The Boston Bruins have fired coach Jim Montgomery after stumbling to a losing record in their first 20 games, the team announced on Tuesday.

Associate coach Joe Sacco was elevated to interim head coach. The Bruins are off to an 8-9-3 start (.475 points percentage) and are currently outside of a playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

General manager Don Sweeney called it "a difficult decision" to fire Montgomery.

"Jim Montgomery is a very good NHL coach and an even better person. He has made a positive impact throughout the Bruins organization, and I am both grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to work with him and learn from him," said Sweeney in a statement.

Sacco was previously coach of the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-13 and has been a part of the Boston coaching staff since 2014. The 55-year-old had a 13-year NHL playing career with five different teams from 1990-2003.

"Our team's inconsistency and performance in the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season has been concerning and below how the Bruins want to reward our fans. I believe Joe Sacco has the coaching experience to bring the players and the team back to focusing on the consistent effort the NHL requires to have success," Sweeney said. "We will continue to work to make the necessary adjustments to meet the standard and performance our supportive fans expect."

Montgomery, 55, had a 120-41-23 record (.715 points percentage) in three seasons with the Bruins, making the playoffs twice. Both trips to the postseason ended at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Boston was stunned in a seven-game first-round upset in 2023 after having the most successful regular season in NHL history (135 points); and losing to Florida in the second round earlier this year after Boston had eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games.

Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2022-23. He previously coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons (2018-20) amassing a record of 60-43-10.

As Montgomery chronicled in his 2023 NHL Awards speech, his success in Boston came after he turned his personal life around. "Three and a half years ago, the Dallas Stars terminated my contract because of my struggles with alcohol," Montgomery said. "And I had to change my actions and behaviors."

Despite Sweeney saying the sides were talking about an extension during training camp, Montgomery didn't have a contract beyond the 2024-25 season.

The Bruins have been one of the NHL's most notable disappointments this season. They're 31st in team offense (2.40 goals per game) and 28th in defense (3.45 goals against per game).

Previously dependable aspects of the team have malfunctioned, in particular their goaltending. The team traded former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators for goalie Joonas Korpisalo. The Ullmark deal broke up the best goalie tandem in the NHL with 26-year-old Jeremy Swayman, who missed training camp during a bitter contract negotiation before signing an eight-year contract that will pay him $66 million.

Swayman has a 5-7-2 record with an .884 save percentage and a 3.47-against average. After the Bruins lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-1, on Monday, Montgomery said missing training camp wasn't advantageous.

"I don't think missing training camp helps anyone," Montgomery said. "That's why you have training camps."

Montgomery has been seen having animated discussions with captain Brad Marchand on the Boston bench multiple times this season. He also benched leading goal scorer David Pastrnak in a game earlier this month.

Montgomery's firing is the first coaching change of the 2024-25 season. Sacco is the fourth head coach under Sweeney since taking over as general manager in 2015.

"I'm supportive of Don's decision to address our current play and performance," team president Cam Neely said in a statement. "Joe Sacco has a wealth of experience and knowledge of our roster and can help lead our team in the right direction. He has a strong understanding of our standards and expectations, and I trust he will do all he can to accomplish our organization's goals this season."

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are designating former closer Adbert Alzolay for assignment, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

Alzolay, 29, underwent Tommy John surgery in August and won't be available to pitch until late in 2025. The veteran righty had 27 starts and saved 27 games for Chicago over six years with the team. He spent much of the past two seasons as their closer but faltered in 2024, losing his job and then getting injured.

Overall, Alzolay was 12-25 with a 4.04 ERA for the Cubs. His best year came in 2023, when he saved 22 games while compiling a 2.67 ERA over 64 innings. As recently as 2021, Alzolay was starting for Chicago, but he ended up being better suited to the bullpen.

The move opens a 40-man roster spot for the Cubs, who will be responsible for the cost of Alzolay's rehab unless he signs with another team.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A combination of severe hurricane damage to Tropicana Field and political delays on financing means it is highly unlikely the Tampa Bay Rays' planned new stadium will be ready for the 2028 season, if at all, the team said Tuesday.

