During Disney's Investor Day presentation in December, it was revealed, among many other content announcements, that a series based on the "Mighty Ducks" franchise will be coming to Disney+ ("The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers").

The beloved hockey movie trilogy from the 1990s, often placed on the Mount Rushmore of hockey films by fans, features an underdog ragtag Minnesota team that overcame the odds and won championships, led by their coach, Gordon Bombay (played by Emilio Estevez). The most iconic part of the trilogy is definitely the Flying V, a hockey play seen throughout the series (both to failure and success), where the entire team starts behind their own goal line, makes a V formation and storms the offensive zone.

The problem is, when people speak about the Flying V today, it's with rose-colored glasses -- the Flying V as a hockey strategy is absolutely terrible.

I mean it -- it's completely unrealistic. Silly, even for 1992 standards. Maybe the joke's on us because we're still talking about it, but that's not the purpose of this article.

A Mighty Ducks reboot means we will probably see a Flying V or two (or 10) again on screen. So instead of complaining about it, I decided to fix it. Let's be honest, an audience today with social media at their disposal will be far less forgiving of hockey in a movie that looks unrealistic as they might have been back in 1992.

To understand how to fix the Flying V, we must first understand why the Flying V is actually broken in the first place.

Why the Flying V doesn't work

I called upon Jack Han, who is an expert on hockey tactics and player development. He has served as player development analyst and hockey operations assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. He also wrote a book called "Hockey Tactics 2020." To put it simply: He knows what he's talking about.

The worst-kept secret in hockey is that the Flying V from the Mighty Ducks trilogy is a mess. Especially at neutral strength, it wouldn't make it past their own defensive zone.

"If you rewatch the flying Vs from D1-D3, it only works because everyone on the other team backs up instead of playing a normal neutral-zone forecheck," Han explains. "Real hockey teams will rarely do that unless they're on the penalty kill."

Even if the Ducks make it to the offensive blue line [which they always do in the movies], a competent defensive team would be able to stop the one guy who always has to carry the puck across the offensive blue line and launch a pretty uncontested counter attack.

"D3 is what should happen: No spacing between players, pinballed, goal against," says Han, referencing Team Iceland's picking apart of the Flying V in the third film.

How can we make the Flying V work?

Perhaps the simplest way to improve the Flying V (working title: Flying V2.0), at least on screen, is to flip it.

In the trilogy, the Ducks go up the ice in an upside-down V (from the perspective of their goalie), so there is only one eventual destination for the puck. If the formation was flipped, so the team went up the ice in a V (from their goalie's perspective), there would be two outlets across the offensive blue line, making the play at least a bit more believable.

The other big challenge is that the players are bunched together, almost as tightly as possible. Han explains that both lateral spacing and vertical options -- giving room for stretch passes or drop passes -- are necessary to make the formation work.

"The Ducks' V has neither, whereas the NHL examples do," Han says.

Could the Flying V work in the NHL (or other high-level leagues)?

Believe it or not, the Flying V has been tried -- at least in part -- deliberately in the NHL.

During the 2016-17 season, the Montreal Canadiens found themselves with a man advantage against the Calgary Flames, and three consecutive times they set up their attack with every player behind the goal line, just like the Ducks:

Habs did do the Flying V last night, not once, but *three* times in a row. Failed the first, got an entry, third one worked! pic.twitter.com/j1Zvu0Y2eY

— Olivier Bouchard (@oli_bou) January 25, 2017

When asked about it after the game, forward Artturi Lehkonen said "Kirkie [associate coach Kirk Muller] planned it out." Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu added, "We want to keep guys thinking. Defensemen do such a good job on the penalty kill of closing gaps and holding lines now, so trying to bring guys back and bring them with speed is a way to throw a curveball. We want to surprise teams, we don't want them to be able to know what we're doing."

Looking ahead

So, the key to making the Flying V realistic on screen during the reboot? Space it out and flip it. Preferably, put it on display during a power play as a playful nod to the original trilogy (although the audience might give it a nostalgic forgiveness if done at even strength too).

