Tag: Boston

Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara raises $25K for charity during Boston Marathon

Here’s how he did it.

At the 2024 Boston Marathon, Zdeno Chara, former captain for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, beat his personal record while raising money for charity.

Chara, now 47 years old, spent 24 seasons in the NHL. Since retiring on September 20, 2022, Chara has stayed active by running in events like the Watuppa Trail Races, the Baystate Marathon, and the 128th Boston Marathon. This year, Chara finished the Boston Marathon with a final time of 03:30:52, shaving nearly eight minutes off his 2023 finish time of 3:38:23.

Both years, Chara ran in support of the The Hoyt Foundation, a non-profit group that “aspires to build the individual character, self-confidence and self-esteem of America’s disabled young people through inclusion in all facets of daily life.” During Chara’s 2024 Boston Marathon run, he raised over $25,000 for the organization.

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“They were such iconic figures,” Chara said of the late Rick and Dick Hoyt while speaking to The Boston Globe, “living legends that have done so much for the community.”

On Instagram, the Boston Bruins celebrated Chara’s performance. As current Bruins captain Brad Marchand commented in an NHL.com article, he was “not really surprised” about Chara’s active post-NHL schedule. “You knew [Chara] was going to find something really competitive, very hard,” Marchand said. “Something that takes a lot of training, something he can improve upon. He’s just a beast. He likes the challenge.”

So, what’s next for Chara? Boston.com writer Conor Ryan reports that Chara will soon be off to England for the London Marathon on April 21.

“It’s great for him,” Marchand said. “I’m happy to see him happy and enjoying something after hockey. He dedicated so much time and effort to the game, it’s great that he has another passion that he’s enjoying.”

Read more about the athletes and celebrities who showed up to the 2024 Boston Marathon here.

NBC Sports to air docuseries on Rory McIlroy’s TGL team, Boston Common Golf

ESPN will broadcast all TGL matches beginning Jan. 9, 2024.

ESPN is the broadcaster for TGL – the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – when matches begin Jan. 9, 2024, but a docuseries on one of the six teams will be airing on an NBC affiliate.

NBC Sports Next, a subdivision of NBC Sports, will stream the working titled “The Making of a Boston Sports Team” early in 2024. The series will follow McIlroy and his teammates Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton in the new league’s first year and will be available via NBC Sports Next, Peacock and New England Sports Network (NESN).

NBC Sports Next and its GolfNow product have formed a multi-year partnership with Boston Common Golf that will feature exclusive sponsorship opportunities through the team as well as offer VIP opportunities and experiences for customers. McIlroy, the captain of Boston Common Golf, is also the co-founder of GolfPass, a digital golf membership program that is under the wing of NBC Sports Next.

“We are excited to partner with GolfNow and collaborate to bring engaging content to fans through our new team,” said Boston Common Golf President and CEO Mark Lev. “A captivating docuseries chronicling the team’s formation will serve as the cornerstone of this foundational partnership and that’s just the beginning.”

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Boston-based TGL squad features Rory McIlroy, local favorite Keegan Bradley

Bradley is an avid Boston sports fan and won a high school state championship in Massachusetts in 2004.

It’s been a good news, bad news morning for TGL, the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

The bad news? Jon Rahm will no longer be playing in 2024 when the league begins in January. The good news? Team rosters are now being announced.

The Boston-based team, named Boston Common Golf, became the first squad to announce its four-player roster of McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott on Thursday morning. Justin Thomas (Atlanta) and Collin Morikawa (Los Angeles) were the first two players to sign with a team.

The signing of Bradley to the Boston team makes sense given his ties to the Northeast. The six-time PGA Tour winner and 2011 PGA champion grew up in Vermont and briefly lived in a Boston suburb in high school.

McIlroy, the world No. 2, is a four-time major champion and 27-time winner on the PGA Tour. Two of those wins came in the Boston area at the former Deutsche Bank Championship, held annually from 2003-18 at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts.

Hatton’s fiery personality would fit in well in parts of Boston, not to mention the six-time European Tour winner and 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational champion has a strong relationship with McIlroy from their time spent together on the three European Ryder Cup teams.

Scott is a 14-time winner on Tour, including the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 Players Championship and 2013 Masters.

The first TGL match is slated to air on ESPN on Jan. 9, 2024. More on the league format can be found here.

