Plenty happened in the past two weeks in the NHL, including the Columbus Blue Jackets surging under new coach Rick Bowness.

But the NHL is on the Olympic break, so let’s look ahead instead of backward.

The league’s players are going to the Winter Games for the first time since 2014. Every NHL team will send at least one representative and every country except Italy will have one NHL player.

This version of the NHL power rankings will rate teams based on their performance and it will have an Olympic theme with one Olympian to watch per team.

Here are the latest USA TODAY Sports NHL power rankings:

NHL power rankings

(Number in parentheses indicates the change from the previous rankings of two weeks ago)

1. Colorado Avalanche (0)

Forward Brock Nelson, USA: Nathan MacKinnon is a Hart Trophy candidate (plus MVP of the 4 Nations Face-Off) and Cale Makar is a Norris Trophy candidate. Two-way player Nelson, though, has 29 goals this season and on a U.S. team that chose not to bring Cole Caufield, Jason Robertson and Alex DeBrincat, he can provide some of that offense.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (0)

Defenseman Victor Hedman, Sweden: The skilled defenseman recently returned from his second injury of the season and was ramping up his ice time. The alternate captain will need to be on top of his game.

3. Minnesota Wild (+2)

Defenseman Quinn Hughes, USA: Hughes was injured before the 4 Nations Face-Off and wasn’t able to play. His presence will help a U.S. team that fell one goal short of a championship in the 2025 tournament.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (-1)

Forward Nikolaj Ehlers, Denmark: He’s a speedster and has 43 points this season. Denmark has only three regular NHL players among its skaters.

5. Dallas Stars (+1)

Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, Finland: He missed the 4 Nations Face-Off with an injury and Finland missed him. He has twice as many points as the No. 2 defenseman on Finland, his Stars defensive partner Esa Lindell.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (+3)

Forward Sidney Crosby, Canada: He scored the golden goal in 2010 and scored in the championship game in 2014. He’s still putting up big points at 38 and was named Canada’s captain.

7. Montreal Canadiens (+3)

Forward Juraj Slafkovsky, Slovakia: He was MVP of the 2022 Olympics, which did not feature NHL players. Slafkovsky finished with seven goals and a bronze medal. He was drafted No. 1 overall that year and is the top Slovakian NHL scorer with 45 points.

8. Detroit Red Wings (-4)

Defenseman Moritz Seider, Germany: He’s the only NHL defenseman on Team Germany and is on pace for his best overall season.

9. Buffalo Sabres (-2)

Forward Tage Thompson, USA: Thompson was a potential injury replacement for the 4 Nations Face-Off but wasn’t needed. His size, speed and stickhandling ability will make a difference for the USA at the Olympics. It did in the world championships when he scored the clinching goal as the Americans won a rare gold medal.

10. Boston Bruins (+1)

Forward David Pastrnak, Czechia: He’s the most dynamic Czech scorer and he’ll be counted on even more with Bruins teammate Pavel Zacha missing the tournament with an injury.

11. Vegas Golden Knights (-3)

Forward Mitch Marner, Canada: He set up Connor McDavid’s clinching goal in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

12. New York Islanders (0)

Forward Bo Horvat, Canada: He was the Islanders’ lone representative until the team traded for Ondrej Palat, and Horvat was injured soon after Canada’s announcement. But he’s back and heading to the Olympics on a high note. He was second star of the week with five points in three games, including a pair of game-winners.

13. Columbus Blue Jackets (+9)

Defenseman Zach Werenski, USA: He brings a lot of offense from the back end, with 20 goals this season, second among NHL defensemen and first among those at the Olympics.

14. Utah Mammoth (0)

Goalie Karel Vejmelka, Czechia: Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal is likely the No. 1 goalie, but Vejmelka has put together several long runs this season.

15. Seattle Kraken (+5)

Goalie Philipp Grubauer, Germany: Grubauer is having a bounce-back season and should be able to provide steady goaltending on a team that could get plenty of goals.

16. Anaheim Ducks (+1)

Forward Mikael Granlund, Finland: He’s the captain of Team Finland, which is missing Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. Barkov is irreplaceable, so all of Finland’s forwards will need to step up.

17. Ottawa Senators (-8)

Forward Brady Tkachuk, USA: He had a two-goal game in the 4 Nations Face-Off and though he can’t fight at the Olympics like he did in last year’s tournament, he’ll provide a disruptive presence.

18. Edmonton Oilers (-3)

Forward Connor McDavid, Canada: McDavid and Germany’s Leon Draisaitl, the team’s lone representatives, are equally important to their countries. McDavid’s overtime winner at the 4 Nations gives him an edge.

19. Washington Capitals (+5)

Forward Tom Wilson, Canada: He earned a spot with his 23 goals, his penalty killing and his physical play. But he might have to temper his big hits because the International Ice Hockey Federation uses different standards.

20. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)

Forward Auston Matthews, USA: The Americans named him captain. If the pure goal scorer can produce at the Olympics, it would help his reputation after playoff disappointments and the lack of a goal at the 4 Nations.

21. Philadelphia Flyers (-5)

Goaltender Dan Vladar, Czechia: No guarantee he sees action, but he did have a 1.09 goals-against average and .951 save percentage in the 2025 world championships.

22. Los Angeles Kings (-3)

Defenseman Drew Doughty, Canada: He doesn’t put up the big numbers anymore, but he did win gold medals in 2010 and 2014.

23. Florida Panthers (-10)

Forward Matthew Tkachuk, USA: Look at the description of brother Brady Tkachuk, then add back-to-back Stanley Cup titles to his resume. He wasn’t able to finish the championship game in the 4 Nations, scored 23 points with a torn adductor muscle in the playoffs and recently returned from offseason surgery.

