Latest news with #Cups
Herald Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Craig Williams relishing ‘hunter' role in Melbourne jockeys' premiership battle with Blake Shinn
Champion jockey Craig Williams clawed back to within five winners of Melbourne premiership leader Blake Shinn with a Flemington treble. Williams bookended the card on Saturday with the first winner – Duchess Zou – then piloted home the last two – Sayedaty Sadaty and Losesomewinmore. Shinn moved to 71 on Saturday with one winner at Flemington – La Fracas. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! There are 25 metropolitan races left in the season. 'Blake is an amazing rider, a great friend of mine too,' Williams said. 'Even when we talked today going out for the last race I said 'mate, you're killing me'. 'He's like the Road Runner, I get close to him and beep, beep and he's off again.' Williams is determined to try and win his 10th Melbourne jockeys' premiership. 'I love hunting,' Williams said. 'I need to hunt, Blake is unbelievable.' • 'Exciting future': Hayes smiling after colt makes winning return Sayedaty Sadaty sealed back-to-back wins to reignite spring ambitions. A combination of gelding, more time to acclimatise and placement to advantage has helped the former international, trained by Ciaron Maher, start to repay connections on the racetrack. Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Sayedaty Sadaty could race again at 2000m next month before attention turned to bigger prizes. 'I'd say we're one more at (2000m) if the boss wants to go (2400m), we know he can stay,' Turnbull said. 'It's now probably picking the perfect path into spring trying to get him qualified (for Cups), if he's good enough, we can work backwards.' Charterhouse, also trained by Maher, placed third in the 2000m Open Handicap while stablemates Kettle Hill (ninth), Wyclif (13th) and Relentless Voyager (15th) raced 'well from where they were'. • Rose eases Prebble's worries in Rising Stars final Duchess Zou capped a brilliant first racing campaign with her third success in five starts. The Maher-trained filly overhauled Lario in the 1400m 3YO Open Handicap and held a comfortable margin on late-finisher Legacy Bay. Maher said Duchess Zou, who placed third in the Listed Creswick Stakes (1200m) the start before, would benefit from a short break. 'She'll have to get through the grades a little bit (next season), she's obviously on the right path,' Maher said. 'It's a winter race she was expected to win and done it quite well … in a couple months' time, she'll lift again.' • Derby path looms for Busuttin-Young stayer Co-trainer Michael Kent Jr hailed Shinn's initiative as the catalyst for La Fracas completing a hat-trick of wins in the Benchmark 84 sprint (1200m). La Fracas had easily won on heavy tracks at his previous two starts but found himself on firmer going and jumping from the awkward barrier one in the Flemington straight contest. However, Shinn's manoeuvring got La Fracas ($2.40 fav) into the right part of the track from where he finished hard to grab De Bergerac ($5) on the line. 'Midrace, he made a daring move to attach himself to the back of (stablemate) Moby Dick, who he assumed would take him forward into the race,' Kent Jr, who trains La Fracas in partnership with Mick Price, said. 'That was the winning move.' – with Brad Waters Originally published as Craig Williams relishing 'hunter' role in Melbourne jockeys' premiership battle with Blake Shinn
Courier-Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Craig Williams relishing ‘hunter' role in Melbourne jockeys' premiership battle with Blake Shinn
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Champion jockey Craig Williams clawed back to within five winners of Melbourne premiership leader Blake Shinn with a Flemington treble. Williams bookended the card on Saturday with the first winner – Duchess Zou – then piloted home the last two – Sayedaty Sadaty and Losesomewinmore. Shinn moved to 71 on Saturday with one winner at Flemington – La Fracas. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! There are 25 metropolitan races left in the season. 'Blake is an amazing rider, a great friend of mine too,' Williams said. 'Even when we talked today going out for the last race I said 'mate, you're killing me'. 'He's like the Road Runner, I get close to him and beep, beep and he's off again.' Williams is determined to try and win his 10th Melbourne jockeys' premiership. 'I love hunting,' Williams said. 'I need to hunt, Blake is unbelievable.' • 'Exciting future': Hayes smiling after colt makes winning return Sayedaty Sadaty sealed back-to-back wins to reignite spring ambitions. A combination of gelding, more time to acclimatise and placement to advantage has helped the former international, trained by Ciaron Maher, start to repay connections on the racetrack. Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Sayedaty Sadaty could race again at 2000m next month before attention turned to bigger prizes. 'I'd say we're one more at (2000m) if the boss wants to go (2400m), we know he can stay,' Turnbull said. 