In early January, roughly a week after Gregg Berhalter's contract as the United States men's soccer coach expired, Zinedine Zidane rejected an approach from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) to be the next coach.

His lack of interest wasn't surprising given his résumé, but the USSF's pursuit felt instructive. It was a big swing.

A World Cup winner with France as a player, Zidane doesn't need much of an introduction. He established himself as an all-time great on the field and is among the sport's most respected managers, having guided Real Madrid to three straight UEFA Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018. If somehow the USFF had managed to land him, it would have been widely celebrated and set a positive tone for the lead-up to the World Cup on home soil in 2026.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

When that didn't happen, though, there was reason to believe it was someone in that mold -- accomplished at the sport's highest level -- the federation would continue to pursue. Call it basic logic, especially since in that same week, U.S. Soccer announced it had hired a law firm to investigate a domestic violence incident in which Berhalter admitted he had kicked his now-wife in 1991, when they were in college.

With all of this going on, the idea that Berhalter would be rehired seemed far-fetched, and that was before it became public that the parents of budding star Giovanni Reyna -- close friends with the Berhalter family for decades -- had attempted to orchestrate his downfall.

When the investigation was complete in March, its report showed that U.S. Soccer legend Claudio Reyna and his wife, Danielle, both threatened to reveal damaging information about Berhalter to U.S. Soccer officials during the World Cup as their son received limited playing time.

"Once this tournament is over, I can make one phone call and give one interview, and his cool sneakers and bounce passes will be gone," Danielle Reyna told a federation staff member, according to the report.

On Dec. 11, she did, informing then-sporting director Earnie Stewart of the incident. And at least for roughly six months, that call had the desired effect: Berhalter was out as USMNT coach.

That, of course, is no longer the case. Berhalter was reintroduced as the U.S. coach on Friday and will take the baton back from interim coach B.J. Callahan at the conclusion of the Gold Cup.

Whether Berhalter is the right coach can -- and will -- be debated ad nauseam, but what's not up for discussion is that his circuitous route back to the role was bizarre.

Few details on candidates, interview process

When Stewart departed to become the director of football at PSV Eindhoven in late January, U.S. Soccer announced it hired an outside agency, Sportsology, to head the search for his replacement, who would then be responsible for hiring the next head coach.

"Working with key U.S. Soccer leadership, Sportsology has also already begun a full review of U.S. Soccer's sporting department," the USSF announced in January. "The group will also analyze head coach candidates to accelerate the Sporting Director's hiring process."

It took three months before Matt Crocker, most recently the director of football operations at English club Southampton, was hired in April. In a Q&A after his hiring, Crocker said he'd conduct a series of interviews in June, narrow the list of candidates, and then another round in the middle of July.

At Berhalter's re-hiring news conference, Crocker said that a "worldwide" search had been conducted, adding: "I spoke to numerous candidates from guys that were [in roles] in the top leagues, coaches who have coached internationally previously."

Crocker also confirmed the number of candidates was in "double-digits" but did confirm any other names or if that second round of planned interviews had occurred. It's also unclear who of those interviewed were subjected to what U.S. Soccer described as a "battery of practical and psychological testing."

One candidate, Jesse Marsch, was presumably in the mix until the end given his agent, Ron Waxman, tweeted that the ex-Leeds United manager would will not take the USMNT job just hours before news leaked of Berhalter's return. Another candidate, ex-Arsenal star and recent Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira, had initial talks with the federation but sources told ESPN's Julien Laurensthat talks did not progress.

Oguchi Onyewu, recently hired as the federation's vice president of sporting, said Sunday on the Paramount+ Nations League pregame show that other names would not be divulged as a matter of confidentiality.

Did salary or budget play a role?

None of the known candidates represent the same type of ambition associated with the early approach for Zidane, which can be explained a few ways. What is most likely is that the U.S. job -- as desirable as it appears domestically, with a young, talented core and a home World Cup to prepare for -- still doesn't interest the sport's most accomplished coaches.

Then there's the budget. USSF CEO JT Batson said they had no salary restrictions, but a USSF source told ESPN in April that budget would play a role and, for example, something in the range of $10 million salary for a top-tier coach was unrealistic.

Multiple sources told ESPN's Jeff Carlisle the names of the other finalists were not circulated widely among the 23-person USSF board of directors, which approved the Berhalter hire, with only one member voting not to confirm.

