Sports Express | October 21, 2026 — Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Out for the Season With Blood Clots in His Lungs

1. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Expected to Miss Rest of Season With Blood Clots in Lungs

Source: CBC

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots in his lungs, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the health matter. The Eagles and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, released more information on his condition Monday, saying Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a blood clot has travelled to the lungs.

Hurts was placed on injured reserve Saturday, two days after the team revealed he has a blood clot in his calf. His treatment involves blood thinners, and he will not be allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them. Deep vein thrombosis is a clot that forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower legs; if it breaks free and lodges in a blood vessel in the lungs, it becomes a pulmonary embolism, which can be life-threatening. Causes range from immobility and trauma to family history and dehydration, and symptoms include inexplicable swelling, discoloration or pain.

The one-time Super Bowl MVP is the latest professional athlete to endure blood clots. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama's 2024-25 season ended with a clot in his right shoulder, and he bounced back last season to finish third in MVP voting and win Defensive Player of the Year while leading San Antonio to the NBA Finals. Damian Lillard was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf in March 2025, returned for the playoffs and tore his Achilles tendon. Hall of Famer Chris Bosh had his career ended by blood clots at age 31. Golf's world No. 1 Nelly Korda, NHL goaltender Frederik Andersen, MLB pitcher Merrill Kelly and NFL defensive tackle Christian Barmore have also dealt with them. "I could have lost my life," Barmore said.

"When you have a DVT in the leg or the arm, there's a chance that it will break free, and when it breaks free, it can end up lodged in the lung," Mary Cushman, a hematologist and professor of medicine at the University of Vermont, told the AP. "And if it's large enough, that can kill a person." Richard Ricciardi, a professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing, said there is no evidence elite athletes are more predisposed than people of comparable ages, and put the risk for people in their 20s and 30s at one in 10,000. Risk is greatest on flights of eight hours or more, though he said the risk per flight remains low in healthy, fit individuals.

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2. Spurs and Thunder Scuffle in Season Opener; Four Technicals and a Flagrant 1

Source: Bleacher Report

The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have quickly become one of the biggest rivalries in the NBA, and it did not take long for things to get chippy on Tuesday. During the second quarter of the season-opening game, Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox pulled OKC's Chet Holmgren to the ground, sparking a scuffle between the two teams in which San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama got involved. Four players received technical fouls, and Fox was given a Flagrant 1.

The bad blood dates to last season's Western Conference Finals, a seven-game series in which San Antonio knocked out the defending champions en route to its first Finals appearance since 2014. The two Western powers got to know each other well during that series, and the tension has clearly carried into the new season. There is also a long-running personal rivalry between Wembanyama and Holmgren. "At least from a basketball standpoint, there's no comparison between us," Wembanyama said of Holmgren last December.

Despite plenty of changes around the league this offseason, San Antonio and Oklahoma City remain two of the top contenders to win it all, and another conference finals meeting would not be a surprise. After opening against each other Tuesday, the Spurs and Thunder will not meet again until February, with another regular-season matchup in March.

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3. James and Brown Debut as 76ers Spoil Knicks' Ring Night

Source: Sportsnet

NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers sent an opening-night message that they will be a contender for the New York Knicks' NBA title after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, rallying for a 106-100 victory Tuesday. Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game since being acquired from Boston. James began his NBA-record 24th season with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The Knicks raised their championship banner and received their rings in a pre-game ceremony, where Finals MVP Jalen Brunson told the crowd: "The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again." But New York shot 37 per cent overall and 33.3 per cent on 3s, Brunson went 6 for 19 from the field for 21 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Philadelphia did not have a smooth start but played better as the game went on, closing the third quarter with an 11-0 run capped by Brown's second straight 3-pointer at the buzzer for an 83-76 lead. Maxey's three-point play early in the fourth made it 87-78, and after Towns cut it to 96-95 with a 3, Joel Embiid answered with one of his own. Embiid finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The Knicks swept the 76ers in the second round last season.

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4. McDavid Sets NHL Record for Assists Through First Nine Games

Source: Sportsnet

Connor McDavid's torrid start to the 2026-27 season hit a new level on Tuesday night. As the Edmonton Oilers held off the Minnesota Wild for a 4-3 overtime win on home ice, McDavid dished out three assists, including his 20th of the year on Evan Bouchard's game-winning goal. It set the NHL record for most assists through the first nine games of a season, per Sportsnet Stats.

