Puppy alert! The NHL just got a whole lot cuter!

THE NHL JUST GOT CUTER

Captain, Washington Capitals (Photo: Courtesy: Washington Capitals)

As is customary this time of year, we’ve had quite a busy week in sports. The NFL and college football are in full swing. The MLB playoffs, too, are reaching a fever pitch. The NBA preseason is underway, though all anyone is talking about is China, the Hong Kong protests, Daryl Morey, Donald Trump, and Steve Kerr. In any event, NHL teams are acquiring PUPPIES now! There’s really nothing to add here. Just look at these little guys.

Check out these adorable team members

THE POWER OF POSITIVITY

Cheerleader Lindsey Schuler suffered a horrific spinal cord injury following a gymnastics accident. She couldn’t feel her arms. She couldn’t feel her legs. Just two hours later, she was in surgery. The expected outcome, her doctor said, is *maybe* she can use her hands again one day. Lindsey wanted to walk again at her senior prom. But that was just weeks away.

But guess what? That’s just what she did.

DON’T MISS THESE … 

A loud noise distracted a golfer. It turned out to be his wife slamming the port-a-potty door. 

Could Gronk make an NFL return?
Padres pitcher Jacob Nix is tased by homeowner after allegedly trying to enter an Arizona house through the dog door.
Kirk Cousins discusses his “very random” phone call with President Trump.
Las Vegas Athletics?
Yikes: Iowa assistant high school football coach arrested after threatening to kill referee during a game.
The winners of the 2019 Little League World Series flew home from Washington, D.C., to Louisiana in style – aboard Air Force One.
Rickie Fowler and Allison Stokke have tied the knot.
Georgia lawmakers blame karma for Braves’ loss.  
Extremely confusing and weird soccer-ish feud from across the pond.
A Nationals reliever had choice words for those criticizing his teammate for taking paternity leave during NLCS to be with his family for the birth of his third child. 
Scottie Pippen’s nephew signs with Warriors.

BEST SATURDAY OF THE YEAR (SO FAR)

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts wears the Golden Hat after the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)

Week 7 of the college football season looked like it could be promising on paper — and it delivered by producing the best Saturday of the year. 

LSU’s new high-powered offense beat Florida in a shootout – which is confusing, we know – in the game of the night. Earlier, the Red River Shootout … wasn’t really a shootout and featured strong defense by Oklahoma. Feels wrong, too. 

Here are the rest of the highlights from Saturday: 

Before OU-Texas kicked off, *every* player got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. 
South Carolina pulled the biggest upset of the year, knocking off No. 3 Georgia. 
The top two – Alabama and Clemson – did not have similar troubles. 
Michigan got the win but, uh, it sure tried hard to blow it for a while there. 

Wisconsin’s defense is SCARY good. 
Penn State’s is pretty good, too.  

G.O.A.T

Simone Biles on Day 9 of the Gymnastics World Championships. (Photo: Laurence Griffiths, Getty Images)

Simone Biles is very good at gymnastics. You already knew that. Over the weekend, she tied the record for most world gymnastics medals. She also discussed with Nancy Armour where she keeps all that hardware, her love-hate relationship with the balance beam, and how she even impresses herself at times.

SUPER BOWL SURPRISE

Coach Gray with his players. (Photo: Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com)

Matt Gray is a volunteer high school football coach in New Jersey. He was born with Down syndrome. On Friday, he got the surprise of a lifetime when New York Giants linebacker Kareem Martin presented Coach Gray with two Super Bowl tickets. Gray, who’s also known as Matty Ice, is a big Giants fan, and he also is a Matt Ryan fan, for obvious reasons. He’s, uh, probably not gonna see either of those teams in Miami this February.  

Only at the USA TODAY Sports Network

From original reporting to some of the nation’s best columns, these are stories you can only get from the USA TODAY Sports Network: 

From Arizona State to broken neck to junior college to leading Virginia’s football renaissance.
Amari Cooper’s “book” is a must-read for receivers.

