Zegras leaves BU
Trevor Zegras is in hockey limbo like everyone else, but he is hoping that signing with the Anaheim Ducks on Friday will serve as motivation until he can get back on the ice.
Zegras was the ninth overall pick in last year’s NHL draft. He said during the Ducks’ developmental camp last summer that he intended to play college hockey for one season before signing a professional contract.
The center had 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 games as a freshman at Boston University. He was tied for second among NCAA freshmen in assists and tied for third in points (36) and points per game (1.09).
Zegras was on the United States team at this year’s World Junior Championship. He was only the second player since 2004 to have nine primary assists in a single tournament. The Bedford, New York, native also tied for the fourthmost assists by a U.S. player during a World Junior Championship.
Giguere honored
Clarkson junior forward Elizabeth Giguere has been selected as the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner, presented annually to the most outstanding player in women’s college hockey.
USA Hockey made the announcement on Friday. The native of Quebec City was the NCAA Division I leader with 37 goals this season, which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Giguere added 29 assists for the Golden Knights, who finished 256-6 and reached the NCAA Tournament.
Northeastern sophomore Alina Mueller and Wisconsin senior forward Abby Roque were the other finalists, as chosen by a 13-person selection committee comprised mostly of coaches and media.
Cowboys sign two
The Cowboys and kicker Greg Zuerlein agreed Friday on a $7.5 million, threeyear contract, with $2.3 million guaranteed.
The deal with Zuerlein comes just a few days after the Cowboys resigned Kai Forbath, who made all 10 kicks last season after replacing the shaky Brett Maher.
Dallas also announced a deal with nearly 350pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe in another signal of going bigger inside under new coach Mike McCarthy, who brought in Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator.
The 32-year-old’s accuracy has tailed off in the two seasons since connecting on a career-best 38 field goals in 40 tries in 2017, when he was an All-Pro and Los Angeles reached the Super Bowl.
Spots will be held
Good news for all those who have already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics: You’re in for 2021.
Olympic officials have confirmed that the 6,200 or so athletes who had already punched their ticket for Tokyo will keep their spots for the rescheduled games next year.
The decision, agreed to by all the international sports organizations, resolves one of the key questions for marathoners, open-water swimmers and hundreds of other athletes whose qualifying process came early in the 2020 sports calendar, before the coronavirus started shutting down sports across the globe.
Still to be determined is how the 33 sports that make up the Olympics will allocate the rest of the spots at the rescheduled games.