The other key question: Will it show up in the NHL? No, unless a team decides to do it for the sake of memes while they're on the power play ... and up 6-0.

But my hope is that, in the new Mighty Ducks reboot, any Flying V we see attempted will incorporate some of what we learned here, and not what we saw in the originals.

Improvement is good. Change is good.

Quack.

With two weeks of the 2021 NHL season in the books, some early trends have started to take shape. Some are expected, others are quite shocking.

Here's a 12-pack of takes based on the January action -- from potential trades, to the first coach fired, to who we like as early Selke and Calder candidates -- and our panelists' thoughts on whether to buy or sell them.

Read more: Power Rankings after Week 2

Striker Joao Maleck will resume his playing career at Mexican second division club Deportivo Cafessa less than two months after being released from prison on parole.

Maleck, 21, spent 18 months behind bars for a car accident that resulted in the death of a newlywed couple.

He was released on Dec. 16 after serving less than half of his sentence and posting a $151,121 bond.

Maleck has now joined Cafessa on loan from Liga MX side Santos for six months.

"We reached an agreement with Club Santos so that Joao Maleck will join our team for the second half [of the campaign] and achieve our aims to gain promotion from the Liga Premier to the Liga Expansion," Deportivo Cafessa vice-president Hector Reynoso said in a news conference.

"It is important to have someone of his quality."

Reynoso added that Maleck's arrival was a "delicate subject" but the club justified his signing.

"At CAFESSA Jalisco we believe that all our young people deserve opportunities to find a better destination, and football is a wonderful opportunity that transforms the lives of those of us who are part of it," a club statement said.

"We know that life can confront us with situations that mark us forever, but if there is a possibility of working on our future actions, we must undertake the challenge of doing so and show our best version as people."

At the time of the accident on June 23, 2019, Maleck was driving over the speed limit in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was under the influence of alcohol when his vehicle hit the car of the victims.

"We have all made mistakes," Maleck's agent Pavel Pardo said. "We are all committed to giving him our support. He is mentally strong and is focused on his work."

Maleck, who had made several appearances for Mexico's youth squads, is the son of former player Jean-Claude Maleck, who played in Tecos UAG and San Luis in the Mexican league in the 1990s.

Former Real Madrid and Italy star Antonio Cassano has revealed he gained 14 kilograms in seven months while at the Bernabeu because he ate Nutella "directly from the jar."

Italian brand Nutella, a sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread, sponsored the Spanish giants at the time when the then 23-year-old Cassano moved to Madrid from Roma in January 2006.

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"When I arrived at Real Madrid, I lost 12 kilos immediately," Cassano said in a conversation with former Italy teammates including Christian Vieri and Fabio Cannavaro.

"Then I gained them back. Nutella was one of the club sponsors and each month they would give us five kilograms of the product."

Considered one of the most promising forwards of his time, Cassano failed to shine at Madrid under his former Roma coach Fabio Capello and left after 19 months to join Sampdoria.

"When Capello arrived [summer of 2006], I scored two goals in two games and I felt like I was the king of the world," Cassano added.

"He replaced me in the first half against Lyon, I had an argument with him in Jerez and he withdrew me from the team. In seven months, I gained 14 kilos, I ate Nutella directly from the jar and I couldn't care about anything. I was disgusting."

Cassano, 38, had weight problems throughout his career and admitted his lavish lifestyle in Madrid damaged his playing prospects.

"My biggest mistake was the year-and-a-half at Real Madrid, because I did everything and more to ruin it," he said. "That's a huge regret."

Cassano joined Sampdoria on a permanent basis following his loan spell and would go on to play for Inter Milan, Parma, and Verona before retiring in 2018.

Dan Christian has not shut the door on representing Australia again after hitting what he believed was career-best form for the Sydney Sixers.

