CONCORD, N.C. – Officials from Venturini Motorsports and Sinclair Oil Corp. have announced that Michael Self will once again pilot the No. 25 Toyota Camry full-time during the ARCA Menards Series season.

Veteran crew chief Kevin Reed will be moving over to the No. 25 team to call the shots throughout the year.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to return to Venturini Motorsports with Sinclair backing for another season, and a shot at championship redemption,” says Self. “Despite last season ending in heartbreak for me, I had an absolute blast competing full time in the ARCA Menards Series, building a relationship with the Venturini family and the entire VMS crew, and proving that I can win and compete on any different style track. With some changes in the schedule including the addition of Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen and Phoenix, all tracks I’m extremely familiar with, I couldn’t be more excited to know that I’ll be back behind the wheel of the No. 25 Toyota for the entire 20-race slate.”

Self earned four wins, four pole’s and tallied 14-top five and 15-top 10 finishes in route to his runner-up finish in the championship last year. While 2019 marked Self’s first full-time ARCA season, the Salt Lake City, Utah, native was no stranger to reaching victory lane with his Venturini crew, including wins at Daytona Int’l Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway during a partial 2018 schedule.

“Michael (Self) embodies what we work so hard to accomplish with our driver development program each year and I am proud to welcome him back to the team,” commented Venturini Motorsports team owner Billy Venturini. “He has become one of our veteran drivers who is a proven threat each week at the track and I am looking forward to seeing him and Kevin (Reed) back in victory lane throughout the season.”

With the addition of Reed atop his pit-box, Self is poised to pick up right where he left off last season. Reed, an ARCA mainstay, has earned 22 victories in the series with 12 different drivers, including winning the 2019 championship with Christian Eckes. While the dynamic duo of Reed and Self may seem new to some, the pair previously worked together during the 2018 season at VMS, where they racked up two wins.

“I am really excited to get another chance to work with Michael (Self) this season. He has proven himself an excellent competitor both on and off the track each and every week,” said Reed. “We worked together for several races in 2018, winning a few and our main goal this season is to win as many races as possible and to win the championship.”

Sinclair Oil Corporation enters their fourth year of sponsoring Self and looks to bring more exposure to their iconic mascot, DINO, as they will return as the primary sponsor in 18 races. They will retain associate branding on the other two events to round out the year.

“We’re excited to support Michael again this year, he is a fellow Utahan and we love supporting a home-town guy. We’re looking forward too many wins this season,” said Jack Barger, Vice President of Marketing for Sinclair Oil.

“The feedback we’ve received since the first time Sinclair was on a racecar back in 2016 has continued to be overwhelmingly positive,” Self says. “Every time we go to a track, I personally get multiple comments about how much people love the brand, and love seeing it associated with racing, and that makes it fun to be an ambassador for them. We’ve been able to grow the off-track activity as much as the on-track activity, and I expect plenty more of that throughout the 2020 season.”

PLAINFIELD, Ill. – Santino Ferrucci will be back for his second full season in the NTT IndyCar Series aboard the No. 18 entry fielded by Dale Coyne Racing and Vasser-Sullivan Racing.

The car will carry primary sponsorship support from SealMaster Pavement Products and be entered as the No. 18 Team SealMaster – Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan Honda.

“We’re very happy to have Santino back with us for the 2020 season,” said team co-owner Dale Coyne. “He had a very good rookie season and he was absolutely stellar on the ovals. We look forward to him building on that this year. I think he surprised a lot of people in 2019 and he has the potential to do even better in his sophomore year as he now moves to the No. 18 car.”

In his first full Indy car season, Ferrucci, 21, a native of Woodbury, Conn., made up 16 positions to finish seventh in the 2019 Indianapolis 500, earning him Rookie of the Year honors. He completed the third most laps of any driver in the series and finished fourth among all drivers on ovals.

“What a big moment for DCVS and the program as we begin our next chapter,” said team co-owner James Sullivan. “This new crop of young fast Indy car racers is no joke, and we’re energized to have Ferrucci leading our charge in the SealMaster machine. I expect you’ll see some big moments from us in 2020.”

This will be Ferrucci’s second year driving for Coyne, who fielded the No. 19 entry for Ferrucci last season. Ferrucci takes over the No. 18 from previous driver Sebastian Bourdais, who left the team in November and has since committed to a full schedule in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jack Roush, a racer, former Ford engineer, college physics teacher, and current CEO of a number of engineering-related companies, has been honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club with the Phil Hill Award.

The 2019 award recipient, RRDC President Bobby Rahal, made the presentation at the annual RRDC members’ dinner on Wednesday prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The Phil Hill Award has been presented annually since 1993 to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing. The recipient may be a driver, entrant or outstanding member of a sanctioning body.

It is named in honor of America’s first Formula One World Champion (in 1961), and is not only a tribute to his masterful accomplishments on the race track, it also recognizes his contributions as a great ambassador for the sport. Hill passed away in 2008.

