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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Glen Murray matches Marco Sturm's passion with enthusiasm for hiring of former Bruins teammate as coach
So began Sturm's quiet and seamless NHL re-entry, in part thanks to the bond he and Murray, proud son of the Canadian Maritimes, forged in their three seasons playing together in Boston. The two forwards (combined career goals: 579) remained in frequent contact in their early retirement years, with Murray well aware of the success Sturm built behind various Team Germany benches in those years leading up to the opening in LA on Todd McLellan's staff. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Sturm's enthusiasm for the coaching craft and determination to win, noted Murray, is '100 percent real,' which was among the many points he made to Don Sweeney when the Bruins GM called a few weeks ago for a critique of Sturm's work across his seven years in the Kings' organization. Advertisement Without hesitation, Murray offered his full endorsement, despite it meaning the Kings ultimately would be left to replace Sturm as bench boss for their AHL affiliate in nearby Ontario, Calif. Advertisement Glen Murray (right) has been very supportive of his former teammate, Marco Sturm, taking over the Bruins. Davis, Jim Globe Staff/The Boston Globe - The Boston Gl 'I told Sweens, 'This guy is passionate about the Boston Bruins' organization,'' said Murray, ' 'and he'll do everything you want, and the organization wants, to create the best team they can be.' I know they're going to be playing hard every night for Marco. He cares about the players. He's just a great, great fit.' No matter the makeup of the Boston roster — much of that to be finalized in and around the start of NHL free agency Tuesday — Murray is confident Sturm will preach an up-tempo, puck-possession game, one both veterans and younger players will be able and eager to embrace. He was patient with the kids the Kings needed him to develop, noted Murray, while at the same time able to get the vets to buy into his game plan. 'He's a player's coach,' offered Murray. 'He knows there's a difference, vets and kids, right? But at the same time, everyone has to be accountable. He's put in the time to get this opportunity, to be in this situation he's in, and he is going to put everything he can into the organization and help that team get back to the top. No question. And it's all real. There's not one ounce of fakeness in Marco, I know that 100 percent. He has no hidden agenda. His only agenda is to make the Boston Bruins a [Stanley] Cup contender.' During his introductory presser June 10 on Causeway Street, Sturm offhandedly noted he was alone in California throughout his seven years — four as an assistant with the varsity squad and three as the Reign's head coach. Advertisement To land the job he wanted as one of the NHL's 32 head coaches, it meant Sturm being away from his wife and two children ostensibly for nine months a year. They remained home in southern Florida while he toiled away in SoCal, chasing after his new dream with the same zeal he showed decades earlier as a 16-year-old in Germany, intent on one day playing in the NHL. 'Tough, tough grind,' said Murray, noting the dedication needed for someone to be away from family for so long. 'I mean, he had family in and out to visit, but they weren't living here. That goes to show you in its own right that he's passionate about it. Like that's a huge thing to do, to be away from your family, with his kids still 14 and 15 at the time … it just showed that, yeah, he cares, he loves being a coach and he's willing to work.' No quit in this guy Kampfer keeps going in KHL Brad Marchand , now a two-time Cup winner, broke into the Bruins lineup as a fourth-line energy rascal in 2009-10 and had played only 97 regular-season games when he hoisted the trophy the first time in the spring of 2011. Rookie teammate Tyler Seguin , who turned 19 that season, had played in 74 games. He made it to a third consecutive Western Conference final this spring with the Stars and has yet to make it back to the winner's circle. The only other member of Boston's 2010-11 squad still chasing pucks for a living: journeyman defenseman Steven Kampfer , the UMichigan grad. Kampfer posted 38 games that season with the varsity but did not suit up for any of the 25 playoff games. Advertisement Kampfer, 36, played this past season for Chelyabinsk, his first in the KHL, and helped lead Traktor to the Gagarin Cup finals (a 4-1 series loss to Yaroslavl). Three other North Americans dotted Traktor's playoff lineup: including goalie Zach Fucale (Quebec), Buddy Robinson (New Jersey) and Florida-born Logan Day , who played at Kents Hill School in Maine prior to college twirls with Providence and Endicott. Raise high your hockey hand if you figured one day those four all would wear the same sweater for a team in the far western reaches of Mother Russia. The puck takes some crazy hops. Former Northeastern blue liner Dylan Sikura (Ontario), who spent four seasons on Jim Madigan's Huskies squads (2014-18), spent the first half of the KHL season with Traktor before being dealt to Moscow Dynamo. International intrigue Tkachuk injury offers painful reminder Matthew Tkachuk played through some tough injuries this season. Nathan Denette/Associated Press Nothing new in seeing injured players grind their way painfully through the playoffs, but the Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk took that to maximum 'M*A*S*H' level. He persevered through four postseason rounds while nursing a sports hernia and damaged adductor muscle he later revealed was 'torn off the bone.' The adductor muscle is 'what brings the hips toward the body,' said one longtime doctor, not wishing to be quoted when contacted by the Globe. He added, 'Sort of important in skating.' 