Christian joined the Sixers from the Melbourne Renegades, whom he had helped win the title in the 2018-19 season. Although run tallies in the BBL are skewed by the growth of the competition, his average of 36 this campaign is his second best after 2013-14. Christian's strike rate of 186.66 is far and away his highest in any edition of the tournament and his second best for any league behind the 194.05 he struck at in the 2018-19 Mzansi Super League.

Christian, 37, last played for Australia in 2017, a career that includes 19 ODIs and 16 T20Is. Having been overlooked for the expanded squads of the Covid-19 era, his time would appear to have gone; but he believes he as "a lot of cricket left in me".

"For sure, I'd still love to be playing in that Australian side," he told reporters in Canberra. "If the opportunity arises, great. But one of the things I've focused on is just win games and competitions. That's the currency for playing at the next level. If you are doing that, you will get noticed. Certainly found that in my days at Victoria when we were winning all those Sheffield Shields."

Christian has enjoyed the new challenge after changing clubs, also taking 13 wickets alongside the runs he has scored following a lean last season with the Renegades. When asked if he'd ever played better, he said: "Probably not, it's hard to remember… particularly in the Big Bash, I've had similar runs of form in other competitions - particularly in England - but over here probably been my best ones.

"I didn't look at changing anything, was probably more the fresh start and confidence of being in a new group. Still feel I have a lot of cricket left in me despite being 37.

"I've been playing really well in England in the last few years, and the great thing about being in this Sixers side is I'm playing a very similar role - that bowling role in the middle, a bit at the death, then batting-wise coming in around 10-12th over and finishing off things. Feel that's where I play my best cricket so nice to do that for the Sixers."

Christian will be part of the Sixers side taking on the Perth Scorchers in the Qualifier final in Canberra on Saturday with the prize being a direct route into the final on February 6.

He hopes that conditions at the Manuka Oval, which will host the match due to the ongoing border restrictions impacting Sydney, are similar to when the two sides met a couple of weeks ago when Christian took 2 for 22 from his four overs to pull back a rapid Scorchers to the extent that the chase was a cruise.

"Hopefully it plays pretty similar to what it did last time," he said of the pitch at the Manuka. "Generally how we've played a lot of our stuff, pace off from our spinners and our medium pacers have been really successful, as long as it's different to what they have at the Optus [Stadium in Perth] because they are brilliant on the fast, green wicket."

Tamil Nadu 158 for 3 (Arun Karthik 89*) beat Rajasthan 154 for 9 (Menaria 51, Gupta 45, Mohammed 4-24) by seven wickets

Tamil Nadu beat Rajasthan in the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the second season in a row and continued to remain unbeaten this year. In a game of six dropped catches, the runners-up of last year's edition differentiated themselves with their assured and clinical batting as their experience shone through in a chase of 155. Arun Karthik led the way with an expertly-crafted and unbeaten 89, and sealed the seven-wicket win in the company of captain Dinesh Karthik.

Rajasthan start off strong
Rajasthan's decision to bat against a TN side that has won each of their last six games chasing seemed like a decent one when the game began. Despite losing a wicket in the first over to R Sai Kishore's left-arm spin, Rajasthan kept the scoring rate high in the powerplay as captain Ashok Menaria and opener Aditya Garhwal picked the right bowlers to target. Those happened to be seamer Aswin Crist, who replaced Sandeep Warrier after the fast bowler was called up to the national team's nets, and offspinner B Aparajith who came on during the powerplay.

But on a slow-ish pitch, Aparajith had the last laugh against Garhwal, who couldn't get enough power on a slog sweep and holed out to long-on. At the other end, however, Menaria kept the attack going against Crist, whose jitteriness would translate to three fours and a six in four consecutive balls at the hands of Menaria to end the powerplay.

No. 4 Arjit Gupta also kept the pressure on Aparajith as TN began to wither under pressure. Shahrukh Khan had dropped a catch in the second over, and there would be two more dropped at long-on by Crist. Rajasthan were 120 for 2 at the end of the 13th over, with Menaria past 50.

