Eddie Johnson: No Problem with Redick‑Vanderbilt Clash

Johnson, a frequent NBA analyst, stated that a coach arguing with a player is routine and not a sign of deeper trouble. He noted that Vanderbilt’s limited role and the coach’s experience likely keep the situation contained.

Twelve months ago, three-time speedway world champion Tai Woffinden was waiting at the starting line hoping for a new beginning. Elbow surgery had wrecked his 2024 season but he was optimistic his latest campaign would be different. Within seconds, it turned into disaster.

A first-corner crash with his team-mate left him in a medically-induced coma and with a double break in his right leg, a broken back, a broken shoulder, multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, a fractured arm and extensive blood loss.

But after a lengthy rehabilitation programme, the 35-year-old returned to action in Poland on Saturday, scoring 11 points in TŻ Ostrovia's win over Poznan.

"The emotion hit me after the race. I was crying but that's not surprising," he said. "It's been a lot of hard work, sacrifice, pain and suffering. To finally come back was a big relief."

This weekend Woffinden returns to Krosno, the scene of his accident, but he said there would be "no stress" and he would treat the experience as a milestone.

Despite that positivity, the Scunthorpe-born rider said the past two years had been the hardest of his career.

"My body was so broken that I wasn't able to do anything. I could walk to the car to go to physio, do that for four or five hours, but then I'd come home and I was destroyed," he said.

"There was a point where there was so much going on that I couldn't even get out of the bath.

"I had to keep the same mindset that I've always had – don't look back, don't dwell on anything. It was just 'Let's get back, I can do this'."

Four months after he was discharged from hospital, Woffinden was back on a bike, and he said ending his 20-year motorsport career had never been a consideration.

"When I was in ICU coming round, I was talking about getting back on the bike. I've never not wanted to do it. It's what I do for a living and I love what I do.

"Obviously, there are risk factors involved but you don't think about that until you're injured."

The father-of-two said he would not have been able to make his comeback without the support of his wife, Faye.

"She's been an absolute rock and led from the moment I crashed," he said.

"She was in Australia when I had the accident. She got on a plane, and I was having operations.

"Every update she got was worse and worse. She got to the point where she was thinking they were waiting for her to arrive in Poland to say 'He's not made it. He's passed away'.

"It was very tough mentally for Faye. She managed to shelter the kids from it all, too. They understand that I crashed and was injured, but that's it."

Woffinden, who is Britain's most decorated racer after winning Grand Prix world titles in 2013, 2015 and 2018, wants to race again in the UK before the end of his career.

For now, he is concentrating on life as captain of TŻ Ostrovia in the Polish Speedway 2 Ekstraliga.

"I was surprised when they gave me [the captaincy] because I've had a long break, but I'm still at a really high level," he said.

"The way I carry myself, they can see that I'm a team leader.

"I haven't had a team captaincy in Poland [before], so that was really cool."

Woffinden also turned down the chance to compete alongside the world's top riders in the Grand Prix series in 2026, admitting he was not quite ready.

He said: "I know what it takes to win a world championship and you have to tick every single box and I just feel like I need that year out.

"It was tough to make that decision but, at the end of the day, I'm not going in there to make the numbers up."

Woffinden estimates he has lost about three-and-a-half years of his 20-year career but he remains philosophical about it.

"To think I've achieved everything that there is in the sport still blows my mind. Yes, I've had hiccups along the way, which have probably slowed me down, but that's just a part of the sport," he said.

"I'm still here, still doing it, still enjoying it, still loving it. It's just new challenges, different goalposts and I just keep kicking goals."

So what would represent a successful year for him?

"I think finishing top five in the averages in the league that I'm racing in would be a realistic goal, and having a year without an injury would be pretty nice. I've forgotten what that feels like," he said.

"And just finding my flow again, enjoying it. It's not one big thing – there [are] lots of little things.

"I'm very lucky, privileged that I get to live the life that I have.

"It's a very special thing and I'm looking forward to this next chapter."

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More on this story

• Woffinden back on bike for first time after crash
• Speedway champion 'on the mend' after crash
• Speedway rider in coma after racing crash
• Third speedway world title for Woffinden

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• Tai Woffinden

For the small, bruised, and fiercely dedicated community of Israeli hockey, this tournament is absolutely everything.

The air surrounding the Israeli national ice hockey team these days is as thin, cold, and profoundly fragile as the very ice they glide upon and while the global sports media remains largely indifferent to the matches taking place at the Winter Sports Palace in the heart of Sofia, Bulgaria.

And while the eyes of the sporting world are certainly not fixed on the struggles of a lower-tier division, for the small, bruised, and fiercely dedicated community of Israeli hockey, this tournament is absolutely everything. This is not merely a competition; it is an existential battle for a program that has been pushed to the very brink of extinction.

