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3 years ago

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4:14 PM ET

A man walks into an airport, walks up to the giant board titled “Departures,” and with a packed bag at his side, looks upon the dozens of cities listed, knowing that he can board any single one of those airplanes headed to any destination of his choosing, no questions asked. A golden ticket. A passport to the world. A bucket list. A Genie Plus Lightning Lane with no restrictions. Use whatever metaphor you want. What it is, is a feeling of true freedom.

No, this is not about George Clooney in the closing scene of the 2009 Oscar-nominated film “Up in the Air.” It’s about another handsome, graying, legend-in-his-own-time who now finds himself standing in front of a blank itinerary that he can fill with whichever stops and stations that he has ever desired. But that’s not a roller bag in his hand. It’s a helmet.

“What I’m doing now, it’s about the experience,” Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday. “This allows me to open up the runway and gives me more time to experience this.”

On Monday, Johnson revealed that he was stepping away from full-time racing after two seasons — one part-time, one full-time — in the IndyCar Series. But, as the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion preached as he left stock car racing at the end of 2020, he doesn’t want to hear the word retirement. “I tried to retire once, and that didn’t work out,” the 47-year-old joked.

Geez, is he right about that.

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Since his final NASCAR start, a fifth-place finish in the Nov. 8, 2020, season finale, he has made 29 IndyCar starts, including 2022 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors, and ran another half-dozen in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar series, starting with a podium finish in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, his third runner-up effort in the race.

But for every race and series he has run, there are at least a handful of events and race cars that he wasn’t able to enter or drive because of a full-time IndyCar commitment that he repeatedly confessed this season was more than he had anticipated.

“Man, I’ve had racing friends from all over the world calling and saying, ‘You should come try this series I’ve been running in’ and it sounds so awesome,” Johnson explained one year ago, laughing. “But then when we hang up, I’m Googling that series because I’ve never even heard of it, and I’m like, ‘Oh man, that does look awesome!’ The freedom to maybe do that, that’s a gift. We all dream of living a bucket list, but no one ever gets to actually do that.”

Now he does.

He has openly and giddily described his time in the IndyCar paddock as one of the most enjoyable of his life. As frustrating as his learning curve could be, especially on road courses, that has been countered by the good vibes of being a part of what has always been an uncommonly friendly cul-de-sac experience of living in the IndyCar motorcoach lot.

“Jimmie could have walked into this paddock with his résumé pinned to his firesuit and been busy jetting to events and that would have been totally understandable,” six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon said of Johnson, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, in May. “But instead, he arrived as this humble, eager guy who fit right in and wanted to learn. He was one of us very quickly, and that’s a testament to him.”

As is that ringing telephone, with opportunities to compile a to-do list of racing that harks back to the old school career paths of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and the hero of every kid who grew up like Johnson as a desert rat of Southern California and the Baja Peninsula: Parnelli Jones.

He talks of being uncomfortable and qualifying at the back of the grid and not winning races, and somehow makes it sound awesome. Johnson is a man who is playing with house money and knows it. Now he wants to take that blank check and start ticking off races and places.

With his decision to end full-time racing now official, the process of sewing the quilt of his future behind the wheel has started … as soon as he’s done with this weekend’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

“My timing is in a good spot, so we’ll see what the coming weeks bring.”

Johnson wants to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans, nearly impossible to do if one is running full time in IndyCar. It just so happens that NASCAR has been working on a “Garage 56” entry — a slot reserved for an innovative car that doesn’t have to abide by the competition’s regulations, but also is not classified in the results — for next year’s race and it’s being built by Hendrick Motorsports, where Johnson spent two decades and won all of those Cup Series titles.

He wants to return to the Indy 500, where he led two laps before crashing out late, but would also like to pair that with the Coca-Cola 600 for the Memorial Day Weekend Double, which has only been attempted by five racers and none since Kurt Busch did it eight years ago. He is still on great terms with Ganassi, who has raced in both series with legendary success and helped Tony Stewart do the Double in 2001. He’s also big pals with Justin Marks, who bought Ganassi’s Cup team, now Trackhouse Racing, and has created Project 91, designed specifically to bring big stars from other disciplines over for one-off runs in a top-shelf NASCAR Cup Series ride.

And he really, really wants more shots at the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring. He has been so close so many times at Daytona and finished seventh in his lone Sebring start in 2021.

Sports cars in Europe, dirt cars around the United States, a return to Baja, nothing is off the table — as long as it’s fun and as long as he’s able to get home to his family as much as possible. His two daughters are both in elementary school, with the oldest looking at middle school sooner than later. He glows as much if not more when talking about wife Chandra’s art gallery expansion as he does when describing racing at Indy. He speaks of living in Colorado and Charlotte and maybe one day the Johnson family spending some time living in Europe. For a kid who grew up in a trailer park in El Cajon, California, saying that kind of stuff aloud still feels like a through-the-looking-glass life.

The only dream better than living one’s career bucket list is being able to do that while also experiencing it with one’s family, not to mention being there as they live their own dreams — say, crushing it at a dance recital.

So, yes, this man, he is standing in front of that “Departures” board, but he is not alone. He has his family with him. He’d like for us to ride along with him, too.

“Carvana came up with this tagline, ‘No Finish Lines,'” Johnson says of the sponsor who has also told him it will have his back (and be embroidered on his chest) for whatever racing he wants to do next, wherever and whenever that might be. “Most people want to believe that’s a reality and would like to challenge themselves and start a second career and pivot in life, but that’s tough to do. I have discovered these last two years how many fans and racers identify with what I have done and want to do that in their lives.”

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Avs welcome back captain Landeskog after 3 years

Published

8 hours ago

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April 24, 2025

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Avs welcome back captain Landeskog after 3 years

  • ESPN News Services

Apr 23, 2025, 03:51 PM ET

DENVER — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog took the ice in his first NHL game in nearly three years Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars.

It marked his first NHL appearance since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup. He had been sidelined because of a chronically injured right knee.

The Avalanche posted a video of Landeskog driving to Ball Arena, which he concluded, “Hey Avs Faithful, it’s Gabe here, just wanted to shoot you guys a quick message — thank you guys for all the support over the last few years and I’ll see you tonight.”

It’s his first game with the Avalanche in 1,032 days. He becomes the fifth player in NHL history — among those with a minimum of 700 games played — to return to his team after 1,000 or more days without a contest, according to NHL Stats. The last one to do so was longtime Avalanche forward and Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg.

“I feel surprisingly calm and in control right now. I know the butterflies and the nerves will come, I’m sure,” he said during a pregame interview. “I found myself thinking about this moment a lot over the last three years. And now that it’s here, it’s the reverse — I’m thinking a lot about the hard work that’s gone into it, some of the ups, a lot of the downs, sacrifices and support I’ve had along the way.

“Thankful for everybody and all their support, but now it’s go time so I’m excited to get out there.”

The first-round series with Dallas is tied at 1-1.

Landeskog’s presence on the ice provided a big boost not only for his teammates but also for the capacity crowd. His No. 92 sweater is a frequent sight around the arena.

The crowd chanted “Landy, Landy” as he led the Avalanche on the ice for pregame warmups. The chants continued during player introductions. Later, a video chronicling Landeskog’s three-year journey back was shown on the arena scoreboard.

“Everyone is rooting for him. It’s a great comeback story,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after morning skate. “I trust in Gabe’s preparation, and what I’m seeing with my own eyes that he’s getting close and ready to play. I think he feels really good about where he’s at.

“Adding him back into our locker room, he’s almost an extension of the coaching staff, but he’s still one of the guys and the guy that everyone looks up to. You can’t get enough of that this time of the year.”

Landeskog’s injury dates to the 2020 “bubble” season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of teammate Cale Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.

He was activated Monday before Game 2 in Dallas and skated in pregame warmups but didn’t play.

Stars forward Matt Duchene was teammates with Landeskog and they remain good friends.

“We’ve been rooting for him to come back,” said Duchene, who was the No. 3 pick by Colorado in 2009. “Obviously, it makes our job harder having a guy like that out there, but on the friends side, the human side and the fellow athlete side, I think everyone’s happy to see the progress he’s made. … I’m just really happy that he’s gotten to this point.”

It doesn’t mean the Stars will take it easy on Landeskog.

“It’s remarkable he’s coming back, if he’s coming back, as a friend,” said longtime teammate Mikko Rantanen, a 2015 first-round pick by Colorado before being traded in January to Carolina and on to Dallas in March. “As an opponent, obviously, no mercy.”

The 32-year-old Landeskog recently went through a two-game conditioning stint with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. He practiced with the Avalanche leading up to their playoff opener.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Oilers welcome back Kane, Klingberg for Game 2

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8 hours ago

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April 24, 2025

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Oilers welcome back Kane, Klingberg for Game 2

  • Associated Press

Apr 23, 2025, 10:15 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Veteran forward Evander Kane made his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Defenseman John Klingberg also returned from a lengthy injury absence as the Oilers attempted to even the series.

Kane is a 15-year NHL veteran who hasn’t played for the Oilers since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last June. He had surgery last September to repair a sports hernia, and he underwent knee surgery in January.

Kane was slotted on to the Oilers’ second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.

Klingberg hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot March 27 in Seattle. The Swedish veteran signed with Edmonton in January after going unsigned early in the season, but he played in only 11 games while dealing with multiple injuries.

The Oilers are hoping Klingberg can help their blue line, which frequently struggled in the Kings’ 6-5 victory in Game 1.

Jeff Skinner was scratched by the Oilers to make room for Kane. The 15-year NHL veteran forward made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1, recording an assist.

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Rangers extend GM Drury after missing playoffs

Published

11 hours ago

on

April 24, 2025

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Rangers extend GM Drury after missing playoffs

  • Ryan S. ClarkApr 23, 2025, 06:14 PM ET

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      Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

Chris Drury and the New York Rangers agreed to a multiyear contract extension on Wednesday, keeping him at the helm of the team’s hockey operations after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

“I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as president and general manager,” Madison Square Garden chairman and CEO James Dolan said in a statement. “Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic and a tireless pursuit of excellence.

“While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”

Drury, 48, took over as general manager and president of hockey operations at the start of the 2021-22 season. The Rangers reached the playoffs in his first three seasons.

His future was one of a few items that remained in question, with the intent that the Rangers would use this offseason to reload in their bid to return to the playoffs. The team also is facing a third coaching search in four seasons after firing Peter Laviolette following his two seasons.

“I am honored to sign this contract extension and continue in this position with the team I grew up supporting,” said Drury, a former Rangers captain who played four seasons with the team. “As I said when I began in this role nearly four years ago, there isn’t a more special organization in hockey, and I look forward to continuing our work this offseason to help us reach our goals for next season and in the coming years.”

After winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference finals under Laviolette in the 2023-24 season, the Rangers started 12-4-1 this season, only to lose the next five games. That started a chain reaction of inconsistent play that ultimately led to the Rangers finishing six points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

While the Rangers sought to make the playoffs, Drury also made it known they were open for business in December. That’s when they traded captain Jacob Trouba, who still had a year left on his contract, to the Anaheim Ducks. A few weeks later, they traded Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen, who would then sign an extension with the Rangers.

A month before the trade deadline, the Rangers reacquired J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers also traded defenseman Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche and forward Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights while adding defensemen Carson Soucy in a separate deal with the Canucks.

Still, the Rangers lost four consecutive games in early March before having two three-game losing streaks that further damaged their chances in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

Now that Drury has a new contract, he’ll be charged with trying to improve a roster that PuckPedia projects will have only $9.67 million in available cap space. K’Andre Miller, Zac Jones and Matt Rempe are part of the club’s eight-player restricted free agent class, while the Rangers have only two unrestricted free agents in Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Calvin de Haan.

Drury will be looking for a coach in what is expected to be a competitive market. Anaheim and Seattle also fired their coaches, and three other teams — Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia — ended the season with interim coaches. The Canucks declined the option on coach Rick Tocchet, but they have offered him a new, more lucrative contract.

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