MARIBEL, Wis. — Justin Ritchie held off Brett Swedberg and Brad Mueller to win The Diamond 41, the crown jewel of the DiscountShopTowels.comDirt Kings Late Model Tour, Tuesday night at 141 Speedway.

Ritchie made his first visit to the Mueller’s Sales & Service Victory Lane being crowned King and sitting in the King’s throne. Justin Reed took the early lead and led the first 14 laps until Swedberg charged Reed on the inside.

Swedberg continued to lead until the caution came out on lap 22.
On the restart, Swedberg pulled out to a straightaway wide margin over Ritchie, Reed, Mueller and Nick Anvelink. Caution slowed the field with just six laps remaining and Swedberg led the field to the green.

Reed regained the lead on the restart going into turn two, followed by Ritchie, Swedberg and Mueller.

Ritchie took the lead with just two laps to go after battling to the inside of Reed. Ritchie also had to survived a green-white-checkered finish to pick up his first DiscountShopTowels.com Dirt Kings Late Model Tour win.

Swedberg finished second, followed by Mueller, Troy Springborn, Reed and Nick Anvelink.

Ten-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz finished 20th.

The finish:

Justin Ritchie, Brett Swedberg, Brad Mueller, Troy Springborn, Justin Reed, Nick Anvelink, Mitch McGrath, Kyle Raddant, Tim Buhler, Justin Schmidt, Chris Engels, Paul Parker, David Jaeger, Tom Naeyaert, Joe Reuter, Joe Bongiorno, Ron Stroika, Taylor Scheffler, Jim Letizia, Donny Schatz, Ron Berna, Derek Janke.

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Brandon Sheppard scored his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory of the season in round two of the series Tuesday night at Jacksonville Speedway.

The Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series point leader won his second consecutive Hell Tour feature at the quarter-mile dirt track with a late-race pass of former tour champion Bobby Pierce.

Starting on the pole and leading the first 37 laps of the $5,000-to-win feature, Pierce finished second.

Defending Summer Nationals champion Brian Shirley raced from sixth to finish third. Frank Heckenast and Tanner English completed the top five.

Allen Weisser won the modified feature.

The finish:

Feature (40 Laps) – 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard [3]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce [1]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley [6]; 4. 99JR-Frank Heckenast, [9]; 5. 96-Tanner English [8]; 6. 18-Shannon Babb [5]; 7. 25-Jason Feger [12]; 8. 25W-Allen Weisser [7]; 9. 16-Rusty Griiffaw [15]; 10. 33-Rodney Melvin [11]; 11. CJ1-Rusty Schlenk [4]; 12. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh [10]; 13. 30-Mark Voigt [18]; 14. 31AUS-Paul Stubber [14]; 15. 27-Greg Kimmons [21]; 16. 87-Walker Arthur [13]; 17. 16H-Mike Hammerle [20]; 18. 32M-Cody Maguire [17]; 19. 4-Jason Suhre [22]; 20. 21-Billy Moyer [2]; 21. 25H-Chuck Hummer [19]; 22. 55-Matt Bailey [16]; 23. 6-Cliff Powell [23]; Hard Charger:16-Rusty Griiffaw[+6]

NORWALK, Ohio – As citizens of Ohio know all too well, it’s been a soggy spring this year across the Buckeye State.

However, if history can provide any sort of lesson, it’s that the NHRA’s annual pilgrimage to Northwest Ohio always seems to be the true start of the summer months.

That’s certainly the hope of five-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., who brings his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro home for what he hopes will be a memorable weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

The Norwalk event marks the 12th of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, the halfway point of the year and a home game for Ohio native Coughlin.

“I think we’re all anxious for summer to finally get here, and normally the conditions at the Norwalk race are more conducive to eating ice cream than anything else,” Coughlin said. “It’s been very rainy and cooler this spring though, even lately, which is unusual this far into June, so if the NHRA visiting our state can turn the tide, I’m all for it.”

With a legion of friends, family and JEGS associates expected to be on hand, Coughlin also is hoping a return to his home state results in a return to his early-season form, highlighted by his 61st career Pro Stock win at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in February.

“The Norwalk weekend would be a perfect place to see this yellow and black JEGS Camaro back on top,” he said. “The car’s been running pretty well all along, but of late, we really haven’t quite been on the pace we set in the first five races of the year. The team at Elite has been working very hard to fix the little performance issues bugging us and they definitely feel like we’re back on track.

