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The New Jersey Devils have hired Sheldon Keefe as their new coach, a source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.

Keefe’s deal with the Devils is for four years, a source told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.

Keefe, 43, was fired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 9, less than a week after they lost in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was replaced by former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube.

Keefe had two years remaining on a contract extension signed in August, but the Maple Leafs are no longer on the hook for that expense.

The Leafs made the playoffs in all five seasons Keefe coached the team but advanced past the first round only one time. That playoff series win in 2023 was the first for Toronto since 2004. Keefe compiled a record of 212-97-40 with the Leafs for a .622 points percentage.

Keefe played 125 games in the NHL as a winger with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He coached the OHL Soo Greyhounds for three years and the AHL Toronto Marlies for five years before taking over the Leafs, working with former Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas at each stop.

The Devils fired coach Lindy Ruff during the 2023-24 season, which saw them miss the playoffs and regress by 31 points after advancing to the second round of the postseason during the previous campaign.

The New Jersey vacancy was considered one of the most desirable in the NHL thanks to the Devils’ collection of 25-and-under stars Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes. Keefe had experience in Toronto working with elite young talents such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

The Devils reportedly interviewed Berube, former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft and former Los Angeles Kings coach Todd McLellan, among others.

The Keefe hiring was first reported by Boston-based writer Brian McGonagle.

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Zilisch breaks collarbone in scary Victory Lane fall

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Zilisch breaks collarbone in scary Victory Lane fall

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader Connor Zilisch broke his collarbone after a hard fall in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International.

After his series-leading sixth victory, Zilisch was climbing onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet to celebrate. He slipped after apparently getting his left foot caught in the driver’s side window netting and tumbled awkwardly onto the asphalt.

Zilisch, 19, was taken on a backboard to the trackside medical center and then transported to a hospital for further evaluation. He posted on X about two hours later that he had a broken collarbone and that CT scans showed no head injury.

“Thank you everybody for reaching out today,” Zilisch posted. “I’m out of the hospital and getting better already. Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn’t any worse.”

Zilisch will not be available for the Cup race Sunday at Watkins Glen. After racing in the Truck and Xfinity Series the past two days at the road course, he was scheduled to complete a tripleheader by making his fourth Cup start this season for Trackhouse Racing.

The scary incident capped an eventful day for Zilisch, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team.

After starting from the pole position, Zilisch wrecked teammate Shane van Gisbergen’s car while battling for the lead on Lap 65. After being bumped from the lead to fifth on a restart, Zilisch retook first and led the final four laps.

“He did such a great job of getting back through the field and getting the lead,” crew chief Mardy Lindley told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the race. “Praying for Connor right now that he’s OK. I think he’s going to be fine.”

Zilisch missed a race earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway after suffering a back injury during a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. He has 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins since his return.

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White Sox nail tribute to former owner Veeck

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White Sox nail tribute to former owner Veeck

CHICAGO –The White Sox threw a party that would have made Bill Veeck proud.

The club celebrated its quirky former owner with Bill Veeck Night on Saturday by bringing back some of the stunts, tricks and exhibitions that added to the lore of the legendary showman and Hall of Famer.

There was a pregame petting zoo and a roving circus with — what else? — a clown to entertain fans entering Rate Field. There was ice sculpting on the concourse in the outfield and a chance to get a photo taken with a 50-foot hot dog, along with an offer of free haircuts. The first 15,000 fans received a Veeck bobblehead, and postgame fireworks were planned.

Another highlight was what the team described as a “married in a minute” event, with two White Sox fans tying the knot in a 60-second ceremony officiated by 1983 American League Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle.

Veeck’s son, Mike, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the White Sox took on the Cleveland Guardians.

The fun wasn’t limited to fans in the stands. White Sox players turned back the clock by wearing pinstriped shorts during pregame warmups and batting practice. The team wore those unusual shorts — along with collared uniform tops — for some games during the 1976 season.

Veeck was a two-time owner of the White Sox, first from 1959-61 and again from 1975-81. His tenure was marked by memorable and forgettable stunts to enhance the fans’ game-day experience through entertainment.

His stunts included an exploding scoreboard in 1960 and a disastrous disco demolition night in 1979, when a crate of disco records was blown up between games of a doubleheader. The playing surface at Comiskey Field was so damaged by the blast and fans who rushed the field after the stunt that Chicago was forced to forfeit the second game to Detroit.

Another of his famous acts was signing 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to be a pinch hitter in 1951, when Veeck owned the St. Louis Browns. Gaedel, who had a miniscule strike zone, walked on four pitches.

Veeck died in 1986 at 71 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

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Athletics put P Severino on IL with oblique strain

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Athletics put P Severino on IL with oblique strain

Right-hander Luis Severino, who recently has pitched like the high-priced free agent the Athletics signed in the offseason, was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday because of a left oblique strain.

The move is retroactive to Wednesday.

The A’s called up left-hander Hogan Harris from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding transaction.

Severino signed a $67 million, three-year contract in December with the A’s, but he can opt out after next season. It was largest-ever contract for the typically low-spending A’s, though they since made other similar deals with Brent Rooker ( $60 million over five years ) and Lawrence Butler ( $65.5 million over seven years ) in anticipation of their scheduled move to Las Vegas in 2028.

Unless he agrees to an extension, the 31-year-old Severino likely won’t be part of those plans.

He started slow this season, but in his past five starts went 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings. That improved his record to 6-11 with a 4.82 ERA.

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