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MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell wants to keep the focus off himself as the former Ohio State nose guard and interim head coach leads the Badgers against his alma mater.

“It’s not about me,” Fickell said at his Monday news conference. “I know we have some guys on our staff — myself included — that have some obvious history there, whether they went to school there or played there. But that’s not what it’s about.”

But after going through similar scenarios a few times already, Fickell understands the questions will come as the Badgers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) prepare to host the No. 3 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) on Saturday night.

Fickell was born in Columbus, Ohio, the site of Ohio State’s campus. He started 50 straight games for Ohio State from 1994-96. He spent the 1999 season there as a graduate assistant and was an assistant for the Buckeyes from 2002-16, making him a part of two national championship teams.

He worked as an assistant coach on Jim Tressel’s staff, posted a 6-7 record as interim head coach in 2011 following Tressel’s resignation and stayed on a co-defensive coordinator on Urban Meyer’s staff for five seasons.

Fickell is hardly the only Wisconsin coach with ties to Ohio State.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, who worked as a Buckeyes graduate assistant from 2002-03, is Jim Tressel’s nephew. Cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2005-11.

Fickell has faced his alma mater twice before. He was Akron’s defensive line coach in 2001 when the Zips lost 28-14 at Ohio State. He was head coach at Cincinnati in 2019 when the Bearcats visited Ohio State and fell 42-0.

He says those experiences taught him the attention should go to the players rather than to any coaches who might have connections to both schools.

“It’s about our team,” Fickell said. “It’s about our program. It’s about the journey we’re on and the process we’re in, not the specifics of, ‘Hey, you went to school there. Hey, you played there. Hey, you’ve got guys on your staff from there.’ When the ball’s kicked off, that will have absolutely no effect on anything that happens on that field. So we try to just focus on the things that will have the greatest effect on Saturday night.”

Wisconsin’s focus will be stopping Ohio State’s recent domination of this series.

The Buckeyes have won their last nine meetings with Wisconsin, including a 52-21 blowout last season. Wisconsin’s last victory came in 2010, when the 18th-ranked Badgers beat a top-ranked Ohio State team 31-18 in Madison.

Wisconsin comes into this game with some momentum after erasing a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit Saturday in a 25-21 victory at Illinois. That marked the first time since 2018 that the Badgers had won a Big Ten game after trailing by at least 14 points.

Fickell, who is in his debut season at Wisconsin, said the Badgers showed a different level of will, passion and intensity during that comeback than he’d seen from them.

“That was probably to me more exciting than the win itself, was to see how our guys handled, how they came back and to show that will and that passion that I needed to see from us,” Fickell said.

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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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