
By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports
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2026 Way-Too-Early Best-in-West CFB Power Rankings
Narratives, narratives, narratives.
The entire college football landscape is driven by perception and propaganda.
All season long, all we heard from ESPN was that the SEC is the most dominant league. But what did we get on the field? Another season with the national champion coming from the Big Ten.
At a certain point, you must concede the truth: The Big Ten is the best.
And in the context of the teams out West, the truth changes the power structure. The results of this year’s Playoff crystalized the pecking order.
There is a massive gap between the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Texas Tech getting embarrassed by Oregon was just the cherry on top.
And now, with a new year upon us, these rankings will reflect that gap.
Moving forward, the conference hierarchy is clear. It goes: Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, then the Mountain West.
The ACC, through Cal and Stanford, remains in the mix as well. The Bay Area schools will vary in hierarchical order depending on the individual success of each school.
With all that in mind, here’s my Way-Too-Early Power Ranking for the 2026 Season.
1. Oregon
The top team in the West remains the Oregon Ducks.
Consistently knocking on the door, it’s only a matter of time until they break through.
Curt Cignetti’s success with less talent potentially puts more pressure on Dan Lanning. But having gone 48-8 and built an enviable culture in Eugene over his first four seasons as a head coach, Lanning’s ceiling remains exceptionally high at age 39.
Cignetti, a crafty 64-year-old with 16 years of head coaching experience, went 34-12 in his first four campaigns, making his first subdivision national title appearance in Year Nine.
2. USC
There’s nothing more embarrassing than hyping up a USC team that ends up falling on its face.
That was the case too often during the Pac-12 era. But this is different.
The Big Ten has clearly established itself in the new college football landscape, and USC is trending up.
Recruiting is red hot, and Lincoln Riley runs a capable offensive system.
Don’t overlook the Trojans heading into the new season.
3. BYU
If Texas Tech was that far off, then what does it say about BYU?
Sure, the Cougars beat Georgia Tech in a close, meaningless game. It was a good win. But if Oregon did that to the Red Raiders, what would they have done to BYU?
Perceptions matter, but results matter even more. And the Big 12 is down bad.
If you think it was hard for BYU to get respect last year, the 2026 season is going to be even worse.
4. Washington
Credit the lawyers who drafted the contract with Demond Williams Jr. The language may have kept him in Seattle and saved Washington’s season.
The awkwardness of the situation will be a unique challenge to overcome. But success will make people forget.
And the Dawgs are poised for a strong season. The team still needs to get over the proverbial hump.
Yet, the foundation is in place.
5. Utah
It’s entirely possible that the Utes committed an all-time fumble by letting Kyle Whittingham go. How he does at Michigan will be telling.
But Morgan Scalley has been the coach in waiting for years, and the program has prepared for this moment.
Losing several coaches to the Wolverines was not a good look, though, and is less than ideal.
Still, coming off an 11-win season with your starting quarterback and top running back returning makes for a good situation.
6. Arizona State
The Sun Devils enter the season with new weapons on offense.
Kenny Dillingham crushed the portal at the wide receiver position and brought in quarterback Cutter Boley from Kentucky to lead the offense.
The 15-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio is not great, though, and Boley’s 1.3 average yards per rush doesn’t inspire confidence.
Even so, Arizona State did well in the portal and should be a fringe Top 25 team to start the year.
7. Arizona
Noah Fifita enters his redshirt senior season as the best quarterback in program history.
With a year of Seth Doege’s offensive system under his belt, the Arizona offense could be even stronger in 2026.
Tre Spivey III is one of the top wide receivers in the Big 12, and Gio Richardson is set for a breakout year. On the other side of the ball, Danny Gonzales is one of the top defensive coordinators in the country.
Expectations are growing in Tucson.
8. California
It’s a new era in Berkeley with Tosh Lupoi leading the program.
When he was hired, it was an open question whether Lupoi could attract talent in the portal the way Justin Wilcox did. But currently holding the nation’s No. 13 transfer class, per 247Sports, that question has been answered.
Miami’s success in the Playoff helped boost the ACC’s reputation, which has a mild benefit on the Bears.
But more importantly, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returns for his sophomore year with high expectations.
9. Boise State
The Pac-12 era begins for Boise State in 2026. It’s a fresh start for one of the West’s marquee programs.
