Scatty.com

Author: scatty

5 Biggest Trades in NHL History

Posted on by scatty

Trades happen in the NHL all the time, especially these days as teams are more inclined to make moves shortly before the trade deadline every season and either play for a Stanley Cup or build for the future. However, a lot of these trades tend to be for role players that are only on the team for the rest of the season.

Then, there are trades where superstars are sent and received, changing the entire landscape of the NHL. Over the years, a handful of trades have really shaken things up and set multiple franchises on a different course of history. Here are the five biggest trades in the history of the NHL.

5. Joe For Jarome

After the Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary, the team improved almost instantly and were competitors by the second half of the 1980s. They also had a superstar come up through the ranks in the form of Joe Nieuwendyk, who in his first full season with Calgary scored 92 points in 75 games. In his second season, he was equally impressive and helped the Flames win the Stanley Cup in 1989.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars had just selected Jarome Iginla 11th overall in the 1995 NHL Draft and were in win-now mode with a solid roster. The Stars traded Iginla and Corey Millen in exchange for Nieuwendyk in the ultimate win-win trade. Nieuwendyk helped the Stars win the 1999 Stanley Cup while Iginla became the highest-scoring player in Flames history.

4. Senators Unload Karlsson

The Ottawa Senators were oh-so-close to reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017 but lost to the Penguins. The next year, the team struggled and it seemed their window may be closing, so the team offloaded much of their top talent. Mark Stone went to Las Vegas, Matt Duchene went to Columbus, and Erik Karlsson went to San Jose.

The defenseman was fresh off of a Norris Trophy win and was considered an all-time great at the position. To obtain Karlsson, the Sharks gave away four players and four draft picks, including three first-rounders. It will be many years before a true winner of the trade is fully decided due to the sheer volume of draft picks that have been part of the trade tree since it happened in 2018.

3. Colo-Roy-Do

The Colorado Avalanche had just been established in 1995 after moving from Quebec City, and the team wanted to win a Stanley Cup as quickly as possible. To do so, the team knew that it needed a goalie, and there was no better goalie than Patrick Roy. The timing couldn’t have been any better for Colorado as Montreal had just hired a coach who famously didn’t get along with Roy.

Roy wanted out of Montreal, and he was shipped alongside Mike Keane to the Avalanche in exchange for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky, and Jocelyn Thibault. Roy got the lost laugh on coach Mario Tremblay as he won the Stanley Cup in his first season while Tremblay lasted just two years as a head coach.

2. Lindros Comes to Philly

Needless to say, there’s a real doozy at the top spot for this to not be the biggest trade of all time. This is also another trade that involves Jocelyn Thibault and the Quebec Nordiques. In 1992, Eric Lindros was considered the best draft prospect since Wayne Gretzky and was selected first overall by the Nordiques during the draft. 

Every team wanted him, but not many had the trade capital to get him. The Nordiques did, and gave away Steve Duchesne, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, Kerry Huffman, Mark Ricci, $15 million in cash, and two first-round picks that would become Nolan Baumgartner and Jocelyn Thibault. Multiple Hall of Famers were involved in one trade, which is incredibly rare.

1. The King’s Ransom

Of course, when talking about NHL trades, you have to bring up the one that’s had multiple documentaries made on the subject. After coming up with the Edmonton Oilers when they entered the NHL, Gretzky was sent to the second-largest market in the nation, Los Angeles.

The Kings also got Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorely while giving away Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, a trio of first-round picks, and enough cash to keep the small-market Oilers running. So who won the trade? Many say that it was Mark Messier, who got a chance to become the star in Edmonton.

5 Most Surprising NHL Relocations

Posted on by scatty

When there’s an expansion franchise in a professional sports league, the people of that city fully embrace the team right away. Look at how Las Vegas and Seattle fans have come to love their new franchises. When teams move, though, there can be an awkward period for the new city as they may feel like they ‘stole’ a team. There have been several instances of that happening in the NHL, and these five moves were the most surprising NHL relocations.

5. Atlanta (Twice)

The city of Atlanta, Georgia has had two attempts at hosting an NHL franchise, and neither time did it end out working for the city. Originally, Atlanta was the home of the Flames, which made sense in terms of team names because if you’ve been to the ATL, you know why they call it Hotlanta, as well. The team would keep the name, but move to the much more frigid Calgary in 1980 after eight seasons of financial troubles.

