Fill in the blank with the missing word in this statement from NHL vice president for media relations Frank Brown, regarding the technically illegal actions of Al Sobotka at Joe Louis Arena:
 

“Every so often, an ________ slips out of someone's hands, and Al is right there to take care of the matter. And he cannot be blamed if, as it tries to break free from Al's grasp, the ______ lifts Al's arm and twirls itself in the air.”

On April 18, 12 European soccer clubs announced their intention to form a continental “Super League.” Name either the first club to publicly declare its intention to withdraw two days later, or the first club to begin preparing documentation to do so roughly 30 minutes later.

When the NFL’s 75th anniversary all-time team was announced in 1994, one honoree’s first name was a homonym (minus an "s") with the nickname of a franchise that was founded more than 15 years after he retired. Name the player, first and last name required.

(Note: This player's first name was technically a shortened version of his given name, but he was known exclusively by the shortened version during and after his career.)

In 1938, Ralph Guldahl was the last man to win a U.S. Open (golf) while wearing what piece of attire?

In the following list, three athletes have been redacted, and they all come from the same country. Name the country...and note that along with a shared country, they share another competitive distinction from the swimmers, canoeists, fencers, runners, and gymnasts that make up the rest of the list:
 

Michael Phelps (28), Larissa Latynina (18), _________ (15), Nikolai Andrianov (15), ___________ (13), Boris Shakhlin (13), Edoardo Mangiarotti (13), Takashi Ono (13), Paavo Nurmi (12), ___________ (12), Birgit Fischer (12), Sawao Kato (12), Jenny Thompson (12), Ryan Lochte (12), Dara Torres (12), Alexei Nemov (12), Natalie Coughlin (12).