Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews exited Thursday night’s win over the Anaheim Ducks after a knee-on-knee collision with Radko Gudas, and he won’t return in the 2025-26 season. On Friday night, the Maple Leafs announced that Matthews suffered a season-ending MCL tear and quad contusion.

In the second period, not long after Matthews scored a power play goal to cut the Ducks’ lead to 3-2, the Toronto captain put a move on Gudas in front of the Anaheim net. Unable to lay a good hit on Matthews, Gudas extended his leg into Matthews’ left knee.

Matthews immediately went down in agony, holding his injured knee. He eventually had to be helped off the ice and down the tunnel.

Gudas received a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a five-game suspension for Gudas on Friday night following his hearing via conference call.

Because Gudas only received a conference call hearing — as opposed to an in-person hearing — a five-game suspension was the maximum penalty he could receive. In a statement to ESPN, Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, blasted the ruling and went scorched Earth on the Department of Player Safety.

“In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am very disappointed and shocked that the league would allow for such a ruling,” Moldaver said. “A phone hearing and five games is just laughable and preposterous. While the hearing process is pre-fixed in our CBA, that there was no further discipline is a reckless and ridiculous position for player safety. This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better. The player safety department should be suspended.”

Toronto came back to win the game, 6-4, but the loss of Matthews is a devastating final blow that will likely end a frustrating season for the Maple Leafs. Matthews leads the team in goals with 27, and he’s fourth on the team in points with 53. The top heavy nature of the team’s lineup means all the stars have to be healthy and firing on all cylinders for everything to click, and that won’t be the case the rest of the way.

If the Leafs’ playoff hopes haven’t already been extinguished, losing Matthews for the rest of the season will likely do the trick.

Maple Leafs’ address lack of response to “dirty” hit

When the hit first occurred, and Matthews was laying on the ice, none of his Maple Leafs teammates confronted Gudas in any way. Toronto has been flat for most of the 2025-26 season, but it was still shocking not to see anyone rush to Matthews’ defense.

In their postgame press conferences, assistant captains John Tavares and Morgan Rielly described the hit as “dirty” and said the team should have done more to defend Matthews initially. Rielly shouldered the blame for the lack of a response.

“I didn’t have a good view of it just because the puck was going the other way, but it’s on me for not responding earlier to Gudas,” Rielly said. “It’s a dirty hit. I didn’t understand how bad he got him in the moment. I take full responsibility for not being the first one in there or the first one to respond. … Ultimately, when your captain goes down like that on a dirty play, you have to respond as a group. I also take responsibility for not being the first one in there on the hit.”

There was a more physical response in the third period, when Easton Cowan fought Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe, and the teams racked up a combined 48 penalty minutes. Toronto coach Craig Berube appreciated that effort, but he admitted the other four players on the ice at the time of Matthews’ injury should have taken action.

“We should’ve had four guys in there doing something about it,” Berube said. “It didn’t happen then, but I thought we responded in the third. It was a good response there, but we’d like to see everybody get in right away.”

Generally, it would be unfair to judge a team based on a 15-second stint following an ugly hit on its captain. However, Toronto has failed to meet the moment on numerous occasions this season, which is why it’s eight points out of a playoff spot with 19 games remaining. The lack of an immediate response wasn’t exactly out of character for the 2025-26 Maple Leafs.

Marcus Rashford could return to Manchester United in the summer, Tottenham draw up potential replacements for Igor Tudor and Arsenal prepare Leon Goretzka deal.

