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Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
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The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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ReutersGeoffrion’s friends in Atlanta were caught off guard by his death.
“He left really quick,” said Dan Bouchard, who played for the Atlanta Flames when Geoffrion coached the team in the 1970s. “I just found out last week that he was not doing well and, boom, he’s gone.”
Geoffrion was the first coach of the (now Calgary) Flames, guiding the team to the playoffs in only their second season. He also had brief coaching stints with both the Rangers and Canadiens.
But it was as a player that Geoffrion really stood out. He was the first to bring his stick far above his head when shooting, creating a powerful shot that gave led to his nickname — the sound of his stick hitting the puck made a boom and the sound of the puck hitting the boards made another boom.
Geoffrion was a scoring star on Canadiens teams that also featured Hall of Famers Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Jean Beliveau, Doug Harvey and Jacques Plante. Montreal won a record five straight Stanley Cups from 1956-60.
In 1960-61, Geoffrion won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP after joining Richard as the only players to score 50 goals in a season.
Born in Montreal on Feb. 16, 1931, Geoffrion played 16 seasons in the NHL, including 14 with the Canadiens. After a two-year retirement, he made a comeback with the Rangers in 1966. He retired for good following the 1968 season, finishing his career with 393 goals and 429 assists in 883 regular-season games. In 132 playoff games, he had 58 goals and 60 assists.
He was hired as coach of the Rangers, but didn’t even get to start the season because ulcers forced him to have surgery to remove part of his stomach.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, less than a month after being hired to coach the expansion Flames.
“I can’t believe this,” Geoffrion said at the time, according to the book “The Babes of Winter” that chronicled the Flames’ first three seasons. “First I get the new team, now I make the Hall of Fame.”
He led Atlanta to a 77-92-39 record from 1972-75, including a playoff berth in Year 2.
Geoffrion, with his thick French-Canadian accent, moved into broadcasting for the Flames until the team moved to Calgary.
Geoffrion became Montreal’s coach in 1979, replacing Scotty Bowman, but stepped down after only 30 games due to conflicts with the team’s management.
Geoffrion’s supporters say the Canadiens waited too long to retire his number.
“They procrastinated a long time,” Dan Bouchard said. “Everybody else in Montreal who made the Hall of Fame had their jersey retired. His jersey should have been hanging up in the old Forum. That was the mecca.”
In his last hockey appearance, Geoffrion presented Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk with the Rocket Richard Cup on Oct. 22. The “Boomer” received a standing ovation from Atlanta’s fans.
Geoffrion was admitted to an Atlanta hospital last week.
“Today is a very sad day across the hockey world and here in Atlanta,” Thrashers coach Bob Hartley said. “Boom Boom was an incredible man who meant a great deal to me, and I’m fortunate to have called him a friend and a mentor.”
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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