Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan is the winner of the 2024-25 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

It’s the first time a Blue Jacket has won the award, which is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. No player in the league exemplified those qualities more than Monahan, who was voted the Masterton winner by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Monahan, 30, signed with the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2024, primarily to reunite with Johnny Gaudreau. The two were close friends after playing nearly a decade together in Calgary, so Monahan jumped at a chance to rekindle that spark as a free agent — two years after Gaudreau stunned the NHL by picking the Blue Jackets.

Instead, an offseason tragedy that took the lives of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, on Aug. 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey dashed those plans, leaving Monahan emotionally gutted. His Columbus debut began with a heavy heart, forcing Monahan and his new teammates to bond through shared grief and fond memories of Gaudreau.

“John’s someone who brings people together,’ Monahan said after the NHL announced him as the Masterton winner June 5. ‘So, going to a new team, everyone knew him well, and I said it plenty of times this year … I felt like that was where I was supposed to be, playing in Columbus. And I don’t take that for granted. Being a Blue Jacket, what it means to be a Blue Jacket and the guys I’m surrounded with every day in the organization and my teammates, it’s a real special place to play.’ 

Monahan became a special part of the Blue Jackets lineup while centering the top forward line and playing the critical ‘bumper’ position for the first power-play group. Together, Monahan and the Blue Jackets became the NHL’s most improved team, improving by 23 points from 2023-24, and nearly qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs under new head coach Dean Evason.

Monahan, who missed more than two months with a wrist injury, was a driving force with 19 goals, 38 assists and 57 points in just 54 games.

‘I was playing with some great players, and I was confident in my game,’ Monahan said. ‘I worked really hard to get back to where I wanted to be, and I think I’ve still got a lot to prove and a lot to prove to myself. I think we should be a playoff team every year. This year was a bit of a step forward, but we didn’t get where we wanted to, so … it’s a big summer for our group to get ready for next season.”

Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, presented Monahan with the trophy in a surprise visit to his offseason home near Toronto. The NHL shared a moving video on social media of her surprising Monahan with the award, and both had tears flowing.

‘I had no idea,’ Monahan said. ‘I was kind of waiting around all dressed up for a while because I was told we were doing family photos, and my mom was here and was going to help us with the little guy (1-year old Leo) and to get set up. It definitely caught me off guard, so it was just presented in a special way, and they did a great job to surprise me.”

Runners-up to Monahan for the 2024-25 Masterton are Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who’s retiring after a distinguished career, and Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who returned in the playoffs after a three-year absence due to a knee injury.

Monahan also went through injury difficulties prior to signing with the Blue Jackets, playing just 90 games combined for the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens between 2021 and 2023 due to multiple health challenges that included two hip surgeries, a groin surgery and a broken foot. A wrist surgery kept him out for two-plus months with the Blue Jackets, while at the same time grieving Gaudreau.

‘It’s definitely special to get the award,’ Monahan said. ‘I’ve said it before. I don’t need the recognition. Everybody’s going through different things in their life, but I worked hard to get where I am, and I went through ups and downs. And to be in Columbus and be healthy and able to play the game I love is something I don’t take for granted.”

Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached atbhedger@dispatch.com and@BrianHedger.bsky.social

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The NFL regular season will kick off in less than 100 days. NFL mandatory minicamps begin next week, and training camp gets underway in July.

Every team has multiple unanswered questions this time of year. Rosters are still being formed, rookies are learning new systems, roles have yet to be defined and coaches are incorporating plans for the season ahead. Plus, several impact free agents are still available.

As minicamps get ready to commence across the league, USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon provides his biggest question for every team in the NFC.

Here’s a dive into one major question for all 16 teams in the NFC:

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

When are the Cowboys and Micah Parsons going to finalize a contract extension?

Parsons presumably will become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history once an extension is finished. Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett currently holds the title, earning an annual average of $40 million. The Cowboys have over $32.1 million in cap space, via Over the Cap.

New York Giants

Is the job status of general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll contingent upon quarterback Jaxson Dart’s success?

Schoen is notoriously known for letting Saquon Barkley walk to Philadelphia. Daboll has an 18-32-1 record in three seasons at the helm. The Giants likely need to take a positive step forward this season for the two to remain employed in New York. Daboll said Russell Wilson is the team’s starter but that could change if the temperature on his seat gets hotter.

Philadelphia Eagles

Are the Eagles still the team to beat despite key departures?

The significant losses for the Eagles include Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Mekhi Becton and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Jr. Younger and less experienced players, such as rookies Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba, will be asked to contribute immediately for the defending champs.

Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels must avoid a sophomore slump. Is Daniels the newest superstar quarterback?