Born in Covington, Ky., in 1942, Roush was always interested in finding out what made things tick. He received his mathematics degree with a minor in physics from Berea College in 1964 and moved to Detroit to work for Ford Motor Company that same year. He went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Scientific Mathematics from Eastern Michigan University in 1970.

He’s the founder of Roush Racing and Roush Performance Engineering. Prior to entering NASCAR competition, Roush had competed and won championships in various drag racing and sports-car racing series since the mid-1960s, including the NHRA, SCCA Trans-Am Series, IMSA GT Championship, and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The racing business was originally a small branch of co-owner Jack Roush’s successful automotive engineering and road-racing equipment business based in Livonia, Mich.

For more than 50 years Roush has been committed to winning on and off the track, having won 32 championships and more than 400 races in drag racing, sports car and stock car racing. In 2007, Roush Racing and Fenway Sports Group announced the formation of Roush Fenway Racing, one of NASCAR’s premier racing teams, with championships earned in NASCAR’s top three divisions.

Roush also heads up Roush Industries, Inc. which employs more than 1,800 people and operates facilities in five states, as well as in Mexico and Great Britain.  Although primarily known for providing engineering, management and prototype services to the transportation industry, Roush has developed a significant role in providing engineering and manufacturing for the electronics, sports equipment, aviation and motorsports industries.

“Jack Roush wears many different hats,” said M.C. Leigh Diffey, TV commentator and RRDC member. “CEO of Roush Racing, Roush Industries, Roush Performance, among many others.

“In the ’80s and early ’90s when Roush Racing really kicked into gear with successful runs in SCCA’s Trans-Am series and IMSA Camel GT, the team earned 24 national championships, 12 manufacturers’ championships, and 119 road racing victories. Incredible.

“Roush Racing has also claimed 10 consecutive class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. And, by the way, those 10 class championships still rank as the highest in Rolex 24 history. That record still stands.

“Since Jack Roush entered NASCAR competition, he has had 325 Cup series’ victories and is the winningest race team in NASCAR history.”

Diffey then conducted a spirited Q&A session with Roush, covering nearly every aspect of Roush’s achievements and his interaction with many of the drivers who raced for him, including Ricky Rudd, Lyn St. James, Scott Pruett, Tommy Kendall, Willy T. Ribbs, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and many more.

“I think recently there have been some expectations that I’m about ready to retire,” said Roush. “My son Jack is here with me. He’s got two boys that are go-kart racing right now, my daughter Susan is still winning championships drag racing and her daughter is driving some too. So we Roushes are going to be around for a long time.

“I really appreciate this award because of the legacy and all the understanding of what Phil Hill did to promote road racing in the United States. He demonstrated to the Europeans he could win over there as well as here and is one of the first to do that. I am very proud to receive this award in his name.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Rob Dyson, a retired American sports car racing driver and owner of Dyson Racing, has been named the recipient of the Road Racing Drivers Club Bob Akin Award.

He was presented the award at the annual Road Racing Drivers Club members’ dinner on Wednesday prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Each recipient of this honor, considered the top award in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers, is selected by Akin’s son Bobby, RRDC members Brian Redman and Judy Stropus, and approved by RRDC president Bobby Rahal.

The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC in 2003 to honor the memory of longtime RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002.

It was designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., and is given to a driver who best exemplifies the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing and the community at large.

The primary award, etched with the names of the recipients, is displayed at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Each honoree receives a smaller replica.

Dyson, 73, began competing in amateur SCCA competition in 1974 and in 1981 won the Sports Car Club of America’s GT2 national championship.

He began racing professionally in IMSA GTO and the SCCA Trans-Am Series in 1982. Over the course of 21 seasons as a professional driver Dyson drove in 92 races, scoring four overall race wins (including the 1997 Rolex 24 at Daytona) and a total of 18 podium finishes.

Dyson continued to compete episodically in professional racing through 2007 and today remains active driving his collection of vintage Indy cars in a variety of demonstration events.

He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation, a privately-owned international holding company.

A longtime friend of Bob Akin’s, Dyson was presented the Bob Akin Award by Bobby Akin, Stropus and Rahal.

“All past winners of this award have been deserving,” said Akin. “However, even if you rounded them all up you would likely not have the parallels that Rob Dyson has with my father.

“Both hail from the Hudson Valley of New York. Both had the responsibility of running a family business and were driven to succeed. That drive to succeed delayed their racing careers. Both ran successful racing teams often competing against each other in Porsche 962s.

“Rob began racing in 1974 and won an SCCA National Championship. He began racing on a professional level in 1982, drove in 92 races, earning 18 podiums, the highlight being a win here at the Rolex 24.

“Oh, and one last parallel: our winner also has a son who races, Chris. He’s a lot more serious than I, and, like me, calls his dad his best friend.”

