theScore is counting down the 100 best fictional characters in sports movie history, with a new post every weekday until July 3.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51
50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

100. Peter LaFleur

"DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story" (2004)

Vince Vaughn's fast-talking everyman LaFleur shines as the only clear-minded inhabitant of the chaotic world of semi-professional dodgeball, and the foil to the over-the-top fitness guru White Goodman (Ben Stiller), leader of the rival Globo Gym Purple Cobras.

99. Robert Hatch

"Escape to Victory" (1981)

Though far from his signature sports role, Sylvester Stallone is every bit the underdog hero as Hatch, a World War II prisoner of war who uses a soccer match versus his German captors as cover to orchestrate an escape for his fellow Allied soldiers.

98. Jack Elliot

"Mr. Baseball" (1992)

Elliot (Tom Selleck) is a brash and arrogant veteran ballplayer whose world is turned upside down when the New York Yankees ship him off to Japan. The slugger is forced to contend with the high expectations of being dubbed "Mr. Baseball," while also overcoming cultural differences and a pitch he can't hit called the shuuto.

97. Walter Sobchak

'The Big Lebowski' (1998)

John Goodman's paranoid Vietnam War vet Walter highlights a film featuring many zany characters. The Dude's foul-tempered bowling buddy is quick to fly off the handle if an opponent dares to violate the rules of the lanes.

"Smokey, my friend, you're entering a world of pain. If you mark that frame an eight, you're entering a world of pain," Walter says while brandishing his sidearm.

96. Phil Brickma

"Rookie of the Year" (1993)

Brickma (Daniel Stern), the wacky Chicago Cubs pitching coach in "Rookie of the Year," is supposed to mentor flame-throwing Little Leaguer Henry Rowengartner. Instead, he amuses the audience with his nonsensical advice and hilarious blunders, like getting himself trapped between two hotel-room doors.

95. Julie 'The Cat' Gaffney

"D2: The Mighty Ducks" (1994) and "D3: The Mighty Ducks" (1996)

Joining the series for the second and third films, fierce and confident goalie Julie (Columbe Jacobsen-Derstine) is a welcome addition to the Ducks. "The Cat" comes up clutch for Team USA, stonewalling Iceland's top player during a shootout to cap the team's tournament win at the Junior Goodwill Games.

94. Cole Trickle

"Days of Thunder" (1990)

On paper, Tom Cruise and NASCAR is the perfect marriage of actor and subject - a fearless, physical performer, and a sport in which fearing anything could lead to a tragic end. Trickle is right out of the Cruise playbook, as he's basically Maverick from "Top Gun," but on a blacktop. Even 30 years later, the race sequences never fail to get the blood pumping.

93. Tong Po

"Kickboxer" (1989) and "Kickboxer 2: The Road Back" (1991)

Michel Qissi stars as Tong Po opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in this 1989 sports action-revenge flick pitting the two combatants against each other after the villainous Muay Thai fighter paralyzes Van Damme's brother during a match. Qissi returned to play Po in the sequel, which didn't include Van Damme.

92. Henry Rowengartner

"Rookie of the Year" (1993)

After an accident gives him incredible pitching talent, Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas), a previously unskilled Little Leaguer, helps transform the middling Cubs into a major-league powerhouse, all while trying to balance the challenges of living the big-league life with being a teenager.

91. Lola Bunny

"Space Jam" (1996)

Like many other female characters in the "Looney Tunes" franchise, Lola Bunny (voiced by Kath Soucie) didn't get the central role that she deserved. The filmmakers did subvert some of that historical baggage with a recurring "don't call me doll" bit, but Lola could - and should - have been much more than Bugs' love interest; something that "Space Jam: A New Legacy" will hopefully correct. Despite the filmmakers' faults, Lola is an instantly recognizable character from the canon, and her on-court skills - as evidenced above - are easily the best of any non-Michael Jordan figure in the movie.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur isn't ready to become the club's general manager if the opportunity arises in the near future.

"I know what it takes to be a GM," Brodeur said Thursday, according to The Hockey News' Matt Larkin. "I've been around Doug Armstrong (with the St. Louis Blues) for a long time and Lou Lamoriello (with the Devils).