Just under two decades after the Flames moved, Atlanta got a second chance when the NHL expanded back into the city, and the Atlanta Thrashers were born. The Thrashers lasted just 11 seasons in Atlanta before the team ran into financial peril and, just like the last team, moved to Canada. The Thrashers became the new Winnipeg Jets (more on that later).

4. Quebec to Colorado

One of the best uniforms in sports history belonged to the Quebec Nordiques, who began play in the WHL in 1972. After the league merged with the NHL, the Nordiques came along in the package to expand the NHL’s influence in Canada. The Nordiques were the only pro team in Quebec City throughout their run but were placed up for sale in the mid-1990s.

Nordiques fans could see the writing on the wall when the team was sold, with an investor group from Denver, Colorado making the acquisition. After 16 years in Quebec, the franchise moved to Denver, becoming the Colorado Avalanche. Of course, immediately after moving, the franchise won its first Stanley Cup because life is unfair.

3. Winnipeg to Arizona

When you think of hockey, you think of Canada first and foremost. Before the 1990s, the last thing that you’d probably think of is the desert. That was, of course, before the Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights came along. While the Knights were an expansion team, the Coyotes came about by taking an existing franchise.

The Winnipeg Jets had been part of the WHA-NHL merger and was founded in 1972. The team went through a sale as most franchises do, but the new owners wanted desperately to move to a larger city. With that, the Jets moved way down south, landing in Phoenix and becoming the Coyotes. Thankfully for Winnipeg, the Thrashers would move to their city 15 years later.

2. Hartford to Carolina

We’ve already mentioned teams that started in the WHA and have amazing logos, and the Hartford Whalers were one of those teams. The franchise known for playing in a shopping mall and having ‘Brass Bonanza’ blare over the speakers after every goal was a favorite of casual fans around the league. However, being in a small market meant that their days were numbered from the start.

The Whalers simply weren’t making enough money in Connecticut and upgrading their arena proved to be difficult. After 18 NHL seasons in Hartford, the Whalers moved down the Atlantic coast to Raleigh, North Carolina where they became the Carolina Hurricanes. Though the transition period was difficult, Carolina has fully embraced the team.

1. Minnesota to Dallas

If you had to come up with a list of the best American states for hockey, a lot of lists would have Minnesota at the very top. The state is synonymous with pond hockey and is essentially an extension of Canada. For more than a quarter-century, Minnesota was the home for the North Stars, but that would change in 1993.

The team flirted with the idea of moving to Anaheim, but Disney bumped ahead of them in line and the Ducks were formed. The backup plan to move to a larger market was to move the Stars to Dallas in one of the most head-scratching moves in terms of fan support.

5 Best Free Agent Signings by the Toronto Maple Leafs

Posted on by scatty

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had one of the longest and most storied histories throughout all of the NHL franchises. There have been many Hall of Fame players that have been on a Leafs roster, with a big chunk of them acquired either through the NHL Draft or by being brought in via trade. Every now and then, though, there are players that come in via free agency.

Teams try not to let their best players hit free agency, but when it happens, Toronto is one of the premier destinations in the league. While not every free agent signing by the Leafs has been a hit, there have been some home runs. Here are the five best free agent signings in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

5. Alexander Mogilny

Russian native Alexander Mogilny came into the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and ended up being one of the franchise’s greatest players, including a season in which he scored 76 goals and 127 points. The two-time All-Star then spent time with Vancouver and New Jersey before becoming a free agent in 2001.

Mogilny was 32 years old, but he certainly wasn’t out of his prime just yet. The Maple Leafs signed Mogilny in 2001 for four years and $22 million. Mogilny put up 166 points in 176 games, winning a Lady Byng Trophy in the process. Unfortunately, the Leafs didn’t get that fourth season from the contract due to the NHL lockout.

4. Ed Belfour

Goaltender Ed Belfour spent his 20s playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and was a three-time All-Star before heading to the San Jose Sharks for a handful of games and then the Dallas Stars. Balfour won a Stanley Cup with the Stars, then became a free agent at 37 years old after many thought he was over the hill.

