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Lindy Ruff is no longer the coach of the New Jersey Devils, becoming the seventh NHL head coach to be fired during the 2023-24 season.

He is also the latest example that being behind an NHL bench might be the most disposable position in all of sports. In the last five years, there have been 25 head coaches who have been fired during the NHL season.

How does that compare to other sports? Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL have had a total of 32 in-season coaching/managerial changes combined in that same amount of time, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The NFL has had the most with 13. The NBA is second with 10 while Major League Baseball has had nine.

“Actually, I thought the number would have been a little bit higher to be honest with you,” former Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “I know it’s been a lot in the last 16-to-18 months. It’s a lot. But, it happens.”

Several items have been attributed as to why NHL organizations burn through head coaches at a rate that’s rapidly higher compared to its MLB, NBA and NFL counterparts.

Each situation has its nuances. The common denominator that nearly every in-season coaching change shares is management has reached a breaking point. The seven teams that have fired coaches this season all entered the season with playoff aspirations ranging from a preseason Stanley Cup front runner in the Edmonton Oilers to a team such as the Ottawa Senators that had one of the more active offseasons in the league.

That eventual point of separation came either because of a slow start or a team was going through a free fall. Getting off to a poor start is what prompted the Oilers to make a change by mid-November after losing 10 of their first 12 games. The Senators did the same after losing five of six games in mid-December for an 11-15 start that saw them gradually fall out of the playoff discussion.

Free fall is what happened with the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders. The Kings were another potential Stanley Cup challenger and started 20-7-4 only to lose 14 of their next 17 games before making a change at the All-Star Break. The Islanders were 17-9-9 when they lost nine of their next 11 contests before replacing Lane Lambert with Patrick Roy.

Of the six teams that made coaching changes before Ruff was fired, the Kings and Oilers are the only ones who entered Tuesday in a playoff spot. The Blues, Islanders and Minnesota Wild were more than five points shy of the wild-card while the Senators were adrift by 19 points. The Devils were eight points behind the leading teams in the wild-card race.

There’s also the notion that a coach might be the easiest change to make considering the challenges teams constantly face to move players because of a salary cap that’s become even more constricting in recent years.

“If a team has certain expectations from ownership and management, it’s either going to be a GM who is let go or a coach who is let go,” said Lindsay Pennal, the executive director for the NHL Coaches Association. “We can see who falls on the chopping block. … In the NHL, if you have lost a few games over a few weeks, teams are ready to make a decision.”

Pennal said it’s encouraging that the NHL’s three longest tenured coaches — the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mike Sullivan and the Colorado Avalanche’s Jared Bednar — prove that longevity can lead to success.

After all, those three coaches have won five of the eight most recent Stanley Cups.

But there have been coaches who were fired this season who were proof that longevity and success can only go so far. Craig Berube won a Stanley Cup and led the St. Louis Blues to four straight playoff appearances in his five-plus seasons. Dean Evason led the Wild to the postseason in four straight seasons.

Even they got fired. Their firings also came with a sense of symmetry that further emphasizes a team’s expectations. Berube, Evason and Jay Woodcroft, who was fired after parts of three seasons in Edmonton, were also in-season hires who were added when their respective teams decided a change was needed.

This is why the phrase “hired to be fired” is one that is commonly heard about NHL coaches.

“I can only surmise what coaches tell me, which is that this comes with the territory,” Pennal said. “They have a short life span with a team but there’s a lot of circular movement. Even though they are being fired, they can be hired by another team. They can have a long tenure with coaching in the NHL.”

To Pennal’s point, four of the seven teams that fired their coach replaced them with someone who had previously been an NHL head coach elsewhere. The NHL currently has 15 coaches with previous head coaching experience for another team.

Bylsma, now the coach of the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, said the NHL’s current playoff format could also play a role in why teams quickly move on from coaches. He said 16 teams or half the NHL makes the playoffs which creates the belief for enough franchises that they could get into the postseason.

“So, there’s an added pressure on the coach and the manager when you don’t meet those expectations but 16 other teams do,” Bylsma said. “You can go around the league and see what the Sabres were saying, the Red Wings were saying, the Blue Jackets, the Senators and a lot of those teams were talking about playoff expectations. The facts are when you look at the East … you are fighting for a slim, narrow margin of maybe making the playoffs.”

As an agent who represents NFL and NHL coaches, Ian Greengross, offered insight into why the shelf lives for coaches in those leagues are different.

Greengross said the perception around how coaches are valued in either league goes back to the nature of each sport. He said the NFL and football as a whole is more methodical in nature when it comes to details such as clock control, lengthy drives and scripted plays. The NHL and hockey, while it allows for coaches to also run systems and script some plays, remains more free-flowing in nature with items such as line combinations or defensive pairings that can be shuffled multiple times throughout a game.

The mentality in those leagues and sports is something Greengross said plays a role in how coaching contracts are handled. He said NFL coaches often sign contracts that are between four and five years in length while an NHL coach is getting three years, and he pointed out that NFL coaches are making around $7 or $8 million annually while the average NHL coach makes $2.5 million.

