Browsing: announce

The St. Louis Blues announced their Hall of Fame class of 2026, which features Alexander Steen, Barret Jackman and Al Arbour.

The announcement of the class was made in front of the Enterprise Center crowd during the first period of Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The team will officially induct the players into the Blues Hall of Fame on Monday, Jan. 12, during a ceremonial dinner at the downtown Missouri Athletic Club. The inductees will then be honored prior to the game when the Blues host the Carolina Hurricanes the following evening at 7 p.m. at Enterprise Center.

Steen, the Blues’ soon-to-be general manager, played 12 seasons with the organization, scoring 195 goals and 496 points in 765 games. The Winnipeg, Man., native won a Stanley Cup with the Blues, playing as a depth forward with veteran leadership later in his career. Steen ranks fourth in Blues history in games played, sixth in assists and points, and 10th in goals. He is also one of five players in franchise history to dress in at least 90 playoff games.

Jackman played 13 seasons with the Blues, skating in 803 games and scoring 28 goals and 181 points. Jackman was a first-round pick (17th overall) of the Blues in the 1999 NHL Draft. Jackman leads all defensemen and ranks second in franchise history overall in games played, while his 1,026 penalty minutes are fourth. In 2002-03, Jackman was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and became the first player in franchise history to earn the Calder Trophy. Jackman was named the Director of Alumni earlier this season.

Arbour, the first captain in Blues history and was a member of the original Blues team in 1967-68 after being drafted from Toronto in the 1967 expansion draft. Arbour spent four seasons with the Blues, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the team’s first three campaigns. The Sudbury, Ontario, native was a 1969 NHL All-Star and finished fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy that season. Arbour also served as head coach of the Blues for parts of three seasons (1970-71 to 1972-73), leading them to the NHL Semi-Finals in 1971-72.

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More WWE names have announced departures.

The latest round of WWE cuts started earlier this week when indie star Zayda Steel announced that she will not be renewing her WWE ID contract. Shortly after, Kylie Rae also confirmed that her time with the ID program was coming to an end.

This was followed by news of several more cuts on Friday. The most surprising of these names was Lance Anoaâ€i, member of the famous Anoaâ€i family and cousin to names such as Roman Reigns and The Rock.

Lance was signed to a development deal back in November 2024. He had wrestled in several matches for the company as an enhancement talent before his signing, but Anoaâ€i surprisingly did not compete in any sanctioned matches during his development run.

The 33-year-old took to Twitter to announce the news, noting that he hasn’t had the best of luck since arriving in the company. Though he confirmed that he won’t be leaving wrestling and he will be back in the indie circuit when his non compete clause expires in 30 days.

Other names who confirmed their exit from the company as well include WWE LFG and Evolve competitors Jamar Hampton and Drako Knox, as well as Evolve General Manager Stevie Turner.

While not confirmed officially, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that former NXT North American and Tag Team Champion Wes Lee is also among the names released from the company.

Many of these names have taken to social media to comment on their departure, expressing their gratitude for the opportunity as well as addressing their future. You can check out their posts below:

My time with @WWE has come to an end. Iâ€ve had a brilliant time and Iâ€m so excited for the future ? see you soon!

— STEVIE TURNER (@StevieTurnerWWE) October 10, 2025

Effective immediately, I have been released from my contract with WWE.

I am thankful for every person and every day I spent in that PC. I give everything I have every single day for this business!

I will be available for bookings in 30 days.
Email: [email protected]

— Drako Knox (@drakowwe) October 10, 2025

I would officially announce my departure from WWE! I didnâ€t have the best of luck since I arrived! I will not let this stop me from achieving to be great! Iâ€ve worked hard on the indies for 15 years! Now letâ€s get back to work! 30days
Accepting bookings [email protected]

— Lance Anoaâ€i (@lanceanoai) October 10, 2025

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Jesse Cole vividly remembers the early days of owning the Savannah Bananas.

They sold only a handful of tickets in the inaugural season in 2016 as a member of the Coastal Plain League playing as a collegiate summer team. He and his wife sold their house, emptied their savings accounts and slept on an air bed to start the team. When they left traditional baseball in 2022 and started “Banana Ball,” Cole expressed that they had a “big vision to create something special.”

The doubters expressed an opposite view.

“We were told it would fail. People said they would never come to it because it’s not real baseball,” Cole told ESPN. “We’ve been criticized every step of the way. But you know what I remember, what I focus on is the fans that love it.”

After playing in front of over 2 million of those fans and selling out 17 Major League Baseball stadiums in 2025, Banana Ball is set up for its biggest move yet.

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Cole announced Thursday on ESPN2 that the inaugural season of the Banana Ball Championship League is coming to 75 stadiums, 45 states and will be played in front of 3.2 million fans next year.

