Browsing: Haunted

DENVER — Like careful alpinists everywhere, the Vancouver Canucks had a plan to survive the avalanche. But there is only so much you can against a force of nature.

The Canucks played the mighty Colorado Avalanche even Tuesday until a couple of mistakes cost them late in the second period as the Stanley Cup favourites beat Vancouver 3-1.

Of course, the smartest way to avoid avalanches is to stay out of the mountains when they are likely, but there is no safe way around Denver for National Hockey League teams as the Avalanche extended their points streak to 14-0-3. Coloradoâ€s only regulation loss in 26 games this season came on Oct. 25.

The Canucks have only three regulation wins since then, and they finished their difficult road trip at 1-2-1 — and with three straight losses.

It was the Canucks†season in four games.

The team worked relentlessly in all four contests, and played well enough to win any or all of the three games in California. But they left the Golden State with just three of six points and, after playing the Avalanche even for 33 minutes, eventually were overmatched by Nathan MacKinnonâ€s team, which scored in the final minute of the first two periods and managed their two-goal lead in the third as the Canucks pushed at the beginning and the end.

As the Canucks†five-on-five play tightened up during their seven-day tour, their special teams failed them at key times. They lost another key player to injury when offence-generating winger Conor Garland went home from Los Angeles, and goalie Kevin Lankinen returned from a personal leave just as minor-league callup Nikita Tolopilo required one for the birth of his child.

At the start of the road trip, the Canucks were seven points out of a playoff spot and tied for the fourth-worst winning percentage in the NHL. By the end, they were five points out with the third-worst win rate.

But now they have 55 games remaining instead of 59.

Before Tuesdayâ€s loss, MoneyPuck.com gave the Canucks an 8.4 per cent chance of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. About one-in-12.

“I thought we easily could have won San Jose, and could have won in L.A.,†Canucks centre Max Sasson said of Fridayâ€s 3-2 defeat and Saturdayâ€s 2-1 loss in overtime. “Tonight, I mean, they’re a really good team. Those top guys, they capitalize. It sucks because it really feels like we actually played pretty decent hockey over the last three games.â€

If the Canucks began the season with this road trip, their “process†would have been encouraging despite a squandered point or two. But as November turned to December, with desperation in Vancouver increasing by the week, this trip just felt like lost opportunities.

“That’s what it feels like, honestly,†winger Jake DeBrusk said. “I thought there were some good moments but, you know, it’s tough when you have a record like (we have). Weâ€ve just got to keep moving, try to find the next one.

“I had a couple chances tonight. We had good looks with breakaways and things, the power play, at the end of the game as well. We could have had a couple more (goals). But that’s the difference in this league sometimes when itâ€s just going against you.â€

Linus Karlsson opened scoring for Vancouver at 2:55 with a calm, deft finish after nice passing by Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Raty. But MacKinnon, easily the best player in hockey right now (although itâ€s been a while since he was out of the top five) tied it at 19:23 when he had space in front of defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph to convert a rebound that bounced straight to him after Canuck goalie Kevin Lankinen had stopped Devon Toews†deflection.

The game turned late in the second period when Sassonâ€s poor backcheck, combined with Quinn Hughes†suspect read on an outnumbered rush, left Brock Nelson alone in front of Lankinen to convert Gabe Landeskogâ€s pass and make it 2-1 at 13:52.

“It can’t happen,†Sasson said of the backcheck in which he coasted briefly in the neutral zone. “Me and Quinn talked about it, and I take full responsibility for (Nelson) getting by me. I thought Quinn was going to back up to the middle but things happen quick and, honestly, if I don’t stop skating, I like my speed to get back on him.â€

Hughes, who drifted wide where Landeskog was being chased by DeBrusk, said: “He made a nice play (but) I think I should, you know, hold the middle there because. . . the dangerous guy was there.â€

With 34 seconds remaining in the middle period, MacKinnon found space in the high slot to rip Landeskogâ€s feed past Lankinenâ€s shoulder to double the Avalanche lead. In 26 games, MacKinnon has 22 goals, 46 points and is plus-32.

