Rantanen says he's happy in Dallas and denies telling Carolina he wouldn't sign there
FRISCO, Texas — Newly acquired Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen say he's pleased with where he landed while denying his former coach's claim that he gave Carolina a list of teams he preferred in a trade, and the Hurricanes weren't on it.
Rantanen addressed reporters after his first practice with the Stars on Wednesday. He played two games in Canada on a four-game road trip interrupted at the halfway point by a four-day break.
The star forward had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 loss to Edmonton on Saturday, then scored again on an empty-netter in a 4-1 victory in Vancouver the next night.
The Stars play at Central Division-leading Winnipeg on Friday before a Sunday visit to Colorado. Rantanen was abruptly traded by the Avalanche to Carolina on Jan. 24, then moved again with the Hurricanes worried they would lose the 28-year-old in free agency without getting anything in return.
Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour told a radio station in Raleigh, North Carolina, earlier this week that Rantanen told the front office he was only willing to sign his next contract with four teams and Carolina was not on that list.
'I saw some things were said that I had a list of teams ready when I went (to Carolina), but that's false,' Rantanen said. 'Obviously, it was a big shock to leave Colorado, but I went (to Carolina) with an open mind and tried my best on the ice.'
The Dallas deal came together the morning of the trade deadline Friday, after Stars general manager Jim Nill went to bed the night before believing the sides wouldn't be able to agree on a contract extension to complete the deal.
Rantanen signed a $96 million, eight-year contract with Dallas as part of the trade. The Hurricanes acquired promising young forward Logan Stankoven along with two first-round picks and two third-rounders.
'When I put the jersey on there, I tried my best and just decided just a little bit before the deadline that Carolina would probably get a better return for me if I would do a sign and trade,' Rantanen said. 'That it would be better for their team rather than me being a rental and going somewhere to play. So that was the decision. I want to make it clear that I was open-minded in Carolina and really thought about staying there.'
Rantanen will have to wait to see how fans react to his return to Colorado. The 10th overall pick of the 2015 draft spent his first nine-plus seasons with the Avalanche, getting 681 points (287 goals, 394 assists) in 619 regular-season games. He has 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 81 playoff games.
'Colorado was always where I wanted to stay, but I understand it's business and they made a decision,' Rantanen said. 'I tried my best in Carolina and I'm here now and I'm so happy to be here, locked in for eight years with a good team and with good coaches. I'm thankful for Dallas to have the trust in me.'
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USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Dave Canales is an NFL anomaly. He's a Latino head coach: Opinion
Dave Canales is an NFL anomaly. He's a Latino head coach: Opinion Show Caption Hide Caption Greg Olsen believes Travis Kelce 'controls how he leaves the game' Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen has high praise for Travis Kelce and shares when he believes Travis Kelce will eventually retire from the NFL. Sports Seriously Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. The NFL has played 105 seasons, and 531 different men have served at least one game as a head coach. Before last year merely four — or 0.75% — were Latino. The Carolina Panthers last season hired Dave Canales as the fifth. He's Mexican American and has the coveted reputation of quarterback whisperer. His schemes are fluid and multiple, concepts blended from different systems to better suit his players. The team in 2024 went 5-12 but towards the end of last season you saw some of the Canales effect. Second-year quarterback Bryce Young struggled as a rookie but in his final three games last season, Young completed 65 percent of his passes for 612 yards, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. That was good for a 111.6 passer rating. What does this all mean? Canales got the opportunity many Latino coaches in the NFL do not, and he's making the most of that chance. His path is also something of a contradiction, one that perfectly captures the complicated state of the Latino experience in today's NFL. From the moment Carolina hired him, Canales became a symbol of seismic progress. His hiring came just 17 days after the Commanders fired Ron Rivera, the fourth Latino head coach in NFL history. Moreover, Canales rode a path observed almost exclusively in the career arcs of white coaches; before getting the Panthers gig, he had spent just one season as an offensive coordinator. But from the moment he was hired, Canales also became a more uncomfortable marker, an acknowledgement of acute scarcity. He remains the only Latino head coach in the NFL. His appointment in Carolina came during a record NFL hiring cycle in which four men of color were named head coaches, signaling further progress. But a harsh reality remains: given the extremely low number of Latino coordinators and assistants, it may be several years — perhaps even much longer — before we see the NFL's sixth Latino head coach. 'My grandfather came from Mexico,' Canales told the Panthers' official website. 'He made a life for himself in the Central Valley in California, joined the military to get citizenship. He and my grandma just breathed life into their children that anything is possible. 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There have been few Latino assistants in the NFL with coordinator-level titles. What happened to two of them in Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and former Commanders run game coordinator Juan Castillo shows how difficult it is for Latino coaches. Flores, 44, was already a head coach, for the Miami Dolphins, for three seasons. He went 24-25 in Miami before he was fired in 2021. He has an open class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three of its franchises, alleging the league is 'rife with racism,' particularly in the hiring and promotion of Black assistants. Rivera, 63, wasn't hired as a head coach in the NFL after his last head coaching stint. He's currently with the University of California as the football program's general manager. That leaves Castillo, 65, a veteran assistant with over 30 years in the NFL, and one who has extensive experience on both offense and defense. 