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Despite a slew of wild finishes in men’s college basketball this week, the upper tier of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll remains largely unchanged.

Auburn retains the No. 1 spot for another week. The Tigers survived a slog with No. 8 Tennessee over the weekend and claim all 31 first-place votes. Duke holds on at No. 2 after outlasting Wake Forest on the road. Iowa State nudges ahead of Alabama into the No. 3 spot, and Houston hangs on at No. 5 following its Houdini act at No. 11 Kansas to stay unscathed in the Big 12.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

Florida stays put at No. 6, while Big Ten leader Michigan State moves up a notch to No. 7. Marquette gains a spot to check in at No. 9, and Purdue moves back into the top 10.

The big mover of the week is St. John’s, climbing seven positions to No. 14, while No. 16 Memphis and No. 19 Texas Tech each move up six places. It’s a good week for the ACC as No. 22 Louisville and No. 25 Clemson move into the poll.

Michigan and West Virginia are this week’s dropouts.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

They all went through it, this road of gut punches and soul searching toward the college football elite. 

Nick Saban still talks about the three third-down touchdown passes Florida completed to beat Alabama in the 2008 SEC championship game, preventing the Tide from playing for a national title.

Alabama then won three of the next four national championships. 

Michigan lost twice in the College Football Playoff – once a rout (2021), once a humbling upset (2022) – before winning it all in 2023. 

And now Ohio State, after so many near misses under coach Ryan Day, finally put it all together and won the whole damn thing. 

Welcome to the grind, Penn State.

“I know how important winning is at Penn State,” Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said. “Trust me, that’s been made very clear to me, time and again.”

Close your eyes, and it may as well be Day explaining away the last three seasons. Or three months. 

It may as well be Jim Harbaugh declaring Michigan will beat Ohio State, or die trying — before the Wolverines got it right. 

Or Kirby Smart’s Alabama obstacle. Or Dabo Swinney finally breaking through at Clemson after the program’s near misses in big games were infamously dubbed Clemsoning.

It’s a brutal concoction of “what have you done for me lately” and “win or else.” With only one way out. 

“This isn’t the end,” Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said earlier this month after the Lions lost to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals. “We will be back.”

Franklin took a significant step late last week when he hired Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to run his defense and replace Tom Allen, who left for the same job at Clemson. Knowles led the nation’s No.1 defense in 2024, a unit that dominated four Top 10 teams in the national title run. 

Hiring Knowles not only shows significant commitment to a defense that returns the core of a strong unit – Knowles will be the highest-paid assistant coach in college football (a reported $3.1 million annually) – it also weakens Penn State’s Big Ten rival.   

But before we go further, let’s not undersell the obvious: the next step for Penn State is about players. Elite-level players. 

Alabama won national titles under Saban because he recruited better than anyone in the game. Now Smart does, and it should come as no surprise, Georgia is still considered the sport’s elite. 

REPORT CARD: College football season grades for all 134 teams

LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025

Harbaugh and Day recruited well, then added impact players from the transfer portal to take big swings in big games. Michigan doesn’t win the 2023 national title without a dominant offensive line built almost solely through the portal. 

Ohio State doesn’t win the national title last week without critical additions from the portal, including quarterback (Will Howard), running back (Quinshon Judkins) and safety (Caleb Downs). 

So Penn State’s reload for 2025 began in the transfer portal with its greatest weakness from 2024, a hole so obvious, it ended with almost unthinkable production in the biggest game of the season. 

Penn State’s wide receivers had zero catches in the CFP semifinal loss to Notre Dame. That’s right, not one catch. 

Franklin signed Devonte Ross of Troy, the best Group of Five receiver in the portal. Ross, like Tre Harris two years ago at Louisiana Tech, put up huge numbers (76 catches, 11 touchdowns) at an inferior level of play. Harris then became one of the game’s best at Ole Miss.

If Penn State can get that type of transition from Ross, and get more from emerging Southern California transfer Kyron Hudson, Allar’s third season as a starter could mirror JJ McCarthy’s third season at Michigan. 

A five-star recruit like Allar, McCarthy became elite when the Michigan offensive line improved, and the Wolverines could dictate tempo with a stout run game. If you want a template for Penn State’s reload, look to that 2023 Michigan team. 

Penn State returns the core of a strong offensive line, and the defense will likely be the best in the Big Ten. Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton – who both reached 1,000 yards in 2024 – stayed for their senior seasons, and will give Penn State the ability to dictate tempo at the point of attack. 

Just like Michigan did with running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.

“There’s a ton of guys coming back that are going to be hungry, and motivated for more,” Franklin said. “They’ve gotten a taste of what it feels like, and what it looks like and smells like.”

Welcome to the grind, Penn State. 

If you’re fortunate along the way, you’ll be welcomed to the club of those who stuck it out and made it work. 

And won the whole damn thing. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Ohio State had $292.3 million in total operating expenses during its 2024 fiscal year, according to its new annual revenue-and-expenses report to the NCAA. Not adjusting for inflation, the total is the second largest single-year spending total for a Division I public school since the NCAA began its current reporting system in 2005.

The new expense total announced Monday, for a period ending June 30, 2024, was accompanied by an operating deficit of $37.7 million. Texas made available its financial report later Monday which showed operating expenses of $325 million.

However, Ohio State’s deficit is at least partially a result of a $14.6 million decline in ticket revenue that resulted from the Buckeyes having six home football games during the 2023 season after having eight in the 2022 season, and from more $8.5 million in severance costs connected to the school’s firing of men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann in February 2024.  

(This story was updated with new information.)

Ohio State also had the previous top single-year operating spending total, reporting $274.9 million in fiscal 2023. So, the new total represents an increase of just over 6%. Both years’ figures are based on the school reporting that it sponsors 35 teams, one of the largest athletics programs among Division I public schools.

Texas — which reported 21 teams in 2023 — had $232.3 million in operating expenses that year, which had been the second-largest total prior to this year.

REPORT CARD: College football season grades for all 134 teams

LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025

The USA TODAY Network’s Columbus Dispatch obtained Ohio State’s new report Monday through an open-records request. The long-term data have been gathered in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database at Syracuse University.

Among other schools’ fiscal 2024 operating spending figures collected so far, Alabama reported $262.8 million and Texas A&M $243.7 million.

