Throughout a busy 2021 schedule, athletes treated fans to remarkable and awe-inspiring performances. With the year winding down, theScore looked back at an exciting 12 months and voted on its top 21 sportspeople.
McDavid took his otherworldly game to another planet over the calendar year. The NHL's MVP in 2016-17 authored a season for the ages in 2021, reclaiming the Hart Trophy after helping teammate Leon Draisaitl win it in 2019-20. As if McDavid's 105 points in 56 games weren't impressive enough, he became the league's first unanimous MVP since Wayne Gretzky nearly 40 years ago, and only the second ever. The soon-to-be 25-year-old isn't on last season's mind-boggling pace this campaign, but he's still been the Hart favorite over the first two months of 2021-22.
5. Caeleb Dressel, swimming
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Burdened by the impossible expectation of becoming the next Michael Phelps, American swimmer Caeleb Dressel somehow lived up to the hype in Tokyo. Dressel won more gold medals than 189 of the 205 nations at the games. One of only five swimmers to claim five golds at a single Olympics, Dressel's dominance was best displayed in the 50-meter freestyle. The shortest race in the pool is usually won by a tiny fraction of a second, but Dressel's 0.48-second margin of victory is the largest in Olympic history.
4. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
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What Ohtani accomplished this year was simply unprecedented. Fans will note he's the first two-way star since Babe Ruth, but not even The Great Bambino came close to Ohtani's 2021. Ruth is best known for being a great pitcher while also being the best hitter of all time, but 1918 was the only campaign he threw at least 150 innings while making 300 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Ohtani hit 46 homers, led the league with eight triples, and authored a 3.18 ERA over 23 starts en route to winning the AL MVP unanimously. If baseball fans ever see a season better than this again, it'll undoubtedly be Ohtani topping himself.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Andrew D. Bernstein / National Basketball Association / Getty
Antetokounmpo had a dream 2021 for the Bucks. After committing his long-term future to the club with a super-max extension late last year, the Greek-born Nigerian superstar finally brought Milwaukee its second championship in franchise history, and the first since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the team in 1971. Like Abdul-Jabbar, he was also named Finals MVP. That was partly thanks to one of the greatest title-clinching performances ever, in which he put up a playoff-career-high 50 points in Game 6 along with 14 rebounds and five blocks. He also converted 17-of-19 free throws, purging the struggles that daunted him at the charity stripe all postseason long.
2. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Brady somehow managed to take his incredible career to another level in 2021. After a magnificent postseason run in January with wins over Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, the 43-year-old capped his first season away from Bill Belichick by toppling the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Brady added a seventh ring to his resume while becoming the oldest quarterback in history to start the Super Bowl, win, and receive the MVP award. The GOAT keeps defying Father Time. This season, he's already led the Bucs to their first division title since 2007 while being the most productive passer in the NFL.
I love the Hurricanes tonight, and I'm not sure you could price them high enough for me not to back them against the Canadiens.
Carolina is one of the league's best teams and is finally starting to get healthy. Among many other Hurricanes, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, and Seth Jarvis are back in the mix and expected to play tonight.
When they're anywhere close to full health, the Hurricanes are a lot for any team to handle, let alone for a bad Montreal squad decimated by injuries and COVID-19 issues.
The Habs have won just two of their last 10 games, which is no coincidence since they've posted a woeful 43% expected goals for percentage at five-on-five during that span.
Several absences play a key role in their struggles. It could actually be easier to list the regulars who are available for them rather than the ones who aren't.
The Canadiens don't have their first-, second-, or third-string goaltender available, and their forward core has been thinned out to the point that Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Ryan Poehling are playing top-six roles. Meanwhile, on defense, recent waiver pickup Kale Clague finds himself on the second pairing. Things are bad.
Montreal has thrown in the towel at this point and is just letting young guys get reps while the losses continue to pile up. I'm expecting another long night for the Habs in Carolina.
The Islanders have won eight times in 26 tries, so I can't get behind them at anywhere close to this price.
New York is far from playing its best hockey entering this game, ranking 29th in Corsi For percentage and 23rd in expected goals for percentage over its last 10 games. In both metrics, they slot lower than tonight's opponent: the Sabres.
I don't expect a sharp turn of the corner as the Islanders are dealing with plenty of injuries and COVID-related absences, including Ryan Pulock, Brock Nelson, and Kyle Palmieri.
Backing Malcolm Subban is a very scary proposition. But with Alex Tuch healthy, and top prospects Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka up with the big club, Buffalo has enough talent to keep games competitive against fellow basement dwellers.
I like the Sabres on the puck line and wouldn't be against sprinkling them on the moneyline.