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Rowers flock to Boston for Head of the Charles Regatta

It’s a race across the water.

Since 1965, rowers have flocked to Boston’s Charles River for the annual Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). This year, the big event runs October 20-22. Boston is expecting peak fall color, 11,000 rowers from around the world, and 400,000 spectators. If you love rowing, you’ll want to be there.

Boston has long been associated with rowing, which is one of the oldest Olympic sports and also closely identified with academia. So, it makes sense that the HOCR is a big deal for the city. Rowers start the race at the Boston University Boathouse. They proceed under a railroad trestle and the BU Bridge, then navigate five more triple-arch bridges before reaching the finish line about three miles upstream.

The schedule is packed and timed down to the minute. It starts on Friday, October 20, at 7:45 a.m. with a men’s single race in the 70+ and 80+ age groups, followed by women of the same age at 8:05 a.m. It continues, race after race, for a total of 75 races over the three days.

Rowers on a river.
Community Rowing brings the sport to the masses. / Photo courtesy of Community Rowing, Inc.

Way more people want to row than can fit into the 75 races. Would-be competitors submit an online application, then cross their fingers that they’ll be accepted. In addition to the thrill of victory, top finishers in the men’s and women’s championship singles event will get $10,000. Second place brings $5,000, and third place earns $2,500.

Interested in rowing but not a contender? Community Rowing Inc., North America’s largest public-access rowing organization, is partnering with Hotel Commonwealth to let guests try out the sport. Hotel Commonwealth guests can take private indoor instruction, then try their skills out on the water with a Community Rowing coach. Community Rowing is dedicated to exposing people of all backgrounds to rowing. Its partnership with Hotel Commonwealth will support rowing programs for Boston Public School kids, veterans, active duty military, and para-athletes.

NWSL confirms Boston expansion team for 2026 season

The league will return to Boston eight years after the Breakers folded

The NWSL is coming back to Boston.

The league announced on Tuesday that the city has been awarded an expansion franchise that will begin play in the 2026 season.

The new franchise will arrive eight years after Boston lost its previous team, the Boston Breakers, who folded in 2018 after being part of the league since its inception in 2013.

The club will be owned by Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group with ties to Boston.

“I’m excited to expand the NWSL’s footprint and continue its transformative growth in our return to Boston, one of the world’s most iconic sports cities,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement.

“We are very proud to welcome Boston Unity Soccer Partners to our ownership group. They bring an impressive roster of business leaders committed to continuing Boston’s legacy of sports excellence and delivering a successful team to a very passionate fanbase. We are thrilled for their entry to the league in the 2026 season and add a new chapter to the storied history of Boston sports.”

The team will play its home games at White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park, a facility built in the 1940s that is set to undergo a $30 million renovation.

“I look forward to the revitalization of White Stadium and the partnership of this team and league to create new opportunities in Franklin Park and for our student-athletes citywide,” said Boston mayor Michelle Wu.

The Boston franchise will be the league’s 15th team, with Bay FC and the Utah Royals set to join next year as the 13th and 14th teams in the league. Berman has previously said the NWSL plans to add two teams for the 2026 season, which puts one more spot up for grabs after Boston’s addition.

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Notre Dame regular season comes to rough end against Boston College

Not a great night in Beantown.

BOSTON — Notre Dame didn’t plan on losing twice to Boston College in two different locations in one day, but it happened. With wet weather anticipated Saturday in Boston, the game scheduled for that day was moved up to Friday afternoon. The Irish lost that game, 7-2, and they hoped a shift in venues from that first game also would shift their luck. It didn’t happen in an 8-4 defeat at Fenway Park that closed the regular season.

The Irish (30-22, 15-15) ran into early trouble when Joe Vetrano put the Eagles (34-17, 16-14) on top in the first inning with a two-out, two-run homer to left-center. [autotag]Zack Prajzner[/autotag] got the Irish in the hit column with a leadoff double in the fourth, then scored on a [autotag]Vinny Martinez[/autotag] RBI single. That 2-1 score was as close as the Irish would get the rest of the evening.

After [autotag]Jackson Dennies[/autotag] pitched well for five innings, striking out six and walking nobody, [autotag]Caden Spivey[/autotag] relieved him in the sixth, and that’s when the wheels fell off. The Eagles lit Spivey up for six runs, three of which came on Vetrano’s second home run of the game, this one a three-run blast to right. Ten Eagles came to the plate in the frame, and Spivey recorded only two outs before [autotag]Shawn Stiffler[/autotag] gave him the hook.

