First Call: Predicting Diontae Johnson’s new contract; Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers gear heads to Hall of Fame
Friday’s “First Call” has a prediction for what the Pittsburgh Steelers might have to pay Diontae Johnson. Ben Roethlisberger’s gear is getting into the Hall of Fame before he is. The Penguins are still stuck in second place despite their win on Thursday night. And Pittsburgh’s struggling college hoops teams...
Struggling Edmonton Oilers fire coach Dave Tippett
EDMONTON, Alberta — The struggling Edmonton Oilers have fired coach Dave Tippett. Tippett will be replaced by Jay Woodcroft, the head coach of the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, California. After beginning the season 16-5-0, the Oilers have gone 7-13-3 in a head-scratching performance for a team led by stars...
Canucks hire Cammi Granato as an assistant general manager
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Vancouver Canucks have named Hall of Famer Cammi Granato as an assistant general manager, the team announced Thursday. Granato, 50, moves to the Canucks from the Seattle Kraken, where she has served as a scout since 2019. “We wish Cammi the best and thank her...
First Call: More Steelers GM names to track; Malik Willis hype grows; NFL games in Germany; Fleury shines; Kessel scores
Thursday’s “First Call” introduces us to a few more candidates in the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager black book. More hype about the Steelers and a potential first-round quarterback. The NFL is heading to Germany. And three ex-Penguins flash out West. Keep ’em coming Add two more names to the Steelers...
Bruins goalie Rask ending comeback, announces retirementVideo
BOSTON — The winningest goaltender in Boston Bruins history is calling it a career. Citing an inability of his body to respond after his recent return to the ice following offseason hip surgery, Tuukka Rask announced his retirement from NHL on Wednesday. “Today is a day that I hoped would...
Canadiens fire Ducharme, hire Martin St. Louis as interim coach
MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens fired coach Dominique Ducharme on Wednesday and made Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis the interim coach of the team with the NHL’s worst record. Ducharme was dismissed after Montreal began its season with a dismal 8-30-7 record for a league-worst 23 points. The 48-year-old’s...
First Call: Rob Gronkowski may want to play with Joe Burrow; T.J. Watt could sail to NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some alarming news for Pittsburgh Steelers fans regarding what Rob Gronkowski is thinking. T.J. Watt should have smooth sailing toward NFL Defensive Player of the Year. An ex-Steeler gets an NFL head coaching contract extension. And the Penguins got a little help from their upcoming opponent....
Tim Benz: Lots of theories for bad Olympic TV ratings — some problems may be beyond repair
Television ratings for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are off to a hideous start. According to Variety, “NBC Sports says 16 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony across multiple platforms on Friday, a new record low for the event since NBCUniversal began...
First Call: Odd-couple highlights for T.J. Watt, Jake Guentzel; Steelers listed atop ‘best fits’ for Jimmy Garoppolo
The Pittsburgh Steelers are listed as a leading landing spot for a high-profile quarterback that could be on the move. Chase Claypool is floated as a potential NFL trade chip. A pair of former Penguins are hearing similar chatter about their names in the NHL. And some strange scoring connections...
Giroux named MVP, Metropolitan team wins NHL All-Star GameVideo
LAS VEGAS — Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux scored three goals, and the Metropolitan Division beat the Central Division, 5-3, on Saturday in the final 3-on-3 match to win the NHL All-Star Game. New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, at 20 the youngest All-Star, also scored three goals for the Metropolitan team in...
Victor Hedman, Jordan Kyrou, Sebastian Aho win big in NHL All-Star skills competitionVideo
LAS VEGAS — Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman won the Hardest Shot competition and St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou was the Fastest Skater during an NHL All-Star skills competition with a distinct Vegas flavor Friday night. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho won the Accuracy Shooting contest at T-Mobile Arena on a night when the...
NHL All-Stars sad to miss Olympics, but happy to be in Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Most of the world’s best hockey players are spending this weekend in opulent hotel suites in one of the planet’s top party towns instead of being confined to modest Olympic accommodations in freezing-cold Beijing. The NHL All-Stars still aren’t happy about missing their chance to compete for...