After Curtis Joseph (more on him in a second) left the Maple Leafs, the team plugged the vacancy with Belfour hoping that he still had some good years left. On a two-year contract worth $13.5 million, Belfour didn’t disappoint and even stayed for a third year. Belfour put up a 93-61-15 record with a .912 save percentage, his best with any franchise.

3. Curtis Joseph

Getting back to Curtis Joseph, he had many fine years with the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers when he became a free agent following the 1997-98 season. The Maple Leafs went all-in on Joseph, signing him to a four-year deal worth $24 million. Joseph played the entirety of his contract, winning a Clancy Trophy, and was top-10 in the Vezina voting each year.

Joseph lived up to his contract, putting up a record of 133-89-27 and a save percentage of over .910. Joseph then left for the Detroit Red Wings and played briefly for Phoenix and Calgary before returning to Toronto in his final season, retiring at 41-years-old in 2009.

2. John Tavares

John Tavares was the first overall pick in 2009 by the New York Islanders and made his professional debut at just 19 years old and played with the team for nine seasons. Tavares scored 621 points in 669 games and became a free agent after the 2017-18 season. Most fans were furious after Tavares left the Islanders, and was quick to choose Toronto as he had been a childhood fan.

Tavares rejected all extension offers by New York and signed a seven-year deal worth $77 million with the Maple Leafs. In the first five seasons of his contract, Tavares continued to be a near-point-per-game scorer and made the Leafs into a contender.

1. Borje Salming

The late Borje Salming was one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history, and certainly one of the greatest Leafs players. No team drafted Salming while he was with Sweden, and it wasn’t until 1973 that he signed with Toronto after playing professionally in his home country for several years.

The original contract to bring him to Toronto was a bargain, too, with Salming signing for two years and $140,000. Salming played 16 of his 17 NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs, and the Hall of Famer was named to six All-Star Teams, scoring 768 points in 1,099 games. He would finish his career in the 1989-90 season playing as a free agent in Detroit.

5 Best Repackagings of WWE Wrestlers

Posted on by scatty

You could be the greatest wrestler in the world and oozing with charisma, but it won’t mean a thing in the WWE if you don’t have the right gimmick. We’ve seen wrestlers over the years that were loaded with skills and could work a microphone like no other, but were toiling away with a bad gimmick.

Thankfully, some of those legends were able to repackage themselves and became main event-tier wrestlers after the change. Let’s take a look throughout wrestling history and revisit some of the gimmicks that the biggest names in wrestling used to have before being repackaged.

Before we get into the list, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions: Scott Steiner becomes Big Poppa Pump, The Sultan becomes Rikishi, Hulk Hogan becomes Hollywood Hogan, Bradshaw becomes JBL, and Husky Harris becomes Bray Wyatt.

5. Triple H

When he first made it into pro wrestling, Paul Levesque went under the awful punny name of Terra Ryzing. Things didn’t get much better as the played the role of a Connecticut aristocrat during his time in WCW, which was tweaked slightly, and the ‘Greenwich Snob’ went by the very upper-crust name of Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

When teaming up with Shawn Michaels and joining D-Generation X, the name was just shortened to Triple H. Eventually, Triple H completely distanced himself from his old gimmick when announcers referred to him more as “The Game” and “The Cerebral Assasin” and it was a massive improvement.

4. Kane

Glenn Jacobs went through a lot of gimmicks early on in his wrestling career, and that includes playing an insane dentist named Isaac Yankem, DDS. Others included Angus King, the Christmas Creature, Doomsday, and the “Fake” Diesel. He was clearly talented, but none of his gimmicks were sticking. That was, however, until he was repackaged as the Devil’s favorite demon, Kane.

It turns out, fans were more enthralled with a man that was straight from the depths of hell rather than a dentist. Kane became one of the staples of the Attitude Era and was involved in the biggest storylines of the time as he proved to be a great main event heel for the likes of Stone Cold, Mankind, and The Rock.

3. Sting

Sting became one of the biggest stars of the WCW, looking like a character straight out of “American Gladiators” with a name to boot. The surfer gimmick for Sting was definitely a product of its time, and while it got it over with fans, it needed to be tweaked in the late 1990s. Thankfully, the film “The Crow” had become popular at the time, and Sting took on the same look.