Yet, the world hasn’t forgotten about the blowout loss to Washington in the LA Bowl. The result was concerning.
The Broncos are very far off from what’s considered, frankly, a mid-tier team in the Big Ten. How does the transition to the Pac-12 change perceptions?
That’s what the upcoming season is all about. At the very least, it starts with a dose of reality.
10. New Mexico
There’s something brewing in Albuquerque. The performance in the Rate Bowl against a Big Ten opponent was respectable.
Jason Eck is quickly emerging as one of the top coaches in the West. Realistically, New Mexico was lucky that he didn’t get poached by a bigger fish.
Now entering Year Two in the Duke City with a fractured Mountain West, it’s easy to say UNM is a favorite to win the league.
Don’t forget about the Lobos.
Next Up: UNLV, Washington State, San Diego State
Sports
Best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 10-4 Game 1 win over LSU
All Aggies in the lineup made it on base in a dominant 10-4 series-opening victory over the LSU Tigers on Friday night.
Texas A&M freshman Jorian Wilson’s two opposite-field home runs were the highlight of the night against the Tigers. The Aggie outfielder has recorded nine home runs so far this season, just two behind first baseman Grahovac, who has notched 11. The Maroon and White lineup features various explosive hitters who have racked up electrifying at-bats for the Aggies against elite competition.
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Fresh off a series win over No. 2 Texas, Texas A&M will aim to secure its fourth consecutive SEC series on Saturday. With the victory in the series opener over the Tigers, Texas A&M improves to 29-7 (10-5 in SEC play). Game 2 from Alex Box Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
Here are some of the best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 10-4 win over LSU in the series opener in Baton Rouge on Friday night:
Final score from Alex Box Stadium
Ethan Darden’s 1-2-3 innings closed it out for the Aggies
Lyons’ four strikeouts help Texas A&M notch a win over LSU
Every Aggie reaches base in the series opener
Wilson oppo-taco No. 2
Grahovac’s solo home run
True freshman’s oppo-taco No. 1
Texas A&M shuts down any doubts with an impressive performance in Game 1 against LSU
Aggies get the job done at the plate in the series opener
Texas A&M has won nine of the last 10 in SEC play
RPI update from the win
Texas A&M’s bats are hot
Aggies are having continued success for the Tigers
Update on Chris Hacopian
More on Hacopian’s injury
The freshman keeps getting the job done at the plate
Texas A&M gets the job done in Baton Rouge on Friday
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Social media reacts to Texas A&M’s 10-4 win over LSU in series opener
Sports
Bott nears Group 1 win with Miss Chanel in 2026 Champagne Stakes
Miss Chanel’s debut came in January, a time when trainer Adrian Bott had little expectation she’d still be competing on Sydney’s autumn carnival finale.
Bott was set to give her a spell post each race, but the filly has forced the hand of her connections to extend her preparation by staying competitive and earning her best-ever Group 1 result in the recent Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).
Come Saturday, the Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick awaits, where she hopes to emulate the seven fillies from the past 20 years who bested colts and geldings, with She’s Extreme the last in 2022.
“This is her seventh run, which is a little bit unorthodox,” Bott said.
“I can’t say it’s by design.
“She has been remarkably consistent, but each time I’ve thought it’s possibly our last run for the preparation, she seems to have put in another improved run again and done well off the back of it.
“I am mindful that at some point, she is going to have that run that says she has come to the end of her campaign, and it’s not going to be a surprise when she does.
“But off the back of what we’ve seen, she hasn’t given us any indication in her work. Her weight is great, appetite good, she’s bright in herself and a mile should really suit.”
The Champagne Stakes features other frequent racers beyond Miss Chanel.
Godolphin colt Zambales matches her with a seventh outing, while Fireball, Diameter and Persian Wonder are on six apiece.
In contrast to her rearward position and late charge in the Sires’ Produce, Bott expects Miss Chanel to sit handier from the wide gate this Saturday.
“From the draw, we’re probably going to have to be a bit more positive,” he said.
“Naturally, we think we can be stepping up to a mile, and she has sat on pace in some faster races over 1100 and 1200 earlier in the prep, so she does have tactical speed.”
