#jack was top scorer in the league for a while

[lover-of-mine]

You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum that they raised me (being a devils fan during the 23/24 season)

#we really went from favorites for the cup to not even making playoff #WHAT EVEN WAS THIS SEASON #jack was top scorer in the league for a while #WE HAD A 50% PP #like #devils in October and devils in February were 2 different teams lol #sigh #thoughts thoughts thoughts #anna talks devils

[withwritersblock]

Knowing me, Knowing You

~Knowing me, Knowing You by ABBA~ Author's Note: requeted, sorta. it got angsty some how? Summary: Luke goes to his daughter's youth hockey game Warnings: none Word Count: 1,733 Luke Hughes x fm!reader

Luke has always felt guilty for missing his daughter’s hockey games. Zoey was seven and had games almost every weekend. But all of her games overlapped with his. She would FaceTime him before and after the games. She would be red hot and dripping in sweat, her curly hair sprawled all over her features. 

She was a center like her Uncle Jack and was the top scorer on her team. There was not an ounce of surprise with that fact as she was a Hughes after all. Y/N always made an effort to record as many videos as possible, so Luke was able to be involved as much as he can. He still felt guilty for not being able to go. 

Except today. It was the mini championship for her league that she was apart of and Luke had the week off for All-Star break. This year none of the Hughes boys were a part of the All-Star tournament which meant all three of them would be there to support Zoey. 

Zoey and Y/N were both already at the rink, while Luke was trying to drag his brothers out of the house. “The game starts in an hour, with traffic we’ll barely make it on time for the first period!” he shouted as he took a hold of his keys. Quinn groaned out as he walked out of the guest bedroom. 

“Well it’s not my fault that Jackaboy needs to take forty minutes on his hair!” Quinn ran his hand across his chin. Jack huffed as he stood up from the couch.

“You could’ve used Luke’s bathroom!” Jack expressed as all three of the boys walked towards the door to leave the house. 

The drive to the rink took forty minutes and Luke was freaking out the entire time. He parked the car and instantly hopped out. Quinn and Jack were trailing behind him. Luke promised Zoey that he would be there, and warmups were nearly finished. Zoey had to of thought Luke wasn’t coming. 

The three boys walked towards the table, it was a seven dollar entrance fee. Luke pulled up his venmo and venmoed them the twenty-one dollars that was needed to enter. The teenage girl working the table flushed bright red at the sight of the three of them. She nervously added the wristbands to their wrists. 

They all took fast steps towards the entrance to the rink. Luke step foot onto the bleachers to see his wife and his parents sitting together a few feet away, “Over here,” he mumbled towards his brothers before he guided his way through the crowded bleacher seats. He sat down beside Y/N, excited rubbing his hands together as stared towards the ice searching for the forty-three on the ice. 

“She’s been looking for you,” Y/N mumbled, sadly. He clenched his jaw as he glanced towards his brothers who were sitting beside their dad away from him.

“They took forever to get ready to leave the house, I’m sorry,” he whispered as he leaned towards her, kissing her temple as he ran his hand up and down her back. “How was she before the game?” he asked looking at each of the tiny girls on the ice. His eyes landed on the forty-three skating towards the net, shooting and hitting the glass. Luke watched as her head tilted back as she smacked her stick against the ice.

“She’s having a rough morning,” she crossed her arms over her chest as she watched her little girl look towards the group on the bleachers again. She waved as she saw her dad. Luke smiled widely as he returned the wave. “She’s a little disappointed that you weren’t the one dropping her off,” Y/N let out as she turned her head to the side to meet Luke’s gaze. 

Luke took in a sharp breath as he bit his bottom lip. “What do you want me to say, Y/N?”

“Nothing, it’s fine, Luke,”

“Is it?” he asked as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. She scanned his frustrated features. She clenched his jaw.

“Let’s not do this here,” she mumbled as she shifted her gaze towards the ice. The girls were all skating off the ice to allow the zamboni to clean the ice. 

“Seriously, I’m here now,” he muttered defensively. 

Y/N huffed, “I’m gonna get a hot chocolate,” she stood up and walked the other direction. Luke watched her walk away clenching his jaw. He took a deep breath as he tilted his head back. 

“Everything okay there?” Ellen asked leaning towards Luke. He shifted his gaze towards his mom. He shrugged. He shook his head as he stared towards the zamboni. “What did you do?” she asked. Luke rolled his eyes.

“I’m missing out on a lot,” he said keeping his gaze towards the ice. 

“What do you mean?” Ellen asked.

“This is the first game of Zoey’s I’ve seen this year. It seemed like every game she had this year landed on a roadtrip,” Luke explained as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Y/N does her best at recording the games but it’s not the same,” 

“What does Zoey think?” Ellen asked. Luke shook his head as he shifted his gaze towards his mom.

“She puts on a tough face but I know my girl,” he took a deep breath, “I know she’s sad that I’m not here that often.”

Ellen pouted as she wrapped her arm around his back. “She’s a tough kid, Lukey, she understands. She looks up to you and your career.”

“I don’t think my wife understands,” he mumbled just as he shifted his gaze to see Y/N walking back towards them. She was carrying three hot chocolates. Luke quickly stood up and met her halfway, taking two from her hands. 

“Thank you,” she smiled politely. Luke kept one as he handed his mom the other. Y/N sat down at the same time as Luke. He rested his hand onto her thigh as he looked towards her. She took a deep breath as she met his eye, “That was unfair of me, I’m sorry. I know you’re trying,” He swallowed hard as he leaned towards her, kissing her cheek.

“I’m sorry too. I know I can do more to help, I don’t want you to feel like you’re doing this alone,” he said as he scanned her features. She took a shaky breath as she nodded. 

It took another ten minutes before the girls reappeared on the ice. Most of the girls were only seven, but the energy in the small ice rink was electric. It was the league’s championship game afterall. She excitedly tapped her hand against Luke’s leg as Zoey skated to take the center draw. 

The game in itself was slow as their little legs could only get them so far. But Luke didn’t take his eyes off the little forty-three for a single second for her first minute on the ice. He watched her skate the puck back into the zone. Her head up, not eyeing the puck like she used to. Y/N reached for Luke’s hand and he excitedly interlocked their fingers. 

She shot the puck on the goal and it trickled into the net slowly. It was the fourth shot on net the girls had done. Luke threw his hand in the air as he cheered. He watched her skate away from the net and bow, exactly like he does after he scores. His mouth fell open as he laughed. 

“That’s a new one!” Y/N let out as she hugged Luke.

“Atta-girl Hughesy!” their head coach shouted as she took a seat on the bench. Luke smiled to himself, remembering the days when that was his nickname. 

“Luke,” Quinn hollered after him. Luke shifted his gaze towards his eldest brother, “She’s gonna be a PWHL star with that wrister,” he smiled widely.

“She wants to play for Minnesota,” he let out with a smirk, “She likes the color purple.” The entire row of the Hughes family started laughing. 

It took another few minutes before Zoey was back on the ice, the game was now tied. It didn’t take long before the puck was back on her stick, “Come on, baby girl,” Luke let out as he straightened his frame to get a better look. Her teammate was wide open beside the net and she tried to pass the puck. She made the pass and her teammate scored. 

“Let’s go!” Luke cheered. “What a pass, Zo,” he let out as he looked towards Y/N. She smiled widely as she met his gaze. He took a shaky breath as the realization of what he’s been missing hit him. 

“What’s wrong?” Y/N asked quickly as she reached her hand over, running her fingers through the ends of his hair.

“I swear we just put her in skates and now-” he trailed off. She pouted as she watched him blink back the sudden emotions.

“I know, my love,” she let out, leaning her head against his shoulder as she shifted her gaze back to the ice. Luke followed in pursuit to see Zoey have the puck all alone in the the offensive zone.

“Shoot it, Hughesy!” her head coach yelled, she listened and shot the puck on the net and scored again. She threw her arms in the air as she watched the puck go in. 

“That’s my girl!” Luke let out as he clapped his hands excitedly.

The game ended with a 4-3 win for her tiny team. After the game, still in their gear the girls met them in the lobby of the ice rink. Zoey took the cage off of her head as she stumbled towards Luke. Luke smiled widely as he knealed down, letting her jump into his arms.

Her curly hair was messy as her hair was falling out of the braid Y/N done. “You did so good, Zo,” he let out as he lifted her up in the air, a gigle fell from her lips.

“Did you see me bow?” she asked with a wide smile. He barked out a laugh.

“It was awesome!” he let out as he wiped the stray hairs away from her forehead. 

“Just like you,” she mumbled. Luke pouted as he nodded, pulling her head to rest against his shoulder.

#luke hughes x reader #luke hughes imagines #luke hughes #luke hughes fanfic #nhl imagines #nhl #nhl x reader #nhl fic #hockey #jack hughes imagines #jack hughes x y/n #jack hughes x reader #quinn hughes x y/n #quinn hughes x reader #quinn hughes imagines #quinn hughes #nj devils #new jersey devils fic #new jersey devils #new jersey devils x reader

[best1spor1player]

The Buffalo Sabres have had numerous players represent the team throughout their history. While it is not possible to list every player who has ever played for the Sabres, here are some notable players who have made significant contributions to the organization:

Gilbert Perreault - Hall of Fame forward and the first overall draft pick by the Sabres in 1970. Perreault played his entire career with the Sabres and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

Dominik Hasek - Goaltender known as "The Dominator" for his exceptional goaltending skills. Hasek played for the Sabres from 1992 to 2001 and won two Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player during his time with the team.

Pat LaFontaine - Highly skilled forward who played for the Sabres from 1991 to 1997. LaFontaine was known for his scoring ability and leadership on and off the ice.

Ryan Miller - Goaltender who played for the Sabres from 2002 to 2014. Miller holds several franchise records for goaltending and won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in 2010.

Danny Gare - Forward who played for the Sabres from 1974 to 1982. Gare was known for his scoring touch and was a key contributor to the team's success in the 1970s.

Phil Housley - Defenseman who played for the Sabres from 1982 to 1990 and again from 1996 to 2001. Housley was an offensive-minded defenseman and had several productive seasons with the Sabres.

Jack Eichel - Center who was the second overall draft pick by the Sabres in 2015. Eichel played for the Sabres from 2015 to 2021 and was known for his skill and scoring ability.

[khartoumnews]

[dailyrugbytoday]

RLWC 2022: Kangaroos-Italy Rugby Match information

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/rlwc-2022-kangaroos-italy-rugby-match-information/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/rlwc-2022-kangaroos-italy-rugby-match-information/

RLWC 2022: Kangaroos-Italy Rugby Match information

RLWC 2022 the Kangaroos final round pool match of the World Cup against Italy on Sunday morning (AEDT).  you’re at the right place!  Rugby League World Cup Kangaroos vs Italy Rugby live stream from anywhere around the world by following the mentioned steps bellow.

Each pool’s top 2 teams will advance to the quarter-finals and the finalists will be qualified for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup:

Quarter Finals on Friday, 4 November, 5 November , and Saturday, 6 November 2022

Semi-Finals on Friday, 11 November and Saturday, 12 November 2022

Grand Final on Saturday, 19 November 2022

Watch Men’s Rugby World Cup 2022 live from anywhere

Watch the Rugby League World Cup 2022 live (RLWC) , the 16th international men’s rugby tournament, starting from October 15, 2022 till November 19, 2022. In 1954, the first Rugby World Cup was held in France.

The tournament will be held in England and it is organized by International Rugby League and will be live streamed by ITV.

These teams represent their respective countries at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup:

Group C G W L PTS PD 1. Australia 2 2 0 4 +118 2. Fiji 2 1 1 2 +22 3. Italy 2 1 1 2 -32 4. Scotland 2 0 2 0 -108

Australia Rugby League Preview

Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans are set to combine in the halves together for Australia after coach Mal Meninga opted to rest Cameron Munster for the Kangaroos’ final round pool match of the World Cup against Italy on Sunday morning (AEDT).

Munster, who leads all players in the tournament with five try assists in the opening two games, has not been named as part of the Kangaroos’ 19-man squad.

Instead, it is expected that Cleary and Cherry-Evans — who split the halfback duties in the opening two games — will combine together to face the Azzurri, with a win officially confirming the green and golds’ place in the quarter-finals.

The tournament’s leading try-scorer Josh Addo-Carr has also been rested by Meninga, along with hooker Harry Grant, while forwards Angus Crichton and Jake Trbojevic have been left out after featuring in the earlier two matches.

Cowboys trio Reuben Cotter, Jeremiah Nanai and Murray Taulagi all return to the squad, while Latrell Mitchell is also back after being rested last week.

Kangaroos-Italy Rugby League Squad

Kangaroos team to face Italy (alphabetical order): 12. Matt Burton, 6. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 13. Patrick Carrigan, 2. Daly Cherry-Evans, 14. Nathan Cleary, 15. Lindsay Collins, 16. Reuben Cotter, 18. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 19. Campbell Graham, 4. Valentine Holmes, 3. Ben Hunt, 21. Liam Martin, 8. Latrell Mitchell, 11. Cameron Murray (vc), 22. Jeremiah Nanai, 23. Murray Taulagi, 1. James Tedesco (c), 10. Jack Wighton, 24. Isaah Yeo (vc).

Italy: 1 Luke Polselli, 2 Richard Lepori, 3 Daniel Atkinson, 4 Ethan Natoli, 5 Jake Maizen, 6 Jack Campagnolo, 7 Radean Robinson, 10 Anton Iaria, 9 Dean Parata, 15 Luca Moretti, 11 Ryan King, 12 Brenden Santi, 13 Nathan Brown (captain), 14 Joey Tramontana, 16 Gioele Celerino, 19 Luke Hodge, 20 Jack Colovatti, 18 Kyle Pickering, 17 Ronnie Palumbo

[pavspatch]

FA Cup Previews: Hyde United and Curzon Ashton

WILL Jack Redshaw be fit is the question Hyde United fans are asking ahead of tomorrow (Saturday's) FA Cup third qualifying round clash with Darlington at the Project Solar UK Stadium.

Fans' favourite Redshaw, a pocket battleship who is the Tigers' top scorer with four goals, took a knock on his right ankle towards the end of the first half of last weekend's 2-1 defeat of Guiseley.