While it is no longer unusual for schools to set revenue and/or spending records almost annually, Ohio State’s 2024 total continued its overall recent trend of spending increases. Adjusting for inflation as June 2024, Ohio State reported spending $254.1 million in fiscal 2018.

“In this new era of rapid transformation in intercollegiate athletics, our commitment to our student-athletes is unwavering,” athletics director Ross Bjork said in statement released by the university. “We remain dedicated to supporting them in the classroom, in the training room and on the field of play as they compete for and win national, conference and individual event championships.  While last year’s budget impact is not ideal and there were unique circumstances at play, we have a robust expense and revenue plan that has been implemented and have made great progress in this ever-changing landscape of college athletics.  We will make sure we operate with a balanced budget moving forward.”

On a dollar basis in fiscal 2024, in addition to the ticket revenue, Ohio State also had substantial year-over-year declines in 2024 in royalties, licensing and sponsorship ($8.7 million) and in contributions ($5.3 million).

On the expense side, it also had notable increases in coaching compensation ($9 million) and administrative and support staff compensation ($5.4 million).

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

DeepSeek on Monday said it would temporarily limit user registrations “due to large-scale malicious attacks” on its services, though existing users will be able to log in as usual.

The Chinese artificial intelligence startup has generated a lot of buzz in recent weeks as a fast-growing rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and other leading AI tools.

Earlier on Monday, DeepSeek took over rival OpenAI’s coveted spot as the most-downloaded free app in the U.S. on Apple’s App Store, dethroning ChatGPT for DeepSeek’s own AI Assistant. It helped inspire a significant selloff in global tech stocks.

Buzz about the company, which was founded in 2023 and released its R1 model last week, has spread to tech analysts, investors and developers, who say that the hype — and ensuing fear of falling behind in the ever-changing AI hype cycle — may be warranted. Especially in the era of the generative AI arms race, where tech giants and startups alike are racing to ensure they don’t fall behind in a market predicted to top $1 trillion in revenue within a decade.

DeepSeek reportedly grew out of a Chinese hedge fund’s AI research unit in April 2023 to focus on large language models and reaching artificial general intelligence, or AGI — a branch of AI that equals or surpasses human intellect on a wide range of tasks, which OpenAI and its rivals say they’re fast pursuing.

The buzz around DeepSeek especially began to spread last week, when the startup released R1, its reasoning model that rivals OpenAI’s o1. It’s open-source, meaning that any AI developer can use it, and has rocketed to the top of app stores and industry leaderboards, with users praising its performance and reasoning capabilities.

The startup’s models were notably built despite the U.S. curbing chip exports to China three times in three years. Estimates differ on exactly how much DeepSeek’s R1 costs, or how many GPUs went into it. Jefferies analysts estimated that a recent version had a “training cost of only US$5.6m (assuming US$2/H800 hour rental cost). That is less than 10% of the cost of Meta’s Llama.”

But regardless of the specific numbers, reports agree that the model was developed at a fraction of the cost of rival models by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others.

As a result, the AI sector is awash with questions, including whether the industry’s increasing number of astronomical funding rounds and billion-dollar valuations is necessary — and whether a bubble is about to burst.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

The McDonald’s All-American Game is the preeminent showcase for the top high-school basketball talent in the country, an event that has previously served as a stage for the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Patrick Ewing, Kevin Durant and many others long before they became NBA superstars.

The next group of players who have the chance to follow in those illustrious footsteps has now been decided.

Boys and girls rosters for the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game were unveiled Monday, a pair of lists loaded with the best prep talent from across the country.

The group of boys invitees is headlined by BYU-bound AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in the 2025 recruiting class and one of the most hyped prospects in recent years, as well as twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer, who are both committed to Duke, following in the footsteps of their father, former NBA all-star Carlos Boozer.

Among those who will be participating in the girls game are No. 1 recruit Aaliyah Chavez, who is uncommitted, as well as Sienna Betts and Jasmine Davidson, who have committed to UCLA and USC, respectively.

The boys and girls’ games will take place on April 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and WNBA’s New York Liberty. The girls game will air at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 while the boys game will follow at 9 p.m. and air on ESPN.

The games will be preceded by a dunk contest, a 3-point competition and a game of knockout, all of which will be held on March 31.

McDonald’s All-American rosters 2025

Here’s a look at the boys and girls rosters for the 2025 McDonald’s All-American game, which are divided into east and west teams. Players are listed in alphabetical order, with their college commitment, if they’ve made one, in parentheses.

Boys game

East team

  • F Shon Abaev, Calvary Christian (Cincinnati)
  • G Darius Acuff Jr., IMG Academy (Arkansas)
  • G Darius Adams, La Lumiere School (UConn)
  • F Nate Ament, Highland School
  • F Cameron Boozer, Christopher Columbus High School (Duke)
  • G Cayden Boozer, Christopher Columbus High School (Duke)
  • F Jalen Haralson, La Lumiere School (Notre Dame)
  • G Isiah Harwell, Wasatch Academy (Houston)
  • F Trey McKenney, St. Mary’s Preparatory (Michigan)
  • C Malachi Moreno, Great Crossing High School (Kentucky)
  • G Braylon Mullins, Greenfield-Central High School (UConn)
  • C Eric Reibe, Bullis School (UConn)

West team

  • G Alijah Arenas, Chatsworth High School
  • G Mikel Brown Jr., DME Academy (Louisville)
  • F Nike Bundalo, Prolific Prep (Washington)
  • G Brayden Burries, Eleanor Roosevelt High School
  • C Chris Cenac Jr., Link Academy (Houston)
  • F AJ Dybantsa, Utah Prep (BYU)
  • F Nikolas Khamenia, Harvard-Westlake School (Duke)
  • F Koa Peat, Perry High School
  • G Darryn Peterson, Prolific Prep (Kansas)
  • G Meleek Thomas, Overtime Elite Academy (Arkansas)
  • F Caleb Wilson, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (North Carolina)
  • F Tounde Yessoufou, St. Joseph High School (Baylor)

