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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky used to have a reputation as an excellent regular-season goalie who flopped in the playoffs.
This postseason, Bobrovsky -- and the Blue Jackets -- are changing the narrative.
Bobrovsky propelled the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 series lead over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, turning away 36 of 37 shots in a 2-1 win in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference second-round game.
"He's played that well," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "I think if teams find their way in winning games like this, playoff games where the teams so evenly matched, throughout it surges both ways, your goaltender has to be your best player. And he has been."
Prior to this postseason, Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, went 5-14 in the playoffs, with a GAA of 3.49 and save percentage of .891. This postseason? He's 6-1, with a 1.88 GAA and .937 save percentage. After sweeping the NHL's top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, Columbus is in the second round for the first time in franchise history.
Bobrovsky, 30, becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. After not reaching an extension with the Blue Jackets during the season, it is believed that Bobrovsky will test the free-agent market.
The 19,337 fans at Nationwide Arena chanted Bobrovsky's name during the third period on Tuesday, and the goaltender said he heard the positive affirmation and called it "really cool."
"I want to be in the moment, to enjoy this moment," Bobrovsky said. "And just play hockey and have fun with hockey. With the unbelievable support from our fans, the atmosphere is crazy. It's so much fun to play."
Bobrovsky and the Blue Jackets have silenced Boston's most potent offensive threats, limiting Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak to just one goal in three games so far this series.
One of Bobrovsky's biggest saves came in the second period on Tuesday; after a Boston shot from the point, there was traffic in front of Bobrovsky and he sprawled across the net like a snow angel, lying on his back and shoving the puck away with his left glove outstretched behind his back.
"Quite honestly, I didn't think," Bobrovsky said. "I just fell. I didn't see the puck, I was on my back, and if I felt the puck might be there, maybe not, so I just tried to cover the little part of the ice."
Game 4 is in Columbus on Thursday.
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Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily: Blue Jackets, Sharks take the lead
Published in
Hockey
Wednesday, 01 May 2019 05:04
Great goaltending and timely scoring were the name of the games on Tuesday night, as the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks took 2-1 leads in their respective series.
Here's what happened in the NHL Tuesday night (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to watch for Wednesday night in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:
Jump ahead: Last night's games | Three stars
Play of the night | Today's games | Social post of the day
About last night ...
Game 3: Columbus Blue Jackets 2, Boston Bruins 1 (Jackets lead series 2-1) It's incredible to think that Sergei Bobrovsky was supposed to be the guy who would sink the Jackets in the playoffs rather than be the foundation of a potential Stanley Cup run. He entered the playoffs with five wins and an .891 save percentage in 20 postseason starts. After his 36-save performance against the Bruins in Game 3, he has won six of seven games, with a .937 save percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average.
Boone Jenner and Matt Duchene scored for the Blue Jackets, who won a second-round home game for the first time in franchise history. Jake DeBrusk had the Bruins' goal -- one that was waved off initially but was reversed in video review after it was established that it was scored as "the culmination of a continuous play where the result was unaffected by the whistle."
Yup, it was in.@JDebrusk | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/FwmAJnpx3S
- Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 1, 2019
Game 3: San Jose Sharks 4, Colorado Avalanche 2 (Sharks lead series 2-1) The Avalanche had all the momentum. Matt Nieto's goal at 11:45 of the third period tied the game at 2-2, a tally that felt inevitable given how the Avs had tilted the ice. But 65 seconds later, Logan Couture had the answer to give San Jose the lead, and then added an empty-netter to complete his hat trick and a huge 4-2 win in Denver. Timo Meier had the other goal for the Sharks. Nathan MacKinnon and Nieto scored for the Avs.
Three Stars
1. Logan Couture, C, San Jose Sharks
The Sharks center had himself a night with a hat trick in Game 3. He got the scoring going at 15:24 of the first period, netted his second of the game at 12:50 of the third period for a 3-2 lead and then iced it with an empty-netter at 19:30. It's just the second road hat trick in Sharks postseason history, joining Devin Setoguchi vs. Detroit in 2011. Couture now holds the lead with nine goals this postseason.
1:10
Couture nets hat trick as Sharks take Game 3
Logan Couture scores one goal in the first, then two more in the third to power the Sharks to a 4-2 win and a 2-1 series lead over the Avalanche.
2. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
Officer Bobrovsky was on the case in Game 3. He made 36 saves in the game, but his 15 saves in the third period to preserve the Jackets' 2-1 lead was the difference against Boston. Another brilliant performance for the pending unrestricted free agent (and his posts).