He came out after the break but was soon substituted and missed the midweek victory over Nantwich which put Hyde top of the Pitching In Northern Premier League.

Redshaw may not be manager Nick Spooner's only concern. Tom Pratt may also be carrying an injury.

Although Darlington play a division above the Tigers in National League North, the tie has plenty to interest the neutral as both clubs have won their last six matches. The Quakers, who are third in the table, are only a point behind leaders Kings Lynn.

Leading the line for them is 6ft 4ins striker Mark Beck, a former Scotland under-19 international who has scored ten goals including a hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Southport in the last round.

While accepting the difference in status, Spooner says he is looking forward to the game, adding: "Both teams are in good form. It'll be a test playing a team from a higher division but it's the FA Cup and as we're all aware, the cup can deliver shock results."

Darlington boss Alun Armstrong, a former Stockport County forward, insists he is taking nothing for granted. He told the Northern Echo: “No doubt about it, it’s going to be a really tough game. Hyde have got some really good players who have played National League North, so people shouldn’t expect us to go there and expect it to be easy.

“We’ve got to be really up for it, really sharp, on the front foot and playing our game. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing our job and not thinking it’s going to be easy. Hopefully the lads have seen Hyde’s run and it's given them a little bit to worry about.

“Hyde are the underdogs, but it’s a big opportunity for them. We’re expected to win, but nothing is won by expectation – we’ve got to go and earn it.”

The Quakers can call on Dan Dodds, a right-back on loan from Middlesbrough. He's likely to start in place of Kallum Griffiths who sustained an injury in the 1-0 defeat of Blyth in midweek.

Former Oldham defender David Wheater came on as substitute for Griffiths, but Armstrong is said to be reluctant to use him on the 35 pitch at Ewen Fields. Tigers winger Adam Dawson, who scored the midweek winner against Nantwich, had a spell with Darlington on loan from Tranmere in 2017.

Curzon Ashton travel to Scarborough Athletic only days after beating the Yorkshiremen 2-0 at Tameside Stadium in midweek — a win that put them only two points behind their cup opponents who are sixth in National League North.

Nash manager Adam Lakeland says he will be relying on the same squad but with the addition of midfielder Sam Walker.

Reflecting on Tuesday's victory, he told the club's in-house media team: "We'll be preparing in the same way as we would for any game. I've been up to Scarborough a couple of times and we've done our homework. We have a really good understanding of them and what I've seen doesn't surprise me.

"Scarborough is a difficult place to go when they're going well, which they are. They've had success over the last 12 months and have started the season well. It's also a windy ground and of course it's an artificial pitch.

"It'll be tough but it's the FA Cup and in any case we should be going into every game now with confidence and belief. Even when we're not playing to our greatest we're winning or we're finding ways to get points and that's a good sign."

Scarborough should be close to full strength. Striker Jake Charles is out with a dislocated shoulder while there is a doubt over midfielder Kieran Glynn who limped off on Tuesday.

Their manager, Jono Greening, said after that defeat, the club's second in four days, that he was unconcerned even though he admitted his players were devastated and needed picking up.

Insisting that his side had dominated the second half against a team that was holding out for a 1-0 win, and that it had been one-way traffic until Curzon's injury-time second goal, he commented to Scarborough's media team: "The scoreline makes it look like we took a battering but we didn't. Today's defeat and the one against Banbury weren't for lack of effort.

"The effort was there, the attitude and application was there, the desire and work rate was there. If we were losing games and that wasn't there then I'd be worried. But I'm not worried one little bit."

Each winning side receives £5,625 while the losers get £1,875.

[everwitch-magiks]

of neighbourly attachments (part 4)

It takes Bitty seven attempts before he deems his maple-glazed apple pie passable.

It is, after all, an important pie. Partly, it is an apology pie, or at the very least an I’m so sorry I’m an awkward idiot pie. Yet it’s also a welcoming pie, or perhaps a thank you for welcoming me pie. Which, well.

Bitty isn’t entirely sure that Jack will be quite as welcoming, this time.

Ever since his realization at the garden party, Bitty has nervously tried to recall all his previous conversations with his neighbour Jack – also known as hockey superstar Jack Zimmermann, except Bitty unfortunately didn’t realize that before. On an even more unfortunate note, the memory of several of his interactions with Jack makes Bitty want to crawl into a deep hole and never come back out. If only he’d recognized those piercing blue eyes the first time he saw them, perhaps he wouldn’t have made such a complete fool of himself, repeatedly.

Bitty’s friends are never going to let him live this down.

Pie in hand, Bitty leaves his apartment and crosses the hallway. A moment passes. Then another.

Finally, his hands shaking, he manages to make himself ring the bell.

Steps are heard from behind the door, and then it’s quiet for a brief moment before Jack opens.

Bitty tries his best to smile politely.

“Hello there! I come bearing baked goods, as promised.”

“Eric,” Jack says, his tone warmer than Bitty had expected. He steps aside, quickly. Almost eagerly. “Come in.”

Bitty makes his way across the threshold somewhat hesitantly, toeing off his shoes when he sees that Jack is only wearing socks. This seems to be the right call, as Jack doesn’t comment on it – instead, he beckons for Bitty to follow him into another room.

Bitty does.

It’s the kitchen.

And although Bitty’s breath hitches for a moment – it’s a gorgeous kitchen, with countertops made of wood in a dark shade, black cupboards and silver details – he soon manages to compose himself. After all, Jack doesn’t have double ovens. And while those countertops look absolutely divine, they’re likely not maintenance free.

“What kind of pie is it?”

Jack has opened a cupboard and procured two cups. He’s holding what must be a package of coffee, and if Bitty didn’t know better, he’d say Jack looks sort of almost… Nervous?

“Do you want coffee? I also have tea, or, eh… Juice?”

“Coffee would be great, thank you.” Bitty carefully sets down his pie on the nearest countertop. “And the pie is a maple-glazed apple pie.”

“That sounds delicious,” Jack says, after a beat. “I guess this means that you know that I’m, uh. That I’m Canadian? And all that.”

“I most certainly do.” Bitty takes a deep breath, trying to gather his courage for what he’s about to say next. Because unfortunately, it really, truly needs to be said. “Jack, you should know that I had absolutely no idea that you’re… Well, that you’re you, until Eliana mentioned it at the party. I wasn’t trying to get close to you for any other reason than the fact that I really do think it’s lovely to be well acquainted with one’s neighbours, and if I’d known who I was talking to I’d never even have dreamed of bringing up hockey in the way that I did, and-”

“It’s okay,” Jack interrupts hurriedly. Somewhere in the middle of Bitty’s monologue, Jack’s ears have gone a little pink. “Really, it’s fine. I could have introduced myself properly to you, but I didn’t. And that’s on me.”

“All the same, I feel quite silly.” Bitty offers Jack a tentative smile. “I’m not sure if you’ll believe me when I say that you’re my favourite player of all time? But you really are. You’ve changed everything for those of us in the sport who… Well, who weren’t always accepted in the same way.”

“You… Oh.” Jack looks startled. And more importantly, his ears are no less pink, per say. “Were you out? When you played?”

“More or less.” Bitty grimaces. “I was in high school, there were some cute boys. And I wasn’t always open about it, but somehow a lot of people knew. It was really difficult for a while, especially with the team. Until you happened.”

Jack smiles wryly.

“I happened, eh?”

“That’s what it felt like. You were the top scorer in the league – and you had a boyfriend? Suddenly, everything was different.”

“I’m glad it made a difference, for you,” Jack says sincerely. “It’s just what we hoped would happen. That’s why it was worth everything that followed.”

“I haven’t actually told any of my old teammates that you’re my next door neighbour,” Bitty confides. “Or my mom, for that matter – goodness me, it might be better if I just never mention it to my folks. My mom might be on a plane across the country before I’d finished the sentence.”

“Your parents follow hockey?”

“From time to time, yes, but I have it on good authority that Suzanne Bittle never misses one of your games.” Bitty grins. “I imagine she’d be quite beside herself, if I ever told her about you.”

“Wait,” Jack says, staring at Bitty. “Wait. Bittle?”

“Yes?” Bitty says, confused.

“No,” Jack says.

“Actually, yes. Is it important?”

“You’re Eric Bittle.”

Bitty feels his cheeks go very, very pink.

“... Oh, right. That would be me, yes.”

Jack takes a step backwards, and then a step forwards, leaning slightly on the counter between them – almost as though Jack Zimmerman, superstar athlete, suddenly has trouble standing up without leaning on something for support.

“The Falconers watch your vlog before every single game.”

“What?”

Jack cracks a smile.

“We did once, at an away game against the Schooners? And we, uh, we won that game. So…”

“Oh my goodness.” Bitty feels quite breathless. “I’m your pre-game ritual?”

The tips of Jack’s ears suddenly look quite pink, once more.

“You’re, uh, definitely part of it? There’s also some stick-taping, and a nap if I can manage.”

“Sweet Mary,” Bitty murmurs. “This is a lot to take in.”

“Yeah. It is.”

For a moment, they’re both silent.

“Oh,” Jack says.

Suddenly, he’s starting to smile.

“I can bring the leftovers from this pie to our next game. The guys would flip, if I did.”

“Now wait just one minute!” Bitty immediately protests – Jack looks startled. “First of all, I wouldn’t assume there will be much left over, if I were you. Secondly, you must let me bake more than enough pie for your whole team! It simply wouldn’t be right, otherwise. I’ll need lots and lots of apples, of course – you wouldn’t happen to know if there’s usually fresh fruit at the local market?”

“There is,” Jack says. He’s started to smile again, except now his smile is truly warm. “They’re likely open, still.”

“Oh, then I must go as soon as I can,” Bitty says eagerly. “I’m sure we can have coffee some other time, Jack – I hope you’ll enjoy the pie.”

“We could go together, maybe? To the market.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’m sure I’ll find my way there. I’ve already been-”

“No, I mean – we could go together, together. If you want.”

Bitty falls silent.

The tips of Jacks ears are, once again, quite adorably pink. The NHL superstar is shuffling his feet and looks a bit lost, as though he suddenly has absolutely no clue what he should do with his hands, or why he even has any external limbs in the first place.

Bitty swallows, and tries desperately to find his voice again.

“That would be lovely,” he tells Jack breathlessly. “Maybe we could go out and get the apples, and then come back for that cup of coffee, and apple pie?”

The smile Jack offers in return is Bitty’s favorite one yet.

“I’d really like that, yes.”

“Good. Great.”

“Yeah.” Suddenly, Jack chuckles. “I think I might be about to lose a bet.”

“Pardon?”

“Just something Eliana said when she invited me to her family’s garden party.” Jack shakes his head. “Nevermind. I’ll just have to remember to send her flowers, one of these days.”

“Whatever you say.” Bitty lets himself take another breath, and then purposefully holds out a hand towards Jack. “Should we go, then?”

Jack nods, and takes Bitty’s hand in his, carefully lacing their fingers together.

As they set off together towards the local market, Bitty can’t help but think that moving to Providence wasn’t such a terrible mistake, after all.

#zimbits #jack zimmermann #eric bittle #check please #omgcp #the end #of neighbourly attachments #fanfiction #au #evie writes #thanks so much for reading this y'all it's been so much fun writing a lil series #now I wonder what I'll be writing next #trying not to go outside unless I have to because of the global pandemic so #writing seems like a pretty neat way to pass the time eh

[dkscribe88]

Tavronica Week Prompt 7: AU

And now, for my final entry for this year’s first annual Tavronica week. I decided to set it in modern times. They’re still on Thra and still Gelfling, but they’ve adopted a way of life similar to humans, including going to college and playing sports, such as ice hockey. Tavra is team captain, single, and focused on helping her team win the final game of a tournament against their rivals, lead by Tolyn. Onica is a Psychology student who recently became single and is dragged to the game by her best friend, Tae. Tavra always seemed like she would be a jock if she were real, and the only sport I really ever played was ice hockey, so I decided to write her playing it. I hope you like this last fic. It’s been a blast writing for this event, and I’m proud to say I met my challenge of 7 prompts for 7 days. Can’t wait to do it all again next year! So now, sit back and enjoy my final entry for this year. Beware, it’s the longest one yet.

The roar of the crowd was deafeningly loud throughout the halls of Ha’rar State University’s hockey stadium. Flooded with fans of both the home team, the Ha’rar State University Fighting Paladins, and visiting rivals, the Sami Thicket University Landstriders; the atmosphere was tense. It was the finals of a two-day tournament. Both top seeded teams played two games the day before, easily routing their opponents. Their head-to-head battle had always been assured, the latter two games merely a formality. Both teams stared daggers at each other whenever the Paladins locked eyes with a Landstrider. There’s bad blood between these rivals, the wound freshly opened after what had transpired a few hours before…

-------

Earlier in the day, the home team had arrived two hours before they were to hit the ice, hoping to do some warmup exercises in their locker room before suiting up, only to discover that the whole place had been destroyed. Bags had been dumped out, equipment strewn randomly throughout the room, and jerseys were being soaked by the showers. Their hockey sticks were no longer in the racks, and no one would have found them, had the team not experienced this sort of attack before. The Paladin’s team captain, defenseman Tavra just sighed before casting her gaze upwards, confirming that the sticks were indeed glued to ceiling.

“Sheesh, they could’ve at least come up with a more original way of wrecking our stuff. C’mon guys, cleanup positions. Ready? Go!” The team quickly got to work straightening things, accomplishing their tasks efficiently, having done so many times before. They kept a scraper and a bottle of nail polish remover taped under one of the benches for occasions such as this, which easily dissolved the super glue. It took a little longer to get everything back in order this time though, as the Landstriders had taken the time to remove the tape from their sticks before gluing them. It was a tedious task, retaping everything, but Tavra and her crew knew everything needed to be perfect, or they wouldn’t stand a chance. STU’s captain, Tolyn the Terrible, did his best to crush anyone that stood in his way, using any means necessary. The Landstriders led the league in both penalties and player ejections. They’d already given four different Gelfling concussions, ending the player’s seasons early, and in one case, ending it for good, the injury so severe it caused brain damage, forcing the player off the team and out of school altogether.

Forty minutes later, the locker room was back in usable condition. Tavra took her place in front of her team.