Girls game

East team

  • F Nyla Brooks, Bishop Ireton High School (North Carolina)
  • F Kaelyn Carroll, Tabor Academy (Kentucky)
  • G Jaida Civil, Palm Bay Magnet High (Tennessee)
  • G Aaliyah Crump, Montverde Academy (Texas)
  • F Jaliya Davis, Blue Valley North High School (Kansas)
  • G ZaKiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart Academy (LSU)
  • F Leah Macy, Bethlehem High School (Notre Dame)
  • F Agot Makeer, Montverde Academy
  • G Mia Pauldo, Morris Catholic High School (Tennessee)
  • F Deniya Prawl, IMG Academy (Tennessee)
  • F Lara Somfai, IMG Academy (Stanford)
  • G Hailee Swain, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (Stanford)

West team

  • G Darianna Alexander, Purcell Marian High School (Cincinnati)
  • F Sienna Betts, Grandview High School (UCLA)
  • G Aaliyah Chavez, Monterey High School
  • G Jasmine Davidson, Clackamas High School (USC)
  • G Addison Deal, Mater Dei High School (Iowa)
  • F Alexandra Eschmeyer, Peak to Peak Charter School (Stanford)
  • F Grace Knox, Etiwanda High School (LSU)
  • F Ayla McDowell, Cypress Springs High School (South Carolina)
  • F Brynn McGaughy, Central Valley High School (Washington)
  • G Aliyahna Morris, Etiwanda High School (Cal)
  • G Emilee Skinner, Ridgeline High School (Duke)
  • G Jordan Speiser, Lutheran High School (Kansas State)
This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Ohio State had $292.3 million in total operating expenses during its 2024 fiscal year, according to its new annual revenue-and-expenses report to the NCAA. Not adjusting for inflation, the total is the largest single-year spending total for a Division I public school since the NCAA began its current reporting system in 2005.

The new expense total, for a period ending June 30, 2024, was accompanied by an operating deficit of $37.7 million.

However, that is at least partially a result of a $14.6 million decline in ticket revenue that resulted from Ohio State having six home football games during the 2023 season after having eight in the 2022 season, and from more $8.5 million in severance costs connected to the school’s firing of men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann in February 2024.  

Ohio State also had the previous top single-year operating spending total, reporting $274.9 million in fiscal 2023. So, the new total represents an increase of just over 6%. Both years’ figures are based on the school reporting that it sponsors 35 teams, one of the largest athletics programs among Division I public schools.

Texas — which reported 21 teams in 2023 — had $232.3 million in operating expenses that year, which had been the second-largest total prior to this year. Like many other schools, as of Monday afternoon, Texas had not yet made public its 2024 financial report.

REPORT CARD: College football season grades for all 134 teams

LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025

The USA TODAY Network’s Columbus Dispatch obtained Ohio State’s new report Monday through an open-records request. The long-term data have been gathered in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database at Syracuse University.

Among other schools’ fiscal 2024 operating spending figures collected so far, Alabama reported $262.8 million and Texas A&M $243.7 million.

While it is no longer unusual for schools to set revenue and/or spending records almost annually, Ohio State’s 2024 total continued its overall recent trend of spending increases. Adjusting for inflation as June 2024, Ohio State reported spending $254.1 million in fiscal 2018.

“In this new era of rapid transformation in intercollegiate athletics, our commitment to our student-athletes is unwavering,” athletics director Ross Bjork said in statement released by the university. “We remain dedicated to supporting them in the classroom, in the training room and on the field of play as they compete for and win national, conference and individual event championships.  While last year’s budget impact is not ideal and there were unique circumstances at play, we have a robust expense and revenue plan that has been implemented and have made great progress in this ever-changing landscape of college athletics.  We will make sure we operate with a balanced budget moving forward.”

On a dollar basis in fiscal 2024, in addition to the ticket revenue, Ohio State also had substantial year-over-year declines in 2024 in royalties, licensing and sponsorship ($8.7 million) and in contributions ($5.3 million).

On the expense side, it also had notable increases in coaching compensation ($9 million) and administrative and support staff compensation ($5.4 million).

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The University of Florida has dismissed the Title IX investigation surrounding Gators men’s basketball coach Todd Golden, his lawyer William Shepherd announced Monday.

The news of the dismissal comes just over four months after a formal complaint was filed against Golden for allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Shepherd wrote, ‘The University of Florida informed me that the Title IX investigation into Coach Todd Golden has finally been dismissed. This investigation has found no evidence to support the allegations against Coach Golden. The University’s conclusion proves that the complaint was meritless.’

The university released a statement on Monday confirming the investigation was closed.

‘Coach Golden and I have respected the process throughout while actively engaging with the University. However, there were many who did not respect the investigation process. Instead, they sought to target Coach Golden and drive their agenda and this investigation for their own self-interest. Some leaked confidential material to the media; falsely posed as a UF lawyer in an effort to intimidate; harassed UF students and parents to try to generate a false narrative; and harassed my client, his family and his friends,’ Shepherd’s said in his statement.

As noted by The Gainesville Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network, the formal complaint against Golden was initiated on Sept. 27. He did not miss a game and was not suspended during the four-month investigation.

In that same Gainesville Sun article, the 39-year-old coach was accused of stalking, including, on more than one occasion, taking pictures of women walking or driving and sending them to the subjects of the photos. The complaint also accused Golden of showing up to locations that he knew the women would be at on more than one occasion.

‘The last several months have been a challenge for my family and me while this process dragged on. We asked for the public to allow the process to work through its conclusion and not rush to judgment based on allegations,’ Golden said in a statement on X on Monday. ‘The UAA and so many at the University have been tremendously supportive – my family and I are extremely grateful.

‘And thank you to our fans for your incredible support of our players and our program. It has made a huge difference.’

Golden is 58-31 overall in three seasons at Florida. Last year, he led the Gators to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, ending in a first-round exit to Colorado.

‘The UAA acknowledges the completion of the review. We take these matters seriously and understand the need for the process to be conducted with strict confidentiality and discretion,’ Florida’s University Athletic Association said in a statement to Matt Norlander and CBS Sports.

‘Throughout this process Coach Golden has demonstrated tremendous focus and professionalism, and we commend him for that. As the Gators move forward, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting a championship experience with integrity.’

Florida, which was ranked No. 6 in Monday’s release of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, will travel to No. 8 Tennessee on Saturday at noon ET for its lone game of the week.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Fewer than six weeks remain before the NHL trade deadline.

