It only took until 9 a.m. for a seemingly average Wednesday morning to become a demarcation line ...

It only took until 9 a.m. for a seemingly average Wednesday morning to become a demarcation line in time, changing everything for a group of sports talk radio hosts and their loyal fans. The date was June 14, 2023. In hockey-crazed Edmonton, there was much to discuss. Less than 24 hours earlier, the Vegas Golden Knights - who had barreled through the Oilers on their way to the Stanley Cup Final - won their franchise's first championship, with their victory celebrations still ongoing and plenty to analyze about their stunning 9-3 win over the Florida Panthers.Reports had also begun swirling that Michael Andlauer was buying the Ottawa Senators for an NHL-record $950 million. And Edmonton CFL fans were enduring what was to become a 22-game home losing streak; they wanted answers.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Tom Gazzola was prepared to deliver. Gazzola, who had made a name covering Edmonton sports in the preceding decade, was already live on TSN radio that morning, with a slate of guests and a rundown covering the top stories. That's when his station went from reporting the news to becoming it."I was just prepping in the commercial break, and the head of Bell Edmonton came in and she said, 'Hey, I need to see you in the boardroom for a second,'" Gazzola recalled. He asked if the team should stall the broadcast by adding commercials and remembers being told engineering would take over. It was then he looked around the studio and could tell everyone had the same thought: "Is this it?"But it was a rhetorical question. "We knew," he said.It was 8:58 a.m. when Gazzola looked at his watch. A two-minute meeting confirmed his gut feeling. He recalls the words clearly: "As of 9 a.m. this morning, TSN Edmonton no longer exists."As part of reducing its workforce by 1,300 people, Bell Media sold three of its radio stations and shut down Edmonton's TSN 1260 and five other stations across Canada. At the time, the company pointed to $40 million in annual operating losses that showed no sign of abating. The same trend had been the downfall of TSN-branded AM radio stations in Vancouver, Hamilton, and Winnipeg in February 2021.In Canada's contracting media landscape, the news was simultaneously surprising and expected. "When TSN Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Hamilton went down, we knew we were on the clock in Edmonton," Gazzola said. "Even though we were popular, profitable, and had a really good thing going."Since Winnipeg's TSN 1290 shut down, Gazzola and his counterparts had been watching closely as former radio hosts Andrew Paterson and Michael Remis pivoted to the internet, capitalizing on their loyal fan base while owning their own content. It looked like they had a formula that could be replicated.<h3>An underserved audience</h3>Local radio might not have moved the needle on national, corporate media budgets, but the appetite for news and conversation about local sports still existed. Paterson, who hosted sports talk radio in Winnipeg for more than a decade prior to the station's closure, had a hunch he could monetize that audience on his own.He launched a DIY solution with Remis dubbed <a href="https://winnipegsportstalk.com/">Winnipeg Sports Talk</a> - covering the Jets and the Blue Bombers of the CFL. "I was thinking, 'I can't believe they just shut this down the way they did. I've got a massive following, tons of people who love our content. There's got to be a way we can do this ourselves.'"They wanted a name that was broad enough for future growth that could expand beyond their personal brands. Paterson calls the change the "best thing that's ever happened to us." After starting with four sponsors, they've now grown to 20, and they fully own their content. Their show is similar to what they previously presented on AM radio, but it's available in podcast form on demand each day for the drive home."I wanted to be able to deliver what we were doing, as best as possible, to be similar to what we did before," Paterson said. "It had to be fresh when people were on the ride home. So, we had to move the show up so we would record every day at 1 p.m. for a couple hours, and then get that thing up on the podcast feed by about 3:15 p.m. for people driving home. That was the original vision. We were just going to take what we used to do on the radio, make it a podcast, sell some sponsors, and have it ready at the same time every day. Now, instead of people turning on their AM radio, they're just getting it on their Bluetooth." <figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today is the three year anniversary of the first episode of Winnipeg Sports Talk Daily. Thank you to our viewers, listeners and sponsors for your incredible support! Join us live for an extended show from 11am-3pm discussing all the moves ahead of the NHL's trade deadline and… <a href="https://t.co/yDMX0f2Mqb">pic.twitter.com/yDMX0f2Mqb</a>— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsTalkWPG/status/1766116720299626816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2024</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Winnipeg Sports Talk leveraged an idea that internet content creators have already proved works: serving niche audiences. Broadcasting talent can do so without having to operate inside a large conglomerate that is weighed down by concerns about debt or shareholder demands."We're proving every day that it was an absolutely stupid and short-sighted decision to shut down," Paterson said. "During this time when we were off the air, my inbox on Twitter every day had probably about 30-40 messages along the lines of, 'This sucks. How can we hear you? I can't believe they shut it down.' People were really missing it. People are so accustomed to sports talk being part of their day. When you just turn that off - the demand is there to bring it back."Similar demand was building in Vancouver. "It does seem a little short-sighted that a lot of these local AM stations across Canada are just completely shutting down when there's still an audience there," said Matthew Sekeres, who launched a <a href="https://www.sekeresandprice.com/">podcast with partner Blake Price</a> after TSN 1040 shut down. They've since joined The Nation Network and cover the Vancouver Canucks, BC Lions, and Vancouver Whitecaps. "When you host a talk radio show, you do develop bonds with listeners and with the community. … In the aftermath of the station going down, I learned that the bonds with our listeners were a lot stronger and deeper than I even imagined."Winnipeg Sports Talk is eyeing next steps that will include hiring more staff and expanding its content offerings beyond the podcast and YouTube show. Paterson believes it'll be in a position to do that within a year. "If (Bell Media) would have just put a little bit more into focusing on the product and selling it, they would have been fine," he said.Sekeres sees things the same way. "My bigger gripe with media is that you're forever looking at the cost side. When do you ever take a glance at how to grow revenue? Are you not supposed to be innovative? Particularly the salaries that some of these media executives are getting paid, if you're getting paid that kind of money, then your solution shouldn't be as simple as, 'Let's look at the balance sheet and cut.' It takes no talent to do that. It takes talent to grow radio, to grow revenues, and I just don't see a lot of that happening in the Canadian media landscape right now," he said.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743880/cropped_Screen_Shot_2024-09-05_at_2.24.20_PM.jpg?ts=1725567813" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743880/w220xh124_Screen_Shot_2024-09-05_at_2.24.20_PM.jpg?ts=1725567813 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743880/w320xh180_Screen_Shot_2024-09-05_at_2.24.20_PM.jpg?ts=1725567813 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743880/w640xh360_Screen_Shot_2024-09-05_at_2.24.20_PM.jpg?ts=1725567813 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743880/w768xh432_Screen_Shot_2024-09-05_at_2.24.20_PM.jpg?ts=1725567813 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743880/w1080xh607_Screen_Shot_2024-09-05_at_2.24.20_PM.jpg?ts=1725567813 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Matthew Sekeres and Blake Price launched their own podcast after the radio station they worked for shut down Supplied</figcaption></figure><h3>Building a format</h3>In Edmonton, Dustin Nielson was watching what Winnipeg Sports Talk was doing and thought it might have a winning formula. Prior to TSN 1260's shutdown, he had slowly been building up podcasts on the side, reserving domain names, and preparing for the inevitable. When the station went dark, he was ready. He rallied Gazzola and others who'd been stranded by TSN's closure and got to work."I contemplated a couple of times just leaving 1260 and trying to do this on my own because I could see that it could be successful. But with 1260 in the market, there would have been legitimate competition," Nielson said. "I waited. But as soon as I got the call that we were done, I knew we were going to try this."Nielson signed early sponsors who believed in his work at TSN and were willing to support something new. By Sept. 6, 2023, Edmonton Sports Talk was ready to go live as an online digital station, which is available not just as a podcast or on YouTube but on TuneIn and iHeartRadio over the internet."In Edmonton, they've taken it a step further than we did. They rented an office and essentially replicated a radio station," Paterson said. <a href="https://edmontonsportstalk.com/">Edmonton Sports Talk</a>, which borrowed the name format from its Winnipeg forerunners, has partnered with 48 sponsors in its first year and has a 12-hour slate of fresh programming each day. It'll soon expand to a team of 11, which includes a three-person sales division. Instead of focusing on ads, all of Edmonton Sports Talk's sponsorships are tie-ins, and it's created some ambitious partnerships within the community - including its own beer, the Six O'Clocker Lager, with local craft brewer Alley Kat.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The boys from Edmonton Sports Talk made their way down to Alley Kat Brewery last week and here's how it went... <a href="https://twitter.com/nielsonTSN1260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nielsontsn1260</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Lieutenant_Eric?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lieutenant_eric</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TomGazzola?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tomgazzola</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewiwanyk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matthewiwanyk</a> <a href="https://t.co/QmakItKs4A">pic.twitter.com/QmakItKs4A</a>— Edmonton Sports Talk (@yegsportstalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/yegsportstalk/status/1709284352251859216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2023</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Edmonton Sports Talk has grown to more than 10,000 subscribers on YouTube and recently announced it's adding a new drive-time host: Reid Wilkins, who left in-market leader 630 CHED after an 11-year tenure hosting "Inside Sports." The station also acquired rights to the Edmonton Riverhawks of independent baseball's West Coast League and the Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League while launching social and community events such as the first annual EST Golf Classic and its own award show - the ESTYs, which will take place later in September.Most of that growth has been organic, spurred by a community of listeners eager to talk sports. "Once people understand what we're doing, they stick around," Nielson said.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743877/cropped_IMG_4325.jpg?ts=1725567059" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743877/w220xh124_IMG_4325.jpg?ts=1725567059 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743877/w320xh180_IMG_4325.jpg?ts=1725567059 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743877/w640xh360_IMG_4325.jpg?ts=1725567059 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743877/w768xh432_IMG_4325.jpg?ts=1725567059 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743877/w1080xh607_IMG_4325.jpg?ts=1725567059 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Tom Gazzola and Shawn Belle on the set of 'Hello Hockey' at the Edmonton Sports Talk offices Supplied</figcaption></figure>The team at EST hopes that momentum will continue. "What we've learned and trusted is that people still want to listen," Gazzola said. "People still want to hear something on their car radio, just how they get it is changing and evolving. You don't need a radio signal anymore. Our mindset is: Put it out there to as many people on as many platforms as possible - visual, audio, however you want to consume it - so people know that we're there."Unlike corporate radio programming conceived in a boardroom thousands of kilometers away from its intended audience, podcasts and internet radio are homegrown solutions. And listeners in Canadian sports markets are supporting them. "In some regards, it's almost charming," Sekeres said. "It's like reverting back to the days when the radio stations, and the newspapers, and the television stations were owned locally by us, for us."Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/28254609/related

'By us, for us': How sports talk radio found new life on the internet

Kate O'Brien always imagined she'd wear the Maple Leaf again following her 2016 Olympic debut in ...

Kate O'Brien always imagined she'd wear the Maple Leaf again following her 2016 Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in women's cycling, but she had no forewarning of just how unique her return to international competition would become.Sports had always been a central part of her life. "I remember playing kickball in the alley with my neighbors and I was always the kid whose mom would have to beg her to come inside," she said. That interest transformed into a full-on obsession throughout her teenage years. O'Brien tried basketball, sprinting, hurdles, and then, while attending the University of Calgary, skeleton. "It wasn't about pretending or thinking that I was going to go to the Olympics or do anything like that," she said. "I just did it because I enjoyed it."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>But as her interest in sports evolved, so did her ambitions. After narrowly missing the Olympic Games as a bobsleigh brakeman in 2014, she switched to cycling and qualified for the Canadian team in Rio, finishing eighth in the team sprint, and 13th and 14th in the keirin and individual sprint, respectively.Her multi-sport ambitions were already enough of an anomaly, but O'Brien's story had another unexpected twist - a training accident on the track in Calgary in July 2017 left her with significant brain trauma that required her to relearn how to speak and walk.She relearned how to ride a bike, too. After recovering from the injury, she represented Canada at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, earning a silver medal in the 500-metre track time trial. On Thursday, she added a bronze in the same event, Canada's first medal of the Games.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Paracyclisme sur piste 🚴 : Kate O'Brien (<a href="https://twitter.com/empty_kate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@empty_kate</a>) est assurée d'une médaille en finale du 500 m C4-5 après la chute de la Britannique Kadeena Cox.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paris2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Paris2024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/jeuxparalympiques?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#jeuxparalympiques</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CyclingCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CyclingCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/vdgNnOrhnM">pic.twitter.com/vdgNnOrhnM</a>— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/RC_Sports/status/1829158216694948087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Heading into this year's Paralympic Games in Paris as a member of <a href="https://www.thescore.com/olym/news/2940823/beach-volleyball-medal-hopefuls-banking-on-sports-momentum">Sobeys Feed the Dream program</a>, O'Brien, now 36 and living in Langley, British Columbia, reflected recently on the journey that has made her one of the rare individuals to experience both sides of the Olympic movement.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: Do you remember the training accident that took place in 2017?O'Brien: I have a video of the accident. It was very unexciting. Seeing that video, I'm, like, "Oh yeah, I kind of remember." But I don't actually remember that day. My two cousins and my mom, who had never seen me train, came to the track because I was in Calgary, and usually we were training in Ontario. We were going to go out for ice cream after, because it was the day after my birthday. I was going to do a talk afterwards, because it was an intro to the track day for a bunch of people. I'm sure the accident really helped them get interested in the track! I don't remember what happened. Seeing the video, I was lower pacing and my rear tire blew. I hit the pacing motorbike and that was that.I imagine having something happen that you don't remember makes it that much harder to accept.Yes, that is absolutely true. I've heard stories of how people remember it and it's so foreign to me because I still have a hard time believing that it happened. It would be a little bit more straightforward if I could say, "I remember I was riding and then all of a sudden hit my head and passed out."When you first woke up, tell me about the moment you realized you were injured.I remember waking up and being so confused as to why I was in the hospital. The last thing that I remember was being at the track, and then nothing. It took some time, probably a series of days to weeks, for me to understand what had happened and why I was there. I was really a problem-child patient because I desperately didn't want to be in the hospital.It was really challenging to accept that I was there and that something had happened that caused me to need to be in the hospital. I was convinced that I was going to go to - I think it was the Commonwealth Games I was slated to go to before the injury. I was talking to coaches, and I didn't get why I was in the hospital. It was something that honestly took probably years afterward for me to accept. To be honest, I still kind of work on it. To understand that this injury did happen and as much as I like to pretend that everything is good, things have changed a bit.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743012/cropped_GettyImages-2168251879.jpg?ts=1724949297" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743012/w220xh124_GettyImages-2168251879.jpg?ts=1724949297 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743012/w320xh180_GettyImages-2168251879.jpg?ts=1724949297 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743012/w640xh360_GettyImages-2168251879.jpg?ts=1724949297 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743012/w768xh432_GettyImages-2168251879.jpg?ts=1724949297 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/743012/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2168251879.jpg?ts=1724949297 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Kate O'Brien shows off her bronze medal Thursday in Paris Julien De Rosa / AFP / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>After the injury, you said your whole goal was just to get back on a bike, just to have fun. But that's different from becoming a Paralympian. How did that transformation occur?I was in rehabilitation for quite a long time. I was in the hospital for about three months, and then had at-home rehabilitation for speech and physical occupational therapy every day for three months. Then outpatient rehabilitation for a year and a half. There were some things I needed to work on to start with, like walking and speaking. Once I had achieved those things, I was, like, "OK, how about I just get back on a bike then?"As a person who's very competitive, having something that I could hold on to - like the goal of riding a bike, even if it wasn't in competition - was important. When I was finally cleared to ride a bike, I went out with my now wife and went on my first road ride. I don't even really know how to describe that feeling. You don't know what you have until it's gone. Being able to get on a bike and just ride around the block was very similar to going back to when I was a kid and played basketball, being in the backyard, in the snow, and just shooting hoops because I loved it. Being able to be back on that bike, riding outside, was so good. From there, I started to say that I would really like to just get back on the track, even if it's not competition. I went to the track in the Velodrome in Vancouver and rode around there, and it was amazing. Then I thought, there's provincial competitions. Maybe I could register for those. So, I started doing that. I competed in able-bodied before switching to para. I went to able-bodied nationals in Milton (Ontario), which is the hub for the sprint team for track cycling, and ended up getting a couple of medals there.I was offered a spot back on the able-bodied team, which was amazing. Unfortunately, I have post traumatic epilepsy from the head injury, and I had a seizure. So, they kind of took a step back. I was a little bit heartbroken. I reached out to the para team, and they welcomed me with open arms. I don't think that I've ever been part of a team that was that welcoming in any of the sports that I've been part of. It's been amazing to be part of the exact same sport and the exact same event in able-bodied as an Olympian and in para as a Paralympian. Para athletes are just as good, if not more impressive, in some ways, than able-bodied athletes. And it's a real community in para sport. Nations support each other significantly more than they did in able-bodied sport. Having gone to the Games on both sides, what is the biggest difference between the experiences?I think there is this vibe of togetherness (at the Paralympics). That said, as in any high-performance sport, there's also a lot of the competitive nature of people.At the Paras, you're not looked at as Kate O'Brien, the injured athlete. You're seen as Kate O'Brien, the athlete who happens to have an injury. You're just seen as a human being rather than anything else. In the same way, in able-bodied sport, I often found I was seen for what I had won or lost rather than who I was as a person. In Para, you're still striving for success, but I would say that you're a person before those labels. What are your expectations for Paris?I've been on the track in Paris, and it's outstanding. Coming from Tokyo, where there weren't any spectators, it would just be amazing to have people there. My wife, son, mom, dad and mother-in-law are all coming and have tickets booked. As hokey as it sounds, I'm looking forward to competing and being hyper-competitive like I am, but being able to share that experience, and that Olympic spirit, in a way that hasn't been possible for a number of years.Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/28179842/related

