Tag: Wayne Gretzky

The Match with Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky and more starts Thursday

TNT is going big with the 10th installment of The Match.

TNT is going big with the 10th installment of The Match.

This time around, it’ll be a two-night event in prime time with no pro golfers but eight big-time celebrities as well as a star-studded announcing crew.

Dubbed “The Match: Superstars,” the competition will be televised on Thursday, Nov. 21, and Friday, Nov. 22, with coverage simulcast on TNT and Max. The event was filmed at The Breakers Rees Jones Golf Course at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Check out the celebrity lineup: Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Blake Griffin.

The initial matches will pit Murray and Gretzky against Barkley and Griffey as well as Wahlberg and Phelps vs. Bargatze and Griffin.

There will then be semifinals and a final match. Those will be individual match play contests with the eventual winner banking $1 million.

Thursday Nov. 21

  • Wahlberg/Phelps vs. Bargatze/Griffin, 7:30 p.m.
  • Barkley/Griffey Jr. vs. Gretzky/Murray, 9 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 22

  • Semifinals, 7:30 p.m.
  • Final match, 9 p.m.

Calling the action is TNT’s Ernie Johnson, back at the Match for a fifth time. He’s joined by Charles Barkley, who will be making his ninth appearance at The Match as either a player or commentator. Also, a pair of Masters champs – Trevor Immelman and Bubba Watson – will provide analysis. Kathryn Tappen returns as the on-course reporter.

In September, Golfweek reported on a Match featuring Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. That PGA Tour vs. LIV event is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Las Vegas.

Here are some photos from The Match Superstars.

Alex Ovechkin’s injury amidst Wayne Gretzky record hunt left NHL fans distraught

This injury could not have come at a worse time for Alex Ovechkin.

While certainly not the worst case scenario, Alex Ovechkin’s quest to break Wayne Gretzky’s goals scoring record will be put on pause for a few weeks due to an unfortunate injury.

On Monday, Ovechkin was pulled in the third period from the Washington Capitals’ game against the Utah Hockey Club due to an injury. Ovechkin and Jack McBain collided knee-on-knee in the middle of the ice on accident and the Capitals forward had to be helped off the ice after the hit.

Ovechkin had already scored two goals in Monday’s game, bringing him within 26 goals of tying Gretzky’s record.

Then on Tuesday, the Capitals announced that Ovechkin would be out week-to-week with an injury to his lower leg and would be reevaluated in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

The news is an incredible blow to Ovechkin’s chase to break Gretzky’s record, if only because the 39-year-old was on such a tear in recent games. Over the last two games, Ovechkin put up five — yes, five — goals and was making a real push to close the gap on Gretzky. Not only that, Ovechkin’s recent surge has him sitting at the top of the NHL in goals scored this year with 15, marking an incredible start to his season.

It’s a shame Ovechkin will be out for a few weeks during this exciting chase, but at least he’s set to return sometime this season to continue the hunt. NHL fans, however, were distraught at the news amidst a historic race.

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Did you miss Sean Payton’s lululemon commercial? Watch it here

Broncos coach Sean Payton makes an appearance in lululemon’s commercial with Wayne Gretzky.

Last fall, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made an under-the-radar commercial appearance for lululemon during the 2023 NFL season.

In the 30-second ad, men are seen ripping off their pants and making a mad dash to a lululemon store. While running to the store, the men pass by Payton and Wayne Gretzky on a golf course.

Payton and Gretzky are already wearing lululemon, so they don’t join in the panic.

“Rookies,” Gretzky says to Payton, who shakes his head.

Payton shared the commercial on his Twitter/X page last October, but it was only seen by followers who also followed Gretzky because of the way the coach formatted his tweet.

“@WayneGretzky and I can confirm @lululemon ABC pants are that comfortable,” Payton tweeted.

Here’s the ad:

The commercial was first uploaded on lululemon’s YouTube page on Oct. 9 last year.

Payton is no stranger to endorsement deals — he is the only coach in the NFL with a shoe deal from Michael Jordan. With shoes and clothes secured, the only apparel sponsorship left for Payton is a hat deal. Perhaps that will arrive in 2024.

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Tyler Reddick’s Upper Deck paint scheme this week features three greats

Tyler Reddick’s Upper Deck paint scheme features Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods this week.

When you think of collecting sports cards, the Upper Deck brand is one of the more iconic in the industry. And now, with the NASCAR season wrapping up, the company is sponsoring a car featuring Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Tiger Woods.

On Monday, Upper Deck and 23XI Racing unveiled the paint scheme for Tyler Reddick’s car this week in Darlington for the season-finale race. And the car features the three legends. Jordan is part owner of 23XI Racing, which employs Reddick so it makes sense for the collab to happen on his car.

Check out the sweet paint scheme that will run this weekend:

The partnership with NASCAR and 23XI Racing also features authenticated memorabilia and trading cards of NASCAR stars Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. That gives fans a new way to collect NASCAR drivers from the team.

“This collection is monumental for Upper Deck as it reintroduces racing into our diverse lineup of premium authenticated memorabilia,” said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. “Just as 23XI burst onto the NASCAR scene with speed and determination, we’re bringing racing to our portfolio with the same energy. We’re thrilled to celebrate iconic moments from this fan-centric sport.”

Reddick enters this weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as the points leader in NASCAR this year. He has also qualified for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

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Wayne Gretzky was the 1st person to find out the Bucs had re-signed Mike Evans

When he got the news Mike Evans had agreed to terms, Bucs GM Jason Licht told the first person he saw at a local charity event

At the end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ press conference announcing a new two-year contract extension for wide receiver Mike Evans, general manager Jason Licht told a fantastic story about the moment he found out the deal was done.