“Alright! Everyone get in line for warmups. First, we stretch, then after that 20 jumping jacks. When I say go. Ready? GO!”

-------

Meanwhile, at the campus dorm rooms…

“C’mon, Onica! It’ll be fun, I promise. The game is going to be great and there’s gonna be a sick afterparty, with lots of hot gelfs for us to hit on, so let’s go, please? You need a new girlfriend, or at least someone to take your mind off Effiny and I need to get my flirt on. It’ll be good for you to get out.” Tae had been trying to convince her friend to attend the game with her for the last few hours, not wanting to go by herself.

“But I’ve got that test coming up for my Developmental Psychology class and I haven’t even studied for it yet.” Tae rolled her eyes.

“You’ve never had to study for any of your Psych classes before. You know every bit of that material frontwards and backwards, sideways, diagonal and upside down. If that’s your best excuse my victory is assured.”

“But I won’t even be able to get into the afterparty. You have to know someone on the team to attend and I don’t, so I see no reason to go.” Tae refused to give up.

“That doesn’t matter! I told you, I know the goalie. Zili promised that if we showed up, she’d get us in. Zili’s a bit weird, which she claims is a common trait amongst goalies, but she’s also true to her word. Please, I don’t want to go alone.” Tae had been nice so far, but it was time to pull out her secret weapon. She kneeled down next to Onica’s chair, lower lip jutting out in a pout, eyes turned up in a begging fashion, glistening with small tears in their corners. Onica had to give her style points for being able to cry on demand. She tried to turn away, but there was no escaping the power of the fizzgig pout. Unable to fend off the adorably cute assault any further, Onica let out a groan.

“Ugghhh! Okay, fine! I’ll go. But you owe me. More than one.”

“Yes!” Tae jumped up, giving her roommate and best friend a hug. “Thank you so much, Oni! There’s this new guy on the team, Galen, and Zili’s promised to help me get a chance to talk to him. Oh, I can’t wait for you to see him, he’s so dreamy. He’s tall, and Sifa, like us, with some Spriton and Vapra mixed in. He’s got beautiful tanned skin and dark hair with little bits of silver here and there, ooh-hoo-hoo just the thought of him makes me quiver!” Onica gave her friend a look of disbelief and slight disgust.

“Sounds like a creep if you ask me.”

“No! No, he’s not, actually. Zili said he’s really kind and soft spoken most of the time. When he does talk, he’s so deep, and he’s got a great sense of humor, too.” Onica smiled at her then, reassured of Tae’s choice to pursue this guy.

“I can’t wait to meet him, then. I hope you find happiness this time Tae. I’d hate for you to be stuck with someone who doesn’t appreciate you.” Onica’s face turned slightly sullen, then. Tae put a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you talking about Effiny? Onica, that girl has serious issues with where her priorities lie. She didn’t know what she had, being with you. But soon, Onica, someone will come along who loves you for you, I’m sure of it. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet them tonight. So, come on. To the game!” Tae jumped into a pose, pointing dramatically towards the door. Onica gave a small laugh, before getting up and ready for the night’s activities.

The two young women made it to their seats as the two teams warmed up on the ice, each circling around their zone, while some fired pucks at the goalie, who easily blocked them all, giving Zili a confidence boost to start off with. Tavra was gliding along on her skate’s edges, keeping an eye on her own players, looking for signs that each was ready, and smirking when she found they were. She got in line to shoot then, firing right from the line in a slapshot, typical of her defensive position. She’d placed a spin on the puck, causing it to look as if it were warping in the air as it curved toward Zili’s glove side. Tavra nearly got it in, but at the last second, Zili’s eagle eyes tracked it and she caught it neatly in her mitt.

“Nice try, Captain! Maybe next time, yeah?” Zili teased her. Tavra smacked her stick against the goalie’s pads affectionately before gliding off to the back of the line, only to freeze as a sinister gaze met her own.

“Tolyn,” she whispered bitterly. The big jerk was Spriton, tall and strong, or in Tolyn’s case brutish. The sound of ice being carved sounded from behind her, letting Tavra know her two assistant captains had her back.

“That guy almost makes me ashamed to be Spriton.” Kylan muttered, glaring with all he had at the man, who only sneered back.

“Don’t let him get to you Kylan. I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you this time. I’d never hear the end of it from my brother if I did.”

“You’re damn right about that, Naia.” Another player had joined the assistant captains.

“Speak of the devil. Hey, Gurjin. You ready to rumble?” Naia asked her brother.

“Oh, you know it. Gotta get revenge for them breaking my poor Ky Guy’s arm.” Suddenly, the scoring siren went off, signaling the players to leave the ice as it’s resurfaced in preparation for the game’s start. The Paladin’s gathered once more into their locker room. Tavra, Kylan and Naia stood up front as everyone else kneeled, waiting to hear some inspiring words from their captain.

“Ok, we’ve got a tough game ahead of ourselves here, people. We know just as much as anyone else that the Landstriders don’t fight fair. Expect attacks from all sides and keep your guard up. Their goalie is weak on their stick side, so do your best to aim at the space between the arm and torso, as well as high on her right side. Stay away from that glove hand, it’s too good. Now raise your swords, gelfs…” Everyone’s sticks rose in the air. “Brave paladins of HSU, are you ready to defend yourselves, your honor, and your school?” The team let out their best roars of approval. “Are we ready to face the beasts in battle, skate blades sharpened, sticks taped?” Another roar resounded throughout the room. The coach signaled for the group to head out for introductions.

“Ok gelfs, charge!” The Paladins stormed out of the locker room, cheering wildly, though it was completely drowned out by the outrageously raucous crowd. The visiting team was just getting finished with their introduction.

“And, at center, the Landstrider’s leading scorer and captain of the team, number 66, Tolyn!” Loud boos overwhelmed any cheers there might have been for the Spriton center, causing him to shake his stick angrily at his many detractors.

“And now, the roster of our very own home team, the Ha’rar State University Fighting Paladins!” The crowd cheered loudly in response. “For the tertiary line, at left wing it’s number 86, Mira!” A thin Vapra girl quickly skated out on the ice, waving to her fans. “On right wing we’ve got number 18, Deet!” A Grottan girl and Rian’s girlfriend skated over to bump gloves with Mira. “And at center, number 8, the incomparable Rian!” The Stonewood skated out strong, charming all the ladies as he waved to the crowd. “For our secondary offensive line, we’ve got our newest player, number 45, Galen!” A Spriton, taller than both Kylan and Tolyn skated reservedly onto the ice. “Coming in on right wing like a thief in the night, it’s number 13, Periss!” The youngest of the team, a Dousan boy with a rakish attitude glided out, taking bows and throwing kisses as he went. “And, at center, number 7, Bold Gurjin!” The great oaf was light as a feather as he slid past his teammates, giving Kylan’s helmet an affectionate smack as he passed him. “And now for our secondary defenseman. On the right, give it up for number 3, Brea!” Tavra’s younger, bookish sister skated calmly into place, absorbing any information she could about her enemies. “And on the left, it’s number 69, ladies let out a cheer for Rek’yr!” The tattoo-faced man skated grandly into place, blowing kisses to his many lady followers, who screamed in response, one of them fainting.

“And now, everybody give it up for our starting roster. On left wing, we’ve got number 4, the mysterious and shadowy Amri!” Amri had already snuck into his place in line at this point. “On right wing, number 32, our ever-melodious Kylan!” The lanky Spriton skated calmly into place, doing his best not to be intimidated at the sight of Tolyn pretending to slash his throat, the universal bully sign for ‘you’re dead meat’. “And at center, number 17, it’s Fierce Naia!” Naia charged onto the ice, letting out a growling war cry as she bumped gloves with all her teammates, nearly knocking some of them over in her zeal. “And starting for the defense, we’ve got number 49, Ellis!” A Vapra senior a few years older than Tavra skated out. “And don’t forget his partner, your favorite player and mine, that devastating lavender tornado, the Tremendous Tavra!” The crowd got even louder somehow as Tavra regally entered the rink, smiling at her comrades and looking disdainfully over at her opponents. “And last, but certainly not least, that eccentric and crazy girl you know and love, the goalie, number 00, Zili!” Zili skated out powerfully in her heavy goalie pads, ready to protect and defend her net with all she had.

“Whoo! Yeaaayuhh, let’s do this!” Zili riled up the crowd even more, forcing the officials to wait several minutes until things died down to start. The Skarith Land’s flag was lowered down over the rink by wires, as the country’s national anthem played. Once it was over, the teams headed for their respective benches while the captains of each team came and shook hands. Tavra took her hand out of her glove, offering it to Tolyn, who merely scoffed at it and took off to his own bench. Tavra looked at Kylan and Naia.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try.” The three skated over to their team, who were being given a last-minute pep talk by Coach Madso.

“Alright, lads and lassies, get out there and follow the plan. Don’t let them goad you into penalties we can’t afford. Stay onside, and for Thra’s sake, protect each other. We don’t need anymore broken arms, right Kylan?”

“Y-Yes sir!”

“OK!” Tavra barked. “Sticks in!” Everyone gathered in a circle, sticks placed in the middle, pointed downward. “Paladins on three! One, two, three-”

“PALADINS!” With that, the other lines went to the bench and the starters to their places. The referee checked to make sure each goalie was ready, and the centers faced off. The puck is dropped, and the game begins!

-------

It’s late in the third period. Both teams are exhausted from holding each other to a standstill. Neither had scored so far, and the crowd was getting restless with tension. Back and forth across the ice they raced. Naia had the puck on a small breakaway, Kylan assisting her as they passed the flat black object between each other, desperate to keep it away from the Landstriders. Suddenly, Kylan got pinned to the boards as he tried to dig the puck out from the edge of the rink. The enemy player’s skate kept blocking his stick and he couldn’t twist his body the right way to get it. What Kylan didn’t see was that across the rink, Tolyn had locked onto him. He charged, barreling straight at the unwary Spriton. But just as he was about to slam the music major into the boards, something tripped him from behind. He landed flat on his face, sliding hard into the boards from his momentum. A whistle was sounded, stopping play.

“Number 17, Paladins, two minutes, tripping.” It didn’t matter that Naia had stopped Tolyn from breaking Kylan’s clavicle, she got stuck with the penalty. Now they were one gelf down, on a powerplay in the Landstrider’s favor, at the very end of the game. They only needed to last two minutes, but with Tolyn lurking out on the ice, it might as well have been two trine. Coach Madso called timeout, gathering his brave Paladins to his benchside.

“Alright my soldiers, this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna hold the line as best we can. I need Gurjin on right, Deet, you’re on center. Use any tricks you’ve got to be in front of that net. Tavra, Brea, you’re in at D. Tavra, you’ve got the fast slapshot. Everyone else, get the puck into the Landstrider zone, and then get it to Tavra. She and Deet will do the rest. Are we clear?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Paladins on three. One, two, three-”

“PALADINS!” The selected players went to their spots. Deet took the faceoff. When the puck dropped, Tolyn made to tackle the small Grottan to the ground, but when he aimed high, she went low, ducking beneath his arms and skating away with the puck. Gurjin plowed through his opponent, flanking Deet on the right. Tavra and Brea trailed behind, stopping just inside the Landstrider blue line. They skated circles in place, watching the puck bounce back and forth between Gurjin and Deet, trying to thwart their attackers and draw them away from the net so Tavra could get a clear shot. The clock began to wind down. The two-minute penalty passed and Naia quickly skated to the bench, where she was replaced by Amri, who drove hard into the occupied zone to help Gurjin and Deet. Deet passed to Gurjin, who was immediately dogged by Tolyn and his right wing, Lun. Pinned against the boards, all Gurjin could do was kick his leg, which he did, successfully knocking the puck along the boards and over to Amri, who slipped and slid around his attacker like a snake through wet grass. His ears perked as he heard Coach Madso cry out.

“Hey! Get it to Tavra! She’s open! Ten seconds left! Make the pass, Amri!” Amri whipped around, searching for his teammate. Tavra was in shotgun position, ready to take aim as soon as she’s given ammo. Amri flicked the puck over to her. She barely stopped it before pulling her stick back and firing it hard through the air and over the center of the ice. The goalie reached for it…It’s…It’s…CLANG! It’s deflected! But what’s this? SMACK!

The crowd waited with bated breath. Tavra stared forward, dropping to her knees.

Wee-Ooh! The scoring siren finally sounded. It’s good! Deet had indeed been waiting, and when the puck glanced off the post, she was right there with the rebound. Her teammates suddenly surrounded her, giving a group hug and patting her hard on the back, screaming they’d won. Tavra, still on her knees, looked upward, not trusting the scoreboard. It was 1-0 Home, and the clock had one tenth of a second left. The following faceoff was just a formality, as the clock ran out and the siren sounded once more, signaling the end of the game, and of the tournament. Trophies were handed out in a ceremony before everyone started to head home. But, just before the team left the ice, Gurjin shouted to the crowd:

“Victory party at Gyr Hall!” Cheers were heard as they departed to the locker room to shower and change before heading to the party. Tavra took her time cleaning up, in no rush for the festivities. All she wanted was to enjoy the energy rush she’d gotten from a game well-played. But, as team captain, she was obligated to go, at least, that’s what Naia and Gurjin said. Kylan gave her an out, but he was quickly overruled by Rian and Deet, so Tavra had no choice. She would socialize, whether she wanted to or not.

-------

“Tae, do we have to go to this thing? All that crowd noise gave me a headache.” It was Onica’s last-ditch effort to escape the party. Tae just rolled her eyes.

“You’re fine. Don’t be such a drama queen. Besides, Zili knows we’re here, we can’t just walk out on her. There she is, Zili! Over here, girl!” After meeting up with the goaltender, who was just as weird as Onica had heard, Zili escorted them over to Gyr Hall and the party held within. The voices of others were all that was heard within the crowded dorm hall. The music was still being set up, but Gurjin kept interfering to flirt with Kylan, who was in charge of tunes. Zili moved passed them, searching for the boy Tae wanted to meet with. Galen was finally spotted talking to Amri, joining them when Zili called him away.

