Sports category, Page 1419
No NHL boosts Russian hopes for Olympic gold in men’s hockey
When the National Hockey League and its players agreed to pause the season and participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, it came with the caveat of pandemic conditions not making it impractical to go to China. Seven weeks before puck drop at what was supposed to be the first Olympics...
Sabres sign Wexford’s Michael Houser to shore up injury-depleted goalie depth
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres signed Michael Houser to a one-year, $750,000 contract and called up Aaron Dell from the minors on Wednesday to shore up their injury depleted goaltending ranks. The signing comes with Buffalo adding goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukonen and Malcolm Subban to their injured list. Luukonen is...
Ben Roethlisberger on Steelers’ playoff chances: ‘Have fun and see what happens’
The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the playoffs as the lowest-seeded team in the AFC, they won in the wild-card round in 2015. The time before that, Steelers won three in a row on the road and then earned a “One for the Thumb” ring by beating Seattle in...
Pirates announce player development hires, promotion of minor league managers
The Pittsburgh Pirates rewarded the successful seasons of two minor-league managers by moving them up a level, promoting Miguel Perez to Triple-A Indianapolis and Kieran Mattison to Double-A Altoona. The Pirates announced their player development staff moves Wednesday, a shuffling that will provide coaching continuity for some of their top...
IOC major sponsors mostly muted in runup to Beijing Olympics
The Beijing Winter Olympics are fraught with potential hazards for major sponsors, who are trying to remain quiet about China’s human rights record while protecting at least $1 billion they’ve collectively paid to the IOC. That could reach $2 billion when new figures are expected this year. Sponsors include big...
Former Cubs, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester announces retirement
CHICAGO — Jon Lester, a durable left-hander who won three World Series titles during 16 years in the majors, has announced his retirement. Lester, who turned 38 on Friday, finishes with a 200-117 record and a 3.66 ERA in 452 career games, including 451 starts. He also has been a...
Mark Madden: How can the Steelers close the gap with Kansas City?
These last two weeks have been like fantasyland for Yinzer Nation. Maybe the worst team of the Ben Roethlisberger era rode the quarterback’s scattered, almost random heroics to claim the AFC’s second-ever No. 7 playoff seed at the end of perhaps the most improbable Sunday in NFL history. It was...
Jalen Bridges leads the way in West Virginia’s win over Oklahoma State
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Jalen Bridges tied a career-high 22 points making all 10 of his foul shots and Gabe Osabuohien had a season-high 12 points, and West Virginia pulled away from Oklahoma State for a 70-60 win on Tuesday night. Kedrian Johnson made two foul shot to give the...
Flyers exec Bobby Clarke rips Penguins GM Ron Hextall for the job he did in Philadelphia
Here’s some more spice for the Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers rivalry. As if more needs to be added. Penguins general manager Ron Hextall is being trashed by his former boss in Philadelphia. That’s Flyers legendary player and team senior vice president Bobby Clarke. Clarke was on “The Cam & Strick Podcast”...
First Call: Video of Ben Roethlisberger watching Chargers-Raiders finale; Antonio Brown hangs with Kanye West
Wednesday’s “First Call” has a tremendous video of Ben Roethlisberger watching the end of the nail-biting Sunday night game that sealed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff berth. Chiefs coach Andy Reid talks about the upcoming rematch with the Black and Gold. He also signed a former Steeler. NFL television numbers are...
Tim Benz: Feeling uncomfortable with Mike Tomlin’s level of comfort about Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said something that stood out to me during his Tuesday press conference in advance of his team’s playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Well, two things. First of all, Tomlin claimed that he “dozed off” during the nail-biting overtime game between the Las Vegas...
Evgeni Malkin gets 3 points in return as Penguins beat Ducks
One of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ biggest players made a long-awaited return to the lineup. It had been multiple months since the last time he played in a game of consequence for the team. And with so many players out of the lineup due to various medical maladies, he was desperately...
Pittsburgh fighter will compete for IBA Super Featherweight title in Harmar
Pittsburgh junior lightweight Matt “Sweet Child” Conway will go up against a Philadelphia fighter for the IBA super featherweight championship title in the 130-pound division on Jan. 15, as another full night of boxing returns to the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar. “We have some fighters on this card from...
Pitt shooting goes cold in 2nd half in loss at Syracuse
Pitt’s 77-61 loss inside Syracuse’s Carrier Dome on Tuesday night didn’t end hopes of the Panthers eventually climbing toward respectability. But the loss sent signals that can be used against Pitt the rest of this season that already includes 10 losses in the first 16 games. Against a lineup with...
Balanced Penn State never trails during victory over RutgersVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Sam Sessoms scored 17 points to lead four in double figures as Penn State never trailed and cruised to a 66-49 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday night. John Harrar added 16 points, and Jalen Pickett had 15 for Penn State (8-6, 3-3 Big Ten), which has won...
Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia making case to remove interim tagVideo
HENDERSON, Nev. — Rich Bisaccia had just completed his first game as interim coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in mid-October, a 34-24 road win over the Broncos, and star running back Josh Jacobs described the atmosphere on the sideline. “It was like (there was no) anxiety. It was weird....
Busy, crucial offseason begins for Jets’ Zach WilsonVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson is heading into the offseason armed with a lengthy list. The New York Jets quarterback intends to work on his weaknesses and solidify his strengths after a down-and-up rookie season. Wilson is keeping the specific to-do items on the list to himself, hoping the...
Goalie Tuukka Rask returns to Bruins after agreeing to 1-year dealVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins on Tuesday signed Tuukka Rask for the rest of the season, bringing back the winningest goalie in franchise history after he recovered from offseason hip surgery. General manager Don Sweeney said Rask will back up Linus Ullmark for Wednesday night’s game against the rival Montreal...
49ers-Cowboys playoff rivalry resumes after long waitVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan was a teenager watching on the sideline when the heated playoff rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reached a fever pitch with three straight NFC title game matchups. Now Shanahan will take a starring role when one of the NFL’s great...
Speeding, erratic driving led to Geno Smith DUI arrestVideo
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith’s arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence came after the Washington State Patrol pulled him over for going 96 mph in a 60 mph zone and driving erratically across several lanes of traffic, according to an arrest report released Tuesday....
Giants fire Joe Judge as coach after 10-23 record in 2 yearsVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have cleaned house, firing coach Joe Judge a day after general manager Dave Gettleman retired. The Giants announced the move late Tuesday afternoon, ending some brief speculation that the owners planned to hire a new general manager and let him determine the...
Georgia savors national championship, already looks ahead to next seasonVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Kirby Smart learned from his former boss that the time for celebrating is short in college football. Even while he reveled Tuesday in the hangover from Georgia’s first national title since 1980, the coach already was thinking about what comes next. “The wind blows a lot stronger at...
Djokovic back into swing in Australia, visa questions lingerVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic held a practice session Tuesday, a day after he left immigration detention, focusing on defending his Australian Open title even while he still faces the prospect of deportation because he’s not vaccinated against covid-19. The top-ranked tennis star hit the show courts of Melbourne Park,...
AP source: MLB labor talks to resume after 42-day breakVideo
NEW YORK — MLB and the players’ association are scheduled to meet Thursday, ending a 42-day break in negotiations that began when management started a lockout in the sport’s first work stoppage since 1995. With the scheduled start of spring training five weeks away, management was planning to make a...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin expected to make season debut
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is expected to make his season debut in Tuesday’s road game against the Anaheim Ducks. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Malkin “is going to play” to media in Anaheim following the team’s optional morning skate at the Honda Center. Having recovered from offseason surgery to his right...