'He was a mess,' confirmed Panthers coach Paul Maurice after pocketing the back-to-back Cup wins. 'That's the medical term — a mess.' Tkachuk's woes were a product of his participation in February's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. An ever-present concern of NHL team owners and GMs when weighing whether to shut down the league midseason for international play is that the working help will return swaddled in medical bandages when the league reopens for business. Advertisement Exhibit A, 2025 4 Nations: Tkachuk. The big winger, who logged only 6:47 in ice time for Team USA in the Feb. 20 championship game vs. Canada, did not play again until the Panthers' April 22 playoff opener. He finished a robust 8-15–23 for the postseason, but still was at less than full strength and effectiveness as he shook that Cup over his head for a second time in his career earlier this month. Tkachuk wasn't nearly his best, but still put up a point per game at the most intense time of the season. That's leadership. 'If not for our medical staff and trainers …,' mused Tkachuk, appreciative of being kept upright and in sufficient operational order. Tkachuk, remember, led off the 4 Nations fireworks in the explosive Feb. 15 matchup vs. Canada at the Bell Centre. The puck went down for the opening faceoff and Tkachuk immediately shook off the gloves for a raging punch-and-wrestle fest with Brandon Hagel that went on for nearly 30 seconds. Both combatants, it should be submitted for the record, sprang right back up on their feet after their do-si-do. Tkacuk remained in uniform the rest of the night, but logged only 11:10. A guy who hates to miss a shift, he then sat out the game at TD Garden two nights later vs. Sweden, and was limited to the 6:47 in the title game. None of which confirms it was the fight with Hagel that tore him up, and it would be a mistake even to think so because, you know … no one ever gets hurt in a hockey fight. Advertisement Reign ends droughts Marchand's latest Cup stirs memories Brad Marchand lifted another Stanley Cup, 14 years after his first. Lynne Sladky/Associated Press Marchand went 14 years between Cup hoists. Legendary bench boss Dick Irvin remains the record holder as coach with most years (12) between Cup triumphs. At age 39, in his first year behind Toronto's bench, Irvin directed the Maple Leafs to the Cup in 1932, then didn't win again until '44 with Montreal ( Toe Blake and Rocket Richard his top two Canadiens wingers). Irvin guided his teams to a total 11 Cup Finals (3-8). Local legend Art Ross , who in 1924 became the Boston franchise's first coach, went 10 years (1929-39) between Cup wins, a dry spell second only to Irvin's, per the NHL stats department. Ross finished 2-3 in his five Finals trips with the Bruins. Ross's '39 champs featured the famed Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt , Bobby Bauer , and Woody Dumart . The three pals from Kitchener, Ontario, all shipped off to Europe for the Duration following a game at the Garden in 1942, the night ending with the Canadiens hoisting all three on their shoulders and parading them around the ice. The three beloved Canucks weren't seen again on Causeway Street until it was over over there, returning to the Black and Gold lineup for the start of the 1945-46 season. Collectively, the Krauts lost 10½ seasons worth of their career to the war effort. 'True, we did,' a wistful Schmidt mused decades later in an interview with your faithful puck chronicler, 'but thousands of guys sacrificed way more than that.' Loose pucks Lokomotiv's championship KHL squad included Byron Froese , of the Winkler, Manitoba, Froeses, as its lone North American roster filler. Long ago a Blackhawks draft pick, Froese ventured to the KHL this season after dotting around North American pro leagues for 14 years (including 141 NHL games) … Bruins fans will remember that Brad McCrimmon , who joined the Black and Gold blue line with fellow rookie Ray Bourque in 1979-80, perished with the entire Lokomotiv team in a September 2011 plane crash. McCrimmon, 52, had just begun his first season as Yaro's head coach. His brother, Kelly McCrimmon , now 64, is the general manager of the Golden Knights … As noted here upon Marchand winning another Cup after 14 years, only two others endured longer droughts: Chris Chelios (16 years) and Mark Recchi (15). Darren Helm and Bill Guerin also had 14-year droughts. Craig Ludwig and Brian Skrudland had 13-year spacers before second swigs from the Cup … Ex-Bruins forward Ryan Donato , who turned pro with the varsity right off the Harvard campus in the spring of 2018, opted to forego the league July 1 unrestricted free agent dollarama and signed a four-year/$16 million extension to remain in the