NHL:
The New York Rangers host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals tonight at 8 in New York, and the Chicago Blackhawks face the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow night at 8. Both games are on NBC.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Stanley Cup Final will open on Wednesday with Game 1 in New York, Tampa or Anaheim.
The NHL announced Thursday that Game 1 will be at Madison Square Garden if the Rangers beat the Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final on tonight.
If the Lightning win, they'll have home-ice advantage in the Cup final if the Blackhawks beat the Ducks in Game 7 of the West final. If the Ducks and Lightning win, Anaheim has home ice.
Game 2 will be held on June 6, with games on June 8 and June 10.
If necessary, Game 5 will be June 13, followed by games on June 15 and June 17.
It's the first time since 2000 and third time in NHL history that the two conference finals went seven games.
NHL-COACHES
The NHL coaching carousel continues. The Devils' former coach will be behind the Sharks' bench, while the Penguins' ex-coach will take over the Sabres' roster.
The Sharks have announced the hiring of coach Peter DeBoer (deh-BOHR') as the replacement for the departed Todd McLellan, who is the new coach of the Oilers. The decision to hire DeBoer ends a search that started when the team announced April 20 that McLellan would not be back for an eighth season.
DeBoer has coached seven seasons in the NHL with the Panthers and Devils. His best season came when he led New Jersey to the 2012 Stanley Cup finals before falling to Los Angeles.
Dan Bylsma (BYLZ'-muh) has secured a new job as coach of the Sabres. He coached the Sidney Crosby-led Penguins to win the 2009 Stanley Cup championship and captured three division titles in 5 ½ seasons before he was dismissed last spring. He takes over a franchise coming off consecutive last-place finishes.
Bylsma replaces Ted Nolan, who was fired last month.
The Devils currently are the league's only team without a head coach.
NHL-CAPITALS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has had arthroscopic hip surgery and the team expects him to be ready for next season. Backstrom led the NHL with 60 assists and was sixth in points with 78 this season, playing in all 82 games. He became the team's career assist leader and is fifth in points.
The 27-year-old had three goals and five assists in 14 playoff games for Washington, which was eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round.
NBA:
Game 1 of the NBA finals is set for next Thursday night at 9 on ABC between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
CHICAGO (AP) — Tom Thibodeau (THIH'-buh-doh) has suddenly become one of the most successful former coaches in NBA history.
Thibodeau has been fired after five seasons with the Chicago Bulls. He led the team to a 255-139 record and a playoff appearance in each season with the team. Apparent friction with management led to the change, along with a second-round exit in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Thibodeau's .647 winning percentage ranks seventh in NBA history among coaches with at least 200 games. He led the Bulls to the top seed in the playoffs his first two seasons and was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2011, the same year Derrick Rose became the league's youngest MVP.
MIAMI (AP) — There's a chance the Miami Heat's one-time Big Three will be reduced to one. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that contract talks between Dwyane (dwayn) Wade and the Heat are at "an impasse" and the three-time NBA champion is preparing himself for possibly leaving the team this summer. Wade could opt out of his current contract, which calls for him to make about $16.1 million next season. The person said Wade has not decided anything, including whether he will opt out.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Alex Rodriguez tied Barry Bonds for second place on the all-time RBIs list, but the Oakland Athletics rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees 5-4, The Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 last night. Twenty-two-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings to become the youngest Red Sox starter to win in his major league debut on the road since 1967.
In the National League, the New York Mets had an off day, they start a 3 game series against the Marlins tonight at 7:10; and the Pittsburgh Pirates crushed San Diego 11-5.
In other major league action:
— Chris Sale dominated the White Sox's 3-2 victory over Baltimore in the opener of a twinbill, striking out 12 while limiting the Orioles to four singles and no walks in 7 2/3 innings. The game was scoreless until Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche hit RBI doubles in the sixth.
— LaRoche and Adam Eaton homered in the nightcap, but the Orioles knocked off Chicago 6-3. Rookie Mike Wright picked up his second win, allowing three runs and six hits in five innings before the Baltimore bullpen followed with four hitless frames.
