Sports category, Page 573

Three days after the Pittsburgh Steelers completed their courtship of Arthur Smith, the organization announced his hiring Friday as offensive coordinator. Smith, 41, spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He previously spent two years as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. The Steelers interviewed...

TORONTO — NHL players are returning to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade. The world’s top hockey league will allow its players to participate in the Games in 2026 in Milan and in 2030 under an agreement announced Friday by the NHL, the NHL Players’...

BOSTON — Theo Epstein, who as Red Sox general manager was the architect of two World Series championships, is returning to the organization as a minority owner and part-time senior adviser to its parent company, Fenway Sports Group. Epstein, who also helped the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 title —...

With Marcus Pettersson’s overtime winning goal lifting his club over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 27, the postgame mood at PPG Paints Arena heading into the All-Star break was undoubtedly positive for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The night before, the Penguins (22-17-7) lost in a shootout to the Florida Panthers...

This is a magical time of year for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Optimism runs rampant. Mock drafts pile up. We imagine that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will revolutionize, not be a different take on the same outdated offensive philosophy. (The vision is Mike Tomlin’s, not the coordinator’s.) We’re told Smith...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield beat Houston’s C.J. Stroud in the Precision Passing skills challenge, helping the NFC build a 12-6 lead over the AFC on the opening night of the 2024 Pro Bowl Games. The made-for-TV Pro Bowl Skills Show, aired Thursday night from a fieldhouse on...

MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl quarterbacks are a well-traveled group, most of whom have moved from one Power Five program to another. Led by Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix, all seven have spent this week leading up to Saturday’s Senior Bowl working on their next landing...

In any sport, the phrase “garbage time” usually refers to the last few minutes of a blowout game. It’s a chance for an empty-net goal, a few extra baskets, or some inconsequential passing yards en route to a two-touchdown loss. However, Duquesne basketball coach Keith Dambrot is starting to have...

It’s been three days since word broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to hire Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. By now, you’ve probably read a lot about what went wrong for him as Atlanta’s head coach from 2021-23. Those teams never made the playoffs, going 7-10 every year. The last...

Friday’s “First Call” spotlights a pair of NFL coaching moves that tie into the Pittsburgh Steelers. We reflect on a very important Steelers Super Bowl anniversary. The market for a Jake Guentzel trade may have just been set for the Penguins. Also, both Robert Morris hockey teams have important conference...

LOS ANGELES — Chris Shula, the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, will be the Los Angeles Rams’ new defensive coordinator, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not yet...

Robert Morris played a catch-up game for the entire night Thursday at Oakland and dropped its second straight Horizon League men’s basketball decision. Blake Lampman scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, and the Golden Grizzlies went on to an 87-72 victory over the Colonials in...

TORONTO — Elias Lindholm was on his way back to Calgary from a trip to Mexico when he learned he had been traded to NHL-leading Vancouver. When he arrived at All-Star Weekend on Thursday, a new Canucks jersey with his name and No. 23 on the back was waiting for...

RENTON, Wash. — There wasn’t anything personal with John Schneider’s heavy rooting interest for the AFC championship game last weekend and wanting to see Kansas City, and not Baltimore, in the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks general manager was simply thinking about the future of his organization and the desire...

NEW YORK — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers were chosen as All-Star reserves Thursday, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks also had two players selected. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves will be going to the Feb. 18 game...

Caitlin Clark has been a must-see attraction all season, with sold-out arenas where some tickets have gone for thousands of dollars on the secondary market. The prices are only expected to go higher as the Iowa star approaches the NCAA all-time scoring record over the next few weeks. While teams...

TORONTO — In the aftermath of last year’s NHL All-Star skills competition that was confusing, disjointed and went off poorly in the arena and on television, Gary Bettman asked Connor McDavid for his thoughts. The long-serving commissioner wanted to know what the reigning MVP, face of the league, Edmonton captain...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens hired Zach Orr as their defensive coordinator after Mike Macdonald left to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week. The Ravens announced the 31-year-old Orr’s promotion Thursday. He was Baltimore’s inside linebackers coach the past two seasons and also...

Jeff Hafley is leaving his job as Boston College’s head coach to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. The Packers announced Wednesday night that Hafley will take over for Joe Barry, who was fired last week after three seasons as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator. Hafley went 22-26 at Boston...

Patrick Mahomes is chasing Tom Brady. Brock Purdy is playing in the shadow of Joe Montana. Winning the Super Bowl would be another major step for either quarterback. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs seek to become the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls when they...