This story by @zakkeefer.bsky.social @nathanfenno.bsky.social and Katie Strang is incredible.

Zak Keefer@zakkeefer.bsky.social · 2w ago

The wildest NFL story you've never heard 👇🏼 An agent-turned-exec on the brink of power A grisly murder by 2 ex-players — with a CROSSBOW A bizarre twist kept secret ... until now Year+ investigation with Katie Strang and @nathanfenno.bsky.social Free to read: www.nytimes.com/athletic/748...

The NHL has cleared Mike Babcock to return to the league, following an investigation into his past conduct. Katie Strang and I wrote about Babcock’s controversial history here. (This is a gift link. Story is free to read.) www.nytimes.com/athletic/553...

‘No one is spared’: Tracing Mike Babcock’s imperious NHL coaching career (Gift Article)

His complicated coaching legacy includes championships, big paydays and charges of mistreatment and mental torment.

nytimes.com

But to those who knew him, Lemieux could be surprisingly vulnerable. “A big crier. A big softie,” said Brendan Shanahan, who played both with and against Lemieux. Free to read, from @danrobson.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/731...

Remembering Claude Lemieux, a ‘bulldog’ and ‘softie’ whose death has the NHL reeling (Gift Article)

Lemieux, 60, died just days after carrying the ceremonial torch at Montreal's Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final.

nytimes.com

I wrote about Claude Lemieux — amoral agitator, clutch performer, giant force — and a tragedy that has left the hockey community in shock. My story on the life and death of “Le Gros”. www.nytimes.com/athletic/731...

Remembering Claude Lemieux, a ‘bulldog’ and ‘softie’ whose death has the NHL reeling

Lemieux, 60, died just days after carrying the ceremonial torch at Montreal's Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final.

nytimes.com

On @theathletic.com Hockey Show, @danrobson.bsky.social and I discuss the career and legacy of Claude Lemieux. Listen here: pod.fo/e/4219a8

The Athletic Hockey Show: A show about the NHL: Remembering Claude Lemieux

Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner, has died. Today, Mark Lazerus and Dan Robson remember the man and look back on his career as one of the NHL’s most prolifi...

pod.fo

“Is he a Hall of Famer or something?” I went to Christie Pits to watch Yasiel Puig’s debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here’s a free gift link my story on a beloved Toronto tradition and the strange arrival of a fallen MLB star. www.nytimes.com/athletic/727...

Yasiel Puig’s last big swing? Snapshots from a surreal arrival (Gift Article)

Facing up to 15 years in prison, the former MLB All-Star makes his debut with a Canadian semi-pro team

nytimes.com

“I don’t think I know enough about him … Is he a Hall of Famer or something?” I went to Christie Pits to watch Yasiel Puig’s debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here’s my story on a beloved Toronto tradition and the strange arrival of a fallen MLB star. www.nytimes.com/athletic/727...

Yasiel Puig’s last big swing? Snapshots from a surreal arrival

Facing up to 15 years in prison, the former MLB All-Star makes his debut with a Canadian semi-pro team

nytimes.com

What is it about sports that creates unique regional media markets with their own tone and style of coverage? Sam Konnert hosts with @danrobson.bsky.social of The Athletic

Leafs’ New GM vs. The Press

The new GM for the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the press and it did not go well. With scathing questions and confounded columnists, Toronto reaffirmed its reputation as a tough media market.

buff.ly

As Brandon Aubrey becomes the highest paid kicker in NFL history, here’s my feature on Cowboys kicker — and a long-distance revolution that’s changing the game. The story is free to read with this gift link. www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

The NFL’s long-distance kicking revolution: ‘70 will be the new 60’

Better athletes, specialized training and technological advances are pushing limits farther and farther back.

nytimes.com

The NHL's new generation is arguably the most talented cohort the sport has ever seen. But the young stars are disrupting the game’s old-school culture off the ice even more. Here's a gift link to my latest feature for @theathletic.com on the NHL's aura shift. www.nytimes.com/athletic/711...

The Aura Shift: Macklin Celebrini and the NHL’s TikTok-bred Gen Z takeover (Gift Article)

From $40M extensions to viral videos, the NHL’s Gen Z takeover is here. A new wave of talent is rewriting the league’s cultural DNA.

nytimes.com

The NHL's new generation is arguably the most talented cohort the sport has ever seen. But the young stars are disrupting the game’s old-school culture off the ice even more. Here's a gift link to my latest feature for @theathletic.com on the NHL's aura shift. www.nytimes.com/athletic/711...

The Aura Shift: Macklin Celebrini and the NHL’s TikTok-bred Gen Z takeover (Gift Article)

From $40M extensions to viral videos, the NHL’s Gen Z takeover is here. A new wave of talent is rewriting the league’s cultural DNA.

nytimes.com

Great piece by @danrobson.bsky.social on the Gen Z takeover of hockey, both in Chicago and leaguewide: www.nytimes.com/athletic/711...

The Aura Shift: Macklin Celebrini and the NHL’s TikTok-bred Gen Z takeover

From $40M extensions to viral videos, the NHL’s Gen Z takeover is here. A new wave of talent is rewriting the league’s cultural DNA.

nytimes.com

Here’s my latest feature for The Athletic — on how the NHL’s youth movement is changing the game.