The Commanders are in the fortuitous position of having a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract. Washington acquired standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel in separate trades. Now Daniels and the Commanders must build off a Cinderella 2024 campaign.

NFC North

Chicago Bears

Can new head coach Ben Johnson improve the Bears offense?

The Bears ranked last in total offense and Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times last year. When Johnson was the offensive coordinator in Detroit, no offense averaged more points per game (30.1) or net yards per game (402.2) than the Lions the past two seasons.

Detroit Lions

Will the departures of both coordinators have a negative impact on the Lions?

The Lions lost both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to promotions. New OC John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard have big shoes to fill. Furthermore, the Lions must deal with the sudden retirement of center Frank Ragnow.

Green Bay Packers

Who will emerge in Green Bay’s wide receiver logjam?

The Packers have Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden atop the depth chart. Watson will likely miss the start of the 2025 season as he recovers from an ACL tear. But what happens when Watson returns? Doubs missed practice last year because he wasn’t happy with his role and was subsequently suspended for one game.

Minnesota Vikings

Is J.J. McCarthy Minnesota’s franchise quarterback?

The Vikings are poised to start McCarthy after Sam Darnold’s career year in Minnesota. Darnold is the first QB in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first season with a team. McCarthy is often going to be compared to his predecessor.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons aren’t really going to keep Kirk Cousins, right?

The Falcons have turned over the quarterback keys to Michael Penix Jr. — and they aren’t turning back. But is Atlanta comfortable with having the most expensive backup quarterback in the league? Cousins has a guaranteed salary of $27.5 million this season. He’s made his intentions clear about his desire to start. A trade seems like a logical solution.

Carolina Panthers

Can Bryce Young continue his positive trajectory?

Young made positive strides as a passer after his early season demotion. He tossed seven touchdowns and had zero interceptions in his final three regular-season games as Carolina won two of those three contests last year. He ended his second year with three straight games with over a 100-passer rating. The Panthers helped Young out this offseason by adding WR Tetairoa McMillan in the first round. The two played high school football against each other.

New Orleans Saints

Is Tyler Shough the answer at quarterback?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Did the Bucs do enough to improve their pass defense?

The Bucs had the 29th-ranked pass defense in 2024. Tampa Bay signed Haason Reddick this offseason and four of the team’s six draft selections were on cornerbacks and edge rushers.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Will Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. develop a better rapport in the desert?

During the 2024 season, Murray and Harrison often struggled to sync up with each other. Consequently, Harrison didn’t meet expectations in his first year. As the top wide receiver selected in the 2024 draft, he finished fifth among rookies in both receptions and receiving yards. The Cardinals wideout told reporters this offseason, “there’s room for improvement.”

Los Angeles Rams

Are the Rams legitimate contenders in the NFC?

General manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have done a tremendous job of infusing the roster with youth while remaining competitive since winning Super Bowl 56. The Rams essentially preferred Davante Adams over Cooper Kupp. The defense returns defensive rookie of the year, Jared Verse. Last year’s club had the eventual Super Bowl 59 champion Eagles on the ropes.

San Francisco 49ers

Will the 49ers evade the injury bug this season?

There’s a lot of talk about whether San Francisco’s Super Bowl window is closed. They lost multiple starters on defense, including Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Charvarius Ward. Plus, Deebo Samuel on offense. But the 49ers’ core pillars — Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams remain. San Francisco is still one of the best teams in the NFL if those six can stay healthy.

Seattle Seahawks

Is Seattle’s investment in Sam Darnold going to pay off?

The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal after the quarterback’s career season in Minnesota. Was last year an anomaly or a sign of more to come for the journeyman QB? The Seahawks are banking on (literally) that it’s the latter.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, 41, is reportedly headed to the Steel City. The former Green Bay Packers and New York Jets quarterback will sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving the Steelers their fourth different starting quarterback in five years, with last year’s quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields signing with the New York Giants and New York Jets respectively.

Rodgers is a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he decides to hang up his cleats. However, many fans wonder if the quarterback still has what it takes to lead a team to a Super Bowl. Here are some of the best reactions on social media.

Best reactions to Rodgers signing with Steelers

The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is up for grabs. Will the Indiana Pacers win the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history? Or will the Oklahoma City Thunder reign victorious for the first time since 1979, when the team was still the Seattle SuperSonics?

Meanwhile, the Pacers are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, thanks in part to All-NBA Third Team guard Tyrese Haliburton, who averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds in six games vs. the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Thunder swept the Pacers in the regular season, winning both matchups. Gilgeous-Alexander had 45 points in the Thunder’s 120-114 win over the Pacers in Indiana on Dec. 26 and dropped 33 at home in Oklahoma City’s 132-111 win over Indiana on March 29.