“We’re looking to qualify well and contend once again for the No. 1 starting spot, and we’re very anxious to see some win lights come Sunday so we can put ourselves in position to win again.”

Based in the Columbus suburb of Delaware, Ohio, JEGS High Performance employs more than 400 associates, many of whom plan to make the trek to Norwalk to root on the JEGS-branded hot rods of Jeg Jr. and his nephew Troy Jr., who races the JEGS.com “Save on Garage Gear” Top Alcohol Dragster out of the McPhillips Racing camp.

“Whenever we race Norwalk or back home at National Trail Raceway, we always have a huge fan base rooting for us,” Jeg Jr. said. “That makes it so special for everyone that proudly supports our brand. It also makes it extra satisfying to perform well in front of them because these are people we see every day in the hallways at work.

“We’re proud to be from Ohio and represent our state all around the country, but nothing beats doing well at home.”

CONCORD, N.C. — World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series point leader Brad Sweet leads the June 17 edition of the National 410 Sprint Car Rankings with an average finish of 5.333.

Sweet, who has four World of Outlaws victories this season, has produced his 5.333 average finish in 30 starts. Drivers must have a minimum of 20 starts to qualify. And drivers who have more than 50 starts can toss out a maximum of 15 starts.

Learn more about how the National 410 Sprint Car Rankings are tabulated here.

Pennsylvania racer Danny Dietrich, who leads the Eastern region with nine victories in 35 starts, ranks second in the national standings with an average finish of 5.943.

Ten-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz ranks third with an average finish of 6.00, while fellow WoO competitors Daryn Pittman and David Gravel round out the top five.

Lucas Wolfe is second in the Eastern region and ranks sixth in the national rankings.

Other regional leaders are Sweet (West), Buddy Kofoid (Great Lakes), Billy Balog (Great Plains), Paul Nienhiser (Mid America) and Jack Sodeman Jr. (Ohio-PA).

The season has been hampered by rain and drivers in most regions have yet to run enough races to qualify for the national rankings.

Seventy-two drivers have won 410 sprint car features through June 16 with Dietrich leading the way with nine victories. Sweet, Freddie Rahmer and Lance Dewease have each won four features.

To view the rankings for each division and the National rankings, click below.

CONCORD, N.C. — The National 410 Sprint Car Rankings have been calculated since 2009, ranking sprint car drivers across the country based on their on-track success.

SPEED SPORT will begin publishing these rankings on a weekly basis. Click here for this week’s rankings.

But first, a little history on why the rankings were developed and how they are tabulated.

The concept was developed during a stakeholders meeting at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway in 2008. After considerable discussion and fine-tuning, the group put the regional and national ranking system into place for the 2009 season.

Money and trophies are not on the line, but the rankings system provides a way to measure drivers in different regions against one another.

Regional Rankings are broken up into seven regions: Eastern (Includes tracks from Maine to Florida), Great Lakes (Michigan, Indiana, Western Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee), Great Plains (North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa), Mid America (Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi), Ohio-Pennsylvania (Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia), The Northwest ( Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Hawaii), and the Western region (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California).

A driver earns points on all races within each region — whether it’s a World of Outlaws race, another national touring series event, or weekly racing at a local dirt track. Drivers receive 60 points for a win, 56 points for second, and so on, decreasing by two points through the field. Champions in the geographical regions are ranked according to these points standings.

The National Rankings are based on drivers’ best 50 finishes. Drivers must have a minimum of 20 starts to qualify. And drivers who have over 50 starts can toss out a maximum of 15 starts. The driver with the lowest average finish at the end of the season is your National King of 410 Sprint Car Racing.

Of the eight years that the program has been around, eight-time and reigning World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Champion Donny Schatz has taken home the Top-Ranked National King of 410 Sprint Car Racing title four times.

Corey Perry, once one of the most feared wingers in the league, had the two remaining years of his contract bought out, the team announced.

Terms of the buyout were not released.

"This is one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make in my 44 years in the NHL," Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. "Corey gave everything to this franchise for 14 years, never giving an inch to his competitors. While his scoring touch is undeniable, his will to win became his greatest attribute.

"We thank Corey for everything he's meant to the Ducks organization. No matter what he elects to do from here, Corey, his wife, Blakeny, and his son, Griffin, will always be part of the Ducks family."

Perry, 34, signed an eight-year, $69 million contract in 2013 that had a cap hit of $8.625 million. After having knee surgery in September, Perry played in only 31 games last season, registering 10 points.

That was a far cry from his glory days when he made four All-Star Games. Having played his entire 13-year career with Anaheim -- going back to their Mighty Duck days -- Perry won a Stanley Cup with the team in his second season in the league as a 21-year-old in 2006-07.

He led the league with 50 goals in 2010-11 and won the Hart Trophy -- the only MVP in team history. After signing his contract, Perry came out the next season and posted 43 goals and 39 assists. The Ducks lost in the second round of the playoffs that season but went to the conference finals in two of the next three seasons and always looked like a Cup contender.

Since 2016-17, however, his production has fallen. He had just 19 goals that season and 17 the next year before this past injury plagued campaign.

"On behalf of the entire Ducks organization, we want to thank Corey Perry for his tremendous contributions to the franchise," team owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in the statement. "For many years, Corey has epitomized what it means to be a Duck, playing an aggressive, relentless game while being a compassionate and giving member of the Orange County community."

Perry's contract isn't the only problematic one on the Ducks' books. Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler are also 34 and have each battled significant injuries the past two seasons. Getzlaf also has a cap hit above $8 million and is under contract through 2020-21. Kesler, with a $6.875 million cap hit, is under contract through 2021-22. Both have no-movement clauses, like Perry.

The Ducks recently hired AHL coach Dallas Eakins as their new head coach. Anaheim missed the playoffs last season and was eliminated in the first round the year before.

LAS VEGAS -- The NHL Awards are this week in Las Vegas, giving the hockey world a chance to honor the best players the regular season had to offer, while trying to forget how the majority of them lasted about as long in the playoffs as the casual fan's interest.

The awards are a good snapshot of the NHL season, but not the most comprehensive one. To that end, ESPN once again presents its Alternative NHL Awards, from the ridiculous to the sublime. Enjoy!

Team of the Year: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Team of the Year shouldn't just be the one that hoists the Stanley Cup. It should be the one that, in essence, provides a time capsule look at the NHL in 2018-19. To that end, the Team of the Year was the Tampa Bay Lightning. No other team in the NHL personified the offensive velocity of the current incarnation of the game, or the meticulous asset management used to construct it.

But also, no other team better exemplified the preposterous parity of today's league or the irrelevant nature of regular-season dominance. And no other team provided the antithesis of what the St. Louis Blues did to capture their first Cup: fundamental bludgeoning rather than risky flourish, and the innate ability to process adversity instead of melting down because you walked into Game 2 on home ice thinking you were owed a win and then fell apart when the Columbus Blue Jackets embarrassed you.

Flop of the Year: Los Angeles Kings

In its preview of the Kings' season, The Hockey News wrote: "The Kings are no longer the class of the division, but they're not a basement team, either." Well, guess what? They were both! No longer the class of the Pacific, and a basement team in the entire Western Conference as well.

Anze Kopitar went from being a Hart Trophy finalist to the worst offensive season of his career, joining Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk in that latter category. Drew Doughty went from second for the Norris Trophy to a minus-34. When Jonathan Quick did play, it was to an astounding minus-29.21 goals saved above average. John Stevens was fired after 13 games. Jake Muzzin was traded after 50 games. They couldn't even succeed in the lottery, finishing with the second-lowest points in the NHL and yet picking fifth. Yuck.

Meme of the Year: Crying Brad Marchand

And now, for your entertainment pleasure, I present to you some crying Marchand memes. pic.twitter.com/8oznnwdPzP

- MJ (@mjizzle03) June 13, 2019

Look, in a way it's an honor. Brad Marchand has so infuriated opposing fan bases that his moment of raw grief following the Bruins' Game 7 loss to the Blues was immediately propagated for comedic purposes. And while admittedly inhuman and cruel ... look, the one where he's licking his own tears is kind of ingenious, if we're being honest.