Paralympian Kate O'Brien's unpredictable cycling journey

The Olympic Games have consistently served as a global stage for American athletes to etch their ...

The Olympic Games have consistently served as a global stage for American athletes to etch their names into history. From track and field to swimming, gymnastics to tennis, these athletes have captured countless medals and built upon a legacy of determination and excellence.In the final installment of our Olympic Eras series, we acknowledge the accomplishments of the greatest American Olympians this millennium. Their impact has transcended their respective sports and defined what it means to compete at the pinnacle of athletic achievement.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure>Day 1: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940162" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940162">International standouts</a> Day 2: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940165" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940165">Canadian legends</a> Day 3: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940167" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940167">Winter wonders</a> Day 4: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940168" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940168">Summer sensations</a><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637547/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Serena-Williams--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637547/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Serena-Williams--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637547/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Serena-Williams--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637547/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Serena-Williams--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637547/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Serena-Williams--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637547/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Serena-Williams--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Serena Williams' most iconic Olympic moment came at the 2012 London Games when she won her first gold medal in singles. Williams delivered a dominant performance throughout the tournament, culminating in a decisive victory over Maria Sharapova in the final. She won 6-0, 6-1, showcasing her power and precision on the grass courts of Wimbledon, where the Olympic tennis events were held. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_5Qb2UM3kYs?si=YJnWJQC_fL3Rvcz3" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Williams' four Olympic gold medals, combined with her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, make her not only one of the greatest Olympians but one of the world's most accomplished tennis players - man or woman.She made her Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games, where she won a gold medal in women's doubles with her sister Venus. This victory marked the beginning of their successful partnership on the Olympic stage.At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Williams again competed in both singles and doubles. While she didn't medal in the former, she and Venus captured another gold in the latter. The Williams sisters continued their success at the 2012 London Olympics, where Serena won her first Olympic gold medal in singles and, together with Venus, secured a third gold in doubles.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637542/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Micael-Phelps--R1.jpg?ts=1721416943" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637542/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Micael-Phelps--R1.jpg?ts=1721416943 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637542/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Micael-Phelps--R1.jpg?ts=1721416943 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637542/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Micael-Phelps--R1.jpg?ts=1721416943 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637542/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Micael-Phelps--R1.jpg?ts=1721416943 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637542/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Micael-Phelps--R1.jpg?ts=1721416943 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Phelps' best Olympic race is widely considered to be the 100-meter butterfly final in Beijing. He won by a mere 0.01 seconds, narrowly out-touching Serbia's Milorad Cavic to secure his seventh gold medal of the Games. This victory tied Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, which Phelps broke when he won the 4x100-meter medley relay to claim his eighth gold.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f43ojMojzsM?si=yCxC3Ker9axb8FyB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: Arguably, Phelps isn't merely the greatest American Olympian, but a serious contender for greatest Olympian of all time. Phelps has 28 medals total; 23 of them gold. Granted, the sport has many events, so swimmers have more opportunity to pad their medal count than other athletes do. However, the sheer dominance Phelps exerted in the pool still put him in a league of his own.Phelps made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old in Sydney, competing in the 200-meter butterfly and finishing fifth. It was merely a warm-up for what he would accomplish in later years.At the Athens Games in 2004, Phelps established the standard that would come to be expected of him, winning six gold medals and two bronze. He continued his success in Beijing, where he won all eight events he entered and recorded world-record times in seven of them.Phelps returned for the London Games, adding four gold medals and two silvers to his tally. He announced his retirement after those Olympics but returned to the pool in Rio to win five gold medals and one silver in 2016.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Most Summer Olympic medals" aria-label="Stacked Bars" id="datawrapper-chart-uHX0i" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/uHX0i/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="743" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
</script></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637540/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Katie-Ledecky--R1.jpg?ts=1721416940" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637540/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Katie-Ledecky--R1.jpg?ts=1721416940 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637540/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Katie-Ledecky--R1.jpg?ts=1721416940 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637540/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Katie-Ledecky--R1.jpg?ts=1721416940 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637540/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Katie-Ledecky--R1.jpg?ts=1721416940 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637540/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Katie-Ledecky--R1.jpg?ts=1721416940 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Ledecky's memorable 800m freestyle final in Rio will go down as one of her finest Olympic moments. She won the gold medal, shattering her own world record by more than five seconds and finishing the race more than 11 seconds ahead of the silver medalist. This victory completed her sweep of the 200, 400, and 800m freestyle events.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAGXNs0MXzI?si=vMrPUN9CwRBsE5SQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Pick your freestyle distance - anywhere from 200m to 1,500m you'll find a gold medal bearing Ledecky's name. She has seven of them, along with 21 from the world championships.It all started in London when Ledecky, then 15 years old, won gold in the 800m freestyle and edged out the reigning world champion. That was just the start of her Olympic story, one she added to in Rio where she set new records in the 400m and 800m while earning gold in both distances and the 200m. After adding a relay gold, she finished those Games as the second most decorated athlete aside from Phelps.She then made history in Tokyo by becoming the most decorated female Olympic swimmer - with 10 total medals - after winning a pair of golds in the 800m and 1500m and silvers in the 400m and relay. Her 800m time of 8:04.79 in Rio remains the world record and she possesses the <a href="https://www.worldaquatics.com/swimming/rankings?gender=F&amp;distance=800&amp;stroke=FREESTYLE&amp;poolConfiguration=LCM&amp;year=all&amp;startDate=&amp;endDate=&amp;timesMode=ALL_TIMES&amp;regionId=all&amp;countryId=">29 fastest times</a> in the distance. No one else has been able to break 8:13, which Ledecky first did in 2013.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637548/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Simone-Biles--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637548/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Simone-Biles--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637548/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Simone-Biles--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637548/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Simone-Biles--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637548/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Simone-Biles--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637548/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Simone-Biles--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: In Rio, Biles wowed audiences with her performance in the individual all-around competition. She delivered a series of nearly flawless routines across all four apparatuses - vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise - to clinch the gold medal with a substantial margin over the rest of the field. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RW94mABPEpw?si=-lBhTuzhqr1HgfVY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: With a total of 37 medals across both the Olympics and world championships, Biles handily owns the title of greatest gymnast in history. Biles made her Olympic debut in Rio, where she won four gold medals and one bronze. She captured gold in the all-around, vault, floor exercise, and team events while earning a bronze medal on the balance beam, becoming the first woman to do so since the 1970s. Her performances helped the Americans dominate the gymnastics competition and they also pushed the sport forward; Biles has five skills named after her, two on vault, two on floor, and one on beam.In Tokyo, Biles faced new challenges. She withdrew from several events to focus on her mental health, drawing widespread attention to the pressures faced by elite athletes. Biles returned to compete in the balance beam final, where she won a bronze medal.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/738099/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Alysson-Felix--R1.jpg?ts=1721831018" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/738099/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Alysson-Felix--R1.jpg?ts=1721831018 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/738099/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Alysson-Felix--R1.jpg?ts=1721831018 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/738099/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Alysson-Felix--R1.jpg?ts=1721831018 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/738099/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Alysson-Felix--R1.jpg?ts=1721831018 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/738099/OLY-Eras---Day-5---Alysson-Felix--R1.jpg?ts=1721831018 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Allyson Felix is best remembered for the three gold medals she won at the London Games.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NRfIGY4AVho?si=lCNRTeyD7wfAEEvu" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Felix is track's most decorated Olympian. The American sprinter made her Olympic debut in Beijing, where she won a silver medal in the 200m and gold in the women's 4x400m. Felix won three gold medals in London - she beat out Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 200m and nabbed gold in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay events.In Rio, Felix added to her collection with a silver medal in the 400m. She won gold in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay, but the Americans were ultimately disqualified from the former after Felix dropped the baton.In Tokyo, Felix, then 35, earned bronze in the 400m. She then went out on a golden note after helping Team USA finish first in the women's 4x400m relay team. Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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Five-ring circus: The 5 greatest American Olympians of the last 25 years

The Summer Olympics are considered the world's greatest stage for athletes to showcase their tale...

The Summer Olympics are considered the world's greatest stage for athletes to showcase their talent. From the track to the pool and the hardwood to the balance beam, the Games have produced some of sports' most memorable moments.Each Olympiad brings new stories of triumph and perseverance, with athletes continually pushing the limits of human performance and achieving feats once thought impossible. In the latest installment of our Olympic Eras series, we celebrate five of the greatest summer Olympic athletes this millennium. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure>Part 1: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940162" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940162">International standouts</a> Part 2: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940165" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940165">Canadian legends</a> Part 3: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940167" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940167">Winter wonders</a> Saturday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940169" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940169">Greatest American heroes</a><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637541/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Wu-Minxia--R1.jpg?ts=1721416941" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637541/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Wu-Minxia--R1.jpg?ts=1721416941 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637541/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Wu-Minxia--R1.jpg?ts=1721416941 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637541/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Wu-Minxia--R1.jpg?ts=1721416941 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637541/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Wu-Minxia--R1.jpg?ts=1721416941 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637541/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Wu-Minxia--R1.jpg?ts=1721416941 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Wu completed her collection of medals in the individual 3-meter springboard by winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tZVS2GnwbMQ?si=1HE520ZveGPh623w" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: With her seven Olympic medals, including five golds, Wu is diving's most decorated female athlete. Her Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games started on a high note, as she won gold for China in the synchronized 3-meter springboard event and silver in the individual 3-meter springboard.At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wu earned another synchronized gold in the 3-meter springboard event and bronze in the individual 3-meter springboard. Her performance helped solidify China's dominance in diving. London was Wu's true coming out party, achieving the elusive individual gold, in addition to adding another synchronized gold to her collection. She returned for her final Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games but didn't participate in the individual event due to a leg injury. Despite the issue, she captured another gold in synchronized springboard. At age 30, that win made her the oldest diver to earn an Olympic gold medal.Wu also owns 14 world championship medals, including a record seven in 3m synchro with different partners. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637544/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Kerri-Walsh--R1.jpg?ts=1721416947" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637544/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Kerri-Walsh--R1.jpg?ts=1721416947 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637544/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Kerri-Walsh--R1.jpg?ts=1721416947 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637544/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Kerri-Walsh--R1.jpg?ts=1721416947 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637544/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Kerri-Walsh--R1.jpg?ts=1721416947 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637544/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Kerri-Walsh--R1.jpg?ts=1721416947 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: At the London Games, Walsh Jennings and her partner Misty May-Treanor earned their third consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UukX7HfeVr0?si=YziDyyeNgeQPNG6s" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Walsh Jennings is perhaps best known for her role in one of the most dominant pairings in women's beach volleyball history, distinguished by their 112-game win streak.She made her Olympic debut at age 22 at the 2000 Sydney Games, competing in indoor volleyball and finishing fourth with the U.S. team. Moving to beach, Walsh Jennings found her stride alongside May-Treanor in Athens, where they won gold without losing a single set throughout the tournament.At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor repeated their gold-medal performance, again going undefeated. The pair achieved an unprecedented three-peat in London. In all, they accumulated 21 Olympic wins together, losing only one set - in the London preliminaries.After May-Treanor retired, Walsh Jennings, by then 38 years old, continued her Olympic career in Rio, this time partnering with April Ross. The duo fought their way to a bronze medal. The semifinal loss was the only match Walsh Jennings dropped in her Olympic beach volleyball career. With four medals, Walsh Jennings is the Olympics's most decorated beach volleyball player.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637545/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Abby-Wombach--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637545/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Abby-Wombach--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637545/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Abby-Wombach--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637545/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Abby-Wombach--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637545/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Abby-Wombach--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637545/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Abby-Wombach--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Wambach's 112th-minute goal in the Olympic final against Brazil secured gold for the United States in 2004.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kxvexzmlU58?si=3rl9eBlkSAow75Hl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Wambach led the United States women's soccer team to two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title in 2015. Her Olympic debut in Athens was unforgettable for soccer fans, with Wambach scoring the game-winning goal in extra time.Wambach couldn't compete in Beijing due to a leg injury sustained in a pre-Olympic match, but the team still won gold despite her absence. Wambach returned to the Olympic stage in London, where she scored five goals in six games as the U.S. topped the podium again.Her prolific goal-scoring ability and leadership on the field defined her international career. Wambach amassed a record-breaking 184 goals in 255 appearances for the United States national team, making her the all-time leading goalscorer in international soccer until Canada's Christine Sinclair surpassed her record in 2020.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637549/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Dianna-Taurasi--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637549/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Dianna-Taurasi--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637549/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Dianna-Taurasi--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637549/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Dianna-Taurasi--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637549/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Dianna-Taurasi--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637549/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Dianna-Taurasi--R1.jpg?ts=1721416949 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: The women's basketball final at the 2020 Tokyo Games was Taurasi's last contest with longtime teammate Sue Bird. The 90-75 victory over Japan secured the Americans' seventh consecutive Olympic gold.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B-7WRKycjWk?si=DE4sdSvxSUhBcKwc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Taurasi has been a fixture on the Olympic hardwood since Athens. Her five Olympic gold medals in basketball equal another American hoops legend: Bird. But Taurasi gets the nod over Bird after being named to the Paris Olympics roster, giving her the chance to add a sixth gold to her collection at age 42.To put Taurasi's longevity into perspective, she was an Olympic teammate with Dawn Staley in 2004 and has also played under Staley, who coached the Americans in Tokyo.In Taurasi's Olympic debut, the United States went undefeated to win Olympic gold. She helped the squad continue that run throughout the four following Games, extending the U.S. women's basketball team's Olympic winning streak to 55 games.Taurasi is also one of just 12 women to have won every major competition in women's basketball: a world championship, Olympic gold, an NCAA title, and a WNBA championship (three with the Phoenix Mercury).<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637546/OLY-Eras---Day-4---Jason-Kenny--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637546/OLY-Eras---Day-4---Jason-Kenny--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637546/OLY-Eras---Day-4---Jason-Kenny--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637546/OLY-Eras---Day-4---Jason-Kenny--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637546/OLY-Eras---Day-4---Jason-Kenny--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637546/OLY-Eras---Day-4---Jason-Kenny--R1.jpg?ts=1721416948 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Kenny's sprint to push for keirin gold in his final Olympic race is remembered as one of the biggest rallies of his career.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fS9okROzrwc?si=ynM9tAE3qF-F0s3a" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: By both total medals and gold medals, Kenny is Britain's most successful Olympian. He made his Games debut in Beijing, winning a gold in the team sprint and a silver in the individual sprint. In the team sprint, his trio set a world record of 42.950 seconds.In London, Kenny further cemented his place in the sport by winning two gold medals, one in the individual sprint and another in the team pursuit, with his team breaking their own record with a time of 42.600.In Rio, Great Britain again broke the team sprint world record and won its third consecutive gold medal. Kenny also won gold in the individual men's sprint and men's keirin.His team missed defending its medal in Tokyo, settling for silver and marking Kenny's first loss in an Olympic final. However, the medal sealed his legacy as Britain's most decorated Olympic athlete. Kenny added one more gold to his total at the same Games in the keirin.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/27944890/related