It all adds up to a must-see Game 1. USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more throughout the game. Follow along. 

What time is Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder?

The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Indiana Pacers for Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 1

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
TV: ABC
Stream: Fubo, Sling TV

Watch the NBA Finals with Fubo

Where is Game 1 between Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder?

The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. 

Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 1 odds

The Oklahoma City Thunder are favorites to take a 1-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, according to BetMGM (odds as of Wednesday, June 4):

Spread: Thunder (-9.5)
Moneyline: Thunder (-450); Pacers (+340)
Over/under: 231.5

Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals series odds

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter Game 1 as the favorite to win the 2025 NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers, according to BetMGM (odds as of Wednesday, June 4)

Series winner: Thunder (-700); Pacers (+500)

Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals picks: USA Today staff predictions

USA TODAY: Every expert picks the Thunder

All of the NBA experts at USA Today Sports picked the Oklahoma City Thunder to beat the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals

Scooby Axson: Thunder in five
Cydney Henderson: Thunder in six
Jordan Mendoza: Thunder in six
Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder in six
Heather Tucker: Thunder in five
James Williams: Thunder in six
Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder in five

For the third straight season, ESPN will feature a different three-person broadcasting crew for the NBA Finals, as Richard Jefferson debuts alongside fellow analyst Doris Burke and play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

Jefferson replaces JJ Redick on the network’s No. 1 NBA team, as Redick became the Los Angeles Lakers head coach after last season. A 17-year NBA player, Jefferson joined Breen and Burke throughout the 2024-25 regular season before ESPN officially announced he would be on the Finals call – which starts June 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers – in February.

Redick and Burke were already a makeshift analyst pairing next to Breen. ESPN’s initial plan, following the 2023 firings of longtime top-game analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, was to have Burke and Doc Rivers as the No. 1 crew. But Rivers quickly jumped back into the coaching ranks with the Milwaukee Bucks, allowing Redick to join the top team.

‘When it’s two (analysts), it’s not just my chemistry with Doris and my chemistry with Richard Jefferson, it’s their chemistry together, and that’s what makes it much more of a challenge,’ Breen said of a three-person booth on a May 27 episode of ‘The Sports Media with Richard Deitsch’ podcast. ‘Richard, I think, has been a much better fit in a three-person booth than Doc was. Doc, I think he’s a great analyst, but he had never really worked a lot three-person.’

Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson worked together for 17 years and became known for playing their roles perfectly – Van Gundy the complainer, Jackson with the catchphrases and Breen conducting it all.

Working with Redick and Burke last year, Breen said, the trio started to build chemistry but called roughly a dozen games together by the time the playoffs began.

‘And I thought, again, the growth with Doris and JJ last year, we really started getting a great feel for each other,’ Breen told Deitsch. ‘And now all of a sudden, JJ is the Laker coach. So now you bring in this year, and we tried a whole bunch of different people.

‘It’s difficult, and I feel it’s much more difficult when it’s a three-person booth as opposed to just two. You can get chemistry fairly quickly. For me, if I’m working with just one analyst, you pick up on that so quickly.’

Could this be another one-and-done for ESPN’s NBA Finals team?

Burke has been with ESPN since 1991 and became the first woman to call a major men’s sports league’s championship series in 2024. Jefferson, per The Athletic, is an upcoming free agent and has drawn interest from Amazon, which begins holding NBA rights next season.

‘I think it’s what Richard and Doris have done in a short time this year, their chemistry just keeps getting better and better,’ Breen said, ‘and it’s been really fun.”

If you want to understand just how insane some of the hype around Ashton Jeanty has gotten, go back just a little bit, to last month, and remember the noise around … his stance. His stance.

Jeanty, while at Boise State, used a more upright, pre-snap stance. Most backs in the pros don’t do that. They tend to crouch more. The theory of the case is that backs want to run as low to the ground as possible after getting the snap so they’re more prepared to take on defenders who will also be low.

This is all deep inside football wonky stuff but, ahem, this is why you’re here. You’re an inside football wonky kinda person.

Jeanty told journalist Kay Adams that Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly stated that he’d like Jeanty to switch to a more traditional stance. This led to so much online arguing/chatter/incredulity that Kelly decided to address The Stance at a recent press conference.

“Let’s get that clarified,” Kelly later said, via transcript from the Raiders. “Deland McCullough, our running back coach, is in charge of stances, steps, alignments, assignments, and techniques. So he talked to him about that. I gave him an analogy of an athlete being in a bent-knee position to make a play, and that kind of got blown into. I haven’t told anybody on this team to be in any stances because I don’t coach a position. But it’s a bent-knee game.

