Latest news with #BlueJackets
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
PGA Tour player Bud Cauley finds triumph amid tragedy in return to Memorial Tournament
PGA Tour player Bud Cauley finds triumph amid tragedy in return to Memorial Tournament DUBLIN, Ohio – Experiencing a promising career almost end in a car accident is not what most people would say was the best thing ever to happen to them, but even triple bogeys are blessings if they lead to better results down the road. Seven years ago, on June 1, 2018, Bud Cauley did not triple-bogey as much as get triple-bogeyed. His life bounced out of bounds less than a mile from Muirfield Village Golf Club and within hours of the completion of the second round of the Memorial Tournament. Cauley, then a 28-year-old member of the PGA Tour, had missed the cut at the Memorial earlier in the day when, just after 11 p.m., he climbed into the back seat of a 2014 BMW driven by Dublin surgeon David Crawford. Two other passengers, Tommy Nichols and former Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski, joined Cauley and Crawford for the ride. Within seconds of accelerating, Crawford lost control of the vehicle while driving north on the 5000 block of Muirfield Court, which is only a couple of long par-5s from the golf course. The car went off the right side of the road and hit a culvert before going airborne into a tree, then hit several smaller trees, crossed a driveway and landed in a ditch. All three passengers suffered serious injuries. Cauley sustained a collapsed lung, five broken ribs and a fractured lower left leg. Wisniewski also broke several ribs. Crawford pleaded guilty to OVI and three counts of vehicular assault, received 2½ years of probation and had his license suspended for four years. It wasn't pretty, but the end result was beautiful. 'It's kind of funny, honestly,' said Cauley, who is tied for 11th at the Memorial following a four-year absence caused by complications from his injuries. "I met my wife sorta because I was in that car accident. I was home in Florida recovering from the surgery and that's when we met. 'The worst thing that's ever happened to me led to me meeting my wife, then getting married and we have two kids now. The worst things that happened to me led to the best things that happened to me. I wouldn't change it if I could.' If everything happens for a reason, Cauley's reason is pretty special. From bachelor to horrific accident to surgery to engagement to marriage to fatherhood. Watch the Memorial Tournament with PGA TOUR Live on ESPN+ Long, hard road to healing lasted three years for Bud Cauley Not that the journey has been easy. Cauley recovered relatively quickly from his original injuries, or so he thought, returning to Dublin to tie for ninth at the 2019 Memorial. He played again in 2020, finishing tied for 44th. Then it began. 'I just made one swing and it started to hurt,' he said, recalling the moment in 2020 when he felt pain near his ribs. Something wrong was happening with the four metal plates over his ribs. Complications from surgery ensued, and two surgeries later his career came to a screeching halt. 'We started the process of trying to figure out what was wrong,' he said. 'I tried everything, any treatment I could do. My ribs were fine. It was just the muscles around it. And that took me three years.' Three years of never swinging a club. Instead, 36 months of getting steroid injections, platelet-rich plasma therapy and amniotic fluid injections. Progress was slow, to the point Cauley wondered if he might need to begin looking for a new career. 'Three years is a long time,' he said. 'Your optimism starts to fade a little bit. My wife (Kristi) came through. I would get disappointed and think, 'I can't do this anymore. I can't get stuck with another needle.' And after a couple weeks of that she would give me the encouragement to try again.' Finally, Cauley visited the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where doctors used a needle filled with saline solution, a procedure called hydrodissection, to separate layers of muscle scar tissue near his ribs. 'That allowed the muscle to work better, and that's what allowed me to start swinging a golf club again,' he said. During the long three years, tour player Justin Thomas kept a close eye on Cauley's progress. Both played college golf at Alabama, and Thomas was best man in Cauley's wedding. 'A terrible, terrible night and week,' Justin Thomas recalls 'He's one of my best friends in the world and it was a terrible, terrible night and week,' Thomas said of the accident, which included a fateful twist. Thomas, who was staying at Wisniewski's home during the Memorial, chose not to join the group, opting to rest up for the final two rounds of the Memorial. Thomas was Cauley's biggest cheerleader on tour when his friend began his golf comeback in January 2024. Cauley had 26 starts to compile enough FedEx points to retain his tour card, and got it done with five events to spare when he tied for sixth at the 2025 Players Championship, allowing him entry into the remaining tournaments this season. 