In a stunning move, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford resigned Wednesday, citing personal reasons.

"There always has been so much support from everyone involved with the Penguins, both on the hockey and business staffs, and, of course, from a special group of players led by Sidney Crosby," Rutherford said in a statement. "The fans here have been tremendous to me and my family. I know it's a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but just felt this was the right time to step away."

Patrik Allvin, who had recently been promoted as Penguins assistant general manager, will serve as interim GM as the team begins an immediate search for Rutherford's successor. According to the team, Allvin will consult with Mario Lemieux, the team's Hall of Fame owner, for input and advice during the interim period.

The 71-year-old Rutherford had been Penguins general manager since the 2014-15 season. The Penguins made the playoffs in each of his six seasons, winning Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, and Rutherford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. Before joining the Penguins, Rutherford had a 20-year run as the president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise from 1994 to 2015 and won a Stanley Cup in Carolina in 2006.

"Absolutely shocked," a rival general manager told ESPN in a text message. "Did not see this coming."

Rutherford, who had a 13-year career as a goaltender in the NHL, was known as a wheeler and dealer during his time with the Penguins, constantly trying to retool the cast around Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- especially over the past two seasons, as he tried to engineer another championship run out of the aging core. Two years ago, he shipped Phil Kessel to Arizona and last year sent Patric Hornqvist to Florida.

In a statement, Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse said Rutherford "has been an amazing representative of the Pittsburgh Penguins."

"He'll always have a special place in our team's history, his own legacy," Moorehouse said. "He'll always be part of the Penguins."

The 46-year-old Allvin, a native of Falun, Sweden, is in his 15th year with the Penguins hockey operation staff. He began as a scout in 2006 and worked his way up until he was promoted to assistant general manager in November.

Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald has agreed to a new 10-year contract with the school that stretches through the 2030 season.

Fitzgerald, a former star linebacker at Northwestern who twice won national Defensive Player of the Year honors, is the winningest coach in team history, with a mark of 106-81 in 15 seasons. Since 2015, he has guided Northwestern to two 10-win seasons, four consecutive bowl victories and two Big Ten West Division championships in the past three years.

The 46-year-old was named Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 2020 and won Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2018. Several NFL teams in recent years have expressed interest in Fitzgerald, who also has turned down opportunities from other college programs.

?????????. ???? ???????.@coachfitz51, @NorthwesternU committed through 2030.

?: https://t.co/UPdDLee5Pv#GoCats pic.twitter.com/wpDMjunkFC

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) January 27, 2021

"We have built the foundation to compete for championships in tandem with the best academic and personal development opportunity anywhere in college football," Fitzgerald said in a prepared statement. "We all have a lot to be proud of, but our best is yet to come."

Athletic director Jim Phillips, who will depart Northwestern in February to become ACC commissioner, prioritized finalizing a long-term agreement for Fitzgerald before he departed the school, according to a source. Northwestern has put together a search committee for Phillips' successor and could make a hire in the next few weeks.

"We have one of the best coaches in college football and, more importantly, a leader uncommonly suited to this University," Phillips said in the statement. "Over the course of his tenure, Coach Fitzgerald has built a culture of unwavering belief in excellence both on and off the field, and led our Wildcats to unprecedented sustained success. They boast incredible achievement in the classroom, in the community and in competition, and will for years to come."

Fitzgerald, who helped lead Northwestern's Rose Bowl run in 1995 and back-to-back Big Ten championships under Gary Barnett, returned to the school in 2001 as an assistant. He coached defensive backs and linebackers from 2001 to 2005 under Randy Walker, then became head coach shortly after Walker died suddenly in June 2006.

Under Fitzgerald, Northwestern has made 10 bowl appearances and recorded five Top 25 finishes, including a No. 10 ranking in 2020. Fitzgerald entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, and 14 of Northwestern's 16 bowl appearances have come with him as either player or coach.

