Cam Talbot's toque couldn't fend off minus-7 degree temperatures at the Winter Classic, as the Minnesota Wild goalie still suffered a wickedly cold start at Target Field, allowing 6 goals through two periods in a 6-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

Claiming an ankle injury, Tampa Bay Bucs WR Antonio Brown refused to re-enter a road game against the New York Jets, and instead removed his jersey and exited the field. Controversy has followed Brown ever since, including separate allegations of indecent exposure and misdemeanor battery.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark followed her 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Nebraska with 35/13/11 versus Minnesota, becoming the first NCAA player, man or woman, with consecutive 30-point triple doubles.

The designated hitter has never played a bigger role in baseball. And no DH has ever played bigger than David Ortiz, who became the first full-time DH to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Everyone assumed Rafael Nadal would break the record for Grand Slam titles at the French Open, the site of 14 of his 20 triumphs. Instead, he won No. 21 in Australia, then, of course, netted 22 in Paris five months later.

On the second day of the second month of 2022, Grizzlies second-year 2-guard Desmond Bane shot 22.2% from the field with 2 fouls, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 steals -- all in a No. 22 jersey.

Trevor Zegras amazed Las Vegas at NHL All-Star Weekend's Breakaway Challenge, scoring blindfolded while beaned by dodgeballs. But hometown hero Alex Pietrangelo won, assisted by a 19 (out of 10) score from judge Jon Hamm.

The iconically raucous and ironically named Waste Management Open erupted with cups of beer after Sam Ryder's third-round ace on the 16th. The next day, Carlos Ortiz's hole-in-one kept the party rolling.

In a rematch at UFC 271, Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya defended his middleweight belt vs. Robert Whittaker with flair -- using feints and stance switches to set up powerful blows in a five-round unanimous decision.

Steph Curry was hot out of the box at the All-Star Game, draining his first three over Trae Young on his way to making a record 16 treys, scoring a nice round 50 points and winning the inaugural Kobe Bryant MVP Award.

After struggling to leave its besieged nation, the Ukrainian Paralympic Team finished only behind host China (63) with 29 medals, led by vision-impaired biathlete Oksana Shyshkova, middle, who celebrated her third gold in Beijing with her guide, Andriy Marchenko, left.

UFC 272 was personal for classic heel Colby Covington (gray trunks) and ex-roommate Jorge Masvidal, who seethed after years of Covington's insults. Two weeks after Covington's win, Masvidal would allegedly assault him outside a Miami restaurant.

The debate of Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi is stalemated. But Manchester United's CR7 aided his cause when his 806th goal put him past Josef Bican as FIFA's leading scorer. Messi lurks 37 behind.

On Carmelo Anthony's 3, Lebron James became the first NBA player with 10,000 career points, rebounds and assists. The only player to come close? Jason Kidd, who fell 1,275 rebounds shy.

Penn's 500-yard freestyle swimmer Lia Thomas became the first known transgender Division I champion, sparking debate from campuses to Congress over how Title IX applies to transgender athletes regarding equality and fairness.

MAAC champ St. Peter's (16-11 regular season) squeaked into the NCAA tournament, then used its frenzied defense and deep rotation to upset second-seeded Kentucky, 7-seed Murray State and 3-seed Purdue to become the Elite Eight's first 15-seed.

Nine months after collapsing to the pitch as his heart stopped, Christian Eriksen rejoined Denmark's national team versus Netherlands in Amsterdam. A halftime sub, he scored on his very first touch in a 4-2 loss.

The numbers are staggering -- 47 seasons, 1,202 wins, 5 national titles, 75 NBA players -- yet the absence of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who retired after losing in the Final Four to rival UNC 81-77, seems immeasurable.

Kansas, down 15 at halftime, launched the largest comeback in NCAA Finals history, outscoring UNC 31-10 to start the second half. The 72-69 win handed Kansas its fourth national title, and first since 2008.

Taking over for an ejected first-base coach, the Giants' Alyssa Nakken became MLB's first woman on-field coach. In 2020, the former Giants intern made history as the first woman to coach full-time in the bigs.

Weatherford College pitcher Owen Woodward didn't appreciate North Texas Central's Josh Phillips spouting expletives during a home run trot. Woodward's form tackle earned him a release from the team.

Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera singled against Colorado for hit No. 3,000 and a likely ticket to Cooperstown. Among eligible 3,000-hit players, only Pete Rose, Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro are not enshrined.

His Nuggets first-round losers, Nikola Jokic was home in Serbia when surprised with his second consecutive MVP trophy. His 27.1/13.8/7.9 slash line contributed to an NBA-leading 32.8 PER.

