ZAMBONI DRIVER GETS HIS OWN DAY
N.C.» David Ayres will get RALEIGH, another turn in the spotlight — this time in Carolina.
A night after Ayres stepped in as an emergency goalie in Carolina’s 6-3 victory at Toronto, the Hurricanes said they are bringing the Zamboni driver to Raleigh for their game Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.
“See you Tuesday, Davey!” the club said on its Twitter account. “Ayres will be in the building on Tuesday and will be our @VectorSecurity Siren Sounder!”
“They’re flying me down to Carolina for their game on Tuesday, so I’ll get to spend more time with the guys, which is good,” Ayres said Toronto on Sunday at the Maple Leafs’ practice facility. “They’re a great team, great organization.”
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin also announced Tuesday will be “David Ayres Day” in the city.
The Hurricanes started selling shirts with Ayres’ name and No. 90 after the game. The team says Ayres will get royalties and a portion of the proceeds will go to a kidney foundation in honor of the goaltender, who underwent a kidney transplant in 2004.
Capitals acquire Kovalchuk. WASHINGTON» The Capitals acquired winger Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens for a 2020 thirdround pick.
The 36-year-old Kovalchuk becomes the fourth prominent Russian player on the Capitals, joining forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. He has six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 22 games since joining the Canadiens.
Lightning signs Bogosian.
FLA.» Defenseman Zach Bogosian TAMPA, went from having his contract terminated by the Buffalo Sabres to landing in the thick of the playoff race with the Tampa Bay Lighting.
The Lightning signed Bogosian to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.
The 12-year veteran returns to the NHL after spending the past week in limbo. The Sabres suspended Bogosian for refusing to report to the minors last weekend, before placing him on unconditional waivers Friday.
Fury regains heavyweight title.
» Tyson Fury is a heavyweight LASVEGAS champion once again, dominating Deontay Wilder in their title rematch late Saturday night before Wilder’s corner threw in the towel in the seventh round.
A boxer in their first fight, Fury went on the attack in the rematch and knocked Wilder down twice before a flurry of punches in the seventh prompted his corner to call an end to the highly anticipated rematch.
Brignone surpasses Shiffrin for overall World Cup lead.
CRANSSWITZERLAND» Federica MONTANA,
Brignone now leads the World Cup overall standings ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin after winning an alpine combined event.
By earning 100 World Cup points, Brignone opened a gap of 73 to threetime defending champion Shiffrin who has taken an extended break from racing after the death of her father in Colorado.
Shiffrin’s return to the World Cup circuit is unclear with up to 12 pointsscoring events left at five different venues until the season ends March 22 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Several races are in her specialist slalom and giant slalom disciplines.
Morris signs with Lakers.
ANGELES» Markieff Morris has LOS signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the postseason push.
The Lakers announced the deal to add the nine-year NBA veteran immediately after he cleared waivers.
Los Angeles waived injured center DeMarcus Cousins to clear a roster spot.
Morris reached a buyout agreement with the Pistons on Friday. He averaged 11 points and 3.9 rebounds in 44 games with Detroit this season.