Author: Zach Bigalke

From 1958 to 1992, the National Hockey League enjoyed three-plus decades of labor peace. But the fraternity between the owners and players was merely a facade—a concord based on collusion—and the exploitative relationship between the NHL and the Players’ Association’s first director smoldered for 30 years before the peace was revealed to be a carefully manipulated mirage. As the NHL prepares its return to the ice after 113 days of the most recent chapter in the league’s contentious history of labor relations, the underlying issues that led to the fourth labor stoppage in two decades still linger.

Two days after passing Darrell May for the Winterhawks team record in victories, Mac Carruth was back in net as Portland engineered a come-from-behind 5-2 win over the Spokane Chiefs on Friday at the Rose Garden. Carruth—who has allowed just 1.7 goals per game this season in building a 20-2 record—now has 107 victories over his career in Portland.

The Portland Winterhawks welcomed 2013 with a hard-fought victory at the Rose Garden, as the Western Hockey League leaders rallied to defeat Everett in an offensive showdown on Saturday. Five days after goaltender Mac Carruth wrapped up 2012 with a 5-0 shutout against Seattle on New Year’s Eve—tying the team record with his 105th career victory—the Winterhawks went with Brendan Burke in goal and survived a shaky outing from the backup netminder to extend their winning streak to 10 games.

The Portland State men’s basketball team continues to struggle away from the Stott Center this year. Road losses over the past week against the University of Portland and Oklahoma State University dropped the Vikings to 1-3 early in the 2012–13 season.

When David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January 2007, Major League Soccer had been languishing, an afterthought among North America’s professional sports leagues. Six years later, as the league wraps up its 17th season and Beckham prepares for his final MLS game, the league is healthier financially than at any point in its history. The English superstar’s effect on the growth of soccer in the United States, which has been a topic of much debate since he arrived, will now begin anew with the impending retirement of one of the most recognizable names in the sport.

In the span of an hour on Saturday, the Bowl Championship Series race was turned on its head as number-one Kansas State University and number-two University of Oregon both suffered their first defeats of the season.

Back at Jeld-Wen Field for the season finale against Eastern Washington University, it looked like the 26 seniors suiting up for their final game at Portland State might go out on a high note against their longtime rival. As the rain fell in Portland, the Vikings surged to a double-digit lead in the first half and then again in the second. But with a share of the Big Sky title on the line, Eastern Washington rebounded both times and snatched the victory in the final two minutes to win the Dam Cup.

This time of year is a hectic one for sports spectators in the United States. Baseball just concluded its Fall Classic, the denouement of a long summer spent at ballparks across the country. Football, both professional and collegiate, enters the heart of the season as teams vie for position in the standings and the polls.