Blackhawks' roost. With a career-best line of 31-31–62 this past season, he might have been able to gin up the price in the open market. Most players chase the biggest buck, while a few balance money and fit. Chicago is Donato's fifth port o'call. At age 29 and with 483 games on his CV, he signed on for a solid wage and comfortable fit. He still has a ways to go to top dad Ted's 796 career games/eight NHL teams …Chatter recently picked up once again that the NHL will increase its 16-team playoff field, possibly to 20, opening the second season with best-of-three play-in action. Frankly, it's a surprise here that the Lords of the Boards didn't do it as part of the Covid recovery program. The conventional pushback is that a number bigger than 16 would represent more than 50 percent of the Original 32 franchises. Yeah, so what? Once was the time, post-WHA adoption, 16 of the Original 21 made the cut. Who cares? All that matters is that the best team is left standing with the Cup. Four more teams, generating revenue from as many as 12 games across four mini-series, would bring a smile to the fan bases of four cities otherwise left chagrined and an increase in the cap number. The problem with that is? … Patrick Kane , still on a path to July 1 UFA, will be 37 in November. For the right dough, like the $4 million he made last season with the Red Wings, he'd be an exciting fit for the Bruins, I think, particularly with fellow energizer bunny Sturm behind the bench. In his two seasons in Detroit, post- hip surgery, Kane's line: 41-65—106 in 122 games. League wide, only 52 players over those two years exceeded Kane's 0.87 points per game average. He'd be a fine RW2 here and could flip to RW1 to help David Pastrnak manage minutes or escape some of the shift to shift checking pressure … The Devils, who signed ex-Bruins forward Erik Haula three years ago, mainly to bolster their faceoff efficiency, wheeled him back to Nashville, where he played for one season before coming here. The move took $3.15M off GM Tom Fitzgerald's books in New Jersey, dough he now can kneed into a rich extension for talented restricted free agent defenseman Luke Hughes , whose entry-level deal has expired … Still think the Predators will look to move one of three pricier forwards: Steven Stamkos ($8 million annual average value), Jonathan Marchessault ($5.5 million) or Ryan O'Reilly ($4.5 million) … Yep, another frustrating year for the Maple Leafs, now 58 years down the Gardiner Expressway from their most recent Cup parade. They've already kicked team president Brendan Shanahan to the curb and it appears GM Brad Treliving will let talented winger Mitch Marner walk via the UFA market (teams rumored to offer him upward of $100 million over seven years). More moves to come, but it's worth noting the retooled Maple Leafs were able to stretch the mighty Panthers to a Game 7 in Round 2. Some solace there when weighed against the fact Florida lost only four games in its three other series. If Marner walks, and John Tavares's weighty $11 million cap hit remains off the books, Treliving will have $25 million in his July 1 shopping cart. Target No. 1? Possibly Marchand … If you were the Bruins, and flipped Jeremy Swayman to Utah for the No. 4 pick and a roster player (let's go with Matias Maccelli ), what would be your next move with that fourth pick and the seventh in hand? … No word yet on the release date for the NHL's 2025-26 schedule. On or around July 15 is a safe bet, with a projected opening night of Oct. 7 for most clubs. The league will go dark for about three weeks (approx Feb. 4-25), the best of the working help headed to Milano-Cortina for the 2026 Winter Games … One of the great headlines here in the Hub of Hockey, 40-plus years ago, read: 'Bruins Get Nill for McNab.' Jim Nill (now the Dallas GM) was obtained for longtime Bruins favorite Peter McNab . With that in mind, when the Bruins recently added Stars assistant coach Steve Spott to Sturm's staff, I was hoping to read, 'See Spott Run' as a headline in one of the Dallas dailies. Not yet. But a man can dream. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
OKC Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Sacramento Kings in 2025 NBA Draft
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The Oklahoma City Thunder will trade the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings. The Thunder selected Colorado State wing Nique Clifford with the 24th pick. The Kings are sending a 2027 first-round pick to the Thunder. That pick is top-16 protected and would become two 2027 second-round picks if it doesn't convey. Advertisement The deal will be finalized later. The Thunder drafted Georgetown center Thomas Sorber 15th overall earlier Wednesday. More: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Thomas Sorber selection in 2025 NBA Draft 2025 NBA Draft first-round results This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Kings in 2025 NBA Draft
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Count Kings GM Ken Holland among those who prefer how NHL drafts used to be held