Wrestler Scott Hall came up with the idea for Sting to change from the surfer gimmick to the brooding character in black and white face paint. The bold idea paid off big time and he became one of the faces of the WCW during its prime years.

2. The Rock

In terms of wrestlers that have gotten over in the mainstream just as much as they did in the wrestling ring, nobody holds a candle to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. He wasn’t always The Rock, though, as he started out his WWE career as Rocky Maivia and dressed in a way that certainly helped him to stand out, but not to get over.

Dropping the last name and completely overhauling his gimmick, Johnson became simply known as The Rock and joined the Nation of Domination stable. Going on his own as the people’s champ and eventually joining the Corporation stable, Johnson was able to showcase his charisma and was massively over.

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

It’s hard to picture, especially for young people, a Steve Austin that had long blonde hair. However, that’s exactly how Austin came into pro wrestling as a member of The Dangerous Alliance and The Hollywood Blonds while in WCW. After a brief stint in ECW, Austin headed to the WWE in 1995 as The Ringmaster, but quickly changed gimmicks to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Austin became a beer-swilling butt-kicking redneck character that appealed to the blue collar crowds. There was no bigger star during the Attitude Era than Stone Cold, and he showed that you can pull off a vest and bald head in the wrestling ring.

5 Famous People From Eastern New Mexico

Posted on by scatty

No matter where you look across the United States, there have been people from every part of the country that have achieved fame. Eastern New Mexico is no exception, as there have been several notable people in the world of music, movies, and sports. Here’s a look at five of the most famous people who were either born or raised in the region.

5. Paul Brinegar

During the golden era of western films in Hollywood, there were many actors that got a ton of work. Among them was Paul Brinegar, who became a staple of long-running shows that included “Lancer”, “Rawhide” and “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp”. Brinegar was born in Tucumcari on December 19, 1917 where his father was a farmer.

Throughout his childhood, Brinegar would move all around New Mexico before eventually ended up in Santa Fe where he attended high school. Brinegar would start acting at this time and made his way to Pasadena where he would begin his professional career. Throughout his career, Brinegar appeared in more than 100 productions with his television work being the most prominent.

4. Colt McCoy

Turning to the world of sports, there are few names that were as big in 2000s college football as Colt McCoy. McCoy was the oldest of three children born in his family, and he was born on September 5, 1986 in Hobbs, New Mexico. By the time that he reached high school, the McCoys would move to Tuscola, Texas where McCoy became a standout quarterback.

He chose to attend the University of Texas where he became the starting quarterback and won the Walter Camp Award in back-to-back years. After nearly winning a national championship with the Longhorns, McCoy was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2010. He remained there for three seasons, and spent much of his career as a backup for Washington.

3. Brian Urlacher

Colt McCoy isn’t the only famous football player from Eastern New Mexico. The best player in football history to come from the region is Brian Urlacher, who was actually born in Pasco, Washington on May 25, 1978. At a young age, Urlacher’s parents separated and he made his way down to Loving, New Mexico with his siblings.

Urlacher became a star football player in Lovington and helped the team win a state championship while playing several different positions. Urlacher stayed in-state for college and attended the University of New Mexico where he became an All-American. Urlacher was then selected ninth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played his entire NFL career with Chicago and became a five-time All-Pro and was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

2. John Denver

John Denver may be synonymous with West Virginia and Colorado thanks to songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Rocky Mountain High” (as well as his name), he Denver actually hails from New Mexico. Due to his father being in the U.S. Army Air Forces, the Deutschendorf (his real last name) family settled in Roswell during Denver’s childhood.

Denver wouldn’t remain in New Mexico for very long, however. His father’s military career took him to several bases around the United States prior to starting his music career. He would end up graduating high school in Texas then made his way to California to begin singing. Sadly, Denver would die in a plane crash while on his way to Santa Fe in 1989.

1. Demi Moore

John Denver may have been massively popular, but there’s someone even more famous from Roswell. Demi Moore was born as Demi Guynes in the city on November 11, 1962, and like Denver, had a father that was a member of the Air Force. Also like Denver, Moore had to move several times throughout her childhood. After leaving New Mexico, Moore would settle in Pennsylvania prior to her acting career.

