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  • ESPN News Services

Mar 27, 2024, 04:31 PM ET

WASHINGTON — The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are staying in the District of Columbia for the long term after ownership and the city reached an agreement on a $515 million arena project.

Owner Ted Leonsis and Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a letter of intent on Wednesday for the deal, which keeps the teams in the district through 2050. They announced the development at a joint news conference at Capital One Arena minutes later.

“It’s a great day, and I’m really relieved,” Leonsis said. “This was not only the right thing for the community, the right thing for the city, the right thing for us, it’s a really smart business deal.”

The project is set to include 200,000 square feet of expansion of the arena complex into the nearby Gallery Place space, the creation of an entertainment district in the surrounding Chinatown neighborhood and safety and transportation upgrades.

“We are the current home and the future home of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards,” said Bowser, who donned a Wizards jersey. “As Ted likes to say, we’re going to be together for a long time.”

In a statement, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said residents “could not have been louder or clearer in expressing their desire for the teams to stay.”

“This outcome will have significant positive impacts on economic development, public safety, and overall District energy and spirit generated by the millions of people who attend games, shows, and concerts at Capital One Arena,” Schwalb said.

The Council of the District of Columbia will take up the deal next week and is expected to pass it, chairman Phil Mendelson said at the news conference.

The agreement between Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the city came as Alexandria officials said talks for a new arena that would have moved the teams to Virginia had ended. Leonsis acknowledged Virginia had land as an advantage that the district didn’t.

“You’re in this arms race to build bigger and better and higher quality, and we’ve been running out of space,” Leonsis said, referencing the new entertainment community the agreement envisions that is not nearly as big as the 12 acres that were dedicated to the arena in Virginia. “But it’s enough.”

The ultrawealthy entrepreneur said he generally wanted to avoid discussing Virginia but did throw a few jabs at the state, where political divisions between Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Democrats who control the Virginia General Assembly contributed to the plan’s demise.

“You can’t do it alone, and I felt that we were really in a good partnership,” Leonsis said, “as opposed to where I thought I would have a great partnership.”

The development is a blow to Youngkin, who announced months ago with fanfare the outlines of a proposal negotiated with the teams’ parent company to bring them across the Potomac River.

In a statement on Wednesday, the governor expressed disappointment and frustration, laying blame with Democrats.

“This should have been our deal and our opportunity, all the General Assembly had to do was say: ‘thank you, Monumental, for wanting to come to Virginia and create $12 billion of economic investment, let’s work it out.’ But no, personal and political agendas drove away” the deal, he said.

Democrats responded by saying Youngkin had mismanaged the proposal from the start. House Speaker Don Scott said he was blown away by Youngkin’s statement, which Scott said seemed like it had been written by a teenager, and bristled at the suggestion that the Legislature should have given the deal an easy sign-off.

“He has lost his sense of good judgment right now,” said Scott, who had not fully endorsed the deal but expressed openness to it.

He added that from the tone of the statement, he said Youngkin might retaliate by vetoing the budget lawmakers sent him earlier this month.

Alexandria, which first announced the news, said in a statement posted to its website that it also was disappointed.

“We negotiated a framework for this opportunity in good faith and participated in the process in Richmond in a way that preserved our integrity,” the statement said. “We trusted this process and are disappointed in what occurred between the Governor and General Assembly.”

Matt Kelly, the CEO of publicly traded real estate company JBG SMITH, a partner to the Alexandria deal as the proposed developer, issued a blistering statement that laid blame on “partisan politics” and raised the prospect that “potential pay-to-play” influences had a hand in the project’s downfall.

“Beyond the arena, state and local governments will lose needed tax revenue, economic development credibility, and what could have been Virginia’s last best chance to land a professional sports franchise for at least a generation,” Kelly said.

The Virginia plan called for the creation of a $2 billion development district in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria, with not only a new arena but also a practice facility and corporate headquarters for Monumental in addition to a separate performing arts venue.

The general assembly was asked to set up an authority that would issue bonds to finance most of the project, backed partly by the city and state governments and repaid through a mix of projected tax revenues recaptured from the development.

Youngkin and other supporters said the development would generate tens of thousands of jobs, along with new tax revenues beyond what would have been needed to cover the financing.

The plan faced opposition from labor unions, Alexandria residents concerned about traffic and District of Columbia officials who feared the loss of the teams would devastate downtown Washington.

Youngkin and other backers also failed to win over powerful Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, who chairs the Senate’s budget-writing committee. She used that position to block the legislation, citing a range of concerns but foremost the financing structure of the deal: The use of moral obligation bonds put taxpayers and the state’s finances at risk, Lucas said.