Henry Brzustewicz, left, stands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected by the Kings at No. 31 overall in the NHL draft at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) For Ken Holland, the Kings' decidedly old-school general manager, new isn't necessarily better. Take the NHL draft, for example. Holland presided over more than a quarter-century of drafts with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers, and they were generally held in one place, with everyone from the executives doing the drafting to the players being drafted on site. Advertisement On Friday, for the first time in a non-pandemic environment, the draft was conducted semi-remotely, with the top 93 draft-eligible players and their families filling some of the seats in the half-empty Peacock Theater in Los Angeles while team representatives made their selections from their home markets. Read more: Kings hire Hall of Famer Ken Holland as their new general manager And whatever the league was attempting to accomplish with the decentralized format, other than saving on travel, it didn't work. After each pick was announced on a giant video board that took up two-thirds of the theater's massive stage, players made their way up the aisle to be greeted by Commissioner Gary Bettman. They then pulled on a team jersey and hat before being led into the "Draft House" — a small virtual reality room in the center of the stage — for what amounted to a congratulatory Zoom call with the club's brass. The Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles hosts the NHL draft. (Juan Ocampo / NHLI via Getty Images) The young men were celebrating the biggest moment of their lives yet they came off like Dorothy speaking to the Wizard of Oz. Much of it was awkward, especially when James Hagens, the eighth selection, was left waving at Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney after the audio in the Bruins' war room in Boston went mute. That was just one of multiple technical glitches that included echoes and timing delays that left players and executives talking over one another. Advertisement When it became obvious the painfully slow-paced event would plod past 4½ hours, the Draft House was closed to some teams. Brady Martin, the fifth pick, didn't even bother to come to L.A. So when Nashville announced his selection — via a celebrity video taped at a golf course — the NHL showed a video of Martin working on his family's farm. Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov wouldn't even get that treatment. When he was announced as the 20th overall pick, the NHL had nothing to show, making Andreyanov the first no-show of the no-show draft. Matthew Schaefer, a 17-year-old defenseman from Hamilton, Canada,, who was taken with the No. 1 pick by the New York Islanders, said being part of video draft did not spoil his big day. Matthew Schaefer stands between Michael Misa, left, and Anton Frondell after being selected 1-2-3, respectively, in the NHL draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images) 'I'm just honored to be picked,' said Schaefer who cried, alongside his dad and brother, when his name was called. 'I dreamt about it my whole life. It's such an honor. Especially the first pick overall.' Advertisement For Holland, however, none of that counts as progress. 'I'm old and I'm old fashioned. So I like the old way,' said the Kings general manager, whose view was shared by other GMs around the league. 'You draft some player in the sixth round and all of a sudden you hear 'yay!' way up in the corner. It's him, it's his family, and they're all excited to hear [his] name announced by an NHL team. 'This weekend, to me, is about the young players.' Aside from the technical difficulties, the actual draft went largely to form. The Ducks, as expected, took Roger McQueen, an 18-year-old forward from Saskatchewan, with their top pick, the 10th overall selection. The Kings, meanwhile, traded their first pick, No. 24 overall, to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After moving down seven spots they took right-handed-shooting defenseman Henry Brzustewicz, 18, a Minnesota native, with the penultimate pick of the first day. Advertisement Round two through seven of the draft will be conducted Saturday. Roger McQueen, second from right, poses for photos with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, and actors Joshua Jackson, left, and Marguerite Moreau, second from left, after being drafted by the Ducks at No. 10 overall. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) The Ducks, who had a top-10 pick for a seventh straight year, see the 6-foot-5 McQueen as a raw talent who can develop into a top-line center. 'He has a big body. But what goes along with that is his skill and skating ability,' said general manager Pat Verbeek, whose team has 10 picks this weekend. For the Kings, this draft was the first public move in what could be an intense couple of weeks. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and winger Andrei Kuzmenko are unrestricted free agents and the team would like to re-sign both before they hit the open market Tuesday. Advertisement 'If we re-sign Gavrikov, there's not going to be a ton of change,' Holland said. 