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  • Penguins place Sidney Crosby on injured reserve after he got hurt at the Olympics

    Penguins place Sidney Crosby on injured reserve after he got hurt at the Olympics

    PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to start their playoff push without Sidney Crosby.

    The club placed its longtime captain on injured reserve Wednesday. The move comes after Crosby suffered a lower-body injury during the Olympic hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Games.

    The 38-year-old three-time Stanley Cup winner went down in the second period of Canada’s quarterfinal win over Czechia. The Canadians held out hope Crosby would be able to return, but he sat out a semifinal win over Finland and a loss to the United States in the gold medal game.

    Crosby, who is expected to miss at least four weeks, does not regret his decision to play in Milan.

    “It’s the Olympics and it’s an amazing experience just as an athlete, not just as a hockey player,” he said, later adding, “Obviously injuries are part of the game.”

    Crosby did not have an issue with the hit he absorbed from Czechia defenseman Radko Gudas.

    “He was trying to be physical and play hard as any defenseman would and it just went the wrong way as far as on my end of it,” he said.

    Crosby credited the medical staff in Italy with helping him have a shot at playing in the gold medal game. He believes he came “a lot closer” than he thought he would to suiting up for Team Canada in the final.

    Asked if he considered playing in a limited capacity, such as being relegated to strictly the power play, Crosby shook his head.

    “If you can’t go out there and do a job and be relied upon … then you can’t force it and that’s really what it came down to,” he said.

    The injury comes with the surprising Penguins in second place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh is looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

    Crosby has been his usually productive self this season. He leads the Penguins in goals (27), assists (32) and points (59) and is on pace to extend his NHL record of averaging at least a point a game to 21 years and counting.

    “Obviously, I want to be back out there as soon as possible,” he said. “Just have to figure out what that looks like and how that’s going to be and be at my best when I come back.”

    Pittsburgh opens the post-Olympic break at home against New Jersey on Thursday. The matchup with the Devils is the first of 13 games in a 24-day stretch for the Penguins.

    “All year we’ve had injuries [and] guys have stepped up,” he said. “To get to where we’re at at this point, it’s because of our team play.”

  • Sixers dominate Pacers, 135-114, in Joel Embiid’s return to the lineup

    Sixers dominate Pacers, 135-114, in Joel Embiid’s return to the lineup

    INDIANAPOLIS — Joel Embiid had 27 points in his return to the lineup after missing five games with right shin soreness and right knee injury management, Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, and the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 135-114 on Tuesday night.

    Embiid scored 20 points in the first half, sinking 11 of 17 shots in 26 minutes. VJ Edgecombe chipped in with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the 76ers, who shot 58%.

    Andrew Nembhard and Micah Potter each scored 23 for the Pacers. Quenton Jackson had 15 points and rookie Kam Jones added a career-high 13 points.

    Joel Embiid will return to the Sixers lineup vs. Pacers after missing five games

    Pacers leading scorer Pascal Siakam was out with a left wrist sprain. The Pacers also were without Aaron Nesmith, who missed his third consecutive game with right ankle sprain.

    Indiana shot 42% from the field and committed 16 turnovers. The Sixers held a 44-41 rebounding edge with Maxey leading the way with nine rebounds. Jarace Walker had 10 rebounds for the Pacers.

    The 76ers showed their dominance inside with a 82-52 edge in points in the paint.

    Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (center) had a game-high 32 points against Indiana.

    The Pacers led 38-30 after the first quarter, but the 76ers answered with a 17-0 spurt to open the second quarter and take a 47-38 lead. Philadelphia shot 64% to take a 75-65 lead at halftime.

    Maxey scored 13 points in the third quarter as the 76ers took complete control, expanding the lead to 106-85 after three quarters.

    The Sixers led by 28 points in the fourth quarter before emptying the bench. They will return to Xfinity Mobile Arena next to face the Miami Heat on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Raiders GM tamps down trade talk around Maxx Crosby, says he expects star edge rusher to stay with team

    Raiders GM tamps down trade talk around Maxx Crosby, says he expects star edge rusher to stay with team

    INDIANAPOLIS — The Las Vegas Raiders are planning to keep star edge rusher Maxx Crosby despite the trade talk around the five-time Pro Bowl pick, general manager John Spytek said Tuesday.