“If you look at the before the ball snapped in baseball, or the pitcher throwing the baseball, everybody’s got their knees bent. In any athletic sport you’re playing, you’ve got to bend your knees. And if you’ve got to run a flat route on Fred Warner, you’d better be in a position to run, because that dude can fly. So, all we’re trying to do is put guys in positions to make plays.”

“I really like that stance he’s in,” a smiling coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s doing great. He really is. He’s right on point with everything that we’re doing. He’s studying really hard. He’s been really diligent about all aspects. There’s nothing that he doesn’t find important. He’s going to work hard on his pass protection and his third-down work and see if he can contribute in that kind of role, as well. We’re not holding anything back on him.”

There are few rookies who will be more closely watched (cough Shedeur Sanders cough) than Jeanty.

I’m one of the few people in the known universe who believes that the Raiders actually aren’t that far away from being in contention for a playoff spot. Yes, quarterback Geno Smith will throw a pick or two…or four…but he is still an overall good quarterback. There are some pieces in place there and one of those is Carroll, perhaps the most underrated head coach in the history of the league (you read that correctly).

Go look at his track record dating back to USC. If not for the worst play call in Super Bowl history (yeah it was pretty bad) we’d be thinking about Carroll in a totally different way. He’s one of the better franchise builders we’ve ever seen.

It’s true the AFC West is brutal, and this isn’t to say they’ll be in the Super Bowl tomorrow, but the Raiders could make a more significant leap sooner than expected.

That’s in part because of what’s expected from Jeanty and what’s expected from him seems to be a lot. There hasn’t been this much hype around a Raiders rookie in a long time and for good reason. Jeanty had 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. But it’s not just the numbers on why Jeanty could change the course of the Raiders. It’s also Carroll. His emphasis on the running game in Seattle helped transform the career of Marshawn Lynch from good to stratospheric. Carroll might be able to do the same with Jeanty.

Lynch has said in the past that Carroll’s emphasis on situational football proved almost magical.

‘I used to be mad as (expletive) when we used to have to practice that,’ Lynch said. ‘Then that (expletive) happened in the very next game and I’d be like, ‘Man, how’d you know that was gonna happen?”

‘His attention to detail is what I feel the Raiders have been missing,’ Lynch said.

Carroll will build his entire offense around Jeanty just as he (mostly) did with Lynch.

That’s why there’s so much hype around Jeanty. Is that hype warranted?

It just might be.

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Two-time Olympic boxing champion Vasiliy Lomachenko has announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 37.

Lomachenko won gold for Ukraine in the featherweight division at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, and followed it up with a gold in the lightweight division at the 2012 Games in London.

Widely considered to be one of the greatest amateur boxers in history, he amassed a record of 396-1 before turning pro in 2013.

‘I’m grateful for every victory and every defeat, both in the ring and in life,’ Lomachenko said in a video posted on Instagram Thursday. ‘I’m thankful that, as my career comes to an end, I’ve gained clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve true victory, not just in the ring.’

As a professional, Lomachenko won world titles in three different divisions, but lost a controversial decision to Devin Haney in 2023 in a bid to regain the undisputed world lightweight title.

Known by nicknames such as ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Hi-Tech,’ Lomachenko’s final fight came in May 2024, when he stopped Australian George Kambosos Jr. in the 11th round, running his professional record to 18-3.

Phil Mickelson has won just about everything during his career as a professional golfer.

Everything except the U.S. Open.

The six-time major champion has finished as the runner-up in his country’s national championship six different times, but has never hoisted the trophy.

This year could be his last shot, as his five-year exemption for winning the 2021 PGA expires at the end of this season.

‘There’s a high likelihood that it will be, but I haven’t really thought about it too much,’ Mickelson said at his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday ahead of this week’s LIV Virginia event at the Robert Trent Jones Club in Manassas, Virginia.

Mickelson, 54, has missed the cut at the U.S. Open in his last three attempts to complete the career Grand Slam. 

Before winning the 2021 PGA, Mickelson had been granted a special exemption, but then didn’t need it after his win. He could also participate in 36-hole Final Qualifying.

Asked if he would consider attempting to qualify, Mickelson said, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far.’

Mickelson said this week’s setup at RTJ should provide a good test to see if his game is ready for Oakmont next weekend.

‘What I have thought about is how similar this week’s course is set up to what we’ll see next week. We have greens that are rolling 14 to 15 on the Stimpmeter, just like we will next week. We have contours, undulations, just like we will next week,’ he said.

‘Short game, touch, chipping around the greens, rough, speed, lag drills and speed and touch on the greens, all of that’s critical here, same thing as next week. It couldn’t be a better spot to get ready.’