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Weegar grateful for warm return to Calgary: ‘A lot of great memories’

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CALGARY — Long before the video tribute, the stirring ovation and his emotional response, MacKenzie Weegar was welcomed back to Calgary the way he wanted: with love from his former teammates.

They did by way of a shooting gallery during warmups, firing pucks at him from every angle.

“They came right at me right away,” beamed the popular defenceman who spent four years in Calgary before agreeing to a deadline deal to Utah.

“When I was getting interviewed, they were shooting pucks at me right away. Colesy (Blake Coleman), Backs (Mikael Backlund), Matty (Coronato)… I felt like I got more blocked shots in the warm-up than I did all season.”

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It says plenty when the perennial shot-blocking leader is on the receiving end of so many frozen reminders of how beloved he was in Calgary.

That point was driven home six minutes into his first game back in Calgary Sunday, when a lengthy video tribute during the first TV timeout brought the crowd to its feet for one of the heartier welcomes from a fan base that sure seems to be getting used to them.

“It was special,” said Weegar, who removed his helmet for the moment and sure seemed to be a tad misty-eyed as he waved in appreciation.

“Obviously, a lot of emotions going through that. Some laughs too — the boys kind of triggered me a little bit. I could see them peeking their heads over behind the red line.

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“Just a lot of great memories. I got some goose bumps over there, it was a great cheer. My appreciation for the fans, and their appreciation for me, never goes unnoticed.”

He too noticed the roars were just a little louder than most of the lads who’ve passed by with their new teams. After all, he heard most of them over the last handful of years.

“That’s the market here — they love their hockey, they love their players, and if you just buy into the system, and you work super hard every night, and you wear that jersey with a lot of pride, they’ll show it back to you here,” smiled the 32-year-old.

“So that’s all I wanted to do when I was here, just wear that jersey with pride and give it all I got here. I’m glad they noticed it. And it goes both ways.”

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Weegar said the love-in was similar to what he expected, minus the result — a 4-1 Mammoth loss in which he actually had a chance to flip the script early in the second when he walked in from the point and had a golden chance to beat Dustin Wolf to narrow the gap in a 2-0 game.

“I’ll sleep on that one for sure,” he said of the shot that found its way into Wolf’s glove.

“I’m thinking about it right now. I could have got him in a couple different areas, but he played great tonight. I’ll give him credit. It would have been a really great night if we got the two points. I really wanted to win that one.”

Wolf said playfully he loved getting a leg up on Weegar in his return to a city in which No. 52 was wildly popular with teammates and the masses.

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“He had a real nice look down the middle, and… you knew he was going there,” laughed Wolf, whose squad got goals from Connor Zary, Brayden Pachal, Coronato and Backlund.

“He tries to fool me, but he needs to try a little harder.”

The win saw the Flames pass the New York Rangers for 29th in the standings — an unpopular move for most Flames fans.

For the Mammoth, who are trying to avoid playing Colorado in the first round, the loss does nothing to derail the fact that they’re heading to the playoffs for their first spring fling since moving to Utah.

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“I can’t wait, it’s gonna be an absolute blast,” said Weegar, who assisted on Utah’s third-period goal to ruin Wolf’s shutout.

“Ultimately, I made the decision to come over here for that reason, to get an opportunity to get in the playoffs and make some noise.”

He insists that as the team bus drove past Scotia Place he resisted the urge to joke with teammates that he had a hand in making the new rink happen.

“They were kind of chirping me a little bit about that,” he smiled.

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“I saw the new building getting built, and I kind of just had a little thought in my head, kind of ‘what could have been.’ But the Saddledome here has given me a lot of great memories.”

Sunday night being yet another one of them.

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Tyson Fury shows true colours with £40 purchase after banking £18.6m from latest win

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Saturday’s fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov earned Tyson Fury a huge £18.6m payday on his return to the ring

He might have brought in millions from his fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov but Tyson Fury isn’t spending it all at once. Fury was spotted taking a budget flight with his wife and kids after beating Makhmudov by unanimous decision in London.

Fury, 37, was back in the ring for the first time since 2024. Netflix bought the streaming rights and the former world champ banked the best part of £19million, though a chunk of that is expected to go to the taxman.

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Such a hefty payday might have prompted some to splash out on a private jet. He was doing nothing of the sort, though, taking a LoganAir flight from London City Airport to his Isle of Man home.

Fury, wife Paris and their seven children were spotted at the airport preparing for a commercial flight back to the island. Tickets for the journey can cost as little as £40 and even more expensive commercial journeys are still far cheaper than private flights.

The Manchester fighter is believed to have moved to the Isle of Man in late 2025. His new home on the tax haven is reported to have set him back around £8m and is near the island’s capital of Douglas.

Fury and his family had been living in Morecambe, Lancashire, before making the move. The Gypsy King decided to relocate after a scary incident with an intruder and considered other options before settling on their new home.

“I looked at moving abroad, but it turned out that the Isle of Man is the perfect place for me,” the heavyweight said. “It’s English-speaking, has English pound notes, and I can get an English newspaper from the local petrol station with my coffee and speak my own lingo.”

