Sports

The San Antonio Spurs are both the team of the future and the team of the present. In the 25th annual NBA GM Survey, the Spurs are the most popular pick to win the championship and the top pick (by a wider margin) for best young core. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are just 22, 21 and 20 years old, respectively, and they’re capable of winning a title right now.

Gianni Infantino gave an apology to his toughest critics but no new details or documents on FIFA issues that most concern them at a showdown meeting of its ruling council Thursday.

According to Elliotte Friedman, Avalanche assistant coach Dave Hakstol will take over as the new head coach at Arizona State. Colorado has permitted Hakstol to negotiate with the program and should be behind the bench as soon as the Sun Devils’ next game, which is at UMass Lowell this Friday. The Sun Devils made the announcement official on Thursday morning. Hakstol coached with the Avalanche on Wednesday night. Notably, his title carries no interim tag. Arizona State has also, officially, parted ways with Greg Powers per Katie Strang of The Athletic. Hakstol’s staff will retain assistant coach Jimmy Mullin per Strang.

Young winger has been ticketed for speeding twice and is now in danger of losing his probationary licence. Canadiens' Ivan Demidov, who led NHL rookies in scoring with 62 points last season, appears to have a heavy foot when driving. (John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette)

Frank Ammirante's five fantasy football bold predictions for Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season. Expert predictions for Kirk Cousins, Blake Corum, Emeka Egbuka, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Germie Bernard.

Back-to-back games for both the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. The Capitals lost to the Carolina Hurricanes while the Canadiens edged the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout. It was another strong defensive game for the Canadiens allowing only 17 shots through 65 minutes. In Washington, the Canadiens played well, but it was another rough night for Jakub Dobes in net as they fell 5-4. Wilde Horses When the Canadiens finish building their team, they will have three lines that are going to be formidable. The top line is the Nick Suzuki connection with Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield. The second line will be Ivan Demidov with likely Michael Hage and, perhaps, Zachary Bolduc. The third line is the shocker, and what a pleasant shocker. Alex Newhook has turned into a quality centre with Josh Anderson and Chris Kreider. What a tremendous development for the sum of the parts of these three players to be so much better than the actual parts. Story continues below advertisement

Former world No. 1 golfer Jon Rahm and LIV Golf reached a separation agreement Wednesday, in which Rahm agreed to release all of his monetary and economic claims against the embattled circuit in exchange for the return of his exclusive name, image and likeness rights and other related marks, according to court records. The agreement must be approved by U. S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey Judge Michael B. Kaplan on Nov. 5. Rahm, 31, is LIV Golf's largest unsecured creditor, per court records. He was owed $7.5 million when the league voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sept. 8. However, it is believed that Rahm was owed more than $100 million over the remainder of his contract. The Spanish golfer reportedly received a multiyear deal worth more than $300 million when he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in December 2023. Rahm was LIV Golf's seasonlong individual champion in each of the three years he played in the league from 2024 to 2026. He had nearly $107 million in on-course earnings during his LIV Golf career. Rahm's attorney, John Beck, informed Kaplan on Oct. 7 that the two-time major champion would not be a part of LIV 2.0. "Mr.

The players-only meeting recently held by the Dallas Cowboys' defense has become such a topic around the NFL that even Mike Tomlin weighed in with a concerned response. But Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is not pushing the panic button, saying that the meeting doesn't bother him and that it "means everyone's rowing in the same direction. "Dallas star linebacker DeMarvion Overshown revealed Monday that the defensive players held the meeting after last week's home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Overshown said the players "went by bullet point, bullet point," discussing whether they were meeting the team's various standards. Tomlin, the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach who is in his first season as an analyst with NBC, was asked what he thought about players-only meetings during a recent appearance on the "New Heights Podcast. ""I think you're dead," Tomlin responded. "If it did occur, I'd like to not hear about it. The fact that you hear about it is what makes it B. S. "Schottenheimer, however, praised his players for having the initiative to meet among themselves and said he was told the meeting was "productive. ""I love it," Schottenheimer told reporters Wednesday.