Prior to the confirmation, multiple board members expressed concern about giving Berhalter a second World Cup cycle, perhaps primarily as a matter of principle. It's a common refrain all over the world that coaches can lose their effectiveness at the international level beyond one World Cup and that rotating in a fresh voice or perspective guards against that. Jurgen Klinsmann's second cycle with the U.S. supports that idea, but of the 16 teams that reached the 2022 World Cup knockout phases, 10 had either been with the team at the 2018 World Cup or served as the head coach previously.

Did the players want Berhalter back?

As most of the American soccer public dismissed the possibility of Berhalter's return, star Christian Pulisic had not. In an interview with ESPN in March, Pulisic admitted he was not always a fan of Berhalter, but eventually he came around.

"There were moments when -- he benched me. I hated him. I was so angry," Pulisic said. "But then the next game comes along and then I find myself in a better place.

"The way he handled a lot of situations, I have to give him a lot of credit. I think he created a team that was probably the best brotherhood family that I've been a part of. On the football side of things, when it came down to it in World Cup time, I think you could say a lot of people were impressed with what we did out on the field as well."

Pulisic was far from alone. Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Walker Zimmerman and DeAndre Yedlin among others all lauded the job Berhalter did in the past few weeks and months.

In Qatar, the U.S. advanced from the group without allowing a goal from open play before their 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16. It was a strong showing by U.S. standards, especially considering it was using the youngest starting XI in the tournament. After the exit, negotiations for a contract extension with Berhalter were set to begin with the expectation that it was little more than a formality.

But when word leaked that Berhalter referenced Gio Reyna's poor attitude in Qatar (without naming him specifically) during a leadership summit, it changed everything. That's what prompted Danielle Reyna to finally go through with her threat, and once the USSF was made aware of the domestic violence allegation, it made the decision, if largely forced, to back away from extension talks.

"Whoever it is, I'm going to play and give a 100% and that's what I'm going to do," Pulisic told ESPN in March. "In my opinion, everything that happened with Gregg, first of all, was I think handled in an extremely childish manner. I think we all have seen what's been going on. I think it's childish, it's youth soccer, people complaining about playing time. I don't want us go in too far into that, but that's what we'll say.

"I think Gregg has been extremely unfortunate to even get into the position he is now [while he was out of contract]. Do I feel like we should just wait and wait? I don't think it's necessary because I don't feel we're in a phase like we were after, not qualifying four years ago or however many years ago for the last World Cup where we need a complete rebuild."

And what about Gio Reyna?

Pulisic's comments were made prior to Crocker's hiring, and it's impossible to quantify how much weight they carried, but had the players taken a firm stance that it was time for a new coach, it's hard to allow for the possibility that Berhalter would have been rehired.

"From day one, my job was to make sure that I engaged with the players, so they understood where we were and what type of process I was intending to take the candidates through to work through who the best candidate was ultimately coming out ... the other end," Crocker said. "And I kept them up to speed throughout the process."

Crocker never said specifically whether Gio Reyna was among those he consulted, and Berhalter said on Friday he has not spoken with Reyna since the World Cup.

"I'd certainly acknowledge that there's work to do and Gio is an important player to this team," Berhalter said. "He's an extremely talented individual, and I have the obligation and the commitment to coach him like I coach every other player and I want to get the best out of him. We want to get the best out of him and we know that if we can unlock his talents, he's going to be a game-changer for this program. So there's work to do, and part of it is working together with Matt and trying to rebuild a relationship that we know will be important moving forward."

Tough, potentially awkward conversations are sure to come. Reyna has addressed the situation publicly only once, in a December Instagram post, in which he expressed disappointment that events in a private team setting were made public and "extremely surprised that anyone on the U.S. men's team staff would contribute to it. Coach Berhalter has always said that issues that arise with the team will stay 'in house' so we can focus on team unity and progress."

His initial on-field response, however, couldn't have been better. Reyna played what might have been his most impressive half of soccer in a U.S. shirt during the Concacaf Nations League final against Canada on Sunday, assisting both goals in the 2-0 win -- one on a corner, one on a brilliantly weighted pass to new striker Folarin Balogun -- before leaving the game at halftime with an injury. His influence on the game was pronounced and he ran that game from central midfield, a role Berhalter never deployed him in.

"Meeting with me is not the priority [for Reyna]," Berhalter said Friday. "It's for him to get rest and prepare for the upcoming season. We'll have time to do that. It is a priority, but we'll have time to do that before the September window."