'It's now probably picking the perfect path into spring trying to get him qualified (for Cups), if he's good enough, we can work backwards.' Charterhouse, also trained by Maher, placed third in the 2000m Open Handicap while stablemates Kettle Hill (ninth), Wyclif (13th) and Relentless Voyager (15th) raced 'well from where they were'. • Rose eases Prebble's worries in Rising Stars final Duchess Zou capped a brilliant first racing campaign with her third success in five starts. The Maher-trained filly overhauled Lario in the 1400m 3YO Open Handicap and held a comfortable margin on late-finisher Legacy Bay. Maher said Duchess Zou, who placed third in the Listed Creswick Stakes (1200m) the start before, would benefit from a short break. 'She'll have to get through the grades a little bit (next season), she's obviously on the right path,' Maher said. 'It's a winter race she was expected to win and done it quite well … in a couple months' time, she'll lift again.' • Derby path looms for Busuttin-Young stayer Co-trainer Michael Kent Jr hailed Shinn's initiative as the catalyst for La Fracas completing a hat-trick of wins in the Benchmark 84 sprint (1200m). La Fracas had easily won on heavy tracks at his previous two starts but found himself on firmer going and jumping from the awkward barrier one in the Flemington straight contest. However, Shinn's manoeuvring got La Fracas ($2.40 fav) into the right part of the track from where he finished hard to grab De Bergerac ($5) on the line. 'Midrace, he made a daring move to attach himself to the back of (stablemate) Moby Dick, who he assumed would take him forward into the race,' Kent Jr, who trains La Fracas in partnership with Mick Price, said. 'That was the winning move.' – with Brad Waters Originally published as Craig Williams relishing 'hunter' role in Melbourne jockeys' premiership battle with Blake Shinn
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Are Florida Panthers unlucky when it comes to NHL schedules? Stanley Cup-winning team gets confusing fixture yet again
Florida Panthers (via Getty Images) Two Stanley Cup rings in a row didn't give the Florida Panthers too much affection from the NHL 's schedule geniuses. The complete 2025–26 NHL schedule was released Wednesday, and again, the Florida Panthers' road to the playoffs appears to have been plotted by someone who has never unfolded a map—or seen a Cup Final. And that's only the start of the strangeness. Florida Panthers to face 13 back-to-backs—and not the good kind The Florida Panthers must make it through 13 consecutive sets this year. That's only one fewer than the previous year's count, which was boosted by the overseas journey to Finland. The Florida Panthers will play three home-based back-to-backs in December alone, a set of games that might exhaust even a championship-stacked roster. Things start to go haywire in early 2026. The Florida Panthers' most extensive road swing of the year comes in January: six games of going through Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Carolina, and Washington. And then they're home for one game before taking off again to play Winnipeg, Minnesota, and Chicago. Reacting to the Panthers 2025-26 schedule release March mayhem and the Olympic sandwich March won't be more merciful. Florida has 10 of its 15 contests on the road during that month, with three additional back-to-backs thrown in for good measure. And don't count on a clean slate for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. The Panthers will be forced to play a back-to-back both before and after the league break. There's no welcome mat quite like a condensed schedule and global jet lag. A slight silver lining for Florida Panthers? Only eight of Florida's 13 back-to-backs come after January 1. Last year, that number was 10. Despite winning two straight Cups and cementing their status as the NHL's gold standard, the Panthers are once again stuck with a disjointed, exhausting calendar. Also read: Brad Marchand trade to Florida Panthers leads to Stanley Cup win and emotional return to Boston Bruins Whether it's a thank-you present or a scheduling error, one thing's for certain—Florida's struggle to win a third Cup will be just as much about making it through the schedule as it will about outplaying competition. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Miami Herald
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
The Best Active NHL Players Who Were Never Drafted
The NHL draft took place a couple of weeks ago, and GMs across the league made big decisions by selecting players they believe will help their respective teams in the future. However, plenty of players don't get selected and go undrafted, and despite not getting drafted by an NHL team, their hockey career certainly isn't over. Some pan out to be NHL all-stars, award winners and Stanley Cup champions. Here's a short list of some of the best active undrafted players in the NHL today. Sergei Bobrovsky is arguably the best, if not one of the best, goaltenders in the NHL right now. He's coming off a second-straight Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. Those two Cups put Bobrovsky on a path to potentially get into the Hockey Hall of Fame with him already owning two Vezina Trophies from 2013 and 2017. After two incredible seasons in the KHL playing for his