Flyers star Simmonds calls it quits
Former Philadelphia Flyers star Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement Monday, ending a 15-year career that included NHL All-star Game MVP honours.
Simmonds, who played in 18 games last season for the Leafs, will sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Flyers and be honoured by the franchise during an April 13 game against the Devils.
Simmonds blossomed into a durable star for the Flyers after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in a 2011 trade. He scored 203 goals during his eight seasons with the Flyers.
Simmonds was one of several Black players who helped form the Hockey Diversity Alliance in 2020, creating another avenue in the NHL to fight racism and intolerance in the sport.
The 35-year-old had 263 goals and 526 career points in 1,037 NHL regular-season games in 15 seasons with Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Nashville, New Jersey, Buffalo and Toronto (2008-23).
Jason Shivers is returning
to the Edmonton Elks as the club's assistant head coach, defensive co-ordinator and linebackers coach.
Shivers, who played five seasons in the CFL with Toronto (2007-09) and Hamilton (2010-11), previously served as Edmonton's defensive backs coach (2014 and 2015), helping the team capture the 2015 Grey Cup. Edmonton has also brought on board Markus Klund as the defensive backs coach, Albert Poree as the running backs coach, Nate O'neal as defensive line coach, and Takoby Cofield as the assistant offensive line coach.
The Dallas Cowboys are
slightly reducing quarterback Dak Prescott's salary cap hit by reworking his contract going into the final year of the deal.
A US$5 million roster bonus has been converted into a signing bonus to reduce the 2024 cap hit by $4 million, to about $55 million, a person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the club doesn't release details of contracts. The move was first reported by ESPN.
The Cowboys can create more salary cap relief with an extension for Prescott, who is coming off a wildcard loss at home to Green Bay that dropped his playoff record to 2-5.
The Cowboys have been quiet in free agency, in part because of looming paydays for All-pro receiver Ceedee Lamb and star pass rusher Micah Parsons, the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Committing to Prescott beyond the coming season would make it easier to get deals done with Lamb and Parsons.
The San Francisco Giants
and longtime public-address announcer Renel Brooks-moon are parting ways after the sides failed to reach agreement on a contract extension. Brooksmoon was one of baseball's first Black female PA announcers and now will be the club's public address announcer emeritus, still representing the Giants in the community as a volunteer, activist and mentor.