La Crosse Tribune Sports News

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche were busy in free agency Friday, signing a crop of players that includes forward Joe Colborne.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Free agent Kevin Durant met with the Golden State Warriors on Friday in The Hamptons.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames quickly filled a couple of needs Friday by signing winger Troy Brouwer to a four-year deal worth a reported $4.5 million annually and giving a one-year deal to goaltender Chad Johnson for a…

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Thunder have added Adrian Griffin an assistant coach and also promoted Vin Bhavnani and Royal Ivey as assistant coaches.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators have signed defensemen Yannick Weber and Matt Irwin to one-year contracts.

Zach Ziemek has performed on big stages before.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Former Cowboys special teams player C.J. Spillman has been sentenced to five years in prison for a conviction on a sexual assault charge from a 2014 incident at a Dallas-area hotel.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks acquired one of the top free agents in the NHL on Friday, signing Loui Eriksson to a six-year, $36 million contract.

A person familiar with the negotiations says the New Orleans Pelicans and former Indiana Pacers forward Solomon Hill have agreed to a four-year free-agent contract worth about $50 million.

Two women will make their debut in professional baseball when they take the field for the independent league Sonoma (California) Stompers on Friday night.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than 1,500 former players claiming that NFL teams and their training staffs dispensed powerful drugs while misleading them about the health risks will get their day in court.

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (AP) — Buddy Ryan was remembered not just as a defensive master who won two Super Bowls and spawned a legacy carried on by players and twin sons now coaching in the NFL.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — What's believed to be the first regular-season baseball game played at an active military installation could be a wet one.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Baltimore Ravens tight end Darren Waller has been given a four-game suspension for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.

RECREATION TENNIS

Aaron Ekblad will not be a free agent for a long time. That alone made this free-agency day for the Florida Panthers an overwhelming success.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders moved quickly at the start of NHL free agency, signing forwards Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera but losing longtime stars Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes have re-signed defenseman Kevin Connauton to a two-year contract and signed former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jamie McBain to a one-year deal.

Eric Staal settled with a new team that satisfied his postseason aspirations. The Minnesota Wild found the top-six forward they were seeking.

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Former Wyoming men's basketball coach Larry Shyatt has been hired by the Dallas Mavericks.