NHL not expanding playoffs: Bettman
Sixteen teams, each one needing to win 16 games over four rounds of bestof-seven series to lift the Stanley Cup, has been the way the NHL decides its champion for nearly four decades. That isn't changing any time soon.
The NHL is content with the current format and isn't looking to add more teams, a play-in round or anything else amid plenty of discussion about doing so.
“We're not giving any thought to expanding the playoffs,” commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We have no interest in it. What we have is working very well.”
The Minnesota Wild signed goalie
Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year, US$2.5-million contract extension on Wednesday, bringing back the veteran for his age-40 season. Fleury, who turns 40 on Nov. 28, has had a prolific season in which he passed Patrick Roy for second place behind Martin Brodeur on the NHL `s all-time list in career goaltending wins. Brodeur (691) is still 130 ahead of Fleury.
This year marks the first time in 18 years that Fleury isn't part of the NHL playoffs.
Isaiah Adams remains the top-ranked
player for the 2024 CFL draft. The Illinois offensive lineman topped the CFL Scouting Bureau's spring top-20 list released Wednesday, retaining the No. 1 spot he held in December. However, teams eyeing the six-foot-five, 320-pound Adams from Ajax, Ont., in the April 30 draft will have to wait as he's expected to be taken in the NFL draft, which is slated to be held April 25-27 in Detroit.
Theo Johnson, of Windsor, Ont., a six-foot-six, 260-pound tight end from Penn State, moved up one spot into second behind Adams. Tanner McLachlan, of Lethbridge, Alta., a sixfoot-five, 245-pound tight end from Arizona, also improved one position to sit third overall.
Toronto's Kyle Hergel, an offensive lineman from Boston College, also moved up a spot into fourth ahead of Theo Benedet, a towering six-foot-seven, 305-pound native of North Vancouver who anchored the University of B.C.'s offensive line.
Canadians Gillian (The Savage) Robertson
and Marc-Andre (Powerbar) Barriault have been added to Conor McGregor's comeback fight card.
Robertson, ranked 15th among strawweight contenders, will face No. 14 Michelle Waterson- Gomez at UFC 303, scheduled for June 29 in Las Vegas. Barriault takes on American middleweight Joe Pyfer.
Robertson (13-8-0) has won three of her last four outings. The 28-year-old from Niagara Falls, Ont., now based out of Florida, is 10-6-0 in the UFC.
Barriault (16-7-0 with one no-contest) is coming off a split-decision loss to American Chris (The Action Man) Curtis at UFC 297. UFC 303 marks McGregor's first fight since UFC 264 in July 2021 when the Irish star broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier.