LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Golden Knights are NHL champions for the first time thanks to the deepest roster in the league, which allowed them to withstand injuries at every position and sustain a long playoff run. They got production from 20 players over four rounds, vanquishing Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas and then Florida in the final with waves of talent that overwhelmed each opponent. The Golden Knights eliminated the Panthers in five games, taking advantage of their four strong forward lines and three big defenseman pairings who made life as easy as possible on journeyman goaltender-turned stalwart Adin Hill, himself a prime example of that depth after being a second-round injury replacement. With only 12 forward spots to fill, Phil Kessel — a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh — and trade deadline pickup Teddy Blueger were healthy scratches.
NEW YORK (AP) — Clint Dempsey thinks the U.S. Soccer Federation hurt the men’s national team by delaying its decision on a coach leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired Dec. 31 and the USSF appointed Anthony Hudson as interim coach while it investigated a decades-old domestic violence allegation against Berhalter. An outside law firm said in March there was no impediment to retaining Berhalter, but British executive Matt Crocker was hired in April as sporting director and said he likely will take until the end of summer to decide on a coach. In the meantime, Hudson quit and B.J. Callaghan took over as the second interim U.S. leader.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills receiver Stefon Diggs was back on the field practicing on Wednesday, a day after Buffalo’s top receiver created a stir and confusion by skipping the team’s first of three scheduled mandatory sessions. Rather than take part initially, Diggs watched from the sideline, standing near offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. The team then entered a stretching session during which Diggs interacted with quarterback Josh Allen. Diggs’ participation on Wednesday was his first with the team this offseason, after he skipped the Bills voluntary workout and practice sessions, which began in mid-April.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Furious Oakland Athletics fans came en masse with a single message to owner John Fisher: “SELL.” “Sell the team!” they chanted thousands of times during the A’s 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays that gave Oakland a season-best seven-game winning streak. Thousands of frustrated, heartbroken A’s fans arrived early for tailgating and solidarity at the Oakland Coliseum ahead of a Rays-A’s matchup to both celebrate their team and protest a planned relocation to Las Vegas. They called it a reverse boycott aimed at bringing as many people as possible to the ballpark, complete with bright green “SELL” T-shirts made by local company Oaklandish going to the first 7,000 to claim the fan-planned giveaway. A season-best crowd of 27,759 was the largest for an A’s game on a Tuesday since they drew 33,654 against the Dodgers on Aug. 7, 2018.
TUESDAY'S MLB SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 11, Toronto 6
Anaheim 7, Texas 3
Oakland 2, Tampa Bay 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 11, St. Louis 3
Chicago 11, Pittsburgh 3
Philadelphia 15, Arizona 3
INTERLEAGUE
Cincinnati 5, Kansas City 4
Colorado 7, Boston 6 10 inn
NY Yankees 7, NY Mets 6
Minnesota 7, Milwaukee 5
Houston 6, Washington 1
Seattle 9, Miami 3
San Diego 6, Cleveland 3
Los Angeles 5, Chicago White Sox 1
Atlanta at Detroit, ppd