Bet: Sabres +1.5 (-145)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
We were all excited to put 2020 in the rearview for many reasons, and the start of a new year offered a clean slate.
But it took less than 48 hours into 2021 to deliver a soul-crushing loss. In fact, it was a two-for-one kick to the groin serving as a warning that the year ahead wasn't going to be any prettier.
An exciting day of bowl games had a delicious nightcap between No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 13 North Carolina (+7.5, 65.5) in the Orange Bowl. Still recovering from New Year's Eve and an always exhausting holiday season, I turned out the lights, lit a Balsam Cedar candle for the vibes, and settled in for a doozy, loading up on Sam Howell's Tar Heels, with a sprinkle on the under.
North Carolina led 20-17 through three quarters. Cake. I had a 28.5-point cushion on the under and 10.5 on the spread. "GIMME MY MONEY," I shouted at the TV like a complete loser.
A burst of 17 points in under five minutes wasn't ideal, but things still looked good at 27-27, and even better after three successive punts resulted in the Aggies starting a drive at their own 13-yard line with 5:02 left. Even a long touchdown drive would see both bets cash.
Three plays and 83 seconds later, Texas A&M found the end zone. A bit fast for our liking, but North Carolina's attempt to respond fell flat, and that just about sealed it. The Aggies run out the final two minutes, the game stays under, and the Tar Heels cover. "GIMME MY MONEY!"
Well, the Aggies ran alright. But they didn't run out the clock. North Carolina effectively gave up, in sickening fashion, as Devon Achane ripped off runs of 11 and 22 yards. "It's fine, just take a knee now," I pleaded. Why would they?
Achane waltzed into the end zone on the next play to rub all the salt in the wounds. A 31-point fourth quarter - 24 of them by Texas A&M - turned my 2-0 night into 0-2.
They were the first two bad beats of 2021 but certainly weren't the last.
49ers -9.5 (vs. Lions)
It took only a few hours into the 2021 NFL season before an awful, awful taste entered the mouths of bettors. The 49ers and Lions entered the season with very different expectations, which showed through much of this game. San Francisco led 41-17 at the two-minute warning, with its odds of covering surely greater than 99%.
You know what that means? Time to grab a drink and re-fill the snack bowl ahead of the next slate of games. Sound good? Good. Oh, by the way, while you were gone, the Lions scored a touchdown, converted the two, recovered an onside kick, drove 60 yards down the field for another touchdown, and then nailed another 2-point conversion. That's right. A 24-point lead dipped to eight in less than a minute. Just like that, what seemed certain to be a sweat-free win turned into a sleep-depriving loss.
We have our first absolutely ridiculous backdoor cover of the season. Lions (+9.5) recovered an onside kick, scored this TD and made the 2-point conversion vs. 49ers.
Full disclosure, I had Wyoming +13 in this game. I was at my wife's friend's house for a birthday I didn't want to be at, talking to people I had no interest in talking to. The situation was exacerbated as I tracked this score, seeing Wyoming struggle to piece together back-to-back plays of positive yards, let alone a scoring drive.
When they got the ball back with 59 seconds left and down 16 points, I didn't even care. They had just one play over 20 yards in the game, and the thought of them driving 75 yards in under a minute, with no timeouts, was laughable. I still can't believe this happened.
Wyoming quarterback Levi Williams recorded just 77 passing yards before throwing for 79 yards on the Cowboys' final two offensive plays, completing the miraculous backdoor cover with four seconds left.
Derrick Henry: NFL rushing leader (+400)
We try to look deep down the board in our preseason player prop futures, but it was hard to make a case for anyone other than Derrick Henry when it came to the rushing yards leader market. So I didn't ... sort of. I said the only way Henry wouldn't win is if he got injured and missed more than a few games - something he's never done before in the NFL or college.
Of course, this year would be a first. Henry was running away with the NFL's rushing lead when he got hurt in Week 8, and he hasn't played since. I can't help but feel like this is all my fault.
Flames/Rangers under 5.5
I never knew an October hockey game could hurt so bad. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way. There was little threat to the under with 15 minutes remaining as the Flames - one of the league's best defensive sides - sat on a 2-0 lead. A reader at the game actually DM'd me on Twitter thanking me for the play.
Fast forward six minutes, and the Flames are up 4-1. Things became quite uneasy, but the pace absolutely died with Calgary blowing the doors open. Neither side threatened, and it looked like both were ready to run out the clock before Filip Chytil took a high-sticking penalty with 1:36 remaining. I wasn't even worried. The Flames slowly moved the puck around, going through the motions, not even putting out their top power-play unit. They just wanted to end the game. Then disaster struck.