Rays top executives said in a letter to the Pinellas County Commission that the team has already spent $50 million for early work on the new $1.3 billion ballpark and cannot proceed further because of delays in approval of bonds for the public share of the costs.

"The Rays organization is saddened and stunned by this unfortunate turn of events" said the letter, signed by copresidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, who noted that the overall project was previously approved by the County Commission and the City of St. Petersburg.

"As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone," the letter added.

The tumultuous series of events came after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field on Oct. 9, forcing the Rays to play the 2025 season at the spring training home of the New York Yankees, 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Then, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a planned Oct. 29 vote on the bond issue that the Rays said has thrown the new 30,000-seat ballpark timeline off.

The commission was meeting again Tuesday on the bond issue, but its chair suggested a vote could be delayed again.

"We know we're going to be in Steinbrenner in 2025 and we don't know much beyond that," Auld said in an interview.

Asked if Major League Baseball can survive long term in the Tampa Bay area, Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said the outlook is "less rosy than it was three weeks ago. We're going to do all that we can, as we've tried for 20 years, to keep the Rays here for generations to come."

The team's contract with the city of St. Petersburg requires that the Rays play three more seasons at Tropicana Field assuming it is repaired. The cost of fixing the ballpark in time for the 2026 season is pegged at more than $55 million for a building scheduled to be torn down when the new facility is ready.

Under the original plan, Pinellas County would spend about $312.5 million for the new ballpark and the city of St. Petersburg around $417 million including infrastructure improvements. The Rays and their partner, the Hines development company, would cover the remaining costs including any overruns.

It isn't just baseball that is affected. The new Rays ballpark is part of a larger urban renovation project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out by construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur.

The broader $6.5 billion project would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the city's downtown, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues and office and retail space. There's the promise of thousands of jobs as well.

In his pre-tournament news conference on Monday, Nadal insisted he would not be distracted by emotion as he aimed to help Spain win the Davis Cup for a sixth time in his career.

That was the theory. In practice, the occasion got to Nadal within minutes of walking out to a thunderous ovation.

Nadal visibly teared up during the Spanish national anthem. His right hand shook uncontrollably.

Once the anthem stopped, he was able to raise his arm into the air and mouthed "Gracias" to the supporters chanting his name.

"Of course it has been an emotional day and I felt nerves before what can be my last singles match as a professional," Nadal said.

Van de Zandschulp said he could detect Nadal's jitters - and feel them himself.

"The crowd was tough, understandably," said Van de Zandschulp.

"That is what it is to play against Rafa in Spain. He is probably the biggest sportsman in Spain to have ever lived."

Nadal's level was understandably far below his best.

Occasionally he showed fizz on his famous forehand, but it was not enough to push his opponent deeper in the court.

The shorter balls allowed Van de Zandschulp, who is ranked 80th in the world but beat Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, to pick off his opponent.

In a febrile atmosphere where Van de Zandschulp's missed first serves were cheered, the 29-year-old Dutchman deserved great credit for staying focused and seeing out an important victory for his nation.

"It is tough to close out a match against him, knowing it could be his last," said Van de Zandschulp.

"I felt I was hoping a bit more than going for it. I went for it and it helped in the end."

Erasmus and Gatland have coached against each other for Wales and South Africa, while the two were the opposing head coaches when the Springboks defeated the British and Irish Lions in 2021.

"We've had good discussions. I think it was in Twickenham where we last saw each other last summer," said Erasmus.

"We had a good chat there about the Lions series. Although we've bumped heads in the past, he's a rugby man through and through.

"Coaching can become lonely, It's cut-throat. Whenever someone is under the pump, you don't wish anything bad on that person.

"I wouldn't say I'd love him to beat us, but I'd love him to be successful. I've got a lot of respect for him and hope he gets the respect from everyone he deserves."