The comeback
Sai Kishore didn't come back on till the 12th over, having bowled the first one, and his return was the catalyst for a big comeback in the second half for TN. Having first dried up the boundary options from his end, Sai Kishore managed to get one to rise on Menaria's pull. Arun Karthik ended a streak of dropped catches by plucking one low after running in from deep midwicket, and it was the signal for a squeeze.

Medium-pacer M Mohammed had Mahipal Lomror pick out long-off in the next over, and the scoring rate collapsed from there as Sai Kishore got through his spell. Gupta had held one end up for his 45, but when he fell to M Ashwin in the 18th over, Rajasthan's innings was already on a rapid decline. No one after No. 4 managed to score at more than run a ball and the innings sputtered and stopped at 154 for 9: a collapse of 7 for 34 in the last seven overs. Mohammed dug into the lower order and finished with 4 for 24.

Tamil Nadu's experts combine
Starting off wasn't easy for TN as Rajasthan's trio of left-arm seamers kept it tight. Tanveer Ul-Haq made the first breakthrough, getting C Hari Nishanth lbw with one slanted into him in the third over. Next over, Aniket Choudhary pushed one across after swinging a few in, and Aparajith was taken sharply at first slip by Rajesh Bishnoi with a lunge to his left. At the end of the powerplay, even the then chart-topping batsman N Jagadeesan seemed to be stuck, with the score 35 for 2.

But Arun looked in control at the other end, as he looked to deflect and nudge on a sluggish and gripping track with the odd chip, and one stylish pull for six. That kept the score going until Jagadeesan swept Ravi Bishnoi to deep midwicket.

At 70 for 3 at the halfway stage, TN still seemed in control with their two most experienced batsmen in the middle. Dinesh was his industrious self and the two started to chip away at the required run rate with expert manoeuvring and calculated boundaries.

Arun banked on going inside-out, showed an ability to play the field with reverse-ramps and lap-sweeps, and added another sumptuous front-foot pull for six to his score. As their equation eased, so did Rajasthan's concentration. By the time the target was breached, they would drop three catches - all off Khaleel Ahmed's bowling - and miss a run-out chance as well as the two Karthiks saw TN home with an unbroken 89-run stand.

BCB XI 24 for 0 (Saif 15*, Shadman 3*) trail West Indians 257 (Brathwaite 85, Campbell 44, Rishad 5-75) by 233 runs

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite struck 85 but the rest of the visitors' batsmen struggled against the BCB XI on the first day of their three-day warm-up game at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram. Brathwaite lasted 187 balls to hit ten fours as he showed typical doggedness on a mostly slow pitch.

Brathwaitte added 67 for the opening wicket with John Campbell who struck seven fours in his 44 off 73 balls. But from 110 for 1, the West Indians slipped to 131 for 5 as the middle-order of Shayne Moseley, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood and Kavem Hodge got out cheaply.

Moseley and Hodge are newcomers who were playing their first innings on tour, while Bonner, who made only 2, had earlier played in the ODI series. Blackwood, who is billed as one of the batting mainstays in this West Indies side, scored only 9.

It was only after Joshua da Silva, Kyle Mayers and Alzarri Joseph made scores of 20, 40 and 25 that the visitors got past the 250-run mark.

For the BCB XI, legspinner Rishad Hossain took five wickets while pacer Khaled Ahmed picked up three. The other two were picked up by Saif Hassan and Shahadat Hossain. They kept the home team strategy of not playing any left-arm spinners against the visitors in the warm-up game.

Later, the BCB XI openers Saif and Shadman Islam ensured they went to stumps without any losses, ending with 24 for 0 having batted for eight overs.