“He and I were such great friends,” said Dyson of Bob Akin, “that we would get together often. We had an expression while we were running both against one another but kind of with one another: we wanted to keep the prize money on the East side of the Hudson River. And whenever either one of us did well, either in Daytona, Sebring, or any other race, we were pleased when one of us got into the prize money and we would often have lunch afterwards. And, if he did better than I did, he bought, and if I did better than he did, I bought. So, that’s the way we worked.”

On the significance of receiving this award, Dyson said, “It ignites a lot of great memories related to my racing career but even more great memories of my good friend Bob Akin. And the spirit and comradeship that we had as competitors and as friends during our lives on and off the race track.

“The only thing I’m sorry about is that he’s not here today so that I could give him the Rob Dyson Award. Thank you so much.”

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (wrist) won't play in this weekend's NHL All-Star Game, but he will attend the event in St. Louis, the team announced Wednesday. Matthews, 22, is day-to-day while he gets treatment for an ongoing wrist issue, Toronto said.

Matthews is tied for second in the NHL this season, with 34 goals. He has 57 points (23 assists) in 49 games during his fourth season.

Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk will take Matthews' spot on the Atlantic Division roster. Tkachuk has 27 points in 48 games this season.

Matthews has returned to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, as the team enjoys its bye week. He will continue to skate on his own and is expected in the lineup when the resurgent Maple Leafs take on the Nashville Predators on Monday.

Toronto, which fired coach Mike Babcock earlier in the season, replacing him with Sheldon Keefe, entered the break on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. As play began Wednesday, the Maple Leafs, with 57 points, were three points behind the second and final wild-card berth and four points behind Florida for the No. 3 spot in the Atlantic Division.

I don't want to say there's a slight power imbalance in the NHL this season, but it might be time to contract the entire Western Conference for its abject inferiority.

OK, that's not entirely fair. Let's relocate the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche to the superior conference, and then contract the rest. We can stash them in that gerrymandered division that already defines "Atlantic" as the region that impossibly connects South Florida, Western New York, Ontario, Quebec and Detroit. No one will notice.

About that power imbalance: Through Tuesday night's games, 10 of the top 15 teams in the NHL were from the Eastern Conference, including eight of the top 10. Six teams in the Metropolitan Division -- the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers -- had higher points percentages in the standings than did the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks.

If the NHL suddenly shifted to the 1-through-16 seeding format favored by some pundits, the West would be represented by six teams, and only two of them would have home ice in the first round.

Seven of the top 10 teams in goals-per-game average are in the East. Seven of the top 10 teams in goals-against average are in the East. Seven of the top 10 teams in regulation wins are in the East. And so on.

Seriously, I haven't seen something this blatantly tilted toward the Eastern Conference since every NHL Awards voting.

What starts as astonishment about the power imbalance this season soon becomes melancholy. There are going to be some really, really good hockey teams that are left out of the postseason because the East is a meat grinder that doesn't, say, have a team with a negative-12 goal differential holding down the third seed in its division at the moment. (Hi, Calgary.) But that's what you get sometimes in a conference or divisional playoff format: Someone inevitably just misses jamming in their skate in the door to wedge it open and stroll into the postseason. (Hi, Florida.)

Listen, we're all about fairness here. We're open-minded. What if -- and this is a Texas-sized if -- the disparity between the two conferences isn't as severe as one might imagine?

Those with Western Conference bias will suggest that although the East dominates the top 15, it also dominates the bottom four. That's where one finds the Red Wings (.280 points percentage, an almost inconceivable futility), the Devils (.427) and the Senators (.438), who have a combined record of 28-52-11 against the East this season. The East is like the house in "Parasite" -- gorgeous above the ground and an absolute horror show in the basement. The worst that could be said about the West is that it's a mushy bowl of average topped by two well-above-average teams.

Overall, the East had a winning percentage of .568 through Tuesday's games; the West was at .548. Head-to-head, the winner is ... the West? 'Tis true: The West has a record of 147-126-37 against the East, buoyed by inter-conference domination by the Oilers (14-6-2) and Avalanche (12-4-3).

(Please note that the Penguins, Hurricanes and Capitals are a combined 46-9-8 against the West. Wow.)

There's no doubt the East (3.08 goals per game) has the better offense than the West (2.93), but it's basically a push defensively, with the East at 3.02 goals against per game and the West at 3.00. The West has a slight advantage in save percentage (90.5 to the East's 90.3), while the East (9.8 percent) has the advantage in shooting percentage over the West (9.4 percent, and thanks for nothing Vegas Golden Knights). They have identical power play (20 percent) and penalty kill (80 percent) marks.

The abridged version: The stats are closer than you think.

That said, it's the East's moment. The scales have been slowly tipping since the beginning of last season, and the decline of the California teams in the Pacific has helped hasten it.