Partner Gai Waterhouse boasts five Champagne Stakes victories, the most recent Pierro in 2012, though Bott and she haven’t won it jointly.
Their juveniles of late tended toward sprinting or Golden Slipper pursuits, positioning $5.50 Miss Chanel to potentially change that.
The top racing betting markets offer great value for the Champagne Stakes.
Sports
2026 RBC Heritage Saturday tee times: Round 3 pairings
The 2026 RBC Heritage continues on Saturday with the third round at Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina. You can find full RBC Heritage tee times for Saturday’s third round at the bottom of this post.
Featured tee time for Round 3
In 11 appearances at Harbour Town, Matt Fitzpatrick has finished in the top 25 five times, highlighted by a win in 2023, when he beat Jordan Spieth in a playoff.
And after firing rounds of 65-63 to reach 14 under par, Fitzpatrick heads into the weekend with a one-shot lead — in position to add a second victory to the above tally, and a fourth career PGA Tour win.
“I feel like I played well, had some good breaks and took advantage of them,” Fitzpatrick said after his round.
On Saturday afternoon, Fitzpatrick will tee it up in the final pairing alongside Viktor Hovland, who is 13 under par after posting rounds of 64-65. The two will start the third round at 2 p.m. ET.
You can watch Saturday’s third round of the 2026 RBC Heritage from 1-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, followed by the CBS broadcast from 3-6 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will offer exclusive early streaming coverage starting at 7 a.m. ET on Saturday, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.
Check out the complete Round 3 tee times and pairings for the RBC Heritage below.
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2026 RBC Heritage tee times for Saturday: Round 3 (ET)
Tee No. 1
6:55 a.m. – Tony Finau, Justin Thomas
7:05 a.m. – Billy Horschel, Taylor Pendrith
7:15 a.m. – Marco Penge, Austin Smotherman
7:25 a.m. – Alex Noren, Jake Knapp
7:35 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Jhonattan Vegas
7:45 a.m. – Ryo Hisatsune, Nico Echavarria
7:55 a.m. – Denny McCarthy, J.T. Poston
8:10 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, David Lipsky
8:20 a.m. – Adam Schenk, Chris Gotterup
8:30 a.m. – Jason Day, Chandler Blanchet
8:40 a.m. – Michael Kim, Ricky Castillo
8:50 a.m. – Tom Hoge, Jordan Spieth
9:00 a.m. – Matt Wallace, Jordan Smith
9:10 a.m. – Nicolai Højgaard, Maverick McNealy
9:25 a.m. – William Mouw, Garrick Higgo
9:35 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Jacob Bridgeman
9:45 a.m. – Brian Campbell, Min Woo Lee
9:55 a.m. – Max Homa, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
10:05 a.m. – Johnny Keefer, Daniel Berger
10:15 a.m. – Sam Burns, Nick Taylor
10:25 a.m. – Harry Hall, Shane Lowry
10:40 a.m. – Andrew Putnam, Sam Stevens
10:50 a.m. – J.J. Spaun, Cameron Young
11:00 a.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Sungjae Im
11:10 a.m. – Karl Vilips, Brian Harman
11:20 a.m. – Xander Schauffele, Patrick Rodgers
11:30 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Bud Cauley
11:40 a.m. – Sahith Theegala, Pierceson Coody
11:55 a.m. – Lucas Glover, Ben Griffin
12:05 p.m. – Russell Henley, Steven Fisk
12:15 p.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Corey Conners
12:25 p.m. – Wyndham Clark, Andrew Novak
12:35 p.m. – Joe Highsmith, Gary Woodland
12:45 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler
12:55 p.m. – Robert MacIntyre, Sami Valimaki
1:10 p.m. – Si Woo Kim, Michael Brennan
1:20 p.m. – Aldrich Potgieter, Keegan Bradley
1:30 p.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Rickie Fowler
1:40 p.m. – Sepp Straka, Ludvig Åberg
1:50 p.m. – Harris English, Patrick Cantlay
2:00 p.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland
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Conor Benn announces new multi fight promotional deal after just days of free agency
The speculation over who Conor Benn may work with moving forward has come to an end after he put pen to paper on a new deal.
