Northampton and England hooker Dylan Hartley has retired from professional rugby after failing to recover from a long-standing knee injury.

The former England captain, 33, has not played since December, missing his country's run to the World Cup final.

Hartley won 97 Test caps and played 251 times for Northampton over 14 seasons.

"The last few months have been difficult mentally and physically as I've come to terms with the fact that I am no longer able to compete," he said.

"I am extremely proud of my journey, both with Saints and representing England, but now is the right time to hang up my playing boots."

Only Jason Leonard has played more times for England than Hartley, who skippered them to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2016, while they also won the Six Nations title the following year.

In addition, Hartley guided the Red Rose to series victories in Australia and Argentina in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

He was never capped by the British & Irish Lions, with a red card in Northampton's 2013 Premiership final defeat by Leicester costing him a place on the summer tour of Australia.

"My career wasn't perfect, but I wouldn't have had it any other way," he said.

"I'm privileged to have experienced some amazing highs while there have also been some personal lows, all of which are powerful experiences that will stay with me forever.

"The final chapter of my career was supposed to go a different way, but that is the nature of professional sport."

Hartley was a controversial choice as England captain, having been banned for a total of 54 weeks for offences such as gouging, biting and striking when he took the armband from Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw before the 2016 Six Nations.

England boss Eddie Jones stood by him despite criticism of Hartley's leadership during Northampton's dismal run in 2017-18.

"Dylan has had a significant international career playing for his country having played 97 Tests, and was a tough, enduring character for us," Jones said.

"He was a foundation captain and we owe him a lot for his contribution to the making of this team. We will be forever indebted to him for his dedication and commitment to the team and his love of English rugby."

'Northampton provided me with purpose'

Hartley joined Northampton's academy in 2005 and became captain in 2009, at the age of 23.

His first six-year stint as skipper remains the longest in the club's history, and saw Saints win their only Premiership title, two European Challenge Cups and an Anglo-Welsh Cup.

"I have loved my journey in rugby. I came to England as a teenager hoping to get a few games of rugby and to see the world," said New Zealand-born Hartley.

"I could have never have predicted that one day I'd play 14 years for such a special club and go on to represent and captain England."

Hartley lost the Saints captaincy in 2015 before getting it back two years later, but he stepped away from the role in September.

The 2017-18 campaign was particularly difficult as Jim Mallinder was sacked as Northampton director of rugby after more than 10 years in charge, with the club languishing 10th in the Premiership.

"Northampton Saints has been more than just a club to me," Hartley said.

"It has been a place that has provided me with direction, purpose, a sense of family, home and belonging; and ultimately a community that I was so proud to represent every time I got a chance to play for Northampton."

He has been offered an ambassadorial role with Saints, who top the Premiership after three games this season under the stewardship of Chris Boyd.

"Dylan has been a pillar of Northampton RFC since his arrival at Franklin's Gardens in 2005," said club chairman John White.

"His achievements wearing the Red Rose of England are also almost unparalleled by his peers, but it is not only on the field where Dylan has conducted himself with dignity and humility.

"Dylan has therefore become a role model for countless young people here in Northampton, and we hope he will continue to do this."

Poor discipline created a great leader - Newman

Lennie Newman had a 21-year involvement with Northampton and was the club's team manager when Hartley joined Saints 14 years ago.

"First and foremost you have to say how sad it is because this is not a guy who's at the end of his career age-wise," Newman told BBC Radio Northampton.

"He had some very difficult times at the club in past regimes where we knew that Dylan wanted things to happen and couldn't necessarily impact them.

"But he kept his head high and was the fulcrum for that team to do some very special things."

Hartley had several disciplinary problems during his career for club and country, which arguably held him back from further success, but Newman said those experiences shaped him.

"I think it did tarnish him at the time but I think it also made him into the person that he is now," he added.

"They also created the man that we know now as one of the greatest rugby leaders that we've seen in this country."

'Hartley will go down as Saints great' - analysis

BBC Radio Northampton sports editor Graham McKechnie

For many seasons Saints were forged in Hartley's image. He was the dominant figure at Franklin's Gardens and his eight years as captain was a period of unprecedented success for the club - the highlight being the Premiership final win in 2014.

He arrived at Saints as a rather wild 19-year-old from Worcester and was made captain aged just 23. Over the years he matured on and off the pitch - the sending off in the 2013 Premiership final in particular saw a less abrasive Hartley emerge.

He lost none of his edge on the pitch but his aggression was better controlled. When Eddie Jones appointed him as his captain in 2016, when England were in disarray, it may have been a surprise to many, but not for followers of Saints. If anyone was to pull that team together it would be Hartley.

It's sad that injury has forced him to retire, but Hartley would be the first to acknowledge that as a club Saints have already moved into a new era. Yet his legacy is assured - he will go down as one of their greatest of all captains.

PERRIS, Calif. – Two-time and defending Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction winner Kevin Thomas Jr. picked up right where he left off last year by recording the fastest overall lap during Wednesday’s practice session at Perris Auto Speedway.

Thomas circled the half-mile southern California clay with a lap of 16.214 seconds in his Hayward-Thomas Motorsports/McDonald’s – Dr. Pepper/DRC/Speedway Chevy.  Second quickest was 2010 Oval Nationals winner Chris Windom at 16.330 seconds, followed by Brady Bacon at 16.373 seconds, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader C.J. Leary at 16.384 seconds, with Tyler Courtney rounding out the top-five at 16.417 seconds.

