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On Oct. 29, it was announced that the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is expanding for the 2025-26 season. Adding two more teams following the completion of the upcoming campaign (which begins on Nov. 30), the league will be up to eight clubs when this change is made. The current teams are the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charges, and Toronto Sceptres.
Breaking: The PWHL has announced its plans to add two more expansion teams for the 2025-26 season, PWHL Senior VP of Business Operations Amy Scheer announced. pic.twitter.com/LawCWuMXHz
— espnW (@espnW) October 29, 2024
The PWHL completed its first season in 2023-24, with the Frost coming out on top as Walter Cup champions in a do-or-die Game 5 of the Final. The current format has four of the six clubs make the postseason, which may or may not be tweaked with the addition of two teams. Only the Sirens and Charges missed out on the playoffs in the PWHL’s debut campaign.
Suitors for the new expansion teams are largely up to speculation at this point, but it’s worth noting that there are three American-based teams (Boston, Minnesota, New York) as well as three in Canada (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto). The league broke the women’s hockey single-game attendance record with 21,105 fans when the Victoire visited the Sceptres at the Bell Centre in Montreal, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see both the United States and Canada get one franchise apiece.
It’s exciting to see the PWHL be successful in its first season, leading to an announcement of expansion less than a calendar year after its first game was played (Jan. 1, 2024). Regardless of which cities will be represented, it’s a big step for women’s hockey.
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ESPN Releases Mascot Rankings and WVU’s Placement Comes with a Head-Scratcher
What makes college football better and more exciting than the NFL (no bias here) is the pageantry and passion of the fans. Not to steal the SEC's favorite slogan, but it does just mean more than it does to the fan bases of the NFL. There's real hatred in rivalries, and in the case of West Virginia fans, the results of each game make-or-break their week. One piece of the puzzle is the mascot. Sure, the NFL has some good ones, but it's nothing compared to what the college game has to offer. And it just so happens that West Virginia has one of the best mascots in the land. ESPN's Ryan McGee ranked his top five mascots by category. In the "human division," he ranked the Mountaineer second, sharing the spot with Davy Crockett (Tennessee). "I can already see my mentions from by-god WVU and my fellow Tennessee alums for the sharing of this spot, but two rowdy mountain men in coonskin caps who wield custom-built mountaineer rifles? I'll take my chances with those dudes walking into any tense situation, especially a football Saturday. "Back in the day, those rifles worked. Still one of the funniest things I've ever seen was at Boston College in the early days of the Big East football conference. Whenever West Virginia scored -- and that day, it was a lot -- that Mountaineer would blast his powder musket and those poor startled people of Chestnut Hill were convinced the Redcoats were back in town." While being ranked only behind Notre Dame's leprechaun makes sense, sharing the No. 2 spot with Davy Crockett doesn't. He's not even their primary mascot. That belongs to Smokey, the bluetick coonhound. And technically speaking, Crockett is tertiary to the life-sized fake dog and the real pup that sits on the sidelines. MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI The Six Jax State Transfers Who Followed Rich Rod to WVU and How They Might Be Used Where WVU’s 56 Transfers Came From: Power Four, Group of Six, FCS, and Beyond Ex-West Virginia Receiver Winston Wright Jr. Gets a Shot in the NFL Schedule Insider Reveals WVU Basketball’s Early 2025‑26 Matchups Beyond Backyard Brawl
Two Rivals Emerge as Trade Suitors for Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Report
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been a team that opposing sides have been watching all offseason long. Pittsburgh has a few veteran players who could be on the move via trade, and it could see the front office be very active. With the Penguins in full rebuild mode, the team seems to be looking ahead to the future. One player that has been discussed in different deals is veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson still has two years remaining on his current contract, including this upcoming season. The veteran is owed $11.5 million in each year, so any team that would trade for him would need to take on his high salary. According to NHL insider Shayna Goldman, the options for the Penguins in any potential Karlsson trade have started to dwindle. But the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators were mentioned as potential options to land the star defender. Last season with the Penguins, Karlsson scored 11 goals and 42 assists over 82 games. Karlsson showed impressive production for Pittsburgh, and he could be a valuable asset to any team that would trade for him. At this point in his career, Karlsson likely wants to play for a contending team. Both the Hurricanes and Senators could provide him with this, with both sides making the playoffs last season. Pittsburgh could likely net some strong future assets in any Karlsson deal, giving them more of a path forward. Trading for a player like Karlsson could be risky due to his age, but this could also be a move to help push a team over the hump in the quest to win a Stanley Cup title.
Mets Make Mark Vientos Decision After Luis Robert Jr. Trade Report
Right-handed slugger Mark Vientos is in his fourth season with the New York Mets after making his debut in 2022. The 24-year-old emerged as a rising star for New York last year, playing 111 games and posting career highs with a .266 batting average and an .837 OPS. He also elevated his performance in the 2024 postseason, batting .327 with 18 hits, five home runs, 14 RBIs and eight runs scored in 13 games, leading the Mets to an NLCS appearance. Vientos recently recovered from a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for a few weeks in June, but since then he has really struggled to return to form and regain his production at the plate. Ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, the Mets decided to bench Vientos (the second time in the last three games). The decision to leave him out of the lineup came after Bob Nightengale reported that the Chicago White Sox require Vientos to be involved in any trade for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Mets general manager David Stearns recently said the Mets will be “engaged” when it comes to possibly adding a center fielder, so addressing that outfield need and Vientos losing playing time may push the organization to part ways with him. In 2025, Vientos is hitting .226 with a .638 OPS, six home runs and 27 RBIs, a steep drop-off in production after his breakout year. He will remain under team control for five more seasons after 2025 and will not hit free agency until 2030.
Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw
The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
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