— Pittsburgh picked up its seventh consecutive win as Jung Ho Kang hit a three-run homer and A.J. Burnett worked into the sixth inning of the Pirates' 11-5 assault on San Diego. Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte also went deep, and Andrew McCutchen was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
—Chris Heston looked good in San Francisco's 7-0 shutout of Atlanta, limiting the Braves to four hits while fanning six in 7 1/3 innings. Brandon Belt snapped a scoreless tie with a seventh-inning homer before the Giants broke it open with a six-run eighth.
— Billy Burns smacked a solo homer and Brett Lawrie added two-run blast while Oakland turned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees. Yanks slugger Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to tie Barry Bonds for second on the all-time RBI list.
— Cleveland beat Seattle 5-3 behind Corey Kluber, who fanned 13 while yielding three runs and seven hits in seven innings. Brandon Moss poked a solo homer and Jason Kipnis had two hits and two RBIs to help the Indians win for the eighth time in 10 games.
— The Angels clobbered the Tigers 12-2 as Chris Iannetta (eye'-ah-NET'-uh) hit a grand slam and Albert Pujols (POO'-hohlz) smacked a two-run shot. Matt Joyce hit a solo shot and had two RBIs to back C.J. Wilson, who surrendered a run and just two hits in six innings.
— Pittsburgh picked up its seventh consecutive win as Jung Ho Kang hit a three-run homer and A.J. Burnett worked into the sixth inning of the Pirates' 11-5 assault on San Diego. Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte also went deep, and Andrew McCutchen was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Other MLB Stories
ARLINGTON (AP) — Josh Hamilton was productive in his first home game since the Texas Rangers reacquired the outfielder from the Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton doubled on the first pitch he saw and was 2-for-4 with an RBI single, but the rest of the Rangers managed just three hits in a 5-1 loss to Boston.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Slumping Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is getting a break from the lineup. Ortiz wasn't in the lineup for last night's series opener at Texas, following a five-game stretch during which he only had one hit in 20 at-bats. Red Sox manager John Farrell has indicated that Ortiz might be out of the lineup for a couple of games, giving him a chance to work on a few things.
FIFA
ZURICH (AP) — Members of FIFA (FEE'-fuh) are gathering in Zurich today to vote on who'll lead soccer's governing body.
And current president Sepp Blatter is asking soccer leaders to entrust him with another term, as the organization deals with corruption allegations.
Blatter told the opening session of the FIFA congress Thursday, that it's "necessary to begin to restore trust in our organization."
LACROSSE - TEWAARATON AWARD
WASHINGTON (AP) — The University at Albany's Lyle Thompson, the career scoring leader in Division I lacrosse history, has won the Tewaaraton Award for a second time.
The trophy, given to the best player in the nation, was awarded Thursday night at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. Lyle shared the trophy last year with brother Miles as they became the first Native Americans to win the award and the first players to share it.
Thompson is the second repeat winner in the award's 15-year history, joining Syracuse attackman Mike Powell (2002 and 2004).
Maryland junior midfielder Taylor Cummings, who led the No. 1 Terps to their second straight national championship Sunday, won the women's award, becoming the fourth female repeat winner.
NFL:
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets have released quarterback Matt Simms, who backed up starter Geno Smith the past two seasons.
Simms became expendable when the Jets drafted Baylor's Bryce Petty in the fourth round earlier this month. With Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick ahead of him and the team high on Petty, Simms was a long shot to make the roster this season.
The son of former Giants star Phil Simms is 19 of 39 for 195 yards and a touchdown and one interception in four NFL games, with no starts.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2012 and was one of the Jets' final cuts that summer, but was signed to a reserve/future deal that December. Simms made the active roster the past two seasons.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chip Kelly says LeSean McCoy was wrong to suggest he favors white players over black players and says he never considers race when he's building the Philadelphia Eagles' roster.
Kelly said Thursday: "I've got great respect for LeSean. However, in that situation, I think he's wrong. We put a lot of time in looking at the characters and factors that go into selection and retention of players, and color's never been one of them."