Erasmus took the South Africa reins in 2018, when the Springboks were at a low ebb, before guiding them to World Cup success in 2019 and 2023.

"It's tough to talk about other people's situations, but I can try and put myself in Warren's [shoes] because I have been there before," said Erasmus.

"Sometimes you just turn it around because players believe in a coach, sometimes you just say a right word and the players say they are going to do it for the coach and the country.

"We are preparing for the Wales we know. We find them very similar to Argentina, almost like South Africans, in terms of people working hard and players who have ground it out before.

"They are a team with everything to gain and nothing to lose."

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is week-to-week with a lower leg injury, the team said Tuesday.

Ovechkin will have further evaluation with team physicians in D.C. on Wednesday.

Ovechkin, 39, left Monday's 6-2 victory against Utah after a collision with forward Jack McBain. Ovechkin had already scored twice to move within 27 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894. Ovechkin now has 868 career goals.

The Capitals captain's last shift ended at 5:30 of the third period. As Ovechkin and McBain turned towards a loose puck, their left knees collided. Ovechkin slid on the ice on his stomach in pain before being helped to the bench. He eventually took a twirl on the ice before limping to the trainers' room.

"Yeah, that sucks. You hate to see it," Capitals forward Nic Dowd said after the game. "He's been absolutely on fire and huge for our team. He's been playing incredible hockey."

Though the collision appeared accidental, Capitals forward Tom Wilson challenged and fought McBain later in the period.

The injury interrupts not only Ovechkin's pursuit of Gretzky, but also the best goal-scoring start of his career.

Ovechkin scored his 14th and 15th goals of the season Monday. This is his highest goals total in the first 18 games, and he leads the NHL in goals for the first time since January 2022. Monday was his 100th career multigoal road game, which is 17 more than any other player in NHL history.

"He's been phenomenal this year, leading the charge and our team, not only from a leadership standpoint and in the locker room but on the ice as well," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "In times where you need these types of games, you need guys to step up and score or make a big play, he's continued to do that."

The Capitals have the second-highest points percentage in the Eastern Conference (.750).

Vancouver Canucks forward and leading goal scorer J.T. Miller is taking an indefinite leave for personal reasons, the team announced Tuesday.

The Canucks did not provide any additional details regarding Miller's absence.

"Right now, our sole focus is making sure that J.T. knows the entire organization is here to support him," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. "Out of respect to J.T., we will have no further comment at this time."

Miller, who is tied for the team lead with six goals, played in the Canucks' most recent game which was a 5-3 loss Sunday to the Nashville Predators. Miller finished with zero shots and a season-low 11:49 in ice time despite averaging 18:24 per game this season. He was also benched for the majority of the third period.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was asked why Miller had his minutes limited in the game's final frame.

"I went with the guys who I thought could get us back in the game," Tocchet said.

Tocchet was then asked if Miller, 31, was dealing with an injury that might have played a role in his ice time against the Predators.

"No," Tocchet said before moving onto the next question.

The loss against the Predators snapped Miller's three-game points streak. Miller is one of four Canucks' players who has a team-leading six goals while his 16 points are second behind captain and reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes. Before the announcement, Miller was on pace for 29 goals and 77 points over a full 82-game season.

Last season, Miller had the strongest campaign of his career by scoring a personal-best 32 goals and 103 points. He was a major reason why the Canucks emerged into one of the NHL's biggest surprises and finished with 109 points for their first 100-point season since 2014-15. They would reach the second round where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup runners-up Edmonton Oilers.

Entering Tuesday, the Canucks (9-5-3) were third in the Pacific Division and were three points behind the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas is returning to the lineup for Tuesday night's contest against the Minnesota Wild after missing 12 games with a fractured right ankle.

"It's obviously frustrating being out," Thomas said. "I invested a lot in myself, and I'm pretty happy with the result and getting back so soon. I'm excited to be back in the lineup and look forward to getting in the trenches with the guys."