Five-ring circus: Top 5 Summer Olympic sensations of the last 25 years

At the Summer Games, classic races like the 100m sprint or the finals in soccer and basketball ar...

At the Summer Games, classic races like the 100m sprint or the finals in soccer and basketball are surefire hits with audiences, but every four years the Olympics serve another purpose - introducing a mass of viewers to niche sports they've forgotten about.Beach volleyball is one of those. "Every Olympic Games, beach volleyball is one of the hottest sports - always in the best venues, best locations, the stadium is always sold out. Everyone wants to go see beach volleyball," said Melissa Humana-Paredes, who is representing Canada with her partner, Brandie Wilkerson, in France.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Paris will up the wow factor by staging beach volleyball in a temporary stadium at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It's the second Olympics for both players, although they were partnered with other people in Tokyo. Together, they'll look to advance past the quarterfinals they each reached in 2021.As a duo, they arrive in Paris as the No. 3-ranked team in the world behind Eduarda Santos Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos of Brazil, and Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth.Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are hoping a deep run will help beach volleyball get more than just two weeks in the Canadian spotlight. "It's always encouraging to see the attraction of it at the Olympics. I will say that same kind of energy does not translate for the next three years until the next Olympic Games," Humana-Paredes said. "I have been fairly disheartened or surprised at the slow growth of the sport because we all see its tremendous potential to be able to thrive. It's such a marketable sport, it's so much fun, it's great to get your young kids in. It's one of the few professional sports that has equal pay for men and women. That alone should really kind of just like set it off on its own trajectory."With indoor volleyball experiencing <a href="https://www.thescore.com/s/25399510">unprecedented attention</a>, perhaps, with enough momentum, beach could one day make the jump from niche sport to the pantheon of marquee Olympic events.theScore caught up with Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson ahead of their trip to Paris to talk about the development of beach volleyball. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: With the increased attention on indoor volleyball and the momentum of the Olympics, do you think beach volleyball is close to having its own moment?Wilkerson: Beach volleyball in North America is absolutely having a moment. In general, there is a lot of strong energy in terms of females in places that they weren't before and breaking a lot of barriers. So, I think beach volleyball has caught on to that too because of the opportunity and the equal pay and all of these other things that the sport has historically been. So I'm excited for beach volleyball, I think it is having a really great moment right now.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637567/cropped_GettyImages-2153258076.jpg?ts=1721418527" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637567/w220xh124_GettyImages-2153258076.jpg?ts=1721418527 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637567/w320xh180_GettyImages-2153258076.jpg?ts=1721418527 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637567/w640xh360_GettyImages-2153258076.jpg?ts=1721418527 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637567/w768xh432_GettyImages-2153258076.jpg?ts=1721418527 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637567/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2153258076.jpg?ts=1721418527 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Brandie Wilkerson, left, and Melissa Humana-Paredes celebrate after wining the AVP Pro Series championship in May 2024 Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>What do you think has been preventing beach volleyball from building more momentum between each Summer Games?Wilkerson: People want to have access to watching it more regularly, whether that's access to either attending events or just more information. Once people do see a game, they're hooked, and then they want to keep following. But sometimes there's some barriers to entry in terms of understanding how to follow and what terms mean. I think if there was just a little bit of a smoother process to continuously follow these things, then I think that would change things a lot.Humana-Paredes: Sometimes I definitely question what sports they choose to put on TV and what sports they choose not to. I don't want to call out any other sports. But sometimes I see axe-throwing on TV. And I'm like, 'This is on TV? But beach volleyball, professional women's beach volleyball, is not on TV?' Sometimes I get really upset about it because it's about the access to entry, both as a fan and as a player. I think we need to be able to have it be more visible. I think there's just a barrier of knowledge of the sport.When people see it, of course, they're hooked. Because it is such a great game. I think there just needs to be a way to be able to have more eyes on it, have it on TV. What are some barriers to entry that you think the sport has to overcome to attract larger audiences?Wilkerson: It's so great that the younger generation is getting really excited, and really involved. But we can't deny that there's a level of privilege to play the sport. You need to have access to a beach and to have coaches who understand the game. And, weather is a big thing. So not every place in the world can you play the sport as easily as maybe you can play soccer or basketball, where you need very minimal equipment or technique even sometimes just to get started.So I can understand that it does make it a bit more niche, because it's such a technical sport, and it is kind of something you need to know somebody who is at least part of it. With the lack of representation visually, even just to be able to watch and teach yourself, it's not really helping people to kind of self-start and to get involved in a sport that maybe they wouldn't typically see. But with the growing excitement, and hopefully, as it keeps being a popular sport in the Olympics, and having nations like Canada that you wouldn't typically think of beach volleyball nations, hopefully that'll open up some other communities or other types of stories to enter this sport. Then you'll see way more growth instead of kind of feeding into just volleyball people. We want non-volleyball people to be excited about this. I think there's room for everybody.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637568/cropped_GettyImages-1746715200.jpg?ts=1721418707" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637568/w220xh124_GettyImages-1746715200.jpg?ts=1721418707 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637568/w320xh180_GettyImages-1746715200.jpg?ts=1721418707 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637568/w640xh360_GettyImages-1746715200.jpg?ts=1721418707 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637568/w768xh432_GettyImages-1746715200.jpg?ts=1721418707 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637568/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1746715200.jpg?ts=1721418707 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Brandie Wilkerson returns the ball during the women's teams semifinals of the 2023 Pan American Games Raul Arboleda / AFP / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>How important are new sponsors, ones who aren't endemic to the sport, in increasing its popularity?Wilkerson: Sponsors are extremely vital to athletes, especially in beach volleyball. I think there's a long history of individuals and teams being sponsored by all different types of brands like energy drinks, cars, equipment, lotions, and all sorts of stuff. The opportunity to insert more alternative, or creative, sponsors are there.Income-wise, it's something that we need to support our journey. Beach volleyball is not the most affordable sport. You really have to put in a bit of an investment. As you travel the world, there are so many factors in order to show up on the court and not think about finances and coaches and fees and all these other things. So, sponsors are huge. I think beach volleyball being these individuals telling their stories has such a unique opportunity for more sponsors.Is increased corporate interest key to developing the sport over the coming years?Humana-Paredes: I think having the belief and the support of a sponsor is so important. For example, our campaign with Team Sobeys is so important because not only do they believe in us, in our stories, and who we are as people, but they also believe in our sport. We can feel the love and the belief in us and what that does for visibility in our sport. Being part of their Olympic campaign does a huge amount for our sport and for the growth of our sport, whether or not Sobeys realizes it.Those brands that choose to invest in us, they're also investing in the sport. We're eternally grateful for that because to have our branding kind of in grocery stores across Canada is incredible for our sport. That's a piece of the visibility that we're talking about. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637569/cropped_GettyImages-1746713353.jpg?ts=1721418883" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637569/w220xh124_GettyImages-1746713353.jpg?ts=1721418883 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637569/w320xh180_GettyImages-1746713353.jpg?ts=1721418883 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637569/w640xh360_GettyImages-1746713353.jpg?ts=1721418883 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637569/w768xh432_GettyImages-1746713353.jpg?ts=1721418883 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637569/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1746713353.jpg?ts=1721418883 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Melissa Humana-Paredes (left) and Brandie Wilkerson celebrate after defeating Argentina in the women's teams semifinals match 1 at the 2023 Pan American Games Raul Arboleda / AFP / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>What are your hopes for beach volleyball as a result of the Paris Games?Humana-Paredes: Beach volleyball is always on in prime time during the Olympics, and then does kind of taper off. So I'm really optimistic that after Paris, there'll be a change in that heading into the L.A. Games. … They're a beach volleyball-loving city. I feel like that will really gain a lot of momentum for the sport as well. But I think there's still a lot of work that needs to be done in the sport between now and then.Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/27945393/related

Beach volleyball medal hopefuls banking on sport's momentum

The Winter Olympic Games have undergone massive shifts since the start of the millennium.   Back ...

The Winter Olympic Games have undergone massive shifts since the start of the millennium. Back then, snowboarding was in its Olympic infancy. It's since grown to become a fan favorite. The 2002 Salt Lake City Games were just the second to feature women's ice hockey, which is now a staple. And the emergence of athletes from nations that aren't traditionally thought of as winter sports powerhouses has expanded the reach of the Winter Games and increased interest globally. Those athletes - like Pita Taufatofua, who represented Tonga in PyeongChang's cross-country skiing event, or the six athletes from Eritrea, Ghana, Madagascar, Morocco, and Nigeria who competed in Alpine skiing and cross-country events at the 2022 Beijing Games - may not be household names, but they've made notable contributions to the growth of sport worldwide.Our Olympic Eras series continues by spotlighting the top five Winter Games athletes of this millennium. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Keep in mind we haven't included NHL players, who will get their own top 25 in the fall, and other Canadian stars who appeared in Wednesday's edition. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure>Day 1: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940162" href="https://www.thescore.com/news/2940162">International standouts</a> Day 2: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940165" href="https://www.thescore.com/news/2940165">Canadian legends</a> Friday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940168" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940168">Summer sensations</a> Saturday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940169" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940169">Greatest American heroes</a><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637243/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Irene-Wust-R1.jpg?ts=1721242368" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637243/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Irene-Wust-R1.jpg?ts=1721242368 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637243/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Irene-Wust-R1.jpg?ts=1721242368 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637243/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Irene-Wust-R1.jpg?ts=1721242368 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637243/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Irene-Wust-R1.jpg?ts=1721242368 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637243/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Irene-Wust-R1.jpg?ts=1721242368 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Ireen Wust became the first athlete to earn individual gold medals at five consecutive Winter Games after she won the 1,500-meter speedskating event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbmgcDCtwvw?si=F-xXGfB98DTZM0Rs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: In a country known for its speedskating dominance, Wust carved out her own identity, becoming the youngest Dutch Olympic champion in Winter Games history when she earned gold in the 3,000 meters at the 2006 Turin Olympics at the age of 19. She also earned a bronze in the 1,500 at the same Games.At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, she won gold in the 1,500 and added a silver in the 3,000. In 2014, Wust returned to the top of the 3,000m podium; she also added silver medals in the 1,000, 1,500, and 5,000 events. She then secured another gold medal in the team pursuit, winning by a massive seven seconds.In PyeongChang, Wust missed out on gold in the 3,000 by 0.08 seconds. That silver, along with gold in the 1,500 and silver in the team pursuit, gave her 11 medals, the most by any speedskater in Olympic history.In Beijing in 2022, at age 35, Wust became the first athlete to claim individual gold medals at five Olympic Games after securing first place in the 1,500.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Most Winter Olympic medals" aria-label="Stacked Bars" id="datawrapper-chart-N0Dgl" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/N0Dgl/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="720" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637246/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Marit-Bjorgen-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637246/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Marit-Bjorgen-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637246/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Marit-Bjorgen-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637246/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Marit-Bjorgen-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637246/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Marit-Bjorgen-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637246/OLY-Eras---Day-3---Marit-Bjorgen-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Bjorgen collected her eighth gold medal - and 15th overall medal - in the final race of her Olympic career in PyeongChang.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w2MCQgstpC0?si=yzkrolxha9PAVVuL" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: There are many stars at the Winter Olympics, but Marit Bjorgen is the queen. The Norwegian cross-country skier is the most decorated Winter Olympian ever, and more than half of her medals are gold. Bjorgen has participated in five Winter Games, starting in Salt Lake, but it wasn't until her third Olympic appearance in Vancouver that she topped the podium for the first time and medaled in every event she competed in.There, she won five medals: gold in the individual sprint, 15-kilometer pursuit, and 4x5km relay, a silver in the 30km classical, and a bronze in the 10km freestyle. In Sochi, Bjorgen added three more golds to her tally, winning the 15km skiathlon, 30km freestyle, and team sprint.In PyeongChang, Bjorgen took home five more medals: gold in the 30km classical and team sprint, a silver in the 15km skiathlon, and bronze in the 10km freestyle and 4x5km relay. Bjorgen is the third-most decorated Olympian of all time behind U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps with 28 medals and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina with 18 medals.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637247/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Shaun-White-R1.jpg?ts=1721242371" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637247/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Shaun-White-R1.jpg?ts=1721242371 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637247/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Shaun-White-R1.jpg?ts=1721242371 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637247/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Shaun-White-R1.jpg?ts=1721242371 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637247/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Shaun-White-R1.jpg?ts=1721242371 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637247/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Shaun-White-R1.jpg?ts=1721242371 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: In PyeongChang, Shaun White won his third gold medal in the men's halfpipe with a score of 97.75 points. His final run included back-to-back 1440s, securing the victory and cementing his status as a snowboarding legend.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RNvkDVUu-_A?si=G6aEdXMEK180wo_U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: White has become one of the most recognizable faces of snowboarding, helping to legitimize and popularize the sport in its first decade on the Olympic program. The three-time gold medalist made his Olympic debut for the United States at the 2006 Turin Games, where he won gold in the men's halfpipe. Already a star at home, this victory boosted him to international prominence.In Vancouver, White successfully defended his title, winning another halfpipe gold. His performance included a near-perfect run featuring his signature trick, the double McTwist 1260. The score from his first run alone was enough to secure the gold.White faced challenges in Sochi, finishing fourth in the halfpipe and missing the podium. However, he made a remarkable comeback in PyeongChang to win his third halfpipe gold, underscoring his resilience and ability to perform under pressure. White placed fourth at his fifth and final Olympic halfpipe event in Beijing.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637244/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Evgeni-Plushenko-R1.jpg?ts=1721242369" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637244/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Evgeni-Plushenko-R1.jpg?ts=1721242369 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637244/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Evgeni-Plushenko-R1.jpg?ts=1721242369 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637244/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Evgeni-Plushenko-R1.jpg?ts=1721242369 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637244/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Evgeni-Plushenko-R1.jpg?ts=1721242369 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637244/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Evgeni-Plushenko-R1.jpg?ts=1721242369 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: In the short program at the 2006 Games, Plushenko opened with a flawless quadruple jump and continued to perform his masterful routine set to music from the opera "Tosca," leading the competition heading into the long program. His long program, performed to the soundtrack from "The Godfather," secured his first Olympic gold medal.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UO84G_jFQoI?si=aCg4CMeaucsAOuK8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: Plushenko made his Olympic debut in Salt Lake, where he won a silver medal with a memorable performance to music from "Carmen." In Turin, Plushenko reached the pinnacle of his career, winning his first gold medal. He returned to the Olympics in Vancouver and earned silver.In Sochi, Plushenko competed in both the men's singles and the newly introduced team event. He contributed significantly to Russia's gold medal in the team event, performing in the short program and free skate. However, he withdrew from the men's singles due to injury. Plushenko's Olympic career, marked by two golds and two silvers, equals the male figure skating record set in 1932 by Sweden's Gillis Grafstrom. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637245/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Lindsey-Vonn-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637245/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Lindsey-Vonn-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637245/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Lindsey-Vonn-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637245/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Lindsey-Vonn-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637245/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Lindsey-Vonn-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637245/OLY-Eras---Day-3--Lindsey-Vonn-R1.jpg?ts=1721242370 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Lindsey Vonn battled a shin injury in Vancouver to become the first American woman to win gold in downhill skiing.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a7a7z6nmqTM?si=j6yCp40WSKJtYKRh" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Vonn made her World Cup debut at the age of 15 and first appeared in the Olympics at age 17 in Salt Lake City, finishing sixth in the combined and 32nd in the slalom. Injuries held her off the podium in Turin, so it wasn't until Vancouver that Olympic audiences got to see Vonn's greatness emerge. Coming off world championship victories in downhill and super-G in 2009, she fought through an injured tibia at the 2010 Olympics. There, she won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G, becoming the first American woman to win the downhill event.In Sochi, Vonn was unable to compete due to injury. However, she returned to the Olympic stage in PyeongChang. There, Vonn won a bronze medal in the downhill, making her the oldest woman to medal in Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics.Vonn's story is one of remaining resilient despite injuries and setbacks. Her international success beyond the Olympics is notable; she has eight world championship medals, and her 82 World Cup victories make her the winningest female Alpine skier.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/27938829/related