The NBA has fined Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray $25,000 for striking Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. in the groin area, the league announced Wednesday

The incident occurred during the Nuggets' 117-113 victory over the Mavericks on Monday night at American Airlines Center.

Murray received a flagrant foul 2 penalty and was ejected after what appeared to be an intentional shot to Hardaway's groin area. Murray stumbled backward after the pair collided as Denver was setting up on offense. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway's legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over.

The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and conferred with the other referees. The initial call was a foul on Murray, and it was upgraded to a flagrant 2 after a video review.

The NBA announced that All-Star voting for this season will begin Thursday at noon and will conclude at midnight on Feb. 16.

Fans can submit one full ballot each day through either the NBA App and NBA.com throughout the voting period, and can vote for up to 10 unique players per day on Twitter. There also will be five days -- Jan. 30, Feb. 2, Feb. 4, Feb. 13 and Feb. 16 -- where votes will count twice.

In the same announcement, the NBA said discussions "surrounding a potential NBA All-Star Game are ongoing."

Earlier this week, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the league and the National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of holding an All-Star Game in early March, with Atlanta emerging as the most likely site. The NBA had previously scheduled this year's All-Star Game to be held in Indianapolis, but that was canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The potential rescheduled game would take place March 7, and would be a far more scaled down version of a typical All-Star Weekend, sources told Wojnarowski. The league has a midseason break scheduled for March 5-10.

As in the past, it will be a combination of fans, players and media that will determine the All-Star starters this season, with fans taking up 50% of the vote, while players and media will each get 25% of the vote. All-Star Game ballots are made up of two backcourt spots and three frontcourt spots.

There will be updates on All-Star voting on Feb. 4 and Feb. 11, with the starters being revealed Feb. 18. The reserves, which are selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced Feb. 23.

In the 1980s, Michael Jordan launched a stylistic revolution in pro basketball. While not the first great wing player in the sport, Jordan was the first one to absolutely dominate the association.

His epic battles versus the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz weren't just battles for the Larry O'Brien Trophy -- they were battles for the future direction of the sport. MJ won, allowing jump-shooting perimeter players to take over the NBA.

In 1992, at the apex of Jordanmania in America, Gatorade launched a legendary ad campaign that challenged every young hooper to "Be Like Mike." Out of the millions who tried, only one ever even came close. That was Kobe Bryant, who made his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers a few years later. Bryant successfully extended the stylistic revolution Jordan started in the '80s and '90s deep into the 2000s. The torch was passed.

Bryant has left multiple important legacies since his death a year ago, but the imprint he left on the look and feel of modern pro basketball is among the most lasting.

Jordan and Bryant shared a rare friendship and a number of tactical similarities that will forever link the two all-time greats. Their back-to-back careers also reshaped basketball greatness at the highest levels. After a generation of young players grew up idolizing MJ, the next crop fell for Bryant.

Both players transcended typical sports dominance by pairing their championships, their MVP awards and their scoring titles with aesthetic magnificence. These guys didn't just dominate the best league on the planet, they also made that domination look cool as hell. The bold fadeaways, the tongue-hanging, the confident showmanship -- all of that was impossible to ignore as the league's up-and-coming stars developed their own styles.

By owning both the standings and SportsCenter, the tandem wrestled control of the NBA away from plodding big players and handed it over to versatile, shot-creating wings. They made pro hoops faster, wide open and, most of all, they made it more beautiful.

In the 25 years leading up to Jordan's rookie year, games were won and lost in the crowded trenches, as the NBA handed out its MVP award to centers 21 times. In the past 25 years, that has happened just once.

Today's NBA is controlled more by the exact kinds of perimeter skills and all-around versatility that epitomized Bryant's game. That's no accident. Just as Bryant grew up watching MJ, Kawhi Leonard, DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Klay Thompson and Paul George all grew up in Southern California watching Bryant win titles and humiliate opponents on a regular basis.

Many of these stars used Bryant's success as their own road map to the NBA.