3. Martin Jones, G, San Jose Sharks
The Sharks goalie made 25 saves in Denver, some of them of the high-difficulty variety. He was essential in their killing off four Colorado power plays. Couture gave Jones a well-deserved shout-out after the game.
Play of the Night
it didn't result in a goal, but this coast-to-cost by MacKinnon is just dominant. unreal pic.twitter.com/BquuCMr7Qi - snack morris (@hackettology) May 1, 2019
Nathan MacKinnon's goal at 15:51 of the second period was a thing of beauty, a nasty shot over Jones after a Brent Burns turnover. But this rush as the Avs pressed for the tying goal was impressive, even if it didn't yield the intended result.
Dud of the Night
Come on, Marchand pic.twitter.com/HOP6mScuLa - Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 1, 2019
Like any good heel, Brad Marchand knows exactly when the officials aren't looking. There was no penalty here, and while there was hue and cry from fans about supplemental discipline, don't expect it. Alas, this would be the only shot Marchand's line would get in against Columbus, as they were held scoreless by the CBJ defense.
On the schedule
New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes, Game 3, 7 p.m. ET (Hurricanes lead 2-0)
Can the Islanders find their mojo on the road? They'll take on goalie Curtis McElhinney, with Petr Mrazek out until at least Game 4. McElhinney, at 35 years, 343 days, will become the oldest goalie to make his first Stanley Cup playoff start. The Canes should get rookie Andrei Svechnikov back from the concussion he suffered from his fight with Alex Ovechkin in the first round. Cal Clutterbuck is questionable for the Islanders.
St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars, Game 3, 9:30 p.m. ET (Blues lead 2-1)
The Stars are trying to move past a tough loss, with the game winner for the Blues scored with 1:38 left in regulation. "We have been in this situation before, we were down 2-1 last series, we have spoken a lot in this locker room about staying even-keeled," said Stars defenseman Ben Lovejoy. "You win one playoff game, you feel like you can win the Stanley Cup, you can start planning your parade in your hometown. You lose one game, and it's summertime. We have talked about being even-keeled, knowing that you need to come out and be ready for every game."
Social post of the day
Happy Torts. #StanleyCup>pic.twitter.com/eQ4hYSJTys - NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) May 1, 2019
Wherein a cyborg Captain America Columbus Blue Jackets fan is overshadowed by a jubilant John Tortorella.
Quotable
"If my defense ever did stupid things like that, they would hear about it. And that was stupid." -- the venerable Don Cherry on Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton and the way he defended the Blue Jackets' first goal of Game 3.
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Notes: Woods used leaderboard, roars to advantage at Masters
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 12:41
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tiger Woods knew he was back in the game at the Masters when Francesco Molinari hit into the water on the 12th hole and made double bogey. From there, Woods relied on his vast experience at Augusta National.
That meant using his sight to understand the sounds.
In an interview last week with GOLFTV, Woods said one key to the back nine at the Masters is knowing where the leaderboards are located.
''When I got down to 13, I got a chance to look at the board and see where everyone stood,'' he said. ''I'm like, 'OK, the next board I see is not until 15, because there's no board on 14.' So I get a good understanding, see where they all are, look at what holes they're on in case I hear any roars who that might be.
''Obviously, there's significance to certain roars,'' he said. ''But I want to know what players are in what position so after I played 14 and headed to 15, I have a pretty good understanding of what's going on.''
Woods and Molinari made birdie on the 13th to reach 12 under, tied with Xander Schauffele, who had birdied the 14th. He didn't hear a big roar ahead on the 15th for either Schauffele, who made par, or Brooks Koepka, who narrowly missed a 20-foot eagle putt that would have given him the lead.
Woods made birdie on the 15th to take the lead, and his 8-iron to 2 feet on the 16th gave him a two-shot lead.
''I end up taking the lead at 15 - they posted the number there,'' Woods said. ''I hit it close on 16, so as I'm leaving 16 tee box, I take one last look at 15, because that's last time we see the board until 17 green. And so trying to get an understanding who is ahead of me, what their scenarios are, where they might make birdies. If I make birdie here and get to 14 (under), how many guys have a chance to get to 14-under par? ... I'm just trying to figure all that out.
''And meanwhile thinking, 'OK, let's just focus on my game.' But also, I've got to know the scenarios. It's like any other sport. You want to know time and distance, you want to know what's going on so you can play the appropriate shots.''
