Matthew Tkachuk should be the American captain at next year’s Olympics // Alex Kiger, Staff Writer
We’re only a year away from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, and the American hockey team has some serious decisions to make.
While a heartbreaking championship game loss at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off taught Team USA some valuable lessons — like how they should probably focus on simply bringing the best players and not on taking as many New York Rangers as possible — 4 Nations should also make the Americans reconsider who wears what letters when they take the ice in Italy next year.
Auston Matthews captained Team USA at 4 Nations, but with all due respect to Matthews, he was merely a figurehead. The real captain was Matthew Tkachuk.
His personality, antics and style of play certainly lend themselves to some hate, but there is no denying that he provided more energy, enthusiasm and physicality to the Americans than anyone else on that roster. He led the charge for Team USA every night and brought them into the fight — figuratively and literally. Tkachuk was the first to drop the gloves during the US-Canada round-robin game last Saturday, spearheading what was one of the most spirited hockey games in recent memory.
For my money, Matthews is the best active American goal scorer, and if he keeps up his current scoring pace — an average of 53 goals every 82 games — he might have a chance at the goal-scoring record when all is said and done. But the team captain isn’t always the best player. It’s about the true beating heart of the team. In this tournament, that was Tkachuk.
If there was any doubt about that, the impact of his absence during the third period and overtime in the championship game set the record straight.
He was the de facto captain at 4 Nations. Make him the real captain in Italy.
Puck Yeah! NHL 4the win // Sean McQuillan, Staff Writer
Ladies and gentlemen, your winner for the best sporting event of 2025 thus far — the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off!
If you want to talk about must-see action in a sport, well, the NHL got it down to perfection. Finland, Canada, Sweden and the United States took center ice this past week, and it was the closest replica to the movie “Miracle” of all time.
But this time around there were no angry Russians taking on college kids from Minnesota or Boston. Instead, we saw matchups that included NHL legends, future hall-of-famers and lineups that would previously only appear in video games.
Did you know that at one point in the final game between Canada and the United States, there was a line for the team up north that featured Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, two of the greatest to ever do it? That’s not to even mention the fact that Team Canada’s starting line featured Nathan MacKinnon. That right there is a total of three Hart Trophies between two players.
The NHL’s newest extravaganza even set an ESPN+ audience record, peaking at an audience of 10.4 million viewers for the most-viewed non-NFL event in the streaming platform’s history. Hockey is back, and it is better than ever.
The NBA needs a face, and Victor Wembanyama is the right choice // Patrick Diana, Staff Writer
The NBA has no shortage of stars. But as the league faces declining viewership numbers, I argue they need a new, young face of the league — someone viewers can easily identify and enjoy watching. That leaves us with the question of who to pick.
The obvious choice, LeBron James, is 40. Quasi-nepo baby Bronny is too mid. Anthony Edwards is problematic. Luka Doncic just got traded out of his fanbase. Jared McCain is too young. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, like the GOAT, are getting closer and closer to retirement.
That leaves 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. While his very recent injury could limit his impact, he is a great candidate for the face of the league. “Wemby” is having a great sophomore season so far and is a fan favorite and a rising star. For a league plagued by scandals, an unproblematic Wembanyama is just what it needs.
Mikaela Shiffrin’s World Cup wins record will never be beaten // Joshua Prescott, Staff Writer
On Sunday, Colorado-born alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin won a historic 100th World Cup win, cementing her legacy as the greatest skier the sport has ever seen. From winning her first World Cup race at just 17 to claiming Olympic gold at 18, no other skier comes close to Shiffrin’s sustained dominance and versatility throughout her career.
With at least three titles in every season since 2012-13, Shiffrin has demonstrated unparalleled versatility with wins in the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, parallel and combined. In the 2018-19 season, she achieved a record 17 race wins, becoming the first skier ever to win overall, giant slalom, super-G and slalom World Cups within the same season.
Lindsey Vonn remains the closest athlete to Shiffrin’s insurmountable 100 wins, retiring on 82 wins after the 2018-19 season. The closest active skier, Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, has 45 wins and is retiring after the 2026 Olympics. Thus, I believe Shiffrin’s record will stand in the history books for generations to come.
Mikaela Shiffrin isn’t just the best skier of her generation — she’s the most complete and dominant skier in history. And at 29, she’s not done yet.
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