players.”

“NHL hockey being a major tourist attraction in the metropolis, Tourisme Montréal is happy to fulfill its mandate by contributing to the return of this event in our beautiful city,” says Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “We are thrilled to welcome back teams and players in the first sports city in Canada.”

The NHL Draft offers the opportunity for hockey fans to witness the beginning of the careers of the latest NHL® stars. Recent No. 1 overall picks include Alex Ovechkin (Washington, 2004), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh, 2005), Erik Johnson (St. Louis, 2006), Patrick Kane (Chicago, 2007), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay, 2008), John Tavares (NY Islanders, 2009), Taylor Hall (Edmonton, 2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton, 2011), Nail Yakupov (Edmonton, 2012), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado, 2013), Aaron Ekblad (Florida, 2014), Connor McDavid (Edmonton, 2015), Auston Matthews (Toronto, 2016), Nico Hischier (New Jersey, 2017), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo, 2018), Jack Hughes (New Jersey, 2019), Alexis Lafrenière (NY Rangers, 2020) and Owen Power (Buffalo, 2021).

 

The NHL Draft was conducted in various Montreal hotels, the League office in Montreal, as well as the historic Montreal Forum from 1963-1984. The event was held outside Montreal for the first time at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in 1985. Montreal again hosted the Draft in 1986, 1988, 1992 and 2009.

Ticket plans, related events and other details pertaining to the 2022 NHL Draft will be announced at a later date. For historical information and past draft selections, visit records.nhl.com. NHL Network and NHL.com will provide extensive coverage live from the event leading up to and after the 2022 NHL Draft. NHL Social™ will have exclusive coverage on all social platforms, and those looking to join the conversation can use the official hashtag #NHLDraft.

Lewis waived from Reserve/Injured

NFL Editor
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Lewis waived from Reserve/Injured

The Bengals today waived CB Donnie Lewis from the team’s Reserve/Injured list. He had been waived (injured) by Cincinnati on Aug. 23, then cleared waivers the next day and reverted to Reserve/Injured.

 

Lewis, a first-year player out of Tulane, joined the Bengals last season and spent the last seven games on the practice squad. He did not see game action.

Bengals roster moves

NFL Editor
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Bengals roster moves

The Bengals today made the following roster moves:

 

*Placed S Ricardo Allen on the Reserve/Injured list. Allen, seventh-year player, suffered a hand injury during Sunday’s game vs. Minnesota.

 

*Signed WR Trenton Irwin from the practice squad to the active roster. Irwin, a first-year player out of Stanford University, originally was a college free agent signee of the Miami Dolphins in 2019. He joined Cincinnati midway through 2019, and has since spent time between the Bengals’ active roster and practice squad. He has played in two career games (both with Cincinnati), and has one catch for five yards.

 

*Signed S Sean Davis to the practice squad. Davis (6-1, 202), a sixth-year player out of the University of Maryland, originally was a second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. He also has spent time with the Washington Football Team and Indianapolis Colts. He has played in 65 career games, and has 244 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 21 PDs, five INTs, a FF and a FR. He was released from the Colts’ practice squad yesterday.

Justin Morrow announces retirement

MLS Editor
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Justin Morrow announces retirement

Toronto FC defender Justin Morrow announced today that he will be retiring at the end of the 2021 season, completing a highly decorated 12-year career in Major League Soccer.

Morrow, 34, has spent the past eight season with Toronto FC. His 246 appearances across all competitions ranks second all-time in club history. During his time with the club, Morrow has registered 18 goals and 20 assists, numbers which make him the most prolific attacking defender in club history.

Morrow was named to the MLS Best XI during for his work during TFC’s 2017 Treble winning season (MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship). Morrow scored a career-high eight goals in league play that season, including the first hat-trick of his career on September 30, in a 4-2 win over the New York Red Bulls at BMO Field. Morrow was also a part of the 2016 and 2018 Canadian Championship winning teams, the 2016, 2017 and 2019 MLS Eastern Conference Championship teams and the 2018 Concacaf Champions League runners up. He is one of the four players to have achieved over 200 appearances for the club (Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley, and Mark Delgado).

