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Kendall Coyne Schofield leaves Sharks’ broadcast team Joins Blackhawks in new role

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Kendall Coyne Schofield will not be a part of the San Jose Sharks’ broadcast team this upcoming season, announcing Monday she will return to her hometown of Chicago to be a player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist with the Blackhawks.

Coyne Schofield is the first woman player development coach in Blackhawks team history.

Schofield, an Olympic gold medalist and sixtime world champion, was an NBC Sports California analyst for 14 Sharks games in 2019-20, part of a three-person broadcast crew that included playby-play announcer Randy Hahn and either Jamie Baker or Bret Hedican. She was also a pre- and postgame analyst for the network during the 2019 playoffs.

During the NHL’s All-Star Weekend at SAP Center in Jan. 2019, Coyne Schofield became the first woman to participate in the league’s skills competition. She participated in the fastest skater event – drawing cheers from the crowd and kudos from her competitors.

“From the moment I stepped on the ice for the NHL Fastest

LOS ANGELES — In any other year, this would be a joyful certainty: The Dodgers, winners of the World Series, would raise the championship flag at the start of the new season, to the fullthroated approval of a sellout crowd.

In 2021, the Dodgers’ opening day attendance could be the traditional 56,000; a fraction of that; or limited to player families and fan cutouts.

As MajorLeague Baseball prepares for a season in which attendance could be restricted, and with the hope of vaccines amid the second year of a pandemic, the league is quietly reaching out to From Page B1 38 rankings across seven seasons of the playoff concept, including the entire seasons of 2016 and 2018. When it placed Clemson (7-1) as the only team in the top four with a loss - to Notre Dame, in double overtime, while shorthanded - it gave Clemson a 30th top-four ranking, one ahead of Alabama. Clemson has appeared in the top four in 30 of the 31 rankings since 2015, excepting only the opening week of 2019, when it sat at No. 5 and caused a mild outbreak of manufactured outrage.

Those programs have appeared in five each of the six playoffs, with Notre Dame appearing in one and Ohio State in three. The two teams just outside the top four, No. 5 Texas A&M (5-1) and No. 6 Florida (6-1), would be playoff debutantes if they inch their way in.

A curiosity and a break from the royalty came at No. 7, where Cincinnati (8-0) got the highest ranking ever

Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS Kendall Coyne Schofield has won two medals at the olympics as a member of the U.S. women’s hockey team.

Skater Competition, to the moment I joined the Sharks broadcast team, San Jose you welcomed me, cheered for me, believed in me and embraced me as one of your own,” Coyne Schofield wrote in a note she posted on Twitter.

“Although the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, it was my absolute honor and joy to work alongside so many incredible people within the San Jose Sharks and NBC Sports California family.”

Coyne Schofield made her broadcast debut fans to learn what would make them feel that a day at the ballpark would be safe and comfortable.

In a survey presented to a sample of visitors on the league’s website, fans are asked to estimate when they believe live sporting events will be safe to attend; to suggest what percentage of tickets should be sold; to rate the response of local, state, and federal authorities to the pandemic; and to say how they would determine whether going to a game would be safe.

For instance: Would a fan attend if a vaccine were widely available? Would that fan rely on declines in cases of the coronavirus, and in hospitalizations? Would that for a team among the “Group of Five,” the five conferences that form the bottom half of the top tier of this wacko sport. The Bearcats thus pipped Central Florida, which had gotten to No. 8 after it spent 2017 and 2018 straining for a grudging respect as it went unbeaten in both regular seasons.

The Bearcats had never been listed any higher than No. 17 in any previous year, but the underlings in general didn’t wind up any nearer the top than normal, with BYU at No. 14, Coastal Carolina at No. 20, Marshall at No. 21 and Tulsa (5-1) at No. 25.

Just behind Cincinnati sat No. 8 Northwestern (5-0), impressive enough in its ruggedness, its start and its defrocking of No. 16 Wisconsin (2-1) that it gained the highest Northwestern ranking to date, by five slots. Then after Georgia came No. 10 Miami (7-1), a victim only to Clemson thus far.

In grappling with even on Oct. 10, 2019 when the Sharks played the Blackhawks at United Center.