Five-ring circus: Top 5 Winter Olympic bosses of the last 25 years

Thousands of athletes since the 2000 Sydney Games have worn the maple leaf with dreams of steppin...

Thousands of athletes since the 2000 Sydney Games have worn the maple leaf with dreams of stepping on an Olympic podium. Only a select few have achieved repeated success over multiple Games to become national legends.Our Eras series highlights the top 25 Olympians this millennium, and today's instalment focuses on six Canadians who have achieved Olympic acclaim and cemented themselves as part of the country's sporting canon this century.Think future Canadian Heritage Minutes - signature Olympic performances that will outlive even the athletes themselves.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The six athletes on this list are the best Canadian Olympians not covered in our sport-specific Eras editions for the <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2713563" href="https://thescore.com/news/2713563">NBA</a>, <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2825987" href="https://thescore.com/news/2825987">MLB</a>, and <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2919994" href="https://thescore.com/news/2919994">NFL</a> (and the NHL in the fall).<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure>Tuesday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940162" href="https://www.thescore.com/news/2940162">International achievers</a> Thursday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940167" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940167">Winter wonders</a> Friday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940168" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940168">Summer sensations</a> Saturday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940169" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940169">Greatest American heroes</a><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636968/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Scott-Tessa-R1.jpg?ts=1721070787" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636968/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Scott-Tessa-R1.jpg?ts=1721070787 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636968/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Scott-Tessa-R1.jpg?ts=1721070787 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636968/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Scott-Tessa-R1.jpg?ts=1721070787 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636968/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Scott-Tessa-R1.jpg?ts=1721070787 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636968/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Scott-Tessa-R1.jpg?ts=1721070787 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue's free dance to "Moulin Rouge" secured the gold medal in ice dance. That cemented their status as the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history with five total medals.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wOEKdWrtz6U?si=r1eWeUM1A0BSoWcW" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why they're here: Moir and Virtue are inseparable in the minds of many Canadians, so we've included them together on our list. The duo first captured global attention at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, earning gold and making them the first North American ice dancers to achieve this feat and the youngest ice dancers to do so (he was 22, she was 20).At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Virtue and Moir delivered another set of exceptional performances, securing the silver medal behind their training partners and rivals Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States.Virtue and Moir's Olympic career reached its pinnacle in PyeongChang, where they reclaimed ice-dance gold and contributed to Canada's gold in the team event. In the short program, they set a world-record score of 83.67. Their masterful free dance performance of "Moulin Rouge" earned them 122.40 points, enough for second in the category. Their combined score of 206.07 points set a world record and earned them gold.Virtue and Moir also boast seven world championship medals (including three golds). They count for two of the five skaters to have won three Olympic gold medals, and their two team competition medals boost them to stand together as the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history with five medals.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636963/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Penny-Oleksiak-R1.jpg?ts=1721070780" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636963/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Penny-Oleksiak-R1.jpg?ts=1721070780 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636963/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Penny-Oleksiak-R1.jpg?ts=1721070780 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636963/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Penny-Oleksiak-R1.jpg?ts=1721070780 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636963/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Penny-Oleksiak-R1.jpg?ts=1721070780 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636963/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Penny-Oleksiak-R1.jpg?ts=1721070780 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: At just 16 years old, Oleksiak tied Simone Manuel for gold in the 100-meter freestyle final at the 2016 Rio Games, setting an Olympic record in the process.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nwJLOV1LhY?si=TExK9Plqss0qcS2m" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Oleksiak's seven Olympic medals make her Canada's most decorated Olympian.She established her reputation in the pool in Rio where she captured four medals, including the shared gold in the 100-meter freestyle. That made her the most decorated Canadian athlete at a single Summer Games.Oleksiak added three more medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She won silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, bronze in the 4x100 medley relay, and bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Most Canadian Olympic medals" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-tSrPl" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/tSrPl/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="688" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script></figure><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637265/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Andre-Degrasse-R1.jpg?ts=1721253422" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637265/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Andre-Degrasse-R1.jpg?ts=1721253422 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637265/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Andre-Degrasse-R1.jpg?ts=1721253422 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637265/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Andre-Degrasse-R1.jpg?ts=1721253422 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637265/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Andre-Degrasse-R1.jpg?ts=1721253422 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637265/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Andre-Degrasse-R1.jpg?ts=1721253422 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: At the Tokyo Games, De Grasse earned his first individual gold in the 200m with a time of 19.62 seconds, setting a national record for Canada.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9VH73KVIBG0?si=068eLcgTruJvP2tU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: De Grasse made his Olympic debut in Rio, where he earned three medals: a silver in the 200m, a bronze in the 100m, and a bronze in the 4x100m relay. That made him the first Canadian sprinter to medal in all three events. He was also the first Canadian to medal in the 100m since Donovan Bailey in 1996.De Grasse built on that success in Tokyo. He won gold in the 200m, becoming the first Canadian to do so since Percy Williams in 1928. Additionally, he repeated his bronze medal in the 100m and helped the Canadian team win silver as the anchor in the 4x100m relay. A latecomer to elite athletics, De Grasse has demonstrated consistency and resilience throughout his Olympic career. His ability to perform on the biggest stage has made him a prominent figure in Canadian sports and extended Canada's legacy of sprint excellence. Another medal in Paris would tie him with Oleksiak as the most decorated Canadian Olympian of all time. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636967/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Hayley-Wickenheiser-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636967/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Hayley-Wickenheiser-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636967/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Hayley-Wickenheiser-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636967/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Hayley-Wickenheiser-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636967/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Hayley-Wickenheiser-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636967/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Hayley-Wickenheiser-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Hayley Wickenheiser's best Olympic performance was in Salt Lake City, where she led the 2002 tournament in points with seven goals and 10 assists. Her performance was crucial in helping Canada defeat the United States 3-2 in the final. This victory marked Canada's first Olympic gold in women's ice hockey and solidified Wickenheiser's reputation as a key figure in the sport.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOM2N0-lxEI?si=Y6teP5Er1ByKxWha" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Wickenheiser made her Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, where Canada won silver in women's ice hockey's first Olympic foray. But those Games fall outside the bounds of our Eras project.Wickenheiser earned her first of two MVP awards in Salt Lake City. Her second came in Turin in 2006, where she contributed five goals and 12 assists en route to gold. She also won gold in Vancouver in 2010 after serving as Canada's flag bearer for the opening ceremony.Wickenheiser competed in her final Olympics in Sochi, where she and Team Canada won yet another gold medal. This made her a four-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the most decorated athletes in women's ice hockey. Over her five Olympic appearances, she became known for her leadership and skill. Across all international play, Wickenheiser remains Canada's national team's leading scorer. She also tops the points leaderboard in Olympic women's ice hockey with 51 points (18 goals and 33 assists).<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636966/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Christine-Sinclair-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636966/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Christine-Sinclair-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636966/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Christine-Sinclair-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636966/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Christine-Sinclair-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636966/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Christine-Sinclair-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636966/OLY-Eras---Day-2---Christine-Sinclair-R1.jpg?ts=1721070786 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Sinclair's hat-trick at the 2012 London Games is considered one of her greatest performances of all time. Despite Canada's eventual 4-3 loss to the Americans in that semifinal, her effort has been canonized as one of the greatest individual contributions in women's international soccer.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ps-JuM0jLgA?si=squ2u56FQDBZ_Jei" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: At age 25, Sinclair captained Canada's women's soccer team in its first Olympic appearance: 2008 in Beijing. Canada's impressive showing - including a quarterfinal loss in extra time to a U.S. squad that went on to win gold - established the Canadian women as a legitimate threat on the world stage. Sinclair helped them build this reputation with a game-tying goal in the 30th minute that put Canada on its upward trajectory.In the London semifinal, each of Sinclair's three goals gave Canada a lead until the Americans scored in the 123rd minute. Sinclair did make it onto the podium at those Games, earning a bronze medal after a 1-0 victory over France.At the Rio Olympics, Sinclair, by then 33, proved why she is considered one of the greatest Canadian athletes of her era by scoring the game-winner in the bronze-medal match against Brazil.And she still wasn't done. Sinclair wanted the storybook golden ending to her career - and she got it. Her Olympic journey reached the pinnacle at the Tokyo Olympics, where she became the all-time leading scorer in international soccer history, surpassing Abby Wambach's record of 184 goals. She then went on to lead the Canadian team to its first Olympic gold in a victory over Sweden that was decided on penalty kicks.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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Five-ring circus: Top 5 Canadian Olympic legends of the last 25 years

What does it take to be among sport's greatest?   The public often only sees many Olympic athlete...