Moore began her modeling career as a teenager and started to land acting roles in the early 1980s that included “General Hospital” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”. The early 1990s proved to be kind to Moore thanks to her starring roles in films including “Ghost” and “A Few Good Men”, becoming one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

5 Things You Need to Do While Studying

Posted on by scatty

Studying is one of those things that nobody likes but is an absolute necessity due to needing to know the test you’re about to take. Whether you’re in grade school or getting ready to pass the bar exam, studying is one of those necessary evils of the academic world. Not only will it help you pass a test, but, it will fill you with the knowledge that you can use for the rest of your life.

That doesn’t mean that studying is easy, though, even if it is rewarding. The next time that you need to hunker down and study, there are some things that you should be doing in the meantime. Here are five tips showing you what you need to do when studying.

Tip 1: Take care of yourself 

First and foremost, taking care of your mental and physical health and well-being is the most important thing to take into account when studying. More often than not, if you’re not keeping your health a priority, your ability to study will diminish drastically. 

Keeping yourself hydrated, and well-fed, having a healthy sleep schedule, and making sure your social and emotional needs are met as well, will ensure an easier time studying without distraction. 

Tip 2: Create healthy study blocks

It’s easy to make the mistake of waiting until the very last minute to cram in all the studying you possibly can. In reality, it will leave you with little time to process all the information needed to pass exams. Not to mention the immense pressure and stress you’ll feel knowing you have to pile on a ton of topics all at once right before the exams you’re studying for. 

Creating healthy study blocks will help eliminate that stress. Find blocks of time throughout your days and week that will allow you to properly study ahead of time, without pushing you past your limits. 

Tip 3: Free yourself from distractions 

Studying in complete silence isn’t required unless that’s what works for you. Although freeing your study environment from all distracting noises, people, and tempting technology and activities will keep you focused on working toward your study goals. 

If you’re studying in a public area, be aware of the surrounding distractions to help you decide if it’s the right environment to focus on your studies. If you’re at home, be sure to make your housemates aware of your study blocks, reducing any in home distractions. If your phone, music, or television becomes a distraction, turn them off and put away any devices that are tempting to use. 

Tip 4: Find forms of studying that benefit you 

Everyone absorbs information in differing ways. There are many styles of learning you can use during the study blocks that will help you process what you’re studying with more ease. Spending your time confused about the subject matter won’t help you succeed, so find your learning style(s) and use them to your advantage. 

If you’re a visual learner, try drawing out diagrams and notes. If you’re more of a vocal learner, try finding someone to help read notes out loud to you, or read things out to yourself. Some people benefit from the use of fidget devices when studying, so you can try that too 

Tip 5: Give yourself background noise 

Like most students, focusing solely on studying with no background noise whatsoever can quickly become mind-numbing and detrimental to your study process. There’s a fine line between comforting background noises and distractions. Figure out what works for you and apply it to your study blocks. 

You can always switch it up if needed or if things get too distracting. Find the right music to listen to that won’t keep you from your studies. Lofi beats are usually the easiest listening for studying and can be found all over YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. 

5 Favorite Comic Book Heroes For Young Girls

Posted on by scatty

When people think of comic book heroes, they tend to think of male heroes like Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman. It’s a pretty male-dominated form of entertainment, but in more recent years, we’ve seen a surge of strong female characters that have made their way to the forefront of the comic book world. This is great news for young girls that want to get into comic books as they’re now represented more than ever on the pages.

While some female superheroes have been around for decades, there are others that have come in more recently to help stir things up. If you have a young girl in your family that’s into comic books and want to give her some female characters to look up to, try one of these five favorites for readers.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is often the first crime-fighting heroine that young girls look up to. Wonder Woman’s iconic look, strength, and thirst for justice gives young girls an idol they can be proud of. Psychologist and writer William Marston created the magnificent superhero with inspiration from his wife and their shared partner. 

Wonder Woman made her first appearance in 1941 and since then has starred in her own television series, played by Lynda Carter, and the more recent Wonder Woman films where she’s portrayed by Gal Gadot. 

