Cheers to the freakin’ weekend

The GIST: Five players from Canada’s gold medal–winning 2018 World Juniors team are reportedly facing sexual assault charges and have been ordered to surrender to authorities in London, Ontario. Disgraceful.

The background: As covered in yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the pending charges stem from a June 2018 incident, when a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by several members of the World Juniors team after a gala celebrating their championship win.

• Police closed their initial investigation in 2019, but reopened it in 2022 after the woman filed a $3.5M lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body.

• The woman claimed the organization knew about her alleged assault, yet failed to act. Hockey Canada quickly settled with her out of court, but further reporting revealed that the org had three slush funds for sexual assault settlements, paying out $7.6M to nine survivors (not including the 2018 case) since 1989.

The latest: No official charges have been filed, but four current NHL players and one former NHLer (all members of the 2018 World Juniors team) have been given indefinite leaves of absence from their clubs in recent days. The NHL conducted its own investigation into the matter, but has not made its findings public.

• London Police (ON) will hold a press conference on February 5th to provide updates on this evolving story.

• In the meantime, the Halifax Regional Police reminded the public that their investigation into a separate sexual assault allegation against the 2003 World Juniors team is still ongoing. When will it end?

The GIST: After two weeks of shocking upsets and sheer domination Down Under, it’s time to crown the first Grand Slam champions of the year. No sleep till Melbourne.

Women’s singles: After taking down America’s favorite teen, No. 4 Coco Gauff, in straight sets in yesterday’s semifinal, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will look to defend her Aussie Open title against No. 12 Qinwen Zheng, a first-time Slam finalist, tomorrow at 3:30 a.m. ET.

• Sabalenka hasn’t dropped a single set en route to becoming the first woman to reach back-to-back Australian Open finals since Serena Williams did it eight years ago.

• But Zheng has hit more aces than any other woman this tourney, and her strong serve could disrupt Sabalenka’s flow. Pop that corn Brew that coffee and tune in.

Men’s singles: No. 1 Novak Djokovic will have to wait a bit longer to win a record-setting 25th Grand Slam after being upset by No. 4 Jannik Sinner in last night’s semifinal. The win marks Sinner’s third victory over the Joker since November and ensures this year’s men’s champ will be a first-time winner, with the 22-year-old facing No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s early morning final.

• As for Medvedev, he topped the controversial No. 6 Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller this morning, coming back from two sets down to book his third Aussie Open final appearance. Wow.

• Medvedev has never won Melbourne’s finest trophy, losing to Djokovic in 2021 and Rafael Nadal in 2022.

Looking for a career change? The GIST’s job board has your back. If you’ve ever dreamed of working in sports, this is the resource for you.

• The job board features roles in every area across the industry: Marketing? Check. Finance? Check. There’s truly something for everyone.

Slay your career by checking out our job board today. Happy applying!

⛳ LPGA: Drive On Championship — Ongoing through Sunday — Golf Channel

• Last week’s HGV Tournament of Champions winner Lydia Ko is off to a hot start after yesterday’s first round, sitting atop the leaderboard, tied with American Nelly Korda, while defending champ Brooke Henderson is tied for 42nd. Tune in to see who will drive away with a big slice of the $1.75M purse.

🏀 NBA: LA Clippers vs. Toronto Raptors — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet One

• No NBA All-Star starters from The Six? No problem — RJ Barrett will carry the Raps as they try to end their three-game skid in this matchup against their old friend Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.

🏒 PWHL: Ottawa vs. Montréal — Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET — CBC Gem

• Although Ottawa’s biggest fan couldn’t rally the team in a 3–2 Wednesday loss to Boston, they’re hoping to rule in this all-Canadian battle with top-of-the-standings Montréal from Place Bell.

🍁✈️ NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Winnipeg Jets — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — Sportsnet+

• Center Auston Matthews’ league-leading 39th goal of the season led the Leafs to a narrow 1–0 overtime win against the Jets on Wednesday, and they’ll look for a repeat performance when the puck drops in the ’Peg.

Four-time Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski is haunted by failure. Gronk missed FanDuel’s Kick of Destiny, a 25-yard field goal attempt during a live Super Bowl commercial break last year, which would have awarded bettors a share of $10M in prizing. How embarrassing.

Not one to go out on an L, Gronk is lacing up his cleats once again, this time looking for redemption in FanDuel’s Kick of Destiny 2 during Super Bowl LVIII.

• And this time, you can join the fun for free. Just download the FanDuel app and pick whether the five-time Pro Bowler will make or miss the kick.

With naysayers like John Cena doubting him and more than just glory on the line, Gronk has never been more motivated to sail that pigskin through the uprights.