Already a three-time Hart Trophy winner, McDavid appears to have his eyes set on a fourth early in his 12th campaign. He now has an NHL-leading 26 points and has helped the Oilers break out to a 7-1-1 record as they look to bounce back from a disappointing first-round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.

That blistering start puts the 29-year-old on pace for 242 points over 84 games, which would shatter the NHL record of 215 set by Wayne Gretzky in 1985-86. McDavid's previous career high came in 2022-23, when he scored 64 goals and added 89 assists for 153 points. Whether that pace can hold for a full season remains to be seen.

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5. Rays Win AL Pennant, Reach World Series for Third Time

Source: Sportsnet

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The longer the American League Championship Series went, the more the deeper roster of the Tampa Bay Rays outlasted the Cleveland Guardians. A 7-3 victory in Game 6 before an electric crowd of 40,230 sent Tampa Bay to the World Series for the third time. The Rays will meet the Milwaukee Brewers, with Game 1 set for Friday at American Family Field — guaranteeing a first-time champion.

Their rotation featured four playoff-calibre starters in Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta — who starred in Games 2 and 6 with a timely relief appearance in Game 4 — Nick Martinez and Griffin Jax, compared to the 2 1/2 the Guardians worked with. Tampa Bay's starters covered 63 per cent of the team's post-season innings, compared to 37 per cent for Cleveland. Their lineup was longer, with Chandler Simpson, Liam Hicks, Richie Palacios and Jonny DeLuca complementing the big three of Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero.

Palacios ripped a two-run double in the second, Caminero scored on DeLuca's sacrifice fly in the third and then lined a two-run homer off All-Star Cade Smith in the seventh. Cleveland scratched out two runs in the eighth on a pair of walks and a hit batter, but Diaz took Hunter Gaddis deep in the bottom half to restore the lead. The Rays won the AL East at 98-64, swept the New York Yankees in the division series and handled the Guardians in six — one year after finishing last.

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6. Rantanen Caps Hat Trick With OT Winner as Stars Beat Bruins

Source: NHL.com

DALLAS — Mikko Rantanen capped a hat trick with a power-play goal at 3:52 of overtime, and the Dallas Stars came back to defeat the Boston Bruins 3-2 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday. Rantanen received a pass from Miro Heiskanen down low on the left side, slowly stick-handled his way to the net and won it with a backhand to the glove side.

Rantanen had tied the game 2-2 at 13:38 of the third period. Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy blocked a Roope Hintz shot in the slot, the puck deflected to Rantanen in the right face-off circle and he snapped a shot to the near side. Matthew Poitras opened the scoring for Boston at 2:09 of the first, Rantanen tied it at 2:50 of the second, and James Hagens put the Bruins back ahead at 7:30.

Jake Oettinger made 18 saves for the Stars (5-3-1), who won their third game in a row. Boston (7-2-1) had a five-game win streak snapped and finished 3-0-1 on a four-game road trip. "They're a hard team to play," Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said. "You've got to find a way. That's just the League right now." The goal was Rantanen's 321st in his career, tying Olli Jokinen for the third most by a Finnish player in NHL history, and his 11th career hat trick tied Patrik Laine for third among Finns.

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7. Tkachuk Plans to Donate Any No. 7 Jerseys Thrown on the Ice

Source: TSN

Former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk says Ottawa is "still special to me" as he prepares for his first game at Canadian Tire Centre since last summer's trade. He will play in Ottawa on Wednesday night for the first time since requesting a trade, with the Senators hosting the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m.

Speaking on the Wingmen podcast with his brother Matthew, in an episode released Tuesday morning, Tkachuk was asked what he would think if he saw the "old number 7 on the ice" during the game. "Just talking with our team and going to be talking with the Boys and Girls Club that, you know, every jersey that gets thrown on the ice, it's going to get donated to a friend at the Boys and Girls Club in Ottawa," Tkachuk said. "So, I don't recommend doing it." Matthew replied: "I want to see 10,000 on the ice then." Brady added that the Ottawa club is "truly a special place."