Supergirl

Supergirl, also known as Kara Zor-El, is best known as the magnificently powerful, nearly indestructible, flying, and costumed heroine that is closely related to the infamous Superman. She was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, making her 1959 debut in Action Comics. 

Her powers are similar to those of Superman, ranging from super speed, immunity to all diseases, X-ray vision, freeze-breath, and many other superhuman abilities. Supergirl is the perfect specimen, despite her weakness to kryptonite like her superhero cousin. She’s a mentally and physically strong, yet responsible, a female idol for young girls everywhere to look up to. 

Batgirl

Batgirl originally started out as a character named Betty Kane, but in 1967 Gardner Fox reinvented Batgirl. She was given the name Barbara Gordon, written into the storyline as Gotham City’s police commissioner James Gordon. Batgirl is the female counterpart to the popular DC comic legend, Batman. 

Like Batman, Batgirl also lacks any superhuman powers but gets by with ease using her intelligence, cunning, and creativity to invent helpful tools to apprehend, or aid in Batman apprehending, Gotham’s slew of criminals. Batgirl’s smarts, inventive nature, and bravery make her a superhero idol for young girls everywhere. 

Spider-Gwen

Within the Marvel multiverse is the Spiderverse, alternate dimensions full of a variety of storylines for our favorite Marvel characters. In one of them, Earth-65, Gwen Stacy finds herself possessing similar spider-like superpowers, making her one of the few female counterparts to the classic Spiderman. 

They possess many of the same powers and find themselves infatuated with one another in this alternate universe. Spider Gwen, sometimes referred to as Spider-Woman, or Ghost Spider is a welcome female character that shows you don’t always need to be saved. She shows girls they can do the saving themselves and gives girls a long awaited female spiderman counterpart to admire. 

Captain Marvel  

Carol Danvers, most commonly known as Captain Marvel, is the ultimate female superhero. Though she’s known as Captain Marvel, she was first created as the male Captain Marvel’s female counterpart, originally named Ms. Marvel. Captain Marvel is one of the most recently relevant superhero idols young girls have the opportunity to adore. 

The Captain Marvel films, along with the Avengers films, showcase the bravery our tough heroine has in tense situations where the world depends on her actions. Her power and sense of responsibility, combined with her grace, make her a well-rounded role model for impressionable minds. 

5 Must-Read Comic Book Issues for Spider-Man Fans

Posted on by scatty

There are certain comic book superheroes that are universally beloved, and toward the top of the list, you’ll find Spider-Man. Not only is the wallcrawler one of the greatest classic comic heroes, but his movies have always been box office gold, showing how broad his appeal has been over the decades.

When you focus on just the comic books, though, there are certain issues that have really stood out as the best in the Spider-Man series. If you’ve been a fan of Spider-Man and all of his films over the years, there are some issues that you have to read. Here are our picks for five Spider-Man comic issues that are required reading for all fans.

5. To Have and To Hold

Anyone that’s in a relationship knows how important it can be to put everything in perspective and look back on what makes everything work. This happens beautifully for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in the 2007 issues of The Sensational Spider-Man titled “To Have and To Hold”.

After the events of “Civil War”, Spider-Man’s identity was revealed to the public and Mary Jane was being questioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. For readers, it was the perfect way to showcase the relationship between the two characters and why they meant so much to each other, and all of us.

4. Spider-Man: Blue

In another retrospective into Spider-Man’s love life, “Spider-Man: Blue” debuted in 2002 and shows how much the web slinger misses his lost love Gwen Stacy (more on that later). Recalling her death, Parker is depressed and scarred, still missing her long afterward. However, at this point, Parker has been married to Mary Jane Watson.

Spider-Man is recording an audio tape for Gwen to tell her how much he misses her, and Mary Jane takes notice. Instead of resulting in an argument, Mary Jane joins in the mourning in a very touching and poignant ending.

3. If This Be My Destiny

There have been some instances where Spider-Man has “leveled up” in a sense as he’s grown because of an obstacle in his way. The Amazing Spider-Man #33 was the culmination of Spider-Man’s needing to ascend to the next level of power to survive and allowed for one of the most iconic panels in comic book history.

Trapped under a pile of heavy machinery, Spider-Man thinks about his family when all things seemed lost. With his head spinning and the weight of the world literally on his shoulders, Spider-Man is able to lift an unfathomable amount and it moved Spidey up the power scale for superheroes. 