He played enough right shots to win a fifth green jacket.
BACK TO WASHINGTON
The PGA Tour left Washington again last year when Quicken Loans did not renew its title sponsorship of the event run by the Tiger Woods Foundation.
The nation's capital will get another taste of the best in golf.
Wells Fargo announced a five-year extension of its title sponsorship through 2024, which includes a trip to the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms in 2021 when its normal host course, Quail Hollow, prepares for the Presidents Cup that year.
When Quail Hollow hosted the 2017 PGA Championship, the Wells Fargo Championship moved to Eagle Point in Wilmington that year.
Kendall Alley, the regional president for Wells Fargo, said the tour recommended TPC Potomac and officials liked what they saw.
''We listened to the players who told us they enjoy playing the golf course,'' Alley said. ''It's historically been in the summer, so we'll have it in the first part of May, which is the bloom season in D.C. So I think it will be a great time for us to be there.''
In some respects, the tournament is going back in time.
The Kemper Open was held at Quail Hollow from 1969 until it moved to Washington in 1980, held at Congressional. But after seven years at Congressional, it moved to the new TPC Avenel, which did not open to rave reviews. The field suffered until the course was redesigned and renamed in 2007.
Quail Hollow will host the Wells Fargo Championship next year and in 2022 through 2024. It also is expected to get another PGA Championship.
CHIPPING AWAY
One week might be enough for Chip McDaniel to shorten his road to the PGA Tour.
McDaniel graduated from Kentucky last year and didn't get out of the second stage of Q-School, leaving him no status anywhere. He spent the next three months working on his game, tried a few mini-tour events and signed up for a qualifying tournament with hopes of playing the Mackenzie Tour in Canada this summer.
And then he made it through a Monday qualifier in Florida for the PGA Tour event in the Dominican Republic. And in the final, blustery round at Puntacana, McDaniel closed with a 63 to tie for fifth.
''That changed my schedule,'' he said.
McDaniel got into the Texas Open, where he shot 69 in the second round to make the cut before failing to make the 54-hole cut.
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Ko parts with swing coach Oh before Mediheal Championship
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 13:08
DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko is in the market for a new swing coach.
Ko told GolfChannel.com Tuesday that she has parted ways with Ted Oh.
“We just mutually decided it was time,” Ko said. “We ended on good terms.
“I have a lot to thank Ted for. He gave me a really solid blueprint, simplifying my swing. I think he showed me a more efficient way, and I thank him for that.”
Ko and Oh shared an emotional moment after he helped her break through to win the Mediheal Championship at Lake Merced last year, ending Ko’s nearly two-year victory drought. They were both in tears hugging after she hit an epic 3-wood to 2 feet and made eagle to win on the first playoff hole. That’s also Ko’s last victory. She is defending that title without a coach this week.
Oh last worked with Ko at the ANA Inspiration, where she tied for 44th.
“Everyone was a little stressed out there,” Oh said. “It was time. I still love the girl, and we still talk.”
Ko finished last year strong, with a tie for second at the Buick Shanghai, a tie for sixth at the Swinging Skirts Taiwan Championship and a tie for fifth at the CME Group Tour Championship, but the consistency hasn’t carried over into the new year. Ko had a share of the lead on the back nine of the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January, but collapsed on the back nine with two double bogeys and two bogeys to shoot 77 and finish seven shots back of Eun Hee Ji. She has picked up just one top-10 finish in her seven starts since.
Ball-striking hasn’t been sharp for Ko this season, especially off the tee. She ranks 128th in driving distance, 90th in driving accuracy and 52nd in greens in regulation.
Ko began working with Oh at the beginning of the 2018 season, after leaving Gary Gilchrist, who she worked with for nearly a year. Before that she was with David Leadbetter for three years, after leaving her childhood coach, Guy Wilson, at the end of 2013.
Ko is her own swing coach this week.
“I’ve had a couple coaches look at my swing, to get an opinion, but I’m not in a rush to make a decision,” she said.
Ko said scheduling was a challenge with Oh. She said she likes to work with her coach in off weeks and Oh has two young daughters at home in Torrance, Calif. He also works on tour with Ayako Uehara, Jing Yan and Muni He.
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Wells Fargo a perfect PGA tune-up? New schedule has players scrambling
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 14:00
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Masters in his rearview mirror, Justin Rose is excited about what he calls the next stage of the golf year.