England forward Marcus Rashford, 28, could return to Manchester United after his loan spell at Barcelona, who are interested in Chelsea and Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 26, as an alternative. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Rashford wants to stay at Barca, but talks have hit a stumbling block and sporting director Deco has proposed a second season-long loan to allow the Spanish side more time to pay off an option-to-buy fee to Manchester United. (Talksport), external

Tottenham are drawing up potential options to replace Igor Tudor as head coach if they decide another managerial change is needed. (Athletic – subscription required), external

While Tottenham boss Tudor is set to remain in charge in the short term, he has already alienated a number of players. (Talksport), external

Manchester United have a five-man shortlist of managers who could replace caretaker Michael Carrick in the summer – Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, Aston Villa‘s Unai Emery, Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth, former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann. (Sun), external

Napoli will trigger the 44m euro (£38m) clause to buy Denmark forward Rasmus Hojlund, 23, and make his loan deal from Manchester United permanent. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Arsenal are preparing a formal offer to sign Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, 31, as a free agent in the summer. (Teamtalk), external

However, AC Milan are also interested in Goretzka, who Bayern Munich have already confirmed will leave the club at the end of the season. (Goal), external

Liverpool will have competition from Barcelona if they pursue a move for Inter Milan and Italy centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, 26. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Manchester United are frontrunners to sign Bournemouth and United States midfielder Tyler Adams in the summer, with Chelsea and Liverpool also interested in the 27-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Arsenal could earn about £1.7m if Juventus move for ex-Gunners and Poland defender Jakub Kiwior, 26, who joined Porto on loan in September with an obligation to buy for about £23m. (Sun), external

Devin Haney will have the chance to add yet another belt to his collection this May, according to his father and trainer, Bill Haney.

The 27-year-old became a three-weight world champion in November last year, winning the WBO title in his welterweight debut against hard-hitting Brian Norman Jr.

Haney appears well suited to the 147lb scene not only because of his natural size, but because the division is stacked with big names and tough challenges – something the pound-for-pound star has embraced in recent years.

While a rematch with Ryan Garcia, who recently won the WBC title to make it a unification, remains one of the biggest fights in boxing, Haney will instead look to collect another belt before making that happen.

Bill, when speaking to FightHype, confirmed that talks with Rolando Romero have made it over the line.

“Devin gonna put it on his ass, May [30th], Las Vegas. You heard it from me.”

‘Rolly’ Romero – who won the WBA regular belt by beating Garcia last year and was elevated to full champion when Jaron Ennis vacated – recently confirmed the same details but was less bullish about the deal being done.

It would be a struggle to argue that Romero is on the same skill level as Haney, but he brings power to the table and the intriguing factor of holding a win over Garcia, whom he dropped once before scoring a unanimous decision victory.

Though Haney has warned fans that the triangle theory does not apply in boxing, in the build-up to the fight he will be reminded that, while ‘Rolly’ soundly beat Garcia, Haney was knocked down three times by him. The important caveat is that Garcia would subsequently fail a doping test and see his victory overturned.

The fourth round of races in Formula 1’s new season, scheduled for next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, are no longer expected to proceed as planned.

ESPN, citing sources, reported that F1 officials agreed to cancel the events amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran. 

Sky News was first to report the cancellation.

The Bahrain race had been scheduled for April 12, while the event in Saudi Arabia was slated to begin on April 19 in the city of Jeddah. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have both been hit by missile strikes during Iran’s retaliation after a series of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. 

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Driver Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin competes during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at the Miami International Autodrome May 7, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Eva Marie Uzcategul T/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Although it remains unclear what state the conflict will be in around the dates the races were scheduled to begin, F1 teams would soon need to start sending freight to the region in preparation for both events. The condensed timeline likely prompted decision-makers to reach a conclusion now.

There is no word on whether the Middle East races will be rescheduled for a later date. However, there is little room on the rest of this year’s calendar to move the events.

The F1 logo is displayed during the Formula 1 MSC Cruises Grande Premio De Sao Paulo 2025 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2025.  (Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Given the uncertainty, F1 reportedly made the decision to avoid any disruption to the championship should a race be canceled later in the calendar.

LIV GOLFERS DEAL WITH ‘TERRIFYING’ EXPERIENCE IN MIDDLE EAST AS CONFLICT BROKE OUT IN IRAN

The reduced 2026 schedule of 22 races also creates a five-week gap between the season’s third round in Japan and the Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 3.