It came as a shock earlier this year when it was announced that Benn had left Eddie Hearn and Matchroom in order to join forces with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
Benn’s deal with Zuffa was for just one fight, with that taking place last weekend when he defeated former super-lightweight world champion Regis Prograis by unanimous decision in a 150lb catchweight bout.
That meant ‘The Destroyer’ was a free agent at the conclusion of that fight and was able to negotiate with other promoters, though former long-term promoter Hearn has continued to doubt whether that was the case.
It hasn’t taken long for Benn’s future to be decided, after it was confirmed that the British star will continue to work with Zuffa and White after signing a new multi-fight promotional deal with the company.
CONOR BENN IS BACK 🥊
It’s official! @ConorNigel has signed a NEW deal with Zuffa Boxing!
Big things on the horizon‼️ pic.twitter.com/VavXkaEnms
— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) April 17, 2026
With his new deal in place, Benn shared his delight at the announcement.
“Just signed a new multi-fight deal [that] I’m very excited about. Our visions are aligned. Our goal remains the same. Let’s get that world title and more importantly give people the fights that they want, give people the mega fights. If you guys want it you guys can get it.”
White also spoke out on the deal.
“Conor and I just signed a new deal here after his one fight deal. We’re excited to have him. We’re ready to put on some big fights. Welcome to Zuffa Boxing Conor Benn.”
Benn now looks set to head into a WBC welterweight title fight against Ryan Garcia, with the bout looking likely to take place this August.
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Frank Lampard: Coventry City boss praises ‘special and unique’ promotion
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard described his side’s promotion back to the Premier League after 25 years away as a “unique” achievement.
The Sky Blues secured a top-two finish in the Championship with three games to spare courtesy of a 1-1 draw at struggling Blackburn Rovers.
“To go and get promotion automatically as a non-parachute [payment] team with three games to go… these boys have managed to achieve something special and unique,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“This is what it’s about. Coming here and getting a point at this stage isn’t easy.”
He added: “Doing this after 25 years… wow.
“The resilience to come back after losing in the play-offs (last season to Sunderland). We spoke in the summer about what we could do this season and whether we could finish third or fourth to get a home play-off in the second game which we didn’t do last year.
“It’s such a good feeling that the boys have managed to get it over the line.”
The former Chelsea and England midfielder, 47, took over at the CBS Arena in November 2024 for his first job outside the top flight since a season at Derby in 2018-19.
An emotional Lampard, who also credited the “incredible” job his predecessor Mark Robins had done, said he had “fallen in love” with the club during his time in the Midlands and ranked leading Coventry back to the top flight alongside his many accolades as a player.
“I’m proud of myself and the staff,” he said.
“We came into a bit of an unknown 15 or so months ago when we arrived in a people carrier.
“We’ve fallen in love and this is right up there with what I have achieved.
“I’m very proud to be the manager.”
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Jokers Grin eyes 2026 Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick from barrier 11
Barrier 11 has trainer Chris Waller pondering if Jokers Grin should begin his autumn in the Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick or adhere to the backup plan of going directly north to Queensland.
This former Perth flyer was last fifth across the line in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) of November and lines up for a stable debut in Saturday’s Hall Mark Stakes (1200m), the autumn carnival’s last hurrah.
Waller intends to evaluate the drawback of the outer gate before deciding, aware that the five-year-old gelding previously conquered wide positions in the prior year’s The Quokka (1200m) and Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) from Ascot.
“His draw isn’t very good, but his owners were quick to point out he has run some really good races from wide draws, and he is a ‘get-back’ horse,” Waller said.
“I’ll have a good look at the field and the race, and if we think he’s a genuine winning chance or top three chance, we’ll be running him.
“If I think he needs another two weeks based on the set up of the race, we might wait two weeks. But at this stage he’s running.”
The Sydney autumn program wasn’t the initial pathway for Jokers Grin, who was destined for Brisbane races alone.
Queensland targets persist strongly, with the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) on May 16 and Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm a couple of weeks on.
“We intended to go to Queensland with him for a Group Two race in two weeks’ time, but he is come up a bit quicker than I thought, which is good,” Waller said.
“I think he can get to a race like the Doomben 10,000 and Kingsford Smith. They’re my two target races, and then hopefully he’s done enough to show he can get ready for the good ones in the spring.”
Waller noted Jokers Grin’s seamless settling in, with light handling during barrier trials.
