Sports briefs
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Seattle Kraken fire
coach Dave Hakstol after its first three seasons
SEATTLE | A year removed from being honored as one of the top coaches in the NHL, Dave Hakstol ended up taking the fall for the underachievement of the Seattle Kraken.
Hakstol was fired Monday as the head coach of the Kraken after the third-year franchise took a significant step back following a playoff appearance in their second season.
Hakstol was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year last season as Seattle finished with 100 points and reached the Western Conference semifinals in its second year.
But the Kraken failed to match expectations this season and spent most of the year trying to climb back into playoff contention after a terrible start. Seattle failed to build on the success of that playoff run and stunted the momentum the young franchise was trying to build in the league’s newest hockey market.
“It’s never an easy day. It’s never an easy decision. We let a guy who is a good coach and a really good person go and it’s not easy,” Seattle general manager Ron Francis said. “But looking at our organization and just looking at the season, I thought we were a little more inconsistent than we had been, a few too many losing streaks and losing streaks of significant numbers and so we just felt it was time to try a new voice.”
Seattle finished tied for fifth in the Pacific Division after going 34-35-13 with 81 points, and was officially eliminated from playoff contention with two weeks left in the regular season.
Hakstol went 107-112-27 in his three seasons in charge of the Kraken. He was rewarded with a two-year extension after last season when Seattle reached the second round of the playoffs and kept Hakstol under contract through the 2025-26 season.
“We had a real good season last year, went probably better than we expected and our staff did a good job and they got rewarded for it,” Francis said. “This season didn’t go as well as we had hoped and then you got to look at things and try and make decisions at the end of the season. That’s where we ended up at this point today.”
Francis hinted that changes could be coming less than a week after the season ended when he hedged and said a review was underway to analyze the entire coaching staff given the opportunity to confirm Hakstol would get a fourth season.
A week later, Hakstol was out. Francis also said assistant coach Paul McFarland would not return.
Seattle was unable to maintain the style of play that led to its success last season and couldn’t overcome significant injuries to Andre Burakovsky, Brandon Tanev and Philipp Grubauer early in the season. Seattle also played most of the final portion of the season without top defenseman Vince Dunn due to a neck injury.
Seattle started this season 8-14-7 including an eight-game losing streak, before a big turnaround in late December and January that pushed the Kraken back into the playoff conversation. But the Kraken went just 13-16-3 after the All-Star break and a painful overtime loss at home to Vegas on March 12 brought an end to any reasonable playoff aspirations.
Scoring goals was a problem that the Kraken couldn’t solve all season. Seattle was 29th in the league in goals scored, 29th in shooting percentage and 18th on the power play, negating a season of strong defense and goaltending.
Hakstol was a surprise choice when Seattle hired him to be the first coach in franchise history. His first stint as a coach in the NHL started strong in Philadelphia in 2015-16 with two playoff appearances in his first three seasons. But it fell apart in the fourth season and he was fired 25 games into that year with the Flyers at 8-11-6 and just 22 points.
It was a rough inaugural season for Seattle as the team dealt with the expectations of trying to match what Vegas did in its expansion season while balancing COVID-19 restrictions that impacted much of that first season. Seattle finished at 27-49-6 in that first season but rebounded in Year 2 when the Kraken finished with 100 points, toppled defending champion Colorado in the first round of the playoffs and took Dallas to a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals.
Todd McLellan and 2019 Stanley Cup winner Craig Berube are among the experienced NHL head coaches available, pending more movement around the league in the coming weeks. Francis said he didn’t have a timeline for trying to settle on a replacement.
U.S. and Mexico drop bid to host 2027 World Cup
NEW YORK | The U.S. Soccer Federation and its Mexican counterpart dropped their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Monday and said they instead will focus on trying to host the 2031 tournament.
The decision left a proposal from Brazil and a joint Germany-Netherlands-Belgium plan competing to be picked for 2027 by the FIFA Congress that meets May 17 in Bangkok.
The USSF said the 2031 bid will call for FIFA to invest equally in the men’s and women’s World Cups.
FIFA said last year it planned to spend $896 million in prize money for the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The governing body devoted $110 million in prize money for last year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe,” USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “I’m proud of our commitment to provide equitable experiences for the players, fans and all our stakeholders. Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe.”
In detailing the bid in December, the USSF proposed U.S. sites from among the same 11 to be used in the 2026 men’s World Cup. Mexico listed Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey — its three sites for the men’s World Cup — and in addition for 2027 listed as possibilities Leon and Querétaro.
“We feel that moving our bid back to 2031 will allow us to promote and build up to the most successful Women’s World Cup ever,” MFF President Ivar Sisnieg said in a statement. “The strength and universality of our professional women’s leagues, coupled with our experience from organizing the 2026 World Cup, means that we will be able to provide the best infrastructure as well as an enthusiastic fan base that will make all the participating teams feel at home and to put together a World Cup that will contribute to the continued growth of women’s football.”
Tank Dell was
among ten people wounded in shootout
SANFORD, Fla. | None of the 10 people who were wounded in a shootout at a Florida restaurant over the weekend, including Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell, suffered life-threatening injuries, authorities said Monday.
The shootout happened early Sunday during a party at the Cabana Live restaurant in Sanford, north of Orlando. More than 200 people were at the restaurant when a 16-year-old opened fire after an altercation, followed by an unidentified male also opening fire, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said Monday.
The shootout could have been much worse if not for an unnamed security guard who tackled the 16-year-old shooter, Lemma said at a news conference.
“The heroic actions of this security officer took a very dangerous situation and made it less significant than it potentially could have been. He tackled this guy from behind and brought him to the ground,” Lemma said. “We are incredibly lucky that nobody is dead and there aren’t more injuries.”
Dell, who is from the nearby Daytona Beach area, was caught in the middle, Lemma said. He was treated for a “minor wound” and released from a hospital later Sunday, according to the Texans. The sheriff didn’t provided any details on Dell’s injury.
Authorities are hoping to speak to the unidentified gunman, whose actions might have been justified under Florida’s self-defense laws, authorities said.
“This was a shootout that was going back and forth,” Lemma said.
An arrest report said there was probable cause to charge the teen with attempted homicide, firing a weapon on public property, possession of a firearm by a minor and using a firearm during a felony, but final charging decisions will be up to local prosecutors, Lemma said.
NFL teams exercise
fifth-year options 2021 first-round picks
Receiver Jaylen Waddle, linebacker Jaelan Phillips, defensive end Gregory Rousseau and left tackle Christian Darrisaw were among the 2021 first-round draft picks whose fifth-year contract options were formally exercised Monday.
The Miami Dolphins picked up options on Waddle and Phillips. Selected sixth and 18th, respectively, Waddle and Phillips have become standout pieces on Miami’s roster.
Waddle is the only player in franchise history with three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and the ninth in NFL history to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his first three seasons.
Phillips set a Dolphins rookie record with 8 1/2 sacks in 2021 and has had at least six in each of his first three seasons.
The Minnesota Vikings picked up the option on Darrisaw, who has started 39 games since being selected 23rd overall.
The Buffalo Bills did the same on Rousseau, who has 129 tackles and 17 sacks in 46 games since being chosen at No. 30.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, exercised options on former Clemson teammates Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne. Lawrence was the overall top pick in the 2021 draft.
Teams have until Thursday to decide whether to keep those first-round picks for a fifth season. The list of those whose options already have been picked up includes Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn, Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain, Dallas pass rusher Micah Parsons and New York Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
—From AP reports
