NHL:
The St. Louis Blues were the winners in the NHL's Winter Classic at Busch Stadium. The Blues gave up an early goal before scoring three times in the third period of a 4-1 triumph over the rival Chicago Blackhawks. The game was tied 1-1 until Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in a 1:53 span of the final period. Patrick Berglund tied the game in the second period, and Alex Steen scored an empty-netter after collecting his 300th career assist and 500th point. Jake Allen turned back 22 shots and blanked the Blackhawks after Michal Kempny beat him 62 seconds into the game. It was 46 degrees when play began before a sellout crowd of 46,556, the sixth largest for a Winter Classic.
In the NHL, New Jersey shut out Boston 3-0, St. Louis topped Chicago 4-1, and it was Vancouver over Colorado 3-2.
Goalie Al Montoya has signed a two-year contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens. The Chicago native is 4-4-2 this season with one shutout, a 2.74 goals-against average and .909 save percentage as backup to Carey Price. In 147 games, the 31-year old Montoya is 59-44-20 with Arizona, the Islanders, Jets, Canadiens and Panthers.
NBA:
In the NBA, Utah beat Brooklyn 101-89, Orlando topped the Knicks 115-103, Houston bested Washington 101-91, Golden State beat Denver 127-119, the Clippers won against Phoenix 109-98, Cleveland trumped New Orleans 90-82, and Milwaukee defeated Oklahoma City 98-94.
Hornets center Cody Zeller has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol. The club has not released a timetable for his return. Zeller took an elbow to the head in the fourth quarter of Charlotte's game against Cleveland on Saturday night. The fourth-year center is averaging 10.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a game while shooting 59.5 percent from the field.
NFL:
Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak has officially announced he is stepping down because of health concerns, saying the demands of the job are no longer a good fit for him. Kubiak led the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 victory against Carolina last February and went 24-11 in two seasons with the team. Kubiak missed a week of work in October after suffering a complex migraine, his second health scare in three years.
New Orleans head coach Sean Payton is staying put, saying during a radio interview with the Saints' flagship station that he plans to be back with New Orleans next season and honor a contract that runs through 2020. Payton told WWL-AM radio host and former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert that he has absolutely no interest in coaching elsewhere. He also refuted reports he met with general manager Mickey Loomis after Sunday's season finale to discuss the coach's future with the club. The Saints just completed their third consecutive 7-9 season.
Adrian Peterson declared himself fit to play several more seasons in the NFL, even if it's not with the Vikings. Peterson is uncertain to come back at age 31 with the team's other needs. He said he'd consider a reduced salary to return, which would probably be the only way for that to happen. The 31-year-old Peterson finished with only 72 yards on 37 rushes over three games. He suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during Week 2 of his 10th season with the Vikings.
NCAA:
In men’s college basketball, UAlbany beat Cornell 69-59 and Canisius topped Siena 82-79.
In women’s college basketball, Syracuse won against Virginia 54-49 and Siena beat Niagara 71-53.
Alabama coach Nick Saban says Lane Kiffin will not serve as the team's offensive coordinator for the national championship game with Clemson. Saban says that Kiffin will leave to focus on his new job as Florida Atlantic's head coach, leaving the offense in the hands of incoming coordinator Steve Sarkisian for the Jan. 9 game against Clemson in Tampa, Florida. Saban says he and Kiffin spoke following the semifinal game against Washington and determined that in the best interests of everybody concerned it would be better if Kiffin moved on.
Ninth-ranked Southern California has won the highest-scoring game in Rose Bowl history by rallying from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat fifth-ranked Penn State, 52-49. Freshman San Darnold threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns, including a tying, 27-yard TD pass to Deontay Burnett with 1:20 remaining. Leon McQuay III had an interception on the ensuing drive, returning it 32 yards to the Penn State 33 before Matt Boermeeter hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired.
Oklahoma cruised to victory in the Sugar Bowl as Joe Mixon rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the seventh-ranked Sooners' 35-13 win over No. 17 Auburn. Baker Mayfield helped Oklahoma finish the year 11-2 by completing 19 of his 28 passes for 296 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. The Sooners led just 14-13 in the third quarter until Mayfield hit Dede Westbrook for a short touchdown and Mixon ran four yards for a score later in the period. Kamryn Pettway had 101 yards rushing for the 8-5 Tigers.
Eighth-ranked Wisconsin ruined Western Michigan's bid for a perfect season as tight end Troy Fumagalli made a leaping grab for an eight-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to help the Badgers beat the 13th-ranked Broncos, 24-16 in the Cotton Bowl. Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale ran for TDs on Wisconsin's first two drives to put the Badgers ahead 14-0. Wisconsin finishes 11-3, while the Broncos end up 13-1.
Austin Appleby threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns as No. 20 Florida whipped No. 21 Iowa, 30-3 in the Outback Bowl to finish the year 9-4. Appleby hit Mark Thompson for an 85-yard TD and found DeAndre Goolsby for a six-yard score that broke the game open late in the third quarter. Chauncey Gardner Jr. returned the first of his two fourth-quarter interceptions 58 yards for a 24-3 lead as the Gators dropped the Hawkeyes to 8-5.
Jeff Capel is getting a chance to serve as acting coach of his alma mater. Capel will run the Duke Blue Devils while head coach Mike Krzyzewski recovers from Friday's scheduled back surgery. Krzyzewski is expected to need four weeks to recover from the procedure, which will remove a fragment of a herniated disk. He has tried several treatment options during the past month without success after undergoing four surgeries on his left knee, left ankle and hernia over the summer. Capel will be at the helm beginning Wednesday against Boston College.
Villanova is spending a fifth straight week atop The Associated Press men's Top-25 basketball poll. The defending champs received 59 first-place votes after improving to 14-0 and running their winning streak to 20 games by beating Creighton on Saturday. Second-ranked Baylor claimed the remaining six first-place votes. Kansas, UCLA and Gonzaga round out the top five and are followed by Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke, Louisville and Creighton. Villanova, Gonzaga and Baylor are the only unbeaten teams left in Division 1.
NFL Draft:
Ohio State All-America safety Malik Hooker is entering the NFL draft after one sensational season as a starter with the Buckeyes. Hooker led the Buckeyes with seven interceptions, including a school-record three returned for touchdowns. He also made 74 tackles, third best on the team, and had 11 passes defended.
In other NFL draft news:
— Washington wide receiver John Ross will reportedly forgo his senior season and enter the draft after scoring 19 touchdowns and grabbing 81 passes for 1,150 yards this season.
— Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans and receiver Isaiah Ford are giving up their final season of eligibility to enter the draft.
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