But this is the way of the NHL. In 2009-10, seven of the top 10 teams were from the West. In 1999-2000, six of the top 10 were from the East. Power ebbs and power flows. In the end, it's the team that's best built for the second season, not the regular season, that really matters. And it's entirely possible that, for the second straight season, the best will emerge from the West after the East has devoured itself.

Jersey Fouls

From Oilers Nation:

You guys don't get out much pic.twitter.com/bQW9Ptv6vr

— Chevy ? (@ThatTommyCkid) January 18, 2020

There's a lot to appreciate with this Edmonton Jersey Foul. Any nameplate that references the clown prince of goaltending, Ilya Bryzgalov, gets a stick-tap from us. But there's also the cheeky irony of rallying for the return of a goalie who went 5-8-3 with a .908 save percentage as a 33-year-old in 2013-14. It's a Foul, but we're not going to get bent out of a shape about it. It's just hockey, you know? Why you heff to be mad?

Three things about that NHL player poll

1. Our friends at The Athletic did their latest NHL player poll, and the results were mostly what you'd expect from these things. Connor McDavid is really good. Carey Price is the goalie you want to start Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, because excelling for Team Canada apparently gets you a lifetime pass as a clutch goalie, despite the presence of Jordan Binnington in this league. Brad Marchand is the dirtiest player, and we greatly enjoyed the anonymous Pacific Division player who called him "a rat but not a dirty player." Ladies and gentlemen, your next head of NHL player safety!

2. It's time to retire Aleksander Barkov from the "most underrated player" lists. He is officially "rated" now. It happens to every "underrated" player at some point; last decade, it was Loui Eriksson who was underrated until he became rated, and then was overrated before becoming underrated again thanks to his regrettable contract. You want a truly underrated player on the Florida Panthers? Jonathan Huberdeau has the seventh-most points in the NHL since the start of last season. Now that's an underrated player.

3. The least-surprising result is that 86 percent of the 392 players said they don't pay attention to advanced stats. I've spoken to a lot of players over the years, on and off the record, about analytics. Some were curious. Most absolutely don't care about basic or advanced stats. I've always assumed part of this was a general lack of intellectual curiosity, and part of this was a willful ignorance about measurements that could expose flaws in their games. That latter point always confused me, to be honest, because advanced stats can also pump the tires of player who might otherwise be perceived as underperforming through traditional stats.

But mostly, the players see advanced stats as something that doesn't explain "why" but rather reinforces "what." As one of them said: "I know when I've been getting shelled on a shift or a whole game. We know that -- I don't need someone to tell me that. I've been doing this for a long time. ... You just know if things are going well or not."

Listen To ESPN On Ice

Emily Kaplan and I will be podcasting after the All-Star Game this weekend. Listen here for last week's episode, and make sure to review and subscribe.

Winners and Losers of the Week

Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets

Just a torrid run for the Jackets. They've won eight of their last nine games, giving up one or fewer goals in four of them. Against Winnipeg on Wednesday, they got the offense cranked up with four goals. That included two more from Oliver Bjorkstrand, who scored his second straight winner.

Loser: Gritty

The Flyers mascot, or whoever was inside that orange fur ball at the time, is being investigated by Philadelphia police for allegedly punching a 13-year-boy "as hard as he could" during a season-ticket holders event last November. The Flyers claim they've investigated the matter and "found nothing to support this claim." Now, the hockey world waits to see if we've been "Milkshake Gritty'd." Meanwhile, my theory that Gritty has been 70-year-old Bobby Clarke this entire time is looking rather strong.

Winner: Canadian journalists

I've never seen a group of people happier to be visiting a hockey town they constantly criticize as being unworthy of an NHL franchise then when the league held the draft in Sunrise, Florida. Now the Panthers get to host the 2021 All-Star Game. Grab the sunscreen, friends from the nord.

Loser: All "Star" Game

No Artemi Panarin, Alex Ovechkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Auston Matthews, Tuukka Rask, Dougie Hamilton, Logan Couture or Jake Guentzel. Sidney Crosby missed too much time to qualify. Evgeni Malkin, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Steven Stamkos all didn't make the cut. Yes, it's great that new blood will get the spotlight in St. Louis, including both Tkachuks playing where their dad used to play. But that's a lot of star wattage missing from an "all-star" game.

Winner: Joel Quenneville

? Chicago gives Joel Quenneville a video tribute set to "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who; the crowd then erupts with a STANDING O! ?????#FlaPanthers #OneTerritory #NHL pic.twitter.com/aZAFMb4ul2

— FOX Sports Florida & Sun (@FOXSportsFL) January 22, 2020

The old coach got a stirring tribute and responded with a little emotion in his first trip back to Chicago as head coach of the Panthers.

Loser: Going to commercial

While the tribute ran in its entirety on the Panthers' TV broadcast, NBC Sports Chicago was forced to apologize for missing the start of it because they were still in commercial. "We were coming out of a break when the tribute was taking place ... and stayed with it live," an NBC Sports Chicago spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. "We apologize for missing the earlier portion of the tribute and we immediately posted the tribute live in its entirety online and on the app."

