First Call: Laughing at Tom Brady leaving; Bengals big signing; bad NHL schedule idea
In “First Call” Wednesday, people are laughing at New England’s pain. The NHL player proposal to restart the season stinks. And Marc-Andre Fleury looks like he is in the weeds of a quarantine. Now it is our turn No one is making this easy on New England. Legendary quarterback Tom...
Gary Bettman: NHL players in isolation while season is on holdVideo
The NHL is telling its players and staff to stay away from the rink and self-isolate while hockey is on a hiatus of unknown length during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday he was not aware of any player or league employee testing positive for the new coronavirus,...
First Call: Gronk to WWE?; NFL overtime may change; Penguins get help; Duquesne basketball snubs
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a new gig for Gronk. Is NFL overtime changing again? Gerrit Cole basks in Yankees stardom. The Penguins get some help in the Metro Division. Gronk to wrestling? The Steelers need a tight end. Well, there is a pretty good one from Woodland Hills that’s getting...
NHL, MLB, NBA, MLS close locker room access amid coronavirus outbreakVideo
MIAMI — The NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer are closing access to locker rooms and clubhouses to all non-essential personnel in response to the coronavirus crisis, the leagues announced in a joint statement Monday night. The leagues said they made the decision “after consultation with infectious...
Henri Richard, winner of 11 Cups with Canadiens, dies at 84Video
MONTREAL — Henri Richard, the speedy center who won a record 11 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, died Friday. He was 84. His death was announced by the team. Richard had Alzheimer’s disease. Richard was captain of the Canadiens from 1971 to his retirement in 1975, succeeding the legendary...
First Call: T.J. Watt’s new commercial, NHL player takes skate to face, Duquesne owns overtime
The NFL’s Watt brothers start off Wednesday’s “First Call.” Why wouldn’t they? They are everywhere else. Also, we check out what happened in the rest of the Eastern Conference while the Penguins finally got back on the winning track. An NHL player gets a skate to the face. Duquesne owns...
First Call: Tight end for Steelers?; Tom Brady wants Antonio Brown; Bud Dupree update; Tom Wilson bobblehead
Tuesday’s “First Call” features a potential tight end target for the Steelers. Also, updates on Bud Dupree’s franchise tag and Tom Brady’s free agency. It looks like Antonio Brown is still on Brady’s radar. A one-time Penguins prospect is coming to PPG Paints Arena in a different uniform. And the...
First Call: Watt brothers exchange jabs on Twitter; Alex Ovechkin keeps scoring for Capitals
Today’s “First Call” features a little brotherly love. Pfft! No. Not from Philadelphia. Why would we ever subject you to that? Naw. This is from Pittsburgh. And… Houston. J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans tweeted this video of himself working out. Watt is trying to return to top form after...
Emergency goalie protocol talk on tap for NHL GMs meetingVideo
When a 42-year-old Zamboni driver entered as an emergency goaltender and won an NHL game, it became one of the best stories in sports. But David Ayres going from practicing with the Toronto Maple Leafs to playing against them in the thick of a playoff race also generated debate about...
Blues rule out Jay Bouwmeester for remainder of season, playoffsVideo
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was ruled out from returning to play in the regular season or in the playoffs. General manager Doug Armstrong made the announcement on Wednesday. In a news conference at Enterprise Center, Bouwmeester spoke to reporters for the first time since he...
First Call: Steelers talk with WR; Le’Veon Bell staying with Jets?; Zamboni goalie honoredVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” is packed. The Steelers talked with a high-profile wide receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine. A radio host in Cleveland got suspended for ripping Baker Mayfield. “Zamboni Goalie” David Ayers was honored in Carolina. Le’Veon Bell may be staying in New York after all. And all of...
Trades juice up arms race in deep Metropolitan DivisionVideo
The Metropolitan Division was already the deepest and most competitive in the NHL. Now the race to the finish is getting juiced up. Nearly every Metro contender made a move ahead of Monday’s trade deadline to gear up for the playoff push. The first-place Washington Capitals got it started by...