What does it take to be among sport's greatest? The public often only sees many Olympic athletes perform every four years. Their efforts are judged in a microcosm, whether it turns out to be their best day or their worst.But Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympics, recognized that the Games are more than just that: "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The Olympics' founding principles are about respect, excellence, and friendship. These values have guided the modern iterations of the Games and the transcendent athletes who capture the attention of audiences worldwide. It's from this context that Olympic legends are born, those athletes whose stories and feats turn them into icons.In the Olympic installment of our Eras series, we consider the finest 25 Olympians of this millennium and the contributions they made to become cemented as legends.To better categorize each athlete's accomplishments, we've broken our series into five daily groupings: international standouts, Canadian legends, winter wonders, summer sensations, and greatest American heroes. The athletes on our list represent the best in fields not already covered by our prior Eras installments.Everyone on our lists has medaled in the Games, but we also considered the achievements of some of these legends in the professional realm.We begin with international standouts - athletes from outside North America who rose to prominence starting with the 2000 Syndey Games because of their athletic abilities and embodiment of Olympic values.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure>Previous installments of this series: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2713563" href="https://www.thescore.com/news/2713563">NBA</a> | <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2825987" href="https://www.thescore.com/news/2825987">MLB</a> | <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2919994" href="https://www.thescore.com/news/2919994">NFL</a><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure>Wednesday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940165" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940165">Canadian legends</a> Thursday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940167" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940167">Winter wonders</a> Friday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940168" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940168">Summer sensations</a> Saturday: <a data-in-app-uri="thescore:///news/2940169" href="https://thescore.com/news/2940169">Greatest American heroes</a><figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636969/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Usain-Bolt-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636969/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Usain-Bolt-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636969/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Usain-Bolt-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636969/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Usain-Bolt-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636969/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Usain-Bolt-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636969/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Usain-Bolt-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Bolt ran the 100m in 9.63 seconds at the London Games on Aug. 5, 2012, to set an untouched Olympic record. Although Bolt earned the world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships, his effort 12 years ago lowered the Olympic milestone he set in 2008 and remains the meet's standard.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EDmBOZdYfn0?si=LAx3WFQa01QD5CM_" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: The sprint king's accomplishments on the track are unmatched, making him one of the Olympic movement's transcendent icons. Bolt's name dominates the record books unlike anyone else in the sport's history.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe title="Men's 100m record progression" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-W64lu" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/W64lu/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="488" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script></figure>Let's start with Bolt's top times. The Jamaican sprinter is the record holder in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m at the Olympics and world championships. It's not just that Bolt achieved these milestones, but how he did it. Bolt's first Olympic showing at Athens in 2004 did little to predict his future success, with a leg injury hampering the 18-year-old before he got eliminated in the first round of the 200m.The 2008 Beijing Games was Bolt's true coming out party, winning gold in the 100m and 200m. He followed that up with additional gold-medal performances in the same events at 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro, making him the only sprinter to win three consecutive golds in both events. He has eight Olympic gold medals altogether.No one has come close to supplanting Bolt as the "world's fastest man" since he retired. In his record-setting 100m at the 2009 World Championships, he averaged 37.58 km/h (23.35 mph) and hit a top speed of 44.72 km/h (27.79 mph). Bolt also set a 200m world record in the same championship with a time of 19.19 seconds.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636965/OLY-Eras---Day-1--RAFAEL-NADAL-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070783" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636965/OLY-Eras---Day-1--RAFAEL-NADAL-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070783 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636965/OLY-Eras---Day-1--RAFAEL-NADAL-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070783 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636965/OLY-Eras---Day-1--RAFAEL-NADAL-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070783 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636965/OLY-Eras---Day-1--RAFAEL-NADAL-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070783 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636965/OLY-Eras---Day-1--RAFAEL-NADAL-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070783 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Nadal and Marc Lopez earned men's doubles gold in a thrilling match against Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The victory made Nadal the second man to win both singles and doubles Olympic gold since tennis returned to the international meet in 1988 after he also won singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x9FbunpVuTo?si=rVyYvTQQWkvzU_Vm" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: It's hard to mention Nadal without accounting for his cohorts in the Big Three - Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic - who dominated tennis for a good period. While they all have an unquestioned claim to greatness, Nadal has garnered more Olympic success than the other two.Nadal's two Olympic medals merely scratch the surface of his trophy collection. His 14 French Open titles - the most by any player at one Grand Slam - have earned him the moniker "King of Clay." Added to the list are his two Wimbledon victories, four US Open titles, and two Australian Open wins.The 2024 Paris Olympics will be Nadal's fourth and final Games. He'll compete in singles and team with Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. Alcaraz was born the year before Nadal made his Olympic debut in 2004.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636970/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Elaine-Thompson-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636970/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Elaine-Thompson-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636970/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Elaine-Thompson-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636970/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Elaine-Thompson-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636970/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Elaine-Thompson-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636970/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Elaine-Thompson-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721070787 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Thompson-Herah made history at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 by setting a Games record in the women's 100m. Clocking in at 10.61 seconds, she surpassed the previous record of 10.62 seconds set by Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. Thompson-Herah's electrifying performance secured her second consecutive Olympic gold in the event, reaffirming her status as one of the fastest women in history.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bX_6HOzoSzA?si=S0J-cwHloCjW0-hv" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why she's here: Thompson-Herah solidified her legacy as one of the greatest sprinters in Olympic history with her unparalleled performances in the 100m and 200m. At the 2016 Olympics, she captured the world's attention by winning gold in both events, becoming the first woman to achieve that double since Griffith-Joyner in 1988. The two wins also marked Thompson-Herah's first in any major international competition.The Jamaican star's success continued in Tokyo, where she defended her titles spectacularly by scoring the 100m Olympic record and a personal best of 21.53 seconds in the 200m. Thompson-Herah's back-to-back victories in both events underscored her dominance and placed her in a league of her own, making her the first woman to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in both sprint events.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637262/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Mo-Farah-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721252643" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637262/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Mo-Farah-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721252643 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637262/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Mo-Farah-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721252643 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637262/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Mo-Farah-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721252643 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637262/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Mo-Farah-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721252643 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/637262/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Mo-Farah-Herah-R1__1_.jpg?ts=1721252643 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Julian Catalfo / theScore</figcaption></figure>Signature performance: Farah electrified the home crowd at the 2012 London Olympics with his historic double victory in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. In the 10,000, Farah surged into the lead with just four laps to go, showcasing his remarkable finishing kick to secure gold. Farah's performances in London earned him widespread acclaim and solidified his status as one of the greatest long-distance runners in the Games' history.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uJ8PHCdV76E?si=0yjzqkN3fDFzwTeV" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: Farah's distance running first captured global attention at the London Olympics.He replicated his success at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, again claiming gold in the 5,000 and 10,000. The 10,000 victory was notable for its drama, with Farah tripping and needing to come from behind to pass the leaders. The achievement made him the second man in history to win both events at consecutive Olympics, joining Finland's Lasse Virén. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Farah in 2017.Farah's success isn't limited to the Olympics. He also won gold in the same events at the world championships in 2013 and 2015, making him the first man to defend both distance titles at the international meet. His result of 2:05:11 in 2018 is the sixth fastest winning time in the history of the Chicago Marathon, one of the six annual world marathon majors.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><center>                         </center></figure><figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636964/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Niklas-Edin-R1.jpg?ts=1721070781" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636964/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Niklas-Edin-R1.jpg?ts=1721070781 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636964/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Niklas-Edin-R1.jpg?ts=1721070781 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636964/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Niklas-Edin-R1.jpg?ts=1721070781 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636964/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Niklas-Edin-R1.jpg?ts=1721070781 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/636964/OLY-Eras---Day-1---Niklas-Edin-R1.jpg?ts=1721070781 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> </figcaption></figure>Standout performance: After earning a bronze and silver in consecutive Winter Games, Edin won a gold medal for Sweden at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CyLa45AjyrQ?si=T1V1Hx7IokfNAgnp&amp;start=11153&amp;end=11220" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Why he's here: Edin steadily climbed the podium over his four Olympics. He debuted at the 2010 Vancouver Games, where his rink finished fourth. He led Sweden to a bronze medal at the Sochi Olympics and then skipped his country to a silver in PyeongChang in 2018. Edin completed his medal collection with a gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.Beyond his Olympic successes, Edin is a seven-time world champion, including five of the last six times it's been held. He's been instrumental in promoting curling in Sweden and internationally, inspiring a new, global generation of curlers in a sport once largely dominated by Canadians.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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Five-ring circus: Top 5 international achievers of the last 25 years

No one had done it before, and no one has done it since - but for three brief years in the 1980s,...

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Harry Ornest, the NHL's most unlikely owner

Editor's note: Jessica Campbell on Wednesday was hired to join Dan Bylsma's staff as an assistant...

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NHL's first full-time female bench coach is living two dreams

Jack Michaels knows what sets his play-by-play apart from other qualified broadcasters in sports ...

Jack Michaels knows what sets his play-by-play apart from other qualified broadcasters in sports radio."I feel like I have a certain understanding of when a big moment is coming," the Edmonton Oilers play-by-play announcer said. It's a feel he picked up from watching horse racing as a kid. Like horse racing, Michaels believes a good hockey game is all about a slow build that grows to a crescendo. That crescendo has been swelling throughout the Stanley Cup Final this year, as the Oilers have mounted a historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7 on Monday night.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>After the Oilers' Game 6 victory Friday, Michaels called Game 7 the biggest game in Stanley Cup history. Only once in major North American sports history has a team recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win the championship (the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs).Michaels and color commentator Bob Stauffer will be doing their call on 630 CHED - boosted by SiriusXM and various internet apps - for fans connecting via the broadcast medium that's been linking communities for almost as long as the NHL itself. And they'll be ready to meet the moment.When Michaels calls a game, he thinks about all the people who are relying on him to be their eyes. "What you're trying to do is bring the person who can't afford tickets, can't afford to travel, they have a night shift or couldn't make the game or whatever reason - you're basically trying to take everyone who can't make the game and put them in the game, and put them beside you as if you're watching it together. You want to give the idea that this is somewhere I'd love to be, and if I can't be there, at least I'm with someone who can, who I can chat with," he said.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634213/cropped_GettyImages-1247367130.jpg?ts=1719243811" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634213/w220xh124_GettyImages-1247367130.jpg?ts=1719243811 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634213/w320xh180_GettyImages-1247367130.jpg?ts=1719243811 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634213/w640xh360_GettyImages-1247367130.jpg?ts=1719243811 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634213/w768xh432_GettyImages-1247367130.jpg?ts=1719243811 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634213/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1247367130.jpg?ts=1719243811 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Jack Michaels salutes the crowd after being recognized for calling his 1,000th Edmonton Oilers game in 2023 Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>When Michaels thinks about hockey in his childhood growing up north of Pittsburgh, his memories are punctuated by the voice of Penguins play-by-play announcer Mike Lange. "He was considered one of the absolute greats of the game," said Michaels, who'd listen to the Hall of Fame announcer detail the exploits of Penguin greats like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in their prime."He set a standard in terms of being among the greatest voices ever to call it. I had a sense for how exciting and fast-paced and thrilling hockey could be."Michaels eventually followed Lange into broadcasting, first in Colorado Springs as an announcer for the WCHL's Gold Kings. After an eight-year stint in Anchorage doing play-by-play for the Alaska Aces in the ECHL, he graduated to the NHL in 2010, becoming the play-by-play announcer for the Oilers. He calls games for both television and radio, but it's the latter for which fans love him most."You almost get a more accurate picture of what's going on through his description than you do actually watching the game," said Krysty Kline, an Oilers fan who listens to the radio calls from Orange County, California. Despite the bombardment of streaming services, broadcasts, podcasts and social media available today, a sizable number of fans will still tune in to the radio to hear Michaels. Because somehow, remarkably, radio still matters.Especially to Oilers fans. <h3>A 2-way conversation</h3>If ever there were a man who knew the power of radio in Edmonton, it's Bob Stauffer, who hosts "Oilers Now" on 630 CHED in addition to doing color commentary on the broadcasts.He believes talk radio continues to find engaged listeners in Edmonton because of the deep affection for the iconic Oilers brand. "People are passionate, and people know the game," he said. "They're looking for sources of information, and then you can engage in a longer form of conversation on talk radio."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634212/cropped_GettyImages-105984103.jpg?ts=1719243635" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634212/w220xh124_GettyImages-105984103.jpg?ts=1719243635 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634212/w320xh180_GettyImages-105984103.jpg?ts=1719243635 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634212/w640xh360_GettyImages-105984103.jpg?ts=1719243635 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634212/w768xh432_GettyImages-105984103.jpg?ts=1719243635 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634212/w1080xh607_GettyImages-105984103.jpg?ts=1719243635 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Bob Stauffer, left, and Jack Michaels in 2010 Dylan Lynch / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Unlike podcasts, radio shows are live, and listeners can call or text to communicate directly with the host. Many shows, like Stauffer's, also field calls from fans. Essentially a real-time version of online comment sections, with the hosts ready to respond. "There are people that are hardcore radio listeners, they do value opinion," Stauffer said. "They don't mind listening to others getting different perspectives as well."That's one reason Kline listens to Stauffer's shows from 1,700 miles away, where she moved almost 17 years ago. Each afternoon, she puts her three girls - two toddlers and a newborn - down for a nap, tosses on her headphones, and tunes in to hear what Stauffer has to say about the Oilers. She uses the TuneIn app to find the station over the internet."They have an in-depth look at the players," said Kline. "And when listeners call in, it adds value." Kline says the Oilers coverage on 630 CHED goes beyond the nuts and bolts of hockey to give her what she's really looking for – the story. "It's the drama," she said. "Who's out? What's going on? Who sucks? Who doesn't? Who's this beautiful rising-from-the-ashes story? You follow along more passionately that way, and that's what those local shows do well. They share those stories."Tom Gazzola believes so much in the power of radio's connection that he was part of a group that started Edmonton Sports Talk as an internet station after the abrupt shutdown of Bell Media's TSN 1260 in 2023. "Radio is there for you. People get to know the hosts, and they feel that they know them. It's not a quick two- or three-minute segment on the TV where you see somebody for a few minutes, and then they're gone for the rest of the broadcast. On radio shows, they're there for you and with you for a couple of hours. You can text in, you can call and actually interact with them. I think there's a certain level of comfort there and some accessibility. At the end of the day, we're just there to give people something to chew on while they grind through their days."<h3>Part of their lives</h3>The Michaels-Stauffer duo is set to become part of the lives of some Edmontonians in a big way Monday night when they call what could be the most historic Stanley Cup Final in living memory - one that could return the Cup to Canada for the first time in 30 years and end Edmonton's Cup drought that has persisted since 1990.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634214/cropped_GettyImages-2021284961.jpg?ts=1719243965" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634214/w220xh124_GettyImages-2021284961.jpg?ts=1719243965 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634214/w320xh180_GettyImages-2021284961.jpg?ts=1719243965 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634214/w640xh360_GettyImages-2021284961.jpg?ts=1719243965 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634214/w768xh432_GettyImages-2021284961.jpg?ts=1719243965 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/634214/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2021284961.jpg?ts=1719243965 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Jack Michaels calls the play-by-play in February 2024 Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Michaels hasn't quite adjusted to the idea that he's someone's Mike Lange in an era when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the star attractions. But when he does take time to think of his role, he just hopes the radio broadcast pierces through the distractions to make people feel something."I hope people listening to it will have an emotion one way or another rather than just immediately forget it," he said. "I would like to think of certain games that people listen to me call as ones to be remembered. And hopefully it's a memory of driving in the car with their son or daughter or driving back from a trip out to the lake or something that they've shared with somebody. I'd like to be a small piece of that." For Michaels, it's the shared experience that's the coolest. "It's not about making the perfect call or anything like that. It's just being a little part of their lives," he added. "Hopefully a pleasant part."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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Radio duo connects Oilers fans everywhere for Game 7

Much was expected of Reggie Leach in 1976 when the Flyers entered the playoffs in search of their...

