As Gordon Bombay famously said, “Ducks fly together.” Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry proved the fictional coach right by re-upping with Anaheim, ignoring the lure of unrestricted free agency. By locking up their premier duo for a combined $135 million, the Ducks avoided their own version of Sophie’s choice and ensured themselves a chance at the Stanley Cup this season and beyond. Is the long-term commitment, however, worth the cost?

When former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson traded Rick Nash to the New York Rangers last summer, the move was expected to add an element they were sorely lacking. What wasn’t expected was that it would be Columbus netting a return of forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round pick in this year’s entry draft, who would ultimately get the better of the deal.

The WBC symbolizes the dawn of a new year of baseball, but it’s not without its share of criticism. Harlan Ambrose takes a good look at the Classic’s strengths, weaknesses and everything in between.

As the Toronto Blue Jays have come and gone over the course of the past decades, so too has youth and grass roots baseball. Will this current World Series push do for the kids of today what Joe Carter’s club did for Generation Y? Ryan Wight takes a look at the ebb and flow of baseball participation among Canadian youth, all while showing that you’re never too old to get excited about your Big League club gearing up for a title.

Both the Miami Heat and LeBron James have reached critical mass. James is far and away the best player in basketball right now. Forget head and shoulders, he’s waist-high above everyone else. And the Heat? They’re blowing through teams like it’s nobody’s business, winning 17 straight games and losing exactly once in the month of February. So why was ESPN putting the Blackhawks point streak in the same sentence?

The World Baseball Classic is a terrific idea, a competitive tournament, and a fine showcase of baseball’s global reach. Sadly, there are three key factors holding it back which Jesse Goldberg-Strassler explains. Does the good outweigh the bad on the international level? The answer might surprise you.

Everybody in the world loves Brandon Roy, except perhaps his own body. The former Portland Trailblazers star is among the most recent NBA greats to have their promising careers cut short by injury. With Roy’s current comeback in Minnesota in question, might Roy’s playing days be officially behind him?

While the upcoming NFL draft is full of prospects whose potential draft position feels all over the place thanks to off-the-field issues, including infamously-catfished Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and infamously-undisciplined Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree, there’s one player in particular who sparks notably different opinions of him based solely on his on-field performance. That would be West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith.

Last year it was the Ottawa Senators coming back from the dead and making a surprise trip to the playoffs. This year, it’s the Montreal Canadiens who are making a surprise comeback, sitting atop the Eastern Conference in a full worst-to-first transformation. Matt Horner explores the major reasons why.

Nobody seems to know what to make of Manti Te’o. He had a historically great season as the leader of a Notre Dame defense that led the Irish back to national prominence and he finished as the runner-up for the Heisman trophy, becoming the closest thing to a purely defensive player the award in history… but then the National Championship Game and offseason happened.