The NBA preseason is a time to welcome new faces, sort through lineup questions, hype up prospects, squabble over unresolved contract situations and panic about unfortunate injuries before the real competition begins. With Tuesday’s openers fast approaching, let’s bounce around the league one final time in search of key takeaways that will shape the upcoming season. Atlanta HawksThe preseason revealed ... the backcourt is loadedWith Trae Young’s salary no longer on the books, the Hawks have assembled a backcourt rotation stacked with creators Nickeil Alexander-Walker and CJ McCollum, stoppers Dyson Daniels and Lu Dort, shooter Corey Kispert and 2026 lottery pick Kingston Flemings. In fact, Atlanta had such a surplus that it traded two backup guards to land 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith from the Charlotte Hornets in September. Hawks coach Quin Snyder has used multiple starting lineups during the preseason, but he’s best served sticking with last season’s top group -- Alexander-Walker, McCollum, Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu -- because it posted a phenomenal plus-20.3 net rating.

Brendan Shanahan is following his passion back to the world of professional hockey. Shanahan was named Kilmer Sports Ventures' new strategic adviser on the Professional Women's Hockey League on Thursday. Kilmer is owned by Larry Tanenbaum, the former co-owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment where Shanahan was president and alternate governor of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs for 11 years. Kilmer became a strategic capital partner in the PWHL in June, adding to a sports portfolio that includes the WNBA's Toronto Tempo. Shanahan said he was eager to reunite with Tanenbaum and reconnect with PWHL executive vice president Jayna Hefford, who had a partnership with the Leafs when she was leading the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association. "To see (Hefford) now taking on the PWHL and to see its growth, and to be approached by Larry to partner with him and serve as a an adviser, if and when I'm needed, made a lot of sense," said Shanahan. "It's certainly the individuals involved, but just also women's sport and women's hockey is certainly a passion. "Hockey in general is a passion of mine, and so anything I can do to help, if needed.

The NFL is back for Week 6 as the playoff picture slowly starts to gain some clarity. The playoff push heats up closer to Thanksgiving, but we’re starting to see teams position themselves for a run or reach a point where rebuilding might be in order. Some unexpected contenders include the Raiders and Browns in the AFC, and the Giants in the NFC. The 49ers, Chiefs, and Vikings all sit undefeated and in good shape heading into Week 6. On the other end of things, the Texans and Chargers are struggling in the AFC, while the Buccaneers, Cowboys, Eagles, and Rams are all scuffling in the NFC. This week opens with a significant inter-conference matchup between the Seahawks and Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Sunday brings Ravens-Browns and Bills-Raiders with some unexpected early playoff implications. The week closes with Cowboys-Packers on Sunday Night Football and Commanders-49ers on Monday Night Football. This week’s byes include the Bengals, Dolphins, Lions, and Vikings. I’m back for another week of picks as I remain entirely mediocre. Last week I went 7-7-1 and remain firmly at .500.

Autosport was among the select media outlets invited to the launch of Formula 1's African Grand Prix in Rwanda. The announcement raised key questions, but also showcased a nation determined to be taken seriously on the world stage. As a Belgian, visiting former colony Rwanda started with an uncomfortable encounter with history. My hotel turned out to be a short walk away from Camp Kigali, where 10 Belgian UN Peacekeepers were murdered during the 1994 genocide while assigned to protect Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana.

For better or worse, the 2026 World Cup staged across North America will forever be associated by some with U. S. President Donald Trump. As he was so keen to point out, it was during Trump’s first administration that the United States, Canada and Mexico secured hosting rights for a tournament which would be plagued by governmental controversy. Besides the prices, visas and travel bans, Trump also planted himself at the center of the Folarin Balogun red card scandal. The President freely admitted that he intervened during an unprecedented protest which ultimately saw the U. S. men’s national team striker have his one-match ban suspended, allowing him to play in the round of 16 tie against Belgium. ESPN are among a number of outlets to have reported that the FIFA council is set to vote on a motion which will prohibit this action going forward. The issue for many is that no amount of rewriting future rulebooks will change the tainted past. Trump’s Role in Biggest Controversy of 2026 World CupThat would not be the last red card Donald Trump had an influence over.