So far, there have been 18 trades (including a January blockbuster between the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes), four coaching changes, plus extensions signed by Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, Logan Thompson, Alexis Lafreniere, Linus Ullmark and others this season. Other top players also remain eligible for extensions, including Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Brock Boeser plus just-traded Mikko Rantanen.

There will be more trades as teams build toward a Stanley Cup run or make moves for their long-term future. The trade deadline is March 7.

Follow along here this season for signings, trades, transactions and other news from the NHL:

Jan. 27: Capitals’ Logan Thompson gets six-year extension

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson will average $5.85 million in the extension, up from his current $766,667 cap hit. Thompson has been one of the top stories and goaltenders this season. Acquired in the offseason, he has put together a 22-2-3 record, 2.09 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. He ranks second in the league in MoneyPuck’s goals saved above expected. Thompson, 27, mostly has split time with Charlie Lindgren (11-9-2), who’s a pending unrestricted free agent, and the pairing has helped lift the Capitals to the top record in the league. ‘With his size (6-4) and exceptional athleticism, we are confident that this signing will enhance one of the most critical positions on our team, especially as he enters the prime years of his career,’ Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said in a statement.

Jan. 27: Islanders acquire Scott Perunovich from Blues

The New York Islanders give up a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick for Scott Perunovich to address another injury on their blue line. The trade was announced after Ryan Pulock (upper body) was placed on the injured list. Perunovich had six points in 24 games with the St. Louis Blues this season. Last week, the Islanders signed free agent defenseman Tony DeAngelo for the remainder of the season because Noah Dobson is out with a lower-body injury.

Jan. 26: Rangers sign Will Borgen to five-year extension

New York Rangers defenseman Will Borgen, who was acquired in the Kaapo Kakko trade, will average $4.1 million in the deal, according to ESPN. Borgen has three points, 29 hits and 29 blocked shots since arriving in New York.

Also: The Vegas Golden Knights announced that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was withdrawing from the 4 Nations Face-Off to ‘tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season with Vegas.’ Team Canada will need to announce a replacement before the Feb. 12-20 tournament.

Jan. 24: Mikko Rantanen traded in blockbuster deal

The Colorado Avalanche no longer have to worry whether they can fit pending free agent Mikko Rantanen in their salary structure. The two-time 100-point scorer was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder. The Hurricanes also get Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks, who retained 50% of Rantanen’s salary.

The Avalanche pay MVP Nathan MacKinnon $12.6 million a year, and that was likely their top limit for Rantanen. Though Colorado loses a prolific scorer, Necas is the Hurricanes’ top scorer and is signed through next season. Drury is also signed through 2025-26 and will be a restricted free agent.

Last year, the Hurricanes were also aggressive before the deadline, but they lost in the second round and weren’t able to re-sign Jake Guentzel.

TRADE GRADES: Who won blockbuster deal?

Jan. 24: Devils’ Jacob Markstrom out with knee sprain

Jan. 17: Oilers sign John Klingberg for one year

The Edmonton Oilers added defensive depth by signing veteran John Klingberg for the remainder of the season. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Klingberg, 32, who had season-ending hip surgery in November 2023, is known for his puck-moving ability and work on the power play. He has 412 points in 633 games, plus 39 points in 63 playoff games.

The 2024 Stanley Cup finalists traded Cody Ceci and chose not to match an offer sheet to Philip Broberg during the offseason.

Jan. 15: Penguins place goalie Tristan Jarry on waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed goalie Tristan Jarry on waivers after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken in which he gave up three goals on 17 shots. A Kraken short-handed goal leaked through him in the first period, and Seattle scored twice in 50 seconds in the third period to overcome a 2-1 deficit.

The veteran two-time All-Star was sent to the American Hockey League in late October and recalled on Nov. 9. Jarry is in the second season of a five-year contract that carries a $5.375 million cap hit. He has a 3.32 goals-against average and .886 save percentage.

‘He’s continued to come in here, put the work in and that’s not been a question at all,’ general manager Kyle Dubas said. ‘That just hasn’t materialized the way we would like it to on the ice. At this level, you get to the point where you have to do what’s right … for him and for us.’

Jan. 14: Canadiens’ Emil Heineman out after accident

Montreal Canadiens forward Emil Heineman will be out three to four weeks after being hit while crossing a street in Utah. The team said the accident occurred Monday and Heineman suffered an upper-body injury. ‘He got hurt crossing a street yesterday,’ coach Martin St. Louis told reporters on Tuesday. ‘I don’t think it was at a high speed but enough to cause some damage. It’s unfortunate.’ The Canadiens are in Salt Lake City to play the Utah Hockey Club. Heineman, 23, has 17 points in 41 games this season. He ranks third among NHL rookies with 10 goals.

Jan. 10: Oilers’ Evander Kane has knee surgery

Evander Kane will need more time before he makes his season debut after he had knee surgery on Thursday. The Edmonton Oilers said Kane would need four to eight weeks of recovery time, which will pause his rehab from the abdominal surgery he had in September. Kane, 33, had 24 goals last season plus eight points in the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He was unable to play the final five games of that round because he had been slowed in the playoffs by a sports hernia. He has another year left on his contract at a $5.125 million cap hit.

Also: The Ottawa Senators signed forward Ridly Greig to a four-year, $13 million contract extension.

Jan. 6: Rangers claim Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from Kings

Arthur Kaliyev, 23, had two seasons of double-digit goals, though he dropped to seven goals last season. He has yet to play in the NHL this season because of injury but completed a five-game conditioning stint. The former second-round pick averages about 12 minutes a game. He’ll likely fill a bottom-six role after the Rangers’ earlier trade of Kaapo Kakko.

Jan. 5: Ducks re-sign Frank Vatrano for three years

The Anaheim Ducks are often sellers leading up to the trade deadline, but they lock in their third-leading scorer, Frank Vatrano, for three years. He would have drawn a lot of interest if the Ducks had made him available. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the deal is worth $18 million but deferred money lowers the salary cap hit to $4.57 million. He scored 37 goals last season and has 20 points this season. He had a three-point night after the signing was announced.

Jan. 3: Bruins re-sign Mark Kastelic

The rugged forward’s deal averages $1.567 million a year. He was tied for the team lead with 76 penalty minutes and had 151 hits.

Dec. 28: Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche make trade

The Nashville Predators called up forward Vinnie Hinostroza, the American Hockey League’s leading scorer, then traded forward Juuso Parssinen to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche also get a 2026 seventh-round pick and the Predators get back forward Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick.