Kelly traded McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in March for linebacker Kiko Alonso. McCoy wasn't happy about the trade. The two-time All-Pro and leading rusher in franchise history then questioned Kelly's motives in an interview with ESPN The Magazine earlier this month.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Adrian Peterson is expressing his frustration over criticism he is receiving while staying away from the voluntary portion of the Minnesota Vikings offseason.
Peterson will have his $12.75 million salary for 2015 guaranteed if he's on the roster for Week 1. But a person close to Peterson tells The Associated Press the 30-year-old also wants more of the money on the back end of his deal guaranteed.
Peterson said on Twitter that he knows "hundreds of players" that wished the team would have honored their contracts as he is being asked to do. Coach Mike Zimmer said yesterday that Peterson has two choices: he can either play for the Vikings next season or not play at all.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos are searching for someone to watch quarterback Peyton Manning's back after left tackle Ryan Clady tore his left ACL and will likely be out for the season.
Clady hurt his knee during a voluntary practice Wednesday, an injury that no one thought was really all that serious. Clady was setting up to pass block when his knee buckled. He even took another snap before pulling himself out of practice because his knee was sore.
FRENCH OPEN
PARIS (AP) — Top-seed Serena Williams has advanced to the third round of the French Open, but she needed three sets to do it. Williams rallied to beat German Anna-Lena Friedsam 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Joining Williams among the Day 5 winners is men's top-seed Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich), who beat Gilles Muller 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 despite playing with a right leg injury. Djokovic took a medical timeout before the last game of the second set, getting his upper leg and lower back massaged by a trainer.
Also advancing are sixth seed and nine-time winner Rafael Nadal (rah-fay-ehl nah-DAHL'), No. 3 seed Andy Murray and women's fourth seed Petra Kvitova (kuh-VIHT'-oh-vuh).
Women's fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki (wohz-nee-AK'-ee) was upset by Germany's Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6.
PGA-BYRON NELSON
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Steven Bowditch is the leader through one round of the Byron Nelson Classic.
Bowditch fired a bogey-free, 8-under 62 for a two shot advantage over Jimmy Walker. Bowditch matched his low round on the PGA Tour.
He didn't make it to the weekend each of the past three years at TPC Four Seasons after finishing tied for 60th in his tournament debut in 2001.
James Hahn and Ryan Palmer were three strokes back.
RUTGERS FOOTBALL PLAYER ARRESTED
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers University in New Jersey has dismissed a football player from the team who was arrested on a robbery charge last weekend in Florida.
Coach Kyle Flood announced the dismissal of Darian Dailey in a news release Thursday.
The defensive back and another man were arrested and charged with robbery after Florida's Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said Dailey and another suspect confronted a bicyclist with a gun early Sunday and demanded money.
The bicyclist got their license plate number as they drove away, and authorities arrested the pair in Manatee County.
The 19-year-old Dailey, of Bradenton, is scheduled to be arraigned July 10 in Sarasota County Court. A lawyer who could comment on his behalf wasn't listed in online court records.
Dailey redshirted last season after arriving at Rutgers.
ST JOHN'S-MONASCH
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Monasch has resigned after 10 years as St. John's athletic director.
The school made the announcement Thursday, saying the resignation is effective June 30 and Monasch is leaving his alma mater to "pursue new leadership opportunities.'"
The move comes about two months after St. John's and men's basketball coach Steve Lavin, a Monasch hire in 2010, agreed to part ways. Lavin compiled an 81-55 record in five seasons with one NCAA Tournament appearance.
Chris Mullin, considered the best player in St. John's history, was hired to replace Lavin on April 1. Mullin led St. John's to the 1985 Final Four, won two Olympic gold medals and is in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
OBIT-BYERS
UNDATSED (AP) — Walter Byers, the first executive director of the NCAA, has died at the age of 93. He spent 36 years leading and shaping the organization that oversees college athletics.
Byers took over the NCAA in 1951 and was key to the schools maintaining strict control of all revenues the athletes generated. Then, the figures weren't too impressive. Now, the deals for football and basketball rights are worth billions.
He helped invent the now widely used term "student-athlete," which he said was intended to disguise the fact that players had become de facto professionals. He was also a big proponent of having the NCAA oversee women's athletics, which came to fruition in the early 1980s.
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