Brisbane Heat 4 for 131 (Peirson 47*, Denly 41) beat Adelaide Strikers 7 for 130 (Weatherald 32, Labuschagne 3-13) by 6 wickets

Mitchell Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne spun a web around the flat-footed Adelaide Strikers to push the Brisbane Heat to a rousing victory in the first of the BBL finals and set up a showdown with the Sydney Thunder on Sunday night.

While the visiting Strikers chose to bat first, the dry and bouncy Gabba surface offered up enough assistance for Swepson and Labuschagne to allow the wrist spinning duo to dominate the narrative of the night, particularly after a halting innings by Alex Carey at the top of the order.

Although Jonathan Wells did his best to revive things the Heat were left with a mediocre chase, and the result was that strong spells by numerous of the Strikers attack were able to be shrugged off by the Heat, guided home by Joe Denly, Jimmy Peirson and the dumped Test batsman Joe Burns.

Carey stuck in concrete

One of the things that makes the Heat so watchable is the fact they get to play on a Gabba surface that is undeniably the best white-ball surface in the country, affording just enough help for the bowlers but plenty of pace for the hitters. The early exchanges of this encounter showed that any doubt will be exposed, as Carey struggled to find his timing and himself.

In terms of his standing in Australian cricket and also the BBL Carey should have been loving the opportunity to bat at the top of the order in a decisive game on the Gabba pitch. But instead his timing and poise utterly deserted the erstwhile vice-captain of Australia, leading to the sort of runs-to-balls ratio more commonly associated with a Test or Sheffield Shield match. At the other end, Jake Weatherald was striking rather more sweetly but in need of support. When Carey fell to the immaculate Swepson, Weatherald could last little longer, trying for too much in a second run.

All's well that ends Wells

The chewing gum in which the Strikers' innings was stuck needed some sort of release, and as has been typical over the past few seasons, Wells provided it. While his BBL in 2020-21 was not quite of the standard of Wells' previous couple breakout years, he has remained a constant source of threat for opponents. As much as the Heat leaned upon the outstanding spells of Swepson and Labuschagne, showcasing exactly how much value there was in wrist spin on a dry Gabba surface, Wells was able to salvage a total close enough to competitive - particularly in a final.

Neser must play

Ever since the conclusion of the Gabba Test, debate has bubbled around whether or not the "big three" pacemen Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc should have been refreshed against India. All summer, Michael Neser was treated as the net bowler not up to the level of his peers.

He had something to prove opening up for the Strikers, and there was nothing half-measured about how he attacked the crease here. Chris Lynn, for so long the big ticket for the BBL, was bowled comprehensively by a classic away seamer, answering at least one question about the Test summer just gone.

Burns' solace, Heat's brilliance

Seldom does a vanquished Test batsman get the chance to take centre-stage after being dropped during the international season. This time Burns was in the middle as the Heat took themselves through to the next stage of the finals, albeit in a supporting role to Peirson. Coming together at 4 for 92, the game very much in the balance, Burns and Peirson needed to keep their heads in the midst of a febrile crowd of 20,942 and with their pensive coach Darren Lehmann taking care to look on from outside the team viewing area,

As it was, the Strikers gave their all, with Peter Siddle and Danny Briggs putting in superb spells in a cause that was, if not losing, then certainly unlikely. The test for Peirson and Burns was to keep their heads and let the pace of the pitch and gaps in the outfield show. With the exception of a couple of dropped catches, the latter of the two causing Wes Agar to bare his teeth in exasperation, the Heat held their nerve; no-one celebrated this harder than Labuschagne, for so long something of an outcast to the club's plans.

A guide to who is competing and where you can watch Friday’s World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting

The first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021 takes place in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Friday (January 29), with a number of star names set to compete.

Britain’s world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith goes in the 60m as she races indoors for the first time since 2018, while France’s former world pole vault record-holder Renaud Lavillenie will be looking to build on his strong start to the season after matching his best ever season’s opener with 5.92m at the StarPerche event in Bordeaux.

