In case you were too busy finishing up midterms, or preparing for Passover, here’s what you missed last week in the world of sports …
HOCKEY — More Shanahan shenanigans on Thursday have left fans and players alike scratching their heads. Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul was slapped with a two-game suspension for a hit to the head of Victor Hedman, while Rick Nash avoided punishment for a similar attack on Tomas Kopecky. Lupul expressed his anger via Twitter following the news; however, it’s unclear if he was reacting to the league’s suspension, or the displeasure of having to play for the Maple Leafs.
In the standings, the Blackhawks remain atop the league, while in the East, the Canadiens and Bruins continue to battle Pittsburgh for the number one seed. With about a month left to play, nothing is certain, except that Florida is really bad. Also, the Tampa Bay Lightning fired Head Coach and McGill graduate Guy Boucher on Sunday after the team’s disappointing 13-17-1 start. So we’re all sad here at the Tribune.
FORMULA ONE — The crazy individuals who drive cars fast were in Malaysia over the weekend for the second event of the year. Last year’s champion Sebastian Vettel claimed the race, edging out fellow Red Bull teammate Mark Webber. Sparks flew in the post-race talks between the duo, as Vettel admitted to ordering Webber to concede first so he could stand atop the podium. Although he finished second in the race, Webber most certainly won the award for iciest stare-down, callously displaying his displeasure for Vettel afterwards.
A similar story unfolded in the Mercedes camp between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton eventually took third, but his finish was overshadowed by his pit-stop blunder in the early goings of the race. Hamilton apparently forgot that he switched from the McLaren team to Mercedes at the end of last year, entering his ex-team’s pits for a tire change. Evidently, old habits die hard.
NCAA BASKETBALL — Madness! Each year the NCAA tournament ruins the lives of those foolish enough to think they have what it takes to fill out a bracket. This year, the collapse came in the form of National Championship contenders Georgetown. The second-seeded Hoyas ducked out in the round of 64 to the 15th seeded Florida Gulf Coast, which sounds more like a retirement home than a full-fledged bracket buster. Florida Gulf Coast offered a repeat performance on Sunday, beating San Diego State to become the first 15 seed to make the Sweet 16, which is pretty … well … sweet. They’re matched up against Florida in the next round, which should be pretty exciting for all the Gulf Coast players who probably wished to be recruited by the Gators.
No.1 seed Gonzaga dropped their third round match to the Wichita State Shockers, consequently becoming the first top seed to exit the tournament. Canadians Kelly Olynyk and Kevin Pangos represented their country well, however, and should continue to showcase the advancement of Canadian basketball next season. Fellow No.1 seed Indiana survived a bit of a scare against Temple University to advance to the Sweet 16.