“Alrighty. Galen, this is Tae. Tae, Galen. Ok, let’s see some love sparks fly. Go on, you two. Scoot!” The two walked off, Tae apologizing to Onica for leaving her there with her eyes. Onica sighed lightly, she knew this would happen. She opted to plop down on a vacant couch, people watching to pass the time. Twenty minutes went by, during which Onica grabbed herself a beer from a nearby cooler. She sipped the bitter liquid slowly, not desiring a buzz, but merely drinking it as something to do. Just as she’d talked herself into grabbing one more, there was shouting coming from the front street. Changing her mind on the drink, the redhead decided to see what was going on.

A tall Gelfling of Spriton descent stood in front of a group of students, some of which Onica recognized as being part of the Landstrider’s roster. They’d had their helmets off when receiving their second-place trophy.

I guess that means the one in front is Tolyn. Not the most attractive of team captains, is he…Onica thought, watching the scene unfold. More shouting was then heard coming from the dorm’s side entrance, before a group of Paladins emerged, a beautiful silver and lavender haired woman at their head. And that must be Tavra. What an attractive Silverling. Perhaps Tae was right. Maybe I should find someone else. Tavra stepped right up in Tolyn’s face, not backing down.

“This is a private engagement, my good Landstriders. Please leave, before things get ugly.” The cracking of knuckles reinforced her words, Naia’s fists providing the sound effect. Tolyn just gave a cocky grin.

“Aww…is the big, brave Paladin afraid one of us Landstriders are gonna hurt one of her friends again? By the way, Ky, how’s the arm?” Kylan grabbed his forearm, defensively pulling it to his chest.

“I-It’s fine.” Gurjin stepped in front of his boyfriend.

“Leave him be, Tolyn. You touch him, and I won’t stop at just your arm.” Kylan grabbed Gurjin before he did something foolish, attempting to calm him down. Tolyn just scoffed.

“Tch! You need to keep a better leash on your Drenchen mutt, Tavra. Kylan betrayed his own, so he’s fair game to us.”

“Oh, my Thra, he changed schools! There’s no betrayal in that. STU didn’t have a music program, so he switched. You can’t fault him for that.” Naia jumped in, standing next to her brother and further blocking Kylan from Tolyn’s wrath.

“I take back what I said,” Tolyn paused. “It looks like you’ve got two Drenchen dogs you need to teach discipline to. You really got your work cut out for you, don’t ya, Katavra.” Tavra flinched at the use of her full name. Only her mother called her that, and when it happened, it wasn’t going to be good. Tavra stared at Tolyn coldly.

“Just leave, Tolyn. You’ve had your fun. Enough is enough.” Tavra turned, attempting to end the incident, but Tolyn wasn’t of the mind to leave. Onica watched as he snuck up behind her back.

“Oh, no. H-Hey! Tavra, look out!” Onica’s warning came too little too late, as Tolyn turned Tavra by her shoulder, only to haul back and hit her right on the jaw with a sickening crack. The poor woman was knocked off her feet, saved from hitting the ground by Gurjin, as Naia charged forward with the rest of the team in retaliation. A fight broke out, the Paladins easily outwitting and out-brawling their opponents, only to chase after them as they tried to retreat. Gurjin had left Tavra with Onica, who had approached to see if she could help. The Drenchen charged into the melee, flinging Landstriders left and right. Brea came over to where her sister lay with a washcloth and ice, handing them to Onica before grabbing her phone to call campus police. The Sifa placed the ice gently to Tavra’s already swelling jaw. The dazed Silverling gazed up at her, a strange smile spread across her face.

“Hmm…I must be dead…” Onica looked at her oddly.

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ve got a beautiful, red-haired angel taking care of me. If this isn’t paradise, I don’t know what is.” Onica chuckled at the rather forward-speaking Vapra.

“Well, I’m afraid this isn’t paradise, but if you’d like, I can care for you a little while longer.” Tavra smiled at her, before suddenly pulling her in for a dazed and clumsy kiss. Onica pulled back, blushing wildly.

“I’d really like that. My name is Tavra. And what is the name of the gorgeous angel that’s caring for me, if you don’t mind my asking.” Onica blushed even further, beguiled by the Vapra girl’s charms.

“I’m-uh…I-I’m Onica.” Tavra took her hand, holding it up to her lips for a kiss nearly missing it because of her dizziness.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear lady Onica. I hope we can get to know each other better, that is, once my jaw stops hurting so much. *Groan* Coach is going to be so mad at me if I can’t practice tomorrow.” Onica placed a gentle hand to the uninjured side of Tavra’s face.

“Lucky for you, my hobbies include learning traditional Sifa herbal Less side effects than regular medications. And I guarantee you’ll be up and skating by tomorrow. Now, let’s get you up and into bed.” Onica helped Tavra to her feet, the Vapra swinging an arm around the other girl’s shoulders.

“You’ve known me less than ten minutes, and already you’re trying to get me into bed. My, my, don’t you work fast.” Onica rolled her eyes, but still laughed quietly.

I think I’m beginning to like this girl. With that last, lingering thought, the two walked unsteadily into the dorm, and into a wonderful new relationship.

-DK

#tavronica week 2021 #tavra #onica #gurjin #naia #amri #kylan #tae #brea #periss #rek'yr #deet #rian #mira #gelfling OCs #ice hockey #college

[deepstheeskimo]

‘The Power of Four’

Right, everyone is picking Lions squads with less than a year to go until the next South Africa tour is meant to happen. Only so much brainpower I want to put into considering the pros and cons of scrummaging abilities though so I’ve gone for the Deeps Cult Lions XV made up of past tourists from of the last 20 or so years.

1. Allan Dell. What better way to start than with a South African born Scottish prop that only got called up as part of the ‘geography six’? In the squad: Andrew Sheridan (built like one of those GM bulls) and Tom Smith (badly underrated player, 

2. Keith Wood. The ragin’ potato. Came to Quins and inspired a character in the first ‘book’ I wrote aged 8. Weird obsession with belly buttons, understandable obsession with trying drop goals from 40 metres. In the squad: Shane Byrne (1- mullet 2- not actually very good) and Andy Titterrell (Pro Rugby Manager 2 legend and extremely small man)

3. Kyle Sinckler. Why? He’s my guy, that’s why. He’s the opposite of that ruddy faced, sweaty tweed rugger culture. He makes me smile.  In the squad: Jason Leonard (The Fun Bus. Non-playing tour captain. Once ruffled my hair - give him all the ale he can drink.) and Adam Jones (The Hair Bear. My sister used to see him all the time in Neath Tesco - give him all the pic n mix he can eat).

4. Martin Johnson. Looks like a character from a Guy Ritchie film, universally loathed by opponents and taped up his fingers(??). Summed up by the saying ‘Last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it’. In the squad: Paul O’Connell (has some weird mythical power about him. Came to Quins with Munster and made south west London echo with ‘fields of Athenry’) and Simon Shaw (his emotional final interview post 2009 third test, aged 37, was pretty special) 

5. Doddie Weir. Could not be anyone else. Farmer strength. Permanently looked 20. Built for Lions tours. Still fighting the good fight. Go on big man. In the squad: Nathan Hines (perma-suspended and a ‘tartan wallaby’) and Maro Itoje (Sometimes it’s not all about drinking and bungee jumping. Itoje’s one of the few that would be able to have an actual conversation) 

6. Peter O’Mahony. One of those players that always grows into a series and ends up being important. Entirely unremarkable player but must be nasty to play against. Can’t actually imagine he’s that nice to be around at all. Big ‘school bully’ vibes. In the squad: Richard Hill (the only one of England’s 2003 RWC forwards that didn’t vote Brexit) and Alan Quinlan (Hit form at the right time, finally being picked in 2009 after a good but near-miss career. Expresses immense pride in selection. Then gouges someone. 12 week ban. If that’s not a cult player then I’m not sure what is).

7. Sean O’Brien. Another one with farmer strength. Thick in the arm, thick in the head but unlike a lot of the others won’t ever let you down. Plus on a tour you need characters and I bet, deep deep deep down he’s actually got a personality. Well, maybe. In the squad: Martyn Williams (a face that belongs in a back office of a mid sized electronics company. Somehow helped to invent modern rucking) and Sam Warburton (picked only so I can annoy people by saying his name as War-burrton’ not ‘Wabatan’ as they seem to say. Also looks like an Easter Island statue)

8. Scott Quinnell. Just rugby league all over. Overweight, comedy accent, illegal use of a plaster cast on his arm, despicable post-career lad culture DVDs and even had a stint on Soccer AM. If you kick him, all the Quinnells walk with a limp. In the squad: Ryan Jones (about the only player to come out of 2005 with credit) and Andy Powell (body of a god, brain of, erm... Great on tour as he’s a six foot five version of that kid in school you could make do anything by saying ‘oh go on!’)

9. Chris Cusiter. Born in Aberdeen which obvs piques my interest. Somehow got called up aged 22 while playing for the ill-fated Border Reivers. Played in Scotland, England, France and Australia and now lives in California running a whiskey retailing business. International. In the squad: Matt Dawson (over the head dummy try) and Austin Healey (absolutely horrible grinding shithouse). The two of these would be encouraged to collaborate on deliberately provocative articles similar to what they wrote in 2001.

10. Jonny Wilkinson. The best player of all time. Note to self, don’t hang around him too much because you’ll look pathetic and probably annoy him. In the squad: Mike Catt (Utility back. My fave) and Finn Russell (Joué Joué 🍷)

11. Ugo Monye. A huge part of my weekends for about 10 years was getting excited every time he touched the ball. Top scorer on his one Lions tour, shock. In the squad: George North (need a scapegoat for when we lose 49-0 to Japan in a warm up game) and Jack Nowell (wouldn’t play a single game, only being taken to let the squad mock him and call him a yokel - bet he’s got a dead short fuse).

12. Rob Henderson. Looked like, acted like, presumably ate like and definitely played like that guy from your local club who played England U16s and let it get to his head. And gut. Crash ball. In the squad: Scott Gibbs (hefty) and Gavin Henson (Insane talent, probably got good stories and even if he’s a prick he’s nicer to look at than some of the other options).

13. Ollie Smith. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Life gave Sir Clive Woodward the entire player pool of Britain and Ireland and somehow he picked Ollie Smith. In my team because he just looks like a nice guy. Defo pro-HS2 and his dad would pick up the bar tab. In the squad: Brian O’Driscoll (meh, guess he gets a place) and Will Greenwood (but only with bleach blonde hair. He genuinely almost died on the pitch playing for the Lions, looks like Shaggy and is a rarity in being a Lions player selected while playing Championship rugby).

14. Dan Luger. Always looked like he’d just come off a 10 hour shift at B&M. Even made skintight shirts look baggy. Played for Perpignan and Toulon before it was cool. Tryscoring machine. Injury prone as fuck.  In the squad: John Bentley (so long as he isn’t a massive sexist like on the 1997 documentary) and Christian Wade (I will never forgive rugby union for wasting his talent).

15. Neil Jenkins. Ol’ dependable. Looks like a man off the street. Can imagine he’s almost always terrified around these peacocking ‘alpha males’. In the squad: Tim Stimpson (remember him?) and Iain Calamity Balshaw (Brendan Laney never played Lions so he’s there to mess everything up instead)

[blackkudos]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; April 16, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called him the greatest basketball player of all time.

After winning 71 consecutive basketball games on his high school team in New York City, Alcindor was recruited by Jerry Norman, the assistant coach of UCLA, where he played for coach John Wooden on three consecutive national championship teams and was a record three-time MVP of the NCAA Tournament. Drafted with the first overall pick by the one-season-old Bucks franchise in the 1969 NBA draft, Alcindor spent six seasons in Milwaukee. After leading the Bucks to its first NBA championship at age 24 in 1971, he took the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Using his trademark "skyhook" shot, he established himself as one of the league's top scorers. In 1975, he was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the final 14 seasons of his career and won five additional NBA championships. Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were a key component in the "Showtime" era of Lakers basketball. Over his 20-year NBA career, his teams succeeded in making the playoffs 18 times and got past the first round 14 times; his teams reached the NBA Finals on 10 occasions.

At the time of his retirement at age 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes played (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), career wins (1,074), and personal fouls (4,657). He remains the all-time leader in points scored, field goals made, and career wins. He is ranked third all-time in both rebounds and blocked shots. In 2007, ESPN voted him the greatest center of all time, in 2008, they named him the "greatest player in college basketball history", and in 2016, they named him the second best player in NBA history (behind Michael Jordan). Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, and a best-selling author. In 2012, he was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Early life and high school career

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. was born in New York City, the only child of Cora Lillian, a department store price checker, and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr., a transit police officer and jazz musician. He grew up in the Dyckman Street projects in the Inwood neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. Alcindor was unusually large and tall from a young age. At birth he weighed 12 lb 11 oz (5.75 kg) and was 22 1⁄2 inches (57 cm) long, and by the age of nine he was already 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) tall. By the eighth grade (age 13–14) he had grown to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall and could already slam dunk a basketball.

Alcindor began his record-breaking basketball accomplishments when he was in high school, where he led coach Jack Donahue's Power Memorial Academy team to three straight New York City Catholic championships, a 71-game winning streak, and a 79–2 overall record. This earned him a nickname—"The tower from Power". His 2,067 total points were a New York City high school record. The team won the national high school boys basketball championship when Alcindor was in 10th and 11th grade and was runner-up his senior year. Alcindor had a strained relationship with his coach. In his 2017 book "Coach Wooden and Me," Abdul-Jabbar relates an incident where Donahue called him a nigger.

UCLA

Alcindor was recruited to the UCLA freshman team in 1965 and only played because the "freshman rule" was in effect, but his prowess was already well known. He received national coverage when he made his varsity debut in 1967: Sports Illustrated described him as "The New Superstar." From 1967 to 1969, he played on the varsity under head coach John Wooden. He was the main contributor to the team's three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses: one to the University of Houston in which Alcindor had an eye injury, and the other to crosstown rival USC who played a "stall game" (i.e., there was no shot clock in those days, so a team could hold the ball as long as it wanted before attempting to score). In his first game, Alcindor scored 56 points, which set a UCLA single-game record.

During his college career, Alcindor was twice named Player of the Year (1967, 1969); was a three-time First Team All-American (1967–1969); played on three NCAA basketball champion teams (1967, 1968 and 1969); was honored as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament three times and became the first-ever Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969.