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Entering the 2011 NBA draft, DraftExpress pegged San Diego State's Leonard as the best wing in the class but flagged a few major issues with his game, namely his shooting.

Leonard was selected with the No. 15 pick by the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs. Nobody doubted Leonard's competitive spirit, his defense or his work ethic, yet the numbers didn't lie -- his jumper needed a lot of improvement.

Leonard and the Spurs had only a week together before a 161-day NBA lockout outlawed any contact between players and coaches. Chip Engelland, the Spurs' renowned shooting coach, hatched a plan. After studying Leonard's mechanics, he pulled a few images of Bryant to show Leonard, who converted fewer than 30% of his 3s in college in part because of his awkward overhead shooting release.

Engelland had always admired Bryant's form, and so did his star pupil. Despite the fact that the Spurs and Lakers were engaged in a decade-long battle for control of the Western Conference, Engelland and Leonard used their superstar rival as a template for what would become one of the most impressive player development arcs in the modern NBA. (Full disclosure: Engelland and I worked together on the Spurs from 2016 to 2018.)

The shooting coach pointed out Bryant's impeccable elbow placement, how he always got his arm underneath the ball, and challenged the rookie to mimic Bryant's form as much as possible during the lockout months.

"[Bryant] was very aware of shooting technique," Engelland told ESPN, recalling a conversation he and Bryant once had about shooting form. "Some people's baseball swing, they just swing, while others are really aware of their swing. He was really aware of technique."

Engelland and Leonard made rapid progress -- in part because of Leonard's immense talent and drive, but in part because they had identified a perfect model that both respected.

Defenders could easily affect Leonard's shot when he was a rookie. One key step in Leonard's development involved a slight increase in his release point.

"One summer he raised his release point, and that was a big thing; after that, I don't know who gets his shot now," Engelland said. "It's Kobe-esque in that way. It's hard to get to because he tilts when he leans back in his fadeaway. It's very hard to block."

Leonard has now become both a two-time Finals MVP and one of the most versatile scoring wings in the game. Poetically, he took home the first Kia NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award in 2020. And Leonard's biggest shot ever -- which lifted the Raptors past the Sixers in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals -- was pure Mamba. Leonard made it impossible to block, even for a superstar giant such as Joel Embiid.

"Your vision of Kobe isn't typically an upright jump shot, it's a tilted form, and Kawhi's shot in Toronto exemplifies the ultimate tilt," Engelland said. "That was a heck of a fallaway."

Just like Jordan and Bryant had slayed their own share of centers and power forwards over their careers, this generation of new stars inspired by Bryant continues the trend. Centers are more replaceable than ever. Two-way scoring wings are vital.

Engelland noted that the similarities between Bryant and Leonard don't end with mechanics.

"They both put in thousands of reps," he said. "First you get the technique, then you do the reps, and that builds the confidence. Controlling that ball with technique and the reps behind it builds the confidence to take those big shots. It's a great combo."

That brings us to one other way we see Bryant's legacy in today's game: immense superstar pressure in crunch time. The Hall of Famer attempted 2,028 clutch-time shots -- defined as a shot when the score is within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. That is the most of any players over the past 25 seasons. Including the playoffs, Bryant attempted 89 go-ahead shots inside the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter or OT -- the most by any player over the same span.

A few years ago, Chris Paul recalled how one of Bryant's iconic game winners -- his elbow jumper vs. the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 playoffs -- stuck with him.

"Kobe never even looked at the rim," Paul said. "It's like he was getting to a spot. Looking at that play, it's like there was an 'X' somewhere on the court and Kobe was like, 'Once I get to it, I'm like, boom.'"

That approach went on to influence one of Paul's own memorable moments: his unbelievable Game 7 winner against the Spurs in the first round of the 2015 playoffs -- perhaps Paul's finest shot ever. Even the Point God knew when it was time to do it himself.

Late in his career, Bryant embraced a mentor role for dozens of younger players, including Leonard. He advised them about basketball and business. He worked out with players in the offseason, challenging them to practice harder, prepare better, respect their bodies and consider their mental approach.

Those lessons will be all over the court Wednesday night when Kobe's Lakers visit the Philadelphia 76ers, and that legacy of the Mamba Mentality isn't going anywhere.

The Atlanta Braves plan to honor Hank Aaron during the upcoming season, with the first of those initiatives being a $1 million donation to establish the Henry Louis Aaron Fund, which will work to increase minority participation among players, managers, coaches and front-office personnel.

That was an issue Aaron took a keen interest in throughout his life. He often criticized the lack of Black managers and general managers in Major League Baseball. He fretted that fewer Black people were playing the game.

"We want to continue Hank's amazing work in growing diversity within baseball now and in the years to come," Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said in a statement. "I believe this seed money is just the beginning for this growing fund and I'm certain other companies and organizations who have worked with Hank over the years will join us and add to this call to action to develop talent and increase the diversity on the field and in the front offices across the league."

The Braves' donation will be matched by $500,000 apiece from MLB and the players' association.

"Henry Aaron was a Hall of Fame player, a front office executive, a mentor, a colleague and a friend. In each of these roles, he was a tireless advocate for better representation of people of color throughout our sport," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "As a philanthropist and businessman, this celebrated power hitter was most passionate about empowering others. We are proud to honor his legacy through this joint donation to the Henry Louis Aaron Fund, and commit ourselves to continue building toward greater diversity and representation in the game Hank loved dearly."

Aaron, whose 755 career home runs long stood as baseball's all-time best, died last week from natural causes at the age of 86, and a memorial service in his honor was held Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Zack Scott was promoted to acting general manager of the New York Mets on Wednesday, eight days after GM Jared Porter was fired.

Scott was hired as assistant GM on Dec. 23 after 17 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, the last two as assistant GM.

"Zack has plenty of championship experience to draw upon," Mets president Sandy Alderson said in a statement. "He has been an integral part of our decision-making processes since his arrival. The entire baseball operations staff, including myself, will continue to work collaboratively."

Scott, 43, oversaw Boston's analytics along with advance scouting and professional scouting. He joined the team as an intern, became an assistant in 2005, then spent six seasons as assistant director of baseball operations.

A graduate of the University of Vermont with a mathematics degrees, he worked for Diamond Mind Inc. as a developer of baseball simulation software from 2000 to 2003.

Porter was hired by the Mets on Dec. 13 and was fired Jan. 19, nine hours after ESPN reported he sent sexually explicit, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 when he was working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office.

Details the 2021 Women's Six Nations will be announced at the start of February.

With games now expected to start in spring, organisers are looking at permanently moving the tournament away from the men's weekends.

Tournament chief executive Ben Morel added he was "extremely confident" a UK broadcast partner would be announced.

Also speaking at the men's Six Nations launch Scotland captain Stuart Hogg added his voice to the #icare social media campaign to promote women's rugby.

The Exeter Chiefs full-back said he was a big supporter of the Scottish women's team and that it would "be brilliant" for women to have their own playing window.

"To have their own time, would inspire more people to watch, play, and ultimately grow the women's game," Hogg said.

The original plan to announce the new fixtures by the end of January will not be met.

Morel explained he saw the women's tournament as an "absolute priority" and an "exciting opportunity for growth".

"In order for the women's tournament to be in the limelight we are strongly thinking about moving it to a specific window," he said.

"I am a strong believer that a specific window would enhance and give the appropriate visibility.

"At the same time - not by design, obviously - but we are going to be in a position to test that this year because of the rescheduling of the tournament."

However it was confirmed the Women's Six Nations remains without a sponsor despite "several really positive discussions" with potential partners.

Morel added: "It's a matter of finding the right partner that will embrace the opportunity, not a question of finding a partner for the sake of finding a partner.

"It's finding the right one that will help elevate the championship for many years to come."

GAS CITY, Ind., Jan. 27 – From sprint cars, modifieds, street stocks and hornets to monster trucks, tractors and everything in between, a 21-event schedule is set for Gas City I-69 Speedway’s upcoming season.