The agonizing anticipation has already broken, the first puck has already been dropped onto the scarred surface of the rink, and the first critical chapter of Israel’s harrowing journey in the 2026 IIHF World Championship Division II, Group B, the high-stakes, deeply physical encounter against the national team of New Zealand, has already been written into the history books. Israel defeated New Zealand 7-6 in overtime in the first game of the tournament and was set to face Bulgaria late Tuesday, followed by group matches slated against Chinese Taipei, Kyrgyzstan and Iceland

However, the most staggering detail of this opening clash didn’t happen on the scoreboard, but behind the bench. In a plot twist that feels more like a fever dream than professional international sports, head coach Evgeny Gusin was forced to be physically absent from the bench for this inaugural game. While the players were warming up in Sofia, Gusin was embroiled in a desperate, last-minute bureaucratic war back in Israel, personally fighting to secure the final flights and travel documents for several of his pupils who were stranded by wartime logistics. It is perhaps the ultimate illustration of the “amateur” chaos the program faces: a national head coach serving as a travel agent until the very last second, sacrificing his place on the bench to ensure his players could simply reach the arena.

In Gusin’s absence, the team’s leadership fell to a unique duo. On the ice, the veteran presence of Kirill Polozov, a man whose career has been defined by his steady hand in high-pressure moments, stepped up to guide the younger lines through the tactical fog. Joining him on the bench was Gusin’s trusted assistant, Mike Gennello. The American-born figure whose influence on the local scene is growing rapidly as he prepares to lead the United States delegation for the upcoming Maccabiah Games, found himself standing on the lines against New Zealand, serving as the primary voice in the locker room. This makeshift coaching structure is yet another vivid illustration of the program’s fundamental duality: a heartbreakingly unprofessional infrastructure met with the boundless heart and devotion of those who refuse to let the sport die.

The opening result set the definitive tone for a saga that transcends the standard narratives of wins and losses. It is the desperate, echoing pulse of a sport that currently exists in a state of clinical animation, kept alive only by the sheer willpower of the men wearing the blue-and-white jerseys. It is the dramatic story of a national program that has been effectively orphaned by its own government, its official federation disbanded into an administrative void, and its players left fighting for a future that feels as perilously slippery as the frozen surface beneath their skates. To truly understand why these specific players are fighting with such unprecedented ferocity in the arenas of Bulgaria, one must first look back at the wildly improbable, almost defiantly absurd history of ice hockey in a sun-drenched Mediterranean climate.

An act of sheer, stubborn human will

Ice hockey in the State of Israel was never a natural athletic evolution; rather, it was an act of sheer, stubborn human will that began in the most unlikely of places. The year was 1986, and the location was a small, makeshift, deeply inadequate rink in the northern suburb of Kiryat Motzkin, where the constant, desperate hum of overtaxed cooling units battled relentlessly against the unforgiving Israeli heat. It was a sport imported entirely by passionate immigrants arriving from North America and the collapsing Soviet Union, people who carried their heavy leather skates and wooden sticks in their suitcases like sacred, indispensable relics of a former life they refused to leave behind.

In the early 1990s, however, this fringe hobby found its true soul and its permanent home in the rocky landscapes of the Galilee. The grand opening of the Olympic-sized ice rink at the Canada Centre in the northern border town of Metulla changed the trajectory of the sport forever. It quickly became the undisputed hub of Israeli hockey, an unlikely sanctuary where the sharp scent of frozen water, sweat, and old athletic equipment offered a bizarre but welcoming reprieve from the scorching Middle Eastern sun.

While Metulla remains the spiritual heart, the sport has slowly clawed its way into other urban centres. Today, small but vital pockets of ice can be found in the rinks of Holon, Ashdod, and the Tnuvot arena near Netanya. These scattered patches of frozen water represent the expanding footprint of a sport that refuses to stay confined to the northern border, even as the lack of a central, full-sized Olympic facility in the heart of the country remains the greatest bottleneck for its growth. That magnificent building in the north witnessed the absolute zenith of the sport, culminating in a moment that veterans still speak of with a profound sense of awe.

“Israeli hockey has always been a miracle of persistence over logic”, says Lev Genin, the legendary figure affectionately and universally known as “Mr. Israeli Hockey”, who has witnessed the sport’s highest, most intoxicating peaks and its steepest, most devastating declines.

“We built a home of Olympic standards in the desert, and even now, as the walls crumble and the ice in Metulla melts under the heavy shadow of war, that pioneer spirit remains fiercely alive in these players. They aren’t just skating for a piece of metal; they are refusing to let a 40-year legacy vanish into the mists of history”.

