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DENVER — For their sparkling Stanley Cup run, the Colorado Avalanche picked up some snazzy rings to commemorate the moment.

How about these numbers: 669 diamonds, 18 custom-cut sapphires — plus two more round sapphires — and 42 rubies. All told, its gemstone weight checks in around 18.5 carats.

Not only are the rings eye-catching, but so is the accompanying box. When opened, it plays a video of the Avalanche hopping onto the ice to celebrate the franchise’s third Stanley Cup title by dethroning the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 in June.

The players, coaches and team members received their keepsakes Monday night in a private dinner ceremony.

“They’re pretty incredible,” said defenseman Cale Makar, who won the Conn Smythe as the postseason MVP. “I don’t think they could be any more perfect. Super amazingly done.”

One more celebration awaits — a banner-raising party with the capacity crowd at Ball Arena before the season opener Wednesday night against Chicago. Then, no more celebrations.

“We have to flip the switch and get ready,” Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen said.

A Cup defense has proven difficult. Only two teams have repeated in the cap era, which began in 2005 — Tampa Bay (’20, ’21) and Pittsburgh (’16, ’17).

“Long season and shorter offseason and then get ready for a new season — it makes it so hard,” said Rantanen, whose team will play in Calgary on Thursday and face former teammate Nazem Kadri. “You just have to be laser-focused. … We know what we did last year and how you need to win.”

About those rings: Crafted by Jostens, the jewelry pays tribute to all the small things. There are 19 diamonds set in the snow moving toward the logo to honor the legacy of Hall of Fame forward turned executive Joe Sakic. Those diamonds are .22 carats, which is an homage to the 22 years of ownership by the Kroenke family.

The burgundy-colored “A” is made out of six rubies, which marks Colorado winning the Cup in six games over Tampa Bay. The background on the right side features 72 diamonds to represent the 72 combined regular-season and playoff wins, which ties for the most in NHL history. There’s also two sapphires to signify the ’96 and ’01 Stanley Cup wins.

“Very beautiful. It’s hard to describe it,” Rantanen said. “I didn’t know what to expect really. And it was a lot better than I thought. I was just so happy to see it.”

Same with Makar.

“Obviously a good keepsake, something that you have forever as a memory,” Makar said. “Hopefully, we can keep adding to the collection.”

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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