Golden Knights steal spotlight at the NHL Draft
The Golden Knights set off some fireworks at the NHL Draft with two trades, including sending Logan Thompson to Washington, writes The Sporting Tribune's Steve Carp.
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1. Golden Knights steal spotlight at the NHL Draft
The Golden Knights set off some fireworks at the NHL Draft with two trades, including sending Logan Thompson to Washington, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
Leave it to the host team to hog all the attention at the NHL Draft.
The Golden Knights made a lot of noise and turned heads in Friday’s first round when they took Trevor Connelly with the 19th overall pick despite some off-the-ice baggage. Saturday, they made two significant trades to address their goaltending.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon accommodated Logan Thompson’s request for a trade, sending him to the Washington Capitals for two third-round picks. Not long after, McCrimmon moved one of the picks to New Jersey along with forward Paul Cotter for Devils goaltender Akira Schmid and forward Alexander Holtz.
And with free agency beginning on Monday, expect more moves from the Knights.
“I think we put some skill into our lineup,” McCrimmon said after the Knights drafted a goaltender in the third round (19-year-old, 6-foot-5 Pavel Moysevich, who played in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia for SKA St. Petersburg), a forward in the sixth round in Trent Swick of Kitchener in the Ontario Hockey League and a center in round seven, Lucas Van Vliet of the U.S. National Development Team.
2. Analysis: SoFi still so-so for soccer heading into World Cup
The Sporting Tribune's Jeff Kennedy gives his review of SoFi Stadium as a soccer venue heading into the 2026 World Cup midway through the Copa America games.
The first thing I noticed was an electronic sign: ‘No Tailgating Allowed’. Among the throngs of supporters streaming from Century Boulevard toward SoFi Stadium, it was a relatively inconspicuous omen. But an omen nonetheless.
Considering this section of sprawling asphalt is normally the designated tailgating area for Rams and Chargers games, I couldn’t help but wonder why?
Sure, tailgating isn’t a pastime normally associated with soccer, but this wasn’t your normal soccer game. This was Sofi’s first truly prestigious soccer event. This was a Copa America group stage match. This was Costa Rica vs Brazil.
This was widely regarded as a warm up for the eight (yes, eight) matches Los Angeles will host during the 2026 World Cup — including two USMNT group stage games. And the first impression Los Angeles was making with fans — many of whom were traveling from another hemisphere — wasn’t a parade of supporters, or a fan zone or even an especially festive atmosphere.
It was “no tailgating.”
3. Noah Lyles on LeBron James-led Olympic Dream Team: ‘They gotta win’
Noah Lyles spoke out on the expectations for the U.S. Olympics men's basketball team months after sparking a global debate, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jackson Thompson.
Noah Lyles has revealed his standard for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team in Paris.
With an Olympics roster led by LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, many have labeled this year’ U.S. team the second coming of “The Dream Team.”
But after Lyles sparked a worldwide debate over the validity of the NBA champions declaring themselves “world champions” last August, the American sprinter isn’t so quick to give the team that label yet.
“They gotta win, so we’ll see,” Lyles told The Sporting Tribune earlier this month at the USATF NYC Grand Prix .
Lyles’s original comments sparked the World-Champion debate in a press conference last August after sweeping the gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4×100-meter dash races at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Antwerp Belgium.
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” he said then. “World champion of what? The United States?
“Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. — at times — but that ain’t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA. We gotta do more. We gotta be presented to the world.”
4. Why the Aces suddenly found their groove
Since Chelsea Gray’s return June 19, the two-time defending champion Aces are 4-0 with two of those wins coming against title contenders, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Will Despart.
It’s been about two weeks since WNBA Twitter was mourning the death of the Aces, but it feels like an eternity.
Since Chelsea Gray’s return June 19, the two-time defending champions are 4-0 with two of those wins coming against teams considered potential title contenders in the Storm and the Sun.
Granted, Saturday’s win over the Washington Mystics wasn’t a masterclass as the Aces let the league’s worst team hang around a little bit too much.
The Aces also are unbeaten since A’ja Wilson gave an emotional answer in the post-game press conference after their June 15 loss. Wilson’s impassioned response to a question about accountability from The Sporting Tribune’s Willie G. Ramirez led to a viral moment, one that has served as a major wake-up call to her Aces teammates.
Since then, teammates have talked about how that moment brought them closer as a team and helped them to realize the common goal, which is something that goes deeper than winning a third straight championship. When your leader is both the best player on the planet and arguably the most impassioned leader in the league, a turnaround wasn’t just expected. It was demanded.
5. Road to Breeders’ Cup: Stephen Foster sets early stage for Classic
Racing will take a break at Churchill Downs as the circuit moves to Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs, in the western and southern parts of the state, respectively.
The last weekend of the Spring Meet — which many of us know colloquially as the Derby Meet — is upon us here in Louisville. Racing will take a break at Churchill Downs as the circuit moves to Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs, in the western and southern parts of the state, respectively.
Saturday features six stakes, three of them high level: the aforementioned Grade 1 Stephen Foster, a win-and-in for the $7M Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar; the Grade 2 Wise Dan, a two-turn turf race for older horses; and the Grade 2 Fleur De Lis, one of the best two turn dirt races for older female horses.
They’re all part of an all-stakes pick 6 to close the card Saturday, one which I’ll be covering in person. You can listen to our hour-long pre-race coverage at 8 a.m. Saturday here. It’ll include a Triple Crown recap from me, an interview with Trainer Cherie DeVaux — who sends Grade 3 Pimlico Special winner Pyrenees to the starting gate in the Foster — and Kaitlin Free, an on-track analyst at Churchill Downs.
6. Masvidal looking forward to his rematch with Diaz
The summer blockbuster is scheduled for July 6 in Anaheim, CA, featuring a Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal rematch in a boxing ring, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Fredo Cervantes.
The highly anticipated fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, has been moved to the Honda Center in Anaheim. The 10-round light heavyweight showdown will take place on July 6 and will be available on Fanmio PPV.
Masvidal spoke with The Sporting Tribune before the big event. He talked about growing up in Miami, reflecting on their first encounter at Madison Square Garden and sharing his thoughts ahead of the main event against Diaz at the Honda Center.
In 2019, Diaz and Masvidal clashed for the inaugural BMF championship at UFC 244 in the UFC’s Octagon. The high-stakes battle concluded with an unsatisfactory doctor’s stoppage due to a cut over Diaz’s eye, granting Masvidal the victory.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:00 p.m. – Mystics at Sparks – ESPN – $7
6:30 p.m. – Fever at Aces – ESPN – $100
7:10 p.m. – Diamondbacks at Dodgers –$33
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
7:00 p.m. – Mystics at Sparks – ESPN
6:30 p.m. – Fever at Aces – ESPN
6:40 p.m. – Angels at Athletics – Bally Sports West
7:10 p.m. – Diamondbacks at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!