Latest news with #Laviolette
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jace Laviolette injury update: Texas A&M baseball star leaves SEC tournament with hand injury
Jace Laviolette injury update: Texas A&M baseball star leaves SEC tournament with hand injury Show Caption Hide Caption SEC baseball predictions: Tennessee and Vanderbilt could get hot at the perfect time The Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole makes his predictions for which team will win the 2025 SEC baseball tournament, highlighting Tennessee, Vanderbilt, LSU, Arkansas and more. As Texas A&M baseball continues to fight for its NCAA Tournament hopes, the Aggies have lost a key member of their team. In the top of the fifth inning of Thursday's SEC baseball tournament game vs. No. 10 Auburn, Aggies star outfielder Jace Laviolette exited the game with an apparent hand injury after taking a pitch off his hand from Tigers' left-hander pitcher Carson Myers. Laviolette is one of the more recognizable names in the Aggies' offense, and entered Thursday's game with a .259 batting average and 18 home runs. He is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in this year's upcoming MLB draft by MLB Pipeline. REQURIED READING: SEC Baseball Tournament games today: Scores, TV schedule, bracket for second round Texas A&M is currently leading Auburn 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. A win on Thursday would advance the Aggies to Friday's quarterfinals vs. No. 3 seed LSU, No. 1 nationally ranked team in the country. Here's the latest on Laviolette's injury: Jace Laviolette injury update Laviolette left Texas A&M's second-round game vs. Auburn on Thursday with an apparent hand injury. After initially taking a pitch to his hand during an at-bat, Laviolette trotted down to first base while showing signs of pain. The SEC Network broadcast then showed Laviolette signaling to the Aggies' dugout that he couldn't stay in the game. He was replaced at first by pinch runner Jamal George, who would then enter the game in Laviolette's place in the lineup the next half inning. After taking a ball off the hand in Hoover, @AggieBaseball OF Jace LaViolette leaves the game with a hand injury. Looked like he took a pitch right off the knuckle. He tried to run at first base but kept clutching his hand. #MLBDraft — Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) May 22, 2025 ESPN's Kris Budden reported on the SEC Network's broadcast that Laviolette has not returned to the Aggies' dugout after initially entering it once he came off the field. "There is an X-Ray machine onsite so he does not have to leave and go to the hospital to have it checked out. He has not come back here in the dugout," Budden reported. "When that happened, this place was so silent that from across the field that I could hear Jace screaming out in pain." What is Jace Laviolette's injury? While it has not been confirmed by Texas A&M, it appears that Laviolette sustained a hand injury in Thursday's SEC tournament game.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mika Zibanejad Confirms He's Had A Conversation With Mike Sullivan Since Rangers Hire
There's been a lot of talk lately around Mika Zibanejad and his future with the New York Rangers. Zibanejad has a full no-move clause, but that hasn't stopped people from speculating whether or not he'll remain with the Blueshirts going into the 2025-26 season. Will Cuylle Has 'Lots Of Trust' That Mike Sullivan Is The Right Hire For Rangers The New York Rangers are ready to embark on a new era with Mike Sullivan as head coach. One big change the Rangers made was to fire head coach Peter Laviolette and replace him with two-time Stanley Cup champion Mike Sullivan. In Stockholm, Sweden competing at the World Championship, Zibanejad dropped some insight into his communication with Sullivan. 'Yeah, I had a conversation with him,' Zibanejad said about if he's been in contact with Sullivan. 'Obviously, he's a coach that's been around for some time now, had some success in the league. It will be fun to talk with him even more.' The context of Zibanejad's conversation with Sullivan is still unclear. When asking the 32-year-old forward about what he looks for in an ideal coach, he declined to get into many details while emphasizing he feels Sullivan will be the right fit in New York. 'I'm not out to get the coach just for me,' Zibanejad said. 'I'm sure he will be good.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
GM Chris Drury takes blame for Rangers mess after firing coach Peter Laviolette: ‘It starts with me'
Peter Laviolette is out as New York Rangers coach. But the man who fired him, general manager Chris Drury, is well aware that Laviolette is not solely to blame for one of the most disappointing seasons in Rangers history. 'Leading into the season, given the success we had the last few years, we had high expectations. Quite simply, we fell short across the board,' Drury told reporters Saturday. 'Nobody here takes it lightly. We know our fans are frustrated and they deserve a better season than this. It starts with me. I need to do a better job and give the staff and players the opportunity to succeed.' Advertisement This couldn't have been easy for Drury. He has tremendous respect for Laviolette, whom he hired two years ago to replace Gerard Gallant. Laviolette led the Rangers to franchise records for wins (55) and points (114) in 2023-24, when they won the Presidents' Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Final. On Saturday, Drury praised Laviolette's Hall of Fame worthy resume, that includes a Stanley Cup championship with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and 846 career wins, more than any United States-born coach in NHL history and seventh overall all-time. 