The Blackhawks won the NHL draft lottery on Monday night, earning the right to pick a potentially franchise-altering, generational talent in Connor Bedard, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

The immediate impact: In the first 90 minutes after the lottery results were announced on ESPN, the Blackhawks said they sold $2.5 million worth of ticket plans for next season.

"We haven't stopped smiling, and the phones haven't stopped ringing."

The backdrop: Bedard, 17, put together one of the greatest junior hockey careers ever, capping it off with a mind-boggling pre-draft season in which he scored 100 goals in 83 games across all competitions.

• At 14, the North Vancouver native became the first Western Canadian to be granted "exceptional player status," allowing him join Canada's top junior hockey league a year early.
• At 15, in his first season with the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats, he recorded 28 points in 15 games against players often four to five years older than him.
• At 16, he became the youngest player in WHL history to score 50 goals, recording 100 points (51 goals, 49 assists) in just 62 games.
• At 17, he scored 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 WHL games, averaging the most points per game (2.51) by any WHL player since 1991. He also led Canada to gold at World Juniors this past winter, scoring 23 points in seven games.

Between the lines: No one generates this level of buzz without having an excellent all-around game, but it's Bedard's shot that truly sets him apart.

• "It's remarkable to see," said former No. 1 pick Connor McDavid after skating with him last summer. "He shoots it so hard and with such a quick release."
• "His release is one of the best in the world now ... at 17," said Nathan MacKinnon, another former No. 1 pick.

Looking ahead: Bedard isn't the only wunderkind waiting in the wings. A week from today, one lucky team will win the NBA draft lottery and earn the right to select 19-year-old Victor Wembanyama of France — the most hyped prospect since LeBron James.

Go deeper: 2023 NHL draft prospect rankings (ESPN)

Shohei Ohtani joined an exclusive club last week (what else is new?), becoming the fifth player in the modern era (since 1900) to record 500 hits as a batter and 500 strikeouts as a pitcher, Jeff writes.

The other four…

Babe Ruth: The Great Bambino's pitching days came almost exclusively in Boston, where his career began in 1914 at age 19. Six years later, he moved to New York and carved out a pretty decent career in the batter's box.

• Strikeouts — 501: He pitched 130+ innings every year from 1915-19, but was a true two-way player only his last two years in Boston (1918-19).
• Hits — 2,873: 88% of his hits came as a Yankee, where he pitched just 31 innings after converting to a full-time outfielder.

Walter Johnson: "The Big Train" is one of the greatest players who ever lived, spending his entire 21-year career (1907-27) with the Washington Senators and amassing 165.1 WAR, second only to Ruth's 182.6.

• Strikeouts — 3,509: He led the league 12 times, and those 3,509 punchouts are the ninth-most ever.
• Hits — 547: The career .235 hitter blasted 24 home runs, 94 doubles and 41 triples.

Red Ruffing: Nicknamed "Red" for his hair color, Charles Ruffing debuted as a 19-year-old in Boston just like the Babe, only 10 years later (1924-30). He then became a Yankee (also like the Babe), winning six World Series en route to the Hall of Fame.

• Strikeouts — 1,987: He led the league once (1932), but for most of his career pitched to contact.
• Hits — 521: The career .269 hitter was a hard-hitting outfielder as a kid before losing four toes in a coal mining accident at age 15. Hence the switch to pitching.

Smoky Joe Wood: Howard Ellsworth Wood was called "Smoky Joe" for his blazing fastball. As Walter Johnson once said: "Can I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen, mister, no man alive can throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood."

• Strikeouts — 989: He pitched to an absurd 1.99 ERA across eight seasons in Boston (1908-15), throwing a no-hitter in 1911 and going 34-5 in 1912.
• Hits — 553: After sitting out a year, he joined Cleveland in 1917, where he gave up pitching and became a stud at the plate. In his final three seasons, he batted .309 with an .851 OPS.

The Warriors and Knicks are facing 3-1 series deficits after losing on the road Monday night.

• Lakers 104, Warriors 101: Lonnie Walker IV exploded for 15 fourth-quarter points to lift Los Angeles to victory. He came in averaging 2.0 points per game in these playoffs.
• Heat 109, Knicks 101: Miami was the more physical team once again, outrebounding New York 44-35. "Maybe they want it more," Knicks star Julius Randle pondered postgame.

State of play: Only 13 times has an NBA team ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series, so history isn't on either team's side. But Golden State does have one thing going for them: They've done it before.