'He's so good and so talented,' Thomas said. 'He's got one of those games that can just play out here for so long and can win out here, and he's showing that this year.' The accident feels like forever ago to Cauley, but that doesn't mean it is lost to time. 'It was the scariest moment of my life, so of course when I come back here I think about it,' he said. But negative thoughts always quickly change from terrible to terrific. 'It makes you think,' he said. 'Life honestly couldn't be any better right now. Obviously, what happened was awful, and you just have to move on. What happened changed my perspective, just being grateful to be able to play golf, and realizing how lucky you are when you find something you really enjoy doing and have the opportunity to do that every day. That's not something everyone gets to do.' But it goes deeper than that for the 35-year-old. 'My life changed while I was hurt,' he said. 'When I got in the car accident I was single, then getting married and having our first son gave me a nice perspective change, that golf is not the most important thing in my life anymore. I have a family now.' From worst to best. Hard to top that comeback story. Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@ and on at@rollerCD. Read his columns from the Buckeyes' national championship season in "Scarlet Reign," a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Dispatch. Details at
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Business
- NBC Sports
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams boosts front-office staff's experience by hiring Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior adviser
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres hired former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to serve as a senior adviser, adding a wealth of experience to general manager Kevyn Adams' front-office staff. Kekalainen will report to Adams in a newly created role in which he'll be involved in all areas of the hockey department, the team announced. The 58-year-old from Finland has been out of the NHL since being fired by the Blue Jackets in February 2024 following an 11-year term as GM — the league's first European-born person to hold the title. His hiring addresses growing criticism Adams has faced in having little experience overseeing the Sabres since taking over the job as a first-time GM after Jason Botterill was abruptly fired in June 2020. Adams, who is from the Buffalo-area, is a former player who had brief experience as an agent and assistant coach, and was working in the Sabres business department upon being hired as GM as part of a series of ownership's cost-cutting moves in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sabres are in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, with Adams on the hot seat entering the final year of his contract. Amid questions regarding his job security in Buffalo, Adams placed an emphasis on upgrading his staff by saying 'we'll take a look at everything,' during his season-ending address to the media. The Sabres' season was undone by a 13-game skid in December, which Adams has since second-guessed himself as to whether he should have made a move to upgrade his roster. In a statement released by the team, Adams said Kekalainen quickly established himself as a prime candidate for the job of senior adviser during his search process. 'From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable résumé and a long history of success in this league,' Adams said. 'I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff.' During his tenure in Columbus, Kekalainen oversaw the most successful stretch in Blue Jackets history. The span included the team finishing with 43 or more wins four times, including a franchise record 50 in 2016-17, and qualifying for the playoffs five times, after doing so only once in its first 12 seasons of existence. 'We are aligned in our philosophies and share the same core beliefs on how to build a winning team,' Kekalainen said. 'I'm eager to help in any area I can, and think I can offer a fresh perspective to supplement the staff already in place as we look to improve our roster this offseason.' Kekalainen's addition comes after the Sabres hired former NHL forward — and former Adams teammate — Eric Staal in the role of special assistant to the GM. The Sabres front office currently features three assistant GMs in Jason Karmanos, Mark Jakubowski and Jerry Forton. Following a brief NHL playing career in the early 1990s split between Boston and Ottawa, Kekalainen made the transition to scouting, and eventually took on front-office roles with the Senators and St. Louis Blues. He also has experience at the international level in serving as assistant GM of Finland's national team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where the nation won a bronze medal, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Business
- Fox Sports
Sabres GM Adams boosts front-office staff's experience by hiring Kekalainen as a senior adviser
Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres on Friday hired former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to serve as a senior adviser, adding a wealth of experience to general manager Kevyn Adams' front-office staff. Kekalainen will report to Adams in a newly created role in which he'll be involved in all areas of the hockey department, the team announced. The 58-year-old from Finland has been out of the NHL since being fired by the Blue Jackets in February 2024 following an 11-year term as GM — the league's first European-born person to hold the title. His hiring addresses growing criticism Adams has faced in having little experience overseeing the Sabres since taking over the job as a first-time GM after Jason Botterill was abruptly fired in June 2020. Adams, who is from the Buffalo-area, is a former player who had brief experience as an agent and assistant coach, and was working in the Sabres business department upon being hired as GM as part of a series of ownership's cost-cutting moves in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The Sabres are in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, with Adams on the hot seat entering the final year of his contract. Amid questions regarding his job security in Buffalo, Adams placed an emphasis on upgrading his staff by saying 'we'll take a look at everything,' during his season-ending address to the media last month. The Sabres' season was undone by a 13-game skid in December, which Adams has since second-guessed himself as to whether he should have made a move to upgrade his roster. In a statement released by the team on Friday, Adams said Kekalainen quickly established himself as a prime candidate for the job of senior adviser during his search process. 'From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league,' Adams said. 'I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff.' During his tenure in Columbus, Kekalainen oversaw the most successful stretch in Blue Jackets history. The span included the team finishing with 43 or more wins four times, including a franchise record 50 in 2016-17, and qualifying for the playoffs five times, after doing so only once in its first 12 seasons of existence. 'We are aligned in our philosophies and share the same core beliefs on how to build a winning team,' Kekalainen said. 'I'm eager to help in any area I can, and think I can offer a fresh perspective to supplement the staff already in place as we look to improve our roster this offseason.' Kekalainen's addition comes after the Sabres hired former NHL forward — and former Adams teammate — Eric Staal in the role of special assistant to the GM. The Sabres front office currently features three assistant GMs in Jason Karmanos, Mark Jakubowski and Jerry Forton. Following a brief NHL playing career in the early 1990s split between Boston and Ottawa, Kekalainen made the transition to scouting, and eventually took on front-office roles with the Senators and St. Louis Blues. He also has experience at the international level in serving as assistant GM of Finland's national team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where the nation won a bronze medal, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. ___ AP NHL: recommended
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sabres GM Adams boosts front-office staff's experience by hiring Kekalainen as a senior adviser
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres on Friday hired former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to serve as a senior adviser, adding a wealth of experience to general manager Kevyn Adams' front-office staff. Kekalainen will report to Adams in a newly created role in which he'll be involved in all areas of the hockey department, the team announced. The 58-year-old from Finland has been out of the NHL since being fired by the Blue Jackets in February 2024 following an 11-year term as GM — the league's first European-born person to hold the title. His hiring addresses growing criticism Adams has faced in having little experience overseeing the Sabres since taking over the job as a first-time GM after Jason Botterill was abruptly fired in June 2020. Adams, who is from the Buffalo-area, is a former player who had brief experience as an agent and assistant coach, and was working in the Sabres business department upon being hired as GM as part of a series of ownership's cost-cutting moves in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The Sabres are in the midst of an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought, with Adams on the hot seat entering the final year of his contract. Amid questions regarding his job security in Buffalo, Adams placed an emphasis on upgrading his staff by saying 'we'll take a look at everything,' during his season-ending address to the media last month. The Sabres' season was undone by a 13-game skid in December, which Adams has since second-guessed himself as to whether he should have made a move to upgrade his roster. In a statement released by the team on Friday, Adams said Kekalainen quickly established himself as a prime candidate for the job of senior adviser during his search process. 