The Pittsburgh Penguins became the first National Hockey League’s first repeat champions since the late ’90s Sunday night with a 2-0 victory in Game 6 over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The game winning goal came with less than two minutes remaining in regulation (1:35) and was scored by a former Predator. Patric Hornqvist was the Predators final pick in the 2005 draft. His shot was banked in off Pekka Rinne’s left elbow, and was the only goal he allowed in another outstanding home performance. Carl Hagelin’s empty net goal only padded the final score. Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as…
Author: Ron Wynn
Track and field doesn’t enjoy much notoriety in this country other than in Olympic years. Over recent decades, the sport has gotten less and less coverage and exposure on television, in newspapers, magazines and online. Lots of high schools have either de-emphasized or in some cases dropped it, while others only use it as a way to get exercise in the offseason for football and basketball players. Some major events like the Penn Relays that used to be huge network showcases only get sporadic mention now, while even an event like the World Championships doesn’t get the coverage that it…
The Nashville Predators have been dominating play in the opening two games of the Stanley Cup Final except for brief explosive surges by the Pittsburgh Penquins. Wednesday night Pittsburgh scored three goals in roughly three minutes (3:18) to break open a close game and post a 4-1 victory that gives the Penquins a 2-0 lead. Jake Guentzel, Scott Wilson and Evgeni Malkin scored, driving Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne out of the game. Guentzel’s two goals give him 12 thus far, tops among playoff scorers. His 19 total points are the most by any American-born rookie. “It’s crazy,” Guentzel told the…
There have been a host of stories written over the last few days about the massive cuts recently made at ESPN, the cable sports giant. A lot of folks have offered explanations for why more than 100 folks were laid off in this latest round, which follows another set of cuts made earlier on the production side. Some reasons being given include the impact of folks cutting their cable/satellite subscriptions, the monetary losses being suffered by increasing rights fees being paid to sports leagues, even political fallout for ESPN’s supposed “liberal” bias (a joke considering they are a multi-national corporation…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Nearly 60 years (57 to be exact) a 21-year-old Tennessee State University music major Ernest “Rip” Patton decided to get personally involved in the fight for social justice and equality. He joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and became a prominent member of the Nashville Movement. He participated in the Lawson Workshops, was involved in Nashville’s sit-ins, and became a Freedom Rider a year later. At one point he found himself in the notorious Parchman Farm Penitentiary, sent there along with others for daring to enter a “white only” Greyhound bus station’s waiting…
When the National Hockey League added the Nashville Predators 18 years ago, there were numerous skeptics who labeled it little more than a money grab by greedy owners. Granted, they did make millions in expansion fees, but the feeling was the NHL still had room for growth, and that the league could make it in non-traditional markets like Nashville, Phoenix, and states like Florida and North Carolina that had long been bastions of minor league clubs, but never exactly viewed as ripe for a big league team. It took a long time, but the Predators are now in the Western…
The Nashville Predators made history Sunday at Bridgestone Arena with their 3-1 sixth game victory over the St. Louis Blues. It marked the first time that the Predators have advanced beyond the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their history. They are four victories away from the Finals and eight away from taking the Cup itself, something that was actually viewed as a possibility when the season began, but then seemed like a long-shot at best after a late season collapse saw them relegated to the second wild-card spot, and a first-round match against Cup favorite Chicago. But…
Seldom has a non-athlete gotten more exposure and been a subject of constant discussion than Lavar Ball, the father of potential NBA draft pick Lonzo with two more highly skilled sons following him in the pipeline. For much of the college basketball season, Ball’s flamboyant, often quite debatable statements were in the news. At one point he said his son was better than two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry already, even before he joined the league. Then when Charles Barkley took umbrage at his comments, he claimed that had Barkley thought like him he would have won a championship. He also…
By Ron Wynn The Tennessee State University Lady Tigers have a new head basketball coach. TSU Athletic Director Teresa Phillips announced Wednesday that Jessica Kern had been hired as the 11th head coach in the program’s history. “Jessica Kern is a high-energy and enthusiastic young coach who has successful experience in coaching, recruiting and playing basketball at an elite level,” commented Phillips on the TSU website. “The more I learned about her, the more convinced I became that she was the right fit for our university. She is committed to excellence in the classroom and on the court. A coach’s…
By Ron Wynn The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders took control of this game early and showed they are much better than a number 12 seed, beating Minnesota 71-62 in the NCAA tournament Thursday. The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders keep showing the nation that they are a very underrated basketball team. Thursday they scored their second straight NCAA tournament upset over a higher seeded team, defeating the fifth seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers 81-72. Last year as a 15 seed they knocked off number two Michigan State in the opening game. This time they were seeded a bit higher at…