UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks have begun their Stanley Cup playoff schedule with victories. The Capitals beat Toronto, 3-2 on Tom Wilson’s overtime goal, and Pekka Rinne (PEH’-kuh REE’-nay) stopped 29 shots in the Predators’ 1-0 shutout of the Blackhawks in Chicago. Rickard Rackell (rah-KEHL’) and Jakob Silfverberg scored less than four minutes apart late in the second period to push the Ducks past Calgary, 3-2.
UNDATED — Ken Hitchcock is back as coach of the Dallas Stars, more than 15 years after being fired by the team he took to its only Stanley Cup championship in 1999. Former coach Lindy Ruff’s four-year contract expired at the end of the season and wasn’t extended. And the Vegas Golden Knights have hired Gerard Gallant (gah-LAHNT’) as the first coach of the NHL expansion team.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina swingman Justin Jackson will skip his senior season after helping the Tar Heels claim the national championship. The school says the first-team All-American would hire an agent to end his college career in Chapel Hill. The ACC player of the year is projected as a first-round pick.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals say Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock was recently diagnosed with bone cancer. The 77-year-old Brock was supposed to appear at a Busch Stadium event on April 25, but that has been canceled while he is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. The former all-time leader in stolen bases had his left leg amputated below the knee in late 2015.
UNDATED (AP) — Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers chairman and former U.S. ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney has died at age 84. The Pro Football Hall of Famer took over operation of the Steelers from his father in the 1960s and turned it into a team that had four Super Bowl-winning seasons in the 1970s. Rooney also conceived the NFL’s “Rooney Rule” that gave minorities a better opportunity to be hired for coaching and front office positions.