Hinostroza, a 374-game NHL veteran, signed a two-year deal with the Predators in the offseason but had spent the entire season in the AHL. So has Pavel. Parssinen had five points in 15 games with Nashville this season. The Predators and Avalanche swapped backup goaltenders earlier in the season.

Dec. 27: Avalanche give extension to Mackenzie Blackwood

The Colorado Avalanche gave goalie Mackenzie Blackwood a five-year extension 18 days after acquiring him in a trade. Terms weren’t disclosed, but reports said it was worth $5.25 million a year, up from the current cap hit of $2.35 million in his contract that expires this summer.

The Avalanche goaltending struggled at the beginning of the season, and Colorado traded Justus Annunen to the Nashville Predators for Scott Wedgewood on Nov. 30. The Avalanche shipped out Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 for Blackwood.

Blackwood has gone 3-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .931 save percentage since arriving.

Dec. 26: Red Wings fire coach Derek Lalonde, hire Todd McLellan

The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday after two-plus seasons and brought in veteran Todd McLellan to try to turn around the season.

McLellan, 57, who won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings as an assistant coach in 2008, was signed to a multi-year contract as the franchise’s 29th head coach. He has a 598-412-134 regular-season record over 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, making the playoffs nine times. He was with the Red Wings from 2005-08 and left after the championship season to join the Sharks.

Associate coach Bob Boughner also was fired, and Trent Yawney was hired as an assistant coach. The Red Wings had lost nine of their last 12 games to follow to seventh place in the Atlantic Division

Dec. 19: Bruins waive forward Tyler Johnson

The Boston Bruins placed forward Tyler Johnson on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the one-year contract he signed in November. That would make him free to pursue opportunities with other teams. Johnson had two points in nine games this season and the move follows the Bruins claiming Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers.

Dec. 18: Rangers trade Kaapo Kakko to Kraken

The New York Rangers get back defenseman Will Borgen and 2025 third- and sixth-round picks in exchange for Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick of 2019. The trade happened less than a day after Kakko complained about being a healthy scratch. ‘It’s just easy to take the young guy and put him out,’ he said Tuesday. ‘That’s how I feel.’

Kakko, 23, has never matched the expectation of being that high a pick, getting 40 points in his top season in 2022-23. He has 14 points this season and was named by Finland to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The trade is the second recent shake-up move by the sliding Rangers, who dealt captain Jacob Trouba, a defenseman, to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. Borgen, who was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, had 20 or more points and averaged nearly 200 hits the past two seasons but has just two points and a minus-13 rating this season.

In other trades Wednesday:

The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators swapped defensemen with Alexandre Carrier, 28, heading to Montreal in exchange for Justin Barron, 23. Carrier gives the Canadiens an experienced right-shot defenseman. He signed a three-year deal this offseason and the Predators save $2.6 million in cap space with the trade.

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman P.O. Joseph from the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. Joseph will help the Penguins with defenseman Marcus Pettersson out with an injury. Joseph played his first four NHL seasons with Pittsburgh.

Dec. 18: Justin Schultz retires after 12 NHL seasons

Defenseman Justin Schultz, 34, who won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced his retirement after 12 seasons with four NHL teams. Originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008, he couldn’t reach terms with that team and joined the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent in 2012, making the all-rookie team. Schultz was traded to the Penguins in 2016 and won championships that season and the following season. He played two seasons each with the Washington Capitals and Seattle Kraken, finishing his NHL career with 71 goals and 324 points in 745 games. Schultz signed to play in Switzerland this season but stepped down after eight games.

Dec. 14: Blues acquire Ducks’ Cam Fowler in trade

The St. Louis Blues give up minor league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick to land defenseman Cam Fowler, 33, who spent his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. St. Louis also gets a 2027 fourth-round pick and the Ducks retain about 38.5% of Fowler’s remaining salary.

The Blues, who will be without Torey Krug (ankle) this season, get a veteran defenseman who averages more than 21 minutes a game in ice time. Fowler was moved eight days after the Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba in a trade.

“This was a difficult trade to make considering what Cam has meant to this organization,” general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with ultimate class. … After meeting with Cam several times over the last few months, it became clear to both of us it may be time for a change.”

Also: The Boston Bruins claimed forward Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the New York Islanders. The Maine native had played for Boston College in 2018-19.

Dec. 13: Islanders waive Oliver Wahlstrom, Pierre Engvall

The New York Islanders have placed forwards Oliver Wahlstrom and Pierre Engvall on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The move happened after injured forwards Mat Barzal and Anthony Duclair returned to practice. Engvall, who signed a seven-year contract in 2023, passed through waivers earlier this season and played six games in the American Hockey League. He has six points in 20 games. Wahlstrom, a 2018 first-round pick, has four points in 27 games.

Also: The Minnesota Wild claimed defenseman Travis Dermott off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. The Wild placed defenseman Jake Middleton on long-term injured reserve after he was hit in the hand by a shot on Thursday night. … The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Keegan Kolesar to a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Dec. 12: Canucks’ J.T. Miller returns from personal leave

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller said he was returning from his personal leave and played Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. The Canucks announced his leave of absence on Nov. 19. The team went 5-3-2 while he was away.

Miller, who has 16 points in 17 games this season and topped 100 last season, said he wouldn’t answer questions about why he was away from the team.

‘I’m excited to play,’ he said. ‘I want to play and obviously a fun game against the defending champions. Just happy to be around the guys and looking forward to tonight.’

Miller skated a little more than 14 minutes, had two assists and won 60% of his faceoffs.

While he was away, he was named to Team USA for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Also: Anaheim Ducks forward Travis Zegras had surgery for torn meniscus in his right knee and is expected to miss six weeks. … The Utah Hockey Club claimed defenseman Dakota Mermis off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dec. 10: Kevin Shattenkirk announces retirement

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk announced his retirement on Tuesday after 14 NHL seasons with seven teams. He won a Stanley Cup in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Drafted 14th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, he also played for the St. Louis Blues (five 40-point seasons), Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks before joining the Boston Bruins in 2023-24 for what would be his final season.

