1. Apparently, there are people in the Lightning organization who think there\u2019s nothing more fun than a \u201ccontest\u201d that had money on the line for cancer research. How on Earth this segment got thought of and then approved, I\u2019ll never understand.<\/p>\n
It happened on Sunday during an intermission of the Stadium Series game between the Bruins and Lightning<\/a> at the home of the Buccaneers. Former Bucs defensive star Ronde Barber brought cancer survivor Rob Higgins onto the ice. Barber told Higgins that the Lightning were donating $100,000 to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n Great. Wonderful. Generous.<\/p>\n The segment should\u2019ve stopped there.<\/p>\n Instead, P.K. Subban came out to tell Higgins that if he made some stupid shot into a teeny tiny hole in the net, the organization would donate $500,000 instead of $100,000.<\/p>\n Whether Higgins made or missed the shot, that is a ridiculous stipulation to put on Higgins, who ended up missing the shot. A shot, mind you, that most NHL players would miss.<\/p>\n But the Lightning wanted to double down on the cruel promotion. So, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield then came out, with Rob\u2019s dad, who also is a cancer survivor, and told Higgins that he\u2019d get another attempt and that if made this shot, the team would donate $1 million to the Moffitt Cancer Center. Rob missed again.<\/p>\n The Lightning then tried to gaslight everyone into thinking they were heroes and gave Higgins $200,000 instead of $100,000.<\/p>\n What a moment as cancer survivor Rob Higgins is presented with a $200,000 donation courtesy of the Lightning Foundation and the NHL! \ud83d\udc4f #StadiumSeries<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8: @espn<\/a> \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/m0LyTCHYnH<\/a> \u2014 NHL (@NHL) February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Let me see if I have this straight. The Lightning were willing to donate $1 million for cancer research if Higgins made some gimmick hockey shot. He didn\u2019t, so then only $200,000 was donated.<\/p>\n So, the Lightning made Higgins, a cancer survivor, feel like crap twice and then held back $800,000 that they had earmarked for cancer research.<\/p>\n Gross on so many levels.<\/p>\n 2. The biggest piece of news for the NFL fan that came out of Roger Goodell\u2019s Monday press conference at the Super Bowl was that an 18-game schedule isn\u2019t as close to happening as we might have thought.<\/p>\n NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on a potential 18-game regular season: <\/p>\n “It is not a given that we’ll do that… It is something that we want to talk about with the union leadership.” pic.twitter.com\/pd8dRQy0LD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 3. I always love it when dopes on social media tell me nobody watches ESPN anymore or ESPN is dead or ESPN is irrelevant. <\/p>\n The latest Disney quarterly earnings show that ESPN\u2019s value is now $30 billion.<\/p>\n New info: ESPN is a $30 billion company, with Disney valuing the NFL’s deal for 10% equity at $3B. Disney can also buy back the stake beginning in 2034 (or the league can buy more). https:\/\/t.co\/TETriWZevb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 4. I would love to know how Patriots fans feel about Tom Brady telling Jim Gray on SiriusXM<\/a>, \u201cI have no dog in the fight in this one\u201d regarding the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n Brady added, \u201cMay the best team win.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. Monday Night Raw was in Philadelphia last night, so the hometown crowd wasn\u2019t going to miss their opportunity to taunt 42-year-old Nikki Bella about possibly dating 22-year-old Eagles defensive back, Cooper DeJean. And she handled it masterfully.<\/p>\n Brie Bella: “I actually think they’re saying Coop”<\/p>\n Nikki Bella: “Can you blame a girl for having good taste?” pic.twitter.com\/2L6SOsF3kl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nick Piccone (@_piccone) February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 6. This week\u2019s\u00a0SI Media With Jimmy Traina\u00a0features a conversation with\u00a0The Ringer\u2019s\u00a0Bryan Curtis about all the latest sports media news.<\/p>\n Topics discussed include: Mike Tirico calling his first Super Bowl for NBC, ratings for the AFC and NFC championship games, Tony Romo backlash, Tom Brady\u2019s improvement as an analyst, the problem with NFL rules analysts, college football\u2019s strong ratings despite being a mess off the field, ESPN\u2019s promotion for next year\u2019s Super Bowl, the state of podcasts, The\u00a0Washington Post\u00a0reportedly shutting down its sports section, Radio Row and more.<\/p>\n Following Curtis, SNY’s Sal Licata joins me for our weekly \u201cTraina Thoughts\u201d segment. This week, we talked about the fallout from the massive snow storm that hit our areas,\u00a0whether NFL playoff games should be played at a neutral site<\/a>, blunders by Sean Payton and Sean McVay, Bill Belichick getting snubbed by the Hall of Fame, the Super Bowl and show recommendations.<\/p>\n You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina<\/a> on YouTube.<\/p>\n 7. If you\u2019re a fan of the Olympics, make sure you check out Sports Illustrated\u2019s Daily Rings podcast<\/a> hosted by Mitch Goldich and Dan Gartland. Full episodes will be available every day for the next three weeks wherever you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n .@mitchgoldich<\/a> and @Dan_Gartland<\/a> are back for the Milan Cortina Olympics! Daily episodes with coverage of all 16 sports will begin on Monday, Feb. 2.<\/p>\n Listen\/subscribe to ‘Daily Rings’ on: \u2014 Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 8. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I really need to know the comedian that Will Arnett is talking about in this clip.<\/p>\n Be sure to\u00a0catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts<\/a>\u00a0and check out the\u00a0Sports Illustrated Media Podcast\u00a0hosted by Jimmy Traina on\u00a0Apple<\/a>,\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Google<\/a>. You can also follow Jimmy on\u00a0X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6: @Sportsnet<\/a> & @TVASports<\/a> \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/4KjbdjVctF<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/I5kutjH4Ql<\/a><\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfa7 Apple: https:\/\/t.co\/WOXu1Mg5Ll<\/a>
\ud83c\udfa7 Spotify: https:\/\/t.co\/zsM1uji5G7<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ODJq48I21O<\/a><\/p>\n