OMAHA, Neb. -- LSU staved off elimination from the Men's College World Series for a second time. And now the Tigers are right where they expected to be all along.

Cade Beloso hit a go-ahead three-run homer, freshman Griffin Herring pitched 4⅔ innings of shutout relief in his longest outing and LSU forced a second-bracket final with a 5-2 victory over No. 1 national seed Wake Forest on Wednesday night.

The winner of the rematch Thursday night will advance to play Florida in the best-of-three championship series that starts Saturday. The Gators clinched their spot with a 3-2 win over TCU.

"We expect to be playing important baseball in June," Tigers coach Jay Johnson said. "We play every game like we're playing important baseball in June. Like, the Tuesday on March 22 against McNeese is a playoff game to us. The thought process behind that is if you do that all year long, then you can just stay in character when you get to the postseason."

Wake Forest (54-11) will look to bounce back from its first loss in its eight NCAA tournament games. The Demon Deacons, who have not lost consecutive games this season, are trying to reach the championship round in their first MCWS appearance since the 1955 team won the national title.

"We'll come out ready to play tomorrow like we've done all year," Wake Forest coach Tom Walter said. "We've responded to adversity all year. Tomorrow will be no different."

LSU hopes to set up a rematch of the 2017 finals, which Florida won.

"It's the same game we've been playing since February," Beloso said. "We're going to go out there, have fun, we're going to compete to the best of our abilities and let the rest take care of itself. Everybody knows the scenario. But you don't have to put any more pressure on yourself."

The coaches didn't announce starting pitchers, but aces Paul Skenes of LSU and Rhett Lowder of Wake Forest were not ruled out.

The Deacons scored 75 runs and hit 19 homers in their first five NCAA tournament games, all played at home. They have just eight runs -- their fewest over three games since April 2021 -- and one homer at Charles Schwab Field, where the wind has blown in for three days. They're batting .198 here, and leading hitter Nick Kurtz is 0-for-9, while Justin Johnson is 0-for-12.

"We play in a pretty small ballpark, and the balls that usually go out there aren't going out here," Wake Forest's Pierce Bennett said. "We just need to adjust on keeping hard and low line drives. It's hard to do. Hitting's hard. You can't really intentionally do that all the time. But just focusing in, zeroing in on just hitting line drives, finding the holes."

The Tigers erased a 2-0 deficit in the third inning when Dylan Crews scored on a wild pitch to tie it before Beloso launched Seth Keener's 2-0 offering into the right-field bullpen. As Beloso approached the plate, he pulled his helmet off, chest-bumped Gavin Dugas and slapped Tre' Morgan's arm -- and all three then did cross-arm flexes in front of their celebrating dugout.

It was only the fourth homer surrendered by Keener in 69 innings this season.

Herring, who hadn't pitched since June 5 and had never gone more than three innings, steadied the Tigers after starter Javen Coleman and Blake Money combined to get just five outs.

The left-hander entered with LSU down two runs and held one of the country's top offenses scoreless.

"Pure adrenaline," Herring said. "This place is awesome. I think I kind of was able to feed off the adrenaline instead of letting it get to me, kind of like a steroid shot. Pretty cool."

Coach Johnson drew laughs when he interjected: "We'll make sure adrenaline is not on the NCAA banned substance list."

Herring allowed three hits, walked one and struck out six. He left with runners at the corners and one out in the sixth.

Gavin Guidry came on and struck out national home run co-leader Brock Wilken and Justin Johnson to end the threat. The Deacons got two runners on in the eighth before Riley Cooper, who shut out Tennessee over the last three innings on Tuesday, got Tommy Hawke to line out.

Cooper, who earned his second save in as many nights and third of the season, worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to strike out Kurtz and Wilken and got Johnson to ground out to end the game and set up the winner-take-all bracket final.

"It's just another game," Bennett said. "Bottom line: We've been doing it all year. Haven't lost a series all year. Knock on wood on that one."

Three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton has declined his $40 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks to become a free agent, his agents Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

A return to the Bucks on a new deal remains a possibility.

Injuries have plagued Middleton since the 2022 playoffs, when he missed Milwaukee's final 10 playoff games with a sprained MCL. He underwent left wrist surgery during last year's offseason, which sidelined him for the first 20 games of the 2022-23 season.

He returned on Dec. 2, 2022, and played six of seven games before missing 18 straight with right knee soreness.