Shattenkirk, 35, finishes with 103 goals, 381 assists and 484 points in 952 career games, plus 48 points in 91 playoff games. He scored in overtime during Game 4 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

Dec. 9: Avalanche land Mackenzie Blackwood in goalie trade with Sharks

The Colorado Avalanche’s season-opening goaltending tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen is out after a subpar start. Now they’re running with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood after separate trades with the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, respectively.

The Blackwood trade is the latest one and includes forward Givani Smith and a draft pick going to Colorado, while forward Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks go to San Jose. Blackwood has a .904 save percentage to Georgiev’s .874, and he made 49 saves in his last game. Georgiev was pulled in his second-to-last start.

GOALIE SWAP: Full details of Avalanche-Sharks trade

Dec. 6: Rangers trade Jacob Trouba, extend Igor Shesterkin

The sliding New York Rangers dominated the news Friday by trading captain Jacob Trouba and giving Igor Shesterkin an eight-year extension that makes him the highest-paid NHL goalie.

The Rangers officially announced the extension on Saturday.

The Trouba trade happened first Friday with the Rangers getting back defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. But the biggest part is the Anaheim Ducks took on Trouba’s $8 million cap hit, giving the Rangers flexibility. Trouba, who has struggled this season and didn’t waive his no-trade clause this summer, adds a veteran presence to the young Ducks. He and new teammate Radko Gudas are two of the hardest hitters in the league.

Shesterkin will average $11.5 million in his new deal, according to reports, moving him past Carey Price ($10.5 million) as the top-paid goaltender. The Rangers rely heavily on Shesterkin, who faces a lot of high-danger shots.

Also: The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens pulled off a minor trade. Forward Jacob Perreault, son of former NHL player Yanic Perreault, heads to Edmonton for defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer. … The Carolina Hurricanes placed forward Brendan Lemieux on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract. He requested the move so he can pursue another opportunity, general manager Eric Tulsky told the team’s website.

Dec. 5: Blackhawks fire coach Luke Richardson

The last-place Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson. Anders Sorensen, coach of the Blackhawks’ Rockford IceHogs team in the American Hockey League, was named interim head coach.

The move happened with generational player Connor Bedard going through a sophomore slump and unhappy with his production. He recently ended a 12-game goal drought and didn’t make the Canadian roster for this season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

‘As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary,’ general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement about the coaching move.

Richardson leaves Chicago with a 57-118-15 record.

Dec. 4: Stars’ Tyler Seguin to have hip surgery, miss 4-6 months

The Dallas Stars announced that forward Tyler Seguin will have surgery on his left hip on Thursday and is expected to miss four to six months. That timeline would have him out of the lineup until near the end of the regular season or into the playoffs. Seguin, 32, had been having a strong season, ranking third on the team with 20 points in 19 games.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF: Rosters announced

Nov. 30: Wild acquire defenseman David Jiricek from Blue Jackets

The Minnesota Wild acquired former first-round pick David Jiricek, 21, from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package that includes 22-year-old defenseman Daemon Hunt and a package of draft picks including a top-five protected 2025 first-round pick. Jiricek, a 2022 sixth-overall pick who had been sent to American Hockey League, will report to the Wild’s AHL team. The other picks heading to Columbus: 2026 third- and fourth-rounders and a 2027 second-rounder. The Wild get a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Nov. 30: Predators, Avalanche swap goaltenders

The Colorado Avalanche acquired backup goalie Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators for backup goalie Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick. The Avalanche, who have the league’s third-worst team goals-against average, were expected to make some sort of goaltending move but not necessarily this one. Annunen, 24, has slightly better stats this season, but he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Wedgewood, 32, who was signed in the offseason and played five games for the Predators, has another year left on his contract.

Also: The NHL fined Boston’s Nikita Zadorov and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin $5,000 each for an exchange in Friday’s game. Zadorov poked Malkin with his stick from the bench, and the Penguins star responded with a slash toward the bench, hitting Mason Lohrei.

Nov. 25: Penguins acquire Philip Tomasino from Predators

Philip Tomasino (one point in 11 games) is the final year of his contract so the struggling Nashville Predators get something in return, a 2027 fourth-round pick. The equally struggling Pittsburgh Penguins get another person for their bottom six. The former first-round pick’s best season was 32 points as a rookie in 2021-22.

Nov. 24: Blues fire coach Drew Bannister, hire Jim Montgomery

In a surprising move, the St. Louis Blues on Sunday fired Drew Bannister after less than a year as coach, replacing him with former Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.

The announcement from Blues president and general manager Doug Armstrong comes with the team losing 13 of its first 22 games this year. Bannister had taken over for Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last season and had his interim tag removed at the end of the season.

Montgomery, a former assistant to Berube, has an overall regular-season record of 180-84-33 as a head coach with Boston and Dallas. He was just let go by the Bruins last week after they lost 12 of their first 20 games. – Steve Gardner

Nov. 22: Golden Knights sign Brett Howden to five-year extension

Forward Brett Howden will average $2.5 million in the five-year contract extension. He plays in the Vegas Golden Knights’ bottom six and has eight goals this season.

After the Golden Knights lost free agents Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others from their 2023 Stanley Cup title team this summer, they’ve been working to get extensions done early. Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb signed recently. Goalie Adin Hill and Keegan Kolesar also are pending unrestricted free agents from that championship team.

Nov. 19: Canucks’ J.T. Miller out indefinitely for personal reasons

‘Right now, our sole focus is making sure that J.T. knows the entire organization is here to support him,’ general manager Patrik Allvin said. ‘Out of respect to J.T., we will have no further comment at this time.’

Miller ranks second on the Canucks and is their top-scoring forward with 16 points in 17 games. He scored 103 points last season.

Nov. 19: Boston Bruins fire coach Jim Montgomery

The Boston Bruins made Jim Montgomery the first coaching casualty of the 2024-25 NHL season, firing him less than two seasons after he was named coach of the year.

Associate coach Joe Sacco, a former Colorado Avalanche head coach, will take over behind the bench as the interim head coach.

The move came after a blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Montgomery, who was in the final year of his contract, was let go with the team sitting at 8-9-3 and sporting poor underlying numbers.

BRUINS: More details on coaching change

Nov. 18: Islanders’ Mike Reilly to have procedure on heart

General manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters that the pre-existing heart condition was discovered during routine testing for a concussion that had sidelined the defenseman since Nov. 1.

‘It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired,’ Lamoriello said. ‘They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with, but never knew.’