Encouragement comes from his edge over stablemate Generosity in the Quokka where she was third, later winning Challenge Stakes (1000m) and running close fifth in Group 1 Galaxy (1100m).
“It’s good form. Even Generosity has form around him too, and she has come over and franked that form,” Waller said.
Waller’s history with WA stars features Come Play With Me taking the 2019 Metropolitan (2400m) and Arcadia Queen the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m), securing a 2019 The Everest (1200m) spot.
Discover top online bookmakers offering value on the 2026 Hall Mark Stakes featuring Jokers Grin.
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Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso rules out two major opponents ahead of comeback
Canelo Alvarez’s longtime trainer and manager, Eddy Reynoso, has effectively dismissed the likes of David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol as potential opponents.
Instead, the Mexican is set to face a super-middleweight world champion in his next outing, which takes place in Saudi Arabia on September 12.
This will mark his first assignment since losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford, who relieved him of his undisputed crown in September 2025.
It was an exceptional performance that saw Crawford move up two weight divisions and dethrone Alvarez, shortly before calling time on his glittering career.
But now, it appears that Canelo is determined to reclaim at least one of his major titles at 168lbs, with WBC champion Christian Mbilli representing a possible option.
Two fighters that have been removed from the equation, meanwhile, are Benavidez and Bivol, the respective WBC and unified world champions at 175lbs.
Since losing a unanimous decision to Bivol in 2022, Canelo has repeatedly expressed an openness to enter a light-heavyweight rematch with the Russian.
As for Benavidez, who challenges unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez on May 2, Alvarez has been far less vocal about their much-talked about encounter.
Team Canelo, however, have now reached a stage where neither champion is included in their plan, as Reynoso has told Elie Seckbach that the 35-year-old will instead remain at 168lbs.
As mentioned, WBC champion Mbilli seems like the frontrunner, while the winner of Hamzah Sheeraz vs Alem Begic – which takes place for the vacant WBO title on May 23 – could also emerge as a potential option for Alvarez.
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After Finn Balor, this WWE Superstar also plans on introducing his own “demon” at WrestleMania 42
Finn Balor will be in action against Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. The latter has admitted that he also has demons of his own that he plans on introducing.
The feud between Mysterio and Balor officially began after the former Universal Champion was booted out of The Judgment Day. Mysterio blamed Balor after he lost the Intercontinental Championship to Penta.
Thanks for the submission!
Appearing at the WrestleMania 42 Kickoff Show, Mysterio admitted that he was initially cautious of The Demon, but then got reminded of his own demons. He even stated that Balor has never gone face-to-face with his former stablemate’s demon.
“I was a bit cautious of the Demon… then I remembered who I am. I’m Dirty Dom. Finn Balor has never gone face-to-face with my Demon. I’ve got a few demons of my own.” Mysterio said.
Finn Balor thinks that WrestleMania 42 will be very painful for Dominik Mysterio
Finn Balor will be out for revenge against Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. The veteran has warned “Dirty” Dom and admitted that he shouldn’t have trusted Mysterio in the first place.
Speaking on ESPN, Balor said that he couldn’t describe in words regarding The Demon’s return to WWE, but he will make sure that WrestleMania 42 turns out to be “very painful” for Mysterio. Balor said:
“It is not something that I can really describe in words. It is a feeling. It is an emotion. It is an energy. And it is something that I can only tap into very occasionally. It can be very draining. But trust me, it is going to be very painful for Dominik Mysterio,”
Mysterio is the reigning AAA Mega Champion and still has one title around his waist. For a very long time, he was a double champion before dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Penta.
Last year at WrestleMania 41, Mysterio won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time by winning a Fatal Four-Way Match, also involving Balor.
Edited by Soumik Datta
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Rutherford says Canucks ‘should be OK’ as GM job opens, duties shift
VANCOUVER – Authority, like water, flows downward.
In the history of the National Hockey League, a general manager has never fired a president.
Sometimes an owner may fire both. But since Luigi Aquilini’s family, which owns the Vancouver Canucks, still trusts Jim Rutherford to preside over the entirety of hockey operations, there was an inevitability to Thursday’s dismissal of general manager Patrik Allvin after one of the worst National Hockey League seasons in franchise history.