24. San Jose Sharks (-6)

Forward Macklin Celebrini, Canada: Celebrini is having a spectacular sophomore season, has been mentioned as an MVP candidate and skated on a line with McDavid during the first Olympic practice.

25. Nashville Predators (+1)

Goalie Juuse Saros, Finland: He will be the Finns’ go-to goalie. He didn’t have a good 4 Nations but followed that up with a strong world championships.

26. New Jersey Devils (-3)

Forward Nico Hischier, Switzerland: The Devils captain is also the Swiss captain and a solid two-way player.

27. Chicago Blackhawks (0)

Forward Teuvo Teravainen, Finland: Connor Bedard didn’t make Team Canada and Teravainen is the Blackhawks’ lone Olympian. His numbers are off this season.

28. Calgary Flames (+2)

Forward Martin Pospisil, Czechia: He’s the Flames’ lone representative after the trade of Rasmus Andersson. He has no points in seven games with the Flames.

29. Winnipeg Jets (-1)

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, USA: He was the No. 1 American goalie at the 4 Nations. But which goalie is the USA getting? The one who won the last two Vezina trophies and the 2024-25 Hart Trophy? Or the one who was pulled on the road in the playoffs and whose numbers are off this season?

30. New York Rangers (-1)

Forward Mika Zibanejad, Sweden: The Rangers have been a mess this season and already have been sellers. Zibanejad has been one of their better players and recently performed on a big stage with a record five points in the Winter Classic.

31. St. Louis Blues (0)

Goalie Jordan Binnington, Canada: He led Canada to a 4 Nations championship and won a Stanley Cup in 2019. But he has struggled this season as have the Blues. Does he rebound behind a better team?

32. Vancouver Canucks (0)

Forward Elias Pettersson, Sweden: His star has faded the past couple seasons and he was held without a point in the 4 Nations. A rebound in the Olympics could help restore his reputation.

SANTA CLARA, CA – Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte sat quietly by each other in a somber New England Patriots postgame locker room.

The Seahawks’ ‘Dark Side’ defense had just turned the lights out on the Patriots in a 29-13 Super Bowl 60 victory.

“We struggled. Some plays we probably want back. We didn’t play our best. We lost. Got to take it on the chin,” Diggs said. “They played a better game. That was a good (expletive) team we played.”

Super Bowl 60’s final score wasn’t even indicative of what transpired on the field. The Patriots were held scoreless through the first three quarters. New England’s offense was neutralized until it scored 13 points and gained 253 yards in what essentially was a futile fourth quarter with the game already decided. The Patriots offense never got within Seattle’s 40-yard line prior to the final quarter.

“They have a hell of a defense. One of the top defenses in the league,” Diggs said. “They are fast in the back end, they have fast backers and they got a good interior.”

The irony of Seattle’s Super Bowl 60 win is that Drake Maye was the one seeing ghosts.

Sam Darnold, notoriously known for his ‘seeing ghosts’ comment, was the quarterback who managed the game, took what the defense gave him and avoided costly turnovers.

Maye was the quarterback that had multiple errant throws, an ill-advised interception to Seahawks safety Julian Love and a pick-six to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.

“I’d like to go back to the beginning and redo it,” Maye said. “There are so many plays that can decide and change the game. I had an (interception) returned for a touchdown. There were plays in the first half where I feel like I could’ve made a better throw or make a better decision. It really just comes down to who makes the plays and who doesn’t. They made plays tonight.”

Maye completed 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards (235 yards coming in the fourth quarter) to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Maye was sacked six times and fumbled once. According to Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks generated a 52.8% pressure rate, the highest in a Super Bowl since at least 2018.

“It definitely hurts,” Maye said. “It’s been a long ride. They played better than us (Sunday). They deserved to win that game.”

What might hurt New England even more is the fact its defense played well enough to win … until things went off the rails in the fourth quarter. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III was the sole provider of consistent offense and kicker Jason Myers’ four field goals were the only points given up through three quarters. But when Darnold tossed a 16-yard touchdown to tight end AJ Barner to put the Patriots in a 19-0 hole, the deficit was insurmountable.

“It’s tough,” Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams told USA TODAY Sports. “We just didn’t make enough plays to win the game. We didn’t make enough plays when we needed to.”

The Super Bowl loss won’t quiet critics who were up in arms about the Patriots’ strength of schedule this season. New England had the NFL’s easiest schedule (in terms of opponent combined win percentage). Then the Pats defeated a Los Angeles Chargers team with a patchwork offensive line, a turnover-happy C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans without Nico Collins, and a Bo Nix-less Denver Broncos club in a blizzard en route to Super Bowl 60.

There’s no guarantee that they’ll make it back to the NFL’s ultimate game. The AFC figures to be better in 2026 and the conference’s postseason featured no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. But the Patriots spent over $200 million in guaranteed money on free agents in 2025. Most of their impact players will return next season and they have invaluable Super Bowl experience to go along with the agony of defeat.

“It’s definitely gonna sting. It’s gonna sting all the way up to the start of next year. But I’m proud of the guys. I’m proud of this team,” Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. “All year nobody believed in us. … To make it to where we were, is a testament to our work. We came up short. Every year a team loses the Super Bowl.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

• Four-time Olympian Madison Chock has deep family roots in Hawai’i.
• Chock was inspired to start skating by fellow Californian and Asian-American athlete Michelle Kwan.
• She and her ice dance partner, Evan Bates, are three-time world champions and seven-time U.S. champions.
• Chock and Bates, who recently married in Hawai’i, are seeking their first Olympic ice dance medal.

MILAN — With her panda bear in her hand, 5-year-old Madison Chock made a proclamation to her cousin.

“I’m going to go to the Olympics!” she exclaimed.

