Author: reporter

Drew Bannister is out as coach of the St. Louis Blues after less than a full calendar year on the job. Jim Montgomery is back behind the bench of an NHL team five days after he was fired by the Boston Bruins.The Blues fired Bannister on Sunday and hired Montgomery as his replacement, a stunning move a quarter of the way through the NHL season that puts a seasoned coach in charge of shepherding St. Louis through a retooling period and into the potential re-opening of the organization’s Stanley Cup-contending window.President and general manager Doug Armstrong said he did not…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas did not punt. And CU’s dream of reaching the Big 12 title game took a kick in the walnuts.The Buffs arrived at Arrowhead Stadium with their destiny in their hands. And like every KU ball carrier Saturday, it slipped through their fingers.Racing into the locker room, a KU player leaped into the air and delivered an expletive about CU. Could the Buffs fans, save for Peggy, be blamed for joining him?This game provided an opportunity to make a statement. Now, CU must wait, painfully needing Wil Hunting to sift through the tiebreakers with multiple teams…

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Colorado Avalanche showed off its sublime collection of skill, increased depth and ability to play beautiful hockey against the defending Stanley Cup champions on Saturday night.Some of the Avs’ early-season flaws were also on display at Amerant Arena. In the end, Colorado needed a great third period from its goaltender and contributions from nearly the entire lineup to collect a 7-4 win against the Florida Panthers.It didn’t always look great, but the Avs have won seven of their last nine games and 12 of 17 since an 0-4 start.“I think we’re pretty happy with the lineup…

Jamal Murray shoved the ball away from him like it was a heat pad.With 4.2 seconds left and the Nuggets trailing Dallas, 121-119, Murray stepped up for the second of two free throws with the intention of missing. The Blue Arrow pushed the rock at the rim on a rope, with exquisite disgust.It banked off the backboard and tushed right through the net.One of those nights. One of those Novembers.“The whole game, I’m trying to make (a shot), and I’m trying to miss one time,” the Nuggets guard recalled with a rueful chuckle late Friday night after a 123-120 defeat.…

Instant analysis from the CU Buffs’ 37-21 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium:Wrong Sanders: For the Buffs to win, they needed a Sanders in the headline — just not that one. Shedeur in the big type or Deion in bold meant a victory. Shilo? Not so much. The senior safety struggled again. Sanders recorded three penalties — a horse collar tackle, offsides and personal foul — in a game where discipline and winning in the margins was critical. Sanders was not the reason the Buffs lost. But he was in on too many tackles and…

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday created new oversight for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in the wake of a sweeping DNA testing scandal at the statewide law enforcement agency.The governor established a 14-member oversight committee for CBI’s forensic services division that will review “quality incidents” in the division, offer feedback on policies and procedures, and propose improvements, according to a three-page executive order.The new oversight committee comes in the wake of revelations that a longtime scientist at CBI, Yvonne “Missy” Woods, manipulated DNA testing results for years even as her colleagues repeatedly raised concerns about the quality of her work…

A Jefferson County contractor was convicted of multiple felonies this week after hiring unlicensed workers who exposed an Arvada neighborhood to asbestos.Lance Slayton was paid more than $70,000 to fix up a fire-damaged unit and abate asbestos at an 82-year-old’s fourplex rental property in 2022, according to a news release from the state attorney general’s office.State investigators later found that Slayton’s companies improperly removed and dumped the cancer-causing insulator, endangering workers and residents. Slayton also left the job unfinished.On Thursday, a jury found Slayton guilty of criminal exploitation of an at-risk person, theft from an at-risk person and intentionally causing…

Pat Surtain II embodies Deion Sanders’ philosophy of “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.”The cornerback has worn stylish pregame fits that draw praise from teammates. And he brings that same swagger onto the field.During Denver’s previous matchup against the Raiders last month, Surtain broke out a pair of blue and white Nike Air Diamond Turf 96 TD — the Buffs coach’s signature cleat. Wearing Sanders’ cleats, he channeled the Hall of Fame defensive back, intercepting the ball near the end zone and sprinting 100 yards down the field for a touchdown.Surtain is…

Jamie Franks won’t call 2020 a transition period between two eras of his time coaching the DU Pioneers men’s soccer team, but the feeling he had recruiting the 2021 class was certainly different.After reaching the Final Four of the College Cup in 2016, Franks said he thought players came into the program wanting to “take” what was left behind rather than to build their own legacy.A sharp decline followed as the Pios finished 6-12-3 in the fall of 2019, after which he turned over his entire coaching staff — forcing Franks to look inward and rededicate himself to recruiting. Then…

A Southwest Airlines plane bound for California returned to Denver International Airport on Thursday after the aircraft’s cabin failed to fully pressurize, according to the airline. Southwest Airlines Flight 4277 turned around after reaching 12,000 feet, when staff aboard the airplane learned of the pressurization problem. No injuries were reported, and oxygen masks were not deployed, the airline said in a statement. The flight departed DIA at 8:39 p.m. and returned by 9:33 p.m., according to the airline and flight-tracking service FlightAware. Passengers aboard the diverted flight to Oakland were accommodated on a subsequent flight. Get more Colorado news by…