• The last time the Warriors were down 3-1 was in the 2016 West Finals against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's Thunder. They came back to win, becoming the first team since the 1981 Celtics to erase a 3-1 deficit in the conference finals.
• There's no such precedent for New York: The Knicks are 0-14 all-time when trailing a best-of-seven series 3-1, and the Heat are 14-0 all-time when leading 3-1.

🐶 The intrigue … The "Air Corgi" on TikTok is 4-for-4 so far on its predictions for the Lakers-Warriors series. The dog, who can clearly see the future, has Golden State winning in seven.

⚽️ Potential PSG exodus: With Lionel Messi's future at PSG already in doubt, reports indicate Neymar could also be leaving. The Brazilian star is ready to leave this summer despite still having four years left on his contract, and the club is willing to let him go for the right offer, ESPN reports.

🏀 Huggins uses slur: West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins apologized Monday after using a homophobic slur during a radio appearance. "I am ashamed and embarrassed," he said in a statement.

🏈 NFL schedule release: The NFL will release its 2023 regular-season schedule on Thursday at 8pm ET, the league announced Monday. No other league on the planet could make this a primetime event.

🏀 Rookies of the year: Paolo Banchero (Magic), Walker Kessler (Jazz), Jalen Williams (Thunder), Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers) and Keegan Murray (Kings) were named to the NBA's All-Rookie First Team on Monday.

The NFL may be known for its parity, but when it comes to superstar QBs, the AFC and NFC are worlds apart.

By the numbers: Eight of the top 10 contenders for 2023 NFL MVP — including the four favorites — are AFC QBs, per FanDuel's post-draft odds. The other two top contenders play in the NFC.

• Josh Allen, AFC (+700)
• Joe Burrow, AFC (+700)
• Patrick Mahomes, AFC (+700)
• Justin Herbert, AFC (+900)
• Jalen Hurts, NFC (+1200)
• Lamar Jackson, AFC (+1500)
• Aaron Rodgers, AFC (+1600)
• Trevor Lawrence, AFC (+1600)
• Dak Prescott, NFC (+1600)
• Tua Tagovailoa, AFC (+1600)

NEW YORK — This poor dog. Blink twice if you're in danger!

SAN FRANCISCO — The $1 million SailGP Grand Prix championship took place in San Francisco over the weekend. It was Team Australia's race to lose — and they almost did.

CASTRO URDIALES, Spain — A general view of the peloton during the 2023 La Vuelta Femenina, which has become one of the biggest races of the women's cycling calendar.

ABU DHABI, U.A.E. — Decent photo.

Real Madrid hosts Manchester City today (3pm ET, CBS/Paramount+) in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal matchup.

• The backdrop: Madrid eliminated City at this stage in 2015-16 (aggregate: 1-0) and last year (aggregate: 6-5).
• The big picture: Madrid have won a record 14 Champions League titles, twice as many as any other club. City are still seeking their first title.

More to watch:

• 🏀 NBA playoffs: 76ers (tied 2-2) at Celtics (7:30pm, TNT); Suns (tied 2-2) at Nuggets (10pm, TNT)
• 🏒 NHL playoffs: Hurricanes (up 2-1) at Devils (7pm, ESPN); Stars (down 2-1) at Kraken (9:30pm, ESPN)
• ⚾️ MLB: Red Sox at Braves (7:20pm, TBS) … Nick Pivetta (2-2, 4.99 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (3-3, 3.38 ERA)
• 🐕 Best in show: The 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (1-4pm, FS2; 7-11pm, FS1) … Second and final day.

Source: Giphy

The fourth Indoor Skydiving World Championships were held last month in Slovakia, Jeff writes.

How it works: Competitors enter a transparent wind tunnel with a strong vertical airflow that mimics the effects of jumping out of a plane. Events include both formation and artistic skydiving.

• In formation, teams of four have 35 seconds to complete as many formations as possible, with one point for successful execution and 0 for a "bust." Team USA, which won the open division title, averaged 32.3 points across 10 rounds.
• Artistic events are either solo (freestyle) or in teams (dynamic), with longer, routine-based rounds set to music. Judges award 0-10 points for both technical and artistic presentation.

💨 Go deeper: A complete history of the vertical wind tunnel (Indoor Skydiving Source)

The Oilers and Maple Leafs are vying to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993.

• Question: Who did Montreal beat in the 1993 Final?
• Hint: They made the playoffs this year.

Answer at the bottom.

Florida Democratic donors are hoping to recruit NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill to run for Senate against Rick Scott in 2024, NBC News reports.

What they're saying: "The party operatives and donors see the need for a moonshot-type candidate to reverse the trend of Republican dominance in the state," per NBC. "Yet even they acknowledge that getting either one of them is a long shot."