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Already beset by five key injuries, the Minnesota Wild may see a change on the blue line when they face the Senators on Saturday afternoon. On Friday morning, the Wild recalled defenseman David Jiricek from Iowa of the American Hockey League as an insurance policy in case veteran Jonas Brodin is unable to play against Ottawa. Brodin appeared to be injured in Thursday’s 5-2 home win versus Dallas, although he made it to the end of the game. Wild coach John Hynes, speaking during the team’s optional practice at TRIA Rink on Friday afternoon, confirmed that Brodin is questionable for Saturday. “He did come back and finish, but we need the insurance with (Brodin) being questionable and the back-to-back,” Hynes said. The Wild are in the midst of a stretch of three games in four days. Jiricek, who was acquired in a trade with Columbus last season, has played a dozen games with the Wild this season and 10 more in Iowa. Hynes said the AHL team’s coaches report some progress in Jiricek’s game after his decision-making was called out by the coach in training camp and preseason. “He’s coming along. The big thing with David is he’s got to play more than he has the last few years,” Hynes said. “Just the intricacies of the game, for a defenseman to get more and more comfortable. He’s gone down (to Iowa) with a very good attitude. He’s played well.” After missing the opening game of the season following a summer surgery, Brodin has played in 30 consecutive games with three goals and nine assists. Hynes noted that forward Marco Rossi had another full practice with the team on Friday and is now considered day-to-day in his recovery from the injury that has kept the top-line center off the ice for the past month. While Rossi will not play Saturday versus Ottawa, Hynes said he is a possible lineup addition when Minnesota hosts Boston on Sunday. Memories of Matthews Wild general manager Bill Guerin is originally from Boston and feels welcome nearly everywhere he goes in his old hometown. But Matthews Arena was a clear exception to that rule. Opened in 1910, Matthews was the oldest ice arena in the world still in use, at least until this month. Northeastern University is closing the doors on the historic facility, with plans for demolition and the construction of a more modern arena on the site. “They were always such a gritty team to play against, and the building was just so tight. People were right on top of you,” Guerin recalled from his days of being the visiting team there when he skated for crosstown rival Boston College. “Just a classic, great building. It will be missed, for sure.” A fan watches a basketball game between Northeastern University and Vermont at Northeastern's Matthews Arena, Nov. 24, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Jimmy Golen) With an original capacity of 5,000, Matthews was the home arena for the Boston Bruins from 1924 until the much larger and more modern Boston Garden opened in 1928. The NBA’s Boston Celtics also played games there before a permanent move to Boston Garden in 1955. Matthews, originally named Boston Arena, became the full time home of Northeastern hockey in 1946, but the town’s other three colleges — Boston College, Boston University and Harvard — all played home games there at various times before their current arenas were built. The new modern arena to be built on the site will have seating for a little over 4,000 and is planned to open in September 2028. Related Articles Wild comeback cools off streaking Stars Mats Zuccarello is latest Wild injured reserve addition ‘Full-time hockey dad’ Zach Parise takes his place in USHHF Wild survive slugfest in Seattle Good memories for Freddy Gaudreau as he faces Wild

In late November 2022, Fox Sports sent out a statement with an impressive claim: Undisputed with Skip and Shannon had just scored its best viewership day ever on FS1. Nearly half a million people tuned into the show on Nov. 21, a mark that actually put it in sniffing distance of its competition over at ESPN’s First Read more... The post Three years after infamous blow-up between Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless over Tom Brady, everyone looks worse appeared first on Awful Announcing.

U.S. Intercepts Military Cargo in Indian Ocean In a significant move, U.S. special operations forces intercepted a ship traveling from China to Iran last month in the Indian Ocean, as reported by the Wall Street Journal citing U.S. officials.The team seized military-related components aboard the vessel, which were described as potentially beneficial for Iran's conventional weaponry. Notably, the seized items have since been destroyed.The operation took place several hundred miles off Sri Lanka's coast, but the ship was subsequently cleared to continue its voyage after the raid.

Mike McElroy described it as “one of the most emotionally-charged five minutes of my life.” Bethel led Susquehanna by four in the final minute of the NCAA Division-III quarterfinal in Pennsylvania last December when Susquehanna lined up for a 4th and goal attempt from the 1 yard line. A stop would send the Royals to the semifinals. Josh Ehrlich ran the ball and was stood up at the goalline. Was he in? If so, it was by the smallest of margins. But the official deemed Ehrlich did enough to cross the plane and put Susquehanna in front with 40 seconds to play. Bethel quarterback Cooper Drews preps to take a snap during the Royals' 55-9 victory over Concordia-Moorhead in Moorhead on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Bennett Moger / Bethel University) That left Bethel firmly on the ropes. But three Cooper Drews completions in short order on the Royals’ final possession put Bethel on the opposing 31 yard line. The Royals had a shot. McElroy recalled the chatter on the headset: Joey Kidder was getting 1 on 1 coverage on the outside. Bethel decided to go his direction. Drews found Kidder in the end zone near the front pylon to rally the Royals to a miraculous victory. “Holy smokes, we did it,” McElroy thought to himself. Not so fast. “Oh my goodness, there’s a flag,” he realized. Bethel was called for holding. The touchdown was negated. Royals players who rushed the field in celebration were escorted off. Initially, officials ruled the game was over. Eventually, after a lengthy discussion the Royals were given one final down. It was unsuccessful. Bethel went from appearing to have clinched a national semifinal bid in one moment to eliminated the next. “Obviously, ended up being on the wrong side of that whole deal. Super unfortunate,” Drews said. “I think it was really sad for our guys, because that’s how we end our season? That’s how we go out? … It definitely stings. After that, I was kind of in disbelief for a little bit.” A year later, here the fourth-ranked Royals (12-0) are again – back in the quarterfinals, this time as an undefeated team with a date with top-ranked North Central (12-0) at noon Saturday in Naperville, Illinois on deck. “Being back in the elite eight, same round last year as that whole situation, it definitely brings that stuff back up,” Drews said. But did it ever really go away? Perhaps the pain does. The lessons don’t. Drews recalled the best thing the coaches said to the players in the aftermath. The holding call would be the play they remembered. But there were many other players that could’ve been made to avoid that situation altogether. The challenge moving forward was deciphering how the Royals could reach a point where it wouldn’t come down to an official’s single decision? As a quarterback, Drews feels he’s developed an understanding of the moments that win or lose games, and when they’re in the balance. “We had chances to take that game and put it out of reach (last year),” he said, “and we just didn’t do that.” Drews is a better player for it. The same is true for the entire program. That was the message in the immediate aftermath of last year’s heartbreak. “I said it to our guys afterwards, we talk all the time about how tough stuff grows us, and now we get to actually practice it,” McElroy said. “So I think it’s been fun for our guys of, ‘Alright, we talk about this stuff, now are we going to do it?’ I think it grew us as a program of, ‘Yeah, that was hard, and life is not fair.’” But no one cares. No one feels sorry for you. Folks building you up while you’re receiving accolades may not be found when the results don’t go your way. It’s why while Bethel’s program is centered on joy, it’s not joy derived from results. If your circumstances affect your mood, McElroy noted the team will be “fragile.” “Joy is not dictated by my circumstances or playing time or how many catches I had. It’s got to be deeper than that. Otherwise you will ride the rollercoaster and you will be pretty fragile,” he said. “Just really…