Austin Williams led the CRA contingent in sixth with a lap of 16.467 seconds. Justin Grant was eighth while three-time Oval Nationals winners Damion Gardner and Bud Kaeding were 10th and 15th, respectively, out of the 31 cars that were in attendance Wednesday night.

More than 40 cars are entered for this year’s Oval Nationals with three complete nights of racing action over the next three nights, Nov. 7-9 at Perris.  Cars hit the track at 5:30 p.m. Pacific.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – NHRA drag racer Alexis DeJoria is one of three inductees selected to be enshrined into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 9 in Rosemont, Ill.

DeJoria, a seven-time NHRA national event winner, will join an elite group of Italian-American athletes when she is recognized as a member of the Hall’s Class of 2019. Joining DeJoria will be NFL star Glen Carano and the late Ralph ‘Babe’ Serpico. DeJoria will also share the stage with auto racing legend Mario Andretti as he is presented with the Hall’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.

“This is an incredible honor to be recognized as an Italian-American athlete in the sport of NHRA Drag Racing,” said DeJoria, whose heritage includes Italian and Greek roots. “When I learned I had been selected, I felt instant pride thinking back to when my grandfather immigrated here from Italy to become part of the American dream.”

DeJoria began her racing career in 2005 by competing in the Super Gas category before moving into a rear engine Super Comp dragster. Within eight months of her debut, DeJoria had won a national event and collected two runner-up finishes. She continued to work her way through the NHRA Sportsman classes and in 2007, moved into the Top Alcohol Funny Car category where she owned and operated her own team, Stealth Motorsports, from 2009 to 2011.

With Stealth, DeJoria raced to four national event final rounds, won a divisional event, and claimed the 2011 NHRA Northwest Nationals Top Alcohol Funny Car crown. She is the second woman in history to win a national Top Alcohol Funny Car event.

In 2010 she earned her professional Funny Car license and spent a year making test passes behind the wheel of a 10,000-horsepower race car. DeJoria made the leap from Top Alcohol Funny Car to Funny Car at the 2011 Texas NHRA FallNationals, joining the Kalitta Motorsports team as their fourth member and second Funny Car driver.

Behind the wheel of the Tequila Patrón Funny Car, DeJoria regularly exceeded speeds of 330 mph and would cover a 1,000-foot dragstrip in less than four seconds, clocking a career-best run of 3.863 seconds at 333.16 mph.

From 2011 to 2017, DeJoria raced to five event wins, including the prestigious 60th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, reset multiple track records, was a No. 1 qualifier four times, and became the first female to clock a sub-four second Funny Car elapsed time. She was also the first woman to compete in 100 Funny Car events, and she recorded a top-10 finish in 2014, ’15 and ’16.

In addition to her on-track achievements, DeJoria is also highly regarded for her humanitarian efforts, most notably the Free Mammograms for the Fans program. She launched the program in 2013, partnering with Nevada Health Centers to provide free mammogram screenings via a mobile mammography unit to any female ticketholder in attendance at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas.

She later added Baylor Health to the program and women attending the Texas NHRA FallNationals in suburban Dallas were also able to take advantage of the complimentary screenings. Over the course of five years, more than 500 free mammograms were performed at an NHRA race thanks to DeJoria and her team.

LAS VEGAS -- Cameron Hughes is sitting in Section 15 at T-Mobile Arena, waiting to make a few thousand dollars for taking his shirt off.

It's halfway through the first period of the Vegas Golden Knights' game against the San Jose Sharks. Despite it being opening night in the NHL, the energy level of the home fans has waned.

That is why you hire Cameron Hughes, professional fan, to attend your game.

There's a timeout with 10:28 left in the period. Music begins pumping. Hughes jumps to his feet and starts dancing wildly on the concrete stairs. He's wearing black shorts and a Knights T-shirt, which he deftly removes ... to reveal a second shirt layered underneath it. He flings the first shirt to a row of fans, many of whom have their phones pointed at him. He repeats the shirt trick three times before running to high-five those seated closest to him. Shirt four comes off, and he drapes it over a child's head. He does the same with shirt five before tossing shirt six to another child nearby. Hughes sprints up the aisle, clapping his hands to the music, before removing a seventh shirt and handing it to a woman near the top of his section.

(Shirt eight, mercifully, remains chest-bound.)

The horn sounds. Timeout over. Hughes returns to his seat calmly, like a werewolf transforming back to human form under a clouded moon -- at least until later in the game, when he's back on his feet, bouncing around, a shirt wrapped around his head like Rambo as he leads a different section in pro-Vegas chants.

"I don't know if I'm the original guy, throwing T-shirts. I just know there were no T-shirt cannons when I started doing this 26 years ago," Hughes told ESPN. "I get called 'T-Shirt Guy.' But I get called a lot of things."

While most spectators play along, Hughes occasionally hears it from a crowd. From fans who don't appreciate his exuberance. From fans who aren't hip to the fact that event organizers have hired him to act as if he's one of them. He gets strange looks. He gets taunted. One time he was almost assaulted for being paid to wear the home team's jersey.