2. Spider-Man No More

For Spider-Man film fans, many consider the top movie featuring the character to be “Spider-Man 2” from the Tobey Maguire/Sam Raimi trilogy. In the film, Peter Parker throws his Spider-Man suit into the garbage and says that he’s “Spider-Man no more!” This is a callback to volume one of the Amazing Spider-Man series (#50).

Even the camera angle used in the film was taken directly from the famous comic book panel. There’s one big difference between this issue and the film, though, and it’s that Kingpin is the main villain in the comic books rather than Doctor Octopus.

1. The Night Gwen Stacy Died

This one might be cheating since it’s technically a two-parter, but “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” (a.k.a. “The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122) is the one that Spidey fans always come back to. Originally released in the summer of 1973, the story follows Spider-Man after his identity is discovered by the Green Goblin. Using this information, he goes after Peter Parker’s loved ones, namely his girlfriend Gwen Stacy.

This was a pivotal moment for not just Spider-Man, but for comic books in general. It showed higher stakes than had been seen before and was the start of the Bronze Age of comics. Those that are more familiar with Mary Jane Watson thanks to the Spider-Man films have this issue to thank as she became a more prominent character following Stacy’s death. It also set a new standard of evil for the Green Goblin.

5 Biggest Point Spreads in NFL History

Posted on by scatty

When it comes to betting on point spreads in the NFL, a lot of people tend to only bet the favorites when the numbers are closer to 0. Very rarely do people place big money on teams that are favored to win by three or more touchdowns, and for good reason. 

Those types of spreads are insanely hard to cover, but they do still pop up from time to time. Throughout NFL history, here are the five largest point spreads that looked more like ones you’d see in college games.

5. Dallas Cowboys (-23 vs. Tampa Bay)

Things were incredibly difficult for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their first couple of seasons in the NFL, and they were still searching for the franchise’s first win in Week 3 of the 1977 NFL season. However, they ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Dallas Cowboys, who came into the matchup as a 23-point favorite.

The game got out of hand rather quickly as the Cowboys jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. The Bucs tried to battle back in the second to make it a 20-7 game at halftime, but the Cowboys controlled the ball and showed mercy, winning by a final of 23-7 to improve to 3-0 on the season.

4. San Francisco 49ers (-24, Twice)

The San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and 1990s were obviously incredible, and they were often heavy favorites for their games, especially against weak opponents. There were two occasions in which they were 24-point favorites, with the first coming in 1987 against the Atlanta Falcons, and the other in 1993 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 49ers would actually cover in the first of those two games, defeating the Falcons 35-7 in Candlestick Park. As for their game against the Bengals, the 49ers would win comfortably at 21-8 (despite trailing at halftime), but came nowhere close to covering the massive point spread. Coming into those games, the Bengals and Falcons had a combined record of 4-20.

3. New England Patriots (-25 vs. Philadelphia)

The 2007 New England Patriots are considered to be among the best teams of all time and were on their way to a perfect regular season when they were hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12. The Patriots were 10-0 at the time while the Eagles were still a respectable 5-5, but the oddsmakers figured it was going to be a blowout and made the Patriots a 25-point favorite.

The Eagles gave the Patriots everything they could handle, though. At halftime, the Patriots led 24-21, but lost the lead and went into the fourth quarter trailing 28-24. With 7:20 left, the Patriots scored a four-yard touchdown from Laurence Maroney and never lost the lead, winning 31-28 but coming nowhere close to covering the spread.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (-27 vs. Tampa Bay)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played their first NFL season in 1976 and, well, they didn’t perform quite the way that they wanted to, to put it nicely. The team was 0-12 heading into Pittsburgh to play a Steelers team destined for the playoffs. Oddsmakers gave the Steelers a 27-point advantage coming into the ballgame as nobody knew if the Bucs would even be able to score on the Steel Curtain.

Unlike the Cowboys from the year before, the Steelers didn’t show much mercy toward the 0-12 Buccaneers. Pittsburgh scored four touchdowns in the second half, and it wasn’t until they took a 42-0 lead into the fourth that they would slow down. That would end up being the final score, with the Steelers easily covering the massive spread.