Lucas celebrated the proposal’s demise on Wednesday. On social media, she posted a cartoon of herself swatting away a basketball with the word “REJECTED” superimposed. She wrote, “As Monumental announces today they are staying in Washington DC we are celebrating in Virginia that we avoided the Monumental Disaster!”

Leonsis had shifted his tone on social media in recent days, pointing to large crowds in Capital One Arena this month for everything from the Capitals and Wizards to ACC tournament basketball and a Zach Bryan concert. He posted Wednesday that Monumental expected over 400,000 fans to pass through turnstiles in March.

He and Bowser began talks about keeping the teams in the district not long after Virginia disclosed its offer, including through regular meetings in a posh hotel lobby, Leonsis said.

“Until 10 minutes ago, I had never signed a piece of paper,” Leonsis said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Road to the men’s Frozen Four: Complete schedule, teams at a glance

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2 hours ago

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March 24, 2025

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Road to the men's Frozen Four: Complete schedule, teams at a glance

Mar 23, 2025, 04:30 PM ET

The 2025 NCAA men’s hockey tournament is set, with the 16-team bracket in place and all roads leading to the Frozen Four in St. Louis.

Regional play begins Thursday, with regional finals Saturday and Sunday, and the Frozen Four will be in St. Louis on April 10 and 12. All games will air on the ESPN networks and stream on ESPN+.

The winners of the six conference tournaments win automatic NCAA berths, while the top 10 at-large teams (based on the PairWise rankings) round out the field.

Boston College, the overall No. 1 seed, will play in the Manchester, New Hampshire, regional — with Big Ten champion Michigan State (Toledo, Ohio), Hockey East champ Maine (Allentown, Pennsylvania) and NCHC champion Western Michigan (Fargo, North Dakota) earning the other three top seeds.

Denver, last year’s national champion, will defend its title as the No. 3 seed in Manchester, while UConn (No. 2 in Allentown) and Bentley (No. 4 in Manchester) are in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

Below is the schedule for entire tournament, which will be updated with results as games are played, plus a look at each of the 16 teams.

Every NCAA tournament game will be available on ESPN+. Subscribe to watch.

Schedule

All times Eastern

Toledo (Ohio) Regional

Semifinals, March 27
Boston University vs. Ohio State, 2 p.m., ESPNU
Michigan State vs. Cornell, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+

Final, March 29
Semifinal winners, 4 or 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Fargo (N.D.) Regional

Semifinals, March 27
Western Michigan vs. Minnesota State, 5 p.m., ESPNU
Minnesota vs. UMass, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

Final, March 29
Semifinal winners, 4 or 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Manchester (N.H.) Regional

Semifinals, March 28
Boston College vs. Bentley, 2 p.m., ESPNU
Providence vs. Denver, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+

Final, March 30
Semifinal winners, 4:30 or 7 p.m., ESPN2

Allentown (Penn.) Regional

Semifinals, March 28
UConn vs. Quinnipiac, 5 p.m., ESPNU
Maine vs. Penn State, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

Final, March 30
Semifinal winners, 4:30 or 7 p.m., ESPN2

FROZEN FOUR
at Enterprise Center, St. Louis

National semifinals, April 10
Manchester winner vs. Fargo winner, Time TBD, ESPN2
Toledo winner vs. Allentown winner, Time TBD, ESPN2

National championship game, April 12
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2

Teams at a glance

Toledo Regional

No. 1 Michigan State

Record: 26-6-4

PairWise rating: No. 2

How the Spartans got here: Big Ten champion

Last 10 games: 6-3-1

History lesson: This is Michigan State’s 29th NCAA appearance. The Spartans have been to the Frozen Four 11 times and have won three national titles, the last in 2007. Michigan State lost to Michigan in the regional finals last season, which was its first time in the tournament since 2012.

No. 2 Boston University

Record: 21-13-2

PairWise rating: 7

How the Terriers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost Hockey East semifinal to Maine)

History lesson: This is BU’s 40th NCAA appearance, including three of the past four years. The Terriers have been to the Frozen Four 24 times and have won five national titles, the last in 2009. The Terriers lost in overtime to Denver in the national semifinals last season, the second straight year they lost in the national semis.

No. 3 Ohio State

Record: 24-13-2

PairWise rating: 10

How the Buckeyes got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-5 (lost Big Ten final to Michigan State)

History lesson: This is Ohio State’s 12th NCAA appearance and its second in three years. The Buckeyes have been to the Frozen Four twice, most recently in 2018, and have never won the national title.