'From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league,' Adams said. 'I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff.' During his tenure in Columbus, Kekalainen oversaw the most successful stretch in Blue Jackets history. The span included the team finishing with 43 or more wins four times, including a franchise record 50 in 2016-17, and qualifying for the playoffs five times, after doing so only once in its first 12 seasons of existence. 'We are aligned in our philosophies and share the same core beliefs on how to build a winning team,' Kekalainen said. 'I'm eager to help in any area I can, and think I can offer a fresh perspective to supplement the staff already in place as we look to improve our roster this offseason.' Kekalainen's addition comes after the Sabres hired former NHL forward — and former Adams teammate — Eric Staal in the role of special assistant to the GM. The Sabres front office currently features three assistant GMs in Jason Karmanos, Mark Jakubowski and Jerry Forton. Following a brief NHL playing career in the early 1990s split between Boston and Ottawa, Kekalainen made the transition to scouting, and eventually took on front-office roles with the Senators and St. Louis Blues. He also has experience at the international level in serving as assistant GM of Finland's national team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where the nation won a bronze medal, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. ___
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hiring Kekalainen Gives Sabres A Draft Guru (And Potentially Their Next GM)
The fire underneath Kevyn Adams' chair just got a little hotter. The Buffalo Sabres announced they have hired Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor, serving to GM Kevyn Adams. The two executives will be working side-by-side in an effort to get the Sabres back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, as they pushed their drought to 14 straight seasons without a playoff berth. However, if things don't change fast for the Sabres, Adams could be looking at his next successor. Advertisement Kekalainen was a long-time GM for the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2013 to 2024. Following his dismissal in February 2024, he has served as a senior advisor for Liiga's HIFK in Finland. Bringing in Kekalainen gives Adams an extra set of experienced set of hands on the steering when it comes to managing his team, specifically for the upcoming draft where the Sabres have the ninth overall pick. Kekalainen, who with Columbus drafted Zach Werenski, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli in the first round, has a track record of unearthing late-round gems, specifically Europeans. With the Blue Jackets, he also drafted Oliver Bjorkstrand, Vladislav Gavrikov, Kirill Marchenko, Elvis Merzlikins, Dmitry Voronkov, and several others who were selected outside the first round. With Buffalo looking to take the next step and get into the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if the Sabres keep their first-round pick or try and package it in a trade for a player who can help the team right now. Further to that, the team will be looking to add significant players in free agency, with Jarmo also has plenty of experience, having convinced Johnny Gaudreau in 2022 to sign in Columbus over the New York Islanders and other destinations. Opinion: Johnny Gaudreau Signing with the Blue Jackets Over Devils and Flyers Looks Like a Big Mistake Opinion: Johnny Gaudreau Signing with the Blue Jackets Over Devils and Flyers Looks Like a Big Mistake Johnny Gaudreau likely didn't expect the Columbus Blue Jackets to be this low in the NHL standings when he signed a seven-year deal. Should they consider a trade? Advertisement 'From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league,' Adams said in a statement. 'I spoke with a number of candidates about this role and it's clear to me that Jarmo is a perfect fit for our team. I couldn't be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff,' the Sabres GM added. After his playing days, Kekalainen became a European scout for the Ottawa Senators for four seasons, before being promoted to the Director of Player Personnel. Later, with the St. Louis Blues, he became the Director of Amateur Scouting and eventually the assistant GM. Why Marner To Buffalo Is A Non-Starter Why Marner To Buffalo Is A Non-Starter The Buffalo Sabres have reached the highest level of hockey ignominity with their playoff drought extending to 14 seasons, but after strong statements regarding potential organizational changes last month at their season-ending press conferences, there have been only rumors of possible managerial and coaching shakeups. Advertisement In addition to Kekalainen being an asset for Adams, he could be a threat, too. Adams has been Buffalo's GM for the last five seasons, and they are yet to get a sniff of the playoffs or gradual improvement. With Kekalainen's experience and history, if the Sabres part ways with Adams in the future, the Finnish executive could be the next man up.