In 1967 and 1968, he also won USBWA College Player of the Year, which later became the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Alcindor became the only player to win the Helms Foundation Player of the Year award three times. The 1965–66 UCLA Bruin team was the preseason #1. On November 27, 1965, the freshman team, led by Alcindor, defeated the varsity 75–60 in the first game in the new Pauley Pavilion. Alcindor scored 31 points and had 21 rebounds in what was a good indication of things to come. After the game, the UCLA varsity was #1 in the country but #2 on campus. If the "freshman rule" had not been in effect at that time, UCLA would have had a much better chance of winning the 1966 National Championship.

Alcindor had considered transferring to Michigan because of unfulfilled recruiting promises. UCLA player Willie Naulls introduced Alcindor and teammate Lucius Allen to athletic booster Sam Gilbert, who convinced the pair to remain at UCLA.

The dunk was banned in college basketball after the 1967 season, primarily because of Alcindor's dominant use of the shot. The rule was not rescinded until the 1976–77 season, which was shortly after Wooden's retirement.

During his junior year, Alcindor suffered a scratched left cornea on January 12, 1968, in a game against Cal when he was struck by Tom Henderson in a rebound battle. He would miss the next two games against Stanford and Portland. This happened right before the showdown game against Houston. His cornea would again be scratched during his pro career, which subsequently caused him to wear goggles for eye protection.

Conversion to Islam and 1968 Olympic boycott

During the summer of 1968, Alcindor took the shahada twice and converted to Sunni Islam, though he did not begin publicly using his Arabic name until 1971. He boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics by deciding not to try out for the United States Men's Olympic Basketball team, who went on to easily win the gold medal. Alcindor's decision to stay home during the 1968 Games was in protest of the unequal treatment of African-Americans in the United States.

Alcindor was one of only four players who started on three NCAA championship teams; the others all played for Wooden at UCLA: Henry Bibby, Curtis Rowe and Lynn Shackelford. At the time, the NBA did not allow college underclassmen to declare early for the draft. He completed his studies and earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in history in 1969. In his free time, he practiced martial arts. He studied Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee.

Game of the Century

On January 20, 1968, Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins faced coach Guy Lewis's Houston Cougars in the first-ever nationally televised regular-season college basketball game, with 52,693 in attendance at the Astrodome. Cougar forward Elvin Hayes scored 39 points and had 15 rebounds, while Alcindor, who suffered from a scratch on his left cornea, was held to just 15 points as Houston won 71–69. The Bruins' 47-game winning streak ended in what has been called the "Game of the Century". Hayes and Alcindor had a rematch in the semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament, where UCLA, with a healthy Alcindor, defeated Houston 101–69 en route to the national championship. UCLA limited Hayes, who was averaging 37.7 points per game, to only ten points. Wooden credited his assistant, Jerry Norman, for devising the diamond-and-one defense that contained Hayes. Sports Illustrated ran a cover story on the game and used the headline: "Lew's Revenge: The Rout of Houston."

School records

As of the 2011–12 season, he still holds or shares a number of individual records at UCLA:

Highest career scoring average: 26.4;

Most career field goals: 943 (tied with Don MacLean);

Most points in a season: 870 (1967);

Highest season scoring average: 29.0 (1967);

Most field goals in a season: 346 (1967);

Most free throw attempts in a season: 274 (1967);

Most points in a single game: 61;

Most field goals in a single game: 26 (vs. Washington State, February 25, 1967).

Professional career

Milwaukee Bucks (1969–1975)

The Harlem Globetrotters offered Alcindor $1 million to play for them, but he declined and was picked first in the 1969 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, who were in only their second season of existence. The Bucks won a coin-toss with the Phoenix Suns for first pick. He was also chosen first overall in the 1969 American Basketball Association draft by the New York Nets. The Nets believed that they had the upper hand in securing Alcindor's services because he was from New York; however, when Alcindor told both the Bucks and the Nets that he would accept only one offer from each team, the Nets bid too low. Sam Gilbert negotiated the contract along with Los Angeles businessman Ralph Shapiro at no charge. After Alcindor chose the Milwaukee Bucks' offer of $1.4 million, the Nets offered a guaranteed $3.25 million. Alcindor declined the offer, saying, "A bidding war degrades the people involved. It would make me feel like a flesh peddler, and I don't want to think like that."

Alcindor's presence enabled the 1969–70 Bucks to claim second place in the NBA's Eastern Division with a 56–26 record (improved from 27–55 the previous year). On February 21, 1970, he scored 51 points in a 140-127 win over the SuperSonics. Alcindor was an instant star, ranking second in the league in scoring (28.8 ppg) and third in rebounding (14.5 rpg), for which he was awarded the title of NBA Rookie of the Year. In the series-clinching game against the 76ers, he recorded 46 points and 25 rebounds. With that, he joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only rookies to record at least 40 points and 25 rebounds in a playoff game in their rookie season. Until Jayson Tatum in 2018, Alcindor would be the only rookie to record 10 or more games of 20+ points scored during the playoffs.

The next season, the Bucks acquired All-Star guard Oscar Robertson. Milwaukee went on to record the best record in the league with 66 victories in the 1970–71 season, including a then-record 20 straight wins. Alcindor was awarded his first of six NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, along with his first scoring title (31.7 ppg). He also led the league in total points, with 2,596. In the playoffs, the Bucks went 12–2 (including a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals), and won the championship, while Alcindor was named Finals MVP. He posted 27 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in Game 4 of the finals series. On May 1, 1971, the day after the Bucks won the NBA championship, he adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Arabic: كريم عبد الجبار‎, Karīm Abd al-Jabbār), its translation roughly "noble one, servant of the Almighty [i.e., servant of Allah]". He had converted to Islam while at UCLA.

Abdul-Jabbar remained a dominant force for the Bucks. The following year, he repeated as scoring champion with (34.8 ppg and 2,822 total points) and was named NBA Most Valuable Player. He helped the Bucks to repeat as division leaders for four straight years. In 1974, Abdul-Jabbar won his third MVP Award in five years and was among the top five NBA players in scoring (27.0 ppg, third), rebounding (14.5 rpg, fourth), blocked shots (283, second), and field goal percentage (.539, second).

Abdul-Jabbar remained relatively injury-free throughout his NBA career, but he twice broke one of his hands. The first incident occurred during a pre-season game in 1974, when he was bumped hard and got his eye scratched; this angered him enough to punch the basket support stanchion. He returned after missing the first 16 games of the season and started to wear protective goggles. In the second incident, he broke his hand during the opening game of the 1977–78 season. Two minutes into the game, Abdul-Jabbar punched Milwaukee's Kent Benson in retaliation for an overly aggressive elbow; the punch broke Benson's jaw. As a result of the injury to his hand, Abdul-Jabbar was out for two months, and it was unnecessary for the NBA to suspend him.

Although Abdul-Jabbar always spoke well of Milwaukee and its fans, he said that being in the Midwest did not fit his cultural needs. In October 1974, he requested a trade to either the New York Knicks or Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Lakers (1975–1989)

In 1975, the Lakers acquired Abdul-Jabbar and reserve center Walt Wesley from the Bucks for center Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters, and rookie "blue chippers" Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman. In the 1975–76 season, his first with the Lakers, he had a dominating season, averaging 27.7 points per game and leading the league in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes played. His 1,111 defensive rebounds remains the NBA single-season record (defensive rebounds were not recorded prior to the 1973–74 season). He earned his fourth MVP award, but missed the post-season for the second straight year.

Once he joined the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar began wearing his trademark goggles (he briefly ditched them in the 1979–80 season). Years of battling under NBA backboards, and being hit and scratched in the face in the process, had taken their toll on his eyes and he developed corneal erosion syndrome, where the eyes begin to dry out easily and cease to produce moisture. He missed one game in the 1986–87 season when his eyes dried out and swelled.

In the 1976–77 season, Abdul-Jabbar had another strong performance. He led the league in field goal percentage, finished second in rebounds and blocked shots, and third in points per game. He helped lead the Lakers to the best record in the NBA, and he won his record-tying fifth MVP award. In the playoffs, the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals, setting up a confrontation with the Portland Trail Blazers. The result was a memorable matchup, pitting Abdul-Jabbar against a young, injury-free Bill Walton. Although Abdul-Jabbar dominated the series statistically, Walton and the Trail Blazers (who were experiencing their first-ever run in the playoffs) swept the Lakers, behind Walton's skillful passing and leadership.

Abdul-Jabbar's play remained strong during the next two seasons, being named to the All-NBA Second Team twice, the All-Defense First Team once, and the All-Defense Second Team once. The Lakers, however, continued to be stymied in the playoffs, being eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics in both 1978 and 1979.

In 1979, the Lakers acquired first overall draft pick Magic Johnson. The trade and draft paved the way for a Laker dynasty as they went on to become the most dominant team of the 1980s, appearing in the finals eight times and winning five NBA championships. Individually, while Abdul-Jabbar was not the dominant center he had been in the 1970s, he experienced a number of highlight moments. Among them were his record sixth MVP award in 1980, four more All-NBA First Team designations, two more All-Defense First Team designations, the 1985 Finals MVP, and on April 5, 1984 breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record for most career points. Later in his career, he bulked up to about 265 pounds (120 kg), to be able to withstand the strain of playing the highly physical center position into his early 40s.

While in Los Angeles, Abdul-Jabbar started doing yoga in 1976 to improve his flexibility, and was notable for his physical fitness regimen. He says, "There is no way I could have played as long as I did without yoga."

In 1983, Abdul-Jabbar's house burned down. Many of his belongings, including his beloved jazz LP collection of about 3,000 albums, were destroyed. Many Lakers fans sent and brought him albums, which he found uplifting.

On June 28, 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was 42 years old when he announced that he would retire at the end of the season after 20 years in the NBA. On his "retirement tour" he received standing ovations at games, home and away and gifts ranging from a yacht that said "Captain Skyhook" to framed jerseys from his basketball career to an Afghan rug. In his biography My Life, Magic Johnson recalls that many Lakers and Celtics legends participated in Abdul-Jabbar's farewell game. Every player wore Abdul-Jabbar's trademark goggles and had to try a skyhook at least once, which led to comic results. The Lakers made the NBA Finals in each of Abdul-Jabbar's final three seasons, defeating Boston in 1987, and Detroit in 1988. The Lakers lost to the Pistons in a four-game sweep in his final season.

At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most games played by a single player in the NBA; this would later be broken by Robert Parish. He also was the all-time record holder for most points (38,387), most field goals made (15,837), and most minutes played (57,446).

Post-NBA career

Since 2005, Abdul-Jabbar has served as a special assistant coach for the Lakers. He had been interested in coaching since his retirement, and given the influence that he exerted on the league during his playing days, he thought that the opportunity would present itself. However, during his playing years, Abdul-Jabbar had developed a reputation for being introverted and sullen. He did not speak to the press, which led to the impression that he disliked journalists. In his biography My Life, Magic Johnson recalls instances when Abdul-Jabbar brushed him off when he was a ball boy and asked him for an autograph. Abdul-Jabbar also froze out reporters who gave him a too-enthusiastic handshake or even hugged him, and he refused to stop reading the newspaper while giving an interview.

Abdul-Jabbar believes that his reticence, whether through disdain for the press or simply because of introversion, contributed to the dearth of coaching opportunities offered to him by the NBA. In his words, he said he had a mindset he could not overcome, and proceeded through his career oblivious to the effect his reticence may have had on his future coaching prospects. Abdul-Jabbar said: "I didn't understand that I also had affected people that way and that's what it was all about. I always saw it like they were trying to pry. I was way too suspicious and I paid a price for it." Since he began lobbying for a coaching position in 1995, he has managed to obtain only low-level assistant and scouting jobs in the NBA, and a head coaching position only in a minor professional league.

Abdul-Jabbar has worked as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics, helping mentor, among others, their young centers, Michael Olowokandi and Jerome James. Abdul-Jabbar was the head coach of the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League in 2002, leading the team to the league's championship that season, but he failed to land the head coaching position at Columbia University a year later. He then worked as a scout for the New York Knicks. Finally, on September 2, 2005, he returned to the Lakers as a special assistant to Phil Jackson to help the Lakers' centers, and in particular their young draftee Andrew Bynum. Abdul-Jabbar's influence has been credited with Bynum's emergence as a more talented NBA center. Abdul-Jabbar also served as a volunteer coach at Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona in 1998.

In 2016, he performed a tribute to friend Muhammad Ali along with Chance the Rapper. He is also co-author of a comic book published by Titan Comics entitled Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook.

Player profile

On offense, Abdul-Jabbar was a dominant low-post threat. In contrast to other low-post specialists like Wilt Chamberlain, Artis Gilmore or Shaquille O'Neal, Abdul-Jabbar was a relatively slender player, standing 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall but only weighing 225 lb (102 kg) (though in his latter years the Lakers listed Abdul-Jabbar's weight as 265 pounds (120 kg)). However, he made up for his relative lack of bulk by showing textbook finesse, strength and was famous for his ambidextrous skyhook shot, which was impossible for defenders to block. It contributed to his high .559 field goal accuracy, making him the eighth most accurate scorer of all time and a feared clutch shooter. Abdul-Jabbar was also quick enough to run the Showtime fast break led by Magic Johnson and was well-conditioned, standing on the hardwood an average 36.8 minutes. In contrast to other big men, Abdul-Jabbar also could reasonably hit his free throws, finishing with a career 72% average.

Abdul-Jabbar maintained a dominant presence on defense. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team eleven times. He frustrated opponents with his superior shot-blocking ability and denied an average of 2.6 shots a game. After the pounding he endured early in his career, his rebounding average fell to between six or eight a game in his latter years.

As a teammate, Abdul-Jabbar exuded natural leadership and was affectionately called "Cap" or "Captain" by his colleagues. He had an even temperament, which Riley said made him coachable. A strict fitness regime made him one of the most durable players of all time. In the NBA, his 20 seasons and 1,560 games are performances surpassed only by former Celtics center Robert Parish.