"I've had death threats in different cities," Hughes said. "You have to try and block them out. I could sit here and say that I don't care what the crowd thinks, but that would be the biggest lie I've ever told. I care so much that I can't, at my age, just go 80 percent. It has to be 100 percent."

Hughes is well north of 40 years old. His ankles are sore -- he sometimes has a team athletic trainer tape them before performances. Massages have become more frequent. Bounding around the stands takes its toll. "I don't know how much longer I can do this. I know there are still some gigs I want do, and then ... I can't do it much longer," he said.

But when you watch the most famous professional fan in sports patrol the upper deck in Vegas, clapping and dancing and squatting and getting the Golden Knights fans to their feet, you don't see that wear and tear. You see someone with a singular gift for connecting with others and a performer who can't stop starting the party.

"For me, the bit never gets old," said Kerry Bubolz, Golden Knights president. "With Cameron, the fans are always like, 'he's our guy.' And even if they know the truth, because they see him on SportsCenter or something, they think he's their guy."

Here's how Cameron Hughes comes dancing into your arena:

"I get hired by the director of entertainment. They call and ask if I have any original ideas, anything I want to do differently," Hughes said.

He is flown to games and paid an appearance fee. Upon arrival, he's given a place to suit up with his layers of T-shirts -- "instead of saying 'make noise,' the T-shirt is like a rallying cry," he said. He's as much a part of the game operations plan as the kiss cam and the moment when they honor the military. Teams tell him which timeout is his cue to perform.

"But after that, it's just 'go!'" he said.

His editorial control varies from venue to venue. Some teams want him to pop up and get the crowd going. Other teams, including the Golden Knights, want something more elaborate. Hughes has collaborated with Blue Man Group and done a "Mission: Impossible" parody with the Knights. He once dressed as an arena usher who tore his clothes off to reveal a Knights jersey.

Bubolz used Hughes when he was an executive with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers before reuniting with the Golden Knights. "When I was with the NBA, we'd bring in these halftime acts. Some of them were outstanding. But people didn't connect with them like they connected with Cameron," Bubolz said. "When he performs, he's not viewed as being an outsider."

Even as a fan ringer, there's a sense of authenticity to Hughes that can't be matched by other arena gimmicks. Take the Edmonton Oilers. Hughes said they reached out to him when Rogers Place opened, saying, "We get a better pop from you than we do from making a video for a week. Because the fans feel something when they see you."

The same goes for the players. Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur was a Cameron Hughes fan at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, watching him sprint up and down the stairs during breaks in the action. According to Hughes, Brodeur once told him, "you should get the third star tonight." Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi had a fanboy moment with Hughes at the NHL All-Star Game. Connor McDavid is both a fan and a friend, having hung out with Hughes before reaching megastar status in the NHL.

"It's amazing how many people this guy knows. There are always these weird connections. He's one of those guys that makes friends with people really quickly," said Jeff Jackson, McDavid's agent. "He's a crowd igniter. And he's really good at it."

There was a time when Cameron Hughes would dance like a fool at the game for free.

Hughes was on a "timeout" from his studies at Bishops University -- his term for getting booted due to bad grades, though he eventually graduated in 1996 -- when he attended an Ottawa Senators game in January 1993.

The crowd was dead. Hughes was bothered by this. So he took action. "I stood up and started to dance like a lunatic in front of 10,000 people," he said.

He gesticulated wildly with his arms while moving up and down the rows of fans, who sat wide-eyed, wondering when the asylum he escaped from would come back to collect him.

Then the fans started cheering him on. Loudly. So loudly, in fact, that Senators executives heard them and tracked Hughes down after the game to ask him if he'd consider coming back to the Civic Centre for another performance.

The Senators paid him in free tickets and signed merchandise that first season. He got $250 per night during 15 home dates the following season.

They say the NHL is a copycat league. Quickly, other teams wanted the dancing fool in their arenas, including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals. Soon it was other sports. Before Hughes knew it, he had a burgeoning career as a hype-man plant.

It wasn't until around 1998 that Hughes met the agent who represented other sports novelty acts, such as "Little Elvis," "Krazy George" and "Morgana, The Kissing Bandit," while performing in Buffalo. His eyes were suddenly opened to new possibilities.

The agent told him that rather than $800 per game, he could be making north of $1,500.

"I was like 'to do WHAT?'" he said with a laugh. "I didn't realize you could make money at this. Like, real money."

From this group of sports carnies, Hughes always admired "Krazy" George Henderson, the hand-drum pounding super fan who claims he invented the wave. Hughes met Henderson at MLB's winter meetings in 1999.

"I went up to him and asked him what he does to prepare, what he does to protect his voice. And he said," Hughes recalled, dropping his voice several octaves into a gravel pit, "'Preparrrre? I ain't done anything for 45 years!'"

Although he started in hockey, Hughes has been seen in the stands for a variety of sports -- baseball, the NBA, rugby, soccer, tennis' U.S. Open -- which has led to countless surreal situations. He once fell down the stairs at a Mavericks game in front of Mark Cuban, who later said Hughes could attend his games, "but I will never pay him." One year, in San Jose, Hughes had a bout of dehydration so severe that a woman watching him called an ambulance out of concern. That woman was Janet Gretzky. At the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she saw Hughes in a hotel lobby and gave him a ticket for Team Canada's game in the men's hockey tournament.