“She’s passionate about growing the game,” said NBC Sports producer Sean Maddison said that day. “She’s excited about doing it. These are the only off days she has. She’s busier than any other human I know, but she’s been unbelievable so far. It couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Coyne Schofield wrote that her new job will allow her to continue to train with the U.S. Women’s National Team. The IIHF Women’s World Chamfan take the word of a mayor, governor, president, or public health authority saying a game would be safe?

“Major League Baseball is understandably concerned that simply telling fans it’s safe to come back might not be enough,” said Dan Schnur, a USC politics and communications professor and former Republican strategist. “Like everyone else in the country, they’re trying to figure out who would be a respected validator.

“There have been similar surveys that have been asked about whether people would take vaccines. It’s pretty clear in those surveys that most people would not take the more puzzles than usual, the committee had to sort out what to do with the Pac-12, the conference that produced the least playoff entries (two) in the first six years. It installed Oregon (3-0) at No. 15 and Southern California (3-0) at No. 18, and that was it. The Pac-12 didn’t get started until early November because of the pandemic and a lesser cultural urgency about football. Then it has been riddled with cancellations, including Washington-Washington State and Arizona StateUtah this week, until it sports depleted records such as the 0-1 posted thus far by both Arizona State and Utah.

The Utes, in fact, have played a whopping eight fewer games than their independent instate rival, BYU of Provo, where there might have been some grumbling.

Here’s a look at the first attempt from the committee: 1. Alabama (7-0) 2. Notre Dame (8-0) pionship is scheduled to take place in April in Nova Scotia. The Americans are the defending champions, having won gold in 2019 in Finland. The 2020 championships were canceled.

A Sharks team spokesman said as now, there are no plans to add another member to the broadcast team, which also features longtime radio play-byplay announcer Dan Rusanowsky. The NHL has not yet officially announced a start date for the 2020-2021 season, although it is likely to

What would make you feel safe at the ballpark? MLB would like to know

Los AngeLes Times

begin in January. word of elected politicians as credible.”

In anticipation of the NBA season scheduled to start next month, the Golden State Warriors proposed a health protocol in which they would sell 50% of tickets and test all fans for the virus. San Francisco public health authorities rejected the proposal.

But, as the debate over this week’s Los Angeles County order to forbid outdoor dining shows, public health authorities are not considered beyond question.

“The question is, are those public health officials the most credible messengers,” Schnur said,

rankings: Oregon top Pac-12 team

See Ballpark, Page B12

3. Clemson (7-1) 4. Ohio State (4-0) 5. Texas A&M (5-1) 6. Florida (6-1) 7. Cincinnati (8-0) 8. Northwestern (5-0) 9. Georgia (5-2) 10. Miami (7-1) 11. Oklahoma (6-2) 12. Indiana (4-1) 13. Iowa State (6-2) 14. BYU (9-0) 15. Oregon (3-0) 16. Wisconsin (2-1) 17. Texas (5-2) 18. Southern California (3-0) 19. North Carolina (6-2) 20. Coastal Carolina (8-0) 21. Marshall (7-0) 22. Auburn (5-2) 23. Oklahoma State (5-2) 24. Iowa (3-2) 25. Tulsa (5-1)

The semifinals and final of the College Football Playoff will be at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and Rose Bowl in Pasadena, on Jan. 1 for the semifinals, and the national championship game on Jan. 11 in Miami for the final.