He said Reilly has been cleared from the concussion.

Nov. 15: Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin returns from suspension

Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin returned Friday night from his six-month suspension. He was suspended during the playoffs last May under Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He also was in the program for about two months earlier in the 2023-24 season and missed part of the 2023 playoffs for personal reasons. Nichushkin is a key offensive contributor with 28 goals in 54 games last season. Injured forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood also returned Friday.

Also: The Vegas Golden Knights signed defenseman Brayden McNabb, the franchise leader in games played, to a three-year contract extension that averages $3.65 million a year.

OILERS: Connor McDavid is fourth fastest to reach 1,000 points

Nov. 13: Sabres claim goalie James Reimer off waivers

The Buffalo Sabres claimed goaltender James Reimer off waivers, bringing him back to where he signed a free agent contract in the summer. Reimer was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks off waivers earlier this season when the Sabres tried to send him to the American Hockey League. The Ducks put him on waivers after the return of injured goalie John Gibson. Reimer, on a one-year, $1 million contract, played two games in Anaheim with a 4.50 goals-against average. No. 1 Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was hurt in Monday’s loss but hasn’t been ruled out for Thursday’s game.

Also: Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm will be out ‘weeks’ with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot, coach Jim Montgomery said.

Nov. 12: Capitals reacquire Lars Eller in trade with Penguins

Center Lars Eller, 35, is a familiar face for the Washington Capitals after playing in Washington from 2016-23 and winning a Stanley Cup there in 2018. He kills penalties and is strong in the faceoff circle. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ side of the trade might be more interesting. They get a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder, and this also could be an indication that the Penguins are shaking up the roster after a disappointing start. Eller’s trade will allow the team to give more ice time to younger players. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent.

Also: The Winnipeg Jets claimed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche and loaned him to their American Hockey League affiliate. They had lost him on waivers to the Avalanche last month.

Nov. 11: Flames’ Anthony Mantha to have season-ending surgery

Also: The Colorado Avalanche placed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. They had claimed him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets last month.

Nov. 9: Penguins recall veteran goalie Tristan Jarry from minors

The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled two-time All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry from his conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. Jarry was loaned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 26 after recording a 5.37 goals-against average and .836 save percentage. His AHL numbers were 2.16, .926.

Also: The Philadelphia Flyers made rookie Matvei Michkov a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game.

Nov. 8: Kraken acquire Daniel Sprong from Canucks

The Seattle Kraken landed Daniel Sprong, one of their former players, in exchange for future considerations. The Kraken have struggled to score this season and Sprong had 21 goals for them two seasons ago. The forward has scored double-digit goals five times. He had one goal with Vancouver this season.

Oct. 30: Sharks acquire Timothy Liljegren from Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs get defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. Liljegren, 25, had been limited to one game in Toronto this season, and the Maple Leafs recently committed to blue-liner Jake McCabe with a five-year extension. But Liljegren should fit in well in San Jose, which is building around younger players. Benning, 30, and Liljegren are signed through 2025-26.

This is the second day with an NHL trade after none previously since the season opened in North America.

Oct. 29: Utah acquires defenseman Olli Maatta from Red Wings

The Utah Hockey Club gives up a third-round pick as it addresses a desperate need for a veteran defenseman. Sean Durzi and John Marino are out long-term after surgery. Utah has been leaking goals during a four-game losing streak, including blowing a 4-1 lead late in the third period against the previously winless San Jose Sharks. Maatta is solid defensively and has nearly 700 games of NHL experience.

Oct. 28: Maple Leafs sign Jake McCabe to five-year extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year extension with an annual average value of $4.51 million. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports there is some deferred money in the deal. McCabe, 31, had been acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a February 2023 trade and ranks fourth on the team in average ice time this season. He has three assists in nine games and a team-best plus-6 rating.

Also: The New York Rangers recalled rugged forward Matt Rempe from the American Hockey League after he played two games there. The Rangers play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in what has become a feisty rivalry.

Oct. 26: Penguins send goalie Tristan Jarry to minors

The Pittsburgh Penguins sent two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to their American Hockey League affiliate on a conditioning loan after his early season struggles. He had been sent home from the Penguins’ road trip to work on his game after recording a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage in three games. He was pulled from his last start on Oct. 16 and gave up six goals in the opener.

Jarry is in the second season of a five-year contract that carries a $5.375 million cap hit. Rookie Joel Blomqvist has had the most starts in the Penguins net this season and Alex Nedeljkovic recently returned from an injury.

Also: The New York Islanders signed rugged forward Matt Martin for the rest of the season. He had been to camp on a tryout agreement after spending 13 of his 15 seasons with the Islanders.

Oct. 25: Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere gets seven-year extension

The New York Rangers and Alexis Lafreniere have agreed to a seven-year extension as he builds on last season’s breakthrough. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick will average $7.45 million in the deal, according to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. That’s up from this year’s $2.325 million cap hit. Lafreniere, 23, broke through with 28 goals and 57 points last season and added eight goals and 14 points in the playoffs. He is averaging a point a game this season through seven games and scored his fourth goal of the season on Thursday. He is signed through 2031-32.

Oct. 24: Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore signs for seven years

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore will average $7.425 million in the extension, which kicks in next season and runs through 2031-32. Getting him signed now is important after the Golden Knights lost Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others from their 2023 Stanley Cup team to free agency during the summer.

Theodore, 29, is the franchise’s top-scoring defenseman with 296 points and has opened this season with seven points in six games. Vegas’ top three defensemen (also Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin) are signed through at least 2026-27.

Oct. 22: Panthers give coach Paul Maurice contract extension

Maurice, who joined the Panthers in 2022-23, went to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season and won it last year. His 29 playoff wins are a franchise record.

He has 98 regular-season wins with Florida and his 873 career wins rank fourth all time in NHL history.

Also: The Blues signed forward Jake Neighbours to a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Oct. 17: Stars’ Jake Oettinger signs eight-year contract extension

The Dallas Stars signed goalie Jake Oettinger to an eight-year, $66 million contract extension that kicks in next season. The $8.25 million cap hit matches the deals recently signed by the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman and Senators’ Linus Ullmark.

Oettinger has led the Stars to the Western Conference final the past two seasons.

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Every show has a sideshow that distracts from the main plot.

