The GIST: The all-Canadian North Division has proven to be just as exciting as we’d hoped (hey commish, can we keep it forever?), and thanks to a hyped-up weekend trade, even the off-ice antics are interesting.

The GIST: Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna (Gigi) Bryant and seven others.

This week in sports.

The GIST: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs — along with 22,000 fans — are going to the Super Bowl.

The GIST: After 17 seasons in the NFL, Indianapolis Colts quarterback (QB) Philip Rivers is retiring. Twenty-year vet and New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees isn’t far off. Meanwhile, two of their old-timey contemporaries are just days away from the NFC Championship game. Guess you really are only as old as you feel.

This week in sports.

The GIST: After the unexpected success (aka a first-round playoff appearance) of last season’s strong rebuilding year, the Toronto Blue Jays are going for it this season...starting with spending $150 million.

The GIST: The NHL is back, the Toronto Maple Leafs are leading the all-Canadian North Division and the Ottawa Senators are not in last place. Let all that sink in before we preview tonight’s games.

The GIST: Australia takes COVID-19 precautions very seriously, and 72 tennis players stuck in quarantine are experiencing that for themselves.

The GIST: And then there were four. Following the NFL’s Divisional Playoff round this weekend, four teams are moving on to next weekend’s Conference Championships, bringing them just one win away from playing in the Super Bowl.

The GIST: Is there anything better than football in January? Now that we’ve finished celebrating Alabama’s College Football Playoff National Championship, it’s time to look ahead to the weekend’s Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.

The GIST: More sensational than an episode of Sunrise Bay, the NBA is all kinds of drama these days.