Winner: ECHL

Kudos to the ECHL for not only having women's hockey stars taking part in their All-Star skills competitions, but having players like Annie Pankowski (shown here) play in its actual All-Star Game. Pretty cool.

Annie Pankowski (@anniepank) scores in the @ECHL All-Star Game! pic.twitter.com/6XxFi3LQA4

— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) January 23, 2020

Loser: Mostly everyone in the Brandon Manning mess

Bakersfield Condors defenseman Brandon Manning was suspended five games by the AHL for "use of a racial slur towards an opponent." Boko Imama of the Ontario Reign, the target of the slur, said that "no matter how intense or heated a game gets, there's no room for this in our game." This is true. But unless the punishment is greater than five games, and when the Condors make no reference to race or racist language in their official statement on the matter, there's apparently still too much room for it in the game.

Puck Headlines

Kendall Coyne Schofield. David Pastrnak. Goofy Dunkin' Donuts cold brew commercial. Tiny sweaters.

Alex Gulstene, the top goalie on the Minnesota Gophers women's hockey team last season, retires due to concussions. "There were several factors that went into my decision to step away from hockey, but the importance of my personal health, including both my mental health and physical health, was the main deciding factor."

Here's that Matthew Tkachuk "friendship tour" billboard in Edmonton.

Ilya Kovalchuk spitting wisdom on the shootout: "Personally, I like the shootout, and I think they should change the shootout rule; the first three should be different guys, but then the same guy can go again. That would create that battle of, say, Patrick Kane against Connor McDavid. They could go one after the other and that would be great for the fans."

Is it time for Joe Thornton to have his Ray Bourque moment?

Akim Aliu, 30, signed with HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga. "His conversations with the NHL are continuing on a weekly basis, he says, and soon he will launch a charity to assist underprivileged kids in affording hockey equipment, registration fees, and rink time. It'll be called the Dreamer Foundation, borrowed after the Nigerian-Ukrainian-Canadian's longtime nickname."

Pete DeBoer is already having an impact on the Golden Knights' penalty kill.

Not hockey, but written by a brilliant hockey writer: Katie Baker's long read on Mark Cuban.

Hockey tl;dr (too long; didn't read)

A really deep dive into goaltending. Michael Parkatti "helped create a new model to assess goaltending talent based on simulating each goalie's career-to-date expected goals 10,000 times and seeing how unlikely their actual results were after each career game."

In case you missed this from your friends at ESPN

Emily Kaplan is going to have a ton of KHL content coming your way after her trip to Russia. This very interesting player poll is just a taste.

The 2019-20 NHL season will take a pause this week as the league descends upon St. Louis for All-Star Weekend, a celebration of the league's best. For this week's edition of the Power Rankings, we identified the best decision each team has made since the end of the 2018-19 season.

How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list featured here. Teams are rated through Tuesday night's games, taking into account overall record, recent success and other factors such as injuries. The previous ranking for each team is its spot in last week's edition.

Note: Standings point pace is as of the games of Jan. 22.

1. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 2
Standings point pace: 119

GM Brian McLellan has been revamping the fourth line since last season when they signed Nic Dowd. But the additions of Brendan Leipsic ($700,000) and Garnet Hathaway ($1.5 million) rounded it out, giving the Caps one of the best fourth lines in the league.

2. St. Louis Blues

Previous ranking: 1
Standings point pace: 114

Giving Craig Berube an extension this summer was wise. Chief has pushed the right buttons, from making sure his veteran group stayed motivated after winning a Stanley Cup to quelling panic after star forward Vladimir Tarasenko went down in October with a long-term injury.

3. Boston Bruins

Previous ranking: 3
Standings point pace: 113

The Bruins put 35-year-old David Backes on waivers last week, and he should report to the AHL after the break. It wasn't easy considering Backes is expensive ($6 million per season) and well-liked, but it's the right call because he simply wasn't making an impact.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 4
Standings point pace: 110

GM Jim Rutherford acquired defenseman John Marino from the Oilers for a sixth-round pick. That's probably the steal of the year. The 22-year-old has thrived on Pittsburgh's blue line, becoming one of the most consistent rookies in the league this season.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous ranking: 5
Standings point pace: 106

The best decision for new GM Julien BriseBois has been to show patience. He let coach Jon Cooper and his mostly veteran group ride out a rocky start because the Lightning have realized something important: All that matters is peaking at the right time.

6. Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 8
Standings point pace: 104

Trading away Tyson Barrie wasn't easy, but it turned out well. Cale Makar has shown he can handle top minutes, plus the return included Nazem Kadri, which gives the Avs scoring depth they sorely needed the past few seasons.

