24 Sports Predictions for 2024

What will happen this year in sports? I’ve been posting annual prediction lists for more than a decade and one thing that became very clear early in my sports predictions career is that my pick to win the Stanley Cup seemed cursed. It started when I picked Pittsburgh to win the Cup, then Crosby got concussed at the Winter Classic. Every year I picked Pittsburgh to win and some extraordinary folly knocked them out of the playoffs. Then as soon as I stopped picking Pittsburgh, they won back-to-back Cups. I picked Washington to win, they got embarrassed, but then won the next year. I picked St. Louis when they were one of the best teams in the league, they collapsed and missed the playoffs, only to win the Cup the next year. To view last year's list, click here. If you’re interested in movies, I also do an annual list of movie predictions with my nephew for his blog.
 
It's unclear how I may have angered the hockey Gods leading to a curse inflicted upon my annual Stanley Cup prediction, but with great power comes great responsibility.
 

1. The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup
2. The San Francisco 49ers win the Super Bowl
3. The Denver Nuggets win the NBA championship
4. The Atlanta Braves win the World Series
5. Nathan MacKinnon wins the Hart trophy and Art Ross
6. Canada medals in basketball at Paris Olympics
7. There will be an unusually large number of Olympic records in running at the Paris Olympics
8. Canada medals in women's soccer in Paris Olympics
9. Canada wins multiple gold medals in women's swimming at Paris Olympics
10. Andre De Grasse medals in Paris Olympics
11. Elias Pettersson signs the biggest free agent contract (above $11M)
12. The Chicago Blackhawks get the first overall pick in the NHL draft
13. Connor Hellebuyck wins the Vezina trophy
14. Rick Bowness wins Coach of the Year
15. Quinn Hughes wins the Norris trophy
16. Usyk beats Tyson Fury
17. Francis Nganu wins a boxing match
18. Conor McGregor fights (or agrees to fight) a boxing match
19. The Toronto Blue Jays finish at least 5 games out of a wild card spot
20. Somebody hits a hole in one at a Sandbagger Invitational
21. Coyotes leave Arizona
22. The Winnipeg Jets win a playoff series
23. A Canadian tennis player wins a major
24. Slovakia wins World Junior tournament