hometown Novokuznetsk, Bobrovsky signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in May 2010. The Russian netminder was a force right out of the gate. In his NHL debut, he led the Flyers to a win against their state rivals Pittsburgh Penguins. He recorded a .935 save percentage and allowed just two goals in a 3-2 win. Fast forward 15 years later and Bobrovsky has the most career wins recorded by a Russian goalie in NHL history. In addition, he's 10th on the all-time list for wins with a chance to climb the list next season in the final year of his contract. Matching last year's 33 wins would take him up to sixth, surpassing Henrik Lundqvist's 459 wins. One of the premier offensive talents in the NHL, Artemi Panarin, entered the league as a 24-year-old rookie. He signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in April 2015 and took off from there. Panarin is one of the few players to win the Calder Trophy as an undrafted player. He scored 30 goals and 77 points in his first campaign, including a debut goal against the New York Rangers, the team he currently plays for. Following two years in Chicago, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he would play another two seasons. After that, he signed a big ticket deal with the Rangers, inking a seven-year, $11.6-million per-season contract on July 1, 2019. With that contract, Panarin became the second-highest paid player in the NHL at the time by average annual value, only behind Connor McDavid. The 33-year-old proved his worth, recording four 90-point seasons in his six years in Manhattan, including a 120-point campaign in 2023-24. Logan Thompson has played in several different leagues and divisions in his journey to becoming an NHL goaltender. Starting in the WHL, he played parts of four seasons for the Brandon Wheat Kings, and during those four years, he played 22 games for the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL. After his junior hockey career, Thompson played one season for Brock University in U Sports. Since then, he has played 40 ECHL games and 50 AHL games before he became an NHL regular in 2021-22 with the Vegas Golden Knights. Eventually, he was traded to the Washington Capitals in June 2024. Last season, Thompson stamped his name on the list of top goaltenders in the NHL. In 43 regular-season appearances, he recorded a 2.49 goals-against average and a .910 SP. During that campaign, he registered an incredible streak where he went unbeaten in regulation for 16 straight games. This run came shortly after he wasn't listed on Canada's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Now, he's one of the top goalies in the league and is within reach of representing Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics. Chris Tanev, D, Toronto Maple Leafs Neal Pionk, D, Winnipeg Jets Jonathan Marchessault, C, Nashville Predators Mats Zuccarello, RW, Minnesota Wild Copyright The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Matthew Tkachuk adds fuel to the fire with blunt Connor McDavid comment after Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup triumph
After leading the Florida Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, Matthew Tkachuk is in no mood to show mercy. When asked if he felt bad for and the Edmonton Oilers, Tkachuk dismissed the suggestion outright. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He pointed out that no one offered the Panthers sympathy when they lost in 2023 despite their injuries. Now, with two Cups in hand, Tkachuk isn't about to soften his edge, especially not for a rival team. Matthew Tkachuk Has Made Winning Stanley Cups Look Easy (Full Interview) | Stugotz Panthers-Oilers rivalry continues to heat up The Panthers and Oilers have built a fierce rivalry over the past two seasons, and Tkachuk's latest remarks have only intensified it. Despite the Panthers having the upper hand with two straight Finals wins, the tension shows no signs of cooling. Tkachuk, a former Calgary Flames forward, has a long history with the Oilers, and his latest comments reflect a personal edge that keeps this rivalry burning. Western Canada wants a win, Tkachuk says, but not yet According to Tkachuk, fans from Western Canada have been hoping for a break for the Edmonton Oilers. But his message was clear: the Stanley Cup isn't something to be handed out for pity. His competitive mindset has no room for emotional appeals. His time in Calgary made him all too familiar with Edmonton's hunger for a Cup and even more determined to deny it. Connor McDavid left searching for answers While the Panthers celebrate, Connor McDavid and the Oilers are left facing another tough offseason. Despite elite talent and deep playoff runs, they've fallen short once again. Tkachuk's cold reaction is likely to sting, but it may also fire up McDavid and his teammates heading into next year. The Oilers are still chasing their first championship in the McDavid era, and the Panthers are standing firmly in the way. Tkachuk has drawn a clear line in the sand: there are no handouts at the top. And with the Panthers now firmly established as the team to beat, don't expect this rivalry, or Tkachuk's sharp edge, to disappear anytime soon. Also Read:
