Crosby has health issue
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby did not practice Sunday, a day after leaving a team scrimmage with an undisclosed health issue.
The team captain and two-time NHL MVP scored during an organized scrimmage Saturday. Head coach Mike Sullivan declined to offer specifics on what happened to Crosby in the immediate aftermath, saying he was simply “not permitted to comment.”
On Sunday, assistant coach Mark Recchi sidestepped a question about Crosby’s status.
“You’re trying the wrong guy,” Recchi said. “I think you know the league’s stance right now. Sorry about that.”
The Penguins are about two weeks out from facing Montreal in the qualifying round of the 24-team NHL postseason. Pittsburgh will be in the Toronto pod when play resumes.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Deiveson Figueiredo won the vacant UFC flyweight championship Sunday, finishing a dominant performance against Joseph Benavidez with a rear naked choke with 12 seconds left in the first round at Fight Island, the UFC’s base of operations on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Figueiredo (19-1) became just the third 125-pound champion in UFC history by thoroughly dominating his second victory in five months over Benavidez. The Brazilian veteran knocked down Benavidez three times with punches and barely missed on several choke attempts before finally landing a choke that appeared to render Benavidez unconscious.
Earlier, touted flyweight contender Ariane Lipski finished Luana Carolina with a gruesome kneebar in the first round. Lipski, a Brazilian nicknamed the Violence Queen, earned her second straight victory after unexpectedly losing her first two UFC fights in early 2019.
SOCCER
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona closed out its Spanish league campaign with a 5-0 rout at Alavés.
The goals moved Messi closer to becoming the first player to finish as the league’s top scorer in seven different seasons. He has 25 goals, four more than striker Karim Benzema for champion Real Madrid.
HOCKEY
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Caleb Jones said he tested positive for the coronavirus before training camp.
Jones said he tested positive when he returned to Edmonton from his home in Dallas. He says he was asymptomatic.
The NHL is not releasing the names of players who test positive for the virus, and the league also is no longer revealing which teams players who test positive play for.
The 23-year-old Jones became the second NHL player to acknowledge a positive test in a media interview. Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews also revealed his positive test.