Canadiens eager for coach’s return
When the Stanley Cup Final shifts to Montreal for Games 3 and 4, the Canadiens expect to have coach Dominique Ducharme back behind their bench.
Ducharme was required by provincial protocol in Quebec to isolate for 14 days after testing positive for the coronavirus. That two-week period ends Friday, just in time for Game 3 against the Lightning that night.
Game 2 in Tampa, Florida, was Wednesday night but it ended too late for this edition. The Lightning entered the game with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Canadiens players say Ducharme has actively participated in meetings virtually while assistant Luke Richardson handles the daily duties in person.
Forward Alex Killorn, the Lightning’s fourth-leading scorer, sat out Game 2 with an undisclosed injury. Cooper said Killorn, who has eight goals and nine assists in the playoffs, is “day to day.” ... Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews announced in a video that he sat out this season because he had “chronic immune response syndrome.” The 33-year-old five-time All-Star and three-time Cup champ said he will play next season . ... Oilers captain Connor McDavid ran away in the voting to win his second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP on Tuesday night. McDavid became just the second unanimous Hart selection — joining Wayne Gretzky in 1982 — in receiving all 100 first-place votes from members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. McDavid also won his third Ted Lindsay Award as the league’s most outstanding player, which is voted on by NHL players. The 24-year-old also won Hart honors in 2017, had already won his third Art Ross Trophy in six seasons for leading the NHL with 105 points. Other award winners: Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury (Vezina, goalie), Rangers’ Adam Fox (Jack Norris, defenseman) and Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov (Calder, rookie).
College baseball: Houston Harding and Preston Johnson combined on a four-hitter and Mississippi State capitalized on struggling Vanderbilt pitching in a 13-2 victory Tuesday night in Omaha, Nebraska, that forced a deciding third game in the College World Series finals. The defending champion Commodores issued a season-high 10 walks, including three in a row by 17-yearold starter Christian Little (3-2) that fueled a four-run fourth inning for the Bulldogs. It was Vandy’s most lopsided loss in its 29 all-time CWS games. Game 3 was Wednesday night but ended too late for this edition.
NFL: The Saints signed All-Pro OL Ryan Ramczyk to a five-year contract extension. ESPN reported that the deal is worth $96 million in new money, including $60 million guaranteed. The deal makes the 27-year-old former first-round draft pick out of Wisconsin the highest-paid right tackle in the league.
Soccer: Premier League club Manchester United agreed to a fee with Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga for the transfer of Jadon Sancho, ESPN reported. United will pay $101 million for the England winger’s move. Sancho’s former club Manchester City will receive 15% of the profit made by Dortmund on the transfer. Sancho, 21, will undergo a physical before signing a contract that runs through at least 2026.