Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting at Utah Valley University Sends Shockwaves Across America

 

Head coach Devan Praught of the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League has been banned indefinitely for allegedly breaking the league's code of conduct.

Prêt, 36, is accused of breaking league regulations while practicing with the Broncos squad on Monday. Taras McEwen, the assistant coach, will take over as head coach while Praught is suspended.

The Broncos have a 9-9-1 record and 19 points after 19 games this season, good for ninth place in the WHL's Eastern Conference.

After taking over on an interim basis midway through the 2021–22 season, which he had begun as an assistant coach under Dean Brockman, Praught is in his second full season as head coach of the Broncos.

Four NHL prospects are now with the Broncos: defenseman Owen Pickering (Pittsburgh Penguins), goaltender Reid Dyck (Boston Bruins), and forwards Josh Filmon (New Jersey Devils) and Connor Hvidston (Anaheim Ducks). 

This season, Praught is not the first head coach in the WHL to get a suspension due to suspected infractions of the standards of conduct. Due to claims that he had made "derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature" to one of his players, experienced coach Kevin Constantine was first suspended by the Wenatchee Wild in October before being sacked.

Following Mike Babcock's resignation from the Columbus Blue Jackets in mid-September due to a scandal involving his improper interactions with players, there has been a wave of criticism directed towards outmoded coaching techniques.

Following Mike Babcock's resignation from the Columbus Blue Jackets in mid-September due to a scandal involving his improper interactions with players, there has been a wave of criticism directed towards outmoded coaching techniques.

Praught rose through the ranks of the Saskatchewan-based Notre Dame Hounds youth hockey league before signing with the Broncos in 2021. Praught played as a winger for the Prince Edward Island Rocket of the QMJHL and then the St. Thomas University Tommies.

The Broncos will be back in action on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. CT when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers, with McEwen starting in the bench. 

Following a "dangerous trip" on New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat during the Edmonton Oilers' 4-1 victory Wednesday night, Leon Draisaitl was fined $5,000.

Draisaitl was battling for the ball along the boards at about the halfway point of the second period. He was pushed down in the board battle moments before the play in question, and he turned to face Horvat, who was facing the other way and without the puck. Horvat stumbled and fell at that moment when the great forward for the Oilers decided to take a hard shot to the back of his knees. It was an obviously illegal play, what's known as a "slew foot."

It was the Oilers' second victory in as many games. With four points, Draisaitl was the star of the show. The Oilers had good goaltending for a change as Stuart Skinner stopped 32 of 33 shots. Although the team's record has improved to 4-9-1, they still have a long way to go if they hope to qualify for the postseason this year.

The squad is still the subject of rumors regarding the short- and long-term plans of both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers' only goals right now are to string together a few victories and, ideally, restart the season. 

They still have 68 games left in the season, and if they win about 40 of those, they will have enough points to qualify for the postseason. That's a big ask, but McDavid, Draisaitl, and company are the ones who can pull it off.

Leading scorer for the Oilers with six goals and 19 points in 14 games this season, Draisaitl is on pace to score 111 points over an 82-game pace. Only 128 points from last year would be his career high point total. That would be his second-highest scoring total.

For another Betano daily bets segment, Tyler Yaremchuk joined Daily Faceoff Live. Tuesday night in the NHL promises to be a busy one with nine games scheduled. 

Tyler is betting on the Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers vs. San Jose Sharks, among other matchups.

Yaremchuk Tyler: Let's examine our wagers for the day using Betano. 19 and older, please play sensibly. Let's get started with Betano.ca as the game's starting point.

Yaremchuk Tyler: I have a few plays for tonight, one of which is an Over when the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins meet. The numbers support this one very simply; for the Blue Jackets, the Over has hit in four straight games, and for the Penguins, it has hit in four of the last six. When these two go head-to-head, the game is usually high scoring; I like the price point at -125, therefore give me Over 6.5 in that game. 

Yaremchuk Tyler: There's a Puckline wager as well. When it involves the San Jose Sharks, the day is usually excellent. Indeed, they had their little spurt of two games, but they are now unable to cover in consecutive games. I like this position since the Florida Panthers are playing well and have won four straight games for the Cats. We have one of the finest Puckline pricing we've seen against the Sharks right now, at -120. 

Becs Horsfall, the detective chief superintendent, stated in a statement:

We have been doing in-depth investigations to piece together what happened before Adam passed away in these extraordinary circumstances. In order to support our inquiry, we have been in contact with highly specialized specialists in their respective fields. We also maintain close collaboration with Sheffield City Council's health and safety department. Adam's passing has stunned a lot of people, from ice hockey enthusiasts worldwide to our neighbors in Sheffield. 

Coroner Tanyka Rawden has proposed requiring ice hockey players to wear neck protectors in order to stop fatalities in the future. According to the Elite League, wearing them will be highly encouraged for officials and players alike.

In response to Johnson's passing, the English Ice Hockey Association, which oversees the sport played below the Elite League, mandated that all players in England wear neck guards beginning in 2024.

Following the incident, Petgrave received a barrage of racist hate mail on the internet. The suspect has been taken into custody thus far, but no charges have been brought against him. The internet will never stop commenting on this tragedy and voicing its unjustified thoughts. 

In connection with the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was sliced by a skate during a game, police in England detained a man on suspicion of manslaughter on Tuesday.

On October 28, during an Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield's Utilita Arena, Johnson, 29, was struck by a skate blade belonging to an opponent when he was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers.

The suspect's age and identity were withheld by South Yorkshire Police. He was held by the police.

The other player engaged in the graphic event that sent shockwaves through the hockey community and caused moments of silence in the NHL was Sheffield's 31-year-old Matt Petgrave.

On the incident's video, Johnson can be seen skating towards the Steelers net.

Ken Dorsey

Coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills was forced to remove offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey on Tuesday after observing an alarming increase in turnovers and a concerning decline in quarterback Josh Allen's confidence.

Ten weeks into the season, the decision was made the day after the three-time defending AFC East champions lost to the Denver Broncos 24-22, dropping them to 5-5 and farther out of the postseason picture.

It basically boiled down to us needing to be a self-assured offensive football team and find consistent productivity, according to McDermott. I'm just as annoyed as everyone else. Right now, we're attempting to win one game at a time and we have an opportunity to turn things around.

Then, defending the decision's timing as the Bills head into a brief week with just five days to get ready for Sunday's home game against the division foe New York Jets (4-5).