Except in this case, objects might be closer than they appear.
Because while the next major is in two weeks, the first one ended only two weeks ago.
Still fresh for Rose is a Masters plan that went awry. For a five-month stretch, no one played better than Rose. He won twice, was runner-up twice and had a pair of third-place finishes over 10 tournaments that took him to No. 1 in the world. He took a five-week break to recharge, felt a little flat in his return during the Florida swing and then missed the cut at Augusta National for the first time.
There's no time to reflect.
The PGA Championship moving to May for the first time since 1949 is causing Rose and several other players to adjust their plans. The new schedule features a major a month, which doesn't allow players time to think, much less play.
''It is different, for sure,'' Rose said Tuesday at Quail Hollow. ''There was a big focus on Augusta, and then in some ways you had until the U.S. Open so you could forget about major championship golf for at least a few weeks.''
The Wells Fargo Championship figured to be a big winner in the compact schedule. The tournament typically had one of the strongest fields of May, and now that only four weeks separate the Masters from the PGA Championship, it would seem to be the perfect place to get geared up for the next major.
That hasn't been the case.
Missing from the field this week is Tiger Woods, who rarely missed Quail Hollow when his health was in good order. He said last week that winning the Masters for his first major title in 11 years took a lot out of him and he simply wasn't ready to get back to work just yet.
That means he will not compete between majors for the seventh time in his career. On two of those occasions, he won the next major - the 1999 PGA Championship in August and the 2008 U.S. Open in June, right before reconstructive knee surgery. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2006, when he took off nine weeks to deal with the death of his father.
With only a month between majors, does a player risk losing form in such a short period of time?
''This seems like a leading question,'' Henrik Stenson said with a grin. ''Is there someone who's going to do this in particular? Someone who maybe won at Augusta?''
Maybe.
But it's not just Woods.
That schedule also fits Justin Thomas, the No. 5 player in the world who pulled out of Quail Hollow as a precaution because of a wrist injury. Bryson DeChambeau is not on the list to play next week in Dallas, meaning he also will go a month between majors.
Others are not too far removed.
Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, played at Hilton Head the week after the Masters and is likely to have three weeks off before the PGA Championship unless he decides to add Dallas at the last minute. Ditto for Francesco Molinari and Xander Schauffele.
Rose and Rory McIlroy are playing only at Quail Hollow between the majors, and Rickie Fowler appears to have the same plan.
Brooks Koepka is keeping a relatively busy schedule. He played last week in New Orleans with his brother, and Koepka has committed to playing next week in the AT&T Byron Nelson, mainly because he prefers to play the week before a major.
''It's what works best for you,'' said Stenson, who is keeping the busiest schedule of all. Because he was recovering from an arm injury late last year and did not make his first PGA Tour start until Mexico City in late February, the Swede is playing seven out of eight weeks.
''I like the schedule with us having one big event every month now,'' Stenson said. ''It gives the players a chance - if majors are your focus - to prepare more in the way you like, if you want to play the week before or you want to play the week after, whatever is your preference. It's something we'll get used to. It will be a year or so before we won't talk about how it was back in the day.''
Rose originally looked at the majors in 10-day blocks, meaning he would arrive early the weekend before to prepare, take off on Monday and then ease his way into the week. That didn't work out for him at Augusta because he felt he had been at the tournament site too long.
So it's back to the old way of thinking amid a new schedule. He plans a trip to Bethpage in the middle of next week, then will return home to the Bahamas to relax and head back to Long Island early during PGA week.
''My preparation going into the PGA has changed because of the run-up into Augusta,'' Rose said. ''So you're always adapting and always learning and trying not to make the same mistakes.''
Whether that plans works depends on the score. That much about golf hasn't changed.
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Ko gets plaque at Lake Merced commemorating epic shot, playoff win
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 14:22
DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko was reminded in a special way Tuesday of her epic finish at Lake Merced Golf Club last year, of the 3-wood she nearly sank for double eagle to set up her victory on the first playoff hole at the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
The club placed a plaque commemorating the shot in the exact spot she played it from in the 18th fairway.
Ko was given the honor of unveiling it in a ceremony.
Plaque-worthy ?#MEDIHEALChamp pic.twitter.com/dSdxDNsGFX
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 30, 2019
“This is where I’ll be buried,” Ko cracked during the ceremony. “By my greatest shot.
“I think every time I go by 18, I'll look at it and get a lot of great memories from it.”