At the 2015 U.S. Open, Hughes was hired to work his magic to get the New York crowd fired up (OK, more fired up). One night, Novak Djokovic called out Hughes and praised him in a postmatch interview, calling him "a true dancer."

He invited Hughes down to Centre Court. Security briefly intervened but soon relented, and the 16-time Grand Slam winner and the professional fan had a dance-off that eventually led to both donning "I Love NY" T-shirts.

Happy Birthday dances, t-shirt twirls and cheers to this amazing guy @DjokerNole Novak has the moves, spirit and passion we all greatly admire! And pretty good at Tennis-:) pic.twitter.com/zCrsWCDYgV

— Cameron Hughes (@cameroncheers) May 22, 2019

"He's a true entertainer," Djokovic said after the event. "Each year, I see him in one of my matches, dancing, taking down the layers of the T-shirts. It never gets old."

But it doesn't translate to every venue. Hughes likens his challenge to a comedian reading the room before a set.

"It's 100 percent like that. You have to know what works," he said. "The general rule is not to be cheesy. You want to push fans. The whole reason it works in Singapore like it works in Belfast like it works in St. John is because fans want that human interaction."

Human interaction works only if the humans choose to interact. Hughes still winces when he talks about a rugby game in London at which he performed.

"I wasn't allowed to go to half the places I usually go," he said. "English fans are either singing in unison, or they want to watch their game. There's nothing in the middle. But when your job is to get the crowd going, you have to find a way."

Provided that crowd doesn't start to threaten you.

In 2009, Cameron Hughes began dancing for the Devils.

"Lou Lamoriello, against everything that he believed in, decided to do some marketing for the team," Hughes said of the infamously conservative former New Jersey Devils general manager. "The first time I got up, it was just horrific. I mean ... horrific. And the second time was OK. And the third time, I won them over. After the game, Lou Lamoriello says he wants me for 15 more dates."

Hughes would dance up a frenzy, clad in a Devils jersey. He assumed that a number of fans understood he was hired entertainment. But there was a "magician's code" to his endeavor: The more fans who bought the illusion that Hughes was one of their number, the better the experience for all.

"Think about it: There's a reason the Oilers, the Wild, the Cavs, the Raptors and the U.S. Open don't promote me," he said. "Is it because you want a surprise? Or do the Oilers, for example, not want their fans to know that in two weeks I'm going to be doing this in Vancouver?"

Honoring the magician's code means not revealing the tricks to the audience. It's what Hughes asked from a New York Post reporter during that season, when she asked to profile him: that his role with the Devils would be left out of the story, to protect the illusion.

But it wasn't.

"And then the fans found out I wasn't from New Jersey, and they came after me. Like, physically," Hughes said.

He claims that while running around the 300 level of the arena, a man accosted him for being unworthy of the Devils sweater -- a ringer, dancing for money, instead of a true fan. The incident was close to boiling over when security stepped in and escorted the angry fan out of the arena.

But the abuse didn't stop there. Hughes said fans sent threatening messages through his website, saying he wasn't welcome at the arena and he would "get smacked" if he showed up to perform again.

His gig rarely incites that kind of violent reaction, but occasionally fans take offense to his temporary allegiances. There were the Philadelphia fans who saw him dancing in Buffalo and started harassing him. There was the Sabres fan who was ejected from the arena for screaming "you're not from Buffalo!" as Hughes performed.

Things could get awkward with players, too. Remember that Hughes became a fixture at Ottawa games. A few years later, when he was doing a gig with the Sabres, Senators captain Randy Cunneyworth skated by him and displayed what Hughes called "a death stare."

Hughes believes he has always been transparent about being paid entertainment.

"I never pretended otherwise," he said. "I'm truly fascinated by [the reaction]. The minute you put on their jersey, you become part of their community, part of their team. I don't wear a lot of jerseys anymore. I wear T-shirts. The ones that accept it are great. The ones that don't know, they don't know. They ones who aren't sure usually err on the side of fun."

Except when they don't.

"Don't get me wrong: I'm a human. If fans throw stuff at me, I take it personally."

Rather than dwell on these negative moments, Hughes has put a lot of thought into the positive connections he makes with fans, on a philosophical level. He knows "they want to be moved," which is one function of his career. But he suspects there's something more than that to his appeal: Fans are also living vicariously through his uninhibited enthusiasm.

"As I've dug deeper into it, in my thinking, there's a bit of everyone in me," he said. "Not to get too deep, but I think people see me, and they're like, 'I wouldn't do that. Wait, would I do that? F---, I wish I could do that.'"

Would Cameron Hughes, as a child at a hockey game, enjoy Cameron Hughes, the grown-up performer?

"Good question," he said before considering the scenario. "I would, actually. I was fearless but shy, if that makes sense."

In other words, the younger Hughes would admire the way his older self performs without timidity. "I used to dance in the living room as a kid. I danced at school. I danced at my friend's 50th birthday last Friday because it needed a moment," he said. "Get up, and do your thing. Don't look to your left. Don't look to your right. Just take chances."

Hughes took a chance 26 years ago and has carved out one of the most unique careers in professional sports. (He's working on a book to detail it, naturally.) He estimates that he has performed for more than 10 million fans in four countries.