If the Eagles’ offense hadn’t exploded, starting pitcher John West might have beat the Irish by himself. Over seven-plus innings, he gave up three hits despite striking out only four. Two of the three runs he allowed came during an eighth inning in which the Irish benefited from walks, hit batsmen and a wild pitch. He exited to an ovation after putting the Irish’s first two hitters on base in that inning.

The Irish did get one more run in the ninth on a pinch-hit home run by [autotag]Nick Juaire[/autotag], but all that did was make the game look closer than it was. The focus for Irish fans by that point was the ACC Tournament, which begins Tuesday in Durham. Between losing twice to the Eagles and the earlier loss this week to Northwestern at Wrigley Field, the Irish likely will need to win it or at least get to the title game to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. Get those prayer circles going.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

5 NFL cities we’d love to see host a Super Bowl, including Nashville

These five NFL cities could make for great Super Bowl hosts.

The 2026 Super Bowl reportedly is headed out to California.

USA Today reported that the San Francisco 49ers will be awarded Super Bowl 60 for its Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, making this another big game that’s headed out to the West Coast for the sun and clear air.

While states like California and Florida make a lot of sense for Super Bowls because of their reliable weather and things to do, we wish the NFL would embrace the possibility of snow or rain and give some other cities a chance.

We’ve looked at five great NFL cities that haven’t yet hosted a Super Bowl and listed them as possible options for Super Bowl 61 and beyond.

Notre Dame alumnus shares memories of Boston Marathon bombing

Some memories of a tragic day.

At the time this is being written, the 2023 Boston Marathon is underway. That means it officially has been 10 years since a bombing rocked the 2013 event and shook all of Boston to its core. Many people have memories of that day to varying degrees. One of them was Notre Dame alumnus Charles Monahan.

Shortly after the bombing, Monahan wrote about his experience for Notre Dame Magazine. As one might expect, it was as chaotic as it was for anyone who was at or near the World Trade Center on 9/11. But Monahan was one of many helpers that day as he assisted in evacuation efforts and gave money for cab fare and coffee until he had none left. He observed other folks doing whatever they could to help, too, and that allowed that horrific day to showcase the best of humanity.

Let us never forget those who perished as a result of this tragedy or those who survived but continue to be traumatized by it.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Ben Affleck showed off his spot-on Bill Walton impression, perfectly honoring his Boston roots

Ben Affleck NAILED this Bill Walton impression.

Actor Ben Affleck got a chance to share his stellar Bill Walton impression on the latter’s alternative NBA broadcast.

While appearing as a guest on Throw It Down with Bill Walton during Monday night’s Boston Celtics/Cleveland Cavaliers game, Affleck talked about growing up and watching Walton play his final years with the Celtics.

That stretch included the 1986 Boston title season.

With a young Affleck taking in Walton in his twilight years in the league, he developed a pretty on-point impression of Walton that he shared with the NBA legend.

Affleck didn’t seem to think it was all that good, but close your eyes and imagine Walton talking as the Oscar winner does his mimicry. It’s uncanny.

Like, that’s why Affleck makes the big bucks in Hollywood.

His well-established Boston roots likely helped him forge this impression, and he’ll have to toast himself with a fresh cup of joe from Dunkin’ for nailing Walton’s deep voice. The former Celtic seemed to get a kick out of it.

NBC Sports Boston re-releases documentary on Celtics icon Bill Russell’s statue

The network recently re-released the documentary ahead of the release of his Netflix documentary due out on Feb. 8.

When the City of Boston honored Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell with a bronze statue, NBC Boston Sports made a documentary about it. The statute was created to commemorate Russell’s legendary career as a player and historic role as a humanitarian and activist fighting for civil rights in the 1960s until his passing in July of last year.

The network recently re-released its documentary ahead of the release of the  Netflix documentary on him that is due out on Feb. 8.

The NBC Boston documentary traces his journey to joining the team, his relationship with its legendary coach and manager Red Auerbach and the extraordinary work he did off the court as an activist.

To see the short film for yourself, narrated by teammate Tom Sanders and featuring Russell, Auerbach, Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Sam Jones, Doc Rivers, Frank Ramsey, Wyc Grousbeck, Mike Gorman, Bob Ryan, David Stern and Jim Brown among others, check out the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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