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SUNRISE, Fla. — For many NHL players, a four-point performance in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final that also shattered a Wayne Gretzky playoff record would be a career achievement.

For Connor McDavid, it was Saturday.

Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman has witnessed plenty of McDavid magic since becoming his teammate three seasons ago — McDavid had a hand on the majority of Hyman’s 117 goals with the Oilers. But he was still in awe of McDavid’s accomplishment in Game 4: setting a new NHL record for assists in a single postseason (32), passing Gretzky’s 1988 record, while moving into fifth place for most points (38) in a single postseason.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Hyman said. “I don’t think many people thought any of Wayne’s statistics were attainable. He’s the Great One. I think Connor is putting together one of the best postseasons [ever]. He’s taken that onus.”

McDavid has been everything for Edmonton, from his five-point night to start the playoffs to his Game 6 heroics against the Dallas Stars to his seven points in the Final, leading all scorers. If the Oilers somehow rally to win the Stanley Cup after falling 3-0 to the Florida Panthers, McDavid should win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in a walk.

But should he be the Conn Smythe winner, win or lose for Edmonton?


THE OILERS BELIEVE the MVP is McDavid’s, no matter what the team does.

“For sure. He’s the one guy who consistently brings an elite level play every game for us,” defenseman Brett Kulak said. “Maybe people on the outside looking in might not see everything he’s doing, but we feel his contributions and his impact on the team every single night. He always brings that extra gear.”

Edmonton forward Dylan Holloway also believes McDavid is the playoffs’ MVP, no matter if the Oilers fall short of the Cup.

“I think so. I mean, anytime you beat Gretzky’s record, it’s pretty special,” he said. “He’s been unbelievable so far for us. He’s such a great leader. So I think so, yeah.”

The Conn Smythe has been awarded 58 times. It’s been given to a player from the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Final just five times. In four of those cases, it’s gone to a goaltender: Roger Crozier of the Detroit Red Wings (1966), Glenn Hall of the St. Louis Blues (1968), Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers (1987) and Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003).

Only one skater has captured the Conn Smythe in a losing effort: Reggie Leach of the Flyers in 1976. The Flyers had won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, but they were swept in the ’76 Stanley Cup Final by the Montreal Canadiens.

As in other seasons where a losing player won the MVP, the Canadiens had strong candidates but not one that stood out. Ken Dryden was 12-1 with a 1.92 goals-against average, but he had already won the award as a rookie in 1971 and was playing behind a steamroller that lost just once en route to their seventh Stanley Cup since 1965. Guy LaFleur had a solid but unspectacular 17 points in 13 games. He would win the Conn Smythe in 1977 with 26 points in 14 games, for comparison’s sake.

The case for Leach is actually similar to the case for McDavid: Leading the playoffs in scoring while shattering NHL records.

Leach led the playoffs in scoring with 24 points in 16 games. His 19 goals set a Stanley Cup playoff record, breaking Montreal forward Yvan Cournoyer’s record of 15 goals in 17 games set in 1973. Leach had nine of those goal in the Flyers’ semifinals win over the Boston Bruins, accounting for nearly half of the Flyers’ tallies in the series and setting an NHL modern-era record for goals in a playoff series.

Leach’s Conn Smythe win was treated by the media as perfunctory, given his accomplishments. Sports Illustrated didn’t even report his MVP win in its game story. The New York Times didn’t mention Leach until the 13th paragraph of its story, right below a reference to Flyers anthem singer Kate Smith and her “flouncy, lime-colored dress.”

Like Reggie Leach, McDavid has:

  • Led the playoffs in scoring by a considerable margin, eight points better than teammate Leon Draisaitl.

  • Broken an NHL scoring record in leading his team to the Stanley Cup Final, by passing Gretzky in assists.

  • Accounted for the majority of his team’s offensive accomplishments. Entering Game 5, McDavid has 38 points, and the Oilers have scored 75 goals. That puts McDavid on pace to become just the second player in NHL history to account for over half his team’s goals in a best-of-7 postseason. The other was — who else? — Wayne Gretzky in 1988, with 43 points on Edmonton’s 84 goals.

  • Been the clear-cut MVP for his team while his opponents have multiple claims to the Conn Smythe throne. ESPN BET has goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and captain Aleksander Barkov neck-and-neck for MVP.

