Sports category, Page 1421
Anna Shcherbakova wins figure skating gold as Russian teammate Kamila Valieva, at center of doping scandal, falls short of medals podium
BEIJING — Anna Shcherbakova won a stunning gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Beijing Games on Thursday night, relying on her experience to deliver a clean performance, while Russian teammate Kamila Valieva tumbled out of the medals in a mistake-filled end to her controversial Olympics. Shcherbakova performed a...
After Sidney Crosby’s 50th goal vs. the Flyers, a former linemate recalls how that rivalry began
As the Penguins look to extend their winning streak to five games Thursday night in Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs, many fans are still basking in the afterglow of Tuesday’s victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Not only was it an enjoyable 5-4 comeback win for the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins...
Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch vow to turn Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing into champs
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kurt Busch first met Michael Jordan in a board room last summer as the free-agent driver weighed his racing options. Busch was star-struck in an “awesome moment” when the 6-foot-6 NBA Hall of Famer stood and shook hands with his future 23XI Racing employee. The basketball...
Grandfather-grandson duo works together officiating WPIAL basketball games
When Matthew White was a little kid, he enjoyed going to high school basketball games and seeing the officials, because his grandfather was one of them. “From when I was very young, I have memories of him taking me with his partners back to the locker room and then going...
U mad, bro?: No Valentines this week, but lots of agitation about Steelers offensive line, quarterbacks, Kenny Pickett’s hands
My inbox this week was stuffed with plenty of emails about the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback conundrum. Offensive line concerns. Journalism lectures. Penguins negativity. And hamburger commercials. I didn’t get any Valentine’s Day e-cards though. That was sad. But in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, “U mad, bro?” is like a...
Poulin leads Canada women to Olympic gold in 3-2 win over U.S.
BEIJING — Marie-Philip Poulin reminded everyone of her Captain Clutch reputation. And Canada regained its place atop the women’s hockey world. It was only fitting that Poulin delivered at a time her team needed it most by scoring twice, including her third Olympic gold-medal clinching goal, in Canada’s 3-2 win...
Minor league report: Nathan Legare scores Penguins’ only goal in loss to CheckersVideo
Forward Nathan Legare scored the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ only goal in a 4-1 road loss to the Charlotte Checkers at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. Goaltender Alex D’Orio made 19 saves on 23 shots for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (19-21-2-3). Highlights: The Penguins’ next game is a home contest against the Springfield Thunderbirds on...
Pitt stuns North Carolina in Chapel Hill
The noise from a crowd of 17,270 at North Carolina’s Dean E. Smith Center seemed to grow louder every time North Carolina hit a shot in the second half. And the Tar Heels made plenty of them, seven in a row at one point. Who knew the struggling Panthers could...
Duquesne men lose 11th game in row
Duquesne has hit bottom. The last-place Dukes completed a stretch of three games in five days by sputtering to their 11th consecutive loss Wednesday night, in part because of a horrendous offensive showing against George Washington at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Joe Bamisile scored 21 points to lead the visiting Colonials...
Cal (Pa.) women’s basketball team outmuscles Seton Hill
When the Cal (Pa.) and Seton Hill women meet on the hardwood, the games are usually battles. It was no different Wednesday when the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rivals collided for first place atop the West Division at Salvitti Gymnasium. It was a battle to the end with Cal (Pa.)...
The meticulous path to ideal Olympic curling ice
BEIJING — Curling ice has come a long way in the 600 years since the Scottish began sliding stones across frozen lochs. A modern curling sheet like one at the Ice Cube venue in Beijing is made with ultra-purified water and maintained at a precise range of temperature and acidity....
Penguins getting significant contributions from 4th line
Entering this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew they would be missing some major components of their roster with franchise centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin sidelined as they recovered from offseason surgeries. That led them to bring in steady veteran Brian Boyle to training camp on a tryout basis. By...
Enrolling early easy choice for Pitt’s Marquan Pope, Sean FitzSimmons, 5 others
Time was running out for freshmen to enroll for Pitt’s winter semester, but Marquan Pope wasn’t worried. He had organized the first and final term of his senior year at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, so he could graduate in December, spend the winter training for Pitt’s 2022 season...