Leading this desperate charge to preserve that legacy is the national team’s head coach, Gusin, a man whose remarkable life story serves as a living bridge between the highly disciplined, historically great Soviet hockey tradition and the chaotic, deeply emotional grit of the Israeli sports landscape. Born in 1968 in the industrial city of Temirtau, Kazakhstan, Gusin’s deep immersion into the world of elite hockey began in the renowned Russian hockey hub of Voskresensk. There, he developed his formidable skills as a goaltender under the strict, legendary tutelage of the Honored Coach of Russia, A.N. Korkin. Gusin absorbed the relentless discipline, the complex tactical geometry, and the uncompromising physical demands of the Soviet hockey machine, traits that he eventually brought with him when he immigrated to Israel.

Upon arriving in his new country, Gusin did not merely play; he became an absolute cornerstone of the Israeli national team, standing tall in the net during the program’s formative international years. His dedication to the sport extended far beyond the crease, eventually leading him to the complex administrative realm where he served as the President of the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel from 2013 to 2018. Today Gusin’s deep tactical knowledge and his intimate understanding of both the Soviet methodology and the Israeli mentality are being heavily relied upon to navigate the team through its most turbulent, unstructured era.

“Every tournament brings new difficulties and new players,” Gusin explains. “We have to play with the cards we are dealt and adapt to the conditions and the roster every single time. Our focus is on the systems we can control, regardless of the chaos surrounding the administration”.

The value of adaptability

This profound adaptability is absolutely crucial as the Israeli squad faces a brutal gauntlet of five distinct, highly motivated rivals in Sofia, each presenting a unique tactical puzzle that Gusin and his players must solve in order to survive. The path to the gold medal and the desperately coveted promotion is fraught with danger.

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“Most of the teams we are playing against now are entirely new to this generation of Israeli players, making the tournament a deeply unpredictable campaign where absolutely every single game must be treated with the intensity and desperation of a grand final,” says Gusin.

Among the players fighting tirelessly on the front lines of this unpredictable tournament in Sofia is Ori Segal, a bright, deeply articulate 21-year-old center who is set to celebrate his 22nd birthday next month. Segal’s personal journey from the quiet, agricultural landscapes of Kibbutz Sde Nehemya in northern Israel to the highly competitive NCAA college hockey ranks at Curry College in Boston perfectly epitomizes the immense personal sacrifices required to keep this fractured sport alive.

Segal, who is the only son of a dedicated single mother, grew up honing his skills at the Maccabi Young Metulla club, spending his formative years inside the Canada Centre before making the incredibly brave, daunting decision at the age of 17 to move completely alone to the United States to pursue his athletic dreams. He openly admits that the fear of leaving his mother alone in a region frequently targeted by conflict was immense, and he feels that anxiety now more than ever during the current wartime environment. Yet, his profound aspiration to study, to continue playing at a high level, and, most importantly, to represent the Israeli national team on the global stage remained an unstoppable driving force in his life.

Speaking from the heart of the tournament, Segal projects a calm, unwavering confidence, stating clearly “that I see the team as fully capable of winning and bringing immense pride to the country, especially at such a complex, painful time when the entire nation of Israel so desperately needs a bit of genuine encouragement and positive motivation”.

Adding to this surge of young talent is Nick Ogortcin, the 18-year-old phenom who represents the future of the Israeli defensive core. Ogortcin brings a level of skating poise and tactical awareness that is rare for his age. Making his senior debut in Sofia, the weight of the moment is not lost on him.

“This is it - the battle for gold begins now,” Ogortcin says with a focused intensity. “The situation back home in Israel is heavy, we all feel it, but once you lace up your skates and step onto that ice, that weight becomes fuel. We aren’t here to just ‘show up’ or participate. We are here to win, to show that Israeli hockey is alive and fighting.

Rising glory on the ice

Yet, the immense pride and the undeniable, rising glory on the ice stand in stark, depressing contrast to the absolute ruin occurring off it.

The Ice Hockey Federation of Israel has effectively disbanded, collapsing under the weight of financial debt, bureaucratic neglect, and a staggering lack of state support, leaving the national program in a state of total administrative vacuum. Genin describes this dire situation with the heartbreaking bluntness of a man who has dedicated his entire life to building the sport, explaining that the federation is simply gone, and that they are now operating completely without budgets, without official recognition, and without a “mother and father” to take care of the endless logistical nightmares that come with international competition.

General Manager Josh Greenberg, who moved to Israel from Los Angeles fuelled by a Zionism that translated into a life of service to the rink, furiously echoes this sentiment. Greenberg has spent the last year performing administrative miracles just to keep the team functional amidst the collapse.

“We have been fighting for 20 years just to be noticed by our own sports authorities,” Greenberg says, his voice tinged with both frustration and resolve. “The government has frequently been more of a bureaucratic hurdle than a source of help. We are closer than ever to greatness on the ice, but we are being held back by a lack of vision off it. We need a full-sized Olympic rink in the centre of the country, in Tel Aviv or near a major train station, to make this sport accessible to the masses. We need the media and the Ministry of Sport to see that this isn’t just a niche hobby for immigrants; it’s a national asset that teaches discipline, teamwork, and resilience. I’ve spent my own resources to ensure these boys have jerseys and flights, but that’s not a sustainable way to run a national team.”