Very ambitious of a child, and certainly got a laugh out of parents Wes and Barbara Chock. They didn’t have an idea the enjoyment they shared over figure skating that began “way before she was born” would eventually capture the attention of their daughter. She had just started learning to skate and was already making declarations to family.

But flash forward about 28 years later and it’s clear it wasn’t some young, wishful thought. That determined, fierce nature displayed on the ice has always been there.

Chock said she was going to go to the Olympics. Well, how about four of them?

“It really has been a journey and incredible,” Barbara Chock told USA TODAY Sports.

Watch Olympics figure skating on Peacock

An ice dance journey that begins in an unexpected place: Hawai’i. 

Wes is from the islands, born on the big island and lived in Maui and Oahu, and eventually met Barbara on an airplane. She moved to Hawai’i, danced hula and was even a backup singer for iconic Hawaiian singer Don Ho. 

They moved to California, where Madison was born, but kept that Hawaiian culture ingrained in their daughter’s life, starting off with the middle names of La’akea – sacred light from heaven in Hawaiian – and Te-Lan – unique orchid in Chinese – to honor her backgrounds.

Even though she wasn’t a kama’aina – a Hawaiian resident – Madison loved visiting and connecting with the islands. Grandma, grandpa and all the cousins were there. Wes would visit often, and Madison typically tagged along, where she was at the beach “all the time,” her dad noted.

“She just grew up loving Hawai’i,” Barbara said. “We’d go every chance we could.”

Madison spent countless hours connecting with her roots, accustomed to the sand and waves of Hawai’i while something special was building on the ice in the mainland.

Her interest in figure skating piqued with a pioneer Asian-American athlete also from California: Michelle Kwan. Madison asked her mom “Can you teach me that?” They couldn’t really, so they put her in lessons. 

It was evident early on there was something different. As other kids cried or didn’t enjoy learning, Madison didn’t complain. She just wanted more. Before they knew it, what started as once a week classes turned into six days a week.

“I said, ‘Oh, she looks different on the ice. She just kind of glides across the ice. Her arms were so pretty,” Barbara said. “I told Wes that’s something different.”

That eventually led to the Chocks moving to Michigan to pursue ice dance, and it was anything but an ordinary move. Madison made it to their new home state, but her parents took turns watching her, while the other was back in California packing everything up. 

The craziness didn’t stop there. Wes and Barbara transferred jobs to the Midwest, but to Chicago. So that meant commuting from the Detroit area to Chicago for work, all so Madison could evolve her ice dance career.

Sacrifices all made worth it. With partner Greg Zuerlein, the pair were junior grand prix, world and U.S. champions by the time she was age 17. Her partnership with Evan Bates began in 2011 and together they became one of the greatest American ice dance pairs in history.

Three-time world champions. Three-time grand prix champions. A record seven-time U.S. champions. A historic figure skater, while never forgetting what molded her. 

During their dominant run, Chock and Bates skated at the rink Ice Palace in Honolulu – the only ice rink in the state – in 2014 and 2015, showcasing their talents at a place not known for figure skating. Chock also got to meet the young skaters she was inspiring, as Wes recalled how many were excited to see her.

“I take my Hawaiian roots very seriously,” Chock said. “They’re so near and dear to my heart.” 

It was the perfect place for the couple to tie the knot: They got married in 2024 at Lanikūhonua Cultural Institute on the west side of Oahu. All during this, Bates learned quickly how connected people are on islands. In true Hawaiian ohana fashion, Chock’s cousin manages the rink. 

“It feels like there are Chocks all over Hawai’i,” Bates said.

The Chocks and Hawai’i will be watching the 2026 Winter Olympics as the fourth trip is expected to be the last for the girl who said she would make it. With team gold in hand, captured on Sunday night, Chock and Bates are now going for the only accolade missing from their storied careers: an Olympic ice dance medal, with a great chance of it being gold. 

Barbara said it will be a bittersweet experience in Milano Cortina. Of course, Barbara and Wes are proud of everything their daughter has achieved. But most of all, “we’re most proud that she’s a really nice, nice person.”

The pair have said several times they feel like they are hitting their stride at the right time. They haven’t said this is the end, but it would be the perfect way to cap it off if it is.

If they do capture that long desired ice dance Olympic medal, what better way than to celebrate back on the islands? Now that marriage ties have made it feel a little bit more like home for Bates, he is certain “we’ll spend more time on the islands.”

The Milano Ice Skating Arena will be the setting for Chock to display that determined, fierce spirit she’s had since she vowed to be on this stage. A stage on which she’ll be able to show off the cultural background that shaped her — guided her every step of the way.

“It’s a joy to be a part of and I’m really happy to have that fusion of Hawai’i and a winter sport together,” Chock said. “It means so much to us to be able to showcase and have that representation of Hawai’i on the ice.”

American skier Lindsey Vonn’s story of determination ended Sunday at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Vonn suffered a torn ACL injury in the days leading up to her fifth Olympics appearance.

Vonn decided to compete for Team USA despite the injury, but she suffered a crash during the women’s downhill ski event final and needed to be airlifted to a hospital.

A replay of the crash was shown during the NBC broadcast in the moments that followed the conclusion of Super Bowl 60. The broadcast was edited down, spending just three minutes on Vonn, from the start of her race at the gate to her being airlifted off the course and taken to a hospital.

The three-minute window also included two replays and showed the reactions from some of her peers who were also competing.

She was in stable condition and underwent surgery for a broken left leg.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin are teaming up again.

The newest Olympic champion and the two-time Olympic gold medalist are paired for the team combined, which they won at last year’s world championships. The event includes one run of downhill, which Johnson will do, and one run of slalom, which Shiffrin will do.