Widely varying insider reports in recent weeks had the Canucks poised to fire everybody — or nobody. But as the team burned to the ground in mid-winter, the most likely scenario was always that Rutherford, the Hockey Hall-of-Famer, would stay, and Allvin, his hand-picked, first-time GM, would go.
Head coach Adam Foote? Well, Rutherford said during his enthralling press conference Friday that the next general manager will eventually decide on the coaching staff — and almost everything else in hockey-ops.
Assistant general manager Ryan Johnson, a holdover from previous GM Jim Benning’s regime who impressed Rutherford long before Johnson built the Canucks’ minor-league team into a Calder Cup champion, is the frontrunner to replace Allvin.
As with the probable dismissal of Allvin, the potential promotion of Johnson has been whispered about for months.
Rutherford told reporters the Canucks did not refuse the Nashville Predators’ permission to interview Johnson for their own vacant GM job. Because they never asked.
“Somebody made that story up,” he said.
And no, the Canucks won’t grant permission for Johnson to talk to other teams until Rutherford concludes his own GM search.
In the meantime, Rutherford told Allvin, highly respected around the NHL for his scouting and player-development chops, that he is welcome to stay with the Canucks in a lesser capacity.
“I’ll give him a little time to make that decision,” Rutherford said. “It’s very emotional now.”
Other than the marketing impossibility of bringing back everyone after a 58-point season in which the Canucks won nine of 41 home games for their season-ticket holders, there wasn’t any one reason to fire Allvin.
Even if you aggregated the reasons, listing all of management’s biggest errors over the last four years, it would still be difficult to separate Allvin from Rutherford for blame.
This reality was not lost on Rutherford Friday.
“I think that’s a fair comment,” Rutherford said. “In my position, I do have to make some decisions, but he was in charge of most of the things in hockey, making the trades and deciding who’s getting called up and down, and working with the coach and all those things. (But) I take full responsibility for the season. I head up the hockey department, but I don’t make decisions for other people. And Patrik had the opportunity to make his own decisions.”
Asked near the end of his 33-minute press conference to grade himself, Rutherford said: “I’m not going to put a letter on it. I’m telling you that I’m disappointed. And, you know, I’m disappointed that I couldn’t have done a better job in some areas and made this work a little bit quicker. But I will say we’ve dealt with some situations over the last couple of years that I did not expect to deal with when I came here, and we’ve worked our way through it. They’re behind us now, and I don’t foresee any of those big issues to deal with going forward. So the team should be OK.”
Interestingly, the 77-year-old president also made it clear he will be less involved in hockey decisions with the next GM. Rutherford mentored and promoted Allvin, 51, when he was managing the Pittsburgh Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cups a decade ago.
And four years ago, shortly after Canucks managing owner Francesco Aquilini showed up on Rutherford’s doorstep in Raleigh, N.C., and convinced him to come out of “retirement,” Rutherford poached Allvin from the Penguins and made him the first Swedish general manager in the NHL.
“He’s a friend of mine,” Rutherford said. “I think Patrik’s a great hockey guy, but we felt it was time to make a change and give somebody else the opportunity to sit in that chair.
“Quite frankly, I had a lot of sleepless nights, and I thought a lot about this in many different ways. It wasn’t easy, and it took me a long time to get to this point.”
As for the working dynamics Rutherford envisions with his next GM, he said: “I’m available for somebody, to anybody, in the organization to ask me questions, ask me for help. But I want the new GM to make all hockey decisions. Now, he may not make decisions about the practice rink because nobody wants to make that decision… or where training camp is or some of the things that a president would do. But as for hockey… he will make those decisions.”
Candid and unvarnished as always, Rutherford dropped a bunch of news grenades during his press conference.
• On $92.8-million centre Elias Pettersson, who just had his second straight 15-goal season: “It’s the same as anything people do in life; preparation is the key to success. And I don’t believe he’s put enough preparation in at this point to be the player he needs to be. But he’s young enough, he’s capable of doing it, and if he does the things he’s told to do, he has a chance to succeed here. But if he doesn’t, you know, the GM is going to have to make a decision.”
