Yahoo Sports AM: Chasing Gretzky

Posted by author February 24, 2025 Sports

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🚨 Headlines

🏒 The Brothers Robertson: Jason (3 goals for Dallas) and Nicholas (2 goals for Toronto) Robertson made history on Sunday, becoming the first brothers to score multiple goals in the NHL on the same day since Pavel and Valeri Bure in 2000.

💵 Fresno investigation: Fresno State’s men’s basketball program is under investigation for potential ties to sports gambling. The school has already removed one player from the team and suspended two of its top three scorers.

⚾️ Beards in the Bronx: Yankees players, coaches and other uniformed personnel are now permitted to sport “well-groomed beards” after the franchise decided to end its ban on facial hair, which began in 1976.

🏀 Embiid exploring options: The 76ers and Joel Embiid are considering alternative options, including surgery, for his injured knee, which isn’t improving. The former MVP played just 39 games last season and 19 so far this season.

🏈 Sanders’ combine plan: Shedeur Sanders, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, won’t throw at this week’s combine, focusing instead on his interviews with teams. He will throw at Colorado’s Pro Day.

🏒 Chasing Gretzky: Ovi inches closer

Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick on Sunday to inch closer to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.

Where it stands: Ovechkin now has 882 career goals, 13 shy of breaking Gretzky’s record of 894. He’s also now the first player in NHL history to score 200 goals in three different decades.

2000s: 245 goals
2010s: 437 goals
2020s: 200 goals

Back on track: Ovechkin broke his fibula in November, which sidelined him for five weeks and led many to believe he wouldn’t be able to make a run at the record until next season. To which Ovi said: Oh yeah? Watch me. The 39-year-old ranks seventh in the league with 29 goals, has the Capitals in first place and could pass Gretzky by early April.

Consider this: From his age 32 season until retirement, Gretzky scored 145 goals (20.7 per season). Since his age 32 season, Ovechkin has scored 324 goals (40.5 per season), and he’s still not finished. The longevity and consistency is remarkable.

Looking ahead: “Chasing Gretzky” is the perfect storyline for the NHL as it looks to carry the momentum from the 4 Nations Face-Off into the second half of the regular season. Ovechkin is must-see TV, and the Capitals just so happen to be the league’s best team.

🇺🇸 Photos across America

Los Angeles — San Diego FC stunned the LA Galaxy, 2-0, in the expansion franchise’s first-ever game. Midfielder Anders Dreyer scored both goals to take down the defending champs on “Sunday Night Soccer.”

San Francisco — The Warriors retired Andre Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey on Sunday following their win over the Mavericks, which allowed Klay Thompson to attend alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Golden State won four titles (and 75% of games!) with Iggy in the lineup.

Raleigh, N.C. — No. 13 NC State stunned top-ranked Notre Dame, 104-95 (2OT), on Sunday to record the program’s first-ever victory over an AP No. 1 team and snap the Irish’s 19-game winning streak.

(Jamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Denver — Luka Dončić had his first big game as a Laker on Saturday, putting up 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in a 123-100 win over the Nuggets. “Finally felt like myself,” he said. “That’s why I was smiling the whole game.”

🌎 Photos around the world

Sestriere, Italy — American Mikaela Shiffrin won the 100th World Cup race of her storied career on Sunday, getting there in just 278 starts (36% win rate). No other skier, male or female, has more than 86 World Cup wins.

Manchester, England — Mohamed Salah scored his Premier League-leading 25th goal and Liverpool beat Manchester City, 2-0, on Sunday to open a massive 11-point gap atop the table.

Bivol celebrates his victory. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Dmitry Bivol dethroned Artur Beterbiev of his undisputed light heavyweight title on Saturday, capping off a star-studded event that featured seven championship bouts.

Dubai, U.A.E. — 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva won the Dubai Championships on Saturday to become the youngest player to ever claim a WTA 1000 title. The Russian phenom also becomes the youngest player to enter the WTA Top 10 since Nicola Vaidišová in 2007.

✍️ Extra points

⛳️ A bounce for the ages: Brian Campbell cashed in on a huge break Sunday when his tee shot bounced out of the trees and back into play, leading to a birdie on the second playoff hole and a victory at the Mexico Open, his first win since turning pro a decade ago.

⚾️ Wasting no time: Juan Soto hit a 426-foot moonshot in his very first spring training at-bat with the Mets, and Alex Bregman homered (and went 3-for-3) in his Red Sox debut.

🏀 Another 50-point blowout: The NBA has had more 50-point blowouts in the last two seasons (11) than in any previous decade. The latest came on Saturday when Portland demolished Charlotte, 141-88.

⚽️ Six-peat? The USWNT beat Australia, 2-1, on Sunday to set up a title clash with Japan in the SheBelieves Cup, where the Americans can win the annual tournament for the sixth straight time.

🏀 Stockpiling picks: The Mystics already owned the No. 4 and No. 6 picks in April’s WNBA draft. Now, the rebuilding franchise has also acquired the No. 3 pick from the Sky in exchange for two-time All-Star Ariel Watkins.

📺 Watchlist: Monday night golf

Tommy Fleetwood of Los Angeles Golf Club warms up before a recent match. (Megan Briggs/TGL via Getty Images)

TGL’s SoFi Center hosts an indoor golf doubleheader tonight, with Los Angeles vs. New York (5pm ET, ESPN2) followed by Boston vs. Atlanta (9pm, ESPN2).

Standings: The Bay (3-0-0) is in first place through three matches, followed by Los Angeles (2-0-1), Atlanta (2-1-0), New York (1-2-0), Jupiter Links (1-2-0) and Boston (0-2-1).

More to watch:

🏀 NCAAM: No. 5 Houston at No. 9 Texas Tech (9pm, ESPN)
🏀 NCAAW: No. 19 Baylor at No. 12 Kansas State (7pm, ESPN2)
🏀 NBA: Timberwolves at Thunder (8pm, NBA)
🏒 NHL: Sharks at Jets* (7:30pm, NHL)

*Top of the league: The Jets (83 points) and Capitals (84) are locked in a tight race for the Presidents’ Trophy (most regular season points).

🏀 Division III trivia

Gregg Popovich, the longest-tenured head coach in NBA history (1996-present), is not expected to return to the Spurs this season as he recovers from a stroke.

Question: Before he became head coach of the Spurs, Popovich was head coach of a D-III program that represents what two colleges?

Hint: Both colleges start with “P.”

Answer at the bottom.

🍿 Baker’s Dozen: Top 13 plays of the weekend

Watch all 13.

Trivia answer: Pomona College and Pitzer College (Pomona-Pitzer for varsity athletics)

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