Wednesday’s TV sports

Basketball College men •George Washington at Navy, CBSSN, 9 a.m. •Oakland at Xavier, FS1, 9 a.m. •McNeese State at Nebraska, BIG TEN, 9 a.m. •Illinois State at Ohio State, ESPN, 11 a.m. •Saint Mary’s vs. Memphis, ESPN2, 11 a.m. •Drake at Kansas State, ESPNU, 11 a.m. •Fairfield at Providence, FS1, 11 a.m. •North Carolina A&T at Illinois, BIG TEN, 11 a.m. •Oklahoma State vs. Texas-Arlington, ESPN, 1 p.m. •Bowling Green at Michigan, ESPN2, 1 p.m. •Evansville at Louisville, ACC, 1 p.m. •North Carolina Central at Iowa, BIG TEN, 1 p.m. •Maryland-Baltimore County at Georgetown, FS1, 1 p.m. •Western Kentucky vs. Northern Iowa, ESPNU, 1:30 p.m. •Utah Valley at Stanford, PAC12, P12BA, 2 p.m. •College of Charleston at North Carolina, ACC, 3 p.m. •Eastern Michigan at Michigan State, BIG TEN, 3 p.m. •Western Michigan at Butler, FS1, 3 p.m. •Morehead State at Kentucky, SEC, 3 p.m. •Liberty at Purdue, CBSSN, 3 p.m. •Rhode Island vs. Arizona State, ESPN, 4 p.m. •St. Peter’s at St. John’s, ESPN2, 4 p.m. •West Virginia vs. South Dakota State, ESPN2, 4 p.m. •Cal at Oregon State, PAC12, P12BA, 4 p.m. •Clemson at Mississippi State, CBSSN, 5 p.m. •Westminster at BYU, BYUTV, 5 p.m. •Charleston Southern at North Carolina State, ACC, 5 p.m. •Tennessee Tech at Indiana, BIG TEN, 5 p.m. •Central Connecticut State at Connecticut, FS1, 5 p.m. •Jacksonville State at Alabama, SEC, 5 p.m. •Cal Baptist at USC, PAC12, 6 p.m. •Villanova vs. Boston College, ESPN, 6:30 p.m. •Utah State vs. VCU, ESPN2, 6:30 p.m. •Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Marquette, FS1, 7 p.m. •Eastern Illinois at Wisconsin, BIG TEN, 7 p.m. •UCLA at San Diego State, CBSSN, 7:30 p.m. College women •Longwood at Duke, ACC, 9 a.m. •North Florida at North Carolina State, ACC, 11 a.m. Dogs •National Dog Show, Ch. 3, noon (taped) Horse racing •America’s Day at the Races, FS2, 9:30 a.m. Motorsports •Drone Racing League, NBCSN, 4 p.m. Soccer •UEFA Champions League, The Golazo Show, CBSSN, 11:54 a.m. •Copa Libertadores, Delfín vs. Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, BEIN, 2:05 p.m. •Copa Libertadores, SC Internacional vs. Boca, BEIN, 4:20 p.m.

Thursday’s TV sports

Basketball College men •Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, semifinals, ESPN, 9 a.m. •Bradley at Xavier, FS1, 9 a.m. •Chicago State at Illinois, BIG TEN, 9 a.m. •Oral Roberts at Missouri, SEC, 9 a.m. •Gonzaga vs. Kansas, Chs. 2, 40 (KTXL), 10:30 a.m, •La Salle at St. John’s, FS1, 11 a.m. •Nevada at Nebraska, BIG TEN, 11 a.m. •Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, semifinals, ESPN, 11:30 a.m. •Auburn vs. St. Joseph’s, FS1, 1:30 p.m. •Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, consolation semifinal, ESPN, 2 p.m. •Cal vs. Northwest, PAC12, P12BA, 3 p.m. •Space Coast Challenge, third place game, CBSSN, 3 p.m. •2K Empire Classic, third-place game, ESPN, 4 p.m. •Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, consolation semifinal, ESPN2, 4:30 p.m. •Space Coast Challenge, championship game, CBSSN, 5:30 p.m. •2K Empire Classic, championship game, ESPN, 6 p.m. •New Orleans at BYU, BYUTV, 6 p.m. Football College •Colorado State at Air Force, CBSSN, 11 a.m. •New Mexico at Utah State, FS1, 4 p.m. NFL •Houston at Detroit, Ch. 5, 13, 9:30 a.m. •Washington at Dallas, Chs. 2, 40 (KTXL), 1:30 p.m. •Baltimore at Pittsburgh, Ch. 3, 5:20 p.m. Golf •European Tour, Alfred Dunhill Championship, first round,

GOLF, 2 a.m. •Ladies European Tour, Andalucia Costa Del Sol Women’s

Spanish Open, first round, GOLF, 5 a.m. •European Tour, Alfred Dunhill Championship, second round, GOLF, 2 a.m. (Friday) •Ladies European Tour, Andalucia Costa Del Sol Women’s

Spanish Open, second round, GOLF, 5 a.m. Horse racing •America’s Day at the Races, FS2, 8:30 a.m. Motorsports •Formula 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Practice 1, ESPN2, 2:55 a.m. (Friday) •Formula 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Practice 2, ESPNEWS, 6:55 a.m. (Friday) Soccer •Copa Libertadores, River Plate vs. Club Universidad

Católica, BEIN, 2:05 p.m. •Copa Libertadores, Defensa y Justicia vs. Vasco da

Gama, BEIN, 4:20 p.m.