• Discussing the urgency to trade Quinn Hughes in December, which turned the organization sharply towards a rebuild, Rutherford effectively fed the former captain into a wood-chipper: “Some people think Quinn left here because the team wasn’t any good; he was leaving anyways, OK? The best example I can give you is Matthew Tkachuk. He was in Calgary. They had a good team. He wanted to go back to the U.S. and he went. And this is not going to be the last guy, Quinn Hughes, that decides he’s going to leave. And I think I’m close to him; I really like him. I respect what he did in Vancouver. He put on a good show for a lot of years. But guys work towards free agency, and we should respect the fact that he had that option.”
• Rutherford reiterated how poor the Canucks’ dressing-room culture had been, and praised the new one forming since the team came together after the March 6 trade deadline: “It was really bad. The chemistry and the culture in the Canucks dressing room over the last five weeks is the best it’s been since I’ve been here. This team has a chance to move forward, and let every player enjoy coming to the rink and not have to worry about somebody barking at them in practice or picking on them in the room or whatnot. This group is tightly knit. (There are) good veterans left here, good mentors, very good young character players, we’ve got a number of good young players coming. So this team is going in the right direction.”
Rutherford expressed gratitude to Canucks fans, who seem to have embraced the early stages of the rebuild and kept Rogers Arena full most nights despite the 25-win season.
He said there will be “no shortcuts” on the rebuild.
Someone else will have to take over the transition Allvin began, and Rutherford may not be around when it is finished.
“Despite the way things look right now… I believe this organization’s in a very good place to move forward,” Rutherford said. “I feel that I haven’t done as good a job as I would have liked to, and I would have wished we were in a stronger place by now. But look, where I’m at in my life now, I can do whatever I want and be very comfortable. And I like this franchise a lot, and I want to do what’s right for them. So if I feel comfortable that when we have a good, strong person in place and maybe even potentially two people over time, I would feel comfortable making a decision to leave.”
It is the Canucks first rebuild this century, coming 15 years after the team’s last run to a Stanley Cup Final.
Even before news of Allvin’s firing came overnight from a report in Sweden, Friday was scheduled for player exits. There were six formal press conferences involving waves of Canuck players, many thousands of words spoken.
“I think it’s really important to learn from this year,” veteran goalie Kevin Lankinen said. “We can’t just wrap this thing and move on. We have to sit down and learn — older guys, younger guys, doesn’t matter — because these are the kind of experiences that if you turn them the right way, you can bring fuel for not just next year but for your whole career. Because this is obviously something that we don’t want to go through again.
“You know, the best time to start a change was probably 15 years ago. But the next best time is right now.”
Sports
WWE SmackDown main event revealed
The main event for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown has been revealed. This week’s edition of the blue brand will air live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is the final show before WrestleMania 42.
According to a new report from Ringside News, the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will headline tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown. Carmelo Hayes won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal last year. Hayes held the United States Championship for several months but recently dropped it and is not scheduled to compete at WrestleMania 42.
Thanks for the submission!
Sami Zayn captured the United States Championship from Carmelo Hayes on the March 27 edition of SmackDown and successfully defended the title against the veteran two weeks ago on the blue brand in their rematch. Zayn will be putting the title on the line against Trick Williams at The Show of Shows this weekend.
Cody Rhodes is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42. The American Nightmare will be delivering a message later tonight on SmackDown ahead of their title match.
Tiffany Stratton and Jordynne Grace are also scheduled to compete tonight to determine the number one contender for Giulia’s Women’s United States Championship. Stratton was originally supposed to battle Giulia for the title on SmackDown, but the match was changed ahead of tonight’s show.
WWE legend praises Pat McAfee and claims he has real heat
Wrestling veteran JBL recently suggested that Pat McAfee had real heat with WWE fans after he was inserted into the storyline with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.
Speaking on the Something to Wrestle With podcast, JBL complimented the former NFL punter and stated that fans were talking about him, which meant he had real heat.
“It just blows me away when a guy gets heat like this, people go, ‘Oh, no, no, no. It’s go away heat.’ No, it’s not. You’re talking about it. If it was go away heat, you would not be talking about it because you would not like it. You would not even mention it. It’s real heat. And people look out there, they want to have heels to my fans. They want to have heels, but they want to be in on it,” he said.
You can check out JBL’s comments in the video below:
It will be interesting to see which WWE star wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal tonight on SmackDown.
Edited by Robert Lentini
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