The other teams for the race on Tuesday, Feb. 10 are:

• Jackie Wiles (downhill) and Paula Moltzan (slalom)

• Bella Wright (downhill) and Nina O’Brien (slalom)

• Keely Cashman (downhill) and A.J. Hurt (slalom)

U.S. Skiing created the teams based on results, which could have meant a highly anticipated pairing of Lindsey Vonn and Shiffrin, two of the most successful Alpine skiers in history. Shiffrin, the all-time leader with 108 World Cup wins, leads the overall and slalom season standings. Vonn, whose 84 World Cup wins trail only Shiffrin and Ingemar Stenmark, leads the downhill standings.

But Vonn broke her left leg in a crash during Sunday’s downhill. Johnson won gold in the race, elevating her to the top spot among the U.S. downhillers.

‘I’m really excited for the team combined. I’m excited to get another crack down the slope,’ Johnson said after winning gold on Sunday, Feb. 8, joining Vonn as the only American women to win the Olympic downhill title.

‘I think it could be a really good event for us,’ Johnson added.

It gives Johnson a chance to duplicate what she did at last year’s worlds. She won the downhill title before pairing with Shiffrin to win the inaugural team combined event.

‘The vibe around it, teaming up and feeling like we’re doing it together, was so cool,’ Shiffrin said last year after they won.

Shiffrin and Johnson have been friends since they were children, and Johnson credits Shiffrin and her mother Eileen for encouraging her to keep going early in her career.

‘In many ways, I don’t know if I would be sitting here without Mikaela because she and her family took me under their wing and allowed me to have confidence in myself,’ Johnson said last fall. ‘We were both very intense kids. People were like, ‘Breezy, you need to chill out. You need to have more fun.’ And I was like, `I don’t understand. I just really like skiing and I like competing and I like getting better.’ And I wasn’t getting anybody who was telling me that.

‘(Mikaela) was like, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you. Keep doing what you’re doing.’ And her mom was like, `No, there’s tons of kids out here. They’re having fun and some of them may be good, but if you do that you will not be good,” Johnson recalled. ‘And that helped me to be like, no, I’m going to be intense. I’m going to be serious. And if people say that that’s wrong, that’s on them.’

Now both are Olympic champions, with the possibility of winning more gold.

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy — I actually do work for USA TODAY and although I am not a doctor, either, I can very confidently say Greg Graber’s opinion about Lindsey Vonn is ill-informed, condescending and misogynistic.

How do I know this? Because unlike Graber, I have actual, applicable knowledge on this topic after covering skiing for more than a decade. I have watched Vonn dominate the World Cup circuit this season — how many athletes ‘past their prime’ are smoking the competition race after race? — and have heard her explain why she decided to make a comeback.

It’s not because she can’t see herself as anything besides a skier or is trying to compensate for something lacking in her life. Her foundation, commercial ventures, family and friends were more than enough to fill her time while she was retired. (Pro trip, Greg: Before making assumptions about people, maybe use the Google machine.)

Vonn came back because she could. Because she was given a second chance to end her career on her terms, something so few athletes get to do. Because she loves skiing.

And because, even at 41, she is still really freaking good.

To equate her with Mike Tyson, who is almost two decades older than Vonn and was pummeled by a YouTuber, was as ignorant as it was insulting. Contrary to what Graber wrote (again, Greg, Google can be your friend), Vonn is not skiing’s equivalent of Willie Mays.

She’s been on the podium in every downhill race so far this season, winning two of them. She also was on the podium in two of her first three super-G races and was fourth in the third.

Even with a torn ACL, Vonn had posted the third-fastest time in a training run Saturday, Feb. 7, before it was canceled due to fog and snow. A training run at the Olympics, I might add.

But even if Vonn was struggling to keep pace, so what! Did Graber run to his keyboard to psychoanalyze and chastise Phillip Rivers when he returned to the NFL this season? Is he banging the drum for LeBron James to retire?

Doubtful.

Which is the larger problem with Graber’s opinion piece, and it’s one every woman can, sadly, recognize: Without any expertise, experience or knowledge, too many men feel free to police the actions, motivations and bodies of women. They think they know best, and demand women give their opinions deference that is neither earned nor deserved.

I did reach out to Graber for comment, by the way.

Graber claims he’s a mental performance coach for elite athletes. That and regional sales managers at food companies. But does he regularly work with Olympians? Or elite Alpine skiers? No? Then maybe he should have sat this one out. Because while there are some commonalities among athletes, there also are far too many differences to make broad, sweeping generalities.

But Graber got a thought about Vonn in his head and decided one of the greatest skiers of all-time needed to hear it. She has a team of medical professionals and coaches around her whose literal job it is to provide her with honest, fact-based advice, but Graber knows better. His opinion is based on pure conjecture and projection, yet he thinks it should carry more weight than Vonn’s lived experiences and access to the best resources in sports medicine.  

It’s the living embodiment of the “No, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night” commercial.

Not every single thought needs to be shared with the world. Graber has written a book entitled, in part, “Slow Your Roll.” Next time, rather than doling out unsolicited advice, he should do everyone a favor and follow his own.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Being a professional football player was never Terry Schmidt’s goal. He wanted to be a dentist.

But there Schmidt was, on the field in Houston, staring at Earl Campbell, who was churning toward him.

‘He broke free,’ says Schmidt, a former NFL defensive back in the 1970s and 1980s, ‘and it was me and the end zone or Earl.’

Schmidt recalls hitting the future Hall of Fame running back on the 10-yard line, and getting him to the ground at the 2.

‘I think, even with that, I was having fun,’ Schmidt recalls today. He lets loose a hearty laugh, which reappeared several times during our conversation.

Schmidt lasted 11 years, retiring after 143 games in the league, and playing his final season for the 1984 Bears. That’s right, he missed winning a Super Bowl on one of the best – if not the best – NFL teams of all time.