On top of that, McDavid’s teammates credit him as the catalyst for their playoff comebacks.

That tracks back to the regular season, when Edmonton’s resurgence after a disastrous start had as much to do with McDavid finding his game as the team’s change in coaches. In the playoffs, McDavid’s clutch nature actually gave him another NHL record: Most points (23) in games following a loss, passing Doug Gilmour (20 in 1993) for the most in one playoff year.

“Any time our team’s backs are against the wall, he’s the first guy to push back,” Hyman said. “For us to come back, he’s got to be the best. He seems to always be the best when we’re in these situations.”

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McDavid sets assist record on Oilers’ 7th goal

Connor McDavid sets the single-season, postseason-assist record with his 32nd on a pass to Dylan Holloway.


THE PANTHERS HAVE multiple MVP candidates entering Game 5, and anecdotally, both Bobrovsky and Barkov have their supporters among the voters.

The path for Barkov is clear: Hit the scoreboard in a significant way in a Cup-clinching game, lead Florida in postseason scoring and exert his defensive will against McDavid’s line in that game. His 21 points are one better than Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead.

Bobrovsky’s path became a little more complicated after Game 4, when he was pulled in the second period following five Edmonton goals.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Bobrovsky’s 2.27 goals-against average would be the worst by a Conn Smythe-winning goaltender since Edmonton’s Bill Ranford won in 1990 with a 2.53 GAA. Ranford had a higher save percentage (.912) than Bobrovsky currently has (.909). In fact, Playoff Bob’s save percentage would be the second-worst by a goaltender to win the Conn Smythe behind Hextall’s .908 save percentage in 1987, when he won MVP in a losing effort.

As a reminder, there are 18 members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association that vote on the Conn Smythe. (In full disclosure, I am not one of them.) They submit their top 3 for the Conn Smythe via email by the 10-minute mark of the third period of a potential Cup-clinching game.

Voters can submit contingencies with their selections. For example, let’s say a voter likes Bobrovsky but caveats that if Barkov scores the game-winner in a game that’s tied at the time of the voting, Barkov gets elevated to No. 1.

What happens in a Florida Game 5 win could ultimately decide which Panther takes the Conn Smythe.

But what if Edmonton wins to force Game 6?

Leach won the MVP in a sweep, as did Glenn Hall, but Crozier’s Red Wings lost in six games. The last two players on losing teams that won the Conn Smythe both lost the Cup in Game 7.

The longer the Stanley Cup Final goes, the stronger McDavid’s case as “MVP, win or lose” could get, provided he continues to be the one that rallies Edmonton.

But if you ask the Oilers, Connor McDavid should win the Conn Smythe regardless of the series result.

“He’s captain of the team. It’s his leadership and presence in the room. Off the ice. On practice days. The work he’s putting in, he’s setting the tone and setting the pace of every day,” Kulak said. “It’s not easy to do that. So, for my opinion, I think for sure [he should win].”

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

Former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities, turned himself in to authorities Sunday night, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.

Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle.

A warrant had been issued for Lacy’s arrest, and police on Friday said they had been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.

According to a news release from Louisiana State Police on Friday, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police. Hall was 78.

The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.

Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said in a statement that his client is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”

Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.

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Sawyer gets his ‘moment,’ sends OSU to CFP final

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Sawyer gets his 'moment,' sends OSU to CFP final

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the confetti fell around him, Jack Sawyer raised his arms, lifted his head and closed his eyes. As a boy growing up in a Columbus suburb playing catch with his dad in the backyard wearing a scarlet and gray jersey, Sawyer had often dreamed that one day he might become an Ohio State hero with an iconic moment that would go down in Buckeyes history.

On Friday night, playing against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, that moment finally happened.

On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Texas needed one play to tie the score and potentially force overtime. Instead, Sawyer ended the Longhorns’ season and catapulted the Buckeyes to the CFP National Championship game, where they will face Notre Dame.

Sawyer screamed past right tackle Cameron Williams and sailed toward Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his freshman-year roommate at Ohio State. As he crashed into Ewers’ back, the ball popped loose. Off one bounce, Sawyer scooped it up and raced 83 yards for a touchdown that won’t be forgotten in Columbus.

“I almost blacked out when I saw nothing but green grass ahead of me,” he said.