Much was expected of Reggie Leach in 1976 when the Flyers entered the playoffs in search of their third consecutive Stanley Cup title. After leading the NHL during the regular season with 61 goals, his offensive firepower was crucial if the Broad Street Bullies were to add more hardware to their trophy case.Leach understood the assignment. Through the first two rounds, he scored 15 goals in 12 games, including an <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2909783/the-elusive-playoff-goals-record-is-under-threat-again">astonishing five-goal performance against Boston,</a> to tie Yvan Cournoyer's record set in 17 contests in 1973. The Cup chase was only three rounds then, so the Flyers would face Montreal in the final."It was just one of those years for myself that everything I shot went in," he said. "I felt like I was unstoppable at that time. It's all your confidence when you go into a game. That year was just unbelievable for myself." <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>But his heroics weren't enough: The Flyers were swept by the Canadiens. Leach added four goals to his total, though, establishing the record of 19 he still shares with Edmonton's Jari Kurri. Leach's exquisite effort might have been shuffled to the back pages of the record book if it wasn't for the stamp of permanence that came after the Canadiens lifted the Cup.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633708/cropped_GettyImages-639675048.jpg?ts=1718921580" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633708/w220xh124_GettyImages-639675048.jpg?ts=1718921580 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633708/w320xh180_GettyImages-639675048.jpg?ts=1718921580 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633708/w640xh360_GettyImages-639675048.jpg?ts=1718921580 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633708/w768xh432_GettyImages-639675048.jpg?ts=1718921580 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633708/w1080xh607_GettyImages-639675048.jpg?ts=1718921580 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Reggie Leach skates in a 2017 Flyers alumni game Len Redkoles / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player during the playoffs, the only time in NHL history that a skater from the losing team has received the trophy. Goalies from losing teams had won it before: Detroit's Roger Crozier in 1966 and Glenn Hall in 1968 with the Blues. Two more came after Leach: Ron Hextall in 1987 with the Flyers and Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 with the Ducks."At the time, it wasn't a real big deal because of us losing to Montreal," Leach said. "With hockey, it's a team sport. When you lose, you lose together. But, after you retire, you look at stuff and you say, 'Oh my God, I did this, I did that.' That was the biggest thing after I retired."<h3>History of the Conn Smythe Trophy</h3>In the NHL's early years, there was one award to win - the Stanley Cup itself. But new accolades were added to the trophy case over time. In 1925, the Lady Byng Trophy was donated by its namesake to recognize the player who best exemplified good sportsmanship. In 1927, the Vezina Trophy was first awarded to the league's top goaltender. The Art Ross Trophy was first given to the regular season points leader in 1948. But, until the Conn Smythe's introduction in 1965, no honor existed to celebrate the playoffs' standout performer."They started awarding the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965 and the reason would be because there was no award for the top player in the playoffs like there was in other sports," said hockey historian Paul Patskou. Named after the longtime Maple Leafs owner, general manager and head coach who donated the prize, the trophy was fittingly designed as a replica of Maple Leaf Gardens, then home to Toronto's team. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633710/cropped_GettyImages-53121571.jpg?ts=1718921720" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633710/w220xh124_GettyImages-53121571.jpg?ts=1718921720 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633710/w320xh180_GettyImages-53121571.jpg?ts=1718921720 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633710/w640xh360_GettyImages-53121571.jpg?ts=1718921720 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633710/w768xh432_GettyImages-53121571.jpg?ts=1718921720 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633710/w1080xh607_GettyImages-53121571.jpg?ts=1718921720 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Former Canadien Maurice Richard congratulates Jean Beliveau on winning the Stanley Cup Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy during the celebration in the locker room at the 1965 Stanley Cup Finals Bruce Bennett / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"The first winner was Jean Beliveau of Montreal in 1965. Of course, there was a big rivalry between Montreal and Toronto back then and it was kind of ironic that Beliveau would win something with a replica of the Leafs arena. But Beliveau was all class. That didn't bother him," Patskou says.What did trouble some was the original voting process, which the papers at the time decried as "a farce." Voting was performed by the governors of the NHL's six teams, but the papers at the time claimed at least three of the governors did not attend even one game in the final series, instead appointing executives to vote in their place. Voting has since been left to the Professional Hockey Writers Association.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633707/cropped_GettyImages-162157338.jpg?ts=1718921384" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633707/w220xh124_GettyImages-162157338.jpg?ts=1718921384 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633707/w320xh180_GettyImages-162157338.jpg?ts=1718921384 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633707/w640xh360_GettyImages-162157338.jpg?ts=1718921384 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633707/w768xh432_GettyImages-162157338.jpg?ts=1718921384 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633707/w1080xh607_GettyImages-162157338.jpg?ts=1718921384 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Ken Dryden of the Canadiens shakes hands with Reggie Leach of the Flyers after a game at the Montreal Forum Denis Brodeur / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Conn Smythe Trophy has been given to all positions - goalies, defensemen and offensive superstars. In its third year, it finally made its first appearance in Maple Leaf Gardens when forward Dave Keon won it in the Leafs' most recent Stanley Cup championship. "He didn't score a lot of points. But he did everything else," Patskou said. "And, for the first time, they didn't announce it that night. They announced the results the day after."Sometimes the award has gone to veterans, other times to rookies. "An interesting one was in 1971 when Ken Dryden won it when he was still a rookie. He'd only played six regular-season games and he won the Conn Smythe before he even became a regular player," Patskou said. Dryden, in fact, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1972.But only once has it gone to the skater of a losing team. That might all change in the 2024 playoffs.<h3>Could history repeat itself?</h3>"The last two games, (Connor) McDavid was just unbelievable," said Leach, who thinks the Oilers captain will help push the series to a Game 7. "When I played, we didn't have all the fancy stickhandling and all that stuff - it was mainly a pass-and-shoot game. It's unbelievable is what it is. He's really determined to win the Cup." <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633472/cropped_GettyImages-2158190887.jpg?ts=1718921949" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633472/w220xh124_GettyImages-2158190887.jpg?ts=1718921949 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633472/w320xh180_GettyImages-2158190887.jpg?ts=1718921949 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633472/w640xh360_GettyImages-2158190887.jpg?ts=1718921949 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633472/w768xh432_GettyImages-2158190887.jpg?ts=1718921949 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/633472/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2158190887.jpg?ts=1718921949 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Connor McDavid's Stanley Cup 2024 playoffs performance has put him in the conversation for this year's Conn Smythe Trophy Elsa / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>In his quest to bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time in 30 years, McDavid leads all scorers with eight goals and 34 assists, totaling 42 points in 23 postseason games. He's collected eight of those points in the last two games as the Oilers faced elimination; he's the first player in NHL history to record consecutive four-point games in a Stanley Cup Final. He's 10 points ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl in the scoring race and 20 points ahead of Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers' top scorer. It's driven him top of mind among pundits and oddsmakers.Almost 50 years after winning the Conn Smythe in a losing effort, that final-round defeat stings a little less for Leach, who is grateful for everything hockey has given him. "I think of who I am, being First Nation and making it to the National Hockey League and accomplishing my dreams and goals that I wanted to do as a youngster: having the opportunity to do it with the best players in the world and being recognized as one of the best players in the world for a couple of years," he said. "Hockey was just a just a stepping stone to who I am today. I'm the luckiest guy in the world that I got to play. It's a wonderful, wonderful experience to play professional hockey in the National Hockey League."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

https://rich-content.thescore.com/content_cards/27611780/related

Winning the Conn Smythe without the Cup does feel good - eventually

When Stuart Skinner got a full-time job with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022, the main problem for fa...

When Stuart Skinner got a full-time job with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022, the main problem for fans was the simple fact that his jersey was nowhere to be found. "You couldn't purchase a Skinner jersey," said Avarey Amyotte, whose son Owen was then a budding minor hockey goalie and obsessed with the born-and-bred Edmontonian.Amyotte's dad, Don - who she describes as the ultimate hockey grandpa - came up with a solution.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"He ordered a custom Skinner jersey for Owen for Christmas," she remembers. "It was a scramble to make sure that it would come in time before Christmas. My dad was so excited that he got it all done."But Don wouldn't live to see the results of his labor of love. A week after the jersey arrived, on Dec. 2, 2022, he died from prostate cancer. Amyotte kept his present a secret from her son until Christmas morning."We had a lot of family in town on Christmas morning, and when Owen opened that box and it was a custom Skinner jersey, it was very emotional," she said.Amyotte later tracked down Skinner at a goalie clinic to get it signed. The jersey now hangs above Owen's bed - a daily reminder of not just his love of the game, but his grandpa's love for him.Eighteen years ago, a different Oilers goalie served as inspiration for a certain young fan. Dwayne Roloson was the netminder during Edmonton's last run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. A young Stuart Skinner was just 7 years old.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632586/cropped_GettyImages-57516788.jpg?ts=1718229483" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632586/w220xh124_GettyImages-57516788.jpg?ts=1718229483 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632586/w320xh180_GettyImages-57516788.jpg?ts=1718229483 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632586/w640xh360_GettyImages-57516788.jpg?ts=1718229483 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632586/w768xh432_GettyImages-57516788.jpg?ts=1718229483 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632586/w1080xh607_GettyImages-57516788.jpg?ts=1718229483 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Dwayne Roloson inspired Stuart Skinner when he led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 Dave Sandford / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>"Roly the goalie was my idol," said Skinner, who remembers the sheer excitement any time he had the chance to watch the Oilers in person at the old Northlands Coliseum/Rexall Place."I will never forget Rexall Place," he said. "I absolutely love Rexall Place. It's one of those childhood kind of things that you look back on - being at the rink, watching teams, or just driving by and you're like, 'That's so cool.'" Back then, Skinner always made sure the dial was tuned to sports talk radio where he could hear the latest Oilers news."We would always have the radio on whenever we hopped into the car," he said. "Whether it's going to school first thing in the morning, or going back home from school, or going to the rink."The youngest child of nine, Skinner's earliest days in net were as target practice for his older siblings during road hockey games, which quickly morphed into an obsession for becoming a goalie. "I could talk to you forever about why I wanted to be a goalie," he said. "I was just begging my family to be a goalie. I was always the one who wanted to go in the road hockey net." But Skinner had a problem - his parents were less enthusiastic about him becoming a permanent fixture in net. Skinner's solution was simple."I didn't even give them a choice, really," he said. "One tryout, we just didn't have a goalie, so I told the coach I was going in. I didn't even ask permission. That was the end of it."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624965/cropped_GettyImages-2113301978.jpg?ts=1713273111" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624965/w220xh124_GettyImages-2113301978.jpg?ts=1713273111 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624965/w320xh180_GettyImages-2113301978.jpg?ts=1713273111 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624965/w640xh360_GettyImages-2113301978.jpg?ts=1713273111 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624965/w768xh432_GettyImages-2113301978.jpg?ts=1713273111 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/624965/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2113301978.jpg?ts=1713273111 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Connor McDavid and Stuart Skinner celebrate a win over Los Angeles in March 2024 Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Skinner quickly asserted himself as one of the game's up-and-coming talents, compiling a .929 save percentage in his second year of U15 AAA hockey and getting drafted into the WHL the following year. There, he quickly earned the starting goalie position in Lethbridge, Alberta as a 16-year-old."Not a lot of 16-year-olds in that league," he said. "I remember getting drafted and them saying that they wanted me to play right away. "Especially as a kid going from bantam and getting drafted and all that, you're all excited. Then, when they say that, you're like, 'Holy crap, I'm going to be playing in the WHL. That's pretty cool.' It was very exciting for me. Them giving me that opportunity was massive, because then I was just able to play a lot of games right away."Skinner also enrolled in the hockey academy at Louis St. Laurent junior and senior high. "He was well poised and had a lot going for him, and was way more mature for his age," teacher and coach Jaret Peel said. "He was someone who was very determined to work hard and do all the things needed to make sure that he was successful, that would get him to the next level." Peel would often take shots on Skinner and use the opportunity to inflict his own form of resilience training."I would try to chirp him and get into his head every time I scored a goal," he said.Skinner, known for being humble and unaffected, ultimately got the last chirp in an uncharacteristic moment of hubris. When he signed his first NHL contract after being selected 78th overall by the Oilers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Peel texted him congratulations. Skinner replied, "Hey coach. Just to let you know, I'll make more in three years than you'll make in your career." <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632588/cropped_GettyImages-800571046.jpg?ts=1718229680" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632588/w220xh124_GettyImages-800571046.jpg?ts=1718229680 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632588/w320xh180_GettyImages-800571046.jpg?ts=1718229680 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632588/w640xh360_GettyImages-800571046.jpg?ts=1718229680 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632588/w768xh432_GettyImages-800571046.jpg?ts=1718229680 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/632588/w1080xh607_GettyImages-800571046.jpg?ts=1718229680 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Stuart Skinner meets then vice president of hockey operations for the Oilers, Craig MacTavish, after being selected 78th overall during the 2017 NHL Draft. MacTavish coached the Oilers throughout their 2006 Cup run Dave Sandford / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Since then, Skinner has cemented himself as the Oilers' starting goalie and a mainstay in the next generation's hockey dreams."He's used his mental fortitude to push past the tough times and move forward," Peel said. "He's used past experiences, coaches, and sports psychologists to help him get to where he is right now. That's the goalie in the Stanley Cup Final. And that's every kid's dream."Skinner might be living the dream, but he's also defining it. His sway over the next generation of Edmonton fans now extends far beyond the ice, at least among the teens Peel coaches."Having a mustache is cool now," he said. "There are hundreds of them. They've got the peach fuzz. They're saying, 'I'm going to have a mustache one day like Stuart's got.'"<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629624/cropped_GettyImages-2153690140.jpg?ts=1716262707" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629624/w220xh124_GettyImages-2153690140.jpg?ts=1716262707 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629624/w320xh180_GettyImages-2153690140.jpg?ts=1716262707 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629624/w640xh360_GettyImages-2153690140.jpg?ts=1716262707 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629624/w768xh432_GettyImages-2153690140.jpg?ts=1716262707 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629624/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2153690140.jpg?ts=1716262707 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Young hockey fans appreciate Stuart Skinner's signature style Codie McLachlan / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>One of those up-and-comers is 14-year-old Amyotte, who isn't sporting the Skinner 'stache but has already followed in Skinner's footsteps by playing AAA for the same minor hockey club, South Side Athletic Club. He's also attending the same in-school hockey academy as Skinner. Amyotte posted a .881 save percentage through 18 games last season in U15."I've noticed throughout his whole NHL career - and even just this season - Skinner improves really fast," Amyotte said. "He plays so calm. He can read the play. He can kind of just read plays into the future."As proof of Skinner's evolution, Amyotte pointed to his Game 6 clinic against Dallas where he made 33 saves to keep the score at 2-1 and give the Oilers their Finals berth."He pulled out strong, and it was basically just a battle between the other goalie," he said.It's that real-time learning Skinner will have to draw upon as the Oilers look to dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole against Florida."We've been in a lot of worse situations," Skinner said after Wednesday's practice. "We've been in a situation where we were pretty well the last-place team in the league. We were down 3-2 against Vancouver, facing elimination, and we had to win two games. We've been in a lot of situations where you think that you're down and out. And I think that's when we play our best hockey, is when our backs are against the wall and the gun's pointing at us."Skinner's self-talk might be different now, but he knows what he'd say to that 14-year-old version of himself back in junior high."I'd tell him to relax and know that it's all going to be OK. I would just tell him to really enjoy the whole process of getting up to where we are now. I would let him know that it's going to be hard. It's going to be tough. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs, a lot of bumps and bruises. But at the end of the day, it's all going to be worth it, and just trust yourself leading up to where we're headed."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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It wouldn't have been a surprise to say in training camp that this season's Edmonton Oilers would...

