Sports
NHL players adapt to business-not-as-usual in Milan
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Ice Hockey – Men’s – United States of America Training – Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy – February 08, 2026. Auston Matthews of United States and teammates during training MILAN, Italy — National Hockey League stars are adapting to different rinks, rules and routines at the Milan Cortina Games, where rivals-turned-team mates will compete for gold beginning on Wednesday after the NHL’s 12-year absence from the Olympics.
The tournament is a dream come true for players who had to wait to compete in the Games after the NHL opted out in 2018 and 2022 – even as it obliterates the tightly choreographed daily routine for many of the league’s multimillion-dollar stars.
“In the NHL there’s routine,” said Finland’s Sebastian Aho, a prolific scorer for the Carolina Hurricanes.
“You skate in the morning at the same time, you play most of the time (at the) same time, you know every rink, you know all the players. I’m not saying it’s easy at all, but at least it’s familiar.”
SCARCE TIME TO ADAPT
The NHL began its Olympic break on Friday, less than a week before the men’s tournament was set to kick off on Wednesday.
That leaves scarce time for players to adapt to new team mates and Olympic playing surfaces that are shorter than a typical NHL rink, as well as the International Ice Hockey Federation’s slightly gentler approach to the game.
“The rules are a little different here. Obviously it’s important that you don’t take penalties or sit in the box,” said forward Sam Bennett, who was a late addition to the Canadian roster.
Fighting, a staple in the bone-crunching world of the NHL, has long been strictly prohibited in IIHF competition and players are going into the Games aware of the constraints they face in Milan.
“Everyone’s cognizant of it and thinking about it but also at the same time you still want to play with that same edge,” said American Brock Nelson, a center for the Colorado Avalanche.
COACHES SEEK PRE-TOURNEY CALM
The return of NHL stars to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 has proven one of the big stories of these Games, with reporters swarming practices – when allowed.
A few teams at the built-from-scratch Santagiulia Arena complex closed some of their practices to reporters in the days leading up to the tournament, including favorites Canada on Monday.
“It was only done because the rink’s too small,” Canada coach Jon Cooper told the dozens of reporters who were packed shoulder-to-shoulder inside the smaller practice facility adjacent to the main arena for a post-practice media availability.
“It’s just distractions and people, there’s just issues to have so many people here,” he said of the practice rink.
Sweden head coach Sam Hallam said the option to close a practice offered a small measure of serenity inside the Olympic cauldron.
“Sometimes it’s just nice to have that calmness,” Hallam told reporters on Tuesday, a day before his team kicks off its Olympic campaign against hosts Italy.
“It’s no mysteries, we’re not going to invent something new out there. But just keeping it a bit calm is nice.”
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Union sign F Agustin Anello on permanent transfer
Sep 13, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell looks on during the second half against the Philadelphia Union at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Union signed forward Agustin Anello on a permanent transfer from Uruguayan side Boston River on Tuesday.
With the transfer, Anello’s contract is guaranteed through the 2028-29 season with an option for the 2029-30 season.
“Agustin is a versatile, dynamic attacker,” Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell said in a news release. “His development in Europe, combined with his recent breakout in Uruguay, reflects a clear upward trajectory. As a domestic player with U.S. Youth National Team experience, he fits our profile well, and we’re excited to welcome him to Philadelphia.”
Anello, 23, recorded six goals and one assist in 14 Clausura matches with Boston River of in Liga AUF Uruguaya in 2025. The Miami native made came up in the academies of Cornella and RCD Espanyol in Spain before making his professional debut with Belgium’s Lommel SK in 2021, where he made 42 appearances.
Anello made two appearances with the USMNT U-23 team, making his debut in November 2023 as a substitute vs. Iraq.
The Union open the season Feb. 21 at DC United.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Atlanta Falcons Bet Big on James Pearce Jr. — and Lost
The Atlanta Falcons should be ashamed of themselves.
Over the weekend, Falcons first-round pick James Pearce Jr. was arrested after an alleged dispute with a WNBA player. While he maintains his innocence, the No. 26 overall draft pick is facing five felony charges.
Pearce’s football future is understandably up in the air.
As a result, it’s fair to question why the Falcons did this to themselves in the first place.
While Pearce is innocent until proven guilty, the pass rusher out of Tennessee had character flaws before the NFL Draft. It’s what caused him to slide into the late first round despite being one of the most disruptive players in his class.
But the Falcons decided to trade their 2026 first-round choice to move back in so they could select Pearce. Pairing Pearce with fellow first-round pick Jalon Walker out of Georgia gave the Falcons a revamped defense for new head coach Raheem Morris.
The Falcons convinced themselves they could take advantage of a weak NFC South with two capable quarterbacks in Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, along with a newly hired defensive-minded coach and two premier pass rushers.
They were hilariously wrong in their calculations.
Instead, the Falcons finished in third place. Penix suffered yet another injury, and Cousins was so ineffective that the team is planning on releasing him. The organization fired Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot following the disappointing eight-win season.
The Los Angeles Rams now own Atlanta’s first-round draft pick, No. 13 overall. Certainly, the Falcons would like to have that selection back — as the player they traded for might be out of the league entirely by the time April’s draft arrives.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski is no stranger to big messes. He endured three consecutive seasons without a first-round pick during his time with the Cleveland Browns after the infamous Deshaun Watson trade.
Watson played just 19 total games, and the Browns roster was so depleted that Stefanski was fired after winning only eight games over the previous two seasons.
For Stefanski’s sake, hopefully history does not repeat itself. He’s starting his tenure behind the eight ball, as the team’s first-round selection from last season will be unavailable.
In April’s draft, the Falcons have only five total selections, with just two inside the top 100.
Fontenot put Matt Ryan and Stefanski in a very difficult position. Pearce’s actions off the field have only made the situation worse.
Sports
US takes bronze in combined skiing; Mikaela Shiffrin misses podium
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Alpine Skiing – Women’s Team Combined Victory Ceremony – Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, Belluno, Italy – February 10, 2026. Bronze medalists Jacqueline Wiles of United States and Paula Moltzan of United States celebrate after the Women’s Team Combined CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Austria’s Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber won women’s team combined Olympic gold on Tuesday as overwhelming U.S. favorites Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin missed out on the podium in a major shock.
Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma Aicher took the silver, 0.05 behind, and Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan finished third for the United States on a slalom piste set by the Austrian coach.
World and Olympic downhill champion Johnson and dominant slalom skier Shiffrin finished fourth — missing a medal by 0.06 of a second — after looking set to repeat their 2025 world championship win.
Johnson was fastest in the downhill leg but Shiffrin, winner of seven out of eight slaloms this season and the most successful World Cup skier of all time, was only 15th in the slalom run on Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Olimpia delle Tofane piste after losing the advantage early on.
Shiffrin arrived at the 2022 Beijing Games as favorite to win a fistful of medals but left empty-handed. She has two more chances in giant slalom and slalom.
The fourth place also ended Johnson’s hopes of a “double double” — holding both the world downhill and team combined titles and adding Olympic golds in both.
The silver was Aicher’s second of the Games after she finished runner-up in the downhill. Remarkably, the German skied the slalom leg on Tuesday.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Union sign F Agustin Anello on permanent transfer
Atlanta Falcons Bet Big on James Pearce Jr. — and Lost