Greengross also mentioned an NFL player can keep the same agent when they transition to coaching. In the NHL, an agent cannot represent coaches and players, which means they must choose one over the other.

“Coaches have gone agentless which has led to a system where they feel fungible and take the first offer,” Greengross said. “It’s not because they are not smart people or not deserving but it’s because nobody has been there to guide them. They’re coaches, they’re not agents. They’re not negotiators per se. They’ve been made to feel that if they don’t accept a team’s offer, the team will go get their second choice or someone else instead.”

While the number of coaching agents is growing, Greengross added that there are coaches who are starting to understand that they don’t have to take the first offer and that they can ask for more money.

“They’re not going to hang up and never call again,” Greengross said. “They may say ‘No.’ But at least you asked for it.”

Bylsma remarked how his expiration date was something that did come up during his time with the Penguins. He had heard about how coaches in Pittsburgh were usually gone after three seasons with Bylsma making it to a sixth season where he reached the playoffs in every one but was eventually dismissed.

So what would make someone want to go back for more after getting fired the first time?

“I’m slapping myself with the word ‘arrogance’ here,’ Bylsma laughed. “I think you have to have a belief that as a coach, the way your team plays, the way you can get your team to play and with the players you have, that you can be a winner.”

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Nats seek ‘fresh approach,’ fire Martinez, Rizzo

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Nats seek 'fresh approach,' fire Martinez, Rizzo

The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.

Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.

“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.

“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”

Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.

“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”

The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.

The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.

There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.

Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.

Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.

Among the first-time All-Stars announced Sunday: Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood and left-hander MacKenzie Gore; Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown and shortstop Jeremy Pena; and Chicago Cubs 34-year-old left-hander Matthew Boyd.

“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.

First-time All-Stars previously elected to start by the fans include Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.

Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.

“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”

Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.

Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.

Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.

The players vote for the reserves at each position and selected Wood, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres as the backup outfielders. Kyle Stowers also made it as a backup outfielder as the representative for the Miami Marlins.

Unless Soto later is added as an injury replacement, he’ll miss his first All-Star Game since his first full season in 2019.

The Dodgers lead all teams with five representatives: Kershaw, Yamamoto and starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The AL-leading Detroit Tigers (57-34) and Mariners have four each.

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will join AL starters Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, while Raleigh, the AL’s starting catcher, will be joined by Seattle teammates Bryan Woo, Andres Munoz and Julio Rodriguez.

Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.

The hometown Braves will have three All-Stars in Acuna, pitcher Chris Sale (his ninth selection, tied with Freeman for the second most behind Kershaw) and first baseman Matt Olson. The San Francisco Giants had three pitchers selected: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and reliever Randy Rodriguez.

The slumping New York Yankees ended up with three All-Stars: Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Max Fried. The Mets also earned three All-Star selections: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.

“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”

Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.

Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees were seemingly in deep trouble Sunday when Juan Soto cracked a pitch to left field in the seventh inning.

The New York Mets, down two runs, were cooking up a rally with no outs. Francisco Lindor stood at first base, Pete Alonso loomed on deck, and Brandon Nimmo was in the hole. This was the heart of the Mets’ potent lineup. Given the Yankees’ recent woes, fumbling their two-run lead and suffering a Subway Series sweep at the hands of their neighbors — and a seventh straight loss — seemed almost fated.

Then Cody Bellinger charged Soto’s sinking 105 mph line drive, made a shoestring catch and fired a strike to first base for an improbable double play to secure a skid-snapping 6-4 win — and perhaps rescue the Yankees from another dreadful outcome.

“Considering the context of this week and everything,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “that’s probably our play of the year so far.”

Soto’s line drive off Mark Leiter Jr. had a 10% catch probability, according to Statcast, but Bellinger, a plus defender at multiple positions who started at first base Saturday, was just able to snatch it before it touched the grass. Certain that he caught it clean, he made an 89.9 mph toss that reached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a line, over Lindor, who didn’t slide into the bag.

“I saw it in the air and had a really good beat on it,” said Bellinger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk at the plate.

The Mets challenged the catch, but the call stood.

“That was incredible,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who swatted his 33rd home run of the season in the fifth inning. “I’ve never seen something like that on the field.”

For the past week, a stretch Boone described as “terrible” for his ballclub, poor defense has been an issue for the Yankees. Physical errors. Mental lapses. Near disasters. The sloppiness helped sink a depleted pitching staff, more than offsetting the offense’s strong production.

That combination produced the team’s second six-game losing streak in three weeks and a three-game deficit in the American League East standings behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.

The surging Blue Jays won again Sunday to extend their winning streak to seven games and keep their division lead at three games, but Bellinger’s glove and arm ensured it didn’t grow to four.

“That was an unbelievable play,” Goldschmidt said. “Amazing catch and absolute cannon to me at first. To make that play was a game-changing play and potentially game-winning play for us today. And we needed it.”

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