Leading scorer of Sharks' AHL affiliate signs in Sweden
Joachim Blichfeld, the leading scorer of the Sharks' AHL affiliate each of the last two seasons, is joining the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League.
Växjö made the announcement on its website Wednesday. Blichfeld, a winger, was set to become a restricted free agent this offseason after he was given a one-year contract extension by the Sharks last July.
“Växjö Lakers feels like a good club for me to be able to take the next step in my career,” Blichfeld was quoted as saying on the team's website.
Blichfeld, 23, had a combined 36 goals and 67 points over the last two years with the Barracuda, including 45 points in 61 games this season.
Blichfeld played a combined eight games for the Sharks during the 20192020 and 2020-2021 seasons, scoring one goal. In March 2021, he was suspended for two games by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon.
Gymnastics BILES, OTHER WOMEN SEEK $1B-PLUS FROM FBI OVER NASSAR >>
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and dozens of other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar are seeking more than $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor when the agency first received allegations against him, lawyers said.
There's no dispute that FBI agents in 2015 knew that Nassar was accused of assaulting gymnasts, but they failed to act, leaving him free to continue to target young women and girls for more than a year. He pleaded guilty in 2017 and is serving decades in prison.
“It is time for the FBI to be held accountable,” said Maggie Nichols, a national champion gymnast at Oklahoma in 2017-19.
Under federal law, a government agency has six months to respond to the tort claims filed Wednesday. Lawsuits could follow, depending on the FBI's response.
NFL SUPER BOWL MVP KUPP GETS CONTRACT EXTENSION FROM RAMS >>
Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams after a spectacular season in which he led the NFL in every major receiving category.
The Rams announced the deal just two days after signing Aaron Donald to a massive contract extension. Kupp's new extension is worth $75 million, bringing his total deal to $110 million when adding the two years remaining on his first extension.
Kupp had one of the greatest seasons in football history last year in his first pairing with new Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Kupp led the NFL with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns for Los Angeles, earning The Associated Press' Offensive Player of the Year award.
Kupp's catches and yards were both the second-highest totals in NFL history,
albeit accomplished in a 17-game season. The firsttime All-Pro racked up another 33 catches for 478 yards and four touchdowns in the postseason, capping the season with two TDs in the Super Bowl — including the eventual game-winning 1-yard TD catch with 1:25 to play.
BROWNS EXCUSE MAYFIELD FROM CAMP, WATSON SITUATION EXPANDS >>
Deshaun Watson's complex legal situation has the Cleveland Browns in limbo and unclear about the quarterback's immediate future.
They have a better handle on Baker Mayfield's.
The team said that Mayfield, who lost his job when the Browns traded for and signed Watson in March to a $230 million contract, has been excused from next week's mandatory minicamp.
Mayfield remains on the Browns' roster while the team tries to trade the No. 1 overall pick from 2018. While Mayfield's situation is headed toward a resolution, Watson's continues to change.
Now facing 24 civil lawsuits — and potential NFL discipline — from massage therapists accusing him of sexual misconduct during sessions while he played for Houston, Watson practiced
amid the release of new details contained in a report by The New York Times.
In an article published Tuesday, the Times reported Watson booked appointments for massages with 66 women over a 17-month period. The list of women includes the 24 who have filed lawsuits, with two of those being added in the past week.
Horse racing NATIONAL HORSE RACING SAFETY RULES BEING IMPLEMENTED JULY 1 >>
Lisa Lazarus walked around the backstretch at Belmont Park nine days before the final leg of horseracing's Triple Crown selling as much as observing.
The CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority talked with trainers, riders and other horsemen about the sport's federally mandated new governing body that she has been tabbed to oversee. Lazarus was peppered with questions and complaints about the new rules that are about to become the national standard.
Once she explained what will change — and what won't — the most common response Lazarus said she got was, “It's nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be.”