He doesn’t regret the decision for a moment. His response as to why winds you through a brutal training camp with a future Hall of Fame coach but happier days at Chicago’s Soldier Field, and to the Amazon and Africa.

Schmidt laid out his life in football, and his one as a father to two kids.

‘My son was playing Little League baseball and he loved baseball, but they selected an all-star team, (and) the guy that coached, his son was a catcher, too, and my son never played,’ Schmidt told USA TODAY Sports. ‘We were driving home from a game and he said, ‘Dad why doesn’t that guy like me?’ And I didn’t have an answer for that and then he quit playing baseball. He just gave it up and it was a shame because he was a really good baseball player.’

We spoke with Schmidt, 73, about how his insight through a lifetime of experience can help you and your young athlete:

(Questions and responses are edited for length and clarity.)

‘I can really do this’: When we’re supported in sports, we’re full of confidence

Terry grew up in Columbus, Indiana, about 40 minutes south of Indianapolis. He loved open-wheel racing, and played high school basketball games in some of the old arenas you see in the movie ‘Hoosiers.’

‘My dad never really said, ‘Let’s go play catch,’ ” he says. “But when I was at school, I’d see kids playing baseball and stuff and I got interested and just started playing. And he helped coach but it wasn’t like one of these things like, ‘Well you need to do this, you need to do that.’ It was just, ‘If you want to play, ‘Fine.’ ”

Schmidt became a three-sport athlete in high school (football, basketball, track) and played football at Ball State. He never dreamed how far he would go from there.

USA TODAY: How did you come to be a professional football player?

Terry Schmidt: I was recruited as a wide receiver. After my freshman year, the head coach was changed (to Dave McClain). I was pretty fast, I guess, and he said, “We’re really deep at wide receiver.’ So, I started at safety spring ball of my freshman year and played all four years as a safety, and played in the East West Shrine game. He said, “You could probably play professional football.” I said, ‘Coach, ‘I don’t know. I’m gonna be a dentist.’ I was drafted by New Orleans, Hawaii (World Football League) and Winnipeg (Canadian Football League).

I thought what the heck, I’m gonna just give this a shot. One of the first strikes ever in the NFL was 1974, and so they brought in a bunch of rookies, free agents, whatever, whoever wandered to cross the picket line. And so, the veterans didn’t come in until after third preseason game. I had a really, really good training camp, and I ended up starting as a rookie for the Saints at corner.

It just kind of happened. I would watch guys on TV, and I’d go, “I’m not that.” But then when I got to training camp and realized, I said, “Yeah, I can do this. I really can do this.’

An egomaniac coach holds a team back, even if you’re Hank Stram

During his third NFL training camp, Schmidt found himself playing for Hank Stram, a future Hall of Fame coach who had led the Chiefs to an AFL championship and and a Super Bowl title.

“I think he was probably a great coach back when they won the Super Bowl, but as the players evolved, he didn’t evolve with them,’ Schmidt says.

After a wild training camp, the Saints traded Schmidt to Chicago before the 1976 season.

USAT: It’s a brutal game, right? I mean, every year was probably really tough to get through.

TS: In the NFL we did two-a-days and Stram, when he came in, we did three-a-days. The evening practice, it was 7-on-7; the linemen didn’t really do anything. So we were running all day long. By the time I got to the Bears, my legs were shot, they really were. Back in the day,  players were conformist. When Stram first came to the Saints, that’s when they couldn’t stop you.

Stram was a good coach, but he was a egotist. We’d be on the bus, and once he got on the bus, everybody left. If you weren’t on the bus when Stram got on the bus, you got left behind. (If) the bus you were on tried to pass the bus Stram was on, he’d tell them to slow down. He had to be in the lead bus.

There was an article that came out in the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune that (owner) John Mecom said something about Stram spending too much money. The very next day, Mecom shows up at training camp and says, “I don’t know what you boys read, but I just wanted you to know that Hank’s my man and whatever Hank wants, Hank gets.” I was walking out after the meeting and I happened to be behind Mecom. I was gonna ask him something about (Indy) racing. I heard him turn to Stram and say, “Is that what you wanted me to say?”

Other tough coaches, like Mike Ditka, learn to compromise

Jim Finks, the Bears general manager, apparently had seen Schmidt play and liked him.

As an athlete, you never know who is watching you when you play, or whom you might run into down the road.

USAT: What happened with your career in Chicago?

TS: Allan Ellis, a great defensive back, got hurt right before the first game (of) the ’78 season. And I started playing at corner and never, ever turned back. We were playing a Thanksgiving game one time and by this time Stram had been fired (after going 7-21 over two seasons with the Saints) and I think he was doing radio for CBS. I happened to walk by Hank in this hallway, so I said, “Trading me was the best thing you ever did in my career.” And his response was, “Well, you know, Terry, we make mistakes from time to time.”

USAT: What were your experiences like with Ditka?

TS: In 1981, it was apparent (head coach) Neill Armstrong was going to be fired at the end of the season.  We had made great strides as a defense under Buddy Ryan and as a defensive squad we collectively felt it would be best if the defensive staff remained.  So we defensive players wrote a letter to (owner) George Halas, requesting he keep the defensive staff.  About a week (later) he came to practice.  Normally the whole team would gather around him.  But today when the offensive players and coaches, including Neill, came to the group, Halas basically told them to “Beat it.”

He said the letter was beautiful and that to his knowledge no other group of players had ever written to attempt to save a coach’s job.  Him being one of the founders of the NFL, that was most likely true.  He told us not to worry, that Buddy and the staff would be retained.

So Mike had to keep Buddy, and his defensive system, when he was hired in 1982. Mike did always support the players, but sometimes I think it is difficult for great players to coach some players. Not all players had his play-through-anything (attitude) – pain, injury, etc.  I heard he played with a very bad ankle sprain that was so intense it altered his running style, which led to hip problems (and) he eventually had it replaced.  Some players did not share that same attitude.