With that play, the Buckeyes defeated Texas 28-14. And Sawyer cemented an Ohio State legacy.

“To make a play like that in that moment. … You want to leave a legacy behind? You become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told ESPN on the field after the game.

The longing for just that moment is why Sawyer put off the NFL to come back for his senior season. After three losses to Michigan with no Big Ten championships or national titles, Sawyer and several other Ohio State seniors who could have been Day 1 or 2 NFL draft picks opted to return for “one last ride,” as he put it.

Their disappointing 2023 season ended with a deflating loss to Missouri in the same Cotton Bowl stadium. Sawyer said he just couldn’t stomach ending his Ohio State career that way.

“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer told ESPN over the summer. “But I haven’t won a championship. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”

Sawyer nearly had that moment six weeks ago. Yet, in a turn, what followed was a career low point for him and the Buckeyes.

He intercepted Michigan quarterback Davis Warren at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter. But with the score tied, the Buckeyes couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. On their ensuing possession, the Wolverines nailed a game-winning field goal for a stunning 13-10 victory, handing the Buckeyes — and Sawyer — their fourth straight loss in the series.

As Michigan’s players planted their flag at midfield of The Horseshoe, Sawyer charged in along with his teammates and ripped it away, leading to a melee that lasted five minutes and was finally broken up by police with pepper spray.

But with the expanded 12-team playoff, Ohio State’s seniors got one final chance to end their careers with hardware. With his scoop-and-score, Sawyer brought the Buckeyes within a game of winning their first national championship since 2014.

“The resiliency of this team from a month ago has been incredible,” said Sawyer, who became the first FBS player in a decade to produce multiple pass breakups and a sack in three straight games, according to ESPN Research, all coming during Ohio State’s playoff run. “We sat up here last year with a sore taste in our mouth and heard a lot of things. We come back and heard the same things a month ago. But we kept swinging.”

The underdog Longhorns kept swinging too.

After the Buckeyes took a 21-14 lead, Ewers led Texas all the way to the Ohio State 1-yard line. But on second-and-goal, safety Lathan Ransom dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss on a risky sweep.

“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone — and we didn’t.”

After an incompletion, Texas faced fourth-and-goal from the 8. Ewers, who began his career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas after one season, said he thought he had time to get off the pass. But his onetime roommate got to him before he could.

“Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give him the game,” Ewers said. “He is a great player, great individual, great person. … It sucks, but Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”

Sawyer’s fumble recovery was the longest in CFP and Cotton Bowl history. As Ohio State quarterback Will Howard took a knee, Day jumped into Sawyer’s arms.

“I don’t know if there’s a guy … who loves being a Buckeye more,” Day said. “This is somebody … who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always wanted for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today — I mean, he’s become like family to me.”

Day and Sawyer both cautioned that their last ride together isn’t over quite yet. They have one game left and a national title still to win. But they also both acknowledged the magnitude of the moment. And Sawyer’s looming place in Ohio State history.

“I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio, I love Ohio State football,” Sawyer said. “And I’m so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here.”

ESPN’s Dave Wilson contributed to this report.

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Minnesota’s Hetherman joins Miami as new DC

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Minnesota's Hetherman joins Miami as new DC

Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has resigned his post with the Gophers and accepted the same position at Miami.

Hetherman helped the Gophers to an 8-5 record this season, including a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten. Minnesota closed the season with a 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl earlier this month.

The Hurricanes fired defensive coordinator Lance Guidry last month after late-season defensive woes effectively cost Miami a chance to play for a conference championship, as well as a potential berth in the College Football Playoff.

Guidry spent two seasons on the Miami staff after arriving from Marshall. Though Miami showed growth in the early part of the season, the Hurricanes regressed in the final month, including a 42-38 loss to Syracuse in the regular-season finale with an ACC championship game berth on the line.

Miami blew a 21-0 lead, finished the regular season with losses in two of its final three games and failed to advance to Charlotte to play for the conference title. Miami finished two spots outside the final CFP spot.

Then, in its season finale, a 42-41 Pop-Tarts Bowl loss to Iowa State, Miami blew a 10-point third-quarter lead — allowing the Cyclones to score the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining. Guidry was fired three days later.

“In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said at the time. “We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”

The Hurricanes open next season at home against Notre Dame, which will play for the CFP title next week.

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