    “Maxx is an elite player. I’ve been very upfront from the start since I got here, that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them,” Spytek said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

    Why do Jayden Daniels, Maxx Crosby, and other NFL players keep professing their ‘love’ for Eagles fans?

    Crosby has been rehabilitating from left knee surgery he underwent three days after the regular season ended, as speculation about his status has persisted following an NFL-worst 3-14 record for the Raiders and the firing of coach Pete Carroll after just one year on the job.

    Crosby said earlier this month he doesn’t want out and that the unsubstantiated reports suggesting he does make him laugh. His future with the club that drafted him in the fourth round out of Eastern Michigan in 2019 became a subject when he was placed on injured reserve with two games left against his wish, preferring to play out the season. Crosby, who has 69½ sacks in seven years, had a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 2025.

  • Chris Sale, Braves agree to one-year, $27 million deal for 2027

    Chris Sale, Braves agree to one-year, $27 million deal for 2027

    ATLANTA — Left-hander Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves agreed Tuesday to a contract worth $27 million for the 2027 season.

    A 36-year-old, who won the 2024 NL Cy Young Award in his first season with Atlanta, Sale agreed to a deal that includes a $30 million team option for 2028.

    Atlanta acquired Sale from Boston in December 2023 and he agreed to a reworked $38 million, two-year contract that included an $18 million club option for 2026. The Braves exercised the option in November.

    Sale is 25-8 with a 2.46 ERA in 49 starts and one relief appearance with the Braves. He made the All-Star team twice, raising his total to nine.

    He is 145-88 with a 3.01 ERA is 15 major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2010-16), Boston (2017-23) and Atlanta, striking out 2,579 in 2,084 innings. His 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings are the most among pitchers with 1,500 or more innings.

    Sale has thrived with the Braves after making nine trips to the disabled and injured lists with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

  • Milan Cortina Olympics were the most-watched Winter Games since 2014 with 96% more viewers than Beijing

    Milan Cortina Olympics were the most-watched Winter Games since 2014 with 96% more viewers than Beijing

    The Milan Cortina Olympics averaged 23.5 million viewers in the United States, making them the most-watched Winter Games since 2014 with a 96% larger audience than the Beijing Games four years ago.

    NBCUniversal said the average includes combined audiences on NBC, Peacock, CNBC, USA Network and other digital platforms. It covered the live afternoon (2-5 p.m. EST) and prime-time (8-11 p.m. EST/PST) windows.

    The figures are based on Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel ratings (through Feb. 19), Nielsen’s early figures for the final three days (Feb. 20-22) and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

    Viewership numbers for the United States’ 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in men’s hockey on Sunday morning were not expected until Tuesday. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said on Monday that 8.7 million were watching in Canada when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime. The celebration that followed included American players carrying the jersey (and eventually the children) of late South Jersey hockey star Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed along with his brother by an alleged drunk driver while biking near their family home in Salem County.

    Johnny Gaudreau’s dream was to be an Olympian. His family lived it for him, in a moment fit for a ‘movie.’

    “I feel in so many ways that these Winter Olympics exceeded our expectations. We were reminded that the Olympics are the most exciting, unpredictable and biggest stage in sports,” said Molly Solomon, the executive producer of NBC’s Olympics coverage. “And what I think came together in Italy was that the settings were stunningly beautiful, the access we had to the athletes and their lives was unprecedented. And then you take the technology, the first-person view drones, the audio, and it took the audience inside the stories in fresh, meaningful ways.

    “And Team USA, I mean, the results, you’ve seen the numbers for the medals and things. America wants to see how their team’s performing, and it’s the best performance in an overseas Olympics. Everything lived up to the billing, and some of the superstars had riveting, dramatic performances. Not all of them gold, but that’s the Olympics, right?”

    Dylan Larkin (21) holds Johnny, the son of the Johnny Gaudreau while posing with teammates after Team USA beat Canada in overtime to claim its first men’s hockey gold medal since 1980.

    NBC broadcast the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the NBA All-Star Game in February, the first time a network had all three in one month. It also premiered “Sunday Night Basketball” on Feb. 1.

    According to Nielsen, 215.6 million U.S. viewers tuned in for at least one of those events. Audience reach numbers have been higher under Nielsen’s new rating system since the minimum viewing requirement was reduced from 5 to 3 minutes.

