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SPORTSThursday 22 October 2015

Serena Williams, Blue Jackets fire Todd

Andy Murray Richards, hire Tortorella

confirmed for Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards reacts on want the players to speak
the bench during a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders in an NHL to the staff just to find out
Hopman Cup hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio. where they’re at.”
With a 446-375-115 re-
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Top-ranked Serena Williams will Associated Press cord over 14 seasons, the
combine with Jack Sock once again when she opens her 57-year-old Tortorella is the
2016 tennis season at the Hopman Cup tournament in CRAIG MERZ now is expectations,” Tor- NHL’s winningest U.S.-born
January. Associated Press torella said. “Expectations coach. Tortorella coached
Williams, who won the event in 2003 with James Blake COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — that weren’t there last year Tampa Bay for seven sea-
and in 2008 with Mardy Fish, has been troubled by injury John Tortorella hoisted with this club.” sons — compiling a mark of
late this year, but expects to be ready for her now stan- a Stanley Cup in Tampa Columbus is just the sixth 239-222-36-38 and earning
dard Australian Open preparation event. Bay and led the New York NHL team to open with the Jack Adams Award as
World No. 2 Andy Murray will also head to Perth for the Rangers to the verge of a seven consecutive losses NHL coach of the year in
Jan. 3-9 event, partnering Heather Watson for Britain. championship berth. after a 4-0 defeat against the championship 2003-04
Troubled Australian Nick Kyrgios is will play in one of the At woebegone Colum- the New York Islanders season.
host nation’s two entries — Australia Green — while for- bus, the Blue Jackets have on Tuesday night. It’s the Dubinsky, who butted
mer No. 1 Leyton Hewitt joins Casey Dellacqua in Austra- a more modest goal for Blue Jackets’ worst start in heads with Tortorella at
lia Gold. the veteran coach: Win a franchise history, and their times in New York, said he
After opening the 2015 season at the Hopman Cup, Wil- game. longest losing streak since now appreciates how the
liams went on to win the Australian Open, French Open Tortorella is back coach- dropping seven straight in coach elevated his game.
and Wimbledon, as well as reaching the U.S. Open semi- ing in the NHL after the Blue regulation from Nov. 11-25, “He got things out of me I
finals. Jackets fired Todd Richards 2005. “It was a tough start,” didn’t know I had,” Dubin-
“Perth definitely started something quite amazing so it’s on Wednesday with the right wing Jared Boll said. sky said. “He’s helped my
only natural, and fair and reasonable that I go back to team off to an 0-7-0 start. “Everything kept snow- career and I anticipate
Perth,” Williams said. “He’s proven he’s a good balling and losses kept pil- he’s going to help me ca-
“For me the Hopman Cup is super great preparation for coach,” said center Bran- ing up. It’s still only seven reer and help a lot of guys
the Australian Open,” she added. “In 2016 I want to play don Dubinsky, who played games. We’ve got a lot of here, especially with the
doubles in Australia, so it will be really exciting for me to for Tortorella with the Rang- hockey. We can’t hang our amount of young guys we
get there, play some doubles and get some little experi- ers from 2008-12. “He’s go- heads and feel sorry for our- have here.”
ence at the Hopman Cup.” ing to help our group. Un- selves and make excuses.” For his part, Tortorella said
France’s Gael Monfils, as well as women’s stars Lucie Sa- fortunately, it’s going to be That’s not the type of start Dubinsky was the first play-
farova and Sabine Lisicki will also compete.q at the expense of a great that was expected from a er he talked to when he ar-
person and a great coach team that restocked its ros- rived at Nationwide Arena
Colangelo says next (but) we got another one. ter this summer after closing on Wednesday.
We’ve got to step up for last season on 16-2-1 run. “I need to lean on him,”
U.S. basketball coach him.” “We’re not responding the Tortorella said. “He’s part
Tortorella, who won the right way,” general manag- of that heartbeat of the
likely from pros Stanley Cup with the Tam- er Jarmo Kekalainen said. club. He needs to be a
pa Bay Lightning in 2004, “By no means does this let conduit between the play-
The Associated Press has been out of hockey anyone off the hook.” ers and the coaching staff
An NBA coach will likely follow Mike Krzyzewski as U.S. since the Canucks fired him Tortorella signed a three- until I get to know the other
Olympic basketball coach. in May 2014 after one sea- year contract and will guys.” Tortorella is suddenly
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo says Tuesday son in Vancouver. He takes make his debut Thursday in demand after his year
during an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio that the over for Richards, who had when Columbus visits Min- off. Last month, he was
“odds are that it will be a professional coach.” been with the Blue Jackets nesota. The Blue Jackets hired by USA Hockey to
Krzyzewski was hired as U.S. coach in 2005 when Colan- since 2012 and led them to play seven of their next coach the American team
gelo began the national team program and will guide only their second NHL play- eight games on the road. competing in the NHL’s
the Americans into the Olympics for the third straight time off appearance in 2013- Tortorella said he wanted World Cup of Hockey tour-
next summer in Rio. Colangelo says he hopes to unveil his 14, when they lost to the to learn as much as he nament next year.
plan to replace him sometime soon. Pittsburgh Penguins in the could about his struggling Tortorella acknowledged
The Americans had only been led by NBA coaches once opening round. team. spending the past year
pro players were allowed to be used starting with the “One of the problems right “I need to listen,” he said. “I soul-searching to deter-
1992 Olympics. Colangelo hired the Duke coach, who mine what he might have
has won two Olympic golds and two more world titles.q done differently in Van-
couver. It was a season in
which a second-half col-
lapse led to the Canucks
missing the playoffs three
years after reaching the
Stanley Cup final.
“I have searched and
looked at situations of what
I could’ve done a better
job there, and I do have
some answers with that,”
he said. “So sure, I think you
become a better coach
when you dig deep.”q