Angels rookie Reid Detmers no-hit the Rays, then, against the Rangers on July 31, struck out the side in nine pitches to become just the third pitcher with a no-no and an immaculate inning.

In his debut with Baltimore, 2019 overall No. 1 pick Adley Rutschman delivered his first major league hit, a seventh inning stand-up triple. The O's began the season 16-24, but were 67-55 after the catcher arrived.

Poland's Iga Swiatek made short work of the French Open field, dropping just one set in seven matches and extending her win streak to 35, the best run in the WTA in 25 years.

In separate games in the College World Series regionals, ECU's Bryson Worrell and Auburn's Cole Foster homered from both sides of the plate in one inning -- a feat matched by only three MLB players in 146 seasons.

Oklahoma finished 56-4 and won the Women's College World Series in 2021. In 2022, OU actually improved, going 59-3 with another title as two-time player of the year Jocelyn Alo slashed .667/5/13 in six WCWS games.

Katie Ledecky won 800-meter freestyle gold at the FINA World Championships, becoming the first swimmer to capture five consecutive world titles in a single event. It was her 42nd straight 800-meter freestyle win, dating to 2013.

Shareef Miller, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, was among 320 players keeping football dreams alive in the reborn USFL. Although Miller didn't punch a ticket to the NFL after the season, 15 leaguemates did.

Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker was none too pleased to get plunked in the keister. But instead of rushing the mound, Winker charged the Angels dugout, sparking a brawl that resulted in eight ejections, including errant pitcher Andrew Wantz.

Ole Miss baseball was one of the last four teams to qualify for the postseason. But after capping a 10-1 tear with a sweep of Oklahoma in the College World Series finals, the Rebels were undeniably No. 1.

Joey Chestnut downed 63 dogs to earn his 15th Nathan's Famous Hot Dog title. Chestnut's pace-13 off of his record of 76 in 2021-was slowed mid-munch when he put an on-stage protestor in a headlock.

President Joe Biden looked beyond athletic feats when presenting Medals of Freedom to two of America's brightest stars: praising Simone Biles' advocacy for abuse survivors and Megan Rapinoe's fight for equal rights for all Americans.

Dick Vitale, while accepting the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance as he recovered from cancer, pointed skyward and evoked his good friend's courage and vision of finding a cure. "I will tell you this, Jimmy V, my man -- we are not going to stop chasing the dream."

Amanda Nunes won a unanimous decision over Juliana Peña at UFC 277 to take back her bantamweight belt. Nunes, also the reigning featherweight champ, became the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold two belts for a second time.

Like all of baseball, Dodgers broadcasters Orel Hershiser and Joe Davis mourned the death of legendary play-by-play announcer Vin Scully at the age of 94. Scully's retirement in 2016 marked the end of 67 seasons calling Dodgers baseball, but he remains as the immortal voice of the game.

With a 5-1 win over Oakland, Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani pushed his record to 10-7 to become the first player with at least 10 wins and 10 home runs since Babe Ruth went 13-8 with 11 homers in 1918. "Shotime" would finish the season 15-9 with 34 dingers.

Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman entered UFC 278 at 20-1 and looking for a record-tying 16th straight victory. But the champ left the octagon without his belt after Leon Edwards connected on a head kick for a stunning fifth-round KO.

Hall of Fame golfer JoAnne Carner, 83, shot her age at the U.S. Senior Women's Open. But the 43-time winner on the LPGA Tour wasn't exactly thrilled, grousing to Golfweek: "The whole swing was basically off."

The boys from Honolulu dominated the Little League World Series, outscoring their six opponents 60-5 and ending four games early with a 10-run lead, including their 13-3 win over Curacao for the title.

Hans Niemann upset five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, and the chess world fell to pieces: Carlsen quit the tournament; observers alleged cheating; chat rooms buzzed about vibrating devices; Niemann offered to play nude; Chess.com banned Niemann; Carlsen resigned from rematch after one move; Niemann filed $100 million defamation lawsuit; chess kept trending.

Pairing a 130-mph serve with touch at the net, 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain topped Casper Ruud in four sets to win the U.S. Open and become the youngest ATP world No. 1 ever.

With a unanimous decision over Mando Gutierrez, 17-year-old bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. won more than the Contender Series-he earned a contract to become the youngest UFC fighter in history.

Running full speed 30 yards down the right sideline, Steelers WR George Pickens looked over his left shoulder to spot the ball arriving over his right shoulder. His only option: get horizontal and make the catch of the year.

Late in the game, with the ball on the 1, Dolphins punter Thomas Morstead launched a kick directly into his upback's backside, resulting in a safety. Fortunately for blocker Trent Sherfield, Miami pulled it out to beat the Bills 21-19.

Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa's second serious head injury in just four days sparked public outrage and prompted the NFL to add ataxia (loss of full control of any bodily movement) as a no-go symptom to its concussion protocol.

Panic ensued when police fired 40 rounds of flash grenades, flares and tear gas after failing to quell mass violence on the postgame pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia. More than 130 soccer fans died in a stampede toward locked and narrow exits.

Self-titled GWOAT Claressa Shields lived up to her hype, taking the WBO middleweight belt from the U.K.'s Savannah Marshall to unify the division in front of 20,000 fans packing London's 02 Arena for the all-woman card.

The NBA honored the late Bill Russell's unparalleled career with an unprecedented move -- the league-wide retirement of his No. 6 jersey. Russell, who died July 30 at age 88, won 11 NBA titles and 5 MVP awards with the Celtics and became one of America's leading voices for social justice. He was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Philadelphia was 21-29 entering June, but by the time Bryce Harper homered in the eighth inning of a pennant-clinching 4-3 win over the Padres, these Phils seemed like a team of destiny.

In his first bout since joining the Ukrainian army in February, lightweight boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko scored a unanimous decision over ex-sparring partner Jamaine Ortiz.

A brawl following Michigan State's 29-7 loss at Michigan led to a host of repercussions for the Spartans: eight suspended players, seven assault charges and a $100K fine from the Big Ten.

Needing to pass two cars in the final turn to make the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, Ross Chastain mashed the gas and rode the wall past five drivers, setting a Martinsville Speedway lap record in the process.

Crossover right. Between-the-legs left. Crossover right. Avoid landing on Daniel Gafford lying on the Wizards' home floor. Kevin Durant did that.

The same can't be said of her mug, but light-welterweight champ Chantelle Cameron's record remained unmarked after a unanimous decision over Jessica McCaskill: 17-0, 8 KO and ahead on every card.

Alex Pereira had beaten Israel Adesanya twice in kickboxing, yet his fifth-round TKO of the UFC middleweight champ was one of MMA's biggest stunners of the year.

Facing a Friday storm that would eventually dump 80 inches of snow (enough to bury Josh Allen in full uniform), the Bills hopped a flight to balmy Detroit, where they topped the Browns 31-23.

These Grabowskis nailed every detail: identical brown aviators, officially licensed sweater vests, homegrown mustaches. The only flaw at Jake Mazanke's bachelor party in Atlanta? Da Bears lost to the Falcons 27-24.

Averaging 59 yards on its six touchdowns, Michigan thumped Ohio State 45-23 in a battle of the unbeatens. Said Jim Harbaugh of Michigan's first win at The Horseshoe since 2000: "It feels good to sing 'The Victors' in Columbus."

USC's storybook season was supposed to end in a playoff bid with the Trojans vindicating their only loss with a win over Utah in the Pac-12 title game. Instead, the Utes again sacked Troy and its transcendent QB Caleb Williams 41-28.

Shut out by UNC for the first 80 minutes, UCLA stormed late to score two goals, including on a corner kick with just 16 seconds remaining, to send the women's final of the College Cup into overtime. UCLA would prevail, 3-2, for the program's second national title.

USC QB Caleb Williams ran away with the Heisman Trophy, gathering 544 of a possible 929 first-place votes to beat out the runner-up, TCU QB Max Duggan. The trophy may have felt hollow, though, since his team lost out on a chance at a national title.

In his first career start, San Francisco QB Brock Purdy orchestrated a 35-7 blowout of Tampa Bay and became the only quarterback to ever debut with a win over Tom Brady. As an encore, Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, would help the Niners clinch the NFC West with a 21-13 win at Seattle.

The Air Raid offense Mike Leach developed with Hal Mumme transformed football, spread Leach's protégés across the sport, and earned him a 158-107 career record at Texas Tech, Washington State and, lastly, Mississippi State. But Leach, with a law degree on his wall, flip flops on his feet and a quote on his lips, will best be remembered for being Mike Leach.

Nobody panicked when Steph Curry partly separated his left shoulder in a 125-119 loss at Indiana. But considering that Golden State wins just 33.4% of its games without Curry and is 15-18 as of Dec. 24, the defending champs better hope their star doesn't miss more than the anticipated month while rehabbing.

Down 33 points to the Colts at the half, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins thought teammate Patrick Peterson was joking when he announced: "All we need to do is score five touchdowns." Peterson was wrong. They also needed a 40-yard field goal in OT from kicker Greg Joseph to top the Colts, 39-36, and complete the largest comeback in NFL history.