While the Makhmudov fight was Fury’s first since 2024, he called out rival Anthony Joshua after his unanimous decision victory. However, Joshua didn’t seem convinced by the prospect of facing his compatriot.

“I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for,” Fury said. “I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want – the Battle of Britain.

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“I challenge you Anthony Joshua to fight me the Gypsy King next. Do you accept my challenge?”

Joshua fired back, though. “Tyson, you are a clout-chaser. I’ve never had no problem getting in a ring with you, I punched you up as kids, watching you tonight I’ll punch you up again,” he said.

“You won’t tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you the last 10 years, when you’re ready you come and see me. I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me.

“When you’re ready you come and see me and tell me your terms and conditions. I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord remember that, you work for me.”

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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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Former LSU women’s basketball guard reveals transfer destination

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Former LSU women’s basketball guard Bella Hines transferred to TCU, per a report from On3’s Talia Goodman on Sunday. The move comes after her lone season in Baton Rouge.

Hines was part of the top signing class in the 2026 recruiting cycle. She averaged 4.2 points per game, shooting 44% from the field. Most of her shots came from beyond the arc, helping stretch the floor for LSU’s playmakers.

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Early in SEC play, Hines saw few meaningful minutes but that changed in February. She played over 10 minutes five out of the seven games LSU played that month, upping her game as a scorer and defender.

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Hines’ decision to transfer came as a surprise, considering her strong finish to the season. She would’ve been in the running to start or be one of the first two players off the bench, but instead, she’ll head to the Big 12.

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The hidden Masters advantage Rory McIlroy used to crack Augusta code

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In the end, this second Masters championship for Rory McIlroy is almost unavoidably going to become a milestone.

If last year’s emotional triumph to complete the Grand Slam was a destination – the destination – then retaining it puts him in rarefied air but doesn’t answer the only question which will ultimately matter when all is said and done; where this child prodigy from Northern Ireland turned golfing superstar will rank among the all-time greats.

That is the competition for him now: how many majors he can amass, how many records he can break.

By his own admission on this Sunday night in Georgia, at American golf’s most famous course in its crown jewel competition, he won’t always have this level of preparation for a major.

But it was his preparation that ultimately proved crucial in holding off a late charge from some of the world’s best.

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After 71 holes of rollercoaster golf, the 18th hole on Sunday was a microcosm of it all.

Needing to avoid a double-bogey on the last to win back-to-back Masters championships, McIlroy was once again wayward when the fairway was wide open for him.

“Coming off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was, that was probably the moment of most stress; thinking this could be anywhere.”

Not for the first time, McIlroy’s driving put him out of position heading down the 18th with a two-shot lead
Not for the first time, McIlroy’s driving put him out of position heading down the 18th with a two-shot lead (AP)

The Ulsterman had been long but inaccurate off the tee all week, and found the pine straw yet again. An iron to salvage things ended up in the bunker, but he splashed out to give himself a par putt that would have won the Masters. Drifting only a matter of inches past the hole, a bogey was still enough.

On Tuesday, McIlroy had commented that he felt “winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one.”

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But last year’s triumph might not have helped in the way you’d expect, and it turns out that there are far greater advantages to winning the Masters than people might realise.

The obvious one of McIlroy no longer feeling that same internal pressure to complete the Grand Slam is something that is undeniable, and he admitted himself that he felt it might be simpler this year without the weight of the Grand Slam on his shoulders. But all those years of neurotically wondering how to best prepare in order to give himself the best chance of winning have also set him up for future success at Augusta that will extend far beyond this year’s triumph, his second in a row.

McIlroy with his family after winning a second Masters, including parents Rosie and Gerry McIlroy - who would not miss a second green jacket
McIlroy with his family after winning a second Masters, including parents Rosie and Gerry McIlroy – who would not miss a second green jacket (REUTERS)

McIlroy tried a lot of different regimes as he looked to climb the mountain – arriving late, arriving early, practicing a lot, not practicing at all, playing in tournaments, skipping them – but this year’s preparation is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time.

From his base in Florida, he has been baking practice at Augusta into his weekly routine to the extent that it now “feels like my home course”. Skipping the three tour events running up to the Masters simply because he “doesn’t like them” will have made a couple of PGA Tour tournament directors wince, but it has allowed him time to effectively commute (via private jet, naturally) and practice around the course where a tournament that will actually matter to his legacy is taking place.

“I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her – or had dinner with Erica probably… a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio,” McIlroy admitted in typically frank fashion.

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“Monday, Tuesday last week, then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I was up here for a day the week before as well.

“I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks, and that’s been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out.”

McIlroy’s preparation for this year’s Masters is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time
McIlroy’s preparation for this year’s Masters is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time (REUTERS)

McIlroy revealed that it wasn’t about conserving energy, just spending productive time working on those details around on the greens where a major championship would be decided come this glorious mid-April Sunday.

And that level of practice has shown.

Ultimately what McIlroy has learned over his nearly two decades of playing years of playing here is that you need to be a killer with the wedges and putter in hand.