Tkachuk was traded by the Senators to the Panthers on June 21 in exchange for three first-round draft picks, and general manager Steve Staios said Tkachuk asked to be dealt. His return does not appear to be a hot ticket: there were approximately 2,000 tickets available as of Tuesday morning. "It will hit when we land and when we're there, just like seeing it from a different lens of not being home anymore," he said.

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8. Dream Win First Finals Game in Franchise History, Even Series 1-1

Source: Sportsnet

The Atlanta Dream finally cleared the hurdle. After Finals appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013, and 11 Finals games without a win, Atlanta broke through with a 79-65 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 2 in front of a sold-out "Ballhalla" crowd, evening the series at 1-1 before heading home.

Angel Reese led the Dream with 30 points, split evenly between the halves, and grabbed 16 rebounds, becoming the third player ever to record at least 30 points and 16 rebounds in a WNBA Finals game, joining Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. She also had two blocks and a steal. After scoring zero points in the final 20 minutes of Game 1, Reese fought through the same collapsing defence to find rebounds and hit game-changing shots.

Rhyne Howard finished with a single-game WNBA Finals record six steals, and Atlanta had 14 as a team while forcing 18 turnovers, restoring its transition game. Golden State's scoring totals were down across the board: Kiah Stokes, who had nine points in Game 1, did not score, and Kayla Thornton, averaging 9.3 points in the playoffs, had just two. Three Valkyries starters finished with five points or fewer. The Dream battled foul trouble — Howard picked up four by the middle of the second quarter and Reese her fifth with more than five minutes left — but survived.

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9. PSG Beat Barcelona 4-2 to End Their 11-Game Winning Run

Source: Sportsnet

Paris Saint-Germain was too powerful for even Lamine Yamal's magic, ending Barcelona's 11-game winning run with a 4-2 victory in Paris on Tuesday to top the Champions League table. A thrilling finish with four goals in the last 20 minutes delivered a statement win, and defending champion PSG equalled a club record by going 13 Champions League games unbeaten.

Yamal had just levelled the score at 2-2 from a narrow angle when PSG took the lead again through Vitinha, before Fabian Ruiz added another. Desire Doue and Luis Hernandez also scored for PSG, while Xavi Espart struck Barcelona's other goal. Injuries to Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took some of the shine off the win for PSG, which could now have to cope without two of its biggest difference-makers in attack.

"We made too many mistakes in this game, with the ball possession, easy ball losses," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. "This was a great test for us, you saw today in which areas we have to improve." Flick added that Rodri would play Sunday against Real Madrid. Elsewhere, Liverpool came from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 with 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha setting up all three comeback goals, Manchester City routed AEK Athens 5-1 with a Phil Foden hat trick, and Scott McTominay scored twice in Napoli's 4-3 win over Bodo/Glimt.

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10. Former MLB Player and Wife Charged in Ontario Youth Baseball Fraud

Source: Global News

A former Major League Baseball player and his spouse have been charged in connection with an alleged fraud involving a youth baseball training program in Ontario. Durham Regional Police say families registered their children and paid fees for the 2025-26 Ontario Devil Rays training program run by Richard Butler and his wife Michelle Butler. Investigators allege approximately $60,000 was deposited into a bank account associated with Ontario Devil Rays between April 1 and Oct. 31, 2025, and was later transferred to other accounts associated with the couple rather than used for the program.

Police allege the services families paid for were not provided by the Ontario Devil Rays organization. Families were notified by email on Oct. 19, 2025, that the business was being dissolved because of financial hardship and was claiming bankruptcy. Investigators later determined the name of a lawyer included in the email had allegedly been used without his knowledge or permission, and that no bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings were initiated.

Richard Butler, 53, and Michelle Butler, 52, both of Frankford, Ont., have each been charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and uttering a forged document. Richard Butler was born in Toronto and played three seasons in MLB, including a seven-game stint with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997. Const. Bharat Sharma said investigators recognize families may have placed a high level of trust in the program because of who was running it, and that police are concerned there may be others who have not come forward because they are embarrassed or afraid. Richard Butler's brother, Rob Butler, won a World Series ring with the Blue Jays in 1993; police say there is no indication he was involved.

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