NHL to play in China
According to Yahoo Sports, the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks will play one another on Sept. 21 and 23 at arenas in Shanghai and Beijing, respectively, in the first-ever NHL games in China. The games were announced on March 29. Chinese commissioner Gary Bettman said that these games are a precursor to China’s deepening involvement in winter sports. China will host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.
Seahawks coach disagrees with NFL leaping rules
According to ESPN, Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks coach, said on March 29 that he disagreed with the NFL’s decision to prohibit players from blocking field goals and extra points by leaping over the line of scrimmage. The ban on leaping was supported by all 32 teams. Carroll said that the league unfairly showed only players that looked like “they were going to get whipped out” and that the NFL only showed the dark side of players leaping over the scrimmage line. The chairman of the NFL competition committee said that the ban was based on players’ recommendations.
Knicks star OK playing less for end of season
New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony said he is at peace with allowing younger players to steal his time on the court so that the team can evaluate its future, according to ESPN. The Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs on March 29 for the fourth time in four seasons. Anthony said he thinks playing a reduced role for the remainder of the Knicks season is for the good of the team.
Fan vote blocks NFL’s Greg Hardy from Indoor Football League team
On March 30, fans of the Indoor Football League voted not to name Greg Hardy, former NFL Pro Bowl player, to the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, according to Yahoo Sports. In the Indoor Football League, all decisions are made by fans, from naming head coaches to naming teams. While the vote was almost 50/50 and Screaming Eagles management unanimously supported Hardy’s inclusion, the fan vote means that Hardy will not be joining the roster this season.