Feud of the Year: Don Cherry vs. The Storm Surge

Canada's preeminent curmudgeon unleashed several unhinged rants against the Carolina Hurricanes' choreographed victory celebrations, claiming that they were an embarrassment to hockey and that the Hurricanes were "a bunch of jerks." Carolina got the last laugh, turning that line into a best-selling T-shirt and de facto rallying cry for its incredible run to the Eastern Conference final.

Player of the Year: Ryan O'Reilly

To go from having your joy of hockey sucked from your body during a disastrous season with the Buffalo Sabres -- to the point where you question whether you are, in fact, the source of all of these losing seasons in your career -- to hoisting the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy in just over a year's time ... that's just like a hockey fable right there. When the Blues were bad, O'Reilly was good. When the Blues were good, O'Reilly was great. A revelatory season for the hirsute center, and the best of the year.

Least Valuable Player: Jori Lehtera

The Philadelphia Flyers center had a minus-27.73 goals-for percentage relative to his teammates, had three points in 27 games and was demoted to the AHL in February before leaving for the KHL after the season. Oh, right: He was also charged with drug offenses in Finland, allegedly buying more than 8 grams of cocaine from a drug ring in 2018. So, no, not the best season!

GM of the Year: Jarmo Kekäläinen

He shot his shot, the Columbus Blue Jackets stunned the Lightning and made it to the second round for the first time in franchise history. Given where the bar was set, that's a success. If nothing else, we honor a GM who felt fortune would favor the bold, and we salute that.

Fan of the Year: Laila Anderson

"I couldn't thank them enough for helping me get through my fight." @StLouisBlues fan Laila Anderson is a #StanleyCup champion in our eyes. She spoke to @Jackie_Redmond on the ice after Game Seven. pic.twitter.com/rxZagRooQt

- NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 13, 2019

This young St. Louis Blues fan became an endearing (and enduring) part of their Stanley Cup journey. Laila has been battling hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, a life-threatening immune disease. Only 15 other children in the world have been diagnosed with it, according to media reports. The Blues were her inspiration during her recovery from a bone marrow transplant.

When she was healthy enough, Laila's mother surprised her with tickets to Game 3 of the Western Conference final. She would attend every playoff home game after that and was on the ice after the Blues' Game 7 win in Boston and at the victory parade in St. Louis. For inspiring her favorite team, and being a heck of a postgame interviewer, Laila Anderson is our fan of the year.

Quote of the Year

"They are f---ing horses---. I don't know how else to put it. The team was OK. But [Tyler] Seguin and [Jamie] Benn were terrible." -- Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites in a profanity-laden tirade about his star players in December 2018. The Stars would end up making the playoffs and winning a first-round series.

Best Place to Hold a Hockey Conversation

The urinal in the visitors' locker room at TD Garden in Boston, where Carl Gunnarsson vowed to Blues coach Craig Berube that he'd score the overtime game-winner in Game 2 if he had one more shot in the game. He got one, and he did, making quite a splash in the Stanley Cup Final.

Worst Place to Hold a Hockey Conversation

In the back of an Uber in Phoenix, trashing your special-teams coach, as the Ottawa Senators can tell you with some insight.

Event of the Year: John Tavares Night at Nassau

Last summer. John Tavares turned his back on the New York Islanders to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his favorite team as a child. On Feb. 28, Islanders fans let him know how they felt about that when the Leafs came to Nassau Coliseum.

Jerseys were defaced with nameplates made of electrical tape that read "LIAR" and "JUDAS" -- and many other Tavares sweaters were burned in effigy or laid down on the road so cars could run them over. Islanders fans chanted "We don't need you" -- as well as more anatomically specific chants -- during warm-ups.

The Islanders would rout the Leafs 6-1. "They always made it tough on the opponent when I played here," Tavares said. "They have their feelings, and that's out of my control."

Best PR Moment for the NHL: Gritty

Who is the current face of the NHL? Sidney Crosby? Alex Ovechkin? Connor McDavid? No, it's definitely Gritty.

The Flyers' ubiquitous mascot appeared everywhere from "The Tonight Show" to "Good Morning America" to political rallies. Other mascots dogged the Flyers' Orange Nightmare Fuel, saying his antics were old tricks in a new package. But that didn't faze Gritty, a mascot who was so bold in his first NHL season that he went streaking at the Flyers' Stadium Series again against Pittsburgh.