In 2020, Morrow was named executive director of Black Players for Change (BPC) following the organization’s launch on June 19. BPC were awarded the 2020 MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year.

“Both on and off the field, Justin has been a model professional,” said Toronto FC President Bill Manning. “He will retire as one of the best players to ever wear a TFC jersey, a gentleman and a great family man who gave everything he had for the club and the city.”

Morrow was originally acquired in a trade with the San Jose Earthquakes on December 16, 2013. Drafted out of the University of Notre Dame in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Morrow spent the first four season of his professional career with the Quakes, appearing in 73 matches, recording two goals and seven assists. For his career, Morrow has made 289 combined appearances (MLS regular season and MLS Cup playoffs) for TFC and San Jose.

“Justin has had an exceptional career. He has been the type of player that gives everything he has and more – to his teammates, coaches, the environment, and the fans. I am so happy that I had the chance to work with him, and get to know him,” said Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis. “And, while his contributions on the field have been important over the years, I believe his greatest contributions will be off the field in the years to come. We have seen a glimpse of that in his role with Black Players for Change, but I really feel he has a bright future.”

Internationally, Morrow earned four caps for the United States Men’s national team. His first appearance came during a friendly against Canada in January 30, 2013. He represented USMNT at the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he played against Martinique on July 13 and El Salvador on July 20. His final appearance for the national team was in a friendly match on January 29, 2018, against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

THREE POINTS: Houston Dynamo FC host FC Dallas in final leg of Texas Derby

MLS Editor
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THREE POINTS: Houston Dynamo FC host FC Dallas in final leg of Texas Derby

NEED TO KNOW:

Dynamo FW Fafa Picault has scored six goals in last seven games

Picault has scored two goals against FC Dallas this season

Houston enters Saturday’s game with a 9-4-8 (WLD) record against FC Dallas at home

HOUSTON – Houston Dynamo FC host FC Dallas in the third and final meeting of the regular season on Saturday at BBVA Stadium. Houston and Dallas have split the previous two meetings with back-to-back draws and Houston looks to earn their second victory of the week after defeating their newest in-state rival, Austin FC, 3-0 last Saturday.

Houston returned from Carson, Calif. with a point after a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy on Wednesday. Forward Fafa Picault gave Houston an early lead with his ninth goal of the season in the 13th minute of the match. Picault needs to score one more goal to match his regular season record for the most goals scored in a single season (10). The forward reached the double-digit mark with the Philadelphia Union in 2018.

Katy native Michael Nelson was key to Houston’s performance on Wednesday and finished with three saves, a new personal best and the goalkeeper earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week honors for his performance. Nelson has five saves since last Saturday and will aim for his second clean sheet of the week after earning a shutout against Austin FC last Saturday.

FC Dallas traveled east on Wednesday to earn a 3-3 draw with New York City FC at Red Bull Arena. Jader Obrian finished with a brace and Jesus Ferreiraa also found the back of the net on Wednesday. The bulk of Dallas’ offense runs through Ricardo Pepi, who leads the team with 12 goals and two assists this season. The forward scored a key goal in the previous meeting between both teams to split the points with a 2-2 draw at BBVA Stadium on Aug. 21

The Dynamo will return to the road next Saturday for the third and final meeting with Minnesota United. Houston fell to Minnesota in the first meeting at Allianz Field and will look to split the series on the road.

Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s game:

FAFA PICAULT OWNS TEXAS TEAMS IN 2021: Dynamo forward Fafa Picault has scored five of his nine goals this season against FC Dallas and Austin FC. The forward has scored in all four meetings against Houston’s in-state rivals this season and will look to keep that streak alive on Saturday against his former club. The forward enters Saturday’s game with six goals in his last seven games and one goal shy of reaching his regular season record for most goals in a single season. The forward reached the double-digit tally with the Philadelphia Union in 2018 with a brace against Minnesota United on Oct. 6, 2018. The forward would be the seventh player in club history to reach the milestone with the club and the first since Mauro Manotas scored 13 goals in 2019.

