SATURDAY SPORTS: MCDAVID WINS SKILLS

NHL

• Connor McDavid can add another individual honour to his resume after winning the NHL all-star skills competition. The Edmonton Oilers captain also takes home the one-million dollar US prize. The three-time MVP won four of the six events he entered last night in Toronto. The all-star game goes this afternoon.
• It’s the news many NHL players have been waiting for. A deal is in place that allows them to participate at the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics. NHL players haven’t competed at the Games since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. The league is also planning a Four Nations tournament for next February. It will include top NHL players from Canada, the U-S, Sweden and Finland.
• Jim Hiller is the new interim coach of the Los Angeles Kings. He succeeds Todd McLellan in the position. McLellan was let go yesterday, paying the price for the Kings’ slide down the standings over the last five weeks. LA has lost 14 of its last 17 games. The Kings are only four points away from falling out of a playoff spot in the NHL’s Western Conference standings.
• The Winnipeg Jets acquired Sean Monahan in a trade Friday with the Montreal Canadiens, giving one of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference more depth at center for a potential playoff run. Winnipeg sent its 2024 first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in 2027 to Montreal for the pending free agent.Acquiring Monahan gives the Jets an elite one-two punch down the middle, after Mark Scheifele. With captain Adam Lowry and Vladislav Namestnikov already on the roster, the Jets look to have the centers to compete with anyone in the NHL.
• Past the midway point of their second season in a 5,000-seat arena, the Arizona Coyotes still do not have a concrete plan on where they will be playing next year or beyond.While NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman voiced optimism about owner Alex Meruelo getting something done to keep the team in the Phoenix area, Players’ Association executive director Marty Walsh expressed concern.

  “Unfortunately, we’ve had two unofficial deadlines to come up with some movement and we’ve gone past both of those,” Walsh said Friday at All-Star Weekend. “If there’s no plan in Arizona, I would encourage a move to another location, absolutely.”

  Bettman said he was not in the business of contradicting owners and was trusting Meruelo. “Alex Meruelo, as recently as last week, told me he was certain he was going to get this done,” Bettman said. “I’m both hopeful and reasonably confident that he’s going to do what he says.”

WHL

Regina, Sask. – The Swift Current Broncos defeated the Regina Pats 3-0 on Friday inside the Brandt Centre.

Despite a solid first period and opening 30 minutes of action, the Broncos took a 1-0 lead midway through the second frame. The Broncos would add two more in the early parts of the final stanza to take a 3-1 season series lead over the Pats. Reid Dyck made 26 saves for his second straight shutout while Zach Turner, Clarke Caswell and Ty Coupland (1G-1A) scored for the Broncos.

(ReginaPats.com)

Elsewhere in the WHL on Friday:

WARRIORS 3 RAIDERS 1

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Lynden Lakovic, Jagger Firkus and Atley Calvert scored in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders in Western Hockey League action on Friday night.

Warriors goaltender Jackson Unger saved 27 of 28 shots.

THUNDERBIRDS 3 ROYALS 2

VICTORIA – Jordan Gustafson had the lone goal of the shootout to give the Seattle Thunderbirds the victory over the Victoria Royals.

Scott Ratzlaff made 30 saves and stopped all three shots in the shootout.

GIANTS 3 COUGARS 2

LANGLEY – Logan Hammett scored late in the third period to lift the Vancouver Giants over the Prince George Cougars.

Brett Mirwald stopped 36 shots for the Giants.

CHIEFS 6 SILVERTIPS 4

EVERETT – Six different Spokane players scored in the Chiefs’ victory over the Everett Silvertips.

Dominik Rymon scored twice in a losing effort.

WHEAT KINGS 4 REBELS 1

BRANDON – Brett Hyland scored twice as the Brandon Wheat Kings defeated the Red Deer Rebels.

Wheat Kings netminder Carson Bjarnason kicked out 39 of 40 shots.

BLADES 5 TIGERS 2

SASKATOON – Egor Sidorov had two goals to lead the Saskatoon Blades past the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Fraser Minten also scored twice for the Blades.

HITMEN 6 OIL KINGS 5

EDMONTON – Carter Yakemchuk scored the overtime winner to lead the Calgary Hitmen past the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Maxim Muranov scored twice for the Hitmen.

BLAZERS 4 WILD 1

KAMLOOPS – Emmitt Finnie scored a goal and added two assists as the Kamloops Blazers downed the Wenatchee Wild.

Logan Bairos, Jordan Keller and Ashton Ferster had the other goals for Kamloops.

WINTERHAWKS 11 ROCKETS 1

PORTLAND – James Stefan scored a hat trick as the Portland Winterhawks rolled to victory over the Kelowna Rockets.

Nate Danielson and Jack O’Brien had one goal and two assists apiece.

SUPER BOWL

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce says he is ready for the Super Bowl circus to begin when his team arrives in Las Vegas to play the San Francisco 49ers a week from Sunday. Kelce spoke Friday about what it will be like there, particularly given how visible his profile has become this past year. He is constantly appearing in advertisements and on television, and the fact that he’s dating pop star Taylor Swift has made him even more newsworthy. Said Kelce: “At this point, I just love it. It’s an exciting time.”

NBA

Houston dumped the Toronto Raptors 135-106. Toronto has dropped six of its last seven games. Meanwhile Russell Westbrook is the 25th player in N-B-A history with 25-thousand points. He scored 23 points in the L-A Clippers’ 136-125 win over Detroit last night. Kawhi Leonard had 33 points for the Clippers. 

LIV GOLF

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Joaquin Niemann began the third LIV Golf season by shooting a 59 at LIV Golf Mayakoba. It’s the second time in as many years a sub-60 round has been posted on the Saudi-funded league. Bryson DeChambeau shot 58 at the Greenbrier last year. Niemann was at 12 under two holes to play on the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba. He says he didn’t realize the course played as a par 71 until people started encouraging him to shoot 58. He still was happy with 59. Masters champion Jon Rahm made his debut in LIV Golf with a 66.

(Canadian Press)