Dramas have the romance, comedies have one person who seems to lack brain cells and the NFL has the referees. They are always a topic of discussion, for better or worse.

Making mistakes is just the nature of the beast, especially in a fast-paced game involving plenty of people. Human error is bound to happen.

With high stakes in the postseason, those errors become magnified. And that’s precisely what happened on Sunday in the AFC and NFC championship games.

Here’s a look at some of the more noteworthy calls and non-calls up for debate.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

NFL refs controversial calls round-up

Here’s a look at the controversial calls, or non-calls, from championship Sunday, in order:

DeVonta Smith catch

It didn’t take long for the referees to become part of the discussion on Sunday. Smith caught a 20-yard pass for a first down in the first quarter against the Commanders, but whether he caught the ball in bounds remains a mystery.

Smith’s right foot was in the air after he made the catch, but no definitive angle of it coming down in bounds was shown. Philadelphia rushed to the line and got a play off before Washington could challenge. The Eagles would score a touchdown on the drive to take a 14-3 lead.

Marshon Lattimore penalties

Lattimore didn’t have a great day at the office in Philadelphia. One particular sequence in the second quarter summed up his afternoon.

He was flagged for pass interference on Smith in the end zone, but only after the pass fell incomplete. In fairness to the referee, it was the right call, but the timing is what had people talking.

The Eagles would score on the next play to make matters worse for the cornerback. While Jalen Hurts was being pushed into the end zone, A.J. Brown and Lattimore would get into a tussle.

Both players engaged in a fight, with Brown eventually removing Lattimore’s helmet. Washington was the only team flagged on the play.

The Eagles elected to enforce the penalty on the two-point conversion attempt, which they failed on.

Eagles being ‘awarded’ a score

The ‘Tush Push’ play has been controversial for years and Sunday’s game might be the breaking point. A typically unstoppable play, the Commanders were helpless in trying to get a much-needed stop.

Trailing 34-23 early in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia was set up about a yard from the goal line. Frankie Luvu leaped over the line, Troy Polamalu style, multiple times in an effort to time the snap perfectly.

He failed miserably and referee Shawn Hochuli had enough. Following their third-straight encroachment penalty and fourth in five plays, Hochuli warned Washington that he could award the touchdown to the Eagles for a ‘palpably unfair act.’

Hurts would score on the next play, giving his team a 41-23 lead with 12 minutes to go. Still, Hochuli’s announcement will remain in the memory of NFL fans for a long time.

Jalen Carter hit on Tyler Biadasz

The final issue from a refereeing standpoint in the NFC championship game came with under six minutes to go. It’s probably safe to say that Carter and Biadasz won’t be friends anytime soon, especially after Sunday.

Carter was flagged for encroachment before halftime when he attempted to jump the snap and poked the Commanders’ center in the eyes instead.

As the fourth quarter wound down, the two exchanged another moment. This time, Carter swung at Biadasz, which knocked him out of the game. Carter was not flagged on the play.

Xavier Worthy catch/non-catch

With 3:13 remaining in the first half, Patrick Mahomes was under pressure on third-and-5 when he tossed up a prayer in the direction of Worthy and Hollywood Brown.

Worthy ended up coming down with the ball alongside Buffalo Bills’ safety, Cole Bishop.

The Bills challenged the play since the ball hit the ground, but the referees stood with the ruling on the field after review.

Tie goes to the offense, which is why Worthy was awarded possession. Despite the ball hitting the ground, the officials determined it didn’t move enough to warrant overturning the call. Even if it was overturned, Buffalo was flagged for holding on the play, meaning it would’ve been a first down for Kansas City anyway.

The Chiefs would score on the drive to go up 21-10.

Travis Kelce taunting

Just three plays later, Mahomes was waltzing into the end zone for a one-yard rushing score.

Damar Hamlin tackled the quarterback into the end zone, which Kelce took exception to. He got in Hamlin’s face and had something to say. The Bills’ Jordan Phillips didn’t like that and was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Kansas City opted to enforce the penalty on the PAT, limiting the damage for Buffalo.

Josh Allen’s first down/non-first down

The one-sided rivalry between the Chiefs and Bills is known for a couple of things: Kansas City wins, Buffalo’s sadness and forcing the NFL to make changes. After the overtime fiasco in 2022, the league changed the playoff rules. Both teams now possess the ball in overtime.

If the NFL elects to put a tracker in the ball to determine the spot going forward, it will be likely thanks to this game.

Up by one early in the fourth quarter, the Bills opted to try a Philadelphia-inspired ‘Tush Push’ with Allen to pick up the first down. Unlike the Eagles though Allen was stopped. At least, that’s what the ruling on the field ended up being.

The officials on both sides of the field came running in with very different spots but eventually settled on a spot that was a Buffalo turnover on downs. The replay didn’t show where the ball was in the pile, and they stood with the initial call.

The assumption can be made that Allen secured the first down, but they wouldn’t overturn the play without definitive evidence showing where the ball was. Kansas City would go on to score a touchdown on that drive, taking a 29-22 lead. Buffalo would tie but never regain the lead.

While the play didn’t directly lose them the game, the Bills went from likely adding at least three points to surrendering eight, an 11-point swing. In a three-point contest, this pivotal play might’ve been the difference.

Flag confusion at end of Bills-Chiefs

Before setting the Super Bowl 59 matchup, we needed one last controversial moment to discuss for two weeks.

On fourth-and-five, Allen was under heavy pressure when he was forced to throw one up and hope for the best. Allen gave Dalton Kincaid a chance to answer his prayer, but the second-year tight end couldn’t haul it in.

CBS’ Jim Nantz noted there was a flag on the play, giving a little hope to the Buffalo faithful they might’ve been bailed out.

Turns out, there was no flag on the play.

However, Nantz wasn’t the only one to say that.

Kevin Harlan said on the radio there was a flag down. However, Harlan and his broadcast partner, Jason McCourty speculated the marker was for the Bills’ Dion Dawkins, who removed his helmet after the play.

The radio duo maintained that the penalty came after the play, something the TV crew took a moment to clarify. Flag or not, the Chiefs ended up putting on the finishing touches, setting up a Super Bowl matchup against the Eagles in New Orleans.

Super Bowl 59’s referee, Ron Torbert, will hope to remain out of the spotlight unlike his colleagues on Sunday.

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