Thomas fractured an ankle blocking a shot against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 22.

The Blues originally reported that Thomas would miss at least six weeks at the time of his injury. Thomas accompanied the team on its recent three-game road trip after skating with the team on Nov. 13.

"I started to feel better the last couple of days skating," Thomas said. "It got to a point where I was comfortable that I was ready to go. Pretty much the last week or so, I wasn't planning on the road trip but I wanted to be around the guys and take it day by day."

Blues coach Drew Bannister said Thomas has put in the work to get back in the lineup.

"It doesn't look like he's missed a beat. He's in great shape," Bannister said. "He went away for a week, 10 days, two weeks to do some work in Toronto with his doctors there, and I think that really sped up the process."

Thomas had six points (one goal, five assists) in seven games prior to getting hurt.

St. Louis has gone 4-7-1 in 12 games without the 2024 NHL All-Star in the lineup.

"Being the guy that you know that you can be, that's pretty much it," Thomas said about his expectations upon returning to the lineup. "You can't get too complicated, too fancy early. You've got to get back into the rhythm of the game. It's tough being out for so long. Today was my first real practice with the guys, so it's going to take a little bit. Keeping it simple early will be important."

FC Cincinnati has completed the signing of Cercle Brugge forward Kévin Denkey for an MLS record transfer fee, a team spokesperson confirmed to ESPN.

The transfer fee of $16.2 million eclipses the mark of $16 million that Atlanta United spent to acquired Thiago Almada in February of 2022.

The signing of Denkey to a four-year contract fills a gap at forward for Cincinnati, which has been attempting to replace Brandon Vázquez, who was transferred to Liga MX side Monterrey last January.

Denkey, 23, was the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League during the 2023-24 campaign with 27 goals. He has scored 11 goals in 23 league and cup appearances this season.

A Togo international, Denkey began his career with French side Nimes, making his professional debut back in 2017. He moved to Cercle Brugge in January of 2021.

All told, he's scored 94 goals in 237 appearances.

We looked previously at players who move for large sums before their 21st birthday, but what happens when the cohort is even younger? What happens when the players have yet to turn 19 and, in most cases, there is even less of a body of work to go on? A season, maybe two, in the pros -- if you're lucky -- though often far less?

So here are the 25 most expensive transfers of Under-19 players between 1999 and 2022 -- again, we left out those who moved in the last two seasons, figuring they'd take more time to assess. We also adjusted for inflation using 2022 as a benchmark with this handy tool, and we used figures from Transfermarkt for consistency. Note that these figures aren't "official" because fees generally aren't disclosed, though they can be considered reliable estimates.

Note also that some players -- Pedri and Tino Livramento are two examples -- didn't make the list because while they ended up costing their acquiring club plenty, (25m-plus, in both cases) this only happened after they fulfilled various appearances and transfer bonuses, which in a sense meant the downside was limited.

The first nine guys also feature on the other list, and you're reminded of two things: clubs will break the bank if they think they have a potential generational talent and yeah, the Kylian Mbappé deal was totally out-of-kilter with market rates, especially juxtaposed against his peers. (His deal was worth more in inflation adjusted Euros than the next four guys on the list combined.)

1. Kylian Mbappé

Position: Forward
Move: Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain (18 years old in 2017)
Fee: 180m (Adjusted for inflation: 210.6m)

The grand-daddy of them all, PSG would've wanted to keep him rather than losing him as a free agent to Real Madrid, but they got as much as they could out of him when there.

Verdict: Met expectations

2. Wayne Rooney

Position: Forward
Move: Everton to Manchester United (18, 2004)
Fee: 37m (53.2m)

Played 13 seasons at Old Trafford, won plenty of trophies and retired as the club's all-time goalscorer. Enough said.

Verdict: Surpassed expectations

3. Vinícius Júnior

Position: Forward
Move: Flamengo to Real Madrid (16, 2017)
Fee: 45m (52.6m)

Took a while to get going, but the Brazil star has gone from strength to strength over the past three seasons and is very much a leader at the Bernabeu.