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Currently, there are only two coordinators who identify as Latino or Hispanic. Flores identifies as Latino and Mike Kafka, from the Giants, has previously told USA TODAY Sports through a team spokesman he identifies as Hispanic. While Latino and Hispanic are often colloquially used interchangeably they can have different meanings. An increasing Latino fan base In 2023, only 23 of the 844 NFL assistants (2.73%) for which there were data identified specifically as Hispanic or Latino(a). That's according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), which publishes annual report cards on racial and gender hiring in the major U.S. sports leagues. (The most recent year for the report is 2023.) That figure was three more than the year prior, a 0.2% increase. For NFL players, the number is even lower. Only seven of 1,536 (0.5%) for which there were data in 2023 identified specifically as Hispanic or Latino(a), according to TIDES. 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Chad Menefee, the executive vice president of strategic intelligence at SSRS, told USA TODAY Sports in an email that Hispanic NFL fandom is outperforming all other demographics the company tracks. Since 2014, there were 8.2 million new Hispanic NFL fans recorded, while there were 1.9 million new non-Hispanic Black fans. Non-Hispanic white fandom has remained essentially flat. These millions of new Hispanic fans are flocking to a league where they increasingly will not see themselves represented on the sideline. For the moment, Hispanic fandom is a booming market for the NFL, one the league has tried to monetize with International Series games, targeted commercials and other initiatives. But there may come a time when these new fans abandon the sport, perhaps in search of something where they are more robustly represented, something with stronger cultural ties to their heritage. That also may never happen. But as these new Hispanic fans converge in this space, they may encounter something all too familiar, for the obstacles facing Latino assistants in the NFL are precisely the same forces that often keep Latino people in the domestic workforce from also ascending in their chosen industry.
Indianapolis Star
15 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana All-Stars put it all together to sweep Kentucky, win for 45th time in past 52 games
INDIANAPOLIS – It happened quick. A Michael Cooper 3-pointer. A Mark Zackery IV layup. A Braylon Mullins' 3-pointer off a between-the-legs assist from Zackery. Just like that, the 2025 graduating class put its stamp — more of an exclamation point — on its senior season in the Indiana All-Stars' annual series against the Kentucky All-Stars. The All-Stars rolled to a 106-92 win Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in front of 5,411 fans to put the wraps on Indiana's 45th win in the past 52 games against Kentucky since 1999. Mullins, IndyStar Mr. Basketball who will have his graduation party Sunday and then leave for UConn on Monday, led the All-Stars with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to earn MVP honors. 'We gave the crowd a game.' Indiana, Kentucky set girls single-game scoring record in 2OT nail-biter 'You can't really say we didn't play great,' Mullins said. 'We all played together and had fun tonight. You can't do anything better than playing on Gainbridge (Fieldhouse) floor. It certainly helped that Malachi (Moreno) wasn't on the floor because there was a lot more opening up. But we all played great together.' Kentucky was playing without Moreno, its Mr. Basketball. The 7-1 star center who went for 22 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in Friday night's game at Lexington Catholic High School — a hard-fought 98-89 Indiana win — stayed back in Lexington as he gets started with his college career at Kentucky. But regardless of Moreno's presence, it was just a cleaner, crisper Indiana team on Saturday. A big reason for that, among several factors, was the play of point guard Mark Zackery IV of Ben Davis, who finished with 10 points on 2-for-4 shooting from the 3-point line, along with six assists and five steals. Zackery, a Notre Dame football recruit, seemed to shake the rust off after playing just two games during the season due to surgery on his thumb. 'Those first two games were kind of like preseason games for me,' Zackery said of the game vs. the Junior All-Stars on Wednesday and at Kentucky on Friday. 'Tonight I felt like I came out and did what I was supposed to do and had a couple boards, had a couple assists, got my 10 points and we got the win, so it was a good night.' The Indiana All-Stars took command with a 13-0 run at the end of the first half, going into halftime with a 50-32 lead. The game was essentially over at that point, though a couple of Brady Koehler-to-Justin Kirby alley-oops — the second bounced off the floor to a waiting Kirby — certainly sealed the deal. Indiana led by as many as 32 points midway through the second half. Indiana All-Stars boys history: Which schools have most? Players list by school 'It was definitely fun to end it that way, especially catching all those lobs,' said Kirby, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds. 'Playing with some of my favorite guys in my last high school game, I just had a great time playing with them. I wish the best for all of them.' Lawrence North's Azavier Robinson, a Butler recruit, was named the Wooden-MCL Citizenship award winner. Others in double-figure scoring for the Indiana All-Stars were Jeffersonville's Tre Singleton (12 points, six rebounds), Cathedral's Koehler (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals) and Jeffersonville guard Michael Cooper (10 points). It was the first sweep of Kentucky since 2022. Crispus Attucks' Dezmon Briscoe swept the floor as the buzzer sounded to celebrate the feat. Kentucky was led by 18 points from East Tennessee State recruit Maddox Huff. 'Give these guys credit because they really worked all week,' Urban said. 'We had a great practice Thursday and a really good film session. I felt they were really loose but they were a fun group and really connected and when it was time to lace them up and go play, they did a really good job. They were a super fun group to be around.' And just like that, as each of Indiana All-Stars departed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it was off to a new and much different chapter of the lives. Zackery IV reports to Notre Dame on Sunday. Kirby leaves for Miami of Ohio in a week. Mullins to UConn. Koehler to Notre Dame. Robinson is already moved into Butler. After several nights at Marian University, Mullins said he was ready for a good night's sleep in his own bed. '(This week) was kind of preparation for college,' Mullins said. 'I got to room with a couple roommates (Koehler was his roommate and Zackery and Robinson were in the adjoining room), so we got a little taste of that and we were all able to hang out all week. I enjoyed it. But I do miss my bed.'