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After two days, McIlroy was second-best putting and second-best driving distance but 90th in driving accuracy. He missed every single fairway on the par 5s as he built up his six-stroke lead over Thursday and Friday’s rounds, all eight of them, but came away with seven birdies and a par.

That’s a guy who understands how to play the course.

“I feel like being up here a lot and I’ve prepared as well for this Masters as any other that I’ve played,” he said.

Indeed, his 3.1 strokes gained around the greens during Friday’s round was not just the best in the field all weekend, it was the best by miles. In fact, the gap from first to second was the same as the gap from second to 45th. His chipping and short game was on a different planet to everyone else unfortunate enough to be trying to catch him at Augusta this weekend.

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McIlroy was required to escape from the bunker on the 18th in order to avoid a double bogey
McIlroy was required to escape from the bunker on the 18th in order to avoid a double bogey (Getty Images)

“My scrambling, my putting and my short game are what won me this tournament,” he would say on Sunday night, that green jacket once again on his back.

While Saturday’s round had made the retrieval of that jacket more difficult, McIlroy leaned into practice as a means of dragging himself to the finish line.

After missing some key iron shots left on day three during a disappointing 73, his post-round trip to the driving range as the shadows disappeared and turned into night on Saturday was all about rediscovering the light fade and re-establishing control.

In McIlroy’s own words, the most important shot of Masters Sunday was his nine-iron off the tee on 12, where he pulled out that baby cut that he’d rehearsed so many times under the lights of the practice area and nailed it under the brightest lights of them all.

McIlroy highlighted his nine-iron off the tee on 12, which led to birdie, as his most important shot of the week
McIlroy highlighted his nine-iron off the tee on 12, which led to birdie, as his most important shot of the week (Getty Images)

“It was a really good golf shot at the right time, and probably a golf shot I wouldn’t have been able to hit yesterday before going to the range.”

That birdie, then another on 13, proved decisive. It was his golf through Amen Corner on Sunday and the resultant three-shot swing that was the difference between him and perennial contender Justin Rose, at one point a Sunday leader by two shots, and set McIlroy back on the path to glory after a wobbly start.

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McIlroy described himself on Friday as a “wily old veteran” and this victory provided some support for that. No longer is he the boy wonder who dreams of emulating the greats, he is the established hero who inspires those following around the world.

Could other players have turned up at Augusta over the last few weeks and played practice rounds to familiarise themselves with the angles and sightlines provided by this sternest of tests? Probably not. That’s the benefit of a green jacket. Besides, most of them will have had tournaments to play.

Make no mistake, though. McIlroy has earned the right to prepare how he wishes, he had toiled for more than a decade without tasting glory and tried every which way to prepare in order to win. Now that he’s found his formula, and it appears he truly has, good luck convincing him to change it.

McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond have cracked the code to win the Masters
McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond have cracked the code to win the Masters (Getty Images)

“I thought it was so difficult last year because I was trying to win the Masters and the Grand Slam but it turned it was just really difficult to win the Masters,” he laughed on a Sunday night that will once again be filled with champagne at the impeccable Augusta National clubhouse.

Yet he followed with a more important lesson, and a more pertinent one, as his smile melted into sincerity.

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“If you put the hours in and you work on the right things, it’ll work out for you.”

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Absent AEW Star Josh Alexander

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While the AEW star Josh Alexander is currently out of action due to injury, an update has come up regarding the severity of the injury. The Walking Weapon wrestled his last match last month.

After gaining prominence during his time in TNA, Josh Alexander joined All Elite Wrestling last year. Alexander has been an integral part of the Don Callis Family faction during his AEW run. After his last match on Collision last month, where he teamed with El Clon nd Konosuke Takeshita against JetSpeed and Mistico in a trios match, Alexander was ruled out due to injury.

After announcing that he had sustained an injury, Josh Alexander also underwent successful knee surgery. While Josh is expected to be on the road to recovery, an update is here regarding the same. Alexander’s wife, Jade Chung recently shared a post on Instagram featuring her husband as well.

Jade was showing her old wrestling gear in a funny reel in which she made Josh Alexander wear her gear through editing. Alexander was seen in the reel with crutches, as he was having trouble walking after the recent knee surgery.

Alexander could be seen with crutches in the following post:


Josh Alexander’s AEW return is uncertain after injury

After his last match on Collision a few weeks back, Josh Alexander disclosed that he had sustained an injury during his last match. In a video shared on X, Alexander also stated that he is not cleared to compete and there is no timetable on when he will return:

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“Last week on AEW Collision, I suffered an injury. And when you suffer injuries, you don’t know how severe they are. I just found out a minute ago how serious this was, and I know I’ve been limping and in pain for a week, but yeah, my surgeon told me I’m going to need surgery this coming Wednesday. And my knee injury is pretty severe, so I will not be cleared to compete, and there’s no timetable set right now for when I will be back,” Alexander revealed.

It remains to be seen when Josh Alexander will be back in action following the recent knee surgery.