Banana Ball is headed to 14 MLB parks and 10 football stadiums, including two with a capacity of over 100,000 — Texas A&M’s Kyle Field (102,000) and Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium (101,000). They’ll even play at Billings, Montana’s Dehler Park, which will host the smallest crowd in Banana Ball history at 3,000.

The Saints’ Superdome and Patriots’ Gillette Stadium will also be part of a tour that is set to be the biggest yet.

Cole, who is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of each team in the league (Bananas, Firefighters, Party Animals and Tailgaters), revealed the new steps are all about bringing the game to a broader audience.

“When you have so much demand and excitement, we want to be able to go to the biggest stadiums, but also to the smallest stadium,” Cole said. “We want to play everywhere. We want to take this where anyone in this country can drive to a game within four to five, six hours max.”

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The league also announced two new teams Thursday: the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns (which carries the name of the former Negro Leagues team). Each club will have a newly created position of “prime-time coach,” who manages only in the big games, but is involved year-round doing social media and interviews, according to Cole.

Two-time World Series champion (2008, 2013) and Hawai’i native Shane Victorino will lead the Coconuts. The team follows a beach theme and will play in coastal locations, while also bringing the beach to other parts of the country. Cole said it is “the most fun, unique, crazy brand that we’ve ever created.”

Victorino has been a friend of the Bananas and joined them multiple times through the years.

“You know, for me, it’s always been about heart. That island pride, that aloha spirit — it’s in everything I do. So, to take that, mix it with the fun, fast-paced energy of Banana Ball? That’s a dream,” Vitorino said in a news release. “Coaching a team like that, it’s about vibes. It’s about makin’ people smile, bringin’ joy to the game and showin’ you can play with passion and with laughter.”

The Clowns have a rich baseball history. They were the Negro Leagues’ version of the Harlem Globetrotters and are the club Hank Aaron signed his first professional contract with. The team started in 1935 and disbanded in 1989.

He called the Clowns the most important team they’ve created, and that it took “years in the making” to bring back.

The idea for the Indianapolis Clowns to come back came after Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tole Cole that the Bananas reminded him of the old club. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

In 2022, the Bananas played the Kansas City Monarchs and visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Bob Kendrick, the president of the museum, shared the story of the Clowns to Cole, saying that the Bananas reminded Kendrick of the old club.

“He said, ‘All the entertainment, all the fun, all the jokes, all the things you guys were creating, it was like watching the Indianapolis Clowns and that they were true pioneers in this entertainment style,” Cole recalled. “They’re the first ones to do it.”

The two kept talking, and Cole built a relationship with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and asked Kendrick if he could bring it back.

It’s a partnership to preserve the team’s history and introduce people to a team that brought entertainment to sports — opening the door for the Bananas and its other clubs to do the same decades later.

“The rebirth of the Indianapolis Clowns is an exciting and historically relevant tribute to the team that was at the forefront of combining baseball and entertainment,” Kendrick said. “Our partnership is a tremendous opportunity, to not only entertain, but educate fans about the rich history of the Negro Leagues while paying homage to the team that helped influence Banana Ball.”

Ryan Howard — a 2008 World Series champion and 2006 NL MVP — will be tasked with the role of primetime coach for the Clowns.

He called it an honor to coach the team, citing Clowns legends that paved the way such as Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell.

“Banana Ball is all about energy, entertainment, flipping the script — and you know what? That’s exactly what the Negro Leagues brought to the game from day one,” Howard said in a news release. “Flash. Innovation. Community and an unconditional love for the game. They were rock stars before the world called ballplayers that.”

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The two teams will compete alongside the other teams in the Banana Ball Championship League.

The league opens in February with 11 preseason games that leads to a Banana Ball open tournament that will determine a playoff spot. The teams will then play a 50-game regular season from the last weekend of April to September with the top three moving on to the playoffs. The Banana Bowl on Oct. 10, 2026, concludes the season.

Cole called creating the championship league the next logical step and “a no brainer.” He emphasized that it will change things in “many ways,” making every game competitive and entertaining.

Another tweak next year is the equalizer rule where trick plays impact the score. If the visiting team has more trick plays within the first eight innings, they’ll earn an extra point in the ninth. It’s all part of the goal to increase competition.

With Banana Ball growing more and more by the day, there have been weekly calls to bring it overseas. But Cole told ESPN they have a responsibility to the United States first.

“There’s still places all over the country that have not seen Banana Ball that we want to bring it to,” he said. “And so yes, international will happen in the future. It’s not happening in 2026.”

Ticket prices aren’t changing, either. Cole revealed that they expect at least 3 million to 4 million people to join the ticket lottery list in the first 48 hours after Thursday’s announcement. However, there are no plans to raise prices: “We’re not doing it,” Cole matter-of-factly said.