'I don't have a Hall of Fame vote, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be a Hall of Fame coach someday,' he said. But that wasn't enough to save Laviolette's job after the Rangers imploded this season, becoming only the fourth team to win the Presidents' Trophy one season and fail to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the next. The Rangers (39-36-7) were a dysfunctional team on and off the ice this season, and it appeared late in the campaign, Laviolette had run out of answers about how to turn things around. Advertisement 'While ultimately I made the decision a new voice was needed behind the bench, everyone here — players, management, staff — needs to take ownership of this season, and will be having direct, honest conversations during exit meetings on Monday about what our expectations are for the summer and moving forward, getting ready for next season,' Drury explained. Related: Return of J.T. Miller highlighted slew of Rangers trades during 2024-25 season Chris Drury's goal is to make sure Rangers 'back in the playoffs next year' Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Drury was asked specifically if there was a communication issue between Laviolette and the players — several of whom, including Calvin de Haan most recently, spoke out angrily about playing time. The GM didn;t dismiss the notion, but appeared to support his former coach in this area. Advertisement 'I know for a fact 'Lavi' is really big on communication and communicated to his players throughout his two years here. Where they stood and why they were out or why they were in or what their role was or wasn't,' Drury said. 'Communication is a priority. Being a former player myself, I always liked to know where I stood and we always try to do that with players every single day.' How about a culture issue with the Rangers? It sure appeared there were an inordinate amount of no-shows this season and a distinct inability to dig down and find ways to win and overcome issues, unlike the resilient 2023-24 squad. 'We're going to be looking at everything. Whether it's the specific question you ask or other things that have come up along the way this year that we've already begun to look at and looked at during the year,' Drury stated. 'Unfortunately, we do have extra time with not being in the playoffs to look at a lot of things this offseason and, again, try and make sure we're back in the playoffs next year.' Drury wouldn't address his job status nor his recent conversations with owner James Dolan. But it appears that he's remaining on the job and set to make his third coaching hire in four years. Advertisement As for that next coach, Drury said he wouldn't rule out bringing in a first-timer at the NHL level. To that end, it's been reported that assistants Michael Peca and Dan Muse will have the opportunity to interview for the vacancy. University of Denver coach David Carle, who's also had much success guiding the United States to consecutive gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2024 and 2025 where he coached Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortecsue, could also be an option. Mike Sullivan, Rick Tocchet, Joel Quenneville and John Tortorella are among the well-known current and former NHL coaches who may be considered. There's a lot of work to be done with the roster, as well, including major decision on the Rangers futures of Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller, for example. 'I can tell you my focus is on doing what I think is right to make this organization better. We're obviously all frustrated and disappointed with how things ended and not being in the playoffs. My focus is on doing everything I can do make sure we're a playoff team next year.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers fire coach Peter Laviolette after failing to make Stanley Cup Playoffs amid dismal season
Well, that didn't take long. The New York Rangers fired coach Peter Laviolette on Saturday, less than 48 hours after completing one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. No replacement was named. Advertisement Laviolette coached the Rangers for two seasons after being hired June 13, 2023. He was 94-59-11. Associate head coach Phil Housley also got the ax. 'Today I informed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we're making a coaching change,' Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement. 'I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach. Danny Wild-Imagn Images 'After finishing with the best regular season record in the NHL a year ago and making a trip to the Eastern Conference Final, we came into this season with high expectations for ourselves. Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations. We must all do better – myself included. As we head into next season and beyond, I felt that a change was necessary in order to give us the best chance to achieve our goals as an organization. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately.' Advertisement The Rangers (39-36-7) failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs one season after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24, when they set franchise records with 55 wins and 114 points. They reached the Eastern Conference Final last season, losing in six games to the Florida Panthers, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. After a 12-4-1 start this season, they were eliminated from playoff contention on April 12 when they lost 7-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes, and finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the third-place Montreal Canadiens. They also finished six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. 'I'm here, so that's where I'm at right now,' Laviolette said after the season finale Thursday. 