Sports
Connor McDavid, Canada brace for 'Game 7' vs. Finland
Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) plays the puck against Team Sweden defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images BOSTON — Connor McDavid knows what is at stake for Canada as the 4 Nations Face-Off scene shifts from north of the border.
“It’s kind of like a Game 7,” the Edmonton Oilers star captain said late Saturday night. “A lot of guys in this room have been in that situation before.”
Following a 3-1 loss to the Americans on Saturday in Montreal, Canada will go head-to-head with Finland in the first game of a Monday doubleheader at TD Garden.
The first of two final round-robin games essentially will be a win-or-go-home. Either side winning in regulation would set up a Thursday championship meeting with the Americans, while Sweden would still have a chance to reach the final if Canada-Finland extends to overtime or a shootout.
Canada coach Jon Cooper echoed McDavid’s comment.
“I mean, this is a short tournament and this is our Game 7,” Cooper said. “But it doesn’t matter…if it was Scotty Bowman or name the coach, it doesn’t work unless you have a team that cares. And that test we passed (on Saturday). We have a team that cares.”
Two fights in the first three seconds clearly showed that care factor, but after McDavid wowed on a game-opening breakaway 5:31 into the first period, the U.S. took control and never gave it back. Thus, Canada finished its two games on home ice without a regulation win.
“It was fast, tight-checking, competitive, emotional,” McDavid said. “It had everything you would want in a hockey game. (It stinks) it didn’t go our way, but this thing’s far from over.”
The Canadians hope to have defenseman Cale Makar (illness) back in the lineup on Monday, though his status was undetermined as of Sunday morning. He was sidelined along with the injured Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore.
“Everybody wants to play and contribute and do all these things and, trust me, he’s the one that wants to do it the most,” Cooper said of Makar.
Prior to Saturday, captain Sidney Crosby was on an incredible 26-game winning streak for Team Canada, which had not lost to the U.S. in a best-on-best tournament since the group stage of the 2010 Olympics.
Finland finished its Montreal portion of the schedule with a 4-3 overtime win over Sweden, banking its first two points in the tournament standings on a Mikael Granlund goal on a 3-on-1 rush 1:49 into the extra session.
Another emotional meeting of archrivals featured three game-tying goals, with Finnish captain Aleksander Barkov forcing overtime.
“Those games are fun to play. There’s so many people in Finland, in Sweden to watch these games,” Granlund said. “It’s great to come (out) on top, and at the same time we are alive in this tournament. Everything is in our own hands.”
Granlund has a goal and an assist in the tournament.
Finland coach Antti Pennanen knows the major challenge that lies ahead, especially with a thinner defense corps than the other nations.
“It’s going to be hard for us,” Pennanen said. “They have so many good players. It’s going to be a huge fight for us. I’m excited.”
Pennanen, who has split goaltending duties between Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen over the first two games, made a forward line change that paid off at a key juncture of Saturday’s contest.
After being a healthy scratch from a 6-1 Thursday loss to the U.S., Kaapo Kakko joined Barkov and Mikko Rantanen on a line and assisted on the goal that evened the game 3-3 late in the second period.
“Some fresh legs and he can win the battles, and as we saw, he can go to the net,” Pennanen said. “That was one change we needed.”
–Joshua Kummins, Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy's wife shot at home
Nov 7, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy looks on during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s wife is hospitalized in stable condition in Virginia following a shooting in their home on Sunday night, ESPN reported.
A woman identified by the outlet’s sources as Mia Bieniemy, 57, was being treated for “serious injuries” in Loudoun County, where a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said police responded to a call at 7:32 p.m. ET Sunday in Ashburn, Va.
The Chiefs said they are aware of the incident involving the “family” of their 56-year-old assistant coach, who was with the club for training camp Sunday in St. Joseph, Mo. No further details were provided.
Bieniemy rejoined head coach Andy Reid’s staff in January after previous stints with Kansas City as the running backs coach (2013-17) and offensive coordinator (2018-22). He helped the Chiefs win Super Bowls LIV and LVII.
He coached the Chicago Bears’ running backs in 2025 and previously served as the OC for UCLA (2024), the Washington Commanders (2023) and his alma mater Colorado (2011-12).
–Field Level Media
Sports
North Carolina places top Bill Belichick aide on leave
UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi North Carolina placed football general manager Michael Lombardi, one of head coach Bill Belichick’s top aides, on paid administrative leave.
The school announced Monday that the move is effective immediately but declined to provide further details. The Tar Heels open their second season under the legendary coach on Aug. 29 against TCU in Dublin, Ireland.
“As is standard procedure with personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this topic further, and has no reflection on the merits,” UNC said in a statement.
ESPN reported that a former front office employee at the university filed a human resources complaint against Lombardi and there is a pending investigation into the situation.
Lombardi, 67, joined Belichick in Chapel Hill in December 2024. He previously worked with the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach in New England, serving as an assistant to the coaching staff from 2014-16.
Lombardi was the general manager and vice president of the Cleveland Browns in 2013 and previously worked in the front offices of the Denver Broncos, then-Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles.
North Carolina was 4-8 in Belichick’s debut season in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Browns' Jerry Jeudy: Clip didn't indicate his preferred QB1
Jun 11, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) catches a pass during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy insists he wasn’t weighing in on Cleveland’s starting quarterback battle during a livestream clip that quickly went viral.
Jeudy flashes four fingers in the TikTok video, taken by many to indicate his support for the player who wears that jersey number, Deshaun Watson.
“Yall cut the clip perfectly for that narrative,” Jeudy posted Sunday on X, referencing the apparent skip in the clip between when the question is posed and when Jeudy holds up his fingers.
Jeudy, 27, who is entering his third season with the Browns, said he will not weigh in as new head coach Todd Monken and his staff evaluate the training camp competition between Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
“I don’t speak on decisions that aren’t mine to make. I support my teammates/Brothers, I do my job, and control what I can control,” Jeudy posted on X. “Let’s stop creating narrative that aren’t there for likes and clicks. I bet this won’t go viral because it’s too positive/real for y’all.”
Jeudy caught 50 passes for 602 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games (16 starts) in 2025, when Watson missed the entire season with a torn Achilles. Jeudy made the Pro Bowl in his first season with Cleveland in 2024, setting career highs in catches (90) and receiving yards (1,229).
–Field Level Media
Report: Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy's wife shot at home
North Carolina places top Bill Belichick aide on leave