7. New York Islanders

Previous ranking: 6
Standings point pace: 105

On one hand, the Islanders were smart not to spend a ton of money on forwards this offseason, because their defensive system and goaltending have been good enough to win. On the other hand, New York really could use some scoring depth.

8. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 9
Standings point pace: 100

Is it possible the Canes' best move came this past month? Carolina let 38-year-old Justin Williams rest for the first half of the season, then welcomed back their former captain just when it needed a spark. Brilliant.

9. Dallas Stars

Previous ranking: 7
Standings point pace: 99

The best thing the Stars did was give Denis Gurianov a full-time role. Two seasons ago, he was scratched from the AHL Calder Cup finals. Last season, he scored only one goal in 21 games. Now he has 11 goals through 43 games and is playing as if he's here to stay.

10. Florida Panthers

Previous ranking: 17
Standings point pace: 102

When the Panthers signed Noel Acciari in free agency (for three years, $5 million), they eyed him as a defensive depth forward. But the 27-year-old has been on a goal-scoring binge. He's on pace for 30 goals, far surpassing his previous career high of 10.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous ranking: 19
Standings point pace: 100

The Blue Jackets said goodbye to Sergei Bobrovsky and promoted from within. Both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins have exceeded expectations -- as the Blue Jackets, shockingly, are in the playoff hunt -- making GM Jarmo Kekalainen look quite smart.

12. Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 12
Standings point pace: 97

The Canucks traded for J.T. Miller on the second day of the 2019 NHL draft. Miller, who has spent time with the Rangers and Lightning, has been playing like the best version of himself in Vancouver, with 17 goals and 46 points through 49 games (on pace for career bests).

13. Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 15
Standings point pace: 95

James Neal's production has dried up a bit after his red-hot start (only 12 points in his past 26 games). But acquiring the winger -- in exchange for the far less productive Milan Lucic -- was a good move by Oilers management this summer.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 11
Standings point pace: 95

Firing Mike Babcock when they did seems to be the right move. Sheldon Keefe has freed the Maple Leafs in their offensive zone, and they play a much more dangerous style that fits the personnel better.

15. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous ranking: 16
Standings point pace: 98

Philadelphia fans were ecstatic last season when their long-awaited goalie of the future finally arrived. But the Flyers were smart to ease in Carter Hart as the full-time starter this season, sharing some early starts with Brian Elliott, which set him up for success.

16. Arizona Coyotes

Previous ranking: 10
Standings point pace: 92

We've talked about the big offensive splashes the Coyotes have made this season, acquiring both Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall in trades. But Arizona's leading scorer is 23-year-old Conor Garland. The team was smart to give him a full-time role this season.

17. Calgary Flames

Previous ranking: 14
Standings point pace: 93

The Flames turned to David Rittich as their go-to goaltender this season, and that has worked out great. He'll be at All-Star Weekend -- as an injury replacement -- after an impressive first half that includes a .913 save percentage.

18. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous ranking: 13
Standings point pace: 90

Cutting ties with Gerard Gallant was a shocking move, considering how effective he was in the first two seasons and how the Golden Knights suffered bad puck luck the first half of the season. But snatching up Peter DeBoer before anyone else did was kind of genius.

19. Winnipeg Jets

Previous ranking: 18
Standings point pace: 87

The Jets held it together with their hodgepodge of depth, though it's starting to unravel. The stars have performed, though, and the Jets were smart to give Patrik Laine a first-line promotion to stoke his confidence. The Finn is a much more complete player this season.

20. Nashville Predators

Previous ranking: 20
Standings point pace: 89

Nashville's best move was inking Matt Duchene to be their second-line center. And if John Hynes can reach Kyle Turris in a way that Peter Laviolette couldn't, the Predators should be able to turn around from their rough first half.

21. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous ranking: 25
Standings point pace: 87

Signing little-known Czech forward Dominik Kubalik last May to a one-year, $925,000 contract looks genius. The 24-year-old (whose rights were acquired from the Kings last season) is a dark horse Calder Trophy candidate, with 21 goals through 49 games.

22. New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 21
Standings point pace: 85

Calling up Igor Shesterkin seems like a good call, even though carrying three goalies is not optimal. But the best decision of the season, unequivocally, was signing Artemi Panarin this summer. He has proved to be a rock star in New York.

23. Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 22
Standings point pace: 84

The Habs were in desperation mode when they took a flier on Ilya Kovalchuk. It was a prudent, low-risk move. Now Montreal is in position to deal Kovalchuk, potentially, and recoup some future value.

24. Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 23
Standings point pace: 85

Even if the Sabres are a long shot to make the playoffs, hiring Ralph Kruger was the right call. Buffalo once again has an identity, and the defensive structure is much more sound. The Sabres have also improved at 5-on-5 (where they had a minus-31 goal differential last season).