A Calgary dump-in took a weird bounce off the boards, popping out in front of the net and forcing Igor Shesterkin to cover up with 11 seconds left. Dillon Dube won the ensuing draw back to Rasmus Andersson, whose point shot resulted in a juicy rebound that Andrew Mangiapane banged home with five seconds to go. Pain.
Florida State +9.5 (vs. Clemson)
Clemson came into this game 0-7 ATS, meaning there was plenty of reason for bettors to fade the overvalued Tigers.
When Clemson took a 24-20 lead with 2:53 left, those who took the points with Florida State were in decent shape. The Seminoles got the ball back, but after two sacks resulted in fourth-and-32, they punted to Clemson to figuratively run out the final 82 seconds, clinch a victory, and a Florida State cover. However, the Tigers didn't do that and punted with 23 seconds left.
This unfortunate play also pushed the game over the total, giving Clemson its first cover of the season.
Illinois -5 (vs. Ohio State)
Few things are more terrifying as a bettor than watching a scorned 3-point shooter line up behind the arc with nobody in front of him as the clock winds down ... with absolutely nothing at stake.
You know, like C.J. Walker in the waning seconds of Illinois' win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament title game. The Illini had already put the finishing touches on the Buckeyes to assure themselves a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. So who could blame Walker for padding the box score a bit and baiting the committee into thinking, "Hey, maybe Ohio State did keep it closer than the final score suggests?" ...
... or maybe a 23-year-old simply decided to twist the knife into the hearts of everyone who (rightfully) laid the points on Illinois. It hurts all the same.
Patriots +3.5 (vs. Cowboys)
I'm no mathematician, but when the Patriots took possession with 2:42 left and a 21-20 lead, +3.5 bettors had, like, a 97% chance of cashing their tickets. What ensued was absolutely disgusting and rather difficult to relive.
Instead of running three straight plays, New England decided to throw following a delay of game penalty, with Trevon Diggs intercepting a Mac Jones pass and returning it for a touchdown. The next play? New England responds with a 75-yard touchdown. That should have sealed the cover, but the Patriots successfully made their 2-point conversion after the Cowboys missed theirs, leaving the door slightly open for a Dallas field goal to tie it and push the game to overtime.
Of course, that's what happened, with Greg Zuerlein hitting from 49 yards after the Cowboys converted fourth-and-4 earlier in the drive. However, Patriots bettors could finally breathe easy when New England won the overtime coin toss. After its drive stalled at midfield, Dallas got the ball back at its own 20-yard line, needing just a field goal to win the game. A few plays later, this happened:
This was the first of three games this season where a favorite of more than three points covered in overtime - the first time that's happened since 2002. But the Cowboys remain the only team to do so after losing the coin toss. Fun.
Rams -16.5 (vs. Texans)
In hindsight, this line could have been Rams -23, and it still would have been a good bet. That's how thoroughly this team destroyed the Texans through three quarters, at which point Los Angeles led 38-0 and was a mere 15 minutes away from validating those who laid the points.
Surely the Rams were safe from a backdoor cover, right? After all, Texans quarterback Davis Mills had gotten off to one of the worst starts we've seen from a rookie quarterback in recent memory, and he'd led his side to exactly zero points through the first three quarters.
The first touchdown was a given. The second one was excusable. But it's that third score - which came after an inexplicable onside kick attempt from a team still down by 24 points with five minutes left - that really tortured the soul, only to set up the inevitable 2-point conversion to cut it to 16. The Rams even had a chance to answer, but they mustered just two of their 467 total yards before punting away all hopes of a fair and just outcome.
Texas A&M team total over 67.5 (vs. LSU)
Up 66-60 with 8:50 left in College Station, Texas A&M had a better chance of hitting 100 points than staying under 67.5. Heck, I could have put a team together with my buddies to play the final 8:50 and we'd have gone over the total. But the Aggies? Not them.
They finished 0-for-15 from the field and 0-for-1 from the free-throw line with two turnovers over the final 8:50 in a 78-66 loss. You could replay those final nine minutes 100 times, and the Aggies would go over 67.5 every single time. I sincerely hope your year turned around if you happened to be on this over because this beat is so bad I still can't even fully comprehend it. Who goes 8:50 without a single basket? Dixie State doesn't even go that long without scoring against Gonzaga.
Wizards/Celtics first half over 114.5
Missing a wide-open layup to swing the balance for total bettors is bad enough. Missing two of them is downright criminal. So you can't blame over bettors for wanting to pursue charges against Wizards star Bradley Beal, who botched two layups so open that even his teammates laughed at him.
