Woman from NBA hired by Penguins

The Penguins are continuing to reshape their hockey operations department, hiring Teena Murray as their senior vice president of integrated performance.

Murray, who most recently worked for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, will oversee the team’s strength and conditioning staff and rehabilitation, sports science and medical staff. She will report directly to general manager Ron Hextall.

The Quebec native was Sacramento’s vice present of health and performance for four years. Prior to that, Murray spent 14 years in college athletics at the University of Louisville, where she served as the director of sports performance.

In her 25-plus years of experience working with pro and collegiate teams, Murray had stints with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers.

Murray also won two IIHF World Championship gold medals, as well as a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Games, when she was the director of performance for the U.S. Women’s national and Olympic hockey teams from 2006-10.

More hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers selected John Tortorella for their coaching vacancy, the latest veteran tasked with stopping the franchise’s 47year Stanley Cup title drought. Tortorella, who turns 64 next week, coached Tampa Bay to a championship in 2004, and he also coached the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. He was fired in May 2021 after six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

• NHL commissioner Gary Bettman isn’t sure if he’ll be open to reinstating Joel Quenneville if the former coach asks to return to the league. Quenneville resigned as Florida Panthers head coach in October after an investigation revealed how the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled allegations that former player Kyle Beach was sexually abused by an assistant coach in 2010. Quenneville was the head coach of that team.

Baseball

The Washington Wild Things earned their third consecutive win on the road by taking the series opener in Schaumburg, 5-3. Washington did it behind a very strong start from righthanded pitcher Rob Whalen and three, two-out runs in the fifth inning of the contest.

Pro football

A person with knowledge of the decision said the NFL fined the Washington Commanders $100,000 and stripped the team of two offseason workouts next year because of excessive contact in practice among players.

• The NFL suspended New

York Giants linebacker Justin Hilliard without pay for the first two games of the 2022 regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Tennis

Coco Gauff reached the semifinals on grass for the first time after beating Karolina Pliskova, 7-5, 6-4, at the Berlin Open to set up a match with Ons Jabeur. Already in uncharted territory in her first quarterfinal on grass, the 18-year-old French Open finalist had to fight back from 2-0 down at the start of each set.

• Matteo Berrettini, the second-seeded Italian, beat Tommy Paul, 6-4, 6-2, and will play Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands for a spot in the final.

• Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev beat Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the semifinals of the Halle Open in Germany. Medvedev faced nine break points and saved them all to set up a semifinal with German Oscar Otte.

• Rafael Nadal confirmed that he intends to play at Wimbledon for the first time in three years. Nadal, who won his 14th French Open title earlier this month, will attempt to win a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title at the All England Club this year.

Golf

Jennifer Kupcho opened a two-stroke lead over defending champion Nelly Korda in the LPGA Meijer Classic in Belmont, Mich., shooting a 5-under 67 in windy conditions for her second consecutive bogey-free round. A stroke ahead entering the morning round after a career-best 63 on Thursday afternoon, Kupcho had a 14under 130 total at windswept Blythefield Country Club.

College

Bob McKillop is retiring after 33 seasons as Davidson’s men’s basketball coach. McKillop’s son, Matt, who played at Davidson and has been an assistant coach under his father for the past 14 seasons, is being promoted to replace him.

• Connecticut’s men’s basketball program landed its fourth transfer of the offseason, announcing the addition of Joey Calcaterra, a 6-foot-3 guard who played four years at San Diego.

Auto racing

Charles Leclerc received a 10-place grid penalty because Ferrari changed his engine ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. An engine failure knocked Leclerc out of last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix while leading and Ferrari has since deemed the engine “beyond repair.”