NHL
Tortorella out for 12 days after Canucks-Flames brawl
NEW YORK – The NHL suspended Vancouver coach John Tortorella without pay for 15 days on Monday for his conduct after a brawl between the Canucks and the Calgary Flames.
Tortorella went to Calgary’s locker room at intermission following the first period Saturday night, which began with several fights and four game misconducts per team. Vancouver won the game 3-2 in a shootout.
Tortorella’s suspension runs through Feb. 2. He will miss six games, a run that started with Tuesday night’s contest at Edmonton.
Tortorella is not allowed to have any interaction with the Canucks before, during or after games during the time of his suspension.
This is the second career suspension for Tortorella, who missed Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinals as coach of the New York Rangers for throwing a water bottle into the stands in Washington.
Tortorella blamed Flames coach Bob Hartley for starting his fourth line, saying he couldn’t put star players Daniel and Henrik Sedin at risk just to deflate the situation. Hartley was fined $25,000 by the NHL.
NFL
Goodell will brave the elements at the Super Bowl
NEW YORK – He’ll be wearing a coat and no doubt gloves.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be like most other folks at the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 in East Rutherford, N.J. – he’ll be outside.
The league says the commissioner will be sitting in the elements as he regularly does at games – rain or shine, cold or warm.
Goodell often sits in the stands or is in a luxury box that has outdoor seats. He’s done that in the past, even in serious chill.
He sat in the stands in Minnesota at the outdoor game after the Metrodome roof collapsed in 2010. He also once sat at a game in Chicago where he said his beer froze.
College Basketball
Make it seven for Arizona, Syracuse atop the AP poll
Arizona and Syracuse are the top two teams in The Associated Press Top 25 for a seventh consecutive week.
The Wildcats (18-0) are again the runaway No. 1, receiving 61 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. The Orange (18-0) got the other No. 1 votes.
Michigan State moved up one place to third while Villanova jumped two spots to fourth. Wichita State, at 19-0 the only other unbeaten in Division I, stayed fifth and was followed by Florida, San Diego State, Kansas, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Kansas has beaten three consecutive ranked opponents and jumped from 15th to No. 8.
Michigan, at No. 21, and Kansas State, at 22nd, moved into the poll this week, replacing Creighton, Colorado and UCLA. There was a tie for 25th last week.
College Football
Sandusky’s son takes part in documentary about case
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is participating in a documentary about his father’s sexual-abuse case.
Matt Sandusky told the Centre Daily Times that he took part in “Happy Valley” to advocate for child sexual-abuse survivors.
The 100-minute film is being screened this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. It explores whether it was an open secret that Sandusky was molesting boys.
Matt Sandusky was expected to be a defense witness at Sandusky’s trial but instead came forward to say that he had been abused by his adoptive father.
Jerry Sandusky is appealing his conviction and 30- to 60-year prison term.
Matt Sandusky, married with four children, says he hopes to start a nonprofit in State College and advocate for abuse survivors.
Associated Press