He has rallied crowds in small minor league arenas and massive stadiums and during events such as the NBA Finals. In fact, after LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the championship in 2016, Hughes joined former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar and rapper Machine Gun Kelly in the victory parade's most eclectic car.

He has been a Cavaliers fan. He has been a Raptors fan. He has been a Wild fan, a Coyotes fan, a Knights fan, a Leafs fan, an Oilers fan, a Devils fan, an Avalanche fan and a Blackhawks fan. That he's rooting for one team on Tuesday and another on Saturday isn't the point. What's more important, according to Hughes, is that he's rooting for you. To be inspired. To cut loose. To dance in the aisles. That's the spark he wants to ignite in the crowd.

"My whole thing, my entire thing is simple: When you're at a game, just cheer. Have the confidence. The crowd wants you to succeed," he said.

"At the end of the day, no one's going to care if you make a fool out of yourself."

Sometimes life doesn't go as anticipated. Neither does a hockey season. We're one month into the 2019-20 NHL season and already teams are in recalibration mode thanks to surprising starts -- both good and bad (ahem, San Jose).

For this week's ESPN NHL Power Rankings, we assessed how preseason expectations match the reality after the first month.

How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits polls 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 their spot in last week's edition.

1. Boston Bruins

Previous ranking: 1

What we thought in the preseason: With core players Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara all north of 30, did Boston miss its best chance at another championship with this group?

What we know now: Sike! The veteran leadership on this team is coming through and the Bruins look even more dominant than we could have imagined. The top line is sizzling and the goaltending workload split between Rask and Jaroslav Halak is paying dividends.

2. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 2

What we thought in the preseason: Nobody could party harder than the Caps did in 2018, but after a season to reset, Washington could be a dangerous Stanley Cup contender again.

What we know now: Nobody could party harder than the Caps, though the Nationals did come close. Oh, and the Caps look scary good, averaging nearly four goals per game.

3. New York Islanders

Previous ranking: 11

What we thought in the preseason: So they had one magical season where everything went right. Is the structure that strong that they could replicate it -- even with saying goodbye to Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner?

What we know now: OK, so maybe Barry Trotz's system is that good (and the personnel is good enough too). The Isles are giving up the fewest goals in the league, and Semyon Varlamov slid in to Lehner's role in an effective time share with Thomas Greiss.

4. Nashville Predators

Previous ranking: 6

What we thought in the preseason: The Predators finally landed their coveted No. 2 center in Matt Duchene. The offense -- which became stagnant last season -- needed to improve.

What we know now: One month in, the Preds have the best offense in the NHL. They're averaging a league-high goals per game, and don't seem to have seller's remorse for trading away P.K. Subban to clear cap space.

5. St. Louis Blues

Previous ranking: 13

What we thought in the preseason: The trade for Justin Faulk right before the season signaled that GM Doug Armstrong didn't want to entertain any talk of a Cup hangover; the Blues were going all-in to try to go back-to-back.

What we know now: What's a Blues season without a little adversity? St. Louis is still collecting wins, despite the long-term absence of Vladimir Tarasenko. Now they need to prove it's sustainable.

6. Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 9

What we thought in the preseason: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will shoulder the offensive burden, and drag this team as far as they can.

What we know now: OK, so it's still the McDavid and Draisaitl show. But at least they have a third sidekick now in James Neal (11 goals). The trio has accounted for 31 of the team's 45 goals, a whopping 69% of the offense.

7. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 4

What we thought in the preseason: Saying goodbye to Faulk felt inevitable, because he was due for a big new contract and this team had a surplus of capable defensemen.

What we know now: The Canes still have too many blueliners, and might be in the market to trade one. What they'd want in return: a top-nine scorer. So, not much has changed.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous ranking: 7

What we thought in the preseason: Now that they have Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty acclimated to the roster, the Golden Knights should surge as Western Conference favorites.

What we know now: The Golden Knights have been a little inconsistent, and don't have the typically strong possession numbers we usually see from them. Once again, they're relying heavily on Marc-Andre Fleury (he has started 13 of their 16 games).

9. Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 5

What we thought in the preseason: This was going to be another forgettable season in Buffalo. As the team adjusted to yet another new coach, it's unlikely the Sabres could keep up with the talented Atlantic Division.

What we know now: So they've fallen back to earth after a torrid start (and need to find a way to generate more offense at even strength). But this team had sneaky good upgrades in the offseason, and could contend for a playoff spot.

10. Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 12

What we thought in the preseason: Not much, really. The Canucks didn't do anything this offseason to warrant attention, and they were poised to be slightly better than last season's pedestrian squad.

What we know now: This offense is sizzling hot (five or more goals in five of their past seven games). Meanwhile, there's no sophomore slump for Elias Pettersson; with 20 points in 15 games, he's creeping into the Hart Trophy conversation.

11. Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 3

What we thought in the preseason: Everyone's favorite Stanley Cup sleeper team is no longer in position to surprise people. Now the Avs have to live up to the hefty expectations.

What we know now: The Avs looked great until they lost two-thirds of their top line, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, to injury. Luckily, GM Joe Sakic added depth forward help this offseason, which is helping keep this team afloat.

12. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 8

What we thought in the preseason: With over $33 million in cap space devoted to three forwards (John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner), this team is on the clock to win. The offense better produce, and anything short of a long playoff run is a disappointment.

What we know now: A sluggish start (by their standards) can be attributed in part to injuries. The offense is producing (ranking seventh in the NHL with 3.44 goals per game) but something still feels amiss.

13. Arizona Coyotes

Previous ranking: 16

What we thought in the preseason: The Yotes were decimated by injuries last season, but with everyone back -- especially goalie Antti Raanta -- they should be a playoff team.

What we know now: They've had slightly more luck on the injury front (though Niklas Hjalmarsson is out long term). Though it's nice having Raanta back, Darcy Kuemper has been the star in net (10 starts, seven wins, a league-best .940 save percentage and 1.69 goals-against average).

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 10

What we thought in the preseason: That we'd spend the entire season wondering whether shipping Phil Kessel out -- and bringing in Alex Galchenyuk, Dominik Kahun and Brandon Tanev -- would make the offense better or worse.

What we know now: It's hard to assess this team's capabilities considering the injuries that the Penguins have had to endure. Just when they got everybody back, Patric Hornqvist was sent to IR.

15. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous ranking: 14

What we thought in the preseason: The juggernaut returns. This ultratalented and deep lineup will be able to rebound from the playoff collapse. After tying the NHL record with 62 wins last season, this is still the team to beat in the East.

What we know now: The Lightning are having a hard time shaking off being swept out of the first round last season. Sure, they're banged up, but one of the reasons they're not seeing success, as defenseman Ryan McDonagh told reporters last week, is that they're "lacking confidence."

16. Calgary Flames

Previous ranking: 17

What we thought in the preseason: The Flames should build off last season's success, but goaltending could be their demise. After all, would you trust a goalie tandem led by Cam Talbot?

What we know now: Forget Talbot, it has been David Rittich's show. Rittich, who reportedly curbed his Coca-Cola addiction in an offseason reset, has faced a league-high 461 shots and is shining, with a .915 save percentage.

17. Florida Panthers

Previous ranking: 18

What we thought in the preseason: Joel Quenneville and Sergei Bobrovsky are here to save the day. The two splash offseason acquisition should transform this perennially underrated team into a playoff contender.

What we know now: The Panthers have erased a brutal start and seem to be finding a rhythm under Quenneville, winning five of their last seven. Bobrovsky's early play (.882 save percentage) is concerning, but at least he got his first shutout this week.

18. Anaheim Ducks

Previous ranking: 15

What we thought in the preseason: The only good thing going for the Ducks this season is John Gibson, who is going to be burdened with a massive workload yet again. Maybe this is the year to throw in the towel on some of the veterans.

What we know now: The Ducks have relied on Gibson -- especially since the defense is depleted by injuries -- but the kids look all right, and have kept this team within playoff position. They're really bad at tanking.

19. Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 19

What we thought in the preseason: The Canadiens are a bubble playoff team, and could make a run. But they need serious fixes to their power play, which was second worst in the league, at 12.9%.

What we know now: Montreal is still on the playoff bubble, and we're still cautiously optimistic about a run. But the serious fixes are now urgent for the penalty kill, second worst in the league, at 68.9%.

20. Winnipeg Jets

Previous ranking: 20

What we thought in the preseason: Things surely would quell after a dramatic summer, in which Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor both needed new contracts, and Dustin Byfuglien announced, on the eve of camp, he was taking time away from the team.

What we know now: Things have not calmed down. The Byfuglien situation is lingering, and potentially brewing into something more serious. If the NHLPA files a grievance against the team, the Jets could be in cap trouble yet again.

21. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous ranking: 22

What we thought in the preseason: The savior is here! Carter Hart, just 21, could offer the solution to a decades-long quest for quality goaltending in Philly.

What we know now: We're reminded that Hart is just 21, and is going to go through some growing pains (he has a .885 save percentage through nine games). For now, the Flyers are opting for a near-even split with veteran Brian Elliott.

22. Dallas Stars

Previous ranking: 24

What we thought in the preseason: With a stud goalie tandem and strong defensive structure, the Stars were poised to build off last season's success. They just need to amp up the offense a bit.

What we know now: The Stars started the season looking quite slow, and the offense was dreadful. They've picked things up recently but will face some adversity with John Klingberg out of the lineup for at least two weeks.

23. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous ranking: 21

What we thought in the preseason: The Blue Jackets were going to go into us-against-the-world mode, and play with vengeance in spite of all the players who left. Also, the power play couldn't be worse than last season's, right?

What we know now: The Blue Jackets are motivated to win, but they just might not have the depth to do it as consistently. And the power play is just as bad as last season.

24. New Jersey Devils

Previous ranking: 30

What we thought in the preseason: With Jack Hughes, P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds coming into the fold, this team was surely headed back to the playoffs and tri-state area relevancy.

What we know now: After going winless in their first six games, we got nervous. But putting assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald behind the bench has been an effective wake-up call.

25. New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 25

What we thought in the preseason: The rebuild is over! The kids are here, and ready to save the day, bringing Henrik Lundqvist one last chance for Stanley Cup glory.

What we know now: The goal now is to see steady improvements from Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, et al. In other words, the rebuild is almost over, but we're not quite there yet.

