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Officials for the Preakness Stakes say they are considering moving the second Triple Crown race to four weeks after the Kentucky Derby — instead of two weeks later — in a shift that would change the timing that has been in place for decades.

Aidan Butler, CEO of 1/ST Racing, which owns and runs Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore where the Preakness is run, said it’s necessary to take a close look at making changes.

“Discussion around spacing out the schedule of the Triple Crown is nothing new, and we believe the time has come to advance those discussions to the next step,” Butler said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Friday. “Allowing additional time between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes would give horses a greater opportunity to prepare and be ready between the Derby and the second leg of the Triple Crown.”

Butler, who floated the possibility most recently this week in a statement to the Thoroughbred Daily News, acknowledged moving the Preakness would have implications around the industry.

“We look forward to engaging with all stakeholders to work through questions and concerns,” Butler said. “The future of the Triple Crown is best decided collectively, but we are committed to seeing this conversation through to a positive result.”

Other stakeholders are not willing to make this drastic of a change.

The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes have been run over a span of five weeks beginning with the first Saturday in May since 1969, with the exception of 2020 when the races happened out of order because of the pandemic.

A spokesman for Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Derby, said the track had no comment. Any changes to the Preakness likely would not affect the Derby leading off the Triple Crown.

Moving the Preakness from the third Saturday in May to early June would have major implications on the Belmont Stakes, the 1 1/2-mile third leg of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park in New York.

New York Racing Association vice president of communications Pat McKenna said the organization, which runs the Belmont “has concerns about fundamental changes to the structure of the Triple Crown.”

“We have no plans to move the date of the Belmont Stakes,” McKenna said in an email to the AP.

Unrelated to the Preakness, the Belmont could be run at historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York in 2025, and perhaps even next year, because of a major renovation at Belmont Park.

A change was debated years ago during a lengthy drought without a Triple Crown champion, but that quieted down after American Pharoah won all three races in 2015 and then Justify followed suit in 2018.

Horse deaths this spring at Churchill Downs, which caused the track to suspend operations to investigate possible causes, have led to larger conversations around the sport. The federally mandated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority recently went into place to oversee track safety, medication and doping and standardize the industry around the U.S.

National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Tom Rooney supports a change to what he calls a more “pragmatic” Triple Crown schedule of running each of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont four weeks apart.

“As the industry continues to focus on improving safety and welfare standards for the horses and jockeys, you would be hard-pressed to find a trainer or owner who would choose to race at any level after two weeks, so why take that risk on the biggest stage? Tradition?” Rooney wrote in a recent op-ed for Thoroughbred Daily News. “Other sports have evolved and adapted to the times. The tradition argument presumes all tradition is good, which is not necessarily true.”

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Johnson, 2-time Cup winner with Lightning, retires

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Johnson, 2-time Cup winner with Lightning, retires

Tyler Johnson has announced his retirement after playing 13 NHL seasons and winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Johnson called it a career in a lengthy message posted on social media Monday. Johnson had battled injuries in recent years and is set to turn 35 on July 29.

“As a short kid from a small town, I saw my chances of playing in the NHL as very slim,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “But my family — my parents, Ken and Debbie, and my grandparents — believed in me when doubt clouded my mind. Their unwavering faith turned that dream into reality.”

Listed at 5-foot-8 and 191 pounds, Johnson won at just about ever level, capturing the Western Hockey League and Memorial Cup championships in 2008 with his hometown Spokane Chiefs and the Calder Cup championship with Norfolk of the American Hockey League in 2012.

The NHL brought more success, as he skated in 863 regular-season and playoff games since debuting in the league in 2013, putting up 498 points. Johnson was part of the Lightning’s core when they reached the final in 2015 and helped them hoist the Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21.

Johnson finished with Chicago, playing three seasons with the Blackhawks, and Boston, signing with the Bruins early last season following his training camp tryout.

“After a lifetime devoted to hockey, I’m ready for what’s next,” Johnson said. “This moment is bittersweet, but I leave the game with no regrets.”

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‘Gritty’ McBain secures 5-year deal from Mammoth

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'Gritty' McBain secures 5-year deal from Mammoth

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Mammoth re-signed center Jack McBain to a five-year contract worth $21.25 million on Monday.

McBain will count $4.25 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 NHL season, which was announced a little more than 24 hours since the team elected salary arbitration with the restricted free agent forward.

“He is a big, strong, physical player who competes hard on a nightly basis and brings a gritty toughness to our group,” general manager Bill Armstrong said. “Jack is an important part of the championship-caliber team we are building, and we look forward to having him back on our roster for the foreseeable future.”

McBain, 25, is coming off setting a career high with 27 points and playing all 82 games. He was one of six players to skate in every game of the organization’s first season in Salt Lake City.

“Jack’s versatility as a player, his care for his teammates and his demonstrated willingness to do whatever it takes to win, are all critical elements to our future team success,” president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said.

McBain has 82 points in 241 games with the franchise, which moved to Utah from Arizona. Since debuting in April 2022, he ranks third in the league with 832 hits.

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‘Workhorse’ York nets five-year deal from Flyers

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'Workhorse' York nets five-year deal from Flyers

Cam York and the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to terms Monday on a five-year contract worth $25.75 million, with re-signing the restricted free agent defenseman completing perhaps the team’s last important piece of offseason business.

York, 25, will count $5.15 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 NHL season. That price could turn out to be a bargain with the upper limit rising from $88 million this past season to $113.5 million by 2027-28.

“Cam has been a workhorse for our team over the last few seasons,” general manager Danny Briere said. “We’re excited by his development and look forward to his continued growth and emergence as a young leader within our group.”

The Flyers are trying to shift from rebuilding to contending, and York was the final player on the roster without a contract. They acquired Trevor Zegras in a trade from Anaheim last month and signed fellow center Christian Dvorak and backup goaltender Dan Vladar on the first day of free agency.

York, the 14th pick in the 2019 draft, has skated nearly 21 minutes a game so far in his pro career, all with Philadelphia. He has 77 points in 235 games for the Flyers, who have not made the playoffs since 2020.

“I believe in this team, and I love the direction we are heading,” York said. “I couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey and build something special together.”

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