    Super Bowl 60 averaged 125.6 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, the second-most-watched program in U.S. history. The All-Star Game had its highest audience in 15 years, averaging 8.8 million, and the Lakers-Knicks game on Feb. 1 averaged 4.5 million.

    “I have to say it’s probably better than we expected. This doesn’t happen through luck or happenstance. This happens through just really good planning and then execution across the month. So really happy overall and I don’t think it could have gone better, honestly,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said.

  • Tyrese Maxey scores 39 and 76ers hit 21 3-pointers in 135-108 win over Timberwolves

    Tyrese Maxey scores 39 and 76ers hit 21 3-pointers in 135-108 win over Timberwolves

    MINNEAPOLIS — Tyrese Maxey had 39 points and eight assists, VJ Edgecombe made a career-high six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 135-108 on Sunday night to snap a four-game losing streak — all by double figures.

    Maxey made 16 of 28 shots from the field and hit four of Philadelphia’s 21 3-pointers. Quentin Grimes had 19 points, which included five 3s, and seven assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and four steals.

    Coming off a 126-111 defeat Saturday night at New Orleans, the Sixers were again without center Joel Embiid, who missed his third straight game since the All-Star break due to right shin soreness. Embiid also sat out three of the last five games going into the break with soreness in his right knee.

    Minnesota had its three-game win streak snapped. Anthony Edwards scored 19 of his 28 points in the first half for the Timberwolves. Jaden McDaniels added 19 and Julius Randle scored 18.

    Naz Ried (shoulder soreness) did not play for Minnesota, and Rudy Gobert served a one-game suspension for accumulating too many flagrant fouls. Gobert, the four-time NBA defensive player of the year, will be suspended two games for each additional flagrant foul this season.

    Joan Beringer, a 6-foot-11 center, made his first career start for the Timberwolves. Picked No. 17 overall in the 2025 draft, Beringer had two points and three fouls in five first-half minutes. Ayo Dosunmu started the third quarter in Beringer’s place and finished with 12 points.

    Grimes hit a 3-pointer and then found a cutting Adem Bona for a dunk before Maxey drained a fadeaway jumper and a 3 to cap a 10-2 run that made it 35-26 at the end of the first quarter. Philadelphia led the rest of the way.

  • Team USA beats Canada in OT to win first men’s hockey Olympic gold since 1980

    Team USA beats Canada in OT to win first men’s hockey Olympic gold since 1980

    MILAN (AP) — No miracle needed. The United States is on top of the hockey world for the first time in nearly a half-century.

    Jack Hughes scored in overtime and the U.S. defeated Canada 2-1 in the gold medal final at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday to earn the nation’s third men’s title at the Games and its first since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 — 46 years to the day of the famous upset over the Soviet Union, too.

    Unlike that ragtag group of college kids that pulled off one of the biggest shockers in sports history, the Americans in Milan were a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a stacked roster full of NHL players through the tournament unbeaten.

    “This is all about our country right now,” Hughes said. “I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong.”

    Hughes’ goal off the rush after a pass from Zach Werenski just 1 minute, 41 seconds into three-on-three overtime, sent players into a wild celebration as Canada’s entire team watched from the bench. Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk, former teammates of Johnny Gaudreau, carried a Gaudreau No. 13 around the ice as the latest tribute to the beloved player who was killed along with his brother in 2024 by an alleged drunk driver while riding his bicycle in South Jersey’s Salem County.

    Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane, his widow, Meredith, and their oldest children were in attendance. It was John Jr.’s 2nd birthday.

    Hellebuyck was by far the best player on the ice, stopping 41 of the 42 shots he faced as Canada tilted the ice toward him. He made the save of the tournament by getting his stick on the puck on a shot from Devon Toews in the third period, then minutes later denied Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway — something he also did to Connor McDavid earlier.

    “Unbelievable game by Hellebuyck,” Hughes said. “He was our best player by a mile.”

    It was only fitting the Americans needed to go through Canada, their northern neighbor that beat them at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago and has won every international competition over the past 16 years that featured the world’s best players.

    Not anymore.