25. Minnesota Wild

Previous ranking: 24
Standings point pace: 85

Honestly, the best decision for Wild GM Bill Guerin might be flying to Moscow in November to meet with the team's top prospect, KHL forward Kirill Kaprizov. Minnesota looks woefully mediocre, but convincing Kaprizov to come over next season would be a game-changer.

26. San Jose Sharks

Previous ranking: 26
Standings point pace: 75

You could say convincing Erik Karlsson to sign with the Sharks long term was San Jose's best move, but his contract prevented the team from keeping some key players around, one of the (many) reasons it's a sinking ship this season.

27. Anaheim Ducks

Previous ranking: 30
Standings point pace: 73

Anaheim is a team in transition, but it decided Jakob Silfverberg should be part of it, giving him a five-year, $26.25 million extension in May. It has worked out. Silfverberg is on a career-best scoring pace and is one of the few Ducks performing well this season.

28. Ottawa Senators

Previous ranking: 29
Standings point pace: 72

No doubt a bright spot for the Senators this season has been Anthony Duclair, who signed another prove-it deal this summer (one year, $1.65 million). He's now an All-Star with 21 goals through 47 games and is poised for a more lucrative deal this summer.

29. New Jersey Devils

Previous ranking: 27
Standings point pace: 70

It's hard to find positives in what has been a disappointing, drama-filled season, but acquiring former KHL scoring champion Nikita Gusev -- at a cheap price -- is still a high-upside move.

30. Los Angeles Kings

Previous ranking: 28
Standings point pace: 67

The Kings' best move so far was cutting ties with Ilya Kovalchuk; it was an expensive mistake, but there was no reason to hold on to the 36-year-old any longer because it simply wasn't working. Now they need to move more veterans to fully turn it over to the young guys next season.

31. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 31
Standings point pace: 45

Tanking is probably the Red Wings' best move this season considering the dearth of talent on their roster. Other than that, picking up 2014 first-round pick Robby Fabbri wasn't bad. He has 10 goals and 13 assists in 33 games for Detroit.

As Tiger Woods put the finishing touches on his game before he chases win No. 83 at his 2020 debut at the Farmers Insurance Open, the PGA Tour got a closer look at his practice routine - literally.

You’re going to want to turn your sound on (and all the way up) for this.

Here is 25 seconds of pure sensory bliss, that is Tiger’s practice routine at Torrey Pines up close and personal: 

Anyone know how to set this as a ringtone?

Cristie Kerr’s glare can make birds quit chirping and clouds stop rolling.

When she barks for a crisply struck iron shot to “sit down,” spectators obediently tumble onto their bottoms.

She probably could have held her own in a stare down with Ray Floyd.

They’re both Miami tough.

That’s where Kerr grew up and where Floyd made his home as a pro.

Nobody knows how ferocious Kerr could be as a competitor better than all those juniors in Miami she grew up beating in Dade Amateur Golf Association events, and later in Miami-Dade high school district matches. A lot of them were boys. She played for the Miami Sunset High boys’ team. Robert Floyd, one of Ray’s sons, was among those Kerr beat. In fact, she beat him twice in the same spring season.

Back when this reporter was the golf writer at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a youth official shared a story about just how fearsome Kerr could be when she reigned as the No. 1 junior girl in the country. He shared a story about the time he was standing on the first tee before the start of a local match. He remembers a girl walking toward Kerr, with her hand stuck out to introduce herself.

“Hi, I’m Jane Doe,” the girl said, with words approximating that. “I’m going to be playing you.”

Kerr shook her hand.

“Hi,” Kerr said. “I’m the girl who will be kicking your butt today.”

Except, she didn’t use the word butt.

Of course, Kerr has matured over the years, with those rough edges smoothing out, with a more sophisticated approach to competition well honed, with a more civil manner of kicking butt fine tuned. She’s a wife and the mother of two children. She’s a wine connoisseur, too. More than that, she owns her own wine labels, Curvature Wine and Kerr Cellars.

She’s 42 now, but be careful assuming she can’t muster the same forbidding glare when it’s required.

Kerr will make her first start in her 24^th year as an LPGA pro this week in the backyard of her South Florida home, at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio. It’s about an hour from her childhood home. She’ll make this start with some of that feistiness of her youth returning.

“I’m fired up,” Kerr said. “I feel like people have written me off, and they shouldn’t do that.”

Kerr really felt the weight of that when Juli Inkster didn’t name her one of the two captain’s picks for the American Solheim Cup team last fall. Kerr respects Inkster, and she said she wants to be careful how this is depicted, but she was upset when she wasn’t chosen.

Yes, she agrees, she made it tough on Inkster, struggling to find form. Still, Kerr believes her experience, her record and her attitude should have meant more than it did. The wound was deepened when Europe’s Catriona Matthew made Suzann Pettersen a captain’s pick, even though Pettersen had played just twice in two years. It deepened again when Pettersen proved herself worthy by winning the matches with a dramatic walk-off putt.

