ALFREDSSON, SEDINS HEAD TO HOCKEY HALL
Swedes and
Sedin and were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Goaltender Roberto Luongo, Finnish women’s star Riikka Sallinen and builder Herb Carnegie were also selected Monday to be inducted in November.
“It’s nothing you think about when you play the game of hockey,” Henrik Sedin said. “But for us, we put our head down and put our work in every day. We get the most out of our talent. That’s what we’re most proud of today.”
The Sedins and Luongo are being inducted in their first year of eligibility. Alfredsson made it in his sixth year, ending the wait for the longtime Senators captain who helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 and spent 17 seasons of his 18-year career in Ottawa.
“It’s such a privilege to have been able to play this sport for a living,” Alfredsson said. “It’s something I would have played for fun for my whole life; without a question to be recognized in this way is truly humbling.”
Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year and was the face of the franchise for the Ottawa Senators for almost two decades.
Each of the Sedins won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in scoring, and Henrik won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2010. Luongo is fourth in league history in victories.
More hockey
The Boston Bruins signed General Manager Don Sweeney to a multiyear extension. The move comes six weeks after they lost in the first round of the playoffs and three weeks after he fired coach Bruce Cassidy.
Luke Richardson is the new coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, stepping into a tricky rebuilding process for one of the NHL’s marquee franchises.
Sports and courts
One of the women who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct filed a lawsuit Monday against the Houston Texans, alleging that Watson’s former team “turned a blind eye” and “enabled” his behavior.
The lawsuit was filed in Harris County District Court one day before Watson’s NFL disciplinary hearing is scheduled to begin, with the league poised to argue to a disciplinary officer that Watson should face an indefinite suspension of at least one year for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Attorney Anthony Buzbee, who represents other Watson accusers in addition to the woman who filed Monday’s lawsuit against the Texans, said he expects “many” other lawsuits to be filed against the team.
Basketball
Former Illinois star and NBA player Dee Brown is the new coach at Roosevelt University in Chicago. The NAIA school announced the hiring of the 37-year-old.
South Carolina’s star Aliyah Boston has been honored with the Honda Cup, which is presented annually to the top college women’s athlete.
Also
Formula 1 is close to renewing its United States broadcast rights with ESPN, for an exponentially higher price. One source says ESPN would pay in the range of $75 million to $90 million per year. ESPN paid nothing for F1 rights in 2018 and has paid $5 million a year since. That means the price tag to keep F1 could be up to 18 times higher.
Spain will remain out of the Rugby World Cup next year after its appeal to overturn a penalty for using an ineligible player was dismissed.
Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe and ace sprinter Mark Cavendish won’t be on the starting line when the Tour de France kicks off Friday from Copenhagen. Alaphilippe has not recovered enough in the two months since his horrific crash at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. His Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team unveiled its eight-man roster for cycling’s biggest race. Cavendish, who last year equalled Eddy Merckx’s alltime record of 34 Tour stage wins, also missed the cut and was named as first-reserve rider for Quick-Step despite winning the British national title over the weekend.
Soccer officials and government authorities from Spain and Portugal have met to discuss a joint bid to host the men’s 2030 World Cup. Morocco was previously included in talks but was dropped from the project.