    Winning a fast-paced, riveting game that was full of big hits and plenty of post-whistle altercations, the U.S. got a goal from Matt Boldy 6 minutes in and led until Cale Makar tied it late in the second period. Hellebuyck and the penalty kill were a perfect 18 for 18 at the Olympics.

    “I can’t even believe this,” Hughes said. “I mean it’s such an unbelievable game, USA-Canada. Such a good game. There’s so many great players. We’re a great team. That’s exactly how we wanted it to go. We’re underdogs to Canada, [but we] beat them. It could have gone either way.”

    The U.S. finally came through after generations of churning out talent from the grassroots level like a production line. All but two of the 25 players on the team went through USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.

    That group of 23 includes captain Auston Matthews, the top line of Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Eichel, and the second set of brothers, Jack and Quinn Hughes. Much of the team played together either at the program, under-18s, the World Junior Championship, or some combination of them.

    The U.S. winning silenced criticism of general manager Bill Guerin and his management group choosing a roster full of experienced veteran players to fill specific roles and leaving four of the top 10 American goal scorers in the NHL this season at home. Some decisions were no-doubters, like coach Mike Sullivan giving the net to Hellebuyck, who was the best goalie in the tournament.

    Canada, back-to-back Olympic champions in 2010 and ’14 and winners of three of the first five, fell short while playing without injured captain Sidney Crosby. The 38-year-old two-time gold medalist and three-time Stanley Cup champion left the quarterfinal game against Czechia and sat out the semifinal game against Finland.

    McDavid, the widely considered best player in the world who wore the “C” in Crosby’s absence, suffered another devastating defeat on the doorstep of a title. He and the Edmonton Oilers have lost to Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two years.

  • Sixers drop fourth straight following road loss to lowly New Orleans Pelicans

    Sixers drop fourth straight following road loss to lowly New Orleans Pelicans

    Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr added 25, but the Sixers would ultimately lose their fourth straight game following a 126-111 loss on Saturday night.

    The Sixers still remain sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.

    Jordan Poole highlighted a 23-point performance with five three-pointers, as the Pelicans outscored Philadelphia 60-35 during the final 21 minutes.

    Zion Williamson added 21 points, Saddiq Bey had 20, and 17-year veteran center DeAndre Jordan grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots.

    The Sixers led from late in the first quarter until the final two minutes of the third, and by as many as 11 points. But the Pelicans chipped away, and Jeremiah Fears’ free throws put New Orleans back in the lead at 91-89 in the third quarter.

    VJ Edgecombe scored 14 for Philadelphia, which shot 31.4% in the second half, missing 21 of 24 three-point attempts.

    Karlo Matkovic followed with a corner three and hit three free throws after being fouled on another deep shot. That gave him nine points — starting with his cutting dunk as he was fouled — during a 40-point period for the Pelicans.

    New Orleans surged to a 97-91 lead by the end of three quarters and opened the fourth quarter on a 23-8 run, capped by Poole’s three which made the score 120-99 with 5:20 left.

    New Orleans remained comfortably in front from there, with Poole’s virtually squelching any chance of a late Sixers comeback.

    The Sixers will look to rebound on a back-to-back to take on Minnesota on Sunday night (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • U.S. pays tribute to the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at the Winter Olympics

    U.S. pays tribute to the late Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at the Winter Olympics

    MILAN — Johnny Gaudreau was working hard to make the U.S. team heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics. He and brother Matthew watched the event growing up in South Jersey, always with eyes on playing in it.

    “It was their dream,” Jane Gaudreau said her sons.

    Johnny and Matthew died on Aug. 29, 2024, when they were struck by an SUV while riding bicycles near their hometown of Salem County on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding. Their deaths shocked the hockey community, and the Gloucester Catholic High School graduates have been honored since by retired numbers, a memorial 5K, and more.

    An elite player a decade into his NHL career and the all-time U.S. leading scorer in international play, Johnny Gaudreau was on track to be in Milan for the tournament that wraps up Sunday when the Americans play rival Canada for the gold medal. Guy Gaudreau said USA Hockey was gracious enough to tell the family their oldest son was on the projected roster.

    Friends and family honor Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau at the inaugural Gaudreau Family 5K

    “He wanted to be on this team,” Guy Gaudreau said during the third period of the U.S. semifinal win on Friday night. “And it would’ve been nice if he’d been here.”

