Wang years ago helped establish Project Hope, an undertaking to build hockey rinks and schools in ChinaGETTY IMAGES
THE ATHLETIC's Arthur Staple examines late former Islanders Owner CHARLES WANG's "handprint on hockey in China," which will "never be disputed." Over a decade ago he established Project Hope, an "ambitious, multi-million dollar undertaking to build hockey rinks and schools in three cities in Heilongjiang Province in China’s northeast corner." Qiqihar and Harbin have "good schools and hockey facilities now thanks to Wang." Team Beijing hockey coach PAT FUNG said, "When you spend time over there in those rinks, you see just how much Charles has meant to hockey in China. These opportunities wouldn’t have existed without him" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/24).
ROCK ON: The song "DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER," by Manchester band OASIS has "become the city's anthem since last year's terror attack, and is one that has had a powerful impact" on EPL club Manchester City manager PEP GUARDIOLA. His wife and daughters "escaped unharmed" from the bombing at the ARIANA GRANDE concert at the Manchester Arena in May of '17. Guardiola said that he and his family sing the Oasis song "in unison when they go out together." Guardiola: "I like that, after what happened in Manchester at the arena, now it is a song for the people, you know?" (AFP, 10/25).
LOTS OF MEMORIES: New Jersey-based Robert Edward Auctions President BRIAN DWYER is "auctioning off three pieces" of Pirates memorabilia, including the ticket from the game where late Baseball HOFer ROBERTO CLEMENTE recorded his 3,000th hit. Also at the auction are Clemente's jersey, from either '71 or '72, and a '60 World Series trophy presented to former MLBer CLEM LABINE. Bidding for the jersey "began at $10,000 while Dwyer expects the ticket to fetch $2,500" (TRIBLIVE.com, 10/24)....Cardinals C YADIER MOLINA last night was presented with the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball's "highest honor for humanitarian work" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/25).
BIG BUSINESS: Former NBAer PAUL PIERCE "announced the launch" of his new company Vape Vesper, which he will be co-Founder and CEO of. Pierce joins a "growing group of current and former NBA voices who recommend cannabis in various forms for the chronic aches and pains brought on from a physically demanding career" (MASSLIVE.com, 10/23)....SHAQUILLE O'NEAL hosted an "invite-only grand opening celebration" for his new restaurant, Big Chicken, in Las Vegas yesterday. Actress VIVICA A. FOX, UFC President DANA WHITE and UFC fighters MIESHA TATE and FORREST GRIFFIN were in attendance (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 10/23)....LEBRON JAMES' Springhill Entertainment and Vertigo Entertainment are in talks to "team up to produce" a new iteration of "FRIDAY THE 13TH." The reboot is the "early stages, with no writer or director yet on board" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/22).
NAMES: Longtime Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist SID HARTMAN last night was inducted into the Minnesota Sports HOF. The lone inductee to the HOF's first class since '06, Hartman was "honored by about 500 close, personal friends at the second Minnesota Sports Awards on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 10/24)....Former Univ. of Miami football coach AL GOLDEN, who was fired in October ’15, has filed a $3M lawsuit against the school, “seeking what he contends is unpaid settlement money” (AP, 10/24)....Panthers DE JULIUS PEPPERS spent Tuesday in Marlboro County (N.C.) “helping United Way and AmeriCorps volunteers muck and gut houses damaged by Hurricane Florence.” It was Peppers’ “second trip to an affected area” since beginning his storm relief fund last month, and “donating an initial $100,000” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/25)....Miami’s AmericanAirlines Center “sits on Biscayne Boulevard,” and fans have started a campaign, “Give Dwyane Biscayne,” to push the city to rename the street after DWYANE WADE (MIAMIHERALD.com, 10/24)....UFC will create a public service campaign to bring attention to effects of opioid addiction (UFC)...."THE HOCKEY SONG," penned by the late STOMPIN' TOM CONNORS, is going into the Canadian Songwriters HOF on Saturday (AP, 10/24).