No. 4 Cornell

Record: 18-10-6

PairWise rating: 17

How the Big Red got here: ECAC champion

Last 10 games: 8-2

History lesson: This is Cornell’s 27th NCAA appearance, including the past three years in a row. The Big Red have been to the Frozen Four eight times and have won the national championship twice, most recently in 1970. Cornell lost to Denver in the regional finals last season.

Fargo Regional

No. 1 Western Michigan

Record: 30-7-1

PairWise rating: 4

How the Broncos got here: NCHC champion

Last 10 games: 8-2

History lesson: This is Western Michigan’s 10th NCAA appearance, including the past four years. The Broncos lost in overtime to Michigan State in the first round last season, falling to 1-10 all time in NCAA tournament play.

No. 2 Minnesota

Record: 25-10-4

PairWise rating: 5

How the Golden Gophers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost Big Ten quarterfinal series to Notre Dame)

History lesson: This is Minnesota’s 42nd NCAA appearance, including the past five years. The Gophers have been to the Frozen Four 23 times and have won five national titles, the last in 2003. Minnesota lost to Boston University in the regional finals last season.

No. 3 UMass

Record: 20-13-5

PairWise rating: 11

How the Minutemen got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-2-3 (lost Hockey East quarterfinal to BU in overtime)

History lesson: This is UMass’ seventh NCAA appearance, including five of the past six tournaments. The Minutemen have been to the Frozen Four twice and won one national title, in 2021. UMass lost to Denver in double overtime in the first round of last year’s tournament.

No. 4 Minnesota State

Record: 27-8-3

PairWise rating: 14

How the Mavericks got here: CCHA champion

Last 10 games: 9-0-1

History lesson: This is Minnesota State’s 12th NCAA appearance, including six of the last seven tournaments. The Mavericks have been to the Frozen Four twice and are still looking for their first national championship. Minnesota State didn’t make the tournament last year and lost to St. Cloud State in the first round in 2023.

Manchester Regional

No. 1 Boston College

Record: 26-7-2

PairWise rating: 1

How the Eagles got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost Hockey East quarterfinal to Northeastern)

History lesson: This is BC’s 39th NCAA appearance. The Eagles have been to the Frozen Four 26 times and have won five national titles, the last in 2012. BC lost to Denver 2-0 in last year’s championship game after not making the tournament the previous two years.

No. 2 Providence

Record: 21-10-5

PairWise rating: 8

How the Friars got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost Hockey East quarterfinal to UConn)

History lesson: This is Providence’s 16th NCAA appearance, its first since 2019. The Friars have been to the Frozen Four five times and won the national title once, in 2015.

No. 3 Denver

Record: 29-11-1

PairWise rating: 9

How the Pioneers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-3 (lost NCHC final to Western Michigan in double overtime)

History lesson: This is Denver’s 34th NCAA appearance, including 15 of the past 16 tournaments. The Pios have been to the Frozen Four 18 times and won 10 national titles, the most ever. Denver beat BC for the national championship last season, its second title in three years.

No. 4 Bentley

Record: 23-14-2

PairWise rating: 22

How the Falcons got here: Atlantic champion

Last 10 games: 8-2

History lesson: This is Bentley’s first NCAA appearance in the program’s 26th season in Division I and the second year with Andy Jones as coach. The Falcons have set a school record for victories and are enjoying their first winning season since 2020.

Allentown Regional

No. 1 Maine

Record: 24-7-6

PairWise rating: 3

How the Black Bears got here: Hockey East champion

Last 10 games: 6-2-2

History lesson: This is Maine’s 21st NCAA appearance. The Black Bears have been to the Frozen Four 11 times and have won two national titles, the last in 1999. Maine lost to Cornell in the first round last season, its first tournament appearance since 2012.

No. 2 UConn

Record: 22-11-4

PairWise rating: 6

How the Huskies got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 8-1-1

History lesson: This is UConn’s first NCAA appearance in the program’s 27 years in Division I. The Huskies set a school record for wins as a Div. 1 team in Mike Cavanaugh’s 11th season at the helm.

No. 3 Quinnipiac

Record: 24-11-2

PairWise ranking: 12

How the Bobcats got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-3 (lost ECAC semifinal to Cornell in overtime)

History lesson: This is Quinnipiac’s 11th NCAA appearance, including each of the last six tournaments. The Bobcats have been to the Frozen Four three times and won one national title, in 2023. Quinnipiac lost to Boston College in overtime in the regional finals last season.