Despite not having competed indoors for three years, this will be Asher-Smith’s fourth time racing in Karlsruhe and this time the 25-year-old, who has a 60m PB of 7.08, will be joined by her compatriot Asha Philip, the 2017 European indoor champion and British record-holder with 7.06, plus Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte, Germany’s Rebekka Haase and France’s Carolle Zahi.

In the pole vault, Lavillenie will compete against his brother Valentin, plus Poland’s multiple world medallist Piotr Lisek and Germany’s 2013 world champion Raphael Holzdeppe.

Other highlights include:

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a meeting ‘bubble’ will be in place with various protocols and there will be no spectators in the stadium.

The scoring disciplines on the World Athletics Indoor Tour rotate each year. For 2021 the Gold-level scoring disciplines are:

Men – 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump
Women – 60m, 800m, 3000m/5000m, pole vault, triple jump, shot put

Each athlete’s best three results will count towards their overall point score. The athlete with the most points in each scoring discipline at the end of the tour will be declared the overall winner.

The full start lists can be found here.

Timetable

(Times stated are local time – CET)

18:40 W Shot put
19:18 W Triple jump
19:40 M Pole vault
19:47 W 60m hurdles heats
20:04 M 400m final 1
20:11 M 400m final 2
20:23 W 60m heats
20:37 M 800m final
20:44 M 60m hurdles heats
20:54 M Long jump
20:57 W 1500m final
21:07 W 60m hurdles final
21:14 W 3000m final
21:30 W 60m final
21:36 M 3000m final
21:54 M 60m hurdles final

How to watch

Live results during the competition will be available here.

Fans in the UK will be able to watch the action live via BBC Sport on BBC iPlayer, the Red Button and the BBC Sport website. Steve Cram and Andrew Cotter will be on commentary.

For fans in the USA, Canada and Australia, coverage will be shown by FloSports – FloTrack, while there will also be a live stream of the meeting available via the World Athletics YouTube Channel (geo restrictions apply).

Keep an eye on our Twitter feed for updates and our website for an event report.

British athletes set to chase selection standards for Torun in Lee Valley, Loughborough and either Manchester or Sheffield next month

The British Indoor Championships in Glasgow on February 20-21 has been replaced by three micro meetings at Lee Valley, Loughborough and either Manchester or Sheffield in order to help athletes achieve qualifying marks for the European Indoor Championships in Poland in March.

Lee Valley will stage 60m and 60m hurdles races plus long and triple jump on February 20, with Loughborough holding high jump, pole vault and shot put competitions for a small number of elite athletes on February 21.

Over the same weekend there will also be 400m and middle-distance races plus combined events in Manchester or Sheffield as athletes attempt to earn selection for the European event in Torun on March 5-7.

However, in order to limit numbers UK Athletics is not staging a women’s 60m due to insufficient confirmed entries, nor 200m or race walks due to those events not being on the programme in Torun.

The micro meetings will, of course, be Covid-compliant and held behind closed doors for a small number of potential competitors for the European Indoors and only for those who hold the necessary elite athlete exemption that allows them to travel.

It is good news for athletes after a frustrating series of cancellation announcements. These included the British Indoor Championships in Glasgow and the Night of the 10,000m PBs in north London – the latter of which was not due to take place until June 5 – whereas the opening round of the National Athletics League on May 16 is among the early summer fixtures that have already been abandoned.

In addition, a British Milers’ Club elite meeting at Lee Valley was cancelled only 48 hours before it was due to take place on Saturday January 30. Efforts to move the fixture on to various weekends in February also fell flat with the BMC citing “too much red tape” and not enough time for Enfield Council to approve the event.

For the micro meetings on February 20-21, UKA say all athletes and coaches will receive an invitation by January 29 and must respond by February 1.

A revised selection policy for Torun is set to be released and the governing body adds: “British Athletics are committed to delivering these events as they are important preparation for the whole of 2021. However, please be aware that the local pandemic conditions may require changes to plans.

“The events are no longer designated as a British Championships and no medals will be awarded.”