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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Longtime goalie guru Mitch Korn is back with the Nashville Predators to oversee their operation at the most important position in hockey.

The team named Korn director of goaltending on Wednesday, reuniting him with now-general manager Barry Trotz for whom he worked at several coaching stops around the NHL, including 15 seasons with the Predators from 1998-2014.

“I’ve known and worked with Mitch for a long time, and we are happy to be welcoming back one of the great goaltending minds in the game of hockey,” Trotz said in a statement announcing the hire. “Mitch’s resume speaks for itself. He has an uncanny ability to communicate the language of goaltending to his players in a way that helps them easily understand how he is trying to make them better.”

Korn, 66, won the Stanley Cup with Trotz and the Washington Capitals in 2018. He became renowned in the sport from his first job with the Buffalo Sabres in the ’90s, when he helped Dominik Hasek develop into a two-time league MVP and six-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender and a Hall of Famer.

Korn most recently worked as director of goaltending for the New York Islanders, following Trotz from Washington and serving there even after longtime assistant Lane Lambert took over as coach.

Returning to Nashville, Korn will be in charge of a group that already includes goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok, goaltending development coach Jason Barron and European development coach and scout Pekka Rinne, a longtime face of the franchise who blossomed under his direction.

“With Mitch at the helm of an already impressive goaltending department that includes Ben, Jason and Pekka, I’m confident that our franchise’s longtime success at the position will continue to grow,” Trotz said.

Korn’s biggest task could be turning top prospect Yaroslav Askarov into the elite netminder the organization hopes he will become. Juuse Saros, who has finished in the top 10 in Vezina voting for a fourth consecutive season, has one year left on his contract.

Saying he’s excited to reconnect with members of the organization still around, Korn added he’s most looking forward to working with Vanderklok, whom he hired as his assistant in 2009.

“He has done an amazing job during his time with the Predators, and we’ve maintained a strong friendship and working relationship in this industry,” Korn said. “Along with Barry, Ben was instrumental in having me return to the place where my family and I made so many memories.”

Korn has had a hand in the development of several current NHL goaltenders, including Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer, San Jose’s Vitek Vanecek, Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov and the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin. Askarov, the 11th pick in the 2020 draft who turns 22 before next season starts, has the chance to be his next prized pupil.

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Rangers’ Gray fractures wrist on comebacker

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Rangers' Gray fractures wrist on comebacker

The Texas Rangers‘ pitching staff took another hit Friday, when right-hander Jon Gray suffered a right wrist fracture.

Gray was struck by a line drive from Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia to lead off the fourth inning that knocked him out of the game.

“Not good news, not good news,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “It’s terrible. I feel awful for him, to be this close to getting the season going. It’s just not good news. I’ll get back in there and find out more, but right now, there is a fracture.”

Gray’s injury is the third setback for the Rangers rotation this week. The team said Thursday that left-hander Cody Bradford would start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his throwing elbow. Tyler Mahle had been scratched from a start with forearm soreness, but the right-hander returned to pitch in a minor league game Thursday.

Gray went 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA in 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Rangers last season, when he was shut down in September for a foot injury that required surgery. He is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Ohtani hits long home run in return to Japan

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Ohtani hits long home run in return to Japan

TOKYO — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.

In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time Most Valuable Player belted a long two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.

The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage.

The Dodgers are playing in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibition games against Japanese teams before starting the regular season with two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season in 2024. He played several seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan before coming to the U.S. in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.

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Dodgers’ Betts to miss Japan games with illness

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Dodgers' Betts to miss Japan games with illness

TOKYO — Shortstop Mookie Betts will miss the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ two exhibition games in Japan because of an illness, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.

Roberts said he’s still hopeful that the eight-time All-Star will be available for the team’s first regular season game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday at the Tokyo Dome. The Dodgers are playing the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers — two teams from Japan — in exhibition games on Saturday and Sunday.

Roberts said the 32-year-old Betts started to feel flu-like symptoms during the team’s final day in Arizona, but team doctors said he was OK to make the long trip to Japan.

“Mookie is here today, but he’s been really sick,” Roberts said. “Lost some weight, so we’re trying to get him hydrated. He’s going to work out a little today, but he won’t be playing either tonight or tomorrow.

“Then when we have our off day, our workout day, we’ll see how he is.”

Betts is making the full-time transition to shortstop this season after playing most of his career in right field and second base. The 2018 AL MVP hit .289 with 19 homers and 75 RBI last season, helping the Dodgers win the World Series.

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