‘I’ve got goosebumps’: Utah Mammoth’s Americans react to Team USA win… — and more

In case you somehow hadn’t heard yet, Team USA pulled off a historic overtime victory over Team Canada to secure the country’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.

Later that day, we got the reactions of most of the Utah Mammoth’s American players.

As always, Nate Schmidt was the most animated.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I’ve got goosebumps. It was so amazing. I was blessed, and I made sure to put on Sweet Home Alabama when I walked in this morning.”

He said he had some buddies in town visiting who skipped their flight home to be able to watch the end of the game.

Ian Cole was impressed by the Hughes family, whom he knows both through Michigan connections and from playing with Quinn on the Vancouver Canucks.

“For Quinn to score the OT winner (against Sweden in the quarterfinal) and then Jack to score (the OT winner in the gold medal game) ... Couldn’t be happier for them and for the whole team.”

“Play Free Bird, baby,” added Nick DeSimone.

DeSimone recalls the inspiration he took from the 2010 Olympics — even though Team USA lost — as well as TJ Oshie’s shootout performance in 2014. This game is sure to influence plenty of young Americans to follow in those footsteps.

“(It’s) stuff you won’t forget,” he said. “It’s a core hockey memory for me, so for kids watching that today, maybe (it’s) another one for them.”

Schmidt echoed a similar sentiment.

“They said it a lot during the broadcast, talking about how the 1980 team inspired a generation of players, right? Me included. It gives me goosebumps thinking this is going to inspire the next generation of kids to understand that this is what the pinnacle looks like,” he said.

Logan Cooley, who has one medal of each color from the various international tournaments in which he has participated, talked about the closeness that USA Hockey players have with each other.

“Just like all the players were saying after they won, just the brotherhood (stands out). You know, it just seems like they came together so close, the way they battled for each other,” he said. “It was cool to see and unbelievable to cap it off with a gold medal.”

And speaking of young Americans who will be inspired by that game, Cooley is one of them.

“As a competitor, you want to be in those big games,” he said. “You want to be representing your country on a world stage like that. You know, it’s so fun watching, but I couldn’t imagine being able to play in a gold medal game (at) the Olympics. ... I’m going to work as hard as I can to eventually make that team.”

Clayton Keller, the lone Mammoth representative on the team, has not yet returned to Utah, but he gave his thoughts postgame in an interview with KSL Sports.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “It’s a dream come true and to share it with this group of guys, it was just so much fun and I’m so lucky and blessed to be a part of this team and to have this experience — something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”

Former NBA player Patrick Beverley will not face charges following an arrest on Nov. 14 in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Rusty Hardin and Letitia Quinones-Hollins, attorneys for Patrick Beverley, released a statement Monday, Feb. 23: "Several months ago, we said that when all the information was in – when a grand jury could hear all the facts of this case – Patrick Beverley would be cleared of all charges. That is what happened today, when a grand jury sitting in Fort Bend County no-billed Patrick, effectively ending the case.

"Patrick wants everyone to know that he would never do anything to harm his sister and that he is very grateful that the grand jury has recognized that with their no-bill. He is thankful for all who prayed for him and supported him during this time. He is glad that the process was allowed to work as it did and his hope is that with these charges behind him now, his name and reputation will be restored."

Beverley had been accused of assaulting his teenage sister and faced a third-degree felony assault charge for the alleged incident. The arrest circumstances were detailed in a probable cause affidavit obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

According to that affidavit, deputies were dispatched to the home of Beverley's mother, Lisa, in Rosharon, Texas, a Houston suburb, in the early morning hours of Nov. 14. The mother had called Beverley to confront his teenage sister and her 18-year-old boyfriend, both of whom were in the residence. Upon arriving at the home, Beverley then confronted his sister, who is 15 years old.

The affidavit stated that the sister had snuck out to meet her boyfriend, identified as being 18 years old.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patrick Beverley cleared in felony assault case

Real Madrid have emitted an apology to their Chinese following, after Dean Huijsen shared racist memes on social media over the weekend. Huijsen himself is yet to address the matter personally.

The 20-year-old reposted an image of a Chinese man with the caption ‘Even the Chinese call him Chinese’, and ‘You could blindfold him with dental floss’. Huijsen’s activity caused outrage among the Chinese and Asian community online.

Real Madrid issue apology to Chinese fans

Image via Lars Baron/Getty Images

On Monday, Real Madrid published the following apology on behalf of Huijsen on their Weibo account say Diario AS, the largest Chinese social media platform.

“I sincerely apologise to my Chinese friends. I previously forwarded content that included offensive messages unintentionally. It was entirely unintentional, and I regret any distress caused.”

Los Blancos have yet issue the same apology on their other social media channels, and Huijsen has not referenced the matter on his personal social media accounts either. This is the second time that Real Madrid’s image has taken a hit in China in the last two years, after a fan impersonated Chinese fans back in 2024. The club were subsequently contacted by the Chinese embassy regarding the incident, and issued an apology on that occasion too.

Incident comes just days after anti-racism protocol

The timing could hardly be worse, as Real Madrid try to make a stand against racism on an international stage, after the anti-racism protocol was activated during their clash with Benfica for alleged racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior. On Monday, UEFA provisionally suspended the accused Gianluca Prestianni – who has defended his innocence – for the return leg of their Champions League tie with Real Madrid. If Prestianni is found guilty, then he will face a minimum ban of 10 games. It is not clear yet when UEFA’s investigation will be concluded.