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Lou Holtz said he understood why his comments about Ohio State before last week’s game at Notre Dame bothered Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, but he reiterated his belief that the Fighting Irish are a superior team despite their 17-14 loss.

Speaking Tuesday to Dan Dakich on the Outkick show “Don’t @ Me!” Holtz said he called Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman to apologize for possibly putting the Irish in a difficult position. Holtz told “The Pat McAfee Show” before Saturday’s game that Ohio State had not been physical enough to beat premier opponents, citing the team’s consecutive losses to Michigan and its CFP defeats against Georgia, Alabama and Clemson.

“I don’t feel bad about saying it because I believed it,” Holtz told Dakich. “Notre Dame was a better football team. Three times, Ohio State had fourth-and-1, ran the ball and couldn’t make it. … If I was coaching, I would have said it. I would [have] went to our team and said, ‘I think you’re better. I think you’re more physical. I think you’re more talented.’

“But when I say something and yet I can’t control the outcome of the game, that’s unfair to Coach Freeman.”

An emotional Day cited Holtz’s comments in his on-field interview with NBC after the Buckeyes’ win and then again in his postgame news conference, saying that Holtz and others who questioned Ohio State’s toughness and physicality need to “put the film on.”

“We always say, ‘Ignore the noise,’ but every once in a while, after a while someone’s poking at you, you’ve got to stand up for what you believe in,” Day said. “To see some of the things that were said, I get Ohio against the world, but we needed to go play like that today. We needed to win like that, to stop that narrative that’s going on, because it’s not true.”

Holtz, 86, said he understands why Day was unhappy with him.

“He doesn’t want to talk about [losing to] Michigan, 0-2, he doesn’t want to talk about the big games coming up against Penn State and against Michigan again,” Holtz said. “He’s a great coach. He’s done a tremendous job. He’s a great offensive mind. … Ohio State’s a good football team. I don’t think they’re a great football team. He can go after me all he wants.”

Holtz added that he hopes Day “goes on and has a wonderful year,” while adding that Notre Dame’s mistakes in the final two minutes, including not forcing Ohio State to use all its timeouts before the Buckeyes’ final possession, likely cost the Irish a win he thought they deserved. He also said he didn’t realize how much his comments would be amplified.

“Coach Freeman is always a class guy,” Holtz said. “He’s very, very polite. He didn’t even make a comment about it, but I wanted him to know that I felt bad.”

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.

Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.

Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.

The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.

Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

Jake Allen, one of the top goaltenders available entering free agency, is not heading to the market after agreeing to a five-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Allen’s average annual value on the deal is $1.8 million, sources told ESPN. That AAV allows the Devils to run back the same goaltending tandem for next season.

Jacob Markstrom has one year remaining on his contract for $4.125 million. Nico Daws is also under contract for next season, before becoming a restricted free agent next summer.

Several teams were interested in the 34-year-old veteran, whom sources said could have made more money on the open market. However, the deal with the Devils gives Allen long-term security. Allen has played for the Blues, Canadiens and Devils over his 12-year-career. He has started in 436 career games.

Last season, Allen started 29 games for the Devils, going 13-16-1 with a .906 save percentage, 2.66 GAA and four shutouts.

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, $42M extension

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, M extension

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.

Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.

He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.

Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.

It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.

That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.

But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

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