The Canucks†scoring chances included a breakaway for Kiefer Sherwood, a partial breakaway for DeBrusk, three chances from the slot for Elias Pettersson, and some point-blank shots near the end by Brock Boeser and Karlsson.

“Playing against a good team, weâ€ve got to make sure we get ours when we can because they capitalize on the few mistakes,†Canucks coach Adam Foote told reporters. “I think we had more (Grade)-A looks than they did. We were right there. We were happy with a lot of looks we had; it would be nice on one of them to bear down and get one of those in.â€

The Canucks were likely to at least beat the snow out of Denver as they flew home post-game to open a four-game homestand Friday against the Utah Mammoth.

“We’re right there in a lot of these games,†Sherwood said. “It’s a game of inches, obviously. Guys are fighting through it all. . . stuff we’re trying to build on.â€

ICE CHIPS — It looked like the Canucks might have yet another serious injury when winger Evander Kane left the game late in the third period clutching his forearm after a pileup by the curved glass at the Avalanche bench. Foote said Kane was cut by a skate, but the laceration did not appear to be deep and that the winger should be OK. . . Sherwood led the Canucks with six shots and four hits. . . minor-league callup Jonathan Lekkerimaki skated on the first line with Kane and Elias Pettersson and handled himself well in difficult minutes. Lekkerimaki did not register a shot but led the Canucks with a 57-per-cent Corsi at five-on-five.

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Fuzzy Zoeller, the two-time major champion whose genial public persona was overshadowed by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods that came to define the latter part of his career, has died aged 74.

No cause of death was immediately available. Brian Naugle, tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston and a longtime colleague, said Zoeller’s daughter notified him of the death on Thursday.

Zoeller, born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr in New Albany, Indiana, was one of golf’s most outgoing characters across a career that delivered historic highs. He was the first player in more than four decades to win the Masters on his debut, claiming the 1979 green jacket after a three-man playoff. Five years later at the US Open at Winged Foot, he outlasted Greg Norman in an 18-hole Monday playoff after famously waving a white towel from the fairway, believing Norman had just holed a birdie putt to beat him. It turned out to be a par, and Zoeller won by eight shots the next day.

US president Donald Trump, who often praised Zoeller, posted a tribute on Truth Social. “Very sad to hear that the highly respected and beloved Professional Golfer, Fuzzy Zoeller, has passed away,†he wrote, citing Zoeller’s major victories and calling him “a truly remarkable person and playerâ€.

But for all of Zoeller’s success and easygoing charm, it was the 1997 Masters that irrevocably altered his standing in the sport. As Woods marched toward a transformative, record-breaking victory at Augusta National, a relaxed Zoeller – drink in hand – was stopped by a CNN crew near the clubhouse and asked for his thoughts. His reply, delivered with a smile and a snap of his fingers, sparked immediate outrage.

“That little boy is driving well and he’s putting well,†Zoeller said, before adding that Woods should be congratulated, then joking that officials should “tell him not [to] serve fried chicken next year … or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.â€

Zoeller apologized, but the blowback only grew as it took Woods two weeks to address the remarks while traveling. Zoeller later said he received death threats for years. In Golf Digest in 2008, he called it “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life,†adding: “If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way.â€

He said he had “cried many times†and offered “countless†apologies for words he described as a misguided attempt at humor that did not reflect who he was. “Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.â€

Fuzzy Zoeller is congratulated by his caddie during the 1979 Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Photograph: Augusta National/Getty Images

Zoeller’s playing record extended well beyond his two major triumphs. He won eight additional PGA Tour titles, captured two PGA Tour Champions victories including a Senior PGA Championship, and represented the United States in three Ryder Cups. Known for playing quickly and whistling between shots, he cultivated an image of a player who both competed hard and relished the walk.