“I harbor no hard feelings toward Juli,” Kerr said. “She did what she thought she had to do to win. Someday, I’ll probably be a Solheim Cup captain, and I’ll have to make a tough decision like that.

“But it was just hard seeing one captain believe in the experience of a player, and seeing that pay off, seeing Suzann come through in the end. It was hard seeing Suzann make that putt, believing I had something to offer our team.” 

Kerr is a 20-time LPGA winner with two major championships among those victories. She proved something to herself winning the last of those titles two weeks after turning 40, and she was sure there were more wins to come. 

But there was frustration when they didn’t. She missed the cut in five of her last six starts last season, with just one top-10 finish over the final six months. She placed in the top 10 only twice in all of 2018.

Sitting out the Solheim Cup wasn’t the only sideline seat she was forced to endure over the last year. She didn’t qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of last season, nor did she qualify for the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions last week, the start to this new season.

“I have a lot to prove to myself,” Kerr said.

Motivated by the pain that comes with being left out, she isn’t lacking fuel to do the extra work required. The TV work she did at the CME Group Tour Championship last year helped her to know she isn’t ready to retire. She really liked doing TV, and she can imagine herself making a career of that, but not just yet. Sitting in that announcer’s chair, she still burned to play.

So, back in Scottsdale, Ariz., she recommitted to working hard with her trainer. She got back to the gym, worked on her body, and back on the course, working with a new Callaway driver and a new two-ball putter. She spent last week there prepping with her new caddie, Cole Pensanti.

“I’m not done,” Kerr said. “I want to go out on my terms.

“I’m definitely recommitted. I’m hungry, probably more than I have been in the last four or five years.”

Kerr says her interest in her growing wine business, like the TV work, teased her, while ultimately refreshing her.

“The break late last year really did me good,” she said. “I’ve been out here a long time, and it got to where it was going to go one of two ways. It was either, 'I’m sick of playing, and I want to do the TV stuff,’ or, 'I’m going to reignite my passion to play.’”

Kerr says a fire is burning in her belly again. She’ll play this week in Boca Raton and then go to Australia to play the ISPS Handa Vic Open and the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

“I need some tournaments under my belt again,” Kerr said. “These next three events are about being ready to go when we get back to the United States.”

Kerr is five points away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame. She has 22 points. She can earn one point winning a regular LPGA title, two for a major, and she can earn one for a Rolex Player of the Year Award or Vare Trophy.

“I’m excited to see what I can do,” Kerr said. “I’m excited to work on myself, to work on my game.”

And to kick some butt again.

A year ago, Bryson DeChambeau shot 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, on his way to a 24-under-par winning total.

Nine players shot 66 or better in that first round. None did so this Thursday.

On a far more difficult Majlis Course, less than a quarter of the field broke par at the Emirates Golf Club, with Thomas Pieters' 67 leading the way.

“This is by far the toughest I’ve ever seen it,” said Louis Oosthuizen, who has been playing this event since 2004 and shot 1-under 71 in the first round. “The fairways are tight. The rough is close to U.S. Open standard, and the greens are rock hard.”

Players might have Rory McIlroy to blame for the harsher conditions. The world No. 2, who isn’t in this week’s field, disparaged easy setups on the European Tour last year, saying he was “sick” of shooting 15 under and finishing 30^th.

Fifteen under par should be good enough to get someone a trophy this week (the highest winning total over the last eight years is 16 under).

“I think Bryson put everyone off last year with 24 under,” said Henrik Stenson, who opened in even-par 72, “so they won’t allow that score this time.”

DeChambeau’s title defense began with a birdie at the par-5 10^th. He parred his next eight holes to turn in 1 under. His second nine was a little bouncier, with two bogeys and three birdies. It was an improvement over his performance last week in Abu Dhabi, where he shot 72-77 to miss the cut.

While 2 under par wouldn’t have made the cut a year ago, it has DeChambeau squarely in the mix this time around.

Pieters also started on the back and made five birdies, before a double bogey at the first and a bogey at the second. The Belgian bounced back, however, with birdies on Nos. 5, 6 and 7. He credited his strong iron play and improved putting for propelling him into position for his fifth European Tour title.

 American David Lipsky (68) is one back of Pieters, alone in second place. Nine others are tied at 3 under, including Eddie Pepperell.

"That is the toughest I've ever seen this course play," said Pepperell, who is employing a claw grip putting style after watching Lee Westwood do the same in winning in Abu Dhabi last week. "The rough is very, very thick. The greens are firm and fast, and you've got to, frankly, flush it, and if you don't you're in trouble."

Westwood won't be adding a 26th European Tout trophy to his collection after shooting 6-over 78. Other notables include: Sergio Garcia (71); Padraig Harrington (71); Miguel Angel Jimenez (72), who won this event in 2010 and also won last week in Hawaii on the PGA Tour Champions; and Tommy Fleetwood (75).