Neck guards are mandatory in hockey at the Olympics. That’s an adjustment for NHL players
MILAN — There will be a big visual difference between hockey at the Milan Cortina Olympics and the version played in the NHL: Every player is required to wear a neck guard. “I haven’t worn a neck guard since youth hockey,” U.S. forward Brady Tkachuk said. “But it’s good.” The...
NFL has a short break before it’s time for the combine, free agency and the draft
Don’t blink because the NFL will be back in less than two weeks. Now that the Seattle Seahawks have been crowned Super Bowl champions, it’s on to the 2026 season. That will kick off with the annual scouting combine from Feb. 23-March 2 in Indianapolis. Free agency follows March 9...
Stuart Skinner meshing well in Penguins’ locker room, with Arturs Silovs in net
As a preteen, Stuart Skinner attended a goaltending camp in Toronto put on by youth development coach Eli Wilson. When Skinner was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, he thought back to that camp and two people in particular whom he crossed paths with there. The first was...
First Call: Calvin Austin on his uncertain future with Steelers; Marcell Ozuna’s PNC Park struggles
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some revealing quotes from one of Pittsburgh’s top wide receivers. We look at a challenge facing Marcell Ozuna now that he is a Pittsburgh Pirate. Pitt gets good news about a Panthers basketball alum in advance of the club’s big game against Duke on Tuesday night....
Tim Benz: We may already be looking at an Aaron Rodgers decision deadline
According to what ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting, we may be coming up on a soft deadline from the Pittsburgh Steelers to Aaron Rodgers regarding a decision about his playing status next year. During an appearance Monday on the “Pat McAfee Show,” Schefter told the program that many on the...
Adding Marcell Ozuna solves DH dilemma but creates confusion in projecting Pirates roster
A team once infamously dubbed a “hodgepodge of nothingness” by Dennis Eckersley now has a lineup littered with All-Stars after the Pittsburgh Pirates added another in Marcell Ozuna. By agreeing with Ozuna to a one-year contract worth $12 million Monday, the Pirates not only pushed their payroll above $100 million...
Even with Marcell Ozuna, Pirates’ offseason moves are tough to evaluateVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates made some national headlines Monday by signing former Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million contract. Even before that acquisition, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently released his grades for how Major League Baseball organizations performed this offseason. The former Cincinnati Reds general manager...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Saint Vincent men heating up down stretch
Like any coach, Saint Vincent’s D.P. Harris wants his team to play at its best basketball late in the season. The Bearcats appear to be rounding into postseason form with the Presidents Athletic Conference men’s tournament just around the corner. SVC moved to 14-7 overall and 9-3 in the conference...
No. 9 Kansas beats top-ranked, previously undefeated Arizona
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Flory Bidunga had a double-double, and No. 9 Kansas defeated top-ranked and previously unbeaten Arizona, 82-78, on Monday night. Arizona (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) entered Allen Fieldhouse with the second-longest winning streak in Division I men’s basketball. Kansas (19-5, 9-2) played without freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who...
Raiders officially hire Klint Kubiak as head coach after his Super Bowl win with Seahawks
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders made it official Monday by announcing Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will be their next head coach. Kubiak arrived in Las Vegas on Monday fresh off a 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Among the questions facing...
Despite Super Bowl loss, Patriots believe they have ability to return and win more titles
Just as New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had done throughout his team’s surprise run to the NFL’s biggest stage, he made sure he was the first person to offer hugs to his players as they exited the field following Sunday’s Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, the...
MLB spring training brings attention to robot umps, WBC
Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC. In what could be the last...
Browns tight end David Njoku says it’s time for a new home
CLEVELAND — David Njoku appears to be looking to leave the Cleveland Browns after playing tight end for the franchise for nine seasons. “The time for me to find a new home has come,” Njoku posted on social media Monday night. NFL free agency begins next month. The 29-year-old Njoku...
Duke surges to No. 11 in Top 25 women’s poll with 15-game streak
Duke climbed up to No. 11 in the Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 poll Monday thanks to a 15-game winning streak. The Blue Devils took over sole possession of first-place in the ACC last week with a one-point victory over then-No. 6 Louisville. Duke, which jumped six places this...
‘Don’t jump in them’: Olympic athletes’ medals break during celebrationsVideo
MILAN — Handle with care. That’s the message from gold medalist Breezy Johnson at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after she and other athletes found their medals broke within hours. Olympic organizers are investigating with “maximum attention” after a spate of medals have fallen off their ribbons during celebrations on...
Arizona holds No. 1 spot for 9th week in AP Top 25
Arizona remained firmly atop the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a ninth consecutive week Monday, whereas Houston jumped back into the top five and Kentucky returned to the rankings for the first time since December. Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats (23-0) claimed all 59 first-place votes in the...
Pitt women’s basketball coach sued by former players alleging hostile environment
Six women who previously played basketball at Pitt are suing coach Tory Verdi and the school, alleging he created a hostile environment, abused players psychologically and retaliated against them after they complained. The individual lawsuits were filed Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh. They include claims for violations of Title...
Lindsey Vonn’s father says he wants her to retire after Olympic crash
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn’s father said Monday that the American superstar will no longer race if he has any influence over her decision and that she will not return to the Winter Olympics after breaking her left leg in the downhill over the weekend. “She’s 41 years old,...
Olympics roundup: 2 golds in 3 days for Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen; Eileen Gu wins silver
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen won the first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics over the weekend, and he added another on Day 3. It’s turning into quite the Olympic debut for von Allmen, who partnered with Tanguy Nef to win the team combined...
After winning Super Bowl 60, Seahawks face challenges to repeat as champions
SAN FRANCISCO — Less than 24 hours removed from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was aware of his team’s new standing across the league. After beating the New England Patriots, 29-13, on Sunday to win the team’s second Super Bowl, the...
U.S. reaches 1st Olympic curling mixed doubles final, will face Swedish siblings for goldVideo
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Korey Dropkin whooped and hollered and directed a string of fist pumps to a small pocket of American curling fans chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” The U.S. is headed to the mixed doubles final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — and has quashed the title hopes of...
‘Loaded for bear’: Jeff Capel expects tough task from Duke, freshman phenom Cameron Boozer
Over the weekend, when Jeff Capel sat down to begin preparing for Duke’s Tuesday evening visit to Petersen Events Center, it marked the first time he had watched the Blue Devils at length this season. As a Duke alumni himself and a coach in the ACC, Capel was doubtless aware...
Mark Madden: Super Bowl showed value of franchise quarterback, and other observations
That Super Bowl was so boring I couldn’t glean an entire column from it. So what we got is refreshing sports notes. (I was going to write them using either Spanish or redneck. I couldn’t decide.) • For Steelers fans, the big takeaway from the Super Bowl is that Seattle...
NASCAR emerges from federal antitrust lawsuit bruised but ready for its 78th season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the days following the 2004 Hendrick Motorsports flight that killed all 12 people aboard, Bill France Jr. and Mike Helton showed up at Rick Hendrick’s front door in Charlotte, N.C. France, terminally ill at the time, was the chairman of NASCAR, the stock car racing...
Tim Benz: Are Steelers fans playing the wrong ‘what-if game’ after Seattle’s Super Bowl win?
My Super Bowl gathering Sunday night couldn’t have been the only one in Pittsburgh that had this kind of conversation. “What if the Steelers had been willing to outbid Seattle for Sam Darnold?” There were plenty of reports that the Steelers made an offer for his services. To what extent...