Looking for ‘more sustained offense,’ Penguins shuffle 2nd, 3rd lines
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ middle two lines were shuffled during practice Wednesday in Cranberry. With Evgeni Malkin centering the second line, he was flanked by Jeff Carter on the left wing and Danton Heinen at right wing. Meanwhile, Evan Rodrigues pivoted the third line with Brock McGinn to his left side...
U.S. women’s soccer coach earned 28% of men’s coach’s salary
NEW YORK — Vlatko Andonovski earned $357,597 over his first full year as U.S. women’s soccer coach, less than 28% of the $1,291,539 that went to men’s coach Gregg Berhalter. The figures were revealed in the U.S. Soccer Federation’s tax filing for the year ending on March 31, 2021, which...
Super Bowl run excited fans, but Bengals still need work
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t expected to be in the Super Bowl. After all, they finished 4-11-1 and in last place in the AFC North in the 2020 season. The Bengals were a good team in 2021, but not a great one. The Super Bowl seemed improbable up until...
Mark Madden: With extreme focus on winning, Sidney Crosby is an anomaly
Sidney Crosby scored goal No. 500. No big deal. At a glance, sure, it’s impressive. He’s only the 46th player to do it. (He still trails Pat Verbeek by 22.) It was his 50th goal against Philadelphia, the old enemy. It came in a win, which is paramount to Crosby....
Bengals extend coach Zac Taylor’s contract through 2026
CINCINNATI — Zac Taylor, who led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in his third season as coach, was signed to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Taylor was 6-25-1 in his first two seasons leading the Bengals, his first head coaching...
Slovakia stuns U.S. in shootout, Americans out of Olympics
BEIJING — The United States is out of the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics in stunning fashion after blowing a late lead. Marek Hrivik scored with 43.7 seconds left in regulation, Peter Cehlarik had the winner and Slovakia beat the U.S., 3-2, in a shootout Wednesday to knock the...
Tim Benz: Sidney Crosby wrote the perfect script, Kris Letang authored the perfect ending
It felt like a perfect night of Penguins hockey at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby scored his 500th goal in front of a raucous crowd of 18,385. A Sid-sational moment for a sensational player.Congratulations, Sidney! ???? pic.twitter.com/WrPh5R4qDx— NHL (@NHL) February 16, 2022 He did so against the hated Philadelphia...
With the 2021 NFL season complete, Steelers have underwhelming public perception, expectations for 2022
When you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers compared to other NFL franchises, do these names pop into your head immediately? The Atlanta Falcons. The Washington Commanders. The Carolina Panthers. How about some other long-standing organizations with a history of winning Super Bowls that have fallen on hard times recently? Teams...
First Call: Huge local Super Bowl TV ratings; ESPN picks cities for 2 Steelers free agents, puts QB and CB in Pittsburgh
We’ve talked plenty about what the Steelers may or may not do on the trade market and at the draft. But what about free agency? ESPN has some guesses. They also have some suggestions for new homes for two current Steelers free agents. Pittsburgh was one of the best cities...
Alex Hall leads gold, silver U.S. finish in Olympic ski slopestyle eventVideo
ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Freestyler skier Alex Hall led a 1-2 American finish in the men’s Olympic slopestyle competition on Wednesday with a trick on his first run where he stopped his rotation midair and turned in the other direction before softly landing. Hall’s opening run drew a score of 90.01,...
Latrobe, North Hills grads on watch list for small college player of the year award
Bryce Butler is having a career season at West Liberty and the country is watching. The 6-foot-5 sophomore guard out of Latrobe is on a national watch list for the Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award, which recognizes America’s top small-college basketball player. He joins teammate Pat Robinson III on the 50-player...
Minor league report: Penguins fall to CheckersVideo
Forward Valtteri Puustinen had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-4 road loss to the Charlotte Checkers at the Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday. Defenseman P.O Joseph recorded two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (19-20-2-3) while forwards Anthony Angello, Michael Chaput and Jonathan Gruden all...
