NHL cancels ’21 ASG, Winter Classic

The NHL won’t take it outside and open 2021 with the Winter Classic in Minnesota but still hopes to get the hockey season going around the start of the new year.

The league on Thursday canceled the Winter Classic scheduled for Jan. 1 at Target Field in Minneapolis and All-Star Weekend that was set for late January in Sunrise, Florida. It said those moves don’t change the league and players’ target date to begin on or around Jan. 1 in the hopes of each team playing a full 82-game season.

No guarantee of being able to host fans led to the cancellation of the two signature events. The league hopes to bring them back to those cities in future years.

Colleges: The Big Ten will determine whether to cancel games this year based on COVID-19 testing positivity rates within a team, and if a game can’t be played, it will be deemed a “no contest,” the conference announced. The Big Ten, which begins its season Friday night, will attempt to play an eight-game conference season in eight weeks, plus a ninth game for all 14 teams during Big Ten champions week the weekend of Dec. 19. In order to compete in the Big Ten championship game, a team must play at least six games.

Golf: Sebastian Munoz of Colombia twice holed out for eagle from a combined distance of 219 yards to shoot an openinground 8-under 64 and take a one-shot lead at the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Tyrell Hatton of England, who won the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth on Oct. 11 and then finished third at last weekend’s PGA Tour event, was tied for second with former PGA champ Justin Thomas. Tiger Woods shot a 76 for his worst score by two strokes in 49 rounds at Sherwood Country Club. For the first time in his 1,277 rounds on the PGA Tour as a pro, the 44-year-old Woods made bogey or worse on three par 5s in a single round. ... Danielle Kang and Jennifer Song shot opening-round 7-under 65s to share a one-stroke lead lead at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Greensboro, Ga.

NBA: The NBA draft on Nov. 18 will be held virtually and hosted from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn., the NBA and ESPN announced. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will be in studio at ESPN to announce the selections for the first round. Top players will join the telecast virtually.

NFL: The Vikings traded DE Yannick Ngakoue to the Ravens, less than two months after acquiring the fifth-year pass rusher in a deal with the Jaguars. ESPN reported the Ravens will send a 2021 third-round draft pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick to the Vikings. Ngakoue is tied for fourth in the NFL with five sacks, including two forced fumbles. Also, ESPN reported that Vikings DE Danielle Hunter will not play this season due to a neck injury that requires surgery.