It begins with an open “test and tune” on Saturday, April 24, with racing action kicking off on Friday night, May 7 and concluding Saturday, Oct. 23.

Anchoring the weekly schedule will be non-winged sprint cars, UMP-style modifieds, street stocks and hornets.

In addition to releasing the schedule, promoter Jerry Gappens announced he has extended his lease with track owner Jack Himelick. This will be Gappens’ fourth season overseeing the operation of the popular quarter-mile clay oval.

The exciting open-wheel racing of the United States Auto Club will invade Gas City three times this season, featuring two USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series and two USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series events.

Gas City’s USAC Indiana Midget Week date is scheduled for Friday night, June 11. USAC Indiana Sprint Week returns to Gas City for its opener on Friday night, July 23.

For the second consecutive year the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series and USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series will combine for a big doubleheader on Thursday night, Sept. 23 during the fourth annual James Dean Classic.

Other sanctioned sprint car races include the popular Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series sprint cars on Friday, May 14, featuring $2,000 to win and $300 to start in non-wing sprint action.

Tony Stewart’s Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions winged sprint cars also make a stop at Gas City on Saturday night, May 22.

Double Down, the largest non-sanctioned non-wing sprint car event in the region, takes place Friday night, Aug. 20. A big field is expected to vie for a $20,000 purse in twin 21-lap features.

Additional midget racing will also be well represented at Gas City this season. The speedway will host three USAC Midget Cup Series dates, which feature open midgets, USAC Midwest Thunder D2 midgets, and 1,000cc mini-sprints.

Midget Cup races are set for May 7, July 9 and Oct. 22.

USAC Midwest Thunder D2 midgets will compete in five “stand-alone” events at Gas City on June 4, June 25, July 30, Aug. 6 and Sept. 3, and Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions TQ midgets join the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint cars on May 22.

The second annual Gas City Power Pull, which is sanctioned by the Indiana Pulling League, is set for Saturday night, Sept. 18. The pull features various classes of trucks and tractors.

On Aug. 14 the popular “Night of Destruction, Thrills and Chills” will feature monster trucks, school bus races, a mini-van demo derby, a rollover contest, trailer races, a hornet feature and more.

The season concludes with the third annual Fall Festival of Speed, which will feature seven divisions of racing on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23.

The Fall Festival has grown to include the inaugural Non-Wing Nationals for sprint cars this year.

“It’s a diverse menu of great racing to satisfy almost every race fan’s motorsports entertainment appetite,” said Gappens.

Gappens will also incorporate his signature intermission entertainment for event nights, including a “Faster Pastor” school bus race and fun theme nights with human bubble ball, “Name That Tune”/dance competition, kids’ coin and candy scrambles, spectator races for “soccer moms,” and much more.

“Our goal is to provide fast, fun, family entertainment,” added Gappens. “Once again our team will be vigilant in starting and finishing the programs on time.”

To view the entire Gas City I-69 Speedway schedule, click here.

The National's Women's Soccer League has announced the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup will begin on April 9.

Following the Challenge Cup, the NWSL's 10 teams will participate in a 24-game regular season beginning May 15. There will be no break for the Olympic Games and the season is scheduled to conclude on Oct. 30 with full details of the Challenge Cup format and the complete regular season schedule set to be released at a later date.

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The Challenge Cup is a new addition to the schedule following its success as a stopgap due to COVID-19.

Six teams will proceed from the regular season into extended playoffs, which are slated to begin on Nov. 6, and the top two teams will receive a first-round bye. The NWSL championship, on Nov. 20, will then finish the season.

As well as key dates, the NWSL also released update medical protocols for the 2021 competition.

A statement read: "The NWSL's Medical Task Force has worked tirelessly in coordination with public health officials to update the league's medical and testing protocols to ensure the safest environment for our players, teams and staff to return to competition."

Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd are all expected to return after not playing in 2020.