Bettman: Miller not eligible for NHL now

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Saturday that Mitchell Miller is not eligible to play in the league, one day after the defenseman signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins.

The 20-year-old Miller was selected by the Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, but they relinquished his draft rights for bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities in middle school.

The Bruins signed Miller after spending several weeks during an evaluation period with the player. Miller said he would continue to participate in community programs to educate himself and share his mistakes with others.

“He’s not coming into the NHL, he’s not eligible at this point to come into the NHL,” Bettman said in Tampere, Finland, ahead of the second regular-season game between the Avs and the Blue Jackets.

Bettman said the NHL was not consulted by the Bruins on the signing.

Artturi Lehkonen scored in his home country, and the Avs beat the Jackets 5-1 on Saturday for a sweep of the NHL’s two-game series in Finland.

Golf: Dow Finsterwald became a footnote in history as the first player to win the PGA Championship in stroke play and the last U.S. captain of a Ryder Cup before continental Europe was invited to join. More than a major champion and Ryder Cup player, he devoted his life to golf as the longtime professional at The Broadmoor in Colorado. Finsterwald, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, died Friday night at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was 93. His son, Dow Finsterwald Jr., said he died peacefully in his sleep.

Soccer: Gareth Bale tied the score 3-3 on a header in the eighth minute of stoppage time, backup goalkeeper John McCarthy stopped two Philadelphia shots in the shootout, and Los Angeles FC beat the Union 3-0 on penalty kicks to claim its first MLS Cup championship Saturday.