Biden honors NHL champion Tampa Bay
Joe Biden avoided politics Monday while honoring the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning for winning the Stanley Cup in each of the past two seasons.
In a rare sports break amid his administration's response to Russia's war in Ukraine, the president on Monday referenced first lady Jill Biden's attendance at a vaccination event at the Lightning's home arena last year and congratulated the Lightning for winning two pandemic championships: one in an empty building in a quarantined bubble and another in a packed house at home in Tampa.
“I'm not saying that the first lady being there at your arena during the playoffs is why you won,” Biden said with a smile. “But just saying that she was there during the election season, as well. She seems to show up when people win. Just something to think about.”
Biden made little mention of other players while talking about the team winning one championship in an empty building in a quarantined bubble and another in a packed house at home in Tampa.
Russian players Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev attended the White House and shared photos on social media. There were no noticeable absences and a handful of players from Tampa Bay's 2020 title team who had departed or retired made appearances.
Despite the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup three times — in 2004, 2020 and 2021 — it was the organization's first time visiting a sitting president at the White House. The 2004-05 NHL lockout prevented that year's team from going, and the pandemic delayed this opportunity until nine months after the second of these back-to-back championships.
Steven Stamkos, who is Canadian, said it was “a long time coming.”
Soccer
QUAKES' ESPINOZA NAMED MLS PLAYER OF WEEK >> San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Cristian Espinoza was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 8 of the MLS season. Espinoza scored three goals, including the stoppage-time game-winner, and added one assist during Saturday night's 4-3 victory over Seattle Sounders FC. Espinoza was also selected to Major League Soccer's Team of the Week along with interim head coach Alex Covelo, who was making his MLS head coaching debut.
NFL
VIRGINIA AG TO INVESTIGATE COMMANDERS >> Virginia's attorney general has launched an inquiry into the Washington Commanders following allegations of financial improprieties raised by a congressional committee.
Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, disclosed his office's investigation in a letter to a team lawyer, saying he viewed it as his “responsibility to carefully examine the material facts regarding this matter.”
“To be clear, I have not prejudged the issues raised regarding the Commanders,” he wrote.
The announcement from Miyares comes about two weeks after the House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to the Federal Trade Commission saying it found evidence of deceptive business practices over the span of more than a decade, including withholding ticket revenue from visiting teams and refundable deposits from fans.
The Commanders denied the allegations in a letter to the FTC.
“The team categorically denies any suggestion of financial impropriety of any kind at any time. We adhere to strict internal processes that are consistent with industry and accounting standards, are audited annually by a globally respected independent auditing firm, and are also subject to regular audits by the NFL. We continue to cooperate fully with the Committee's work,” the team said in a statement Monday.
The NFL has said it engaged former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White “to review the most serious matters raised by the committee” — notably an allegation by a former team employee that owner Dan Snyder groped her, which Snyder denies.
In Virginia, Deputy Attorney General Steven Popps will lead the inquiry, according to the letter, which a spokeswoman for Miyares shared with The Associated Press.
“I request full cooperation and transparency from your client during this inquiry,” Miyares wrote in the letter, which was addressed to attorney Jordan Siev of the law firm Reed Smith.
College basketball
MICHIGAN'S DIABATE ENTERS NBA DRAFT >> Michigan freshman Moussa Diabate is entering the NBA draft. The 6-foot-11 forward announced his plans a day after standout center Hunter Dickinson decided to return for his junior season.
Diabate started 26 of 32 games for the Wolverines, averaging nine points and six rebounds.
Tennis
ALCARAZ YOUNGEST INTO ATP TOP 10
SINCE 2005 >> Carlos Alcaraz moved up to No. 9 in the ATP rankings, a little more than a month before he turns 19, making him the youngest man to break into the top 10 since Rafael Nadal did it exactly 17 years ago.
Alcaraz rose two spots after winning the Barcelona Open on Sunday. He beat Pablo Carreño Busta 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
At 18 years, 11 months and 20 days old, Alcaraz is the ninth-youngest man to reach the top 10 since the computer rankings began in 1973. His fellow Spaniard Nadal was about a month younger when he climbed into the top 10 on April 25, 2005.
At 11 days past his 17th birthday in 1985, Aaron Krickstein was the youngest man to crack the top 10 on the ATP Tour.
Novak Djokovic remained at No. 1 after finishing as the runner-up to Andrey Rublev in the Serbia Open, with Daniil Medvedev still at No. 2, Alexander Zverev at No. 3 and Nadal at No. 4.