Italy’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli (12), driving the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W16, leads Great Britain’s Lando Norris, driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes, during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit April 20, 2025, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

A request for comment from Fox News Digital to Formula 1 was not immediately returned.

On Thursday, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton said he was confident F1 would make the best decision. 

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“I know that [F1 CEO] Stefano [Domenicali] will do what is right for all of us and the sport,” Hamilton said in the lead up to the Chinese Grand Prix. “That is the great thing about having a great leader like him.”

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The 2025 world champions of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) were President Donald Trump’s guests at the White House Friday. 

It marked the first time in more than four decades that a group of PRCA champions had been hosted at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The last such visit came during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. 

Friday’s visit featured several reigning rodeo champions, including all-around and bull riding champion Stetson Wright, bareback rider Rocker Steiner, steer wrestler Tucker Allen and team ropers Andrew Ward and Jake Long.

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Members of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo champions walk outside the White House in Washington, D.C., March 13, 2026, before meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Barrel racer Kassie Mowry and breakaway roper Taylor Munsell were also among the guests honored by Trump.

Wright arrived in the nation’s captol in the No. 1 position in the all-around race. In individual events, Wright is in the No. 2 spot in the saddle bronc riding and is ranked tenth in the bull riding.

President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House March 3, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Allen won the 2025 world championship, while Ward and Long clinched their first-career PRCA world title. The pair also earned their first NFR championship together.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, joined by the National Finals Rodeo champions, speaks to members of the press outside the West Wing of the White House March 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

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In a video shared by White House communications advisor Margo Martin, several guests in the Oval Office explained the different types of ropes commonly used in rodeo competition. 

In the clip, Trump responded, “It’s so cool.”

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Suncorp Stadium will play host to Sunday’s
Round 2 NRL game between Dolphins and
Gold Coast Titans. The game kicks off at 6:15 pm with Dolphins heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Dolphins vs.
Gold Coast Titans
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Sunday March 15, 2026 at 6:15 pm

Where: Suncorp Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Dolphins vs Gold Coast Titans Odds

Dolphins vs Gold Coast Titans Preview

The round concludes with a Queensland derby at Suncorp Stadium as both teams look to avoid a 0-2 start to the season. The Dolphins were beaten 40-30 by South Sydney in Round 1, with defensive lapses again proving costly despite some encouraging attacking moments from Isaiya Katoa.

The Titans endured an even tougher outing, conceding 50 points in a heavy defeat to Cronulla that highlighted familiar defensive concerns.

The Dolphins have dominated this young rivalry, winning five of the six meetings between the clubs, including two victories last season.

With both sides capable of producing attacking football but struggling defensively, the match shapes as an entertaining contest where momentum swings and quick scoring bursts could decide the result.

Pep Guardiola has launched a passionate defence of his team selection following Manchester City’s defeat at Real Madrid.

City went down 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu on Wednesday after Guardiola opted for an attack-minded line-up.

The Spaniard has previously been accused of “over-thinking” tactics on big occasions but he insists reactions are always shaped by results and similar decisions are often praised when they succeed.

Guardiola said: “This is not the first time I’ve been hurt. I’ve lost many times in Champions League at all stages – many, many, many times – and have been massacred for decisions and what happened.

“My argument or reason (to) justify the team selection – it’s because I lost, we lost the game. But if you win, ah, ‘genius’. How many times have I heard, ‘Pep is a genius’ for the team selection?

“I have to explain before and after? After 10 years? I would not convince you for one second. Why? Because we lost and that’s all – 3-0, destroyed.

“It’s normal. It’s not the first time I’ve played in that competition, the Champions League – 17 years playing in that competition – and every time I lose, boom, my God ‘peow, peow, peow’ (mimics gun shots to head).”

To illustrate his point, Guardiola recalled the fall-out from City’s defeat in the 2021 Champions League final to Chelsea, when he left Fernandinho and Rodri on the bench. He contrasted that with the feeling after last weekend’s FA Cup victory at Newcastle, for which he had raised eyebrows by making 10 changes.