Ditka (was a) complex individual, good coach, good man, very sarcastic at times. Interestingly, despite their differences, Mike came to Buddy’s funeral.

There’s always someone better than you, but you can always grow from an athletic experience

Schmidt would go in and talk to Ryan after the season. By 1984, he says, he was playing the game more mentally than physically.

“What do you think?” he asked Ryan.

“I think it’s time to plan your retirement party,” the coach said.

Schmidt had always planned on dental school, and he says the Bears had set aside money to pay for it over his last three contracts.

USAT: You just missed out on the ‘85 team. What was that like?

TS: You just never know. We made the playoffs in ’77 and ’79. And we got beat in the wild card. And then in ’84, we made it to the NFC Championship. So I figured, what’s the odds of them making it next year?

George Halas really embraced his boys – that they planned for the future, you don’t know how long you’re gonna play, or they’re always looking for somebody to replace you. So, when I asked for money for dental school, they had no qualms at all. The only restriction was that I had to go; they set aside about 50 grand and they just said you have to go to get it and that was fine with me.

And as I look back on my dental career in school, I don’t think I was mature enough for the rigors of dental school when I was 22 and 23. When I went to school, I was 34, and I had a lot of classmates who were just right out of undergrad. They were 22, 23, 24, and they just didn’t concentrate on school. I wanted to be the best dentist I could be. I was ready for the rigors of dental school. Because it’s like a job.

What we miss out on sometimes leads to a bigger opportunity

Schmidt became a dentist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He worked in Chicago but also in Tampa, Florida, Asheville, North Carolina, and Johnson City, Tennessee, and continues his missionary work in retirement.

“One of the coolest trips we did was a boat trip on the Amazon River (that) stopped at five different villages,” he says. “Once you get up in the jungle where we were, you have a village that’s just carved out. You’ve got anywhere between 30 to maybe 80 homes, and everybody’s got a boat. Every house is up on stilts. And one house has a satellite dish and a generator so if Brazil’s in the World Cup, they get a chance to watch it. They call it football, but every village has got a soccer field and has got soccer balls.”

His kids, Jake and Jennifer, who are now adults, kept loving sports, too. They excelled at volleyball, and his daughter had speed and ran track, like her dad.

Jennifer’s son, Derek, plays rugby at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.

“It’s a brutal game,” his grandfather says. “They don’t wear any pads.”

USAT: Do you have any advice for families that are trying to go through all this with sports?

TS: I coached one year, and the parents … Why are you taking my kid out? What do you mean? We had a meeting with the parents and said, ‘Look, this is not professional baseball. These kids aren’t doing this for a living. We want to get everybody a chance to play.’

The one thing I didn’t like about volleyball is that one year Jennifer got involved in club volleyball, and that was a nightmare. They go all over the place and I just kept telling my kids, ‘You just can’t concentrate on one sport. If you want to, OK, but I’m just telling you, based on my history.’

Don’t push anything on your kids and have a piece of tape over your mouth. You don’t need to be yelling at the umpires, don’t be yelling at the coaches. Go there and enjoy your son or your daughter playing. And just just let ‘em play.

When I would get beat up, I was still having fun out there. If the first thought that goes through your head when Earl Campbell breaks free is, “I’m gonna get hurt,” you need to quit.

 Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His Coach Steve column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

SAN JOSE, CA — When it comes to special teams in the NFL, nearly every team talks the talk – even if it’s merely lip service – regarding their often-crucial importance. But the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks walk the walk.

“We have such a good group of core guys – everybody’s bought in. I think that’s shown when we flipped some games,” Seattle kicker Jason Myers, who led the league with 171 points scored this season, told USA TODAY Sports.

“Everyone always says it’s one-third of the game, but not a lot of places where that’s true. Obviously, we do (believe it).”

Myers was quick to cite the investment from Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who signed him in free agency coming off a Pro Bowl season with the New York Jets in 2018 and added a four-year extension in 2023.

Schneider spent a fifth-round draft pick in 2018 − rare currency for a punter − on Michael Dickson, a second-team All-Pro who’s now on his third contract with the team. Then there was the midseason acquisition of wideout Rashid Shaheed, who’s had a massive special teams impact for the Seahawks – including three TD returns, highlighted by a 95-yarder to open (and effectively end?) the game in Seattle’s 41-6 divisional-round playoff rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

That was among many examples where a special teams play – particularly late in the season – proved pivotal for the Seahawks on their way to the NFC’s top playoff seed and, ultimately, their berth in Super Bowl 60:

In an 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, Shaheed had 137 return yards while Myers accounted for all the scoring (6-for-6 on field goals) on a day when Seattle’s offense couldn’t find the end zone.

In their riveting 38-37 defeat of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, a victory that put the Seahawks in control of the conference’s No. 1 seed, Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return for a TD midway through the third quarter sparked their comeback from a 30-14 deficit.

Dickson’s towering third-quarter punt in windy conditions during the NFC championship game proved too much for the Rams’ Xavier Smith to handle, Seattle’s Dareke Young recovering the muff and setting up a TD pass from quarterback Sam Darnold on the next play (LA never led in the game from that point forward).

“They’re talented players,” Seahawks special teams coach Jay Harbaugh told USA TODAY Sports.

“We just have guys that are so about the team, from the weekly preparation to how they operate on game day. When a group of people has that mindset, it’s crazy how good you can get over time. I’m really thankful to be able to coach them. It’s been a blast.”

Jay Harbaugh, ‘underrated hero’

One of Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald’s first orders of business when the team hired him in 2024 was to recruit Harbaugh, with whom Macdonald had overlapped while with the Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan.

“He’s kind of like an underrated hero behind this whole operation,” Macdonald said of Harbaugh amidst the Seahawks’ preparations to face the New England Patriots on Sunday.