I've since been ejected. pic.twitter.com/6ims2CQpsc

- Gritty (@GrittyNHL) February 24, 2019

Worst PR Moment for the NHL: Playoff Officiating

It wasn't just the major penalty call in Game 7 of the San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights. Nearly every series had its moment of officiating controversy, from pucks off the netting that were still in play to the infamous missed hand pass in the Western Conference final to majors that should have been minors to minors that should have been majors to an offside call in the Sharks vs. Avalanche series that was so myopic that the entire notion of using replay for offside came under fire.

An embarrassing postseason of refereeing for the NHL -- so bad, in fact, that expanding video review for officials is likely going to be the solution.

Goal of the Year

Anthony Duclair with a highlight reel goal.... ������ pic.twitter.com/0tj8DpjKQi

- Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast) October 19, 2018

Even after docking him points for doing this against Robert Hagg and non-Carter Hart Flyers goaltending, Duclair's incredible effort to collect the puck after falling down and then scoring was one of the wildest goals of the season.

Save of the Year

Game recognizes game. pic.twitter.com/FXYx8eSGkx

- NHL (@NHL) November 20, 2018

Not only does Carey Price make this incredible save in the dying seconds of regulation -- he makes a save that literally has Alex Ovechkin applauding the effort for preventing a goal. Incredible.

Game of the Year: Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, Game 7 (4/23/19)

One of the most remarkable rallies in NHL history. The Knights had a 3-0 lead with 10:47 left in regulation of Game 7. That's when Joe Pavelski was cross-checked by Cody Eakin, collided with Paul Stastny, fell to the ice head-first and began bleeding profusely. Eakin was given a (controversial, then and now) five-minute major.

The Sharks scored four power-play goals in 4:01 to take a 4-3 lead, and you'll not find an arena louder than the Shark Tank when that happened.

But wait! The Golden Knights scored at 19:13 of the third period to send the game into overtime, until unlikely hero Barclay Goodrow sent San Jose to the second round, and Vegas packing.

Jonathan Marchessault claimed the refs stole the game from his team. The NHL would later apologize to the Golden Knights for the officials blowing that call, and they didn't work another playoff game. Which, in a way, perfectly captured the playoff season as a whole.

Patrik Stefan stands on the bench, watching the final seconds tick down on the game clock. The scoreboard above a sea of blue seats broken up by splotches of friends, family and the odd scout reads, "Home 4, Guest 0." As the buzzer sounds, a flurry of orange, white and powder blue debris goes flying in a whirlwind of youthful exuberance as the 15-year-olds clad in white jerseys pile over the boards, grabbing anyone they can find. They are USA Hockey national champions.

Among the blur of bodies tumbling across the ice is a jersey with "Stefan" across the top and a familiar No. 13 below. After the dog piles subside, Patrik wraps his arms around his 15-year-old son, James, and tells him he had a good game and that he is proud of him.

Patrik Stefan spent the past four years with this group of kids at the Detroit-based Little Caesars hockey club, coaching and developing them. But his life had a much different trajectory 20 years ago, when he was called to the stage as the first overall -- and first-ever -- pick of the Atlanta Thrashers at the 1999 NHL draft.

Stefan, now 38, knew his life had changed that day, but he didn't know how things would play out. He didn't know that infamy is easier to come by than fame, that YouTube was going to be a thing, and one of his worst on-ice moments would be replayed in perpetuity. Or that he'd suffer a life-altering injury, forcing retirement before he even hit his 30s.

As the 2019 NHL draft in Vancouver, British Columbia, approaches, it's easy to think back to that '99 draft, which defined the past two decades for the host city's team, thanks to the picks that happened immediately after Stefan was taken at No. 1. Canucks general manager Brian Burke swung what might be his greatest move as an NHL executive -- rearranging picks and moving out players over three separate trades to select twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin second and third overall, respectively. The Sedins went on to Hall of Fame-worthy careers, complete with Hart Trophies, scoring titles, a trip to the Stanley Cup Final and a combined 2,111 points, all with Vancouver.

If not for Burke's wheeling and dealing, Stefan likely would not have been the top pick. In his third trade of a 24-hour period, Burke got the Thrashers to agree to swap picks with the Canucks so he could select the Sedins at the same time with pick Nos. 2 and 3.