Kraken endure rocky path in 1st half of expansion seasonVideo
SEATTLE — If there was a single game that served as a snapshot of how the Seattle Kraken wanted their inaugural season to look, it came on the night of Jan. 23. The home arena was rocking during a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers, at the time the best...
With both coaches in place, Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey can focus on rebuilding rosters
For the recently reinstated Robert Morris University ice hockey programs, maybe these were the last of the first steps toward a return to the ice. With two head coaches now entrenched, the big strides toward rebuilding can truly begin. Both programs were cut by the university in May 2021. But...
Blackhawks owner on Kyle Beach: ‘Not going to talk about anything’
CHICAGO — Speaking Wednesday night at a town hall organized by the team, Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz angrily rejected any conversation connected to the franchise’s response when a player said he was sexually assaulted by an assistant coach. It was the first time the franchise’s top leaders had faced...
Coronation: Rangers retire Henrik Lundqvist’s No. 30 in ceremony
The King has taken his throne in the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Henrik Lundqvist became the 11th player to have his number retired by the New York Rangers when a banner with his name and No. 30 was raised at the Garden before the team’s game against the Minnesota...
First Call: A possible free agent destination for JuJu Smith-Schuster; Aaron Rodgers discusses his future; Flyers keep losing
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster may already have a preferred destination in free agency. The USFL will stage an interesting television launch in April. Aaron Rodgers outlines his decision-making process for his future playing career. And while the Penguins just keep winning, the Philadelphia Flyers...
Flyers’ Yandle sets Iron Man mark in 965th straight gameVideo
NEW YORK — Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle broke the NHL record by playing in his 965th consecutive game. The 35-year-old Yandle passed the previous mark set by Doug Jarvis, who played 964 straight games over his entire career from Oct. 8, 1975, to Oct. 10, 1987. Yandle started his...
Islanders great Clark Gillies dies at 67
Hall of Famer Clark Gillies, a stalwart on the New York Islanders’ dynasty that won four straight Stanley Cup championships in the early 1980s, has died. He was 67. The Islanders announced Gillies death Friday night, with team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello saying “the entire Islanders community is...
NHL reschedules games, season set to end on time April 29
The NHL on Wednesday revealed new dates for 98 games postponed for coronavirus-related reasons, keeping the end of the regular season on schedule for April 29. The changes include moving 23 other games around and 95 games — including nine of the Penguins’ — filling the Feb. 7-22 gap that...
NHL to stop covid testing for asymptomatic players after All-Star break
The NHL will stop testing asymptomatic players, coaches and staff who are fully vaccinated following the All-Star break in early February, saying coronavirus cases continue to decline across the league. The league and Players’ Association announced the protocol changes Tuesday. The current policy will remain in place until the All-Star...
Montreal Canadiens hire player agent Kent Hughes as GM
MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens hired player agent Kent Hughes as their general manager Tuesday, hoping he can turn around a team with the worst record in the NHL. The 51-year-old Montreal native replaces Marc Bergevin, who was fired Nov. 28 following the Canadiens’ poor start. Hughes has been an...
Women’s hockey league to increase salary cap, add 2 teams
The Premier Hockey Federation is more than doubling each teams’ salary cap to $750,000 and adding two expansion franchises next season in a bid to capitalize on the wave of attention women’s hockey traditionally enjoys following the Winter Olympics. The PHF’s announcement on Tuesday of its board of governors’ commitment...
Alexander Ovechkin, Connor McDavid headline NHL All-Star roster
NEW YORK — Washington star Alexander Ovechkin and high-scoring Edmonton Oilers teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend announced Thursday. Selected for the eighth time, Ovechkin led voting in the Metropolitan Division to earn the captaincy for the Feb. 4-5 event at T-Mobile...
First Call: Steelers are record-setting underdogs against Chiefs; K.C. injury update; a Marc-Andre Fleury trade idea
Thursday’s “First Call” shows us just how big of an underdog the Pittsburgh Steelers truly are this weekend in Kansas City. The Chiefs are getting healthier, too. Fire up the Marc-Andre Fleury trade rumors again. And an honor for a former Robert Morris Colonial. More truth than you thought? When...