It wouldn't have been a surprise to say in training camp that this season's Edmonton Oilers would be in the Stanley Cup Final. After finishing the 2022-23 season with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sitting first and second in scoring and the roster's core returning, the team expected to build on last year's Round 2 playoff exit.But the reality was much different. The Oilers opened the campaign disastrously, losing 10 of their first 13 games. A particularly humiliating 3-2 loss to the cellar-dwelling San Jose Sharks tied them for last in the league. Even hitting rock bottom didn't change much."You go into the year with the expectation that you're one of the best teams in the league, and you're going to go to the Stanley Cup Final and have a chance to win," forward Zach Hyman said this week. <div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"All of a sudden, 15 games into the season, you're second-last. It's like, what happened? What's going on?"The loss to San Jose was the second-last game of coach Jay Woodcroft's tenure. After compiling a 3-9-1 record, the team needed a new plan and a different voice to implement it.Enter Kris Knoblauch. <h3>Calm in chaos</h3>In the fall of 2023, while the Oilers were chaotically trying to stop the bleeding, Knoblauch was settling into his fifth season behind the bench for the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers' top affiliate."At the time, I was hoping to get my American League team into the playoffs, and we'll see what happens from there," Knoblauch said this week.His position with the Wolf Pack was the natural extension of a long-time dream he nurtured as a young boy growing up in the Prairie town of Imperial, Saskatchewan. The New York Islanders drafted him in the seventh round in 1997 while he was playing junior hockey, but his playing career culminated with five seasons as a star for the University of Alberta men's team."When I was kid, thinking about getting to the NHL, having the opportunity to play, win a Stanley Cup, I always wanted to do it as a player," Knoblauch said. "Eventually, you realize you're not going to be able to compete as a player, maybe you can do it as a coach." <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631994/cropped_GettyImages-459100562.jpg?ts=1717798111" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631994/w220xh124_GettyImages-459100562.jpg?ts=1717798111 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631994/w320xh180_GettyImages-459100562.jpg?ts=1717798111 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631994/w640xh360_GettyImages-459100562.jpg?ts=1717798111 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631994/w768xh432_GettyImages-459100562.jpg?ts=1717798111 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631994/w1080xh607_GettyImages-459100562.jpg?ts=1717798111 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Knoblauch coaches the Eerie Otters in November 2014 Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>So Knoblauch started the grind. He began as an assistant coach for the Prince Albert Raiders and Kootenay Ice in the WHL. After Kootenay elevated him to the top job in 2010, he took the junior club to the Memorial Cup in his first season. Two campaigns later, Knoblauch landed in Erie, Pennsylvania, as the head coach of the Otters in the OHL."I just think about the sacrifices (my wife) made. ... How many times we moved, how many jobs she's given up," Knoblauch said. "If I was to go back - we probably made some poor decisions for her to quit the good, quality jobs that she had for me to chase some low-paying, below-poverty wages just to see what happens."Those early days would prove fateful. Knoblauch first crossed paths with McDavid in 2012-13, the star's first year in Erie. In his three seasons with the Otters, McDavid amassed 285 points."Connor still does astonish me," Knoblauch said. "I think he won't be able to do it, and he does it again."Following McDavid's departure to the NHL, Knoblauch led an Otters team featuring Alex DeBrincat to the Memorial Cup in 2017. Despite various interviews for NHL coaching positions over the years - including one with current Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice - Knoblauch's NHL resume only consisted of working as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2017-19. He'd been with the Wolfpack for four seasons before the Oilers called."He came in when we were at rock bottom," Hyman said. "I think he just instilled a wave of calmness and confidence."Edmonton won Knoblauch's first two contests but then gave up 17 goals in a three-game losing streak to start a road trip. But that was the end of the misery. Edmonton won 24 of its next 27, including a 16-game winning streak - the second longest in NHL history.By mid-November, around the time of Knoblauch's arrival, McDavid had dropped to 126th in scoring despite coming off a 153-point MVP campaign.McDavid finished the regular season third overall in the points race with 132, just 12 back of leader Nikita Kucherov. Hyman also benefited, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to score 50 goals on his way to a career-high 54. He leads all playoff scorers with 14 through three rounds.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613325/cropped_GettyImages-1780741711.jpg?ts=1706193628" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613325/w220xh124_GettyImages-1780741711.jpg?ts=1706193628 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613325/w320xh180_GettyImages-1780741711.jpg?ts=1706193628 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613325/w640xh360_GettyImages-1780741711.jpg?ts=1706193628 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613325/w768xh432_GettyImages-1780741711.jpg?ts=1706193628 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/613325/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1780741711.jpg?ts=1706193628 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Knoblauch draws up a play during morning skate in November 2023 Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty</figcaption></figure>"He helped some of our best players. We were all struggling. I think that's why our team was where we were. And he came in just with a calming presence, the process-based plan," Hyman said. The Oilers compiled a dominating 46-18-5 record under Knoblauch to rise to second in the Pacific Division behind the Vancouver Canucks."He just brought such a calming and relaxing presence," goalie Stuart Skinner said. "He's so stoic and so calm. I think that was just his attitude about coming in. It was massive for us. Because obviously, being an Oiler can be a stressful, stressful thing, especially with outside noise and outside pressure. He was just a rock for us, and he's been a rock for us for this whole entire year."<h3>Cool and collected</h3>As the Oilers head into Saturday's Game 1 of the finals, Knoblauch is looking to maintain the calmness he instituted when he took the helm in November."The Stanley Cup Finals are different," he said. "There are more media requests, more interviews, there's just more attention, more things in the papers. … It's just settling everything down and making it feel like just a regular game. We just want our players to be able to play our game and, when they're on the ice, just be able to focus on playing. You can get too caught up in everything else that's going on often easily. Guys get distracted."On that point, he's already leading by example. Reaching the finals was a lifelong dream for Knoblauch, and he achieved it on June 2 with a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars, propelling the Oilers to their first finals appearance since 2006. Instead of letting his excitement show through with over-the-top verbosity, Knoblauch maintained the calmness he's become known for."I don't have any words," he said after the victory. "This is remarkable."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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Cool and collected: Kris Knoblauch's ready to shine

You've heard of football's Puppy Bowl; now get ready for hockey's version: the Stanley Pup. It se...

You've heard of football's Puppy Bowl; now get ready for hockey's version: the Stanley Pup. It seems the play on words was just too hard to resist for the NHL, which will host its version of a rescue dog competition featuring not only canine stars but players like Nick Suzuki and Anze Kopitar and coach John Tortorella."It's really entertaining, there are lots of puns, but it's a great show, and I think people will enjoy the entertainment," said Matt Nicholson, the NHL's vice president of production and creative development. The executive admitted there were a few natural stars among the 16 dogs representing NHL clubs, saying, "All the pups are great, but I think everyone might find Roman Yorkie super, super cute."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Nicholson added: "Nikita Poocherov also put on a show. And we'll see if people think Connor McDoodle has good stuff."The move is more than just a gimmick by the NHL and fits into its fan-development strategy. Recent <a href="https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2657184">polling</a> suggests at least one in three members of Gen Z - defined as between the ages of 13 and 25 - don't watch live sports and consume the game "through a different lens," as NHL chief marketing officer Heidi Browning <a href="https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2913863/how-the-nhls-gen-z-fans-keep-the-league-from-getting-stagnant">previously told theScore</a>.The Stanley Pup broadcast will try to deliver on the idea of letting fans learn more about the league's players off the ice. "If (a player is) holding a 10-week puppy, they obviously let their guard down and get to talk about something that they're passionate about," Nicholson said.The Stanley Pup isn't the only initiative launched with fan engagement in mind. The league also announced it's airing alternative Stanley Cup Final broadcasts in American Sign Language, a first for a major North American sport. Deaf play-by-play and color commentators will call the games as they see them rather than providing translations of the spoken calls. The broadcasts will be available through ESPN+ and Sportsnet+."There's a little bit of strategy there. And there's a little bit of … let's make our fans happy across all spectrums," Nicholson said.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631842/cropped_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777079" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631842/w220xh124_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777079 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631842/w320xh180_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777079 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631842/w640xh360_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777079 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631842/w768xh432_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777079 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631842/w1080xh607_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777079 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jess Rapfogel / NHL Images</figcaption></figure>The Stanley Pup airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NHL Network and ESPN+ in the U.S. and Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on Sportsnet in Canada.theScore caught up with Nicholson to ask about the strategy behind the Stanley Pup and the art of working with puppies. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. theScore: What inspired the idea to host a Stanley Pup competition? Did you watch the Puppy Bowl and want to do something similar? Nicholson: It was an idea we had a couple of years ago. ... The league has done a lot of work with rescue organizations, the teams do a lot of work with dogs, whether it's seeing-eye dogs or team dog calendars, and it just made sense. Subconsciously, possibly (the NFL's Puppy Bowl factored in), but we didn't want to copy them. You know - Stanley Cup, Stanley Pup, it kind of just works.How does this fit into the league's efforts to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive North American professional sports landscape? Nicholson: The Stanley Cup is certainly the greatest trophy in sports. And whenever we can do something to get our players in front of different fans, we take the opportunity. We've learned that there are hockey fans out there, whether they're also baseball fans or WWE or NASCAR fans. When we get an opportunity to get a show on ESPN+ or Sportsnet that's not only doing good but can build us some fans right before an amazing final with these two teams, it's something that's a no-brainer for us.Fans are always asking for more personality from hockey players, how does this achieve that?Nicholson: It's just tough not to show personality when you have players holding puppies. There are plenty of other sports where their players are not as outgoing as maybe the league would hope, but I think our players do a great job. They're starting to build their social media platforms, and the players we asked, especially from the (Washington) <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-canine-calendar-photoshoot">Capitals</a>, were generous in giving their time.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631938/cropped_6_2024.05.06_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777156" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631938/w220xh124_6_2024.05.06_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777156 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631938/w320xh180_6_2024.05.06_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777156 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631938/w640xh360_6_2024.05.06_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777156 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631938/w768xh432_6_2024.05.06_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777156 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/631938/w1080xh607_6_2024.05.06_JESS_RAPFOGEL_NHL_Images.jpg?ts=1717777156 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jess Rapfogel / NHL Images</figcaption></figure>Tell me about the process of putting the show together. Nicholson: It's a show with puppies, and you can only direct them so much. Puppies operate on their own schedule. They sleep when they want, they go to the bathroom when they want. That's the joy of it. It's unscripted. The true competition is the puppies having fun, and you just see what you get from that. We created presentations for how they enter the ice or the rink. We did puppy cards for all of them. So yeah, you operate on their schedule. It's not like a Hollywood production - we're going to take a lunch break when they want.A lot of it is just the enjoyment, seeing what the puppies can do. And then you create the program around it, and you do some features showcasing all the pups. There's something satisfying about getting a rescue and saving that life. There's a line in the show that says, "When you adopt a rescue dog, you actually save two dogs because there is another dog that's going to take his spot in a second."I know that Tortorella makes a special appearance on the show. He has a special passion for rescue dogs, doesn't he? Nicholson: He has his own <a href="https://www.tortorellafoundation.org/about-bears-angels/">foundation</a>. He tells the story in the show, and I'm not going to ruin it. His family went to a rescue organization, and it impacted him greatly because he didn't really know what was going on with rescue dogs prior to that. Then, all of a sudden, realizing that these dogs are being put down, it just became a passion project of his.Do you think this will become an annual NHL tradition? Nicholson: I don't want to say we're completely looking ahead to next season, but we hope this is something that continues. We have ideas on how to make it bigger and better next year. We already had some teams reach out and ask, 'How can we participate in this?' It would be amazing if this becomes a franchise for us.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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They're the TikTok generation, and they're changing sports as we know it. As Gen Z gains increasi...

They're the TikTok generation, and they're changing sports as we know it. As Gen Z gains increasing purchasing power, all areas of sport are feeling their influence. Gen Z doesn't think or act like fans of yesteryear, so their alternative approach to sports consumption means leagues and teams must rethink their marketing strategies. Capturing their attention is vital to maintain the revenue growth sports have enjoyed for decades."The traditional mindset fan is someone who watches the broadcast or buys tickets and goes to the game," said Heidi Browning, the NHL's chief marketing officer. "But that's not how this generation thinks. They can consider themselves fans of sports by following content and following athlete stories without ever even attending a game."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><a href="https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2657184">Research</a> by Morning Consult shows 33% of U.S. Gen Zers - defined as those between ages 13 and 25 - don't watch live sports broadcasts. They also don't watch them in person; almost 50% of Gen Zers in the 1,000-person survey said they'd never attended a live professional sporting event.But none of that means they're not sports fans. "They still can engage in watercooler conversations with their friends, they still buy merchandise, they still aspire to be like certain athletes," Browning said. "So I think that we need to look broader into how we define fandom when we look at this next generation."Part of Browning's strategy has been to engage hockey fans ages 13-17 on an annual <a href="https://www.nhl.com/community/power-players/program-information">youth advisory board</a> that the league has been running for six years. Past participants range from all over North America - Hawaii to Newfoundland."The whole idea behind this program is to expose them to the business of hockey, while at the same time hearing from them how our marketing is resonating," Browning said. <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629222/cropped_GettyImages-2011421366.jpg?ts=1715973060" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629222/w220xh124_GettyImages-2011421366.jpg?ts=1715973060 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629222/w320xh180_GettyImages-2011421366.jpg?ts=1715973060 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629222/w640xh360_GettyImages-2011421366.jpg?ts=1715973060 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629222/w768xh432_GettyImages-2011421366.jpg?ts=1715973060 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/629222/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2011421366.jpg?ts=1715973060 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Jared Silber / NHL / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>theScore discussed the league's marketing efforts with Browning and the specific challenges of engaging the next generation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: What's the most surprising thing you've learned from working with the youth advisory board?Browning: Something that's surprising is how much content they consume on a daily basis. Not only do they consume it, but they consume it on multiple channels. They have an opinion on it, they remember it, and they can give you perspective on it. The advice that they give to us is very practical but also inspirational for us and aspirational for us as we continue to shape our programs for the future.Statistics show Gen Zers are both attending live sporting events less frequently and watching fewer broadcasts. Do you get the sense that Gen Z is watching sports less?Browning: I think that they do watch sports, but they also look at sports through a different lens. It's not just about the game that's on the ice. It's the whole picture. By that I mean, they want to know the athletes, they want to know the human behind the visor. They want to know everything about them, their lives, personalities, families, and their interests. What are the causes they care about?This idea of athlete-driven media is not just a hockey thing. This is a global phenomenon. So they'll follow athletes in the sport they love. They'll even follow athletes of sports they don't even watch just because they're interesting humans. It's pervasive across all sports, and it's a global shift. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl/video/7361452301409717546" data-video-id="7361452301409717546" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@nhl" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl?refer=embed">@nhl</a> Shesterkin &amp; mini Shesterkin ❤️ <a title="nhl" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nhl?refer=embed">#NHL</a> <a title="hockey" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/hockey?refer=embed">#hockey</a> <a title="stanleycup" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/stanleycup?refer=embed">#StanleyCup</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Criança Feliz - L. Comp. Project" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Crian%C3%A7a-Feliz-7356277722849019921?refer=embed">♬ Criança Feliz - L. Comp. Project</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></figure>Hockey culture has historically been more reserved, how do you meet the content needs of today's generation knowing NHL athletes tend to feel less comfortable sharing about their personal lives?Browning: I think we've seen tremendous progress in hockey culture in players from the next generation who are willing to share and participate in social media. Whether you look at TikTok or Instagram, you see a lot more activity from players. Obviously, we'd like to see more of it. But we also want to make sure that whatever the players are doing, however they're participating on social media, that they feel comfortable and they're doing what's right for them and authentic to them, as opposed to trying to force them to do stuff that might not feel right.Part of it is - how do we market our players? How do you market an individual player when we're clearly a team sport? Then the other part is, how much do the players want to participate in building their own personal brand, being out there on social media, doing interviews, and creating additional content? It's the choice of the player how much they want to lean into that.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl/video/7336364294595988782" data-video-id="7336364294595988782" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@nhl" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl?refer=embed">@nhl</a> all smiles at family skate ❤️ <a title="nhl" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nhl?refer=embed">#NHL</a> <a title="hockey" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/hockey?refer=embed">#hockey</a> <a title="stadiumseries" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/stadiumseries?refer=embed">#StadiumSeries</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - NHL" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7336364383948294955?refer=embed">♬ original sound - NHL</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></figure>Are there any overarching themes that unite what you're learning from the advisory board from year to year?Browning: We've really honed in on some key categories over the years that continue to morph and change. The first is called "humans are greater than highlights." That's really about the athlete and knowing their personalities. The other part of having that authentic kind of experience is the work we do with our creators - finding these hockey influencers that aren't professional players but have strong followings on their own.My favorite story is about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AlwaysHockey">Zac Bell</a>. We were first introduced to him in our Fan Skills At Home challenge during the pandemic, and he submitted a video of his incredible skills. Then, as we came out of the pandemic, his fandom continued to grow. As his fandom has grown, the fans that follow him have grown. What's so interesting is that they feel like they've been with him in his journey, so they're committed to him.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl/video/6938061958201511173" data-video-id="6938061958201511173" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@nhl" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nhl?refer=embed">@nhl</a> Double Dribble 🏀 <a title="nhlfanskills" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nhlfanskills?refer=embed">#NHLFanSkills</a> at Home presented by @geico (🎥 @alwayshockey <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - NHL" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6938061890148977413?refer=embed">♬ original sound - NHL</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></figure>The second is what we call "see me," and it's this idea of being noticed by a league, by a player, by a team, through a like or retweet or reshare.So, it might be Fan Skills At Home, it might be ODR (outdoor rink) Week, it might be your playoff reactions. Any time that fans get that opportunity to share their fandom and their authentic selves and have it be acknowledged by a league, a team, or an athlete, that means everything to them.The third is called "game on" and is about the gamification of everything. There's this idea that kids really like to show off their knowledge for the sport, they like to play little games to test their knowledge and see where they rank in a leaderboard with their peers. Any time we have the opportunity to use some of the native tools within social media, we try to introduce some form of gamification, like a highlight battle. Or, for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we want to be able to engage people through a bracket challenge because that bracket challenge drives conversation, engagement, and awareness of the Stanley Cup Final.What do you think will continue to help youth engage with hockey?Browning: One of the core tenets of engaging the younger generation is inclusivity and accessibility. That's an area that we do spend a lot of time with our power players on. Many, if not all of them, have joined because they want to make the sport they love available and accessible to their peers and their friends.We talk a lot about programs like NHL Street that are designed to get beyond some of those traditional barriers. You don't have to skate or have access to sheets of ice, we can put sticks in hands, and you can play street hockey within your community. That's been an increasingly important program throughout all of North America. We're hockey humble and we don't often talk about the dollars that go to the communities, but our power players want us to talk about that more, emphasize all the great work that the clubs do and the league does as a whole to grow our sport. There are a lot of different ways to weave hockey into a young person's life, whether it's through education, physical activity, entertainment, or through community. These are the kinds of ideas that pop up and we talk about throughout the season.Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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When the WNBA staged its second Canadian exhibition game earlier this month in Edmonton, it wasn'...