1. Denver Broncos (-28 vs. Jacksonville)

The largest line in NFL history opened up at 28 points when the 5-0 Denver Broncos hosted the 0-5 Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 of the 2013 NFL season. The Broncos were riding high and Peyton Manning was having one of the greatest quarterback seasons in NFL history while the Jaguars were going nowhere fast. 

In the first quarter, it appeared as if the Broncos were going to cover, hopping out to a 14-0 lead. However, the Jaguars scored all 12 points in the second quarter to dash the hopes of anyone that bet on Denver. The Broncos would end up outscoring the Jags 21-7 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to cover as they walked away with a 35-19 win.

5 Biggest Point Spreads in Super Bowl History

Posted on by scatty

The Super Bowl is supposed to be the annual contest where the two greatest teams in the NFL that season square off. However, not all Super Bowl teams are built the same. Some tend to sneak in through weak conferences and pure luck, getting pitted against a juggernaut team that’s expected to pound them.

This has led to some very large point spreads throughout Super Bowl history, but not all of them have gone the way of the favorite. You’ll find that the underdog actually wins straight up when point spreads get high enough. Let’s take a look at the five biggest point spreads in NFL history and see how the underdogs and favorites fared in those games.

5. Three Super Bowls (-12)

While there have been many double-digit point spreads in Super Bowl history, it had to have been at least 12 points to make this list. There were three Super Bowls that did just that, starting with the Minnesota Vikings as the 12-point favorite against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. The next came 20 years later with the San Francisco 49ers favored over the Denver Broncos.

Finally, the New England Patriots were a 12-point favorite to cap off their perfect season in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants. The Patriots and Vikings would lose straight-up, including the Chiefs handily beating Minnesota. As for the 49ers, they easily covered against Denver, winning 55-10 in a route.

4. Two Super Bowls (-13.5)

The second-ever Super Bowl featured a massive point spread with the Green Bay Packers favored to win by 13.5 over the Raiders. Despite the gigantic odds, the Packers would still cover quite easily, defeating the Raiders 33-14 to win each of the first two Super Bowls in convincing fashion.

The only other time a Super Bowl spread was 13.5 points was when the Dallas Cowboys were favored against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 30th edition of the Super Bowl. The game was tight throughout, and the Cowboys pulled off a double-digit win, but it was only 10 points on the dot. So in the end, the Steelers would cover.

3. Three Super Bowls (-14)

We mentioned the first Super Bowl a moment ago, and it included a massive 14-point spread in favor of the Green Bay Packers. They took on the Kansas City Chiefs to determine the first Super Bowl winner, with the Packers easily covering their high expectations with a 35-10 victory. Exactly 30 years later, the Packers were favored by 14 again, this time against the New England Patriots.

The game ended up being a push as the Packers won by 14 points on the dot, 35-21, for their third Super Bowl title. The final 14-point spread was one of the biggest upsets in NFL history as a then-unknown Tom Brady knocked off the St. Louis Rams led by Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XXXVI, 20-17, starting the New England Patriots dynasty.

2. Super Bowl III (-18)

The first game that was officially called the Super Bowl as it was happening was the third matchup, this time between the NFL champion Baltimore Colts and the AFL-champion New York Jets. Led by Joe Namath, the Jets weren’t given a chance by any expert, though Namath would go on to guarantee that his Jets would win the game.

The Jets’ defense held the Colts down, allowing them to score just seven points throughout the entire game. The Jets not only covered the spread, but pulled off a nine-point victory, defeating Baltimore 16-7. To this day, many consider it the greatest upset in NFL history and ushered in a new era of pro football

1. Super Bowl XXIX  (-18.5)

Typically, massive point spreads have led to big upsets, but that wasn’t the case at Super Bowl XXIX. Everyone knew that it was the 49ers’ championship to lose as Steve Young was in search of his big moment. The 49ers walked into the game as 18.5-point favorites over the San Diego Chargers, and the offense more than did its part.

The 49ers walked away with a 49-26 win, meaning that they were able to cover the largest spread in Super Bowl history while also nearly hitting the points total of 53.5 all by themselves. For Young, it was his Hall of Fame moment that got the proverbial monkey off of his back.