Capitals acquire Ilya Kovalchuk from Canadiens for 3rd-rounderVideo
WASHINGTON — The Capitals on Sunday acquired winger Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens for a 2020 third-round pick. Washington made the move to get another top-nine forward hours after its second victory in eight games. Montreal will retain 50% of Kovalchuk’s $700,000 salary and cap hit. The 36-year-old Kovalchuk...
700 club: Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin scores for milestone goalVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — With power and a prodigious shot, Alex Ovechkin stands where few in hockey have been. He became the eighth NHL player to score 700 career goals, reaching the milestone in the third period of the Washington’ Capitals’ 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. “It’s...
In Lake Placid, a miracle from 40 years ago still inspiresVideo
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The woman had been waiting for her opportunity for more than an hour, which was no big deal because, technically, she had been waiting 40 years. She went to the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on a frigid night earlier this week with a folder...
NHL teams get jump on deadline with flurry of early tradesVideo
Tom Fitzgerald changed teams twice at the NHL trade deadline as a player and knows how it feels. As interim general manager of the New Jersey Devils, he didn’t wait until deadline day to trade captain Andy Greene or forward Blake Coleman. Beating the buzzer by more than a week,...
Pete Babando, Stanley Cup hero born in Braeburn, dies at age 94
Pete Babando, who was born in the Braeburn section of Lower Burrell and scored one of the most dramatic goals in NHL history, died Wednesday at the age of 94. Babando wrote his name in the history books April 23, 1950 while playing for the Detroit Red Wings against the...
Bouwmeester back in St. Louis, ‘on the road to recovery’
ST. LOUIS — Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is back in St. Louis after collapsing on the bench during a game in Anaheim last week and said in a statement Tuesday that he is “on the road to recovery.” Bouwmeester, 36, collapsed during the first period of the Feb. 11 game...
Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has defibrillator inserted to regulate heartVideo
Jay Bouwmeester had surgery Friday to insert a defibrillator to restore his heart’s normal rhythm after the St. Louis Blues defenseman collapsed on the bench during a game in Anaheim this week. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the procedure was performed at the UC Irvine Medical Center. The 36-year-old...
Wild GM Bill Guerin fires coach Bruce BoudreauVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild fired coach Bruce Boudreau on Friday, with the team out of playoff position. He is the eighth NHL coach to lose his job this season. First-year general manager Bill Guerin dismissed Boudreau after a shootout loss to the New York Rangers. Assistant Dean...
After Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac episode, Blues lean on their dadsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac episode was a scary experience for the St. Louis Blues. Even for a bunch of tough hockey players, having dad around certainly helps. St. Louis is on its annual father’s trip, and the dads are providing some valuable counseling after the 36-year-old Bouwmeester collapsed...
Detail-oriented DeBoer hoping to get Vegas back in playoffsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Peter DeBoer could have chosen a life inside a courtroom arguing in front of a judge’s bench, considering he has law degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit. Instead, he’s enjoyed a mostly successful career behind an NHL bench. In each of his...
Jeremy Roenick won’t return to NBC Sports as a result of suspension
Jeremy Roenick will not be returning to NBC Sports after his suspension for making inappropriate comments about coworkers. A network spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Roenick will not be back on the air. The spokesman said NBC Sports would have no further comment. Roenick announced the...
First Call: Bold claim about Steelers view of Ben Roethlisberger; Alex Galchenyuk’s debut with Wild
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” someone is calling for Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Alex Galchenyuk made his Minnesota Wild debut. A frightening NHL event. Michigan State may have its coach. “Monday Night Football” games may get flexed. You might be a little early on this Former NFL player-turned-NFL analyst Chris Canty plunged...
Oilers’ Connor McDavid out 2 to 3 weeks with quad injuryVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will be out two to three weeks with a quad injury. “That’s a normal timeline for this injury. We’re hoping less,” general manager Ken Holland said Tuesday. The injury initially was said to be a bruised knee from Saturday’s game against the...
