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Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon emerged for Team Canada’s optional practice on Thursday as if it was any other day.

Naturally, they were first to arrive. Unnaturally, the duo might have some sort of superhuman work ethic.

Because Crosby and MacKinnon were the only skaters, aside from Canada’s healthy scratches, to brave a Montreal snowstorm and further hone their craft — when less than 12 hours earlier they were the last two players doing media availability until midnight following Canada’s thrilling 4-3 overtime win against Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Crosby had three assists in the game, including a helper on Mitch Marner‘s OT winner, and played 17:10. MacKinnnon scored one goal and played nearly 20 minutes. No matter. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia-bred teammates and close friends would not be denied a chance to improve further, even without a single coach on their section of the sheet. It was just a pair of superstars, doing drills and working on one-timers.

“Those two, they’re hockey junkies,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s really cool to be a part of this with them. Everything is about the game, and they talk about the game, they live the game, and you don’t see that a ton. When you rise to this level, you can have a tendency to take your foot off the gas or get used to the life. But those two, they don’t take it for granted.”

That’s especially true for Crosby, who almost missed the tournament entirely with an upper-body injury that forced him out of the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ final two games before the NHL’s schedule broke for 4 Nations. Crosby had previously been named Team Canada’s captain, and he has acted as such by participating fully (and then some) in every team session.

“It’s his leadership, it’s unmatched,” said Crosby’s tournament teammate Sam Bennett. “He’s a true professional. He’s a guy that just loves the game. You can tell. He always wants to be out there and always wants to be around the guys. It’s pretty impressive to see firsthand. I’ve obviously idolized him my whole life, and to see how hard he works, it’s inspirational.”

MacKinnon kept Crosby company despite clocking the third-most minutes among Canada’s forwards in Wednesday’s win.

Cooper imagines that even if most of the team’s players weren’t there in person to see how some of the sports’ top talents stay at their peak, they’ll take something from the way Crosby and MacKinnon just can’t get enough of the grind.

“You can see players watch them,” Cooper said. “They watch what they do. I think when you leave these events, you’re going to take away the experience and the euphoria. But you hope you take away the example of what the leaders and the guys who really have a passion for this, how they act, how they conduct themselves.

“When they show up to the rink, what they do at the rink, how long they’re at the podium. When they stop and talk to fans on the street and all those things that just promote the wellness of the game, and those two guys have it.”

Canada will face Team USA on Saturday (8 p.m. ET on ABC).

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OSU’s Bjork tells CFP: Calendar change needed

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OSU's Bjork tells CFP: Calendar change needed

LAS COLINAS, Texas — Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told leaders of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday that the sport’s calendar needs to change, and it’s a critical component as they consider the playoff’s future format.

Bjork, just months removed from watching his Buckeyes win the national title, attended a portion of the annual CFP spring meetings to provide feedback with the three other athletic directors who participated in semifinals and hosted first-round games: Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, who is part of the CFP’s management committee along with the 10 FBS commissioners.

Bjork said CFP executive director Rich Clark asked if he had one major point he wanted to make before leaving.

“We’ve had so many disruptions over the last five-plus years that I think the time is now to not be reactive, be proactive,” Bjork told ESPN. “When we had this setting here with the commissioners, our job was to provide feedback on what was it like to go through the 12-team playoff … but it all gets impacted by the calendar. I felt it was important to lay that out with everyone in the room to say, separate from the CFP process, if we don’t fix our calendar as an industry, then we’re going to continue to have unintended consequences.”

Bjork shared with the commissioners the perspective of a school trying to win a national title while classes had begun Jan. 6. Ohio State’s academic advisers traveled with the team to the semifinal and national title game, he said, but some athletes missed class and the school had to apply for waivers around the countable athletically related activities, which limits schools to 20 hours of practice time while classes are in session.

“When you don’t have class, there is no limit to CARA hours,” he said, noting that Texas started classes later. “It created some disadvantages. It all goes back to what’s countable CARA hours, NCAA structure. The portal is the next big conversation after the House case and truly what kind of rules can we set? Will we have the authority around transfer rules to set some parameters?”

Bjork said the transfer portal needs to move to a 10-day period in May for fall sports because if the NCAA House settlement is approved, most of the players are going to be signing revenue share agreements with the schools from July 1 to June 30.

“May makes the most sense” to align player contracts with the portal, Bjork said.

Bjork, who said he’s on the implementation committee for the House settlement, said “if everyone follows the structure, it’s going to be a great structure.”

“And everyone has to follow the rules,” he said, “and agree that this is the structure, which we have to. If we don’t do that, then what good is the settlement?”

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Stanton joins Yankees mates for batting practice

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Stanton joins Yankees mates for batting practice

CLEVELAND — New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton took batting practice with teammates Tuesday as he continues to recover from elbow issues.

Stanton took swings before the game at Progressive Field as the Yankees prepared for the middle game of their series against the Cleveland Guardians.

While Stanton has been working behind the scenes, this was the first time he has taken outdoor batting practice. Manager Aaron Boone did not mention anything about Stanton’s progress during his pregame availability.

Stanton, 35, has been dealing with tendinitis in both elbows, with the ailment known as “tennis elbow” shutting him down since spring training. He has said his elbows also bothered him last season and that it’s a matter of pain tolerance.

The team does not have a timetable for Stanton’s return to their lineup. It’s likely he’ll have to go on a minor league rehab assignment before he’s ready to play in major league games.

Stanton is in his eighth season with New York. Last season, he hit 27 homers and drove in 72 runs in 114 games, and in the postseason, he was among the club’s top hitters. As the Yankees advanced to the World Series, he finished with 15 hits, including seven home runs, and 16 RBIs.

Stanton has 429 homers in 15 seasons with the Yankees and Marlins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: White Sox’s Pérez likely out for year

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Source: White Sox's Pérez likely out for year

Chicago White Sox left-hander Martin Pérez will likely miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury that landed him on the injured list last weekend, a source told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

Pérez has an injury to the flexor tendon but will not need reconstructive Tommy John surgery, according to the source.

Pérez, 34, worked three innings in a 10-3 loss to the Red Sox on April 18 before leaving with the injury. He took the loss, giving up four runs and five hits, and was placed on the IL the next day.

Chicago signed Pérez to a $5 million, 1-year contract in January.

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