It was a spectacularly clutch shot, setting up a 2-foot eagle putt.
“Obviously, this is probably the best shot I’ve ever hit under pressure,” Ko said.
That’s saying something. At 22, Ko has won 15 LPGA titles, two of them major championships.
Lake Merced was special to Ko even before she beat Minjee Lee in that playoff last year. At 17, Ko won her first LPGA title as a pro here, which was also her first title on American soil. She had the date tattooed on her right wrist. She won again here the following year.
“I love coming back here,” Ko said. “I always get good vibes. I love seeing familiar faces and seeing the volunteers and the members, in the years that I've come.
“I feel like they're family.”
She loves the golf course, too.
“The course has always been in great shape,” Ko said. “I think it's one of the toughest golf courses we play at. It really requires accuracy off the tee and really good putting, because the greens can get slopey and pretty quick.”
Of Ko’s three victories at Lake Merced, last year’s was the most emotional. It was the first time she remembered crying after a victory. It was her 15th LPGA title, ending a 21-month victory drought. It’s also her last victory.
“Obviously, I wish I had another win in the bag between then and now, but it's tough to win,” Ko said. “The girls are playing great and sometimes you feel like you played really good, but somebody plays better. All you can do is try your best and be positive and confident. It's really out of your hands from there.”
Ko has two top-10 finishes in eight starts this year.
“It's still only April and our season ends in November, so we've still got a long way to go,” Ko said. “Just got to stay patient and just believe in myself.”
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Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said Aaron Ramsey will not play for the club again because of a hamstring injury sustained in the Europa League quarterfinal second leg clash away to Napoli.
Ramsey's 11-year association with Arsenal will come to an end on June 30 when he will join Juventus on a free transfer.
And, speaking ahead of the semifinal first leg at home to Valencia, Emery confirmed Ramsey would be unavailable for selection for the remainder of the campaign.
"At the moment we are only in the semifinal, and secondly the prognosis is not OK for this date," Emery said.
"He is important for us. We cannot use him and the danger is always there for a forward player like that.
"We have players who can play [in that position], but he was in a good moment when he had this injury.
"For me it was a good experience to work with every player and with him especially, because he can transmit his energy and he showed me his heart is red with Arsenal.
"I wanted to enjoy with him. I said to him one month ago that I wanted to do something important in his last matches with us at the moment -- maybe he can come back in the future. It will not be with him on the pitch but he is still with us."
Arsenal, who are in a battle to qualify for the Champions League, face Brighton and Burnley in their final two Premier League fixtures as well as Valencia over two legs in the Europa League semifinals.
The Wales international, who is Arsenal's longest-serving player, joined from Cardiff in 2008.
During his time with the club he has won the FA Cup on three occasions, scoring the winning goal in 2014 and 2017.
Press Association Sport reported that Arsenal are in talks with Juventus over Ramsey's recovery and he is set to be fit in time for the start of preseason in Turin.
It has also been reported that Arsenal will hold a guard of honour for Ramsey and retiring goalkeeper Petr Cech after Sunday's match against Brighton at the Emirates, their final Premier League home game of the season.
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BARCELONA, Spain -- Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has told the club's supporters to behave after six fans were arrested in Barcelona on Tuesday following disturbances in the Catalan city.
Police sources confirmed to ESPN FC that six people were detained overnight, later confirmed by Merseyside Police, ahead of Wednesday's Champions League semifinal first leg between Liverpool and Barcelona at Camp Nou.
- Hunter: If Barcelona don't improve, Liverpool will be the kryptonite to their Superman
They were arrested after fights broke out on Plaza Reial, just off La Rambla, where hundreds of travelling supporters had gathered throughout the afternoon on Tuesday.
Images emerged on social media of the disturbances, with one video showing a fan tipping a bystander into the fountain in the middle of the square. Reports said Merseyside Police are looking to identify the man.
Police sources told ESPN FC that all of the arrests made so far were for public order offences.
CEO Moore himself took to social media to urge Liverpool supporters to treat the Catalan city with respect in the build-up to the game.
"We proudly sing that we've conquered all of Europe," he wrote on Twitter. "But let's treat this beautiful city with the respect that it deserves, and act in a manner that is befitting of LFC. By all means have a good time, but we are Liverpool, and as such, let's visit here with grace and humility."
Liverpool later added in a statement: "Liverpool Football Club is working with Merseyside Police and the authorities in Spain, who are endeavouring to identify those involved in the incident. Such behaviour is clearly totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the situation is ongoing other than to confirm the club will follow due process in any and all cases of this nature."