Cole has a vision of bringing Banana Ball worldwide with it becoming a real sport that kids play. He “100%” sees youth tournaments and leagues all over the country and different teams around the world.

“But, every year we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Cole said. “We focus on where we’re going in the future, but really we’ve got to deliver every single year, every single night, every single ballpark.”

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After a grueling few weeks of training camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster has finally been solidified for the start of the 2025-26 season.

On Monday, the Penguins – along with all 31 other NHL teams – were required to submit final NHL rosters prior to the 5:00 p.m. ET deadline. Pittsburgh did reduce its roster to 23 on Sunday after a group of players cleared waivers and were re-assigned to the AHL, but it was not official until Monday.

The roster features 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders, and it will include two top prospects in Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel, who are confirmed to be in the lineup Tuesday against the New York Rangers. They will be the first pair of teenagers to debut together for the Penguins since Jordan Staal and Kris Letang in 2006.

Here is the full 23-man roster for the Penguins to begin the season:

Forwards (13)
11 – Filip Hallander
16 – Justin Brazeau
18 – Tommy Novak
19 – Connor Dewar
39 – Anthony Mantha
41 – Ville Koivunen
46 – Blake Lizotte
53 – Philip Tomasino
55 – Noel Acciari
67 – Rickard Rakell
71 – Evgeni Malkin
81 – Ben Kindel
87 – Sidney Crosby

Top Prospects Brunicke, Kindel Confirmed To Make NHL Debuts In Penguins’ Season Opener
Even though rosters were trimmed to 23 on Saturday, there was no guarantee that the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to carry those exact 23 players into their season opener against former head coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Defensemen (8)
5 – Ryan Shea
24 – Mathew Dumba
28 – Parker Wotherspoon
45 – Harrison Brunicke
58 – Kris Letang
65 – Erik Karlsson
75 – Connor Clifton
82 – Caleb Jones

Goaltenders (2)
35 – Tristan Jarry
37 – Arturs Silovs

3 Big Penguins’ Storylines To Watch in 2025-26
With final NHL rosters submitted and the pre-season officially coming to a close, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be an interesting team to watch for a plethora of reasons in 2025-26.

The Penguins will face former head coach Mike Sullivan and the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday before they come back home to face the New York Islanders in their home opener on Thursday. Prior to Thursday’s game, there will be a celebration marking 20 seasons of the “Big Three” – Crosby, Malkin, and Letang – playing in Pittsburgh.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the roster for their final preseason game on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres.

As expected, this game will serve as the “dress rehearsal” for the A squad, but not everyone on the roster will play. Friday’s roster includes 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. The morning skate at 10:30 a.m. ET will be pretty telling when it comes to who will be in the lineup.

Here’s the full roster:

Forwards

Sidney Crosby

Evgeni Malkin

Rickard Rakell

Filip Hallander

Justin Brazeau

Blake Lizotte

Tommy Novak

Connor Dewar

Anthony Mantha

Ville Koivunen

Philip Tomasino

Noel Acciari

Ben Kindel

Avery Hayes

Defensemen

Ryan Shea

Matt Dumba

Ryan Graves

Parker Wotherspoon

Harrison Brunicke

Caleb Jones

Erik Karlsson

Kris Letang

Connor Clifton

Goaltenders

Tristan Jarry

Arturs Silovs

Sergei Murashov

All 26 of these players practiced with the main NHL group on Thursday at Noon ET. The practice lasted for 90 minutes and was intense and competitive, just like the other training camp practices.

There will be a morning skate before Friday’s game at 10:30 a.m. ET in Cranberry at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Puck drop from PPG Paints Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Fans in Pittsburgh can watch the game on SportsNet Pittsburgh+ or listen to it on 105.9 ‘The X.’

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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Ryder Cup officials announced Wednesday increased security measures with U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled to attending Friday morning’s opening session on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park.

Officials said in a release, “attendees are strongly urged to arrive as early as possible and should budget extra time as they plan their day.†There will also be additional screening at entrances, and spectators will be “subjected to TSA-style screening points†around the clubhouse, adjacent grandstand and surrounding areas.

Gates open at 5 a.m. EDT with the first foursomes match scheduled for 7:10 a.m. in Farmingdale, New York.

“Guests should expect temporary delays moving around publicly accessible areas inside and outside of the Bethpage Black Golf Course,†official said. “These areas may briefly become restricted or frozen spaces before, during or after the event.â€

Trump attended the men’s tennis U.S. Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium earlier this month in Flushing, New York, creating congestion and lengthy waits for fans, and leading officials to delay the start of the match by 30 minutes. Even with the delay, many fans had to watch the start of the final outside the stadium on big screens.

PGA of America officials are hoping the increased notice will help alleviate some of the same pain points.