"I'm just not ready for the commitment, regardless of whether it would be offered to me."

The Hall of Fame netminder spent three years as assistant general manager with the St. Louis Blues after ending his playing career in 2015. In August 2018, he joined the Devils and took on a business-development position before moving to a hockey operations role in January 2020 following the firing of former general manager Ray Shero.

New Jersey replaced Shero with Tom Fitzgerald, who said earlier in June that nothing has changed regarding his interim status. Though Brodeur isn't immediately interested in the position, the 48-year-old didn't rule it out down the road.

"I’m not saying that one day, I won’t say, 'You know what? This is the time for me to do it, maybe,'" Brodeur said. "But right now, I value my time off too much to get myself involved. Not that I’m not involved, as in my role I need to be pretty much present, but I’m able to kind of make my own schedule and not rely on the general manager setup."

Brodeur logged 1,259 games with the Devils before playing his final seven contests with the Blues in 2014-15. He holds NHL records for wins (691) and shutouts (125), and Brodeur captured three Stanley Cups with New Jersey (1995, 2000, and 2003). The Quebec native was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nico Hischier is making the most out of his free time during an offseason that's been extended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The New Jersey Devils forward has been fulfilling his military obligation in his native Switzerland, according to NHL.com's David Satriano. Service is mandatory for all able-bodied male Swiss citizens once they turn 18 years old.

"This summer is 18 weeks, and then every summer for the next six-to-seven years I have to be there for three weeks - but just from Monday to Thursday - you have to be at that training center," Hischier said on Saturday. "If you (play in) the World Championships tournament for Switzerland, that counts as well (for up to three weeks)."

The 21-year-old notes the routine is different for athletes who serve in the army, and that it's mostly just training with no access to weapons. He hasn't been given his rank yet, but he'll become a sports soldier upon his completion of service this summer.

"We didn't do that much army stuff yet," Hischier added. "It's more of wearing the right clothes when we go to the training center. They have everything there so you are really able to work out good and do your military service as well. One reason I did it was because I needed to stay in shape, because I didn't know where to go since gyms weren't open and I couldn't just work out at home."

"Because of the coronavirus, for the first four weeks we were at home, and did a home-schooling kind of thing," he continued. "We had exercises on the computer we had to basically learn. After that, we went to a training center where the army for athletes is. We started with some 45-minute meetings where we learn (first aid). We were there from Monday to Friday and we work out twice a day."

Hischier is on track to complete his initial service in mid-August.

The 2017 first overall pick scored 14 goals and added 22 assists in 58 games this season. He inked a seven-year, $50.75-million contract in October, which kicks in next season.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL shortened its list of 10 potential hub cities to six with Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Vegas still in the running, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

LeBrun adds that the "hope and expectation" is for the NHL and NHLPA to agree on two hub cities by the end of this upcoming week.

Vancouver has picked up steam to be selected as one of the two destinations, according to Sportsnet's Satiar Shah.

On Friday, the Canadian government approved the NHL's proposal to use a cohort quarantine approach for players entering Canada. Though players will not be permitted to completely avoid the mandated 14-day quarantine upon entering the country, they can immediately begin training at team facilities while keeping away from the public.

The league confirmed that 11 players tested positive for the coronavirus since Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan commenced June 8. Despite the recent wave of positive tests, the league reportedly isn't considering pushing back its July 10 start date for training camps.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite a recent influx of positive COVID-19 cases among players and staff across the league, the NHL is not considering pushing back the tentative July 10 start date for training camps, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo and James Mirtle.

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Lightning shut down their training facilities amid Phase 2 of the league's return-to-play plan after three players and two staff members tested positive.

Not long after, the NHL announced 11 players out of 200 administered tests league-wide have seen positive results since June 8 - the start date of Phase 2.

The current phase allows teams to host voluntary on- and off-ice training sessions at their home facilities for a maximum of six players. The opening of training camps for the 24 teams that qualified for the expanded playoffs will mark the start of Phase 3.

The NHL and players' association are yet to finalize agreements on the return-to-play plan. Among their biggest upcoming decisions is selecting two logistically viable hub cities that can safely host 12 teams along with staff and families.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.