'Those are things that are out of my control … right now, I'm here, and this is where I wanted to be.' Last weekend, Laviolette said he wasn't naive about his job status being in question, adding 'I'm not blind to anything.' Advertisement Related: Return of J.T. Miller highlighted slew of Rangers trades during 2024-25 season Rangers fire coach Peter Laviolette after missing playoffs New York is the fourth team to miss the playoffs in the season after winning the Presidents' Trophy — joining the 2014-15 Boston Bruins, the 2007-08 Buffalo Sabres and the 1992-93 Rangers. New York rebounded under coach Mike Keenan to win the Stanley Cup in 1994, its only championship in the past 85 years. Laviolette began his NHL coaching career with the New York Islanders in 2001-02. He has also coached the Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals. He won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006 and went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Flyers in 2010 and Predators in 2017. His 846 regular-season wins are the most among United States-born coaches in NHL history; he was third among active coaches behind Paul Maurice (916) and Lindy Ruff (900) and is seventh all-time. Danny Wild-Imagn Images Laviolette is the seventh NHL coach fired this season – and the second canned on Saturday; the Anaheim Ducks also fired Greg Cronin after missing the playoffs. Others who've been fired since the start of the season include Jim Montgomery (Boston Bruins on Nov. 19), Drew Bannister (St. Louis Blues, Nov. 24), Luke Richardson (Chicago Blackhawks, Dec. 5), Derek Lalonde (Detroit Red Wings, Dec. 26), John Tortorella (Philadelphia Flyers, March 27). Assistant coaches Michael Peca and Dan Muse were not fired by the Rangers. It's being reported that each will have the opportunity to interview for the head coaching vacancy.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Rangers coach seeks NHL job, wants ‘opportunity to show people last year wasn't on him'
Peter Laviolette has remained quiet publicly since he was fired as coach of the New York Rangers after they missed Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. That doesn't mean Laviolette isn't working behind the scenes to possibly land another head coaching job in the NHL. In fact, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman stated on the lates 32 Thoughts podcast Monday that Laviolette is quite motivated to erase the stain on his resume from the dismal 2024-25 season with the Rangers. Advertisement 'He wanted to show people that last year wasn't on him, and it was bigger than just coaching,' Friedman explained. 'He would have the desire to prove it and show it and Laviolette does have the reputation as the turnaround master. His teams in the first year do extremely well. But he'd definitely got that mentality and the word on that is out there.' Outside of Mike Keenan, who the Stanley Cup in his only season as Rangers coach in 1993-94, no other coach in franchise history fared better in their first season than Laviolette. He guided the Rangers to franchise records in wins (55) and points (114), and they won the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24. This past season was a complete trainwreck. And Laviolette is correct, it wasn't all his fault. Behind the scenes soap opera drama bled on to the ice. The Rangers (39-36-7) missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, and were often an unwatchable and unlikeable team with little fight and far too many no-shows. General manager Chris Drury took blame for his role in the unsightly season. But at the end of the day, Drury received a contract extension, Laviolette was fired and Mike Sullivan was brought in as the new coach. Advertisement So, Laviolette seeks another job. He's the winningest United States-born coach in NHL history, and ranks seventh all-time with 846 wins. Laviolette coached the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship and reached the Final with two other teams in his career. There's reason to believe that a seventh head coaching job is out there somewhere for Laviolette, either now or after the next round of firings. Out of the remaining six vacancies, the Philadelphia Flyers are likely not an option, since Laviolette's 'been there, done that' already. The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly are seeking a younger coach, perhaps a first timer. That leaves the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Seattle Kraken. Laviolette's already been linked to the Canucks job, recently vacated by Rick Tocchet. The most appealing job likely was the Anaheim Ducks vacancy. But that was just filled by Joel Quenneville, in his return to the NHL coaching ranks. Advertisement Related: Why Rangers long offseason might be blessing in disguise for Adam Fox Peter Laviolette not only former Rangers coach looking for NHL job Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Friedman pointed out that Gerard Gallant has let it be known he'd like to get back into the coaching game in the NHL. It's not believed he's gotten much traction in interviews since the Rangers fired him after the 2022-23 season. 'Gerard Gallant interviewed in Toronto when [Craig] Berube got the job (last offseason), but that was more a courtesy interview. It was always Berube's job to lose,' Friedman shared. 'I don't know if he's been in any of these particular interviews this year, but I have heard he is eager to prove same thing (as Laviolette), when he was let go by the Rangers it wasn't only about him. And he wants an opportunity to show people that, and we'll see if he gets an opportunity to speak to teams about that.' Advertisement Gallant was 99-46-19 in two seasons as Rangers coach. He was the 2017-18 Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year with the Vegas Golden Knights and has a .576 points percentage in 705 NHL games coach with four teams. David Quinn, fired as Rangers coach in 2021 and let go by the San Jose Sharks in 2024, remains under contract with the Penguins, where he was an assistant under Sullivan last season. One would think he could be a candidate there or at some of the other openings around the League. John Tortorella, Rangers coach from 2009-13, also is unemployed after the Flyers fired him late this season. Related Headlines