26. San Jose Sharks

Previous ranking: 23

What we thought in the preseason: Veteran squad, Stanley Cup aspirations; it should just be rinse, wash and repeat at this point, yes?

What we know now: Not quite. Perhaps we overestimated the goaltenders' competence, or underestimated the loss of Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. Or maybe the defense is just really taxed. Whatever it is, this Sharks team has been rotten.

27. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous ranking: 26

What we thought in the preseason: This is a confusing team, straddling two eras. The Blackhawks want to stay competitive without tearing it all down, but that's easier said than done.

What we know now: They have turned to the kids. The (potentially for the long term) arrivals of Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist means Chicago knows it needs to start thinking about who will be franchise leaders years from now.

28. Minnesota Wild

Previous ranking: 28

What we thought in the preseason: Paul Fenton did his fair share of damage in his short time as GM, but there are still talented players on this roster (though some are old, with lengthy contracts).

What we know now: Things were a little worse than we predicted. Among the issues for new GM Bill Guerin: how to get the most out of inconsistent players such as Victor Rask and Kevin Fiala, and whether they should be traded.

29. Los Angeles Kings

Previous ranking: 29

What we thought in the preseason: Not much to look forward to in Los Angeles this season, until the Kings can start incorporating their prospects (and they do have an impressive prospect pipeline).

What we know now: It's going to get worse before it gets better. The goaltending is bad. The team gave up five goals in four straight games. Trade rumors swirl, but the fire sale of aging vets might just be a pipe dream.

30. Ottawa Senators

Previous ranking: 31

What we thought in the preseason: The least talented roster in the NHL was going to win very few games. The biggest goal? Avoiding more drama.

What we know now: Under first-year coach D.J. Smith, the culture is in better shape. The team has a few more wins than expected, but it's still a bleak outlook.

31. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 27

What we thought in the preseason: It's going to be a long and potentially ugly season as the rebuild trudges on, but the top line will be able to provide at least a few highlights.

What we know now: It's ugly. Detroit has a league-worst minus-29 goal differential. And the top line has been the only highlight: Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha have scored 19 of the team's 34 goals.

A police officer has been charged with murder following the death of former Premier League footballer Dalian Atkinson.

The ex-Aston Villa striker, 48, died in 2016 after being Tasered by officers at his father's house in Telford on Aug. 15.

At the time of the incident, West Mercia Police said officers were called amid concerns "for the safety of an individual" and deployed Taser.

A spokesperson for the Atkinson family said: "Dalian's family welcomes the decision to put the conduct of police officers before a jury but regrets that already more than three years have passed since Dalian died.

"They ask for their privacy to be respected and press for the criminal proceedings to progress without delay or obstruction."

A second police officer has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. Both will appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court later on Thursday.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England pressed charges following an investigation into the incident by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Jenny Hopkins, from the CPS, said in a statement: "Following the death of Dalian Atkinson in Telford on Aug. 15 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised a charge of murder against a West Mercia police constable.

"A second police constable, from the same force, has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. Mr Atkinson's family has been informed."

Atkinson scored 25 goals in 87 league appearances for Aston Villa between 1991-95 and earned one cap for the England B team. He finished his playing career in South Korea in 2001.

Lord's has been handed a boost ahead of the 2020 season, after Westminster City Council approved an application to make the floodlights at the ground permanent and increase the number of evenings that they are permitted to be used on from 10 to 18.

If the application had been rejected, the MCC would have faced a tricky situation with regards to hosting games next year. Lord's is scheduled to host at least four matchdays in the Hundred, including a double-header, on top of several Middlesex games, a day-night ODI against Australia, and Tests featuring West Indies and Pakistan. Under previous regulations, there had been an additional allowance for years in which the ground hosted ICC events, like it did in 2019.

The ground has regularly fallen foul of complaints from local residents over the use of floodlights since 2007, when temporary ones were first installed. The St. John's Wood Society complained about the use of retractable floodlights during the World T20 in 2009, and residents have regularly submitted objections whenever new applications have been up for discussion.

Six residents put forward objections to the application submitted by the MCC in May, citing "antisocial behaviour" from "extremely rowdy crowds many of whom have consumed large quantities of alcohol", "disruption to sleep" and "loss of privacy" among their concerns. But the council accepted the application, on the provision that the ground put in place six extra stewards to move fans away from the ground as quickly as possible.

Robert Ebdon, the MCC's assistant secretary for estates and ground development, said the council's ruling was an "excellent outcome for MCC, and the spectators and cricketers who will visit Lord's in the future".

"We are thankful for the co-operative and constructive relationship we have with our neighbours, and Westminster City Council who have supported this result," he said. "It is a positive outcome for the future generations that will come to Lord's to watch and play cricket."

The decision comes as part of the continued redevelopment of the ground, with the Compton and Edrich stands currently under renovation in the hope of completion before the start of the 2020 season.

Peter Handscomb, the Australia batsman, has joined Middlesex on a two-year deal, and will lead the side in first-class and List A cricket following the departure of Dawid Malan to Yorkshire.

Handscomb featured in Australia's World Cup campaign last summer - his solitary match came in the semi-final defeat against England at Edgbaston - but after being overlooked for the Ashes squad, he joined Durham for the latter part of their Championship campaign.