Verdict: Surpassed expectations

4. Rodrygo

Position: Forward
Move: Santos to Real Madrid (17, 2018)
Fee: 45m (51.7m)

Established himself as a starter at 21 and has only gotten better since then.

Verdict: Met expectations

5. Antonio Cassano

Position: Forward
Move: Bari to Roma (18, 2001)
Fee: 31m (47.6m)

A tricky one to rate. He had some excellent seasons, but fell out badly with club and ended up leaving for Real Madrid for just 5.5m six months before free agency. That knocks him down.

Verdict: Bust

6. Fábio Silva

Position: Forward
Move: Porto to Wolverhampton Wanderers (18, 2020)
Fee: 40m (44.9m)

Had started one league game for Porto when Wolves picked him up in 2020. Since then, he's been on three different loan spells and has caused plenty of head-scratching among Wolves fans.

Verdict: Bust

7. Luke Shaw

Position: Defender
Move: Southampton to Manchester United (18, 2014)
Fee: 37.5m (44.8m)

On the one hand, he's had 10 years at United. On the other, it's been one of the worst decades in the club's history and injuries have limited him to starting less than half their league games since he arrived.

Verdict: Bust

8. Renato Sanches

Position: Midfielder
Move: Benfica to Bayern Munich (18, 2016)
Fee: 35m (41.7m)

A move that was too much, too soon for a player who never made the grade, whether at Bayern or elsewhere (Swansea City on loan, Lille, PSG, Roma or Benfica).

Verdict: Bust

9. Josko Gvardiol

Position: Defender
Move: Dinamo Zagreb to RB Leipzig (18, 2020)
Fee: 36.8m (40.2m)

Has already established as one of the best defenders in the world, and Leipzig made nearly tripled their money in transferring him to Manchester City.

Verdict: Surpassed expectations

10. Alessandro Bastoni

Position: Defender
Move: Atalanta to Inter (18, 2017)
Fee: 31.6m (37m)

Despite having just three Serie A appearances under his belt when Inter signed him, the gamble proved worthwhile as he's now one of the top centre backs in Europe.

Verdict: Met expectations

11. William Saliba

Position: Defender
Move: Saint Etienne to Arsenal (18, 2019)
Fee: 30m (34m)

A bit like Bastoni, he was sent on loan to develop for several seasons before breaking into the first team. Today he's a key starter for the Gunners.

Verdict: Met expectations

12. Eduardo Camavinga

Position: Midfielder
Move: Rennes to Real Madrid (18, 2021)
Fee: 31m (33.9m)

A Ligue 1 starter at 16, Camavinga had a significant body of work before he was signed by Madrid. Quickly established himself as part of the midfield rotation.

Verdict: Met expectations

13. Reiner

Position: Forward
Move: Flamengo to Real Madrid (18, 2020)
Fee: 30m (33.7m)

He's endured three loan stints, at ever-smaller clubs, with a total of just 20 starts in four years. Reinier is the cautionary yang to the yin of Vini and Rodrygo.

Verdict: Bust

14. Alexandre Pato

Position: Forward
Move: Internacional to Milan (17, 2007)
Fee: 24m (32.3m)

An absolute sensation in his first four seasons, a series of bad injuries curtailed his progress after that. Nevertheless, Milan recouped more than half their fee when he left for Corinthians.

Verdict: Met expectations

15. Sergio Aguero

Position: Forward
Move: Independiente to Atletico Madrid (17, 2006)
Fee: 23m (31.7m)

A precocious talent in Argentina for Independente at 16, he quickly established himself as a devastating scorer in LaLiga before moving to Manchester City for a sizable fee.

Verdict: Surpassed expectations

16. Jude Bellingham

Position: Midfielder
Move: Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund (17, 2020)
Fee: 27.7m (31.1m)

The England star took the transition from Championship to Bundesliga in stride, establishing himself as a regular and then fetching a whopping 100m fee when he moved to Madrid.