“Great eye for talent, the way he got buy-in, and the way that he creatively coached these awesome fundamentals. … It was, like, a very, very easy decision to beg him to come to Seattle – and he’s done a tremendous job from Day One.

“Jay’s awesome.”

Harbaugh – the son of Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who will be in attendance Sunday with the rare opportunity to see one of his son’s games in person, and nephew of New York Giants coach John Harbaugh, his boss for three years in Baltimore – reciprocates his praise for Macdonald.

“Mike makes it really important,” Jay Harbaugh told USA TODAY Sports regarding Seattle’s investment in special teams, including the support of fellow coordinators Klint Kubiak (offense) and Aden Durde (defense).

“You’re never battling any of that, which happens in a lot of places. So, getting the staff support and buy-in is a great thing. And then the players making it their own and taking ownership and being able to provide their input and ideas – them being committed to the success of each unit and not chasing their own stats.”

Harbaugh specifically name-checked fullback Brady Russell as a player who could probably attain special teams stardom, such as it is, but willingly plays within the confines of the system for the betterment of the group. An undrafted free agent in 2023, Russell has played nearly 1,000 special teams snaps during his time in Seattle compared to 107 on offense. He has 24 tackles over the past two seasons.

But big tackles – just like big kicks and returns – can change the tide of a game, especially when teams are evenly matched, as they theoretically are in a Super Bowl.

“It goes both ways. It really can spark your team and the stadium,” said Harbaugh. “We’ve had a couple of instances where we’ve been on the wrong end of that – you feel that the other way, too. One thing Mike talks about is just the complementary football – which is cliché, but like most clichés, they’re that way because they’re true. … When you have a great play on special teams, and then the offense goes and punches it in after a long return, or the kickoff team gets a really violent tackle at the 25-yard line – you just kind of build that momentum.

“The team feeds off each other, it’s like a family in that sense.”

Brenden Schooler, an All-Pro special teams player who succeeded the great Matthew Slater in New England, has admired Harbaugh and the Seahawks from afar.

“I mean, (Seattle) literally flips a game in one play. You just feel the energy shift,” Schooler told USA TODAY Sports. “Being on the short end of that stick is not fun.’

He added Harbaugh and the Seahawks are “ahead of the curve” while scheming blocks on kickoff returns.

“I’ve watched them all year long,” said Schooler, “it’s been a lot of fun to watch those guys go to work.”

New England special teams coach Jeremy Springer told USA TODAY Sports: “They’ve got the right pieces in the right places – Jay’s done an unbelievable job for them.”

Patriots also thrive on special teams

In addition to Schooler, the Pats also have an All-Pro player in the third phase, return ace Marcus Jones – one of the team’s captains who also doubles as a slot cornerback.

“It’s like having a really good quarterback – you always have the opportunity to score,” Springer said of the impact of a dangerous return man. “When you have a really good returner back there, guys just block harder. Because they know, they don’t want to be the block that doesn’t spring the guy to a touchdown – so your guys play harder for him.

“He just elevates the team.”

While Springer lauded Shaheed’s speed and acceleration, he believes the gift possessed by Jones, who has three punt return TDs in four NFL seasons, is setting up his blocks.

New England is less experienced in the kicking game, long snapper Julian Ashby and kicker Andy Borregales both rookies – though Springer says both are “even keel” and not effectively rookies at this stage of the season.

“We’ve got some good players, too, and at the end of the day, it’s gonna be an identity war,” said Springer, “their identity on special teams and our identity.”

Will opportunity knock in the Super Bowl?

It’s been nearly three decades since Green Bay Packers returner Desmond Howard was named the MVP of Super Bowl 31, the only special teamer who’s ever garnered that honor. If someone is to replicate it Sunday, the key is being prepared to maximize a chance.

“As a specialist, returner – you can’t really force the game,” said Myers. “So you’ve just got to be ready for your opportunity.”

Newly elected Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri was a frequent Super Bowl hero for the Patriots. Ten players have returned a kickoff all the way, but none since Seattle’s Percy Harvin 12 years ago.

No one has ever returned a punt for a TD in the Super Bowl. Springer also notes that teams are generally at the point of the season when it’s harder to get quality special teams repetitions in practice.

“It’s pretty likely that if you’re on offense or defense, there’s something that you’re dying to call – that you’ve worked on and you’ve schemed up, (and) you’re probably gonna get to call it,” said Harbaugh, explaining that executing a specific special teams play requires so many conditions to be in proper alignment.

“You’ve got be ready to take advantage of the moment when it comes. That’s part of the nature of the beast for us.”

Unlike Candlestick Park, the 49ers’ previous home, Levi’s Stadium – the Super Bowl 60 venue, far removed from the windier bay – isn’t known for erratic conditions that can play havoc with the kicking game. Frankly, it’s much warmer and calmer than Seattle or New England at this time of year.

Maybe what’s expected to be ideal weather can foster a big play from the unsung guys often viewed as having suboptimal NFL jobs.

“I think you’ve got to be a little crazy to do this, running full speed into somebody. At the end of the day, man, it’s doing whatever you can to help the team – whether that’s me running down as a gunner, me covering kicks, blocking for Marcus,” said Schooler.

“It’s whatever you can do to help the team.”

MILAN — Team USA has made its picks for who can secure figure skating team event gold at the 2026 Winter Games, and it will include the ‘Quad God.’

The competition day will also feature pairs’ and women’s free skate. Amber Glenn will make her Olympic debut for the women, with Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea doing the pairs again.

Whether Malinin would do both men’s events in the team event was a big question and gave the U.S. a complex decision for its young prodigy given the schedule. Doing both events means he has a quick turnaround for the all-important men’s individual event, which begins Tuesday, Feb. 10.