The Athletic@theathletic.com · 5mo ago

From TikTok to the rink, the new generation of NHL stars is disrupting decades of "unwritten rules." @danrobson.bsky.social explores how Gen Z’s confidence and personality are redefining the sport for a louder, more expressive future.

This is a tremendous column on USA Hockey’s historic gold medal win. @marklazerus.bsky.social captures it all here.

Mark Lazerus@marklazerus.bsky.social · 6mo ago

NEW: Forty-six years later, USA Hockey finally has a new story to tell. And the way this game was going, it was a little miraculous, too. My column from Milan on Hellebuyck, Hughes and hockey history: www.nytimes.com/athletic/706...

E172 hits the ice just in time: bit.ly/4b09EgG. A special episode w/journalist & author @danrobson.bsky.social. We talk about his latest co-authored memoir, Hammered: The Fight of My Life by Dave “The Hammer” Schultz. A candid & compelling memoir by a hockey great. Terrific convo, give a listen.

I had the privilege of working with Buck Martinez on his book Change Up — and to me, this passage sums up why he resonated with so many. Buck connected fans to the game in a way that made it feel both grand and familiar.

Mitch Bannon@mitchbannon.bsky.social · 7mo ago

“This is what I enjoy. Talking to the players on the field. My goal as a broadcaster is to bring something to the broadcast every night that nobody knew.” On Buck Martinez announcing his retirement — a #BlueJays legend: www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...

As Mitch Marner returns to Toronto, here’s my story from Vegas on why he had to leave. www.nytimes.com/athletic/668...

Out of his hometown’s spotlight — and expectations — Mitch Marner embraces a new start in Las Vegas

After years of playoff disappointment and fan discontent, the former Maple Leafs star is feeling the love in his new surroundings.

nytimes.com

I started the audiobook of Hammered: The Fight of My Life by Dave Shultz (with Dan Robson), and beautifully narrated by Wayne Ward. Raw, honest, & heartbreaking. Schultz holds nothing back in the telling of his story. Can't wait to listen to more. Don’t miss it. #BookSky @danrobson.bsky.social

A very nice review of Hammered and a look behind the scenes at how Dave Schultz’s new memoir came together. From Greg Oliver’s SIHR newsletter. sihrhockey.org/2020/columns...

Brandon Aubrey and his cohort of NFL kickers are re-writing the record books. Here’s my deep dive on Aubrey, Cam Little, Cameron Dicker and the evolution of field goals. www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

Brandon Aubrey wins it, after a remarkable comeback for Dallas. By design, here is my very large feature on Aubrey and this incredible, recording-breaking era for kickers. www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

The NFL’s long-distance kicking revolution: ‘70 will be the new 60’

nytimes.com

Special Teams Series Sunday @theathletic.com: 🏈 My story on long snappers, and their football nirvana: www.nytimes.com/athletic/6802946 🏈 @mikedugar.bsky.social on Marquette King: www.nytimes.com/athletic/6810455 🏈 @danrobson.bsky.social on a kicking revolution: www.nytimes.com/athletic/6814741

I went on a journey — to Las Vegas, San Diego, Dallas, and Buffalo — to learn about the NFL’s long-distance kicking revolution. From a camp of pro hopefuls to Brandon Aubrey, Cameron Dicker, Cam Little and more. Here’s my story on the art of kicking. www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

This story is so much fun to read.

Brian Hamilton@brianchamilton.bsky.social · 9mo ago

"I tell people, my life's not real." To be an NFL long snapper is to have your worth measured by a half-dozen plays every week. It's also a shot at football nirvana. A story for @theathletic.com on the sport's last happy men, and what they're chasing. www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...

"Maybe you get a beer named after you, or maybe you close a Tony Robbins seminar at midnight, or maybe you just drop your kid at school and hit golf balls in paradise ..." @brianchamilton.bsky.social on the happiest men in the NFL, long snappers: www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...

The NFL’s most anonymous men are also the happiest: ‘My life’s not real’

'People think it’s impossible to get in (as a long snapper). It’s damn near impossible to stay in.'

nytimes.com

A position once akin to a glorified ball boy is attracting better athletes, and specialized training and technological advances are pushing the limits. More from @danrobson.bsky.social, including a glimpse at record-breaking Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey ⤵️ www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

The NFL’s long-distance kicking revolution: ‘70 will be the new 60’

Better athletes, specialized training and technological advances are pushing limits farther and farther back.

nytimes.com

I went on a journey — to Las Vegas, San Diego, Dallas, and Buffalo — to learn about the NFL’s long-distance kicking revolution. From a camp of pro hopefuls to Brandon Aubrey, Cameron Dicker, Cam Little and more. Here’s my story on the art of kicking. www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

Some very kind praise for Hammered, over at Goodreads. Grab a copy of Dave Schultz’s new memoir wherever you buy your books. @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social @chaptersindigo.bsky.social

A very nice review of Hammered in Policy Magazine, that gets right to the message of Dave Schultz’s new memoir about hockey, fighting, abuse and recovery. www.policymagazine.ca/hockey-befor...

So many sad, tired eyes in Toronto coffee shops this morning.