    The U.S. is honoring the Gaudreau brothers with a tribute to them in their locker room at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. A blue No. 13 Gaudreau jersey hangs there as a reminder of the player known as “Johnny Hockey,” who was beloved by so many on the national team and beyond.

    “It means everything — we all know he should be here with us,” said Dylan Larkin, who played with Gaudreau at multiple world championships. “He should be with us. We love him, and I like that we continue to think about him and I wouldn’t imagine it any other way.”

    Jane and Guy Gaudreau, along with Johnny’s widow, Meredith, and their two oldest children arrived in Milan on Friday. The Gaudreau parents had been planning a trip to Las Vegas and initially hesitated after USA Hockey invited them to attend.

    “Our two daughters, for 24 hours, they just kept at us: ‘You have to go. The boys would want you to do this. This would mean so much to John,’” Jane said. “It just means so much to our family, and we’re so excited to remember what our boys meant to hockey.”

    The Gaudreau family connections to players on the roster run deep, from Boston College to the NHL. In addition to the world championships, Johnny played with Noah Hanifin on the Calgary Flames and Zach Werenski on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

    “Johnny was close to a lot of guys in that room,” Hanifin said. “We know he’d be here with us, so we’ve been thinking about him and carrying him with us.”

    Werenski said after he and his teammates advanced to the final that Meredith reached out to his wife a few days earlier to let them know they were coming.

    “It’s great having them here, and it’s super special,” Werenski said. “We’re happy that we made it to the gold-medal game so they can watch that and be a part of it. It’s on us to make them proud.”

    Not that it would have been much of a debate, but coach Mike Sullivan confirmed what management told the Gaudreaus: Johnny would have been on the team if he were still alive, based on his body of work and how well he has played in a U.S. uniform.

    “He was one of America’s very best,” Sullivan said. “He’s just a good person on the ice and off the ice, and I think he’s an inspiration to our players to this very day.”

    Nearly a year after the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths, their sister made sure Johnny and Matt were at her wedding

    Players still talk about Gaudreau, and “all the stories are funny,” according to Charlie McAvoy, who played alongside him at worlds.

    “Just an amazing person, just an infectious personality,” McAvoy said. “The detail, really, with our staff and our equipment staff especially to make sure that he’s always with us, little reminders of him in the room, and they just go a long way. You always see them. They’re just gentle. They’re right there. But we know that he’s always with us.”

    Along with Johnny’s No. 13 jersey is that number on the wall alongside Matthew’s No. 21. It’s similar to what USA Hockey did a year ago at the 4 Nations Face-Off, when Guy Gaudreau took part in practice as a guest coach.

    This would have been Johnny Gaudreau’s first chance to play at the Olympics after the NHL did not participate in 2018 and 2022. But it almost certainly won’t be the last time his jersey hangs in the U.S. locker room at the game, a tradition that could continue for years to come.

    “I hope so,” Larkin said. ”I sure hope so.”

  • A World Cup FanFest that had been planned near the Statue of Liberty is canceled

    A World Cup FanFest that had been planned near the Statue of Liberty is canceled

    NEW YORK — The New York and New Jersey World Cup host committee has canceled its fan festival that had been planned to be held at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

    The committee scrapped plans for the weekslong festival that would have been held about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where the final will be played on July 19.

    The FanFest was announced in February 2025 by Tammy Murphy, wife of then-New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and chair of the New York/New Jersey host committee’s directors, who said it would be open for all 104 matches of the tournament, which starts June 11.

    The committee said in a statement Friday an “expanded network of fan zones and community celebrations across 21 counties in New Jersey will serve as a cornerstone of the region’s official fan engagement program.”

    Mikie Sherrill, Murphy’s successor as governor, announced a $5 million initiative Thursday to fund community World Cup initiatives.

    Tickets for the FanFest had been put on sale in December.

    Plans for a FanFest in New York City’s Corona Park in Queens did not move forward. One is now planed for the U.S. Tennis Association’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens from June 17-28 and a fan village is scheduled for Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center from July 4-19.

    Fan fests with large video screens have been a part of each World Cup’s organization since 2006.

    FIFA is running the World Cup itself unlike in the past, when a local organizing committee was in charge of logistics. The host committees are limited to sponsorship agreements in categories not reserved by FIFA.