Inside Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers debut.
Curt Schilling wants back into baseball. Does baseball want Curt Schilling?

Andrew Luck is no stranger at Colts’ facilities.
Meet the 100 worst teams in NFL history!
MLB needs a new award for the playoffs. Introducing the “Jeter-Ortiz Cup”

Celebrating Brett Favre’s 50th birthday with his 50 greatest moments.
Florida QB Kyle Trask last started at QB as a freshman in high school.
Who will be the Phillies’ next manager?
Colin Kaepernick’s latest bid to land on an NFL team seems like a Hail Mary, writes Josh Peter.
Two high school football players lean on each other after both lost a parent in the span of 24 hours.

The greatest in-season NFL trades of all time! And the worst deals the league has seen…

THE BEST POLICY

Kiah Parrott of Kokomo High School in Indiana always dreamed of reaching the podium at the state golf tournament. Last weekend, she did just that, finishing sixth. But then, as she was eating lunch, it all fell apart. Parrott noticed that the live scoring app had her score wrong. Then, she realized she had signed an incorrect scorecard. She had two options: play along, knowing that her score was wrong or report the mistake and disqualify herself. She acted fast. 

NBA IN CHINA: NOT GOING WELL

Fans hold Chinese flags as they watch the NBA preseason game between the Lakers and Nets in China. (Photo: STR, AFP via Getty Images)

There’s a lot to unpack here, but here’s the gist: Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted support for Honk Kong protestors. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta took issue with the since-deleted tweet. As did many in mainland China. But this was just the beginning. Below is our full coverage of the fallout.

NBA statements on Hong Kong tweet different in English, Chinese.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the center of China controversy.
It’s time for LeBron James to exercise his right to free speech again, writes Josh Peter.
Adam Silver issues statement on China: “Sports can be a unifying force.”
These are the NBA players under contract with Chinese sneaker brands.
Adam Silver shows the NBA will go only so far to make nice with China, writes Dan Wolken.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave his unwavering support to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Chinese authorities arrest Rockets fan for threatening to burn national flag.
76ers fan says he and wife were kicked out of preseason game for supporting Hong Kong with signs and chants.
NBA sold its soul to China over cash — all it cost was its moral high ground, writes Shawn Windsor.
What’s at stake for NBA in China if the relationship continues to sour?
President Trump criticizes NBA for “pandering to China.”

Wizards game against Chinese team draws Hong Kong supporters.
China doesn’t let NBA commissioner Adam Silver hold news conference.
NBA fallout from China Tweetgate may open more eyes to the cost of doing business there.
Steve Kerr says he was the “shiny object” for Trump to be mad at.
President Trump says Steve Kerr looked “weak and pathetic” answering questions about NBA and China.

BOSA VS. BAKER VS. SHERMAN

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield during their Monday Night Football game. (Photo: Tony Avelar, AP)

Who could forget Baker Mayfield, while at Oklahoma, planting the OU flag at midfield after the Sooners topped Ohio State? Not Nick Bosa! The former Buckeye returned the favor after the 49ers’ resounding victory over Mayfield’s Browns. But wait, there’s more! Richard Sherman called Mayfield “bush league'” for not shaking his hand before the game. Sherman must have forgotten there are roughly a zillion cameras at NFL games, and at least one of those cameras caught Mayfield shaking Sherman’s hand. Handshake-gate averted.

EVERYTHING ELSE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Rays pitcher says it was obvious he was tipping pitches in Game 5 against the Astros.
 Jon Gruden on brother Jay’s firing from Redskins: ‘Welcome to the club, bro’.

Rihanna says she turned down Super Bowl halftime show to support Colin Kaepernick.
Snoop Dogg defends his performance at Kansas preseason basketball event.
Penn State coach James Franklin passionately defends player who received racist letter.
Bubba Wallace opens up with Dale Earnhardt Jr., discusses his depression.

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