Sports
Blue Jackets claim 5-1 victory over listless Blackhawks
Feb 22, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek (34) makes a blocker save as Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) looks for a rebound during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images Kent Johnson scored twice and Zach Werenski tallied once in a three-point outing to lead the host Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-1 victory over the slumping Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Denton Mateychuk and Adam Fantilli also scored for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a four-game winless skid and have beat the Blackhawks in five consecutive meetings.
Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 27 saves and Dmitri Voronkov collected two assists.
Craig Smith scored for the Blackhawks, who have just one victory in their last six games. Goalie Petr Mrazek stopped 16 shots.
Johnson opened the scoring at the 4:10 mark when he grabbed a loose puck just inside the blueline, went to the slot and ripped a shot home.
Johnson doubled the Columbus lead 72 seconds into the second period with another long wrist shot, a top-corner rocket. The 2021 fifth overall draft pick has netted 19 goals this season as he aims for his first career 20-goal campaign.
The performance marked the fourth time Johnson has scored twice in a game as he searches for his first career hat trick.
Smith put the visitors on the board with a power-play goal of his own at 4:53 of the middle frame, converting with a deflection of Alex Vlasic’s high point shot.
However, Mateychuk restored the Columbus two-goal lead at 12:42 of the period. He grabbed the puck in the neutral zone, worked to the high slot and fired a shot inside the far post for his second career goal.
Shortly after Merzlikins made a few saves in a couple of scrambles, Werenski extended the lead at 13:51 of the third period when he scored on a breakaway chance.
Fantilli rounded out the scoring 53 seconds later. He was left alone at the doorstep and easily finished a setup by Kirill Marchenko.
If the win did not create enough good feelings for the Blue Jackets, captain Boone Jenner, who required shoulder surgery after being injured in practice during training camp, made his season debut and collected one assist.
As well, Joseph LeBate, a 31-year-old winger who played in the KHL last season, was called from the minors and skated in his first NHL game since March 28, 2017.
Sports
Tour de France final stage rerouted due to wildfires
A firefighter works to battle wildfire near the A9 motorway near Beziers, France, July 3, 2026. Wildfires in southwest France have forced organizers of the Tour de France to reconfigure the final stage, set for Sunday.
The change is necessary because multiple first responders have been diverted to the fires. The new route will leave a smaller race footprint for local officials to secure.
“As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population,” the Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement.
“In light of this, the Ministry of Interior has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces initially mobilized to ensure security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires.”
The wildfires have led to the evacuations of about 200,000 people.
Stage 21 had been set as a 132.5-kilometer ride from Thoiry down the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The re-imagined Stage 21 still will end along the famed road, just after a circuit on the Montmartre. But the run now will occur solely within the Paris boundaries and travel just 89 km. Cyclists will take two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before heading out for the Montmartre climb.
The Montmartre circuit has proven to be popular after it was used in the 2024 Paris Olympics and then added to the 2025 Tour de France. The area can accommodate large gatherings of fans, who turn the area into a party atmosphere.
Earlier in the Tour de France, fans were asked to stay away from the final 40 kilometers of Stage 3 because of wildfires and the need to deploy first responders to the area.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Robert Kraft: Patriots offered CB Christian Gonzalez record-setting deal
Jun 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) takes questions from the media at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team offered Christian Gonzalez a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Kraft did not reveal the specific terms of the deal on Saturday, the first day of training camp.
“We love Christian Gonzalez,” Kraft said during the team’s Pawtriots pet adoption event, per the Boston Herald. “We love him as a player, as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history.
“So we’re glad we drafted him and we developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time.”
Gonzalez is eligible for a contract extension for the first time after being selected by the Patriots with the 17th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Trent McDuffie is currently the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, pocketing $31 million per season on his four-year, $131 million contract that he signed this offseason.
Gonzalez, 24, made the Pro Bowl last season after posting 69 tackles and 10 passes defensed in 14 starts. He has three interceptions, 24 passes defensed, one fumble recovery, one sack and 145 tackles in 34 career games (all starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
49ers' Kyle Shanahan to be limited in camp after serious car crash
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan talks to the media during the NFL League Meetings on March 30, 2026, at Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his hand, needed over 40 stitches to his face and sustained a severe concussion after he was involved in a car accident last week, ESPN reported Saturday.
Per the network, the accident occurred on July 14 after Shanahan collided with an SUV near his northern California home.
The other driver was not injured, per Palo Alto lieutenant Nicholas Martinez. Martinez added that drugs and alcohol were not involved.
The 49ers said Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp, with ESPN reporting doctors will not clear Shanahan for all activities until concussion symptoms clear.
The team said assistant head coach Chris Foerster along with team coordinators will handle the head-coaching responsibilities during this time.
49ers general manager John Lynch is scheduled to hold a news conference at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The Niners are scheduled to hold their first practice of training camp Sunday morning and are set to open the season on Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
Shanahan, 46, will begin his 10th season as head coach in San Francisco. He owns an 82-67 record in the regular season. He has a 9-5 postseason record, guiding the 49ers to a pair of Super Bowl appearances — losing to the Kansas City Chiefs both times (2020, 2024).
–Field Level Media
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Tour de France final stage rerouted due to wildfires
