In the news
Mantha and Moran named players of the month: The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) today announced Devin Mantha and Mike Moran of the Mississippi RiverKings are the Bauer Co-Players of the Month for March/April.
Mantha scored 10 goals, added 13 assists and was +11 in just 13 games, while adding four power play goals and three shorthanded markers. A native of Ann Arbor, MI, Mantha finished the season with 39 points (18g, 21a) in just 32 games with the RiverKings. On March 11 against Roanoke, Mantha became the fifth player in SPHL history to record five goals in a single game and the second to record seven points in a game.
Moran matched his teammate with 10 goals and 13 assists in 13 games, while posting a +12 rating with two game-winning goals. A native of Marshfield, MA, Moran led the RiverKings in goals (29), assists (24), points (53) and game-winning goals (eight) while playing just 42 games.
Weight loses interim status, becomes coach of Islanders: Doug Weight is returning as coach of the New York Islanders next season.
Weight led the Islanders within one point of a playoff spot after taking over a last-place team on an interim basis in January. The team announced Wednesday he was named to the position on a permanent basis.
New York went 24-12-4 under Weight after he replaced the fired Jack Capuano on Jan. 17 when the Islanders were last in the Eastern Conference at 17-17-8. They responded to Weight, moving into the second wild-card spot in the closing weeks before a three-game losing streak knocked them out of the position.
The Islanders won six straight to close the season, finishing one point behind Toronto for the East’s last wild card.
Before Sunday’s season finale, Weight, who also is assistant general manager, said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to return as coach but hoped to have the situation resolved quickly.
Report: Stars bring back Hitchcock as coach: A person with direct knowledge of the situation says Ken Hitchcock is returning to coach the Dallas Stars.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team hadn’t announced the hire.
Hitchcock won the Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999, coaching there for parts of seven seasons from 1995-96 through 2001-02. He has since coached the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues.
The 65-year-old was fired as Blues coach in February and replaced by Mike Yeo. Even before that, St. Louis announced it was Hitchcock’s final season there and that Yeo would take over.
Hitchcock replaces Lindy Ruff, who was fired Monday after four seasons in Dallas.
St. Louis sues NFL, teams over Rams relocation to LA: The city of St. Louis and that region’s sports authority are suing the National Football League over the Rams’ relocation to Los Angeles.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in St. Louis Circuit Court also names the NFL’s 32 teams as defendants and seeks unspecified damages and restitution.
The lawsuit alleges the Rams failed to meet league relocation rules when leaving for Los Angeles before last season, constituting a contractual breach with St. Louis.
The NFL did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The lawsuit alleges that St. Louis has lost an estimated $1.85 million to $3.5 million each year in amusement and ticket tax collections, as well as roughly $7.5 million in property taxes.
MLB commissioner urging Indians to scrap Wahoo logo: Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has made his strongest comments yet on wanting the Cleveland Indians to eradicate their Chief Wahoo logo.
Manfred has been in talks with Indians owner Paul Dolan about abolishing the divisive symbol, which has sparked debate for decades.
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Manfred wants to transition away from the logo.
In the past, Manfred has only gone as far as saying he understood why many people find the logo offensive. Now, Manfred appears to be pressuring the Indians to make more significant changes.
Protesters gathered outside Progressive Field on Tuesday to demonstrate against the team’s usage of the red-faced, smiling logo.
The Indians have decreased Chief Wahoo’s profile, switching their primary logo to a block “C” several years ago. The symbol still appears on some of the sleeves of some of the team’s uniforms and caps.
Attorney wants SEC’s Sankey off NCAA panel hearing UNC case: An attorney in North Carolina’s ongoing academic scandal wants Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey removed as head of the NCAA infractions panel hearing the case because of a conflict of interest.
Raleigh attorney Elliot Abrams wrote the NCAA this month saying Sankey “has a personal, professional and institutional interest in the outcome” of the case involving his client, Deborah Crowder, a retired UNC officer administrator. He compared Sankey’s involvement to “the Commissioner of the SEC refereeing a championship game between an (Atlantic Coast Conference) team and an SEC team.”
He also described Sankey as a potential witness regarding a previous case at Auburn during his time as an SEC associate commissioner that had similarities but didn’t lead to major violations.
In a second letter Tuesday, Abrams stated the third Notice of Allegations outlining charges against Crowder and UNC should be tossed out. He called it the result of “inappropriate pressure from a conflicted hearing panel,” adding that the entire panel is tainted by Sankey’s involvement and should be recused.