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By STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Hockey Writer The NHL is launching a new faceoff probability stat that uses a decade's worth of data and in-game analytics to determine the likelihood of each player in the circle winning the draw. The league and Amazon Web Services are unveiling the new feature Tuesday. It's the latest innovation in the puck and player tracking sphere and could be just the start of machine-learning technology in hockey with implications for gambling and countless other statistics. Using information from the past 10 years of games in combination with the location of a faceoff, game situation and player performance, AWS software spits out percentage Brooks Running Shoes chances of who's coming away with the puck in a matter of seconds before the linesman drops...

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Phil Mickelson was one of the louder voices on the Ryder Cup Task Force that reshaped the American blueprint and created so much continuity it was easy to predict the next captain. Zach Johnson, a four-time Ryder Cup player and a vice captain on the previous two teams, is the choice for the 2023 matches in Italy. That was easy. The next choice for Bethpage Black in 2025 should have been just as predictable, except that now it isn't. All signs had pointed to Mickelson. Never mind that Mickelson is a six-time major champion who has been part of every Ryder Cup team since 1995, before Collin Morikawa was even born. New York Hey Dudes  loves Mickelson despite — or maybe because of...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Approximately two-thirds of the United States watched the Super Bowl, according to a survey conducted by the National Football League and Nielsen. Nielsen reported the total audience on NBC, Telemundo, Peacock and NFL digital platforms averaged 112.3 million viewers for the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Feb. 13. Nielsen originally measured 167 million people watched at least one minute of the game. However, that swells to 208 million-plus when trying to take into account people watching the game in groups or out of the home. The survey of 6,600 households, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago using the AmeriSpeak panel, examined the size of viewing groups at any Skechers Womens Outlet location and to wh...

By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The more Chicago Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz examined the possibilities for the team's opening at general manager, the more he felt he had what he needed in his own organization — even with the club's recent struggles. The Blackhawks hired Kyle Davidson on Tuesday, dropping his interim tag instead of going outside the floundering franchise for new leadership. “I think if you know Kyle ... you'll realize that he's his own person,” Wirtz said. “He has his own philosophies. ... (It) is quite an advantage, to be both a fresh thinker and a open-minded thinker, but also understand our starting point very expertly. So you kind of get the best of both worlds in that sense.” The GM job is another step in a rapid rise f...

By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer Novak Djokovic and coach Marian Vajda are no longer working together, splitting up after 15 years and 20 Grand Slam titles. A statement that went up on Djokovic’s website on Tuesday said that the two men “agreed to end their partnership” after last year’s season-ending ATP Finals. “Marian has been by my side during the most important and memorable moments in my career,” Djokovic said in the posting. “Together we have achieved some incredible things and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the last 15 years. Skechers Shoes Outlets While he might be leaving the professional team he will always be family and I can’t thank him enough for all he has done.” During Vajda’s tenure, Djokovic also has picke...

By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — While many people spent Valentine's Day with the traditional flowers and chocolates, Brittney Johnson was making theater history. The young Broadway veteran was gently lowered onto the Gershwin Theatre stage to become the first Black actor to assume the role of Glinda full-time in “Wicked,” shattering a racial barrier on the day of love. “One of the most rewarding parts of this is that it’s not just for me. I think it’s the least amount about me,” she says. “It’s about what it means for other people, for people that are going to see me do it or for people that just know that I’m here.” Johnson is part of a sisterhood of women who have recently broken boundaries on American stages, including Emilie ...