Skyhook

Abdul-Jabbar was well known for his trademark "skyhook", a hook shot in which he bent his entire body (rather than just the arm) like a straw in one fluid motion to raise the ball and then release it at the highest point of his arm's arching motion. Combined with his long arms and great height—7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)—the skyhook was difficult for a defender to block without committing a goaltending violation. It was a reliable and feared offensive weapon and contributed to his high lifetime field goal percentage of 0.559. He was adept at shooting the skyhook with either hand, which made him even more difficult to defend against, though as a right-handed player, he was stronger shooting the skyhook with his right hand than he was with his left. According to Abdul-Jabbar, he learned the move in fifth grade after practicing with the Mikan Drill and soon learned to value it, as it was "the only shot I could use that didn't get smashed back in my face".

Legacy

Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, and he won a league-record six MVP awards. He earned six championship rings, two Finals MVP awards, 15 NBA First or Second Teams, a record 19 NBA All-Star call-ups and averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 blocks per game. He is ranked as the NBA's third leading all-time rebounder (17,440). He is also the third all-time in registered blocks (3,189), which is even more impressive because this stat had not been recorded until the fourth year of his career (1974).

Abdul-Jabbar combined dominance during his career peak with the longevity and sustained excellence of his later years. He credited Bruce Lee with teaching him "the discipline and spirituality of martial arts, which was greatly responsible for me being able to play competitively in the NBA for 20 years with very few injuries." After claiming his sixth and final MVP in 1980, Abdul-Jabbar continued to average above 20 points in the following six seasons, including 23 points per game in his 17th season at age 38. He made the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team, and was named one of its 50 greatest players of all time in 1996. Abdul-Jabbar is regarded as one of the best centers ever, and league experts and basketball legends frequently mentioned him when considering the greatest player of all time. Former Lakers coach Pat Riley once said, "Why judge anymore? When a man has broken records, won championships, endured tremendous criticism and responsibility, why judge? Let's toast him as the greatest player ever." Isiah Thomas remarked, "If they say the numbers don't lie, then Kareem is the greatest ever to play the game." Julius Erving in 2013 said, "In terms of players all-time, Kareem is still the number one guy. He's the guy you gotta start your franchise with." In 2015, ESPN named Abdul-Jabbar the best center in NBA history, and ranked him No. 2 behind Michael Jordan among the greatest NBA players ever. While Jordan's shots were enthralling and considered unfathomable, Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook appeared automatic, and he himself called the shot "unsexy".

NBA career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs

Athletic honors

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (May 15, 1995)

College:

National Basketball Association:

November 16, 2012 – A statue of Abdul-Jabbar was unveiled in front of Staples Center on Chick Hearn Court, in Los Angeles.

2× Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year (1967, 1969)

2× Oscar Robertson Trophy winner (1967, 1968)

2× UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1967, 1969)

Three-time First Team All-American (1967–1969)

Three-time NCAA champion (1967–1969)

Most Outstanding Player in NCAA Tournament (1967–1969)

Naismith College Player of the Year (1969)

3× First-team All-Pac-8 (1967–1969)

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2007)

Rookie of the Year (1970)

Six-time NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)

Sporting News NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)

Finals MVP (1971, 1985)

Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" (1985)

One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)

First player in NBA history to play 20 seasons

Ranked No.2 in ESPN's 100 greatest NBA players of all time #NBArank

Film and television

Playing in Los Angeles facilitated Abdul-Jabbar's trying his hand at acting.He made his film debut in Bruce Lee's 1972 film Game of Death, in which his character Hakim fights Billy Lo (played by Lee).

In 1980, he played co-pilot Roger Murdock in Airplane!. Abdul-Jabbar has a scene in which a little boy looks at him and remarks that he is in fact Abdul-Jabbar—spoofing the appearance of football star Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch as an airplane pilot in the 1957 drama that served as the inspiration for Airplane!, Zero Hour!. Staying in character, Abdul-Jabbar states that he is merely Roger Murdock, an airline co-pilot, but the boy continues to insist that Abdul-Jabbar is "the greatest", but that, according to his father, he doesn't "work hard on defense" and "never really tries, except during the playoffs". This causes Abdul-Jabbar's character to snap, "The hell I don't!", then grab the boy and snarl he has "[heard] that crap ever since ... UCLA", he "busts his buns every night" and the boy should tell his "old man to drag [Bill] Walton and [Bob] Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes". When Murdock loses consciousness later in the film, he collapses at the controls wearing Abdul-Jabbar's goggles and yellow Lakers' shorts.

Abdul-Jabbar has had numerous other television and film appearances, often playing himself. He has had roles in movies such as Fletch, Troop Beverly Hills and Forget Paris, and television series such as Full House, Living Single, Amen, Everybody Loves Raymond, Martin, Diff'rent Strokes (his height humorously contrasted with that of diminutive child star Gary Coleman), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Scrubs, 21 Jump Street, Emergency!, Man from Atlantis, and New Girl. Abdul-Jabbar played a genie in a lamp in a 1984 episode of Tales from the Darkside. He also played himself on the February 10, 1994 episode of the sketch comedy television series In Living Color.

He also appeared in the television version of Stephen King's The Stand, played the Archangel of Basketball in Slam Dunk Ernest, and had a brief non-speaking cameo appearance in BASEketball. Abdul-Jabbar was also the co-executive producer of the 1994 TV film Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story. He has also made appearances on The Colbert Report, in a 2006 skit called "HipHopKetball II: The ReJazzebration Remix '06" and in 2008 as a stage manager who is sent out on a mission to find Nazi gold. Abdul-Jabbar also voiced himself in a 2011 episode of The Simpsons titled "Love Is a Many Strangled Thing". He had a recurring role as himself on the NBC series Guys with Kids, which aired from 2012 to 2013. On Al Jazeera English he expressed his desire to be remembered not just as a player, but somebody who had many talents and used them.

Abdul-Jabbar was selected to appear in the 2013 ABC reality series Splash, a celebrity diving competition.

Abdul-Jabbar has also created the 2011 documentary On the Shoulders of Giants, based on the all-black basketball team New York Renaissance.

Abdul-Jabbar has also appeared with Robert Hays (Ted Striker) in a 2014 Airplane! parody commercial promoting Wisconsin tourism. In 2015, he appeared in an HBO documentary on his life, Kareem: Minority of One.

In April 2018, Abdul-Jabbar was announced as one of the celebrities who competed on season 26 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold.

In February 2019, he appeared in season 12 episode 16 of The Big Bang Theory, "The D&D Vortex".

In September 2018, Abdul-Jabbar was announced as one of the writers for the July 2019 revival of Veronica Mars.

Abdul-Jabbar is the executive producer of the 2020 History channel's Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution.

Writing and activism

Abdul-Jabbar is also a best-selling author and cultural critic. His first book, his autobiography Giant Steps, was written in 1983 with co-author Peter Knobler. (The book's title is an homage to jazz great John Coltrane, referring to his album Giant Steps.) Others include On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance, co-written with Raymond Obstfeld, and Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, World War II's Forgotten Heroes, co-written with Anthony Walton, which is a history of an all-black armored unit that served with distinction in Europe.

Abdul-Jabbar has also been a regular contributor to discussions about issues of race and religion, among other topics, in national magazines and on television. He has written a regular column for Time, for example, and he appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday, January 25, 2015, to talk about a recent column, which pointed out that Islam should not be blamed for the actions of violent extremists, just as Christianity has not been blamed for the actions of violent extremists who profess Christianity. When asked about being Muslim, he said: "I don't have any misgiving about my faith. I'm very concerned about the people who claim to be Muslims that are murdering people and creating all this mayhem in the world. That is not what Islam is about, and that should not be what people think of when they think about Muslims. But it's up to all of us to do something about all of it."

In November 2014, Abdul-Jabbar published an essay in Jacobin magazine calling for just compensation for college athletes, writing, "in the name of fairness, we must bring an end to the indentured servitude of college athletes and start paying them what they are worth."

In 2007, Abdul-Jabbar participated in the national UCLA alumni commercial entitled "My Big UCLA Moment". The UCLA commercial is featured on YouTube.

On February 10, 2011, Abdul-Jabbar debuted his film On the Shoulders of Giants, documenting the tumultuous journey of the famed yet often-overlooked Harlem Renaissance professional basketball team, at Science Park High School in Newark, New Jersey. The event was simulcast live throughout the school, city, and state.

Commenting on Donald Trump's 2017 travel ban, he strongly condemned it, saying, "The absence of reason and compassion is the very definition of pure evil because it is a rejection of our sacred values, distilled from millennia of struggle."

Government appointments

Cultural ambassador

In January 2012, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Abdul-Jabbar had accepted a position as a cultural ambassador for the United States. During the announcement press conference, Abdul-Jabbar commented on the historical legacy of African-Americans as representatives of U.S. culture: "I remember when Louis Armstrong first did it back for President Kennedy, one of my heroes. So it's nice to be following in his footsteps." As part of this role, Abdul-Jabbar has traveled to Brazil to promote education for local youths.

President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition

Former President Barack Obama announced in his last days of office that he has appointed Abdul-Jabbar along with Gabrielle Douglas & Carli Lloyd to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee

In January 2017, Abdul-Jabbar was appointed to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee by United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. According to the United States Mint, Abdul-Jabbar is a keen coin collector whose interest in the life of Alexander Hamilton had led him into the hobby. He resigned in 2018 due to what the Mint described as "increasing personal obligations".

Personal life

Abdul-Jabbar met Habiba Abdul-Jabbar (born Janice Brown) at a Lakers game during his senior year at UCLA. They eventually married and together had three children: daughters Habiba and Sultana and son Kareem Jr, who played basketball at Western Kentucky after attending Valparaiso. Abdul-Jabbar and Janice divorced in 1978. He has another son, Amir, with Cheryl Pistono. Another son, Adam, made an appearance on the TV sitcom Full House with him.

Religion and name

At age 24 in 1971, he converted to Islam and became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means "noble one, servant of the Almighty." He was named by Hamaas Abdul Khaalis. Abdul-Jabbar purchased and donated 7700 16th Street NW, a house in Washington, D.C., for Khaalis to use as the Hanafi Madh-Hab Center. Eventually, Kareem "found that [he] disagreed with some of Hamaas' teachings about the Quran, and [they] parted ways." He then studied the Quran on his own, and “emerged from this pilgrimage with my beliefs clarified and my faith renewed.”

Abdul-Jabbar has spoken about the thinking that was behind his name change when he converted to Islam. He stated that he was "latching on to something that was part of my heritage, because many of the slaves who were brought here were Muslims. My family was brought to America by a French planter named Alcindor, who came here from Trinidad in the 18th century. My people were Yoruba, and their culture survived slavery...  My father found out about that when I was a kid, and it gave me all I needed to know that, hey, I was somebody, even if nobody else knew about it. When I was a kid, no one would believe anything positive that you could say about black people. And that's a terrible burden on black people, because they don't have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted."

In 1998, Abdul-Jabbar reached a settlement after he sued Miami Dolphins running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar (now Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, born Sharmon Shah) because he felt Karim was sponging off the name he made famous by having the Abdul-Jabbar moniker and number 33 on his Dolphins jersey. As a result, the younger Abdul-Jabbar had to change his jersey nameplate to simply "Abdul" while playing for the Dolphins. The football player had also been an athlete at UCLA.

Health problems

Abdul-Jabbar suffers from migraines, and his use of cannabis to reduce the symptoms has had legal ramifications.

In November 2009, Abdul-Jabbar announced that he was suffering from a form of leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The disease was diagnosed in December 2008, but Abdul-Jabbar said his condition could be managed by taking oral medication daily, seeing his specialist every other month and having his blood analyzed regularly. He expressed in a 2009 press conference that he did not believe that the illness would stop him from leading a normal life. Abdul-Jabbar is now a spokesman for Novartis, the company that produces his cancer medication, Gleevec.

In February 2011, Abdul-Jabbar announced via Twitter that his leukemia was gone and he was "100% cancer free". A few days later, he clarified his misstatement. "You're never really cancer-free and I should have known that", Abdul-Jabbar said. "My cancer right now is at an absolute minimum".

In April 2015, Abdul-Jabbar was admitted to hospital when he was diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Later that week, on his 68th birthday, he underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery at the UCLA Medical Center.

Non-athletic honors

In 2011, Abdul-Jabbar was awarded the Double Helix Medal for his work in raising awareness for cancer research. Also in 2011, Abdul-Jabbar received an honorary degree from New York Institute of Technology. In late 2016, Abdul-Jabbar was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama.

Works

Books

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; Knobler, Peter (1983). Giant Steps. New York: Bantam Books.

Kareem, with Mignon McCarthy (1990) ISBN 0-394-55927-4

Selected from Giant Steps (Writers' Voices) (1999) ISBN 0-7857-9912-5

Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement, with Alan Steinberg (1996) ISBN 0-688-13097-6

A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches, with Stephen Singular (2000) ISBN 0-688-17077-3

Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, World War II's Forgotten Heroes with Anthony Walton (2004) ISBN 978-0-7679-0913-6

On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance with Raymond Obstfeld (2007) ISBN 978-1-4165-3488-4

What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African American Inventors with Raymond Obstfeld (2012) ISBN 978-0-7636-4564-9

Streetball Crew Book One Sasquatch in the Paint with Raymond Obstfeld (2013) ISBN 978-1-4231-7870-5

Streetball Crew Book Two Stealing the Game with Raymond Obstfeld (2015) ISBN 978-1423178712

Mycroft Holmes with Anna Waterhouse (September 2015) ISBN 978-1-7832-9153-3

Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White with Raymond Obstfeld (2016) ISBN 978-1-6189-3171-9

Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court (2017) ISBN 978-1538760468

Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court (2017) ISBN 978-0316555388

Mycroft and Sherlock with Anna Waterhouse (October 9, 2018) ISBN 978-1785659256

Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage with Anna Waterhouse (September 24, 2019) ISBN 978-1785659300

Audio book

On the Shoulders of Giants: An Audio Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance 8-CD Set Vol. 1–4, with Avery Brooks, Jesse L. Martin, Maya Angelou, Herbie Hancock, Billy Crystal, Charles Barkley, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Jerry West, Clyde Drexler, Bill Russell, Coach John Wooden, Stanley Crouch, Quincy Jones and other chart-topping musicians, as well as legendary actors and performers such as Samuel L. Jackson. (2008) ISBN 978-0-615-18301-5

Articles

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (April 20, 2015). "Nothing Less Than an Assassination". Ideas • Race. Time. Vol. 185 no. 14 (South Pacific ed.). p. 23.

