Names & Faces

If Colorado has another trip to Winnipeg this season, it will be during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avalanche will have to hope it can find its mojo from the 2024 postseason. The Avs made the second of two regular-season appearances at Canada Life Centre on Saturday, and for the second time, they did not score a goal.

The red? The red misses Mac already. “I think one time, we might’ve gone horseback riding,” ex-Nebraska football coach and AD Tom Osborne, 87 years young, said Saturday when I called to ask him about the late, great Bill McCartney. “But I don’t remember much more than that. It was just kind of a vague memory.

Fast break Why the Buffs won: Rebounding. Plain and simple, that was the difference, as the Buffs were plus-21 on the boards, which contributed to a 13-3 advantage in second-chance points and limited possessions for Kansas. Three stars: 1. CU’s Sara-Rose Smith: Pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds, while also scoring eight points and dishing out a pair of assists. 2.

Luke McCaffrey believed that for NFL scouts to take him seriously, he needed to top his famous brother. After Luke emerged as one of the best receivers in the American Athletic Conference at Rice in 2023, teams were still unsure of his speed or if his playmaking ability at a Group of 5 school would translate to the NFL. So Luke made it his mission to beat the marks of his older brother Christian, the 49ers’ All-Pro running back, at the NFL Combine. “When I told NFL scouts that Luke was going to be a 4.4-something in the 40-yard dash, a lot of them didn’t believe me,” recalled then-Rice wideout coach Mike Kershaw.

Jordi Fernandez wasn’t in Denver for the coronation, but he helped steer the Nuggets toward the throne. During his six years on Michael Malone’s staff, en route to his own head coaching job in Brooklyn, he left an indelible imprint on players. “No good memories,” Michael Porter Jr. said, straight-faced. “Not a single one.” Kidding. “He was here when I first got here.

George Paton’s top lieutenant is getting interest for a top job. Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey interviewed Saturday morning for the New York Jets’ vacant general manager job, the Jets announced. Mougey, NFL Network reported, is one of several candidates set to speak with the Jets this weekend. The 39-year-old Arizona native has been with the Broncos his entire front-office career.