Guys I like tonight beyond the top four: Flemings, Ament, Steinbach, Lendeborg, Okorie. Despite his age, Lendeborg’s late start in hoops *should* give him more of a skills-development ceiling than most 23-year-olds. Assume one of the playoff teams will grab him.

Very Federko. Maybe St. Louis is the issue here.

👇

“Hurricanes forward Brady Tkachuk” would have been a wild post-Cup move.

VAR is a fars(i)

Tom Izzo isn’t shy about speaking his mind but Michigan State itself has rarely if ever been the target of his ire. After losing *another* president and *another* AD, thanks to a dysfunctional Board of Trustees, he didn’t hold back. For @thehoopshq.bsky.social www.hoopshq.com/big-ten/tom-...

Linkedin, finger on the pulse

Messi setting very high expectations for Jordan Staal's 38-year-old season.

The ritual of the home-plate ump calling for new balls, slowly walking down the line to get them, then meticulously dusting off the plate, etc. after the catcher takes a foul tip off the mask is one of the most beautiful things in baseball.

The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1667-70, 📸 by Ethan Miller

I do think it’s amusing/ironic that Dundon tried to acquire a superstar from the moment he bought the team and won a Cup thanks in large part to a 37-year-old, the leftover pieces from a failed trade for a star and a waiver claim. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong in terms of marketing. But hockey is weird.

Caught up with old pal Kyle Bailey on @wfnz.bsky.social this afternoon to talk about just another Hurricanes game on a Sunday night at Vegas. omny.fm/shows/the-ky...

You could potentially make a Boston cooler with Vernor’s ice cream and turn the universe inside out. (Maybe put some booze in that?)

We’re only four months away from “Ron Francis deserves to have his name on the Cup because he really built this franchise.” (I would hope this puts that to bed forever but the fact it was still happening this season suggests perhaps not.)

It's not One Shining Moment (what is?) but that was a hell of a job from ESPN on the exit montage.

Looking forward to the team FaceTime call with Mikko Rantanen later.

Such eerie echoes 20 years later. The parallels between Staal (now) and Brind'Amour (then). The unexpected goalie rotation. One big exception: The captain being justly rewarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Southeast Division has won the Stanley Cup seven times since the last Canadian team.

Throwing my examination on Jackson Blake and the notion of hockey sense from last spring out there again. Think it holds up ... pretty well. www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-c...

@joeydoster.bsky.social

“Mitch Marner can only shake his head” well he’s had a lot of practice at it (I don’t blame him for all the Leafsing but he’s not helping his case all of a sudden)

Jordan Staal can only score on tips and rebounds and from his stomach, these point-blank chances aren’t his thing.

Can he skate? Can he play center?

Sve… Svechnikov?

StaaLOL

The only way to counteract the Trump-Dolan curse was to put Larry David and John McEnroe next to each other. Harness the power of grumpiness for good.

Is the verb "tarping off" or "tarp offing?"

Falling while alone in front, the captain finds a way. It's the fifth goal of the series, and second of the night, for the 37-year-old leader.

Jordan Staal just willing this team forward at this point. Not to belabor the point, but that's what the Hurricanes' captain did 20 years ago in pivotal moments. Game 4 at Montreal. Game 7 vs. Buffalo. After Game 6 at Edmonton. Etc.

This is the epitome of "Your best players have to be your best players." Now is the time. Or never.

Did not expect a Tom Barrasso note tonight, but this series has been unpredictable.

Dude is seriously channelling 2006 Brind’Amour. Unbelievable.

If you have ever emailed a writer to let them know you enjoyed something they wrote, you are among the noblest and best and most saintly in this entire world, and I hope you sleep really well tonight.

In his first interview since being kicked out of the US, FIFA referee Omar Artan tells’s the NYT’s Matt Bigg that the biggest dream of his professional life has been shattered. The World Cup ref was questioned for 11 hours, held in a cell and then dumped on a plane. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/w...

RIP Stacey King “I’ll always remember this as the night Michael Jordan and I combined to score 70 points” (MJ had 69 pts) - Stacey King 1990

Climate change can lead to more intense hurricanes, making them feel older before they reach land. This is because warmer ocean temperatures contri... ♻️ EcoHub

the whole stadium when the cannons go off

Not much has gone according to plan for Micah Shrewsberry at Notre Dame. In Year 4, he has a new plan — starting over, basically, with six transfers. “There’s no real weight on my shoulders,” he said. “I feel kind of refreshed because of this new group.” www.hoopshq.com/acc/notre-da...

Oof. Kind of feels like that game might have been the series given the comeback and 2OT … but a Game 4 win changes everything for the Hurricanes.

Man that’s 40 great minutes from Bussi. Save after save.

I am reminded of Rod Brind’Amour in the aftermath of Game 7 at NJ in 2009. When the room opened, everyone ran to Staal, but I walked over to Brind’Amour and we just sort of looked at each other. Finally he exhaled and said, “It’s amazing the shit we can pull off sometimes.” That was my lede.

*not on deadline* *refills drink*

Feels like this has been the Tungsten Arm O’Doyle of finals. “Fastest ever” multiple times, first time in 80 years, etc.

Holy crap

Aho picked a hell of a time to show up with a pass like that.

I’m OK going back to Freddie in G4 on two days’ rest but I wouldn’t leave him out there tonight. That said, this third period would be a perfect Kochetkov spot. He might even pick a fight or something. Alas.

Should have called timeout at 2-0 and should have pulled Freddie at 4-0.

Putting aside the Hurricanes, who can’t get into the offensive zone at all and can’t get a save — bad combo! — can’t stop laughing at the idea of Marner potentially winning the Cup *and* the Conn Smythe immediately after leaving the so-called Center of the Hockey Universe.