NELSON KEY TO WEDNESDAY’S DRAW IN CARSON: Dynamo goalkeeper Michael Nelson earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week Honors for his performance against the LA Galaxy on Wednesday. The Katy native finished with three saves and a share of the points on the road against an LA Galaxy team that has scored 37 goals this season, tied for the third highest mark in the Western Conference. Nelson made his MLS debut on Aug. 28 at BBVA Stadium against Minnesota and has now started in four consecutive matches.

DALLAS IN NEED OF POINTS: FC Dallas enters Saturday’s match with three consecutive draws and the north Texas side has only won two matches since Aug. 7, both against MLS expansion side Austin FC. Dallas will look to Ricardo Pepi for a share of the points following his international debut with the U.S. Men’s National Team and breakout season. The 18-year-old scored against the Dynamo earlier this season and enters Saturday’s game with 12 goals this season.

PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker crowns Main Event champions

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PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker crowns Main Event champions

The 20th edition of PokerStars prestigious World Championship of Online Poker has come to a close as the biggest WCOOP ever, awarding a massive $126,543,330 in prize money to the PokerStars community.

 

Taking place from August 22 to September 15, the series attracted more than 1.4 million entries across the 102-event schedule and exceeded its original $100 million guarantee. The six Main Events awarded a total of $18.4 million.

 

Key highlights include:

 

PokerStars Ambassadors Spraggy and Tonkaaaa both won the second WCOOP titles of their careers on the same day. Tonkaaa took down Event-75-H for $108,729 and Spraggy won Event 83-H for a total of $67,968.

Brazil once again secured the most WCOOP wins with a massive 57 titles under their belt.

The Player of the Series went to Talal ‘raidalot’ Shakerchi from the UK.

‘raidalot’ also won the High leaderboard for a prize of $15,000. The Medium leaderboard winner was ‘FONBET_RULIT’ for $10,000, and the Low leaderboard was won by ‘ekvilibryst’ for $5,000.

And it’s a hat trick for ‘raidalot’ who secured three WCOOP 2021 wins, alongside Yuri ‘theNERDguy’ Martins of Brazil.

‘theNERDguy’ also became the first player ever to win three titles in back-to-back WCOOPs, having done so in both 2020 and 2021.

13 players managed to secure two WCOOP 2021 titles.

As well as the coveted WCOOP title and prize money, every WCOOP champion will receive a newly designed WCOOP trophy to commemorate their win.

More than $1 million in value was added by PokerStars through giveaways and routes to qualify for the community.

 

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan the Championship of Online Poker is well underway running until September 27 and featuring a total guaranteed prize pool of $4.5 million across the three state championships. The Galactic Series is also taking in France, Spain, and Portugal until September 26 with a 303-event schedule and more than €10 million in guaranteed prize money.

Rampel captures $25,000 PLO at the 2021 Poker Masters

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Rampel captures $25,000 PLO at the 2021 Poker Masters

Miles Rampel, a newcomer to the PokerGO Studio with no prior recorded live cashes, won Event #9: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2021 Poker Masters for $365,500. Rampel topped a field of 43 entries, beating AP Louis Garza in heads-up play.

 

After his win, Rampel talked about how he came up in poker before showing up in Las Vegas to score this breakout victory.

 

“I’ve been playing $1-2 and $2-5 no-limit [hold’em] for 10 years, starting in college,” Rampel said. “I went to UCSB so I played at the Chumash Casino in a little $60 max buy-in $1-2 game. I started playing PLO this year and enjoyed it a lot. It’s fun to think a little bit more. Then my friends and I just came to Las Vegas on a whim and saw that this tournament was here. I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll take a shot.’ On the morning of registration, I was hemming and hawing thinking I didn’t want to start the trip stuck $25,000 with it being all pros, but I said, ‘You know what? I’ll register.’ Lots and ups and downs.”

 

With his finish in second place, Garza moved to the top of the 2021 Poker Masters leaderboard and leads in the race for the Purple Jacket.

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