Licht and his wife, Blair, were in attendance at a local charity event for Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. The Bucs’ GM was having a conversation with Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player in hockey history, “without realizing it was Wayne Gretzky for the first two minutes,” Licht said.

He told “The Great One” he had to step away to take a phone call, and it was front-officec executives Mike Greenberg and Jackie Davidson on the phone, telling Licht that Evans’ camp had agreed to terms on the new deal.

Licht went back inside at the charity event “fist-pumping,” and told Gretzky they had just locked up Evans with a new contract.

“He’s a great one,” Gretzky said, according to Licht.

If anyone would know, it would be Wayne.

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Wayne Gretzky was the 1st person to find out the Bucs had re-signed Mike Evans

When he got the news Mike Evans had agreed to terms, Bucs GM Jason Licht told the first person he saw at a local charity event

At the end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ press conference announcing a new two-year contract extension for wide receiver Mike Evans, general manager Jason Licht told a fantastic story about the moment he found out the deal was done.

Licht and his wife, Blair, were in attendance at a local charity event for Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. The Bucs’ GM was having a conversation with Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player in hockey history, “without realizing it was Wayne Gretzky for the first two minutes,” Licht said.

He told “The Great One” he had to step away to take a phone call, and it was front-officec executives Mike Greenberg and Jackie Davidson on the phone, telling Licht that Evans’ camp had agreed to terms on the new deal.

Licht went back inside at the charity event “fist-pumping,” and told Gretzky they had just locked up Evans with a new contract.

“He’s a great one,” Gretzky said, according to Licht.

If anyone would know, it would be Wayne.

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Wayne Gretzky praised Connor Bedard’s lacrosse-style goal, and hockey fans loved to see it

“I couldn’t do what he did.”

Connor Bedard is having a standout rookie season for the Chicago Blackhawks, and he’s been scoring some truly jaw-dropping goals while being very casual about how impressive they actually are. It’s amazing.

The star center pulled off another incredible move Saturday in his team’s 7-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues. But forget about the loss because this lacrosse-style goal was mesmerizing and definitely the highlight of the game.

It was such a big deal that even the great Wayne Gretzky was in awe and praised Bedard’s stick skills. Bedard was alone behind Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, picked up the puck with his stick and wrapped around the net and tossed it in.

RELATED: Victor Wembanyama appears twice as tall as Connor Bedard in No. 1 pick jersey swap

Pretty amazing, and Gretzky thought so too, saying: “I couldn’t do what he did tonight.”

Gretzky continued:

“That just wasn’t in my repertoire. I didn’t have the right kind of curve. [Bobby Hull] could do it. I could never do what he did tonight. It was fun to watch. My daughter, Emma, is with me. And she goes, ‘Dad, did you ever do that?’ And I said ‘No, I could never do that.'”

This lacrosse-style goal is also known as a “Michigan goal,” and, according to NBC Sports Chicago, here’s how it originated:

The goal originated with Bill Armstrong, a minor league player for the Albany Devils. Trying it at practice, he wondered if he could use the move in a real game. He did. And he scored four goals with that trick.

Mike Legg, a winger for the Michigan Wolverines, heard about the move and used it himself in a 1996 NCAA Tournament game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It was named the “Goal of the Year” by Swedish magazine Inside Hockey. The stick Legg used was later donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The goal is referred to by many names. The “Michigan,” the “high wrap,” the “Zorro.”

Hockey fans loved this compliment from The Great One:

Someone tried to teach Wayne Gretzky how to hold a hockey stick at the Hockey Hall of Fame

Offering Wayne Gretzky hockey advice is a choice.

Wayne Gretzky is one of the best hockey players of all time, if not the best hockey player of all time.

However, a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame with his son once turned him into just another guy getting advice on how to hold a hockey stick while playing on a virtual hockey experience.

While talking with the NHL on TNT broadcast crew at the first intermission break of the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes game on Wednesday night, Gretzky retold a hysterical anecdote about how a Hall of Fame visit once went awry in the best way possible.

It centered on a young kid working an attraction at the Hockey Hall of Fame who tried to give Gretzky advice on how to hold a hockey stick. Yes, really.

We’ll let Gretzky take it from here.

To be fair to that kid, Gretzky said he was wearing a hat while he was trying to play the virtual hockey game and wasn’t immediately recognizable.

However, what a humble brag to run and tell your friends that you gave Gretzky hockey advice while he was playing a virtual hockey game. That’s got to make you the stuff of legends with all of your hockey friends.

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14 athletes with incredible seasons (Connor McDavid!) who egregiously weren’t named unanimous MVP

A list of superstars who dominated but weirdly didn’t get universal MVP praise.

Winning a unanimous MVP in sports is one of those eccentric, niche milestones that seemingly only truly great superstars can achieve. But with these honors usually voted on by media members — who are fans of the sport they cover first — sometimes, perspective can be lost in the shuffle.

Because to be a unanimous MVP means you were the undisputed best player in the world in your respective league or sport. No questions asked. At least, that’s what a clean-sweep vote essentially dictates.

You were a cut above, and everyone else paled compared to your brilliance. (Never mind that all of these votes are inherently subjective.)

Despite a historic 2022-2023 NHL season, Connor McDavid wasn’t a unanimous MVP. It’s mind-boggling as to why. But McDavid certainly isn’t the first major sports star to lose out on this distinction that would probably only bother Hall of Famers. There’s a laundry list of athletes who put on an all-time show for an entire year, only for some people to say their excellence actually wasn’t the best.

Across four of the major American sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — here’s a look at a few stars who probably should’ve received unanimous MVP honors. Note: This list is not a ranking of egregiousness. It is in chronological order by year from top to bottom.