No. 4 Penn State

Record: 20-13-4

PairWise rating: 13

How the Nittany Lions got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost Big Ten semifinal to Ohio State in overtime)

History lesson: This is Penn State’s fifth NCAA appearance. In 2023, the Nittany Lions lost in the regional finals to Michigan in overtime. Penn State has never been to the Frozen Four.

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Goalies Kuemper, Swayman nearly fight, Kings win

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2 hours ago

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March 24, 2025

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Goalies Kuemper, Swayman nearly fight, Kings win

  • Associated Press

Mar 24, 2025, 02:08 AM ET

LOS ANGELES — When Los Angeles goalie Darcy Kuemper came out to center ice ready to fight his Boston Bruins counterpart Jeremy Swayman on Sunday night, Kings coach Jim Hiller was only thinking about all the bad things that could have happened.

Fortunately for Hiller, officials prevented Kuemper and Swayman from actually coming to blows late in the second period of the Kings’ 7-2 win over the Bruins.

“I mean, nobody wants to see that,” Hiller said before catching himself. “Well, I shouldn’t say that. Neither teams’ coaches want to see that because those are some pretty important players you don’t want busting up hands or anything like that.”

The near-fracas came about after Bruins forward Marat Khusnutdinov made contact with Kuemper after he was hit from behind by Kings forward Tanner Jeannot, resulting in a goaltender interference penalty. Kuemper forcefully responded, grabbing Khusnutdinov around the head and neck, taking off the forward’s helmet and drawing a roughing penalty.

Swayman objected to Kuemper’s conduct, coming out to center ice and inviting Kuemper to join him. Kuemper did as he dropped his gloves, prompting Swayman to drop his gloves and take off his helmet. Referee Graham Skilliter got in front of Swayman, and linesman Travis Toomey skated in front of Kuemper and kept the goalies apart.

“He touched one of my guys, and I think that was something I’m not going to accept,” Swayman said. “And kudos to him, he stepped up. Just it got broken up.”

Kuemper and Swayman both received minor penalties for leaving their creases.

“Heated moments, you know,” Kings forward Adrian Kempe said. “It happens. It’s fun for the fans, I guess.”

There has not been a goalie fight in the NHL since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last scrap between Edmonton’s Mike Smith and Calgary’s Cam Talbot happening on Feb. 1, 2020.

But it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Swayman tried to get Joseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs to fight on March 7, 2024, but Woll declined.

Officials also stepped in to keep St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington and Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury from fighting in March 2023. Binnington was ejected and received a two-game suspension for throwing a punch at Wild forward Ryan Hartman.

For Hiller, it’s easy to understand why he didn’t want Kuemper to put his body at risk. The Kings have the best home record in the NHL at 25-3-4, and Kuemper has not lost in regulation in his past 14 home starts since Dec. 7.

While fans in the arena and on social media were disappointed the brawl never happened, Hiller was happy the goalies were intercepted in time.

“They’re not as agile as the players are, so I think it’s a little easier for the referees to get a hold of those guys, and glad they did,” Hiller said.

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Blackhawks’ Maroon, 36, will retire after season

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2 hours ago

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March 24, 2025

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Blackhawks' Maroon, 36, will retire after season

  • Associated Press

Mar 22, 2025, 04:39 PM ET

ST. LOUIS — Three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Maroon said he is retiring after this season.

Maroon, who turns 37 next month, made the announcement in a pregame television interview before he and the Chicago Blackhawks played at his hometown St. Louis Blues.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to give up everything you know and everything you dreamed of your whole life,” Maroon told Darren Pang on Chicago Sports Network. “I just know it’s time for me and it’s time for my family to go start a new chapter in our lives.”

Maroon helped the Blues win their first championship in franchise history in 2019. He then joined the Tampa Bay Lightning and won back-to-back in 2020 and ’21.

Maroon became the fourth player in NHL history and first since 1964 to win the Cup three years in a row with two different teams. It was not a coincidence he revealed that he’s calling it a career while in St. Louis with family in attendance.

“It’s tough,” Maroon said. “It’s hard to go through things like this. You can’t really process it, but I think it’s special for me and my family to go start a new chapter.”

Maroon has played 1,002 regular-season and playoff games with Anaheim, Edmonton, New Jersey, St. Louis, Minnesota, Boston and Chicago after getting drafted in the sixth round in 2007 by Philadelphia.

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