A list of prohibited items can be viewed here.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins made some roster decisions – both for their training camp roster and for their next pre-season game.

Earlier in the day, it was announced that forward Travis Hayes was assigned to his junior team, the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. Hayes was selected in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, and he is the younger brother of Penguins’ forward prospect Avery Hayes, who remains on the training camp roster.

In addition to the roster trim, the Penguins also announced their roster for Wednesday’s tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which will be their second game of the pre-season.

It will feature mostly fresh faces in comparison to the players from their 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, but there are a few carryovers. Dressing for the second consecutive pre-season game are forwards Tristan Broz, Ben Kindel, and Atley Calvert as well as defenseman Connor Clifton. Otherwise, it’s a new cast of characters.

Here is the full lineup for Wednesday’s game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus:

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Forwards

– Aidan McDonough

– Aaron Huglen

– Filip Hallander

– Justin Brazeau

– Connor Dewar

– Nolan Renwick

– Tristan Broz

– Ville Koivunen

– Blake Lizotte

– Philip Tomasino

– Zach Gallant

– Ben Kindel

– Atley Calvert

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On Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ hockey officially kicked off for the 2025 pre-season.

Defensemen

– Jack St. Ivany

– Sebastian Aho

– Philip Kemp

– Alexander Alexeyev

– Connor Clifton

– Quinn Beauchesne

– Caleb Jones

Goaltenders

– Filip Larsson

– Arturs Silovs

In addition to the pre-season matchup at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Penguins also added an intrasquad scrimmage to their schedule Wednesday morning. This will take place at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. at 9:30 a.m. and will feature the remaining players on the training camp roster who are not partaking in the pre-season game.

That scrimmage is free and open to the public. Full scrimmage rosters can be viewed here.

Pre-season Offers Sneak Peak At Potential Future Defensive Pairing
When in the early stages of NHL training camp, it’s not often wise to read into too much.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced their 2025 Hall of Fame class on Tuesday morning.

Scotty Bowman, Eddie Johnston, Kevin Stevens, and Ron Francis were named to the Penguins’ Hall of Fame and will be honored with a special on-ice ceremony before the Penguins’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 25.

Bowman started as the Penguins’ Director of Player Personnel during the 1990-91 season before transitioning to head coach for the next two seasons. He helped guide the Penguins to their second Stanley Cup in franchise history during the 1991-92 season.

Johnston has spent nearly five decades with the Penguins, holding numerous roles. He has served as the head coach, general manager, assistant general manager, and senior advisor throughout his time with the franchise. As the GM, he selected Mario Lemieux with the first overall pick in the 1984 NHL Draft and traded for Paul Coffey and Kevin Stevens.

As the Penguins head coach, Johnston compiled 232 wins, which ranks third in franchise history behind Mike Sullivan and Dan Bylsma.

Stevens played for the Penguins from 1987-95 and later from 2000-02. He helped the Penguins win back-to-back cups in 1991 and 1992, and finished his Penguins tenure with 260 goals and 555 points in 522 games. His best individual season of his career came with the Penguins in 1991-92 when he amassed 54 goals and 123 points in 80 games.

Francis spent eight seasons with the Penguins after being acquired from the Hartford Whalers in 1991, and helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups. He won the Selke Trophy as a member of the Penguins during the 1994-95 season and appeared in 533 games with the Penguins, finishing with 164 goals and 613 points.

He’s currently the president of hockey operations for the Seattle Kraken and is fifth on the NHL’s all-time points list with 1,798.

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The ECB announces England’s 16-player squad for the upcoming Ashes tour, with a new vice-captain also being selected.

England have announced their 16-player squad for the upcoming Ashes series with Australia, including selecting a new vice-captain.

On the back of an exhilarating 2-2 series draw with India, England are now preparing for the latest chapter of their rivalry with their fierce rivals.

Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from the shoulder injury sustained earlier in the summer, will have Harry Brook as his right-hand man rather than Ollie Pope.

While Brook has been skipper for limited-overs matches of late, the change will be viewed as notable and puts Pope under increasing pressure when it comes to retaining his spot at number three.

The other major surprise is the inclusion of Will Jacks as the backup spinner to Shoaib Bashir, who has recovered from a broken finger.

Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed had been deemed to be more likely selections than Jacks, who has only played two Tests which came back in 2022.

Jacob Bethell keeps his spot despite failing to impress in the final Test match versus India and he may be considered for the number-three role.

Mark Wood comes back into contention for a spot in the pace attack having not played a Test match for more than a year.

Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue are also named as expected, with Chris Woakes not considered due to a shoulder injury.

Perth will stage the first Test match, which begins on November 21.

England squad for Ashes tour

Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood

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Clayton Kershaw is bringing his stellar career to an end. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday that the starting pitcher…