In the total absence of this institutional support, the players have collectively turned their profound sense of abandonment into an impenetrable shield. They are playing for the ghost of a dead federation, they are playing for the shuttered, silent rink in Metulla, and they are drawing strength from a global mosaic of Israeli talent that has converged from the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovenia, Romania, and the United States, all fiercely united under the blue-and-white flag.

The resounding message from these “Ice Orphans” is crystalline and undeniable: they are fighting desperately for promotion, they are fighting furiously against the abyss of relegation, and most importantly, fighting to prove to the world, and to themselves, that the resilient flame of Israeli hockey cannot and will not be extinguished.

Liverpool planning sensational swap deal

Slot’s midfield has come under fire a lot this season and is often seen to be far too open.

Strengthening in the middle of the park will go a long way towards making the Reds challengers again and, according to a report from TEAMtalk, that is exactly what Hughes plans to do this summer.

The report states that Liverpool are big admirers of Eduardo Camavinga, and that Alexis Mac Allister could head to Madrid as part of a deal to bring the Frenchman to Merseyside.

Liverpool’s interest in the 23-year-old stretches back several years but has intensified recently as the club look to improve their midfield.

A straight swap deal could be complicated by financial fair play regulations, but separate deals seeing Camavinga head to Anfield and Mac Allister head to the Bernabeu are also possible.

A source privy to the situation told TEAMtalk that Liverpool ‘love’ Camavinga as a player and also appreciate his character, and that both clubs have already put a lot of work into deals for Camavinga and Mac Allister respectively.

Rumours linking the Argentine with a move away from Merseyside have been common in the last few months, and Los Blancos’ interest has been well-documented.

Camavinga is four years younger than Mac Allister, and the deal makes plenty of sense for everyone involved.

The rugby league season is under way, with the BBC offering extensive coverage throughout.

The BBC is broadcasting every round of the Challenge Cup this season but the action does not stop there.

Elsewhere, there are plenty of big games to look forward to on the BBC across Super League as well as the World Club Challenge.

Here's your guide to what the BBC is showing in 2026, so you won't miss a thing.

2026 rugby league fixtures live on the BBC

Saturday, 10 January – Thatto Heath Crusaders v Seaton Rangers (Challenge Cup first round) – iPlayer

Saturday, 24 January – Sheffield Eagles v Whitehaven (Challenge Cup second round) – iPlayer

Sunday, 8 February – London Broncos v Bradford Bulls (Challenge Cup third round) – iPlayer

Sunday, 15 February – Castleford Tigers v Wigan Warriors (Super League) – iPlayer

Thursday, 19 February – Hull Kingston Rovers v Brisbane Broncos (World Club Challenge) – BBC Three

Saturday, 28 February – Warrington Wolves v Wakefield Trinity (Super League) – BBC Two

Friday, 13 March – Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos (Challenge Cup fourth round) – iPlayer

Saturday, 21 March – Warrington Wolves v Castleford Tigers – BBC Two

Saturday, 28 March – Leigh Leopards v Toulouse Olympique (Super League) – BBC Two

Friday, 3 April – Bradford Bulls v Leeds Rhinos (Super League) – iPlayer

Saturday, 11 April – Hull Kingston Rovers v York Knights (Challenge Cup quarter-final) – BBC Two

Sunday, 12 April – Wakefield Trinity v Wigan Warriors (Challenge Cup quarter-final) – BBC One

Saturday, 2 May – Wigan Warriors v Bradford Bulls (Super League) – iPlayer

Saturday, 9 May – Fixture to be confirmed (Challenge Cup semi-final) – BBC One/BBC Two

Sunday, 10 May – Fixture to be confirmed (Challenge Cup semi-final) – BBC One/BBC Two

Thursday, 14 May – Huddersfield Giants v St Helens (Super League) – iPlayer

Saturday, 30 May – Challenge Cup Final – Men's and Women's double header – BBC One

Saturday, 6 June – Wakefield Trinity v Hull Kingston Rovers (Super League) – BBC Two

Friday, 17 July – St Helens v Catalans Dragons (Super League) – iPlayer

Saturday, 25 July – Leeds Rhinos v Bradford Bulls (Super League) – BBC Two

Saturday, 29 August – Hull FC v Warrington Wolves (Super League) – BBC Two

Saturday, 19 September – Super League elimination play-off – BBC Two

Saturday, 26 September – Super League semi-final play-off – BBC Two

Saturday, 3 October – Super League Grand Final - Highlights on iPlayer and then BBC Two