His five matches for Durham included one against Middlesex at Lord's, where his first-innings half-century proved vital in a low-scoring 44-run win.

To date, he has made 40 appearances for Australia in all three forms of the game and is the current captain of Victoria, who he has led to three domestic cricket titles. The most recent of his 16 Test appearances came at Sydney against India in January. Overall he averages 38.91 with two centuries against Pakistan.

Middlesex will be the fourth county of his career, following Gloucestershire in 2015, Yorkshire in 2017 and Durham in 2019, and he is expected to be available for the entire season.

"We are delighted and excited to have an all-round cricketer of Peter's stature at the club," Stuart Law, the club's head coach, said. "I have known Peter for some time and worked with him at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane seven or eight years ago, so I know what a top bloke he is.

"Peter is a fine player and he will fill a couple of the gaps that have been created. He is a successful captain, a fine middle-order player and the sort of character who will help create a strong positive environment that will keep moving the club forward. He has been brought up in a tough environment and his background will help with the continued development of our young cricketers."

Handscomb's first challenge will be to guide Middlesex out of the second division, to which they were relegated in 2017, one year after lifting the County Championship title.

The club finished eighth in Division Two last season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of both the Vitality Blast and the Royal London Cup. Their struggles led the outgoing captain, Malan, to say he had "been banging my head against a wall" in recent years.

Trent Boult says he will try to be aggressive and take wickets in his first T20I appearance in more than 18 months, as he comes back into the New Zealand side for the fourth game of the series at Napier.

Boult has not played a T20I since the final of the tri-series against Australia and England in January 2018, having been rested and rotated out of New Zealand's squads to manage his workload, but replaces Lockie Ferguson for the final two games of the ongoing series.

"There's a series on the line here at the moment," Boult said, "and obviously I'm eager to come in and put my best step forward. It's a format that I haven't been involved in much at the international level over a period [of time], but I'm looking forward to coming in and trying to do my thing."

While Boult hasn't pulled on the grey strip for some time, he has been an IPL regular for Delhi Capitals over the last two years. He took 18 wickets in the 2018 season, finishing as the side's leading wicket-taker (Delhi Daredevils at the time), and played five games this year, though struggled to nail down a spot.

"It's the same mindset that I always take into most formats: trying to be aggressive, trying to take wickets, and trying to do my role for the side," Boult said of his T20 gameplan, "and that is being aggressive with the ball - I'll try and do that over the next couple of nights."

"She's always a beautiful wicket here [at Napier]" he said. "I hope I don't get to bat on it, but I'm presuming it's going to be a pretty good surface. It's not the first time I've played here obviously, and we're familiar with the grounds around the country.

"It's 2-1 in the series, and hopefully we can put a good performance forward and seal off a nice victory in the series."

Boult has been tuning up for the upcoming Test series by playing for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, and took eight wickets across the two games he has played for them in the last two weeks.

The second of those games was a defeat at Mount Maunganui, which will host its first Test on November 21 as the England series gets underway, and Boult said he was looking forward to playing international cricket at the ground.

"It was nice to get some red-ball stuff done at the Mount looking towards the Tests in a couple of weeks' time," he said. "It's just beautiful this time of year. [I'm] looking forward to that Test match there, the inaugural one, and it looks like it's going to be a good wicket. There's a lot of hum and a lot of vibe going on in the Bay of Plenty for some Test cricket there."

Another man who could join Boult in the squad for that Test is Ferguson, who is set to play for Auckland in the round of Plunket Shield games starting on Friday. Ferguson is yet to make his Test debut, but could force his way into the reckoning with a strong performance in what will be his first first-class game since March.

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has hit back at Zinedine Zidane after the Real Madrid boss spoke about Kylian Mbappe's childhood dream to play for the Spanish giants.

Zidane discussed Mbappe's reported admiration for Madrid as a child during a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Galatasaray, and Leonardo was less than happy.

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"Honestly, it is a bit irritating," the Brazilian said after a 1-0 win over Club Brugge at Parc des Princes confirmed PSG's safe passage into the Champions League latter stages. "I think it is not the time to talk about it.

"First of all, Kylian is a player under contract with us for two and a half more years. Speaking all the time about dreams and will, I think it is time to stop a bit.

"Kylian is very important for us -- he is the best young French player, a world champion and one of the best players in the world. This is not the time to knock him and destabilise him. Honestly, it is time for this to stop."

Leonardo also said that, despite big interest in Mbappe, the 20-year-old is going nowhere anytime soon.

"Everybody wants him," Leonardo said. "However, nobody can get him."

Leonardo also responded to recent speculation linking coach Thomas Tuchel with the vacant Bayern Munich post.

"Look, I even saw something about us talking about a departure and all of that," he said to RMC Sport. "We are in direct contact, all the time and about everything.

"It is true Thomas was already here when I arrived, there are many things we still need to know about each other. However, this is how it works between a sporting director and a coach who was already in place. The coach has his ideas and that is very important.

"Aside from that, I was never contacted by anybody -- he has never asked me to leave and I have never told him anything. There is no story -- nothing at all."

Leonardo also accused Michel Platini of "jealousy" after the former UEFA president questioned PSG's identity and lack of French influence.

The Ligue 1 giants travel to Real Madrid next in Champions League Group A, knowing a draw or better will ensure top spot.