Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/4/2025

It is high arena playoff season, that being the NBA and NHL (a.k.a. Stanley Cup) Playoffs.  Up to four games a night for each league over the last couple of weeks has been a buffet of fan excitement.  But the ultimate climax is Game 7.  Especially a Game 7, and especially with a comeback win.  And an individual single handedly doing it.  The Dallas Stars Mikko Rantanen took a dire situation down 2-0 to score three goals in the last 13 minutes to send his team to the Second Round.  It wasn't just scoring, the former Avalanche star was lighting up the scoreboard in Games 5, 6, and 7 with six assists to go with five goals as the Stars recovered from a 3-2 deficit to win the series. The Stars move on, and Rantanen is a worthy Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/26/2022

What a week for hockey with exciting Stanley Cup Finals games resulting in a new Champion winning it for the franchise since 2001.  The Colorado Avalanche followed up their second straight Western Conference top seed with a (pardon the overuse) Avalanche through the playoffs.  They finished the grueling postseason at 16-4, with two sweeps and two 6 game series wins, never facing elimination or even losing two in a row.  The Finals they were led by their first line center, Nathan MacKinnon in a thrilling victory against the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.  The former number one overall draft pick finished the week with 2 goals and 2 assists, but both his goals came in one goal wins, when it counted.  MacKinnon logged over 22 minutes per game all four, with the steady hand to lead his team to raising the Cup.  Congratulations to our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/21/2019

One of the lower key best times of the sports year is the first round of the NHL and NBA playoffs.  With sixteen teams and eight matchups in each, ever weeknight is filled with action on multiple channels to follow.  And at least in the NHL, upsets are common.  The Colorado Avalanche had relatively low expectation coming into the season.  In fact, they had not made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 9 years.  But as the six seed, they knocked off the Pacific Division Champion Calgary Flames in a swift five games.  The Avs took a body blow in Game 1 lowing 4-0, but then ran off four straight, including two on the road.  It helped to have Mikko Rantanen as the star.  The 22 year-old racked up 5 goals and 2 assists in the final 3 games, including the overtime Game 4 winner to send the Avs up 3-1 instead of tied 2-2.  Rantonen along with his sidekick 23 year-old Nathan MacKinnon have the Avs poised for many more runs, and it won't be another nine years before they get past the first round.  Maybe not before they win a Stanley Cup!  Mikko Rantanen is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!