NHL:
In the NHL, Anaheim beat Boston 5-3, Washington topped Philadelphia 4-1, and it was Edmonton over Florida 4-3.
NBA:
Today marks the NBA trade deadline. Teams are expected to make last minute changes until the deadline hits at 3 p.m.
The Chinese Basketball Association has voted unanimously to appoint NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming as its president. Yao's appointment is considered as a reform step for an association which until now has typically been led by government sports officials.
As trade rumors swirled around the NBA before today's deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a more practical approach to improving their roster. With an open roster spot and needing frontcourt help, the Cavs met Wednesday with Larry Sanders, the free-agent forward who stepped away from the game following the 2014-15 season.
NFL:
A New Jersey man has been sentenced to five years behind bars for defrauding more than a dozen people out of $116,550 in a New York Giants seat license scam. John Gorman admitted last May that he conned 16 victims into believing he had more than two dozen personal seat licenses at MetLife Stadium available for sale. Monmouth County prosecutors say the 49-year-old Matawan man was sentenced Friday.
Gorman shares a name with the NFL team's director of ticketing. Prosecutors say he let many victims believe he was the team official to make his scheme appear more legitimate. Gorman was paid in full, but his victims never got their purchased seats. The scam began after the Giants' 2008 Super Bowl win and continued for several seasons.
Ed Garvey, who led the National Football League Players Association through strikes in 1974 and 1982 as its executive director, has died at the age of 76. Neither of the player strikes was particularly effective, and the 1982 walkout resulted in the season being shortened from 16 to nine games.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been added to a list of people who could be called to testify at the double murder trial of former player Aaron Hernandez. Belichick's name appeared on a list of possible witnesses filed Tuesday by Hernandez's defense. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in the fatal shootings of two men in Boston in 2012.
NCAA:
In college men’s basketball, Vermont won its 17th straight game and captured the American East championship with a 62-50 win over Albany. Hartford cashed in on Binghamton's early foul trouble by hitting 32 of 37 free throws to win 76-69 on Wednesday night, ending a two-game skid. Army blew past Boston 73-62. Syracuse upset No. 10 Duke 78-75.
Creighton basketball player Maurice Watson has been suspended from all athletic-related activities for misconduct. Watson will not be allowed to participate in senior day activities on Feb. 28. No other details were released. Watson was a candidate for the Wooden Award as college basketball's top player until he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Jan. 16
North Carolina coach Roy Williams apologized to Louisville's Rick Pitino after the Cardinals coach had a heated verbal exchange with a fan as he came off the court for halftime during last night's game won by the Tar Heels 74-63. ESPN video of the incident showed Pitino walking off the court when he suddenly turned back and started shouting toward the nearby seats. Team staff and a Smith Center security official pulled him away and led him into the tunnel. UNC team spokesman Matt Bowers said the fan was ejected after the incident.
In college women's basketball, Napheesa Collier scored a career high 31 points and top-ranked UConn routed Number 23 Temple 90-45 last night to extend the program's record winning streak to 102 straight games. Katie Lou Samuelson added 19 points for the Huskies, who bounced back from a closer-than-expected three-point road win at Tulane on Saturday to clinch their fourth straight American Athletic Conference regular-season championship.
Mississippi has self-imposed a one-year postseason football ban for the 2017 season after the school received an amended Notice of Allegations from the NCAA claiming more violations. The school says the NCAA has added eight new violations, including six that are Level I, which the NCAA deems most serious. The school was previously charged with 13 other violations. The university has also been charged with lack of institutional control. The new charges include cash payments from boosters and also involve previous staff members.
MLB:
In an attempt to speed up the game, baseball has eliminated the four-pitch intentional walk. Now when a team wants to walk a player, all the manager will have to do is signal the intent to the umpire. The player will then get first base. The players' association approved the move, which was proposed by Major League Baseball. Agreement with the union is required for changes in playing rules unless MLB gives notice one year in advance, in which case it can unilaterally make alterations. There were 932 intentional walks last year, including 600 in the National League, where batters are walked to bring the pitcher's slot to the plate.
Josh Hamilton has left the Texas Rangers' spring training camp to have his reconstructed left knee examined after he experienced pain. The 2010 American League MVP is at spring training with a minor league contract. The 35-year-old felt discomfort in the knee during the Rangers' first full-squad spring training workout Tuesday. Hamilton has not played in the major leagues since 2015, when he hit .253 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 50 games.
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