When the WNBA staged its second Canadian exhibition game earlier this month in Edmonton, it wasn't the league's accomplished veterans who captured the sell-out crowd's excitement.Hometown hero Kia Nurse was certainly the crowd favorite, but a close runner-up was a newcomer who had yet to set foot on WNBA hardwood: Cameron Brink.Brink, who the Sparks drafted second overall in 2024, is a part of the women's basketball boom ushered in by the likes of Sabrina Ionescu, Aaliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. The Canadian crowd's cheers underscored the stark difference in attention between Brink's era and her WNBA forerunners, who were constantly campaigning for more eyeballs.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"I'm excited for her to come into this league and take it by storm," Nurse said of her 6-foot-4 teammate. As the WNBA plans to expand to the Bay Area in 2025 and Toronto in May 2026, it'll look to Brink and her contemporaries to put their stamp on a new era of growth and fandom.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628302/cropped_GettyImages-2151503110.jpg?ts=1715359334" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628302/w220xh124_GettyImages-2151503110.jpg?ts=1715359334 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628302/w320xh180_GettyImages-2151503110.jpg?ts=1715359334 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628302/w640xh360_GettyImages-2151503110.jpg?ts=1715359334 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628302/w768xh432_GettyImages-2151503110.jpg?ts=1715359334 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628302/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2151503110.jpg?ts=1715359334 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Sparks forward Cameron Brink talks to theScore's Jolene Latimer before her WNBA preseason debut against the Storm on May 4 Sergei Belski / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure><h3>On the floor</h3>The current era of women's basketball has been marked by personality - trash-talking, flashy outfits, and outspoken politics. But none of that has overshadowed what happens on the floor."You've got to win," said Nneka Ogwumike, who earned a championship during her 12-season run with the Sparks before signing with Seattle last offseason. "There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it."Brink might have the ability to help the Sparks do just that as they look to return to their former glory days. They haven't made the playoffs since 2021 after winning three chips and only missing the postseason four times following their inception in 1997."I think for her, what's really exciting is that you're going to have this opportunity here in L.A. because I think we're kind of in a bit of a rebuild phase right now," said Nurse, who was traded to L.A. in January. "It's a very new team in terms of who's here."It's the Stanford alum's basketball IQ that has Nurse hopeful."I think Cameron Brink has the ability to be a very versatile big for us," she said. "I think her outside game and her face-up game is going to continue to develop as she comes into this league."If you think about it, at her size, her skill level, her ability to kind of face up and play that kind of mid-range game as a passer - Stanford runs a lot of read-and-react offense. … You have to have a basketball IQ to be able to play in that. And that's massive coming into the WNBA."Improvisation matters in the pros, and that's what might set Brink apart and help her gain fan interest."You kind of know what everyone's going to do in the professional ranks," Nurse said. "Everybody's got their go-to moves, but it's very hard to keep them from doing their go-to moves. They do a great job of using their IQ and getting to those spots ... to be successful. And Cameron will develop that herself."Brink's immediate job is to learn how to operate in the Sparks' system."Our league is hugely centered around ball screens, both offensively and defensively," head coach Curt Miller said, adding that Stanford's system "involved very little ball screens." "She is a newbie. She is a true rookie when it comes to a lot of ball screening. Just look for her to continue to grow."Brink described the opportunity with the Sparks as "a dream come true" and a "really crazy, full circle." When she thinks about basketball in L.A., it's that winning culture she holds close."Lisa Leslie, Candice Parker, (and) Nneka Ogwumike have been great for the Sparks, and there are so many great Lakers like Kobe Bryant, so I'm just thankful to be a part of it all," she said.Brink believes she's up to that historical challenge."I see myself doing whatever I need to do to help the team win," she said. "I see myself playing defense, scoring offensively, just being a good teammate."<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628304/cropped_GettyImages-2150977175.jpg?ts=1715359546" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628304/w220xh124_GettyImages-2150977175.jpg?ts=1715359546 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628304/w320xh180_GettyImages-2150977175.jpg?ts=1715359546 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628304/w640xh360_GettyImages-2150977175.jpg?ts=1715359546 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628304/w768xh432_GettyImages-2150977175.jpg?ts=1715359546 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628304/w1080xh607_GettyImages-2150977175.jpg?ts=1715359546 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">Brink smiles after the game against the Seattle Storm during the WNBA preseason game on May 4 Jordan Jones / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>Not only does Brink have the game that could help the Sparks recapture their winning pedigree, she also has the personality that could turn her into a veritable star as the WNBA looks to expand its reach."It's great to see that she's in a place that can develop her game at a high level," Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. "But also, there's the other things that Cam brings off the floor; she's a very charismatic individual."Brink sees that potentially translating into an off-court brand in the future."I love fashion, I love being girly, I love modeling and all that good stuff," she said.It's part of why fans are already gravitating toward her as a fresh face in the league."She seems like a really outgoing, really bubbly person," Nurse said.<h3>Expansion plans</h3>Brink and her contemporaries have propelled the growth of women's basketball to unprecedented heights. Some call the ballooning viewership numbers and ticket sales the "Caitlin Clark Effect." Clark's Indiana Fever jersey sold out within hours of her being drafted, while a record 2.45-million people tuned in to watch the selection. Her preseason pro debut drew a crowd of 13,000, the largest in franchise history.<figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628309/cropped_GettyImages-1254694029.jpg?ts=1715359779" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628309/w220xh124_GettyImages-1254694029.jpg?ts=1715359779 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628309/w320xh180_GettyImages-1254694029.jpg?ts=1715359779 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628309/w640xh360_GettyImages-1254694029.jpg?ts=1715359779 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628309/w768xh432_GettyImages-1254694029.jpg?ts=1715359779 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628309/w1080xh607_GettyImages-1254694029.jpg?ts=1715359779 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption">The 2023 preseason matchup between Chicago and Minnesota sold out the 19,800-capacity Scotiabank Arena in Toronto Jordan Jones / NBA / Getty Images</figcaption></figure>That momentum has made the league confident enough in the trajectory of the sport to announce its first expansion teams since 2008."The game is growing at a high level," Quinn said. "We saw what happened in Toronto last year with the preseason game selling out, we're seeing what's happening on the college landscape with those college players coming into the W - it's amazing to be a part of this growth."The fact that we're globalizing means that we're not just playing in front of our fans, but now other countries have the ability to watch us."With the expansion, Canadian fans will be able to support the league in person. It's something Nurse would never have fathomed as a young basketball fan growing up in southwestern Ontario."When I think about it, and I go back to my early days when I started playing basketball, when I was 4, I probably never would have been able to sit there and say, 'I'm going play a WNBA game on home soil,'" she said.Now, young four-year-olds in Canada will be able to have that dream."I feel like, at some point, it's kind of just supposed to be that way, right?" Nurse said before Toronto's expansion was reported. "We have a top-ranked, top-10-ranked national team in the world on the women's basketball side. And we've had that for a number of years ... We've got talent out the wazoo coming out of Canada."It's that talent - both among Brink and her contemporaries and the next wave of young basketball players, including homegrown Canadian talent - that Nurse believes will make the WNBA's expansion a success."It's no longer just players that are going to the NCAA and playing those roles where they kind of come off the bench and they play 10 or 15 minutes," she said. "You've got stars. We're talking about stars at TSN's March Madness tournament for a reason. And they're Canadians. It's so exciting to have that."Think about what a team does to that next generation. Maybe there's 10, 20 of them now that are going to be superstars. You put a team there, might be 100 of them."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.

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TORONTO - Any new rule is bound to have unintended consequences when it is first implemented. In ...

TORONTO - Any new rule is bound to have unintended consequences when it is first implemented. In its inaugural season, the PWHL allowed the first-place team to select its semifinal playoff opponent instead of hewing strictly to the standings. Regular-season champion Toronto had 24 hours to decide, and then the unintended consequences began.Toronto's choose-your-own-adventure became a series of misadventures for Minnesota, the team Toronto selected for the best-of-five series. After learning they'd been picked, Minnesota players had less than nine hours' notice to pack their belongings and report to the team facility for a travel day that did not go as planned.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"We didn't get our gear to practice," captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said. Because of the late notice, Minnesota had to split into two travel groups. The players and coaches went on one plane with their personal luggage, while the support staff took the hockey equipment on a different flight with a layover in Chicago. That flight was delayed for three hours on the runway before ultimately getting canceled. It was nearly 11 p.m. before the trainers and staff arrived in Toronto with the hockey equipment and team medical supplies.Toronto decisively won Game 1 4-0 on Wednesday, extending Minnesota's current losing streak to six games. <figure class="article-segment--embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1IgBnWSNDWI?si=_ihp7MD0BIh4ily6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure>Toronto players practiced Tuesday, fine-tuning adjustments to their breakouts, entries, and power play. Unaware of the Minnesota mayhem, Toronto coach Troy Ryan said after the practice, "It's just tough to travel. I don't know the exact details of their travel right now, but hopefully it's difficult on them."Without gear, Minnesota's schedule switched to team walks, shopping at Toronto's Eaton Centre, and watching the NHL playoffs. The chaos came at an inopportune time as the team struggles to reset after a fall from grace.Minnesota was the hottest team to start the season, winning four of its first five games and losing the other in overtime. The club rode a five-game winning streak into the extended break for the women's world championships in late March. When the PWHL resumed in April, Minnesota lost the final five games of the season. The team only clinched a spot in the playoffs after Ottawa's loss to Toronto on Sunday."It's a new season," Minnesota coach Ken Klee said of the playoff reset. "It's a mental grind."To him, the travel couldn't help but feel part of the gamesmanship. "If I was them, I'd pick the team with the hardest travel, and we definitely had the hardest travel," he said. "We were planes, trains, and automobiles."<h3>New experiences</h3>The choose-your-opponent rule isn't the only new aspect of these playoffs for most of the women on each team's roster. Until now, women's hockey has largely been played tournament-style. For a majority of players, this is their first five-game series."We've never really played in a five-game series as women hockey players. … To be able to feel what that feels like will be pretty fun," Toronto's Natalie Spooner said.With the potential for 10 playoff games if each series runs its full length – the regular season itself was only 24 games - athletes are focused on maintaining their health. "Recovery's going to be a big part," Toronto's Jocelyne Larocque said. "Taking care of my body, making sure I'm getting enough rest, eating enough, drinking enough."It's not just physical toughness that's crucial; mental strength will be necessary to go the distance. "I think these first two games are key," said Klee, who spent 14 seasons as a player in the NHL, two of them for the Maple Leafs. "For us to get a split and have a chance to finish at home is huge. It's game by game. I've played in fives and I've played in sevens - it's the first team to get three wins. You've just got to keep your focus on that, looking for one win at a time."It's definitely something new for them where you're going to see that same sweater lining up against you, not only shift after shift but even game after game. That's where the real rivalry goes. You learn a healthy hatred but also a fun, competitive match."Game 2 in the series is Friday night at Coca-Cola Coliseum.<h3>A rivalry grows</h3>The choose-your-own-opponent rule could also lay the groundwork for rivalries among these nascent franchises."I'm always one of the most competitive people that I've met, so for me it's a shot at our character and the way that we play," Taylor Heise said about Toronto picking Minnesota instead of Boston. She admitted that it was no surprise considering Minnesota's recent five-game slump, although it still ignited her competitive spirit.Many of the Toronto players also felt the decision was obvious. "The deciding factor might have come down to how they're doing right now," Larocque said. "There's not a lot of time between the end of the season and playoffs. Boston's been on a bit of an upswing and Minnesota not so much. It helped make our decision." <figure class="article-segment--image"><img src="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628162/cropped_20240508-123-pwhl-minnesota-toront-game1.jpg?ts=1715273072" srcset="https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628162/w220xh124_20240508-123-pwhl-minnesota-toront-game1.jpg?ts=1715273072 220w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628162/w320xh180_20240508-123-pwhl-minnesota-toront-game1.jpg?ts=1715273072 320w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628162/w640xh360_20240508-123-pwhl-minnesota-toront-game1.jpg?ts=1715273072 640w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628162/w768xh432_20240508-123-pwhl-minnesota-toront-game1.jpg?ts=1715273072 768w, https://assets-cms.thescore.com/uploads/image/file/628162/w1080xh607_20240508-123-pwhl-minnesota-toront-game1.jpg?ts=1715273072 1080w"><figcaption class="article-segment--image-caption"> Christian Bender / PWHL</figcaption></figure>That decision might have also been impacted by Minnesota's power play, which was one of the worst in the league during the regular season with an 8.2% success rate.Some players felt that because Minnesota was such a clear choice, the new rule was less exciting than it could have been. "I think that in years to come there might be more surprises, but I think it adds another layer for the fans to watch in different levels of competition. It adds another level of tension and competition in our game," Toronto's Emma Maltais said.Maltais isn't too concerned about fueling Minnesota's competitive fire. "I think that earning the place to be first, I don't think it should come with negatives," she said. "At the end of the day, we did select them, but we'd have to play the game the way we'd always play either way."<h3>Future adjustments</h3>Minnesota is now focused on the adjustments necessary to snap its losing streak. But next year, the players hope the league will tweak its choose-your-opponent rule to allow the selected team to make proper travel arrangements."You can't ask a team to travel in six hours and then they can't even get all on the same flight, much less all the equipment," Klee said. "Those are just logistical things that we need to operate as a top-class league and make sure everyone has travel that is arranged, their gear comes with them."Coyne Schofield had to scramble for help with her dogs. She was told to report to the team facility at 5 a.m., but most dog boarders don't open until 6 a.m. Teammate Lee Stecklein came up with a solution - her dad would pick up Coyne Schofield's dogs and drive them around until the boarder opened. It worked, but only because of the goodwill of teammates and family."I think the team that receives the information, they need 24 hours to process, digest," Coyne Schofield said. "It's not a matter of trying to get an advantage: It's more so planning for life. You're going to be on the road for five days. People have kids, dogs, families, husbands, wives, whatever the situation may be. It was definitely a tough turnaround and definitely something to adjust in the future."Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.

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A bumpy road: How Minnesota coped with the PWHL's new playoff rule

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