Bradley Beal misses two wide open lay ups at the end of the half and doesn’t get the make off in time
Do you know who wasn't laughing? Anyone who bet over 114.5, which looked like a stone-cold lock until Beal's late flub. The only thing worse than the misses was the fact he converted the bucket right as the halftime buzzer sounded - as if to remind jilted over bettors what could have been.
The Minnesota Wild signed their entire coaching staff to multi-year contract extensions, the team announced Thursday.
That includes head coach Dean Evason, assistant coaches Darby Hendrickson, Brett McLean, and Bob Woods, as well as goalie coach Frederic Chabot, and video coaches T.J. Jindra and Jonas Plumb.
Evason is in his third season as the club's bench boss. He's guided the squad to a 62-29-7 record in 98 regular-season games.
The Wild promoted the 57-year-old from assistant coach to interim head coach during the 2019-20 campaign after firing Bruce Boudreau. He became Minnesota's permanent head coach in July 2020.
Evason was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award last season after leading the Wild to a 35-16-5 record - the ninth-best in the NHL. He ultimately lost out to Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour.
The Flin Flon, Manitoba, native has the Wild off to another great start in 2021-22, as Minnesota leads the Western Conference with a .667 points percentage.
You could consider 2021 as the year that was slightly better than 2020 but not by much.
At least we got to see a complete, albeit shortened NHL season happily conclude (if you're the Tampa Bay Lightning), and we're currently in the midst of a restored 82-game campaign.
This year was full of challenges, but NHL players provided us with some mind-blowing moments regardless of the situation.
Let's countdown the 10 best plays of the calendar year.
Kirill Kaprizov took home the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie at the end of the 2020-21 season, and he showed exactly why he was worthy of the honor during this play against the Los Angeles Kings. The Minnesota Wild phenom showed off his skating, hands, scoring touch, and ability to dust defensemen (poor Michael Anderson) in the span of a few seconds.
Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is known for scoring jaw-dropping goals using his patented wrist shot. However, the 2021 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner decided to do things a little differently against the Montreal Canadiens for his 35th tally of the season. He flaunted his unreal hand-eye coordination by knocking a bouncing puck away from Nick Suzuki before shoveling it into the net.
8. Coleman crushes Habs' dreams with late heroics 🦸♂️
June 30, 2021
Head into the third period tied 1-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final? Not a chance. Clutch Lightning forwards Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman showed off their killer instincts in the dying seconds of the middle frame. On what turned out to be the game-winning goal, Coleman, who is no stranger to sacrificing his body, did his best Superman dive to finish off the nice pass from Goodrow. This is how you win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Marc-Andre Fleury's left arm has a mind of its own, and it was all he needed to absolutely stone Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom at the goal line. It seemed like a slam-dunk two-on-one play for the Ducks, but the veteran netminder reached behind him to sweep the puck out of harm's way. With saves like that, Fleury captured the 2021 Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie.
6. Marchand drags the Islanders for all they're worth 😳
June 7, 2021
Need a big goal? Bank on Brad Marchand to deliver. The winger had the equalizer on his stick halfway through Game 5 of the Boston Bruins' second-round playoff matchup versus the New York Islanders, and he took on one of the league's top defensemen to do it. Marchand challenged Ryan Pulock and made it look easy, dragging the puck around the blue-liner en route to the net. Then, he got goaltender Semyon Varlamov to bite the other way. Bonus points for the stylish celly, too.
Patrik Laine must love long, romantic drives along the coast, given that he gracefully went end-to-end for this nasty goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Columbus Blue Jackets sniper ran into a little bit of trouble in Chicago's zone, but not to worry. He just danced around defensemen Calvin de Haan and Riley Stillman like it was nothing and then got an open look at the net. Also, it was unassisted.
Everyone knows Carey Price was a force for the Canadiens during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. But few plays accentuate that fact better than this save on Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza in the first round. Whether you call it desperation or veteran intuition, it's something to behold. Spezza was staring into a yawning cage until Price showed off his athleticism and stretched out to deflect the puck out of play with his stick.
There are essentially three things that happen in this Mathew Barzal goal against the Buffalo Sabres that warrant it being on this list's podium. First, he bumps 6-foot-4, 221-pound Rasmus Ristolainen off the puck like he's a ragdoll. Then, Barzal slows down just a touch in front of the net to trip up goalie Carter Hutton. Finally, and this really puts it over the top, he guides the puck between his legs and flips it into the net. Hang this one in a museum.