'If we don't, then there's going to be change.' Gavrikov, 29, emerged as a solid presence on the blue line, playing a career-high 82 games and posting the best goals-against average of the 17 defensemen to play at least 1,500 minutes. Former Kings GM Rob Blake made Gavrikov a contract offer last March, said Holland, who has since sweetened the deal twice. Replacing him, the GM said, could require a couple of signings. Kuzmenko, 29, reenergized the offense after coming over from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, with the Kings going 17-5 and averaging nearly four goals a game down the stretch. Kings fans cheer after Henry Brzustewicz is drafted by the team at No. 31 overall. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) 'We like Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko likes it here; he likes his role,' Holland said. 'I'm talking to him. I talked two, three, four times this week with his agent. So we'll see.' Advertisement Signing both players would put a big dent in the Kings' $21.7 million in salary-cap space. 'We have a lot of cap space but it doesn't take much and it's gone,' Holland said. 'We've got to figure out how we want to spend our money and they need to figure out how much money they can get.' Aside from Gavrikov and Kuzmenko, the Kings don't have many loose ends to tie up. The team is confident it can get forward Alex Laferriere, a restricted free agent, to agree to a short-term deal and it has to decide whether to re-sign David Rittich, an unrestricted free agent, as the backup to starting goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper. Two players who could be moving on are forward Tanner Jeannot and defenseman Jordan Spence, both of whom are looking for more ice time and may have to leave to get it. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Large barricades erected around White House and Treasury? Video sparks speculation
A video circulating on social media shows construction crews erecting large anti-scale barricades around the White House and the US Treasury building. This has prompted widespread speculation about the reason behind the sudden security measures. A video showing construction crews erecting barricades around the White House has surfaced. (REUTERS) While some users suggested the barricades could be related to preparations for upcoming July 4 celebrations, others speculated they might be tied to potential protests or political developments. One person commented, 'I believe they're getting ready for the new Kings protest on July 3 or fourth.' Another user added, 'Yeah... when they break out the anti-scale fencing at night, it's never because they're prepping for a bake sale. That's usually code for: Some kind of announcement is coming, possibly with serious public blowback. A trial verdict, indictment, or legal action.' A third person commented, '4th of July protests, planned in DC, likely to be a riot. Don't leave your bricks out.' Another user wrote, 'I never saw the White House barricaded for the 4th of July parade or celebration in the 3 years I was stationed there from 2021-2024. Very odd.' Another commented, 'I do recall seeing a post somewhere talking about a No Kings 2.0 Day on July 4th. This is likely in response to that among many similar things.' Adding to the speculation, AI chatbot Grok responded to a user by citing a planned protest: 'There is a planned 'National March on Washington' protest against U.S. military action in Iran on June 28, 2025, likely prompting the barricades around the White House and Treasury. The event, organized by the ANSWER Coalition, is expected to draw large crowds. No official statements confirm this, but the timing and anti-scale barriers suggest crowd control for this protest. Other possibilities, like unannounced events or routine security, lack evidence.' Also Read: Is White House on fire today? Debunking viral post At this time, the video remains unverified, and Hindustan Times has not independently confirmed its authenticity. The White House has not issued a statement in response to the footage.
Indianapolis Star
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
2 former Butler basketball players sign contracts with NBA teams
Former Butler basketball players Jahmyl Telfort and Patrick McCaffery signed undrafted free agent deals with NBA teams. They didn't hear their names called during the 2025 NBA Draft, but former Butler basketball players Jahmyl Telfort and Patrick McCaffery will both have chances to catch on with NBA teams. Telfort signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, Life Sports Agency announced. Butler announced that McCaffery signed with the Sacramento Kings. Telfort led Butler in scoring at 16 points per game last season to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. McCaffery emerged as a 3-point marksman during his lone season with the Bulldogs. Patrick, the son of longtime Iowa coach and current Penn coach Fran McCaffery, led Butler with 77 made 3-pointers. He averaged 11.2 points per game and shot 41.6% from 3. Telfort has an NBA frame at 6 foot 7, 225 pounds. He's not the most explosive athlete, but he's a savvy player with the strength to get to his spots on the court. McCaffery began his career as a slasher looking to get downhill. At 6-9, his transition to a perimeter shooter should serve him well at the next level. The Clippers begin Summer League play July 11 in Las Vegas. The Kings will be playing in the California Classic Summer League starting July in Sacramento. The Kings will be hosting the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, and Chinese National Team.