#04/16

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 36 - WSH - Frustration in Washington

Perhaps the strangest thing about this Buffalo Sabres season isn’t how high the club sits in the standings entering the Christmas holiday. Maybe it’s the upside down way the team is inconsistent with some matchups versus others. We have plenty of time to celebrate, especially during this holiday season, and we’ll continue to do that. The strange thing is playing neck and neck, shot for shot, taking the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals to a shootout while that team is on an unreal point streak and three nights later losing to the worst team in the Atlantic Division. While the Sabres continue to bank points this way some may say don’t get too high or low: as strange as the way they’re playing is now you always got to look at the big picture in those standings. I am a big picture kind of guy and trust me, I look at those standings religiously, but the roller coaster ride that we’re on right now: I am screaming up every incline, down every hill and through every loop. I took a bet naming this blog “New Look Sabres” hoping they wouldn’t have another trash season or worse. That bet having paid off with a top ten team in this league only made me commit to this crazy train harder. This ain’t the blog for reasoned postgame as it sometimes charades around being: this blog is the roller coaster SabreWagon! Some ask: are you in? I ask: Are you holding on? Real roller coasters don’t have rest stops! So get ready because tonight the ride goes through America’s Capital!

The first period was about as much a roller coaster ride as a scoreless period could be. On one hand the Sabres turned in defensive effort that I found very Sabs-like. It certainly isn’t easy containing the offense of the Capitals and a top line of Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie but by the sounds of it Carter Hutton was left out to dry a little bit too much. Each team got their powerplay opportunity but didn’t cash in yatta yatta yatta. On the other hand, the Sabres had their chances in period Washington did not score. Conor Sheary had at least two gorgeous opportunities. Tage Thompson made his presence known and you know that top line fired on all cylinders including a Jack Eichel shot that went off the post. Braden Holtby was in net this time so the Sabres didn’t have the benefit of facing a goalie who hasn’t won a Veznia Trophy. I was wrapping up some Christmas stuff, quite literally at one point, during this game so I listened to most of it. I count my lucky stars about that because apparently Washington DC is one of their markets where they have their own NBC Sports affiliate therefore the NBCSN national broadcasts are done by the homers. That was annoying when I did get to it. The first period ended 0-0 and you may have thought the Sabres deserved a goal after that period. Seeing the replays it’s pretty hard to disagree with that thought.

The Second period was more or less the same story only this time the frustration got a shorthanded goal by the opposition injected into its veins! Chandler Stephenson got sprung by the Caps defenders onto a breakaway and Rasmus Ristolainen just couldn’t quite get him as he wired it around Hutton. That goal may have been a little suspect for those with refined tastes as you can see Hutton is somewhat out of position moving to his right as Stephenson fires the puck left. Nonetheless the visiting Sabres looked to make up for his lack of stop and the shots from both sides continued until 11:50 of the middle frame when a Caps shot leaked in on Hutton and well… it crossed the line, let’s all just be honest here. There are plenty of freeze frames we can see that one fully crossed the line but even after further review the referees in this game called in no goal. The period went on and Kuznetsov got a chance along with a couple of Russian rockets from Ovechkin that miraculously did not go. As the period neared its end Rasmus Ristolainen got in past the Capitals defenders and his breakaway was only broken up by a Brendan Holtby sliding that puck off his stick. Holtby must have come out almost all the way to the blue line to kill this play. The home crowd loved it but I always get a kick in a more humorous way watching those heavily padded goalies wade around on ice like newborn doe. This period ends with the Caps up 1-0.

The final period of this game is where the rollercoaster finally got thrilling high up in the air instead of several loops and spins on the ground. After his line crashed the Caps net like you’d think this team is going to get an award for, Johan Larsson pulled off another goal where he was in the right place at the right time, not even looking at Holtby redirecting the Thompson shot up high on Holtby and in for the equalizer. Still listening to the radio at this point I smashed my dashboard and gave my wife a little Yuletide fright. I thought it was the beginning of a little comeback. Turns out when your only goal scorer is Johan Larsson, in spite of however many shots better players take, your score sheet is going to make you feel a little sad. So the rollercoaster goes back down, with 7 minutes left in regulation Tom Wilson of all people capitalizes on Hutton overplaying the puck behind his own net and puts the Caps up 2-1 where it would remain until the horn blew giving the Sabres their second straight regulation loss. There was a late Sabres powerplay that of course did nothing and a little squabble in front of the Caps net which got Dahlin’s helmet pulled off. That was fun as I finally reached a screen to watch this. But yea, if you blamed the first goal on Hutton then there is no way you’re not blaming the second on him. I struggle to not blame the first on him but hey, when your goal scorers don’t score you’re probably going to lose, no matter how much you think you deserve it. There is a surplus of frustration in Washington DC right now so evidently we were given some to take with us. Still holding on?

The Anaheim Ducks are performing better and as you read this today it’s probably no comfort knowing they have been sitting in Buffalo for a few days as the Sabres got out to Washington for this game. Do you think they sat around and watched this game as team? I got to imagine that interferes with team dinnertime. The Sabres put down the Ducks in their last matchup and in spite of how the Ducks have leaned on a great goalie all the way to third in the Pacific Division since then I wouldn’t think he’s an unsolvable wall. Ryan Miller is out injured unfortunately so we won’t be enjoying that reunion again today. The other goalie not named the impenetrable John Gibson is another former Sabre Chad Johnson who Buffalonians miss the same way one misses taxes or the doctor’s office. They’re on a two game losing streak as well coming into tonight’s game. So who’s going to be dealt their third regulation loss in a row? Let’s hop on that rollercoaster and hope it’s the Ducks!

I will be posting a piece called something like “Midseason Thoughts” at some point before the Sabres’ 41st game on January 3rd. If you read this far I have to imagine you read this far somewhat normally so leave a comment. I want to have that post have some kind of self-reflection not entirely rooted in my own tire-pumping, if you don’t want to be identified that’s fine too, just let me know. Drop a like and share this blog as you travel to your Christmas destinations this weekend. This next game tonight is Buffalo’s last game before the very Merry Holiday and I would love a win to think back on for Christmas!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I don’t know why I described each Ducks goalie there. It’s worth noting the beloved former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is one win away from becoming the winningest American-born goalie ever. Wow, I feel multiple different levels of pride at that stat.  

#buffalo sabres #hockey #NHL #blog

[ssportsnews]

‘World’s best’ left winger TOP 10, Son Heung-min is 4th... Who is 1st?

토토 사이트, 카지노 사이트, 파워볼 사이트, 온라인 카지노, 토토먹튀,파워볼먹튀,카지노먹튀 

 From the creators to the scorers, here are the 10 best left wingers in the world.

At one time, the left wingers were all left-footed and their only job was to cross the center. But no more.

As football advances, some of the world's leading left wingers spread their left flanks to add trick, speed and creativity to their flank attacks. The left winger is in a dangerous position.

Note that this TOP 10 is different from the list of the best forwards in the world and the best strikers in the world. Here, we focused on the player whose main position is the left winger.

Which of these would you choose? To help you choose, Four For Two has compiled a list of 10 players.

10. Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)

Sane has been in a slump since leaving Manchester City in the summer of 2020.

Last season, Bayern Munich paid a transfer fee of 60 million euros (about 81.8 billion won) to sign Sane. However, Sane suffered from injuries and a lack of confidence that eventually forced him to give up the left-back position to Kingsley Coman.

But this season, Sane is making a comeback. He has already scored 8 goals and provided 10 assists and on a good day Sane is still a threat.

9. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

No player at Manchester United has had the opportunity of Jose Mourinho as much as Marcus Rashford, nor has he had the confidence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Rashford's explosive attack power, vision on the doorstep, and brilliant creativity always sparked a bright spark regardless of Manchester United's mood. The 24-year-old has grown into one of Europe's best strikers over the past three years.

8. Ordination Party (Barcelona)

At the young age of 19, Ansu Fati scored 17 goals and provided six assists in 51 appearances for Barcelona's first team. The Spanish Holy Party, which inherited Lionel Messi's jersey number 10, should usher in a new era in Barcelona. The party has the best finishing skills and composure.

7. Jack Grealish (Manchester City)

When asked about the astronomical transfer fee Man City have poured in to sign Jack Grealish, manager Pep Guardiola said he was only 26 years old. This represents the limitless growth potential of Grealish.

That doesn't mean Grealish has already established himself as the best striker in the world. Grealish attracts the ball like a magnet. The opposing defender struggles to cope with Grealish's brilliance and tremendous energy, such as his paint moves and rainbow flicks. He has been playing consistently over the past 18 months, creating plenty of opportunities in his opponent's danger zone. The defender, who has to face Grealish over the weekend, may have wanted to do something else instead of playing. Grealish will be at the heart of Manchester City in the next few months or years.

6. Lorenzo Insigne (Naples)

The petite Lorenzo Insigne is Italy's Euro 2020 champion. Insigne puts the team forward with speed and precise ball control. Insigne scored two goals at Euro 2020, including a goal in the quarter-final against Belgium.

Napoli captain Insigne has recorded 5 goals and 4 assists in 13 official matches this season. At the age of 30 this year, he is playing an active role like a great wine.

5. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Is Raheem Sterling Really Underrated? Although Sterling is currently out of the league for Manchester City, the England international is different. Sterling has proven himself wrong that he should have heard younger and newer stars on the Euro 2020 starting roster.

Sterling is still 26 years old. Growing up with the Queens Park Rangers (QPR), Sterling is destructive and flawless in the final third. His speed and high football intelligence are among the best in the world. Sterling played over the years, improving his play for his team and country. Sterling may not have reached his prime yet.

4. Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur)

Heung-min Son's goals and activity level were consistent even while the form of his teammates around Tottenham had gradually declined over the past few years.

Heung-Min Son, a South Korean national, has scored four goals in the Premier League this season, accounting for almost half of the team's goals. Harry Kane was once again responsible for the goal from a sluggish situation. Son Heung-min, who is 29 years old this year, is well-deserved to achieve more. We hope that Antonio Conte's arrival at Tottenham will help them lift their first trophy.

3. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid are envisioning a galactico with the full signing of the next generation of stars. However, no matter how good it is, it is still a mixed result. Real Madrid have developed Vinicius Jr. into a star this season. Of course, that's what I expected from Eden Hazard. This proved that the team was heading in the right direction.

Vinicius has been playing on the left side of the ground under manager Carlo Ancelotti. It changes the game with the brilliant individuality and simplicity of samba football. Despite some ups and downs, Vinicio is taking on the responsibility for the team to believe in him. He only had to move forward.

2. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)

Neymar when riding the atmosphere shows an overwhelming play that can't even receive the ball. In this TOP10, such a player is the only one and one of the few in the world.

Neymar pranks his opponents, picks passes freely, and creates something out of nothing. If you want, you can rock the whole stadium. Neymar, 29, is a much more perfect playmaker than any other winger. Neymar prefers to penetrate deep and get involved in the team's build-up play. This helps explain the low stats compared to his performance.

So should he score more goals and create more assists? Yes. But when Neymar does magic, does anyone really talk about his stats?

1. Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

There is no other player like Sadio Mane in the world. Although Mane is right-footed, he uses his left foot and head regardless of body parts to create attack opportunities for the team, including passing, shooting, and crossing. He possesses unparalleled speed and physical ability, the skill to deceive opposing defenders, and a high understanding of ground conditions as weapons.

And even if he temporarily looks bad in his form, his stats are just the opposite. He still creates high expected scoring values ​​(xG) and opportunities and is very intimidating in and around the danger zone. There is no denying that Mane is an essential resource for Liverpool. The worst thing we can do is underestimate Manet.

#토토사이트 #카지노사이트 #파워볼사이트

[tkmedia]

Leeds secure new deal for talented star gunning for first-team impact

Leeds academy prospect Jack Jenkins penned a new deal today, and has expressed his joy at committing his long-term future to his boyhood club.The midfielder thinks its “an amazing feeling” to commit to a new three-year deal at Leeds United. Especially since he has been at the club since the age of five. “I’m over the moon, my friends, family, they’re all buzzing,” he said via the Leeds United Official Youtube Channel. I’m just looking forward to the future really.” Jenkins’ family appear to be over the moon for him, and are especially pleased at the prospect of him making it at Elland Road. “To sign a new deal, it’s amazing, especially for my family. My dad, my granddad, my uncle, everyone supports them.” he said. Though Jenkins is yet to break into the first-team, he has played a starring role in Leeds’ Premier League 2 campaign. He has assisted twice in three appearances so far, helping Leeds climb to fourth in the table. “I just need to make that jump to the first team, which I can hopefully do this season,” he said. The midfielder had high praise for Marcelo Bielsa, and feels his own game is coming on leaps and bounds thanks to the Argentinian’s coaching. “Especially since the manager came in I feel like I’m developing as a player. Every season I feel like I’m getting better and better,” he said.

Leeds early season woes

Leeds may be establishing youth this season, in order to give themselves a bright future. However, their early season form is a major worry. The Yorkshire side are yet to win a game, and currently sit in the relegation zone. Injuries to Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Luke Ayling certainly do not help matters. Furthermore, the side are blooding inexperienced players in the first-team. And while Charlie Cresswell dealt ably with Premier League joint top-scorer Michail Antonio at the weekend, the side were unable to hold on for a draw, conceding in the 90th minute. This start does not reflect the poise Leeds showed on their return to the top-flight last season. Fans will surely be hoping the side can get back to winning ways against Watford on Saturday. READ MORE: Revealed: What Bielsa screamed at Charlie Cresswell after late West Ham winner Read the full article

[highbuttonsports]

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY 

Leafs Offseason Recap

After another disappointing end to the season and failing to make it out of the first round again after holding a 3-1 series lead, the Leafs have slowly started to arrive in Toronto ahead of training camp Monday. Typically after playoff disappointments the last few years, there has been optimism among Leafs Nation at the start of a new season, but there is a sense of skepticism this time around, and for good reason. We’ve all heard the players and management give the cliché answers throughout the summer about another disappointing exit, but Leaf fans have grown tired of hearing them and only care about one thing – GETTING OUT OF THE FIRST ROUND. Having said that, and before I dive into the offseason recap and season preview, the media needs to stop asking the same questions for months on end and fans over on social media need to settle the fuck down with attacking Matthews, Marner and Nylander. It’s been four months since game 7, let it go already and let these guys get ready for this season. Yes, they didn’t perform well in the playoffs, and yes, I know they’re professional athletes in one of the biggest markets in the world and should be able to block it out, but how would you keyboard warriors feel opening social media apps every day constantly reading the same crap for 4 months? Y’all need to go outside. 