Get ready to see a whole lot more of this Connor McDavid goal before this season is done. The Edmonton Oilers captain forced overtime with this late equalizer against the New York Rangers, and what an equalizer it was. He turned nothing into something, skating through four Rangers players like they were pylons. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev couldn't do much on the play either, except think about how much he's going to have to watch this goal over the next few months. Hockey fans everywhere should thank McDavid for giving us this gift so early into the 2021-22 campaign.
To quote the great Teemu Selanne's response to this play, "Wow." This goal even stunned Trevor Zegras, and he's the one who made it happen. The Ducks rookie was behind the net when he lifted the puck like he was trying to pull off the "Michigan" but then flipped it over in an alley-oop pass to teammate Sonny Milano. Not to be outdone, Milano batted the puck out of midair and into the back of the net. To make the moment sweeter, the stunner stood as the game-winner against the Sabres. This goal will have an infinite shelf life on any highlight reel.
Smith started for the first time since Oct. 19 due to a lower-body injury. He was initially progressing toward a November return before suffering a setback. The 39-year-old veteran has been steady when healthy over the past two seasons, posting a .923 save percentage in 32 games a year ago and a .920 save percentage in three appearances this campaign before Wednesday's contest.
Goaltending has been an area of concern in Smith's absence. Mikko Koskinen has been inconsistent, posting a .902 save percentage in 18 games. Rookie Stuart Skinner, who the Oilers loaned to the AHL on Wednesday, has been more effective, owning a .916 save percentage in 10 contests.
Hyman, meanwhile, missed Edmonton's last three games due to an upper-body injury. He's been stellar in his first season with the Oilers, collecting 11 goals and eight assists in 27 contests.
Keith missed Edmonton's last matchup while in COVID-19 protocol. Another marquee offseason addition, the 38-year-old has recorded five points in 21 games during his first campaign in orange and blue.
The Blues defeated the Oilers 4-2 on Wednesday night.
The remainder of the 2022 World Junior Championship has been canceled due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, the IIHF announced Wednesday.
Three preliminary-round contests were called off over the past two days due to a handful of players testing positive.
"Together with the teams, we came into this event with full confidence in the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the IIHF, the LOC, Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and the Public Health Agency of Canada," IIHF President Luc Tardif said. "The ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant forced us to readjust our protocols almost immediately upon arrival to attempt to stay ahead of any potential spread. This included daily testing and the team quarantine requirement when positive cases were confirmed."
"We owed it to the participating teams to do our best to create the conditions necessary for this event to work," Tardif said. "Unfortunately, this was not enough. We now have to take some time and focus on getting all players and team staff back home safely."
Team USA had two players test positive and had to forfeit its game against Switzerland on Tuesday, while Czechia-Finland and Russia-Slovakia were both canceled Wednesday.
Any team that received a positive test result had to enter a mandated quarantine.
After Czechia forfeited its contest against the Finns due to one positive test, the IIHF announced that all on-ice game officials at the tournament would be required to wear masks during games as part of enhanced COVID-19 protocols.
Last week, the IIHF canceled all upcoming tournaments that would have started in January because of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
The world juniors, which were held in the Canadian province of Alberta, began Dec. 26. Team Canada forward Cole Perfetti will end the competition as the leading scorer with six points in two games. Sixteen-year-old Connor Bedard led the way in goals after lighting the lamp four times against Austria on Tuesday.
Team USA took home the gold medal in 2021.
The final game to take place at the 2022 world juniors was Canada's 11-2 victory over Austria.
The Ontario Hockey League will reinstate Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux from his indefinite suspension, effective Jan. 1, 2022, the league announced Wednesday.
Mailloux, a defenseman for the London Knights, was suspended on Sept. 2, 2021, due to an incident that occurred in November 2020 while he was on loan to SK Lejon in Sweden. He was charged for invasion of privacy and defamation after taking an offensive photo of a woman without consent during a sexual encounter and distributing it.
"Since the time of suspension, with the support of the London Knights, Logan Mailloux has participated in therapy and counseling with Dr. Lindsey Forbes, and a personal development plan under the leadership of Wendy Glover. Ms. Glover is a London-based, experienced holistic athlete development practitioner, academic and personal development advisor, teacher, and member of the Ontario School Counsellors Association," the league said in a statement.
"After reviewing the program, speaking with the player and Ms. Glover, and receiving a commitment from the player to continue with his personal development program, the league is satisfied that Logan Mailloux has undertaken the necessary steps and will reinstate him, effective Jan. 1, 2022."
Mailloux announced prior to the 2021 NHL Draft he was withdrawing himself from the selection process because he hadn't "demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege."
The Canadiens drafted Mailloux with the 31st overall pick anyway.