Indianapolis Star
15 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'We gave the crowd a game.' Indiana All-Stars, Kentucky set girls single-game scoring record in 2OT nail-biter
INDIANAPOLIS – After the marathon double-overtime battle between the girls Indiana All-Stars and Kentucky ended Saturday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hamilton Southeastern's Maya Makalusky sat near the scorer's table to decompress. Exhausted after Indiana's 106-103 loss to rival Kentucky in the finale of the two-game series' 49th running, Makalusky didn't absorb her team's sweeping defeat as much as the overall experience. On Friday night at Lexington Catholic High School, the Indiana All-Stars girls lost 84-73 to Kentucky by the series' largest single-game margin since 2022. The next evening back in the Hoosier State, Indiana attempted to stave off Kentucky's first series sweep since 2012 and 10th all-time since 1977. Following a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Laila Abdurraqib (Lawrence Central/New Mexico) at the end of regulation to tie the score 76-76, it seemed Indiana had the momentum on its side. Indiana's 11-4 run to deadlock the game countered Kentucky's 17-5 run that erased an earlier five-point deficit. However, two five-minute bonus quarters proved enough time for Kentucky Miss Basketball's ZaKiyah Johnson (Louisville Sacred Heart/Louisiana State) to secure the sweep. Johnson tied the score in overtime by sinking 3-of-3 free throws in the final seven seconds after drawing contact on a desperation 3-point heave at the top of the key, and she dropped in eight of her game-high 34 points in the double overtime to lock down the win. Johnson set a new single-game series record for points scored by besting both Kentucky's Amiya Jenkins (31 in 2022) and Indiana's Tiffany Gooden (1994) while establishing a two-game record with 62 points to again beat Gooden's mark of 55. Makalusky, the 2025 IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball honoree, had a team-high 29 points. The Indiana University commit finished with 47 points for both games before fouling out with 27.4 seconds remaining in the final bonus period. She was named the Hoosier Shooting Academy MVP. 'Obviously, we have nothing to hang our heads about,' said Makalusky, who posted a team-high 14 rebounds with two assists and three steals. 'I mean, we got double overtime. We played hard, and we should be proud of what we gave.' What the Indiana and Kentucky All-Stars gave the downtown Indianapolis crowd was a historic show. Marking the series' first double-overtime game and third overtime contest in history. Saturday's game set a new single-game record for combined points scored at 209, while adding new standards for most combined field goals (72) that broke the record of 68 in 1994. Kentucky's 106 points were the most scored by the neighboring All-Stars in a single game. The previous high was 101 in 2008 and 2022. 'We gave the crowd a game, and it's all you could ask for,' Makalusky said. 'It's super exciting, and it's great to see girls sports having their moment and the amount of support. Obviously, we want to go out winning, but at the end of the day, we have nothing to hand our heads about. The energy was up, and we were ready.' Indiana led 16-15 after the first quarter and carried a 35-32 lead into halftime. Indiana took a 45-42 advantage in the third quarter on an and-1 layup by Makalusky and were up 53-48 entering the fourth. In the game's final five minutes of regulation Kentucky's run created a whirlwind 15 minutes of tug-of-war with 13 ties and 13 lead changes. Peyton Bradley (Meade County/Louisville) had 26 points, eight assists, five steals and seven rebounds for Kentucky as one of four players in double figures. Abdurraqib finished with 11 points, four assists and eight rebounds. Indiana had five players with 10 or more points, including Jaylah Lampley (Lawrence Central/Mississippi State) and Addison Baxter (Columbia City/Butler) with 17 each. Monique Mitchell (South Bend Washington/Akron) had 10, while Brooke Winchester (Warsaw/Ball State) had 11 rebounds and eight points. Kya Hurt (Lawrence North/Illinois State) dished out a team-high seven assists with eight points and three steals. 'I'm just glad I finally got to play on this team with everybody and enjoy this moment,' Hurt said. 'We wanted this one really bad, especially because it went to double overtime. I was excited because we got a chance to play again and try to win the game.'