Now that that’s out of the way, we saw the capped strapped Leafs do what they did last year this offseason and look for bargain deals and take chances on players that have underperformed in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough, while saying goodbye to fan and player favourites alike. I won’t be providing many stats or analytics here, just using the good ole eye test. 

Out:

Frederik Andersen

Joe Thornton

Zach Hyman

Zach Bogosian

Alex Galchenyuk

Nick Foligno

Riley Nash

As much as Freddy provided stability between the pipes since he joined the team 5 years ago, the last couple years have seen him become unpredictable and he hasn’t been able to steal a game in the playoffs like so many great goalies do. Not only was he unable to do that, but in the big moments like, say, a game 7, there was always that backbreaking, “should’ve had it” goal. A fan favourite from the time he got here, but due to cap issues and the emergence of Jack Campbell, it was best for both sides to move on. 

Unfortunately, another cap casualty was everyone’s favourite Zach Hyman. Do I wish the Leafs could have kept him, absolutely, but with his growing list of injuries and the size of the contract he wanted (and deserved) I am kind of glad the cap prevented us from resigning him. It’s been weird seeing him in Oilers colours on social media, but we wish him nothing but the best out west. 

I’m glad Keefe is no longer handcuffed with Jumbo Joe taking up a 4th line spot instead of playing a young guy like Brooks that can keep up in today’s league, particularly in the playoffs. The Leafs were keen on resigning Bogo, and I would have loved to see him stay – he was great on the back end all season, but due to covid restrictions, he chose to go chase another cup with Tampa. I would’ve also liked to see what Gally could’ve done with a full training camp and a fulltime spot in the top 6, I thought he performed well. Given he’s still unsigned, never say never. As for Foligno and Nash, they didn’t do much for us, they were hurt most of their time here. 

In:

Petr Mrazek

Michael Bunting

Kurtis Gabriel

Nick Ritchie

David Kampf

Ondrej Kase

Josh Ho-Sang (PTO)

Nikita Gusev (PTO)

Getting to the new faces, I like the signings of Ritchie and Kase. Ritchie brings some much needed size to the top 6 and will also take on some of the work that Hyman did in getting Matthews and Marner or Tavares and Nylander the puck. Should that be where Keefe chooses to play him as he isn’t the fleetest of foot and has only averaged over 15 minutes/game once in his career. Expect the Leafs to spend a little more time on the penalty kill though as he tends to take some bad penalties. Kase on the other hand, was a 20 goal scorer just 3 years ago, but has been ravaged by injuries since and has been battling concussion issues most recently. Hopefully the most expensive and comprehensive medical team in the league can help in his recovery. 

Dubas and Co are taking a massive chance on Michael Bunting, thankfully it’s for less than a million each season, in the hopes that he can continue his late bloom. Last season he scored 10 goals in 21 games with Arizona and has 11 goals in 26 NHL games so far. I don’t know much about him, so I don’t think it’s fair for me to say this signing has bust written all over it, this is more of a wait and see situation. At the very least, he can be a serviceable third/fourth liner at cost. 

Speaking of third and fourth liners, David Kampf and Kurtis Gabriel were brought in as depth signings as well. Kampf gives the Leafs some added center depth and could allow them to move Kerfoot to the wing. The only two things I know about Gabriel are that he isn’t afraid to throw with anyone and that off the ice he is one of the best humanitarians in the game at making the game more inclusive and accessible for everyone. 

Josh Ho-Sang and Nikita Gusev will both be joining the Leafs at camp on Professional Try-Outs, which I don’t mind. Ho-Sang was a highly touted prospect but has never been able to find his footing in the NHL. Gusev came over from Russia a few years ago and hasn’t really been able to adjust to NHL either. Both are low risk and could provide some added depth on the wings for the Leafs. 

Onto the biggest fish the Leafs landed this summer in Petr Mrazek. The Leafs wanted to give Campbell a chance to be a number 1 and have a guy in Mrazek that is used to/comfortable in running a tandem setup. One of the similarities I’ve noticed between him and Campbell, is that when they are in a scramble, they do anything possible to get themselves in front of the puck to make a save. They have the instinct and athleticism to forget about technique and getting square in order to make saves. It’s something that appeared to be difficult for Freddy at times, like he would get himself caught between being unorthodox and trying to stay in technique. Both Campbell and Mrazek are streaky so let’s hope one of them is hot at all times and can both stay healthy. Given this is going to be more of a tandem than we have seen in years past, I would expect Keefe to ride the hot hand, even on back-to-backs. 

Two guys that could challenge for spots upfront are 2019 second rounder Nick Robertson and undrafted free agent Alex Steeves. Robertson has had very brief stints with the Leafs the last couple seasons, and had an injury riddled shortened season last year. It doesn’t look like it hurt his development though as he was a star at Leafs’ development camp last weekend. Steeves was also a standout at the development camp last weekend and got off to a good start in the Traverse City rookie tournament playing along side Robertson. Undrafted out of Notre Dame, he was just over a point per game player last season and has put up 60 points in his last 65 games with the University. Whether they crack the Leafs’ roster this season or next, a couple of entry level deals will certainly help the Leafs’ cap situation. 

It’ll be interesting to see how well all the new faces fit in Keefe’s system and how quickly they can make an impression/build chemistry as training camp officially gets underway Monday with first game action coming quickly on September 25th against the Habs. We’ll be back before the season opener with an opening night preview once rosters are set. 

--Smitty 

#leafsforever #maple leafs #hockey #sports #toronto #nhl news

[newsports21]

Ronaldo-Kain aiming for 110 goals in A match also wants to create a goal storm 먹튀검증

먹튀검증먹튀사이트먹튀검증사이트먹튀 검증  먹튀 사이트 먹튀 검증 사이트

Cristiano Ronaldo surprised by wearing a Manchester United jersey instead of Manchester City. Now, it will lead Portugal to the 2022 Qatar World Cup finals.

Portugal will face Ireland in Group A of the World Cup European qualifiers. They lead the team with 2 wins, 1 draw and 7 points, but are only the first place in goal difference over Serbia.

In the European qualifiers, only the first place in each group advances directly to the finals. The 10 2nd placed teams and 2 of the 3rd placed teams with the best results in the Nations League will play the playoffs to determine the remaining 3 qualifying tickets.

If you consider that the future match against Serbia is in fact a first-place match, you should unconditionally win first place.

We look forward to the leadership of Portugal and Ronaldo, who will play two matches against Ireland and Azerbaijan. Ronaldo regained his psychological stability when he returned to Manchester United. He has scored 109 goals in an A match, and just one more goal will make him the top goal scorer.

The colleagues who support Ronaldo are also gorgeous. Bruno Fernandez and Joao Moutinho are supporting them, while Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva and Giordo Zota are joining in.

Other powerhouses are also going to the group 1st place Mercury. With three wins, we will challenge for a two-game winning streak against England, 2nd placed Hungary, and 5th placed Andorra, who are in 1st place in Group I.

With Harry Kane who chose to stay at Tottenham, the attacking team is splendid, including Jadon Sancho, Patrick Bamford, Jack Grealish, and Raheem Sterling. Jesse Lingard, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson assist at the waist.

Group B 1st place invincible fleet will face 3 consecutive battles with Spain, Sweden, Georgia and Kosovo. Alvaro Morata takes center stage and Ferran Torres aims for the goal. In the summer transfer window, Adama Traore, who has been rumored to be a Tottenham Hotspur transfer, is also looking forward to a shot.

Italy, who placed 1st in Group C with three wins, will also face Bulgaria, Switzerland and Lithuania undefeated.

Germany, in crisis, seeks a turnaround against Liechtenstein, Armenia and Iceland. Germany lost 1-2 to North Macedonia in the third game and were pushed to 3rd place in Group J. Germany is not worried, but the weight is different this time. Looks like we need a strong reversal card.

#먹튀검증 #먹튀검증사이트 #먹튀사이트

[lewis456ppamela]

Premier League Top Goal Scorers All-Time | My Football Facts

All time top scorer epl - All time - Leading Scorers Premier League

Since its inception, it has got a lot of football fanatics glued to their screens. The Premier League has a huge viewership, along with a large fanbase. The league spreads across 20 of the top clubs in England. The competition works on the system of promotion and relegation, which makes it furthermore interesting.

Each team plays 38 matches, 19 being at home. Although 49 teams have participated since the tournament started inonly 6 have managed to win. The most successful club has been All time top scorer epl United all time top scorer epl 13 titles, followed by Chelsea at 5 and Arsenal and Manchester City at 3.

Over the years, several top-notch strikers have also graced the Premier Scorwr and have enthralled one and all with their goal-scoring exploits. Click here for premier league live score. He has the most number of goals in the history of the Premier League.

He played for Newcastle United for the majority of his career. Paul Merson. Wilfred Zaha. Robbie Ecorer. Rod Wallace. Alan Smith. Dean Saunders. Juan Pablo Angel. Leon Osman. Demba Ba. David Hirst. Marko Arnautovic. Jonathan Walters. Ayoze Perez. Michail Antonio. Shola Ameobi. Noel Click for more. Andrei Kanchelskis.

All time top scorer epl Kanoute. Jay Rodriguez. Graham Stuart. Marians Pahars. Julian Joachim. Chris Wood. Paul Ince. Philippe Coutinho. Mikel Arteta. John Terry. Ashley Barnes. Kevin De Bruyne. Steve McManaman. Steffen Iversen. Marcus Bent. Matthew Taylor. Kenwyne Jones.

The Top 20 All-Time English Premier League Goal Scorers

Aaron Ramsey. Steed Malbranque. Roy Keane. John Carew. Patrik Berger. Dean Sturridge. Tore-Andre Flo. His best season at Chelsea came inall time top scorer epl he fired the Blues to a league title by scoring 29 goals in 32 Premier Original site games.

It appears that Drogba will enjoy many more successful seasons in the Premier League, and will likely be higher up lists like this by the time he retires. Born as Jerrel Hasselbaink inthe man known as Jimmy Floyd would go on to become one the all time top scorer epl Premier League goal scorers.

Whether it be the manner he scored goals, or his ebullient personality, subtlety has never been Hasselbaink's way. Hasselbaink is renowned for jackhammer strikes that break the net, usually all time top scorer epl by wild celebrations. He scored 16 EPL goals in his first season at Leeds, and followed that up with 18 goals the following year when he won the Golden Boot Award. Hasselbaink netted 23 goals in both of his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, by the time he left to join Middlesbrough inHasselbaink had scored 70 EPL goals for Chelsea and became a cult hero with the fans.

The feeling was mutual and was demonstrated and the end of his Premier League career when he scored for Charlton Athletic in a game at Chelsea, and rather than celebrate, he held up his hands in a ttime gesture to the Chelsea fans.

Before joining Charlton, Hasselbaink scored 23 goals in two seasons at Middlesbrough, and played his part in what was one of the most successful spells in Boro history. The lasting memory of Hasselbaink with many fans is his shooting power and that is demonstrated by the video, when he smacked home one of tkp more well hit free kicks of all-time.

Robbie Fowler was a boyhood Everton fan, who would go on to become a legend in the red half of Merseyside. Fowler joined Liverpool as a 10 year old, and turned professional on his 17th birthday. Fowler's success at Liverpool was nothing short of spectacular, he scored EPL goals for the Reds and honed a reputation as one of the best natural finishers in the English game.

Fowler had an infectious enthusiasm that made him a cult hero with fans, he also showed a sense of honesty that is less common in today's game. Fowler subsequently missed the penalty, but the sense of fair play was somewhat ruined when Jason McAteer slammed home the rebound and celebrated in delirious fashion. Fowler's success led to increased tkp attention and that is something he did not always deal with well. He headed a group known as 'The Spice Boys' that were branded as players who focused on the nightlife as much as the hard work involved in professional football.

The forward all time top scorer epl to Liverpool fans as "God" left the club inand played at Leeds United and Manchester City without quite hitting the heights of his Anfield brilliance. Fowler returned to Liverpool in and tim eight goals sckrer two seasons before leaving again. Fowler ended his Premier League career at Blackburn Rovers, where he failed to find the e;l. While his career burned out and many negative all time top scorer epl surround Fowler, his first spell at Anfield cemented him in history as one of the all-time great Premier League goal scorers.

Most Goals In A Premier League Season

Michael Owen all time top scorer epl another boyhood Everton fan who would go on to earn legendary status at bitter rivals Liverpool. Owen would spend seven more seasons and record over double figures in goal in each one.

Like Fowler before him, Owen would struggle to match the heights he reached while playing all time top scorer epl Liverpool. He scored 26 EPL goals in four seasons for the Toon Army, and has scored four goals in two seasons so far in his current spell at Manchester United.

Owen made his living in his early career as a lightning-quick forward who was a constant threat to be released in behind the defense. Full article speed is not there as much nowadays, but he still has the finishing touch that could see him add a few more EPL goals before his Old Trafford days are over. Ryan Giggs. Frank Lampard. David James. James Milner Liverpool. Gary Speed. Emile Heskey. Mark Schwarzer. Jamie Carragher.

Mohamed Salah- 32 Goals, Liverpool Advertisement. Give feedback. Who holds the Premier League record for scoring most goals as a substitute? Top 5 Premier League players with most assists in a single season.

Johnny Nicholls. All time top scorer epl Glazzard. Huddersfield Town. Charlie Wayman. Preston North End. Jorge Robledo. Stan Mortensen. Blackpool FC. Dickie Davis. Willie Moir. Ronnie Rooke. Dennis Westcott. Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Tommy Lawton. Freddie Steele. Raich Carter. Pat Glover. Grimsby Town. Bobby Gurney. Ted Drake. Jack Bowers. Derby County. Dixie Dean.