The plan going into the team event, according to people with knowledge of the situation who were not allowed to speak publicly on the matter, was for Malinin to skate the men’s short program only, then U.S. officials would assess the its medal position to decide if he was is needed in the long program.

Turns out, the U.S. is aggressively going for gold.

Malinin skated the men’s short program on Saturday, Feb. 7 and didn’t have a spectacular performance with a second place finish behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, earning Team USA nine points. Afterward, Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated the ice dance free dance and earned another 10 points for the U.S., ending Day 2 in first place with 44 total points. Japan is in second place (39) and Italy is in third with (37).

Malinin’s inclusion indicates Team USA feels it needs him to secure first place, and doesn’t feel comfortable about going with the other Olympic men skaters in Maxim Naumov and Andrew Torgashev. The men are the final group to perform in the team event, so the U.S. will have a good sense of what is needed from Malinin in order to win the team event.

He certainly can cement the U.S. winning team gold, but the wobbly performance in the short program does raise some concern. That’s on top of the major focus of him now having to do a total of four performances in one week, questioning if it will fatigue Malinin and hurt his chances of capturing men’s singles gold.

Malinin told reporters after his short program he came into the competition ‘with only 50% of my full potential’ as ‘that’s the way I pace myself, leading up to the individual’ men’s event.

‘Of course, that wasn’t the perfect, ideal 100% skate that I would’ve wanted to have,’ he said, ‘but for the standard I set myself today, I think I achieved that.’

Glenn gets the nod in the women’s free skate after Alysa Liu handled the short program. Liu finished in second − behind Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto − to earn the U.S. nine points. Japan will again be a stiff challenge, but the reigning U.S. champion is capable of a first place finish and get another 10 points.

Kam and O’Shea will return after they did the short program. Despite a performance that included a big fall, the pair finished in fifth and earned six points.

Listen to ‘Milan Magic’ on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube or on USA TODAY.

Olympic figure skating team event day 3 schedule

The final day of the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics takes place on Sunday, Feb. 8.

• Women’s free skate: 1:30 p.m. ET
• Pair’s free skate: 2:45 p.m. ET
• Men’s free skate: 3:55 p.m. ET

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Cortina has a special place in Lindsey Vonn’s heart. And on her résumé.

‘Cortina has always been a place that’s been so special to me,’ Vonn said. ‘I just have a lot of amazing memories, so it wasn’t really a leap for me to say I want to come back and compete in these Olympics.’

Vonn’s 12 wins in Cortina are her second-most at one site, behind her 18 victories at Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. The Olimpia delle Tofane is a course she’s always understood, Vonn said, and it helped her learn how to be successful in downhill at the World Cup level.

‘I just have a good connection with the mountain. I know what it needs. I know what it takes to win there,’ Vonn said.

‘I’ve always felt really at home (there). It’s such a beautiful place, it’s hard not to stand on the top of that mountain and not really realize why you love the sport,’ she added. ‘So I’m excited to go back there and see the sunrise, the top of the Tofanaschuss, one more time.’

Here are all the times Lindsey Vonn has raced in Cortina, site of the women’s Alpine races at the 2026 Winter Olympics:

2025

• Jan. 19: World Cup, super-G. DNF
• Jan. 18: World Cup, downhill. 20th.

2019

• Jan. 20: World Cup, super-G. DNF
• Jan. 19: World Cup, downhill. 9th.
• Jan. 18: World Cup, downhill. 15th.

2018

• Jan. 21: World Cup, super-G. 6th.
• Jan. 20: World Cup, downhill. WIN.
• Jan. 19: World Cup, downhill, 2nd.

2017

• Jan. 29: World Cup, super-G. 12th.
• Jan. 28: World Cup, downhill. DNF.

2016

• Jan. 24: World Cup, super-G. WIN
• Jan. 23: World Cup, downhill. WIN

2015

• Jan. 19: World Cup, super-G. WIN
• Jan. 18: World Cup, downhill. WIN
• Jan. 16: World Cup, downhill. 10th.

2013

• Jan. 20: World Cup, super-G. 7th.
• Jan. 19: World Cup, downhill. WIN.

2012

• Jan. 15: World Cup, super-G. WIN.
• Jan. 14: World Cup, downhill. 2nd.

2011

• Jan. 23: World Cup, super-G. WIN.
• Jan. 22: World Cup, downhill. 3rd.
• Jan. 21: World Cup, super-G. WIN.

2010

• Jan. 24: World Cup, giant slalom. 19th.
• Jan. 23: World Cup, downhill. WIN.
• Jan. 22: World Cup, super-G. WIN.

2009

• Jan. 26: World Cup, super-G. 8th.
• Jan. 25: World Cup, giant slalom. 10th.
• Jan. 24: World Cup, downhill. 2nd.

2008

• Jan. 21: World Cup, super-G. 4th.
• Jan. 20: World Cup, super-G. 5th.
• Jan. 19: World Cup, downhill. WIN.

2007

• Jan. 20: World Cup, downhill, DNF.
• Jan. 19: World Cup, super-G. 4th.

2006

• Jan. 29: World Cup, giant slalom. DNF.
• Jan. 28: World Cup, downhill. 9th.
• Jan. 27: World Cup, super-G. 3rd.

2005

• Jan. 16: World Cup, downhill. 18th.
• Jan. 15: World Cup, downhill. 3rd.
• Jan. 14: World Cup, super-G. 2nd.
• Jan. 12: World Cup, super-G. 4th.

2004

• Jan. 18: World Cup, downhill. 3rd.
• Jan. 17: World Cup, downhill. 5th.
• Jan. 16: World Cup, super-G. 43rd.
• Jan. 14: World Cup, super-G. 53rd.

2002

• Jan. 25: World Cup, super-G. DNF.

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