"I knew I was going to Atlanta," Stefan said in a phone conversation with ESPN. "They had the second pick, then right before the draft, they announced [the trade] and all of the sudden Atlanta was making the first pick. And I'm like, 'OK, I think that may be me.' Then you're like, 'Holy s---.'"

Stefan had been the No. 1-rated player by NHL Central Scouting. He had spent the previous season and a half with the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the old International Hockey League, then considered the second-best league in the world. And although concussion issues in his draft year limited Stefan to 35 games, he was still an all-star and produced over a point per game in a big-time pro league at just 17 years old. The Thrashers took on that risk, and a wild ride commenced.

A skipping puck

As a rookie, Stefan played in 72 games and registered 25 points, the sixth most on a team that won just 14 games all season. In total, Stefan played 414 games for the Thrashers. His best season was a 40-point run in 2003-04, which was followed by the lockout-canceled 2004-05 season. Stefan finished his Atlanta career with 177 points and was traded to the Dallas Stars in 2006.

During his lone season with Dallas, injury limited him to 41 games, in which he garnered 11 points. But his Texas days will be remembered more for what appeared to be an easy empty-net goal to give the Stars a road victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Instead, the puck skipped over his stick and he missed, before losing his footing while trying to collect the unsettled puck and allowing the Oilers to go all the way down and score the tying goal with 2 seconds left on the clock. The most popular YouTube video of the incident has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times. History tends to forget that the Stars ended up winning that game in a shootout.

History tends to forget a lot, but as Stefan notes, no one is going to feel sorry for you in hockey. The first overall designation is a special one, if you can live up to the billing. If not, it's a boat anchor that drags you down, and everyone gets to take their shots as you sink.

Nuance doesn't tend to travel over time, either. Like the 1999 draft not being particularly strong, with only 37 percent of the players selected in the first three rounds appearing in at least 100 NHL games, putting it among the least effective at placing NHL regulars of the past 20 years. Or the fact that had Atlanta taken Stefan with the second overall pick it originally had, rather than in the spotlight of that top spot, the glare might have softened over time. Or that Stefan's injury luck was nil, having managed to appear in all 82 regular-season games just once over a seven-year career.

There were concussions, but the final straw was his hip. He wanted to play, but physically could not. His career quietly ended after three games with SC Bern in Switzerland when pain and a lack of mobility robbed Stefan of anything that was left of his hockey abilities.

After years of gritting through the pain, not wanting to endure the lengthy recovery process and limiting aftermath as a younger man, Stefan is due to finally have his hip replaced later this summer.

"I'm about eight years too late," Stefan said. "I tried to hold on as long as I could. There aren't many guys at 38 that need a hip replacement. I remember going to the hospital, when I was 30 or 29. I'm sitting there with my bad hip and the next-youngest person is 65 or 70. 'What am I doing here?' It's been a struggle. With coaching, being on the ice so much, it's a struggle."

Life after the NHL

Despite the way the outside world might perceive how Stefan's career went or how he should feel about it, the struggles and ridicule he endured made him no less passionate about the game. He couldn't stay away.

"I look at my career and what I've been through, I've been through a lot," Stefan said. "I grew up playing in Czech. Moved to the U.S. when I was 16 to play in the IHL. Got drafted first overall and didn't have the career that I wanted to. All these things, you can look at it as a failure, but I was looking at as, 'What can I do about it?' I can sit at home and feel sorry for myself or I could transfer that experience and get into this business."

The business Stefan got into was forming his own player agency, which he still operates. His first NHL-drafted and -signed client was Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth, who remains with Stefan. New Jersey Devils forward Pavel Zacha and a host of prospects are among those Stefan advises. He keeps his client list tight so he can be hands-on.

His unique and trying experience in the NHL gives him perspective when speaking with clients and the gravitas necessary for them to listen.

"This is a tough business to be in, there's no question about it," he said. "But when you start working with players and you guide them through their ups and downs -- because I've been through that -- it's been very rewarding. I wish that I could still play -- when I was working with young kids, it was like I was living through it. It's kind of like you're playing. You look at the games, you start looking at video and obviously, I understand the game a lot better and I look at the game differently now than when I was playing."

Beyond the busy life of being an agent, the coaching bug bit Stefan hard when he was asked to help run a practice for his nephew's team in the place of an absent coach. Soon, he was on the bench for the two teams sons James and Wyatt play on.