He said: “I played a final of the Champions League without Fernandinho and Rodri as holding midfielder against Chelsea. I was destroyed in that moment.

“They are right but in that moment I knew how Rodri and Fernandinho were playing. It was not the Rodri we saw after.

“I can explain that but they’re going to be convinced? Forget about it.

“What happened in Newcastle? Did you read the comments before the game (about) my team selection? ‘What are you doing? Lack of respect, how do you leave Erling (Haaland) at home?’ – 1-3.”

Guardiola defended his approach at the Bernabeu.

He said: “After the game in Madrid I said there was a logical reason. I wanted a threat. I wanted to have people arriving to the goal, I wanted people to make (grunts) when we arrive with the wingers.

“We did it in the first 20 minutes. We were close.”

City are back in Premier League action on Saturday as they travel to West Ham hoping to keep the pressure on Arsenal in the title race.

Top scorer Haaland has scored just four goals in his last 17 appearances.

Guardiola said: “Of course he needs goals. Of course the team needs it and he needs it. We have to find him more.”

Gary Portelli wishes for history to repeat itself with Craig Williams steering Verona Rose in the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill while the mare chases her first Group One triumph.

Williams handed Portelli’s ex-flagbearer Kimochi the breakthrough elite success after three high-level runner-up finishes, culminating in the 2024 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes victory.

Portelli reveres the international star’s racing expertise and equally prizes his off-track presence.

“We’ve got a good association and I just love being able to leg him on,” Portelli said.

“You don’t have to talk about the race too much. He’s done his homework, he comes out and tells the owners what he wants, where he wants to be, and then we might talk about the Ukraine war or something like that. It breaks up the nervousness.

“Craig is fantastic. I love his business acumen. His word is his word and importantly, he’s a great rider. He is very professional.”

The combination boasts two wins from two for Verona Rose, including the Flemington Inglis Bracelet (1600m) last spring and Randwick’s Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) in her most recent.

Verona Rose is quoted at $10 for the 1500m Coolmore Classic at Rosehill on Saturday amid a 14-runner field, where Portelli desires an honest speed to unleash her devastating finish.

That setup could see her right in the mix, he predicts.

“We had a dream that she’d run in a Coolmore last campaign, but we wanted to see something from her that would warrant going around and not making a fool of ourselves,” Portelli said.

“After her last run, we’re now at the reality that we’re a legitimate chance of winning.”

Portelli’s Friday entries comprise fillies Queen Of Clubs and Long Legs for the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m), repeating Verona Rose’s win from last year.

Queen Of Clubs lagged behind everyone in her latest Surround Stakes (1400m) effort, which Portelli attributes to poor preparation upon review.

“She pulled up really fat. She is a gross filly, and she is taking a lot of work to get fit,” he said.

“I don’t work my horses very hard, and it showed up last start.”

The slow 7 rating at Kembla Grange on Thursday should suit Queen Of Clubs, complemented by a significant change in gear.

“If she is going towards the Oaks, she needs to do a lot more this week,” Portelli said.

“Blinkers off, she should run well.”

Having placed in the Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle last time in, Long Legs promises another competitive run.

Check racing betting markets for value in the 2026 Coolmore Classic.

There is a phrase you often hear from the girls at the Impact Academy in Cairo.

“I won’t stop until I’m a champion.”

The girls in Cairo learning to box seem determined and confident. It could be an everyday scene, a training session like any other—but it’s not.

Many of the girls in southern Cairo come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. They often experience gender-based violence and are pressured to marry at a very young age—usually at the expense of their education and independence.

Choosing boxing, a male-dominated sport in a traditional society, is tantamount to rebellion. The Impact Academy offers the girls much more than just training. It is a safe space where they also receive psychological support.

“I used to be quite timid, but now I have more self-confidence,” says Salma.

The 17-year-old has been at the academy since 2023. She used to be bullied, partly because her skin is darker than most of the others, and she was also abused.