His 1979 Masters win remains one of Augusta’s most enduring debuts. Arriving as a first-time competitor, he reached a playoff after Ed Sneed bogeyed the final three holes. On the second extra hole, Zoeller stiffed his approach to six feet and rolled in the winning birdie, tossing his putter skyward in celebration. “I’ve never been to heaven,†he once said. “I guess winning the Masters is as close as I’m going to get.â€

At Winged Foot five years later, he believed Norman’s 40-plus-foot par putt on the 18th was a birdie that had beaten him and responded with a theatrical white-towel wave from the fairway. After an official told him the score, Zoeller forced the playoff and dominated, though he later joked that he regretted giving away the now-famous towel.

Zoeller played college golf first at Edison Junior College and later at the University of Houston, then a powerhouse programme. He turned professional in 1973. His wife, Diane, died in 2021. He is survived by three children, including his daughter Gretchen, with whom he often played in the PNC Championship. He was awarded the USGA’s Bob Jones Award for sportsmanship in 1985.

Doug Christie, Kings haunted by appalling first quarter in NBA Cup loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Keegan Murray was fairly pleased with how the Kings played defense over the final three quarters on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center when they limited the Phoenix Suns to 71 points despite their 112-100 loss.

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The problem for Sacramento came in the first quarter of the night, when the game got out of hand before many fans had a chance to settle into their seats comfortably.

It was 12 minutes of absolute dysfunctional play on both ends of the court for Sacramento, a complete 180 from Mondayâ€s game against Minnesota when the Kings rallied to stun the Timberwolves.

“Obviously when you lose a quarter 41-16, itâ€s hard to come back,†Murray told reporters. “We just dug ourselves too big of a hole. It was rough. It wasnâ€t our brand of basketball at all. The next three quarters, we started to figure it out a little bit, but it was just too late.â€

That was the general sentiment everywhere in Sacramento, where fans, in evident frustration, booed the hometown squad for most of the night before heading for the exits with more than two minutes still on the clock.

Kings coach Doug Christie echoed sentiments of disappointment.

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“About as disappointing as it gets,†Christie told reporters. “Probably should have called a timeout within the first six seconds with the very first turnover. You canâ€t dig a hole like that.

“Not only digging a hole that way, but itâ€s the confidence that you give another team that is just out of control. You canâ€t give NBA players that type of confidence. Just man for man. It canâ€t happen.â€

The hole was dug, and, as a result, the Kings played from behind all night. The Suns got away with too many easy baskets inside, a result of star big man Domantas Sabonis not playing.

Sacramento was also without its backup point guard and one of its top defensive stoppers in Dennis Schröder.

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Regardless of the situation, the first quarter was as bad as itâ€s been this season for the Kings.

“I guess we were just stuck in the mud tonight,†guard Malik Monk said. “They were hitting shots, we were letting them get open shots, but they were knocking them down. Itâ€s hard to win, man, when you got a big deficit like that.â€

It would be easy to shrug this off as one game, but Monk said itâ€s been a pattern for the Kings ever since he signed with the team before the 2022-23 NBA season.

“I wouldnâ€t say itâ€s surprising to me, because thatâ€s been the story of my seasons (since) Iâ€ve been playing here,†Monk added. “We start kind of flat sometimes, and sometimes we donâ€t. Super disappointing, man, because we know what we can do when we come out, play hard and compete for four quarters.â€

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The first quarter fiasco against Phoenix was definitely one for the books.

Sacramento scored just 16 points, its fewest in any opening quarter this season. The Kings shot 6 for 17 (1 for 7 on 3s), committed seven turnovers and failed to record a single assist.

For a squad that has been preaching about team identity all season, the Kings really donâ€t have one yet. If they do, it definitely was missing Wednesday.

“I donâ€t think weâ€re showing it right now,†Murray concluded. “I think you saw more in the Minnesota and the Denver game, but we just want to try and disrupt teams. Play fast, be the aggressor, have the other team be on their heels, and just keep punching them. But tonight, obviously, I think we only did that for one quarter.â€

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It was also just one quarter that proved to be the Kings†downfall against the Suns.

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