Hockey in the morning a hit
A four-point field goal? Bears a step closer to Indiana
Good morning, all! It’s hump day!!!
How big of a video hit was the Olympic men’s hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada on Sunday morning? Try 18.6M viewers tuned in on NBC and Peacock. Almost 19M viewers for a game that started at 8:15 AM ET. Remarkable.
It will be interesting to see if there is a carryover in hockey interest, once the NHL season resumes. Remember, many of the players on both sides of the gold medal game play in the NHL.
Here are some other thoughts, as more snow is predicted to fall on the northeast of the USA:
UConn vs. St. John’s in men’s college basketball from downtown Hartford is must see tonight.
As long as we are on the hockey theme, which state has produced the most U.S.- born NHL players? Answer at the end of the notes.
Kenny Albert is one of the best sportscasters anywhere. Period! His call of the Olympic gold medal hockey game was extraordinary. But then again, he is equally adept at calling football and baseball on Fox. He is the son of the legendary sportscaster, Marv Albert, who when asked by the website Front Office Sports to analyze his son’s performance in the hockey finale, put it in succinct terms: “He was tremendous.” Yes he was.
In the event the Jets are interested, the Atlanta Falcons have informed the world they will release 37-year-old QB Kirk Cousins, when the free-agent signing period gets underway in March.
Spring will be here before you know it and that means…football. The United Football League is about to start its third season and there are some interesting rules changes, including any field goal attempt 60 yards or longer that is successful will be worth four points. And if that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, how about this? After a touchdown, teams will have the option for a 1-point conversion kick from the 33-yard line, a 2-point conversion play from the 2-yard line or a 3-point conversion play from the 8-yard line.
Call them gimmicks, if you would like, but the current kick-off rule you now witness in the NFL came from the UFL.
I don’t know about you but I love that Juan Soto of the Mets is saying he is “coming” after MVP Shohei Ohtani. “I’m going to be there every year, too. So he better keep doing what he’s doing, because I’m coming.” For the amount of money Soto is making, he should be there every year. Now let’s see if he can back up his talk.
On Tuesday the Indiana state house, by an overwhelming 95-4 vote, approved creation of a state board to finance bonds toward a new stadium for the Chicago Bears. The bill now heads to the state senate. The clock is ticking, however, as the Indiana legislature ends its session on Friday. Meanwhile, in a last-ditch effort to keep the Bears from moving, an Illinois legislative committee will review what is being termed a “Mega Project” bill, that would enable entities, such as the Bears franchise, to negotiate tax rates with local officials. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays is a step closer to reality. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to give Hillsborough College 22-acres of state-owned land on which the Rays could build their new ballpark. The land is adjacent to the New York Yankees spring training facility and across the street from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Bucs. Wonder how George Steinbrenner would have felt, if one of his opponents was building a new ballpark and mixed use entertainment development next door to his spring training complex?
Answer to the quiz: Minnesota has produced the most U.S.-born NHL players followed by Michigan and Massachusetts.
That is going to do it for this morning’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful Wednesday!
DAN