Since Salma has started boxing, she has been left in peace by her bullies, who are now afraid of her. Salma also feels accepted for who she is by her fellow students at the academy.

“I feel unconditionally loved by my friends here,” Salma says.

A ‘good life’ for the girls

The idea for the academy’s holistic approach came from Sally Hassona. The 49-year-old coach has a background in boxing herself. Hassona works full-time as a sports teacher at a private school and is a member of the Egyptian ministry of sports’ selection committee, which trains boxing talent for the country’s Olympic team.

In 2017, Hassona founded the academy, where girls can train three times a week – in a used boxing ring and with a few old sandbags. Around 25 girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 23 are involved, but not everyone comes to every training session.

Hassona is not paid for her work. But money is not what matters to her.

“I just want the girls to have a good life, to get away from their stigma,” Hassona says.

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‘Boxing gives us self-confidence’

Women in Egypt continue to be structurally disadvantaged and are very often subjected to sexual harassment, as the 2013 comprehensive study on this topic from the United Nations agency UN Women showed. In it, 99.3% of Egyptian girls and women stated that they had been sexually harassed at least once, while 91% did not feel safe on the streets.

“There are many dangers for women and girls here. Boxing gives us self-confidence and makes us feel strong. It’s good to know how to fight someone,” says Hana Abdel Bary, one of the academy’s team captains.

“But we also learn to set boundaries and protect ourselves.”

Because even though the girls can knock someone out in the ring, Hassona advises them to avoid dangerous situations and run away instead.

Abdel Bary is constantly reminded that it is not “normal” for girls to box.

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“Every time I go to the doctor and say that I box, they comment on it,” she says. “Some are proud, but others say nasty things.”

However, she receives support from home. Her father was the boxer Saleh Abdel Bary who competed twice for Egypt at the Olympics.

Training for independent living alongside boxing

Although sport is the main focus, it is not the only thing the girls learn at the academy.

“Sally always emphasizes that boxing is not a profession. She pushes us to learn languages or whatever else we want to learn,” says Hana.

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Hassona tries to work with the girls to find out what they enjoy doing and what their goals are, and encourages them to try their hand at male-dominated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

Hanin wants to become an electrical engineer. She is currently doing a paid internship at a company that manufactures air conditioning systems.

“When parents don’t have money and can no longer ‘afford’ their children, they try to marry them off as early as possible,” says Hassona.

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Focus on mental health

Hassona regularly applies for various grants for the academy. It currently receives financial support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, a Canadian government program that supports local projects around the world. The grant amounts to 31,000 Canadian dollars (€19,800, $22,800).

Under the slogan “Play It Brave,” the Impact Academy focuses on mental health and gender-based violence. Several mental health coaches, a psychologist, and a doctor educate the girls about hygiene, health, and menstruation. The latter is still a big taboo in Egypt.

“Many think they can’t or aren’t allowed to go to school when they have their periods,” says the doctor.

16-year-old as a great sporting hope

Around 400 girls have passed through the academy over the years. Aya Hassan Najjar, 16, is one of Hassona’s great hopes. Since joining the academy around five years ago, she has twice taken first place in a national Egyptian competition and once came third in an African competition.

“Of course I want to become a professional boxer, but I also want to perfect my English and German,” says Aya.

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Her goal is to go to Germany to study medicine and become a veterinarian.

“I want to help the stray cats and dogs here in Egypt. The animals can’t speak for themselves,” she says.

It was only in September 2025 that the Egyptian Ministry of Sports confirmed that it was working to increase women’s participation in sports through special initiatives, as reported by Egyptian newspaper Ahram Online.

But deeper structural change in society takes time. Hassona doesn’t even dream of that. She wants her own building.

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“Like this one, behind the football field,” she says, pointing to a simple, long house. With a room for training, one for relaxation with a sauna.

“Maybe I could extend the concept to rugby,” Hassona says.

This article was originally published in German.