Supporters were eventually forced out of Plaza Reial by local police later in the evening in a bid to break them up into smaller groups. But some of the travelling support told the Liverpool Echo that they felt the police's force was unnecessary.
A police source told ESPN FC they were surprised by the behaviour of a selection of the English club's following, explaining that they hadn't expected it because of the excellent way Manchester United fans conducted themselves two weeks ago.
There will be increased policing and attention throughout Wednesday -- which is a bank holiday in Spain -- to avoid further problems before the game.
Liverpool are hoping to make the Champions League final for the second successive year, while Barcelona are targeting a first final appearance since 2015.
The second leg will take place next Tuesday at Anfield, with the winners facing either Tottenham or Ajax in June's showpiece at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.
Information from Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden was used in this report.
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Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas was rushed to hospital on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack during training but is now out of danger.
The former Spain international felt discomfort in his chest at the end of the morning training session and was taken to CUF Porto hospital.
Sempre Juntos!
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) May 1, 2019
Força Iker! ??⚪#FCPorto #IkerCasillas pic.twitter.com/EiUhdltbIO
Porto tweeted a message of support to Casillas followed by a statement confirming the goalkeeper is in a stable condition.
"Iker Casillas suffered a heart attack during a training session on Wednesday morning, at the Porto training centre in Olival," a statement read. "The session was brought to a prompt end to attend to the Porto goalkeeper, who is now at the CUF Porto Hospital.
"Casillas is well, stable and with the heart problem having been resolved."
Former club Real Madrid have also released a statement, wishing their former captain a speedy recovery.
"Real Madrid C. F. wishes to offer its full support to our beloved captain Iker Casillas," the statement read. "Iker Casillas has shown us how to overcome the most incredible challenges throughout his professional career, adding significantly to our club's successes.
"He's shown us that giving up has no place in our way of life and demonstrated time and again that staying strong during the hardest of challenges is the only path to victory.
"Real Madrid C. F. and all of madridismo look forward to seeing our legendary captain back in good health as soon as possible and we send him all the encouragement in the world."
Casillas, 37, started his career with Real Madrid, where he spent 16 seasons and won the Champions League on three occasions as well as La Liga on five occasions before joining Porto in 2016.
He also captained Spain to two European Championships successes as well as the World Cup in 2010.
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Vijay Mallya set to lose ownership of Barbados Tridents
Published in
Cricket
Wednesday, 01 May 2019 05:59
Vijay Mallya, the Indian businessman, will lose ownership of Caribbean Premier League side Barbados Tridents ahead of the upcoming 2019 season. Damien O'Donohoe, the league CEO, has confirmed that talks are on with a number of prospective buyers, and new owners would be announced ahead of the player draft on May 22 in London.
Mallya, who earlier owned IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, is currently fighting to avoid extradition from the United Kingdom to India, where he is alleged to have committed bank fraud, with authorities trying to recover millions in unpaid loans.
His mounting legal and financial troubles have also impacted the Tridents, which he took ownership of in 2016, with players yet to be paid in full for the 2018 season that finished in September.
"That's obviously been a big headache for us … (but) that issue in relation to Barbados will be getting resolved in the next two to three weeks," O'Donohoe was quoted by Guyana Chronicle as saying. "We will also have a change of ownership which we hope to announce in two weeks' time and that's a very experienced owner who is going to come in, and it's something that we're obviously excited about and we're looking forward to a fresh start at the end of this month."
Recently, the Tridents' marquee player Dwayne Smith criticised the CPL over their handling of the matter of non-payment of salaries.
However, CPL chief operating officer, Pete Russell, expressed gratitude to all affected players for their professionalism and assured that the payments issue would be resolved shortly.
"We just want to put on record how grateful we are to the patience of the players. They've been very understanding," he said. "For us it's just the worst possible scenario where you've got to assess circumstances where an owner for whatever reason can't pay players is just not acceptable really. It's been a process we've had to go through and we're at the end of the process and it's all positive going forward."
Russell was also confident that lessons have been learnt and there wouldn't be a repeat of the situation. "Working with Cricket West Indies to make sure that in the future players' salaries are ring-fenced prior to the tournament so we know that money is sitting there, so the players are protected because we will not experience this again, under any circumstances."
The 2019 CPL will run from September 4 to October 12, after it was revised to ensure it didn't clash with India's tour of West Indies.
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