Sports
Hat-rich Jared McCann, Kraken figure to challenge Maple Leafs
Jan 27, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) and Seattle Kraken left wing Jared McCann (19) celebrate a goal scored by McCann during the second period against the Washington Capitals at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Jared McCann is a man of many hats.
After the unlikely events of Tuesday night, he might want to consider opening a haberdashery.
The Seattle Kraken forward received hundreds of pieces of headwear from a hat trick that wasn’t in a 5-1 victory against the Washington Capitals.
The Kraken are set to conclude a six-game homestand (3-2-0) against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, and if there are fans who need a new lid, check the team store.
McCann, the franchise leader in career goals after being selected from Toronto in the 2021 NHL expansion draft, scored twice in the second period vs. Washington and appeared to complete his second-ever hat trick on a breakaway early in the third.
However, after Seattle fans rained hats down on the ice, the on-ice officials announced they were reviewing a potential double-minor penalty for high-sticking against linemate Matty Beniers. Because it was a linesman who noticed the infraction, neither referee raised his arm nor blew the play dead when McCann corralled the puck and skated down the right wing before beating Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson.
After a lengthy check of the video, Beniers was sent to the penalty box — Alex Ovechkin extended his NHL record with his 919th career goal on the man advantage — and McCann was left with a two-goal, two-assist outing.
“Sorry, everyone might wanna get a new hat, eh?” McCann joked while sitting on the bench during a postgame interview on the Kraken Hockey Network.
McCann missed much of training camp with a lower-body issue before scoring in each of the first three games of the regular season. He aggravated the injury in a 4-3 overtime victory at Toronto on Oct. 18 and missed the next six weeks.
He missed three more weeks after a lower-body injury suffered in mid-December and was put on the third line when he returned.
Coach Lane Lambert reunited McCann with Beniers and Jordan Eberle on the No. 1 line last week, and McCann has four goals and three assists in four games since.
McCann’s 14 goals are second on the team to Eberle’s 19, although McCann has played 22 fewer games.
“I feel like we’ve had chances in the past couple of games here that haven’t really gone for us,” McCann said. “We’ve had some good opportunities, especially coming out of our D-zone. We’re playing good defensively — breaking up a lot of plays and going the other way. That’s what makes us successful.
“I’m playing with two guys that create off of nothing. I’m definitely lucky to play with those guys.”
The Maple Leafs couldn’t get out of town soon enough after a 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday completed an 0-4-1 homestand and dropped them eight points back in the chase for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Maple Leafs have a four-game Western swing left before the Olympic break.
“We look at scoring as everything, and it’s not everything,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “You are not going to consistently win in this league by focusing on just scoring goals, you have to play the full rink, and right now we are not doing a good enough job without the puck, that’s it.”
Auston Matthews and Max Domi each had a goal and two assists in the loss to Buffalo.
The Maple Leafs trailed 4-3 entering the final period, then allowed a goal 16 seconds after the intermission.
“That can’t happen. Going into the third, we’re in a good position here, good spot down one goal, we just have to have more sense of urgency,” Matthews said. “We have to be a more desperate team than the opponent each night, especially with where we are at (in the standings).”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: LHP Jordan Montgomery agrees to reunion with Rangers
Sep 22, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Left-hander Jordan Montgomery agreed to a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.
Per the Dallas Morning News, the deal is worth $1.25 million.
Montgomery, 33, is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery of his career. He also had the procedure in 2018.
He was 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA in 25 games (21 starts) in his first season with Arizona in 2024.
A World Series champion with Texas in 2023, Montgomery is 46-41 with a 4.03 ERA in 166 career games (161 starts) with the New York Yankees (2017-22), St. Louis Cardinals (2022-23), Rangers (2023) and Diamondbacks.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Orioles' Jackson Holliday (hand) likely out weeks after Opening Day
Sep 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will miss Opening Day due to a broken hamate bone in his right hand, general manager Mike Elias announced on Wednesday morning.
Holliday, who sustained the injury during live batting practice last Friday, will undergo a procedure to address the issue on Thursday. His timeline for recovery likely will be measured in weeks, per Elias.
Holliday, 22, batted just .242 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs in 149 games last season.
He is the top overall pick of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft and the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday.
New acquisition Blaze Alexander likely will take the younger Holliday’s place in the field.
Also on Wednesday, Elias announced third baseman Jordan Westburg is nursing a right oblique injury. The injury, however, is not expected to prevent Westburg from playing at the start of the regular season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Giants hire Brian Callahan as QBs coach
Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan exits the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan is being added to John Harbaugh’s coaching staff as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the New York Giants, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Callahan, 41, was fired by the Titans last October after a 1-5 start. Tennessee posted a 4-19 record under Callahan, who was hired by the Titans after five seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator that included a three-point loss in Super Bowl LVI.
ESPN reported Callahan also interviewed with the Giants for the offensive coordinator position, which ultimately went to Matt Nagy. The latter was a former offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Callahan, who will be coaching former first-round pick Jaxson Dart in his second season in the league, has extensive experience developing quarterbacks. He was the offensive coordinator for four seasons for Joe Burrow with the Bengals, was the quarterbacks coach in 2018 for Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders and for two seasons for Matthew Stafford with the Detroit Lions.
In addition to Dart, Callahan will be working with veteran quarterback Jameis Winston.
Callahan and Nagy are part of an offensive staff that also includes former Rice University head coach Mike Bloomgren as offensive line coach and former offensive coordinators Greg Roman as senior offensive assistant and Tim Kelly as tight ends coach.
–Field Level Media