Verdict: Surpassed expectations

17. Jérémy Doku

Position: Forward
Move: Anderlecht to Rennes (18, 2020)
Fee: 26m (29.2m)

Had his fair share of ups and downs at Rennes in terms of performance, but his skills were evident and the club were able to move him for more than twice what they paid for him less than three years later.

Verdict: Met expectations

18. Stephan El Shaarawy

Position: Forward
Move: Genoa to Milan (18, 2011)
Fee: 20.3m (25.3m)

Had his moments in Milan, including one memorable campaign, but injuries and instability at the club meant he never really made his mark.

Verdict: Bust

19. Pietro Pellegri

Position: Forward
Move: Genoa to AS Monaco (16, 2018)
Fee: 20.9m (24m)

Serie A's youngest-ever debutant at the time made a huge move to Monaco, but injuries hampered his development and he failed to make a single league start in three-and-a-half seasons.

Verdict: Bust

20. Amad

Position: Forward
Move: Atalanta to Manchester United (18, 2020)
Fee: 21.3m (23.9m)

He may yet come good, but his development at United was slowed by injury and inconsistency and he's had to go on loan twice. Worth noting too that he'd played just 63 minutes of first-team football when he was signed.

Verdict: Bust

21. Willem Geubbels

Position: Forward
Move: Lyon to AS Monaco (16, 2018)
Fee: 20m (23m)

Made two first team appearances for Lyon before his big move to Monaco, which was marked by a nightmarish series of injuries. Left the club on a free transfer in January 2023.

Verdict: Bust

22. Cristiano Ronaldo

Position: Forward
Move: Sporting to Manchester United (18, 2003)
Fee: 15m (22m)

You probably don't need me to tell you this one worked out pretty well. He scored tons of goals, won tons of trophies and fetched tons of money when he moved to Real Madrid.

Verdict: Surpassed expectations

23. Paulinho

Position: Forward
Move: Vasco da Gama to Bayer Leverkusen (17, 2018)
Fee: 18.5m (21.2m)

Struggled to adapt to the Bundesliga and then suffered a cruciate injury that cost him an entire season. Unable to make much of an impact before leaving on a free transfer for Atletico Mineiro.

Verdict: Bust

24. Mathys Tel

Position: Forward
Move: Rennes to Bayern Munich (17, 2022)
Fee: 20m (20m)

It's still early, but he's on the right trajectory, having made more than 50 first-team appearances before his 19th birthday.

Verdict: Met expectations

25. Valeri Bojinov

Position: Forward
Move: Lecce to Fiorentina (18, 2005)
Fee: 14m (19.7m)

Made his pro debut in Serie A at 15, reached double digit goals by January at 18 and the latter accomplishment got him his big move. Plagued by inconsistency and injuries, he would go on to move no fewer than 21 times in his career.

Verdict: Bust

There's a obviously a ton of variance here, as evidenced by the fact that Geubbels and Cristiano sit next to each other on the list. But I was somewhat surprised to see at least six outright hits (Rooney, Ronaldo, Gvardiol, Bellingham, Aguero, Vinícius) to go with the ones who at least met expectations (and could turn into elite players as their career progresses). When you consider that while you may be paying a high to sign an 18-year-old, odds are the initial salary will be far lower than for a guy in mid-career at the same transfer fee, you can understand clubs' willingness to roll the dice.

Of the guys who came up short, two things stand out. With younger players, you don't know who is going to be more or less injury prone and injuries at a younger age can be more debilitating. The other is that the extent of a player's body of work matters. It's probably not a coincidence that several of those rated as busts (Fabio Silva, Reiner, Diallo) simply had very few senior minutes on the pitch at the time of their move.

Then there's the obvious wild card: you just don't know how a player's personality is going to develop. Cassano was a teenage sensation: could anyone have predicted his future self-destructive behaviour? That's the million-dollar question.