"I thought travel was busy when I was playing, but it's nothing compared to now," said Stefan, who moved his family to Michigan to make travel to clients easier, while also giving his boys a chance to play at a high level among their peers.

Family is clearly at the heart of so much of what the Stefans do. Carolyn Stefan, a self-described surfer girl from Southern California who met Patrik while he was playing in Long Beach, makes it all go. She has seen her husband through it all, from having his face on billboards in Atlanta to needing her help tying his own shoes on days when his hip made it impossible to bend.

"She holds the house together," Stefan said of his wife of 18 years. "I'm tough. I'm strict and she's the fun one, so there's nice balance to the household."

Patrik has preached never being too high or too low in hockey or in life to his boys and his clients. That was put to the test for the Stefan family not long after Patrik retired, when Carolyn was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer. She went through two grueling years of treatment, including numerous operations.

"That rattled us. We can get through anything, but that was a tough one," Carolyn said. "You look back at the things where you missed the net and all that stuff, and then your wife's got cancer. Perspective happens real quick. Now I'm healthy and grateful. It changes you forever and I'm just grateful for every day."

Carolyn went into remission after about a year and a half. Had Patrik's playing career not ended when it did, he might not have been able to be there as much as he ultimately was. But Patrik and their sons were by Carolyn's side as she tackled the fight of her life.

"I feel like I'm in good hands," she said. "We got a great little group here in this family. We all got each other."

Another generation

Standing among the scattered gloves, sticks and helmets on the ice after Little Caesars' 4-0 championship win, decades after his name was called as the Thrashers' top pick, there's no better place to be today for Stefan. But amid the celebration, another roller-coaster chapter commences for the family.

Next season, for the first time in some time, James Stefan will play for someone other than his father. Filled with NHL dreams of his own, the 15-year-old is bound for the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks after signing as a free agent in November.

James had what one junior hockey scout described as a "breakout season," posting 95 points to lead Little Caesars in scoring. The scout noted that the younger Stefan had grown a bit since the previous season and started to improve his skating, leading to more success.

"My decision-making, my hockey IQ, the skill ... I think took a lot of that from him," James said when looking at his father's playing style. Patrik agreed: "I think I was quick, had good hockey sense, good passer. That's what you see in the game now. It's fast."

It's too soon to say where James' career will go next, but Patrik will be there guiding him. He moved to Oregon to be with James through his journey. The Stefans know the next steps are hard. It's something Carolyn thinks about, having seen the meat grinder that this career can be for anyone, even a No. 1 pick.

"I just hope he has a bit of what his father has in that he can let [pressure or criticism] just go right off his shoulders," she said. "He trusts his dad so much so I'm super grateful for that. But it's a different thing, watching your husband versus watching your kids."

"I had my career and I was only 27 years old [when I retired]," Patrik said. "But this gave me an opportunity to be around my kids, to help them out, to be around their hockey careers. That goes quickly. That age, 7 or 8 to 15, it's gone and you're never going to get it back. This injury happened and I wish I was still playing for sure, but I can do all these things here that make me really happy."

No, Patrik Stefan didn't go where he was supposed to. But he ended up exactly where he needed to be.

Juan Mata has signed a new contract with Manchester United, the club have confirmed.

The midfielder, who would have been available on a free transfer from June 30, has put pen-to-paper a new two-year deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2021 with the option of another year.

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"It is a real honour to continue to represent this amazing club and our incredible fans," Mata said. "I have been at Manchester United for five years and I am proud to call Old Trafford my home.

"I am looking forward to working with Ole and his fantastic coaching staff; the vision that they have for the club is truly exciting and I am so happy that I will be a part of that."

Talks between the 31-year-old and United stalled with the club reluctant to offer more than a one-year extension.

A longer agreement has now been reached and Solskjaer has stressed the importance of Mata's experience in coming to the decision.

"Juan is the ultimate professional and one of the most intelligent players I have worked with," Solskjaer said. "He is a great example to our younger players in his approach.

"He understands what it means to be a Manchester United player and has embraced everything about this great club.

"As well as everything he brings on the pitch, we have some fantastic young players here and I know that Juan's vast experience will help them to reach their potential over the coming seasons.

"I am delighted that he has signed a new contract, as I know that his talent and mentality will be invaluable to the squad."