Middleton, who turns 32 in August, underwent successful surgery on his right knee shortly after Milwaukee's first-round playoff exit to address the lingering issue. He averaged nearly 24 points and 6.2 assists in that playoff series, a five-game loss to the Miami Heat.

Middleton has been with the Bucks for 10 seasons, transitioning from role player to three-time All-Star and one of the faces of the franchise alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. He had several big playoff performances in 2021 en route to the team's first NBA championship in 50 years.

Information from ESPN's Jamal Collier was included in this report.

The Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies agreed to a three-team trade late Wednesday night that sent center Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, guard Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies and guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

As part of the deal, Memphis is sending Boston its first-round pick in Thursday's draft -- the 25th overall selection -- as well as the Golden State Warriors' top-four-protected first-round pick in 2024, sources said, while the Celtics are sending the 35th pick in Thursday's draft to Washington. The Celtics are also sending forward Danilo Gallinari and center Mike Muscala to Washington as part of the deal, sources said.

The three-team deal came together in the minutes leading up to a midnight ET deadline for Porzingis to opt in to his $36 million player option for the 2023-24 season. With the deal completed, Porzingis did opt in, sources said.

The trade capped a long day of negotiations involving the Celtics and Wizards over a possible Porzingis deal, after the two teams first attempted to hammer out a three-team agreement with the LA Clippers that would've sent Malcolm Brogdon to Los Angeles, the 30th pick in the draft to the Wizards and Porzingis to the Celtics.

But when that deal fell apart, Boston pivoted to talks with Memphis, allowing this deal to come together just before the deadline.

For the Celtics, the deal presents a radical shift in what their team will look like.

Porzingis, who will turn 28 on Aug. 2, had arguably the best season of his NBA career this past year in Washington, averaging a career-high 23.2 points to go along with 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks in 65 games for the Wizards. The fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Knicks was playing his first full season in Washington after the Wizards traded for him at the 2022 trade deadline, sending Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to Dallas in exchange.

Now, he is off to Boston, where the Celtics are attempting to retool their roster to make another run at an 18th NBA championship this coming season, as Porzingis will give the Celtics an entirely different offensive dimension alongside stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, in addition to the Celtics landing those two first-round selections.

Landing Porzingis was just the first of several big decisions ahead for the Celtics this summer, as Boston also can offer Brown, an All-Star forward, a five-year, $295 million contract extension this summer and has to sort out the future of restricted free agent forward Grant Williams.

Boston will also have to adjust to life without Smart, who has been the heart of the team throughout his nine years with the franchise, making him the longest-tenured player on the current roster in addition to being one of the league's best and most versatile perimeter defenders, which was recognized by his winning the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award.

But all of the things that made Smart so valued in Boston are exactly what the Grizzlies will be looking for him to provide in Memphis, as they try to bounce back from last year's first-round exit against the Los Angeles Lakers. Smart, who averaged a career-high 6.3 assists last season for the Celtics, will also be more than capable of stepping into the starting point guard role for Memphis while Ja Morant is serving his suspension over the first 25 games of the season.

It had been anticipated that Jones was going to be the player filling in for Morant. Instead, Jones will now be the starting point guard in Washington, where new president of basketball operations Michael Winger continues to remake the team's roster.

This is the second significant trade the Wizards have made in the space of a few days, after completing the blockbuster deal to send Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, several second-round picks and first-round pick swaps.

Meanwhile, sources told Wojnarowski on Tuesday that Washington forward Kyle Kuzma, one of the more intriguing free agents on the market this summer, declined his player option and will be an unrestricted free agent.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A play at home plate in a game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants was overturned on review Wednesday night, the second straight day a disputed review had a significant impact on the outcome of a game.

In the fifth inning at Oracle Park, Blake Sabol of the Giants appeared to be thrown out sliding into home by a strong throw by Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. on Joc Pederson's two-out single to right.

Sabol was initially ruled out, but the call was challenged by San Francisco and changed following a lengthy review when umpires cited San Diego catcher Gary Sanchez for blocking the plate. Frustrated Padres manager Bob Melvin argued the call after the video review but was unsuccessful.

"The throw took (Sanchez) up the line," Melvin said. "Based on where he started, it looked like they showed the replay from when the throw was already on the way, and as a catcher, you have to have some feel for that. You've got to also understand the impact and where the runner was. To me, it was just one of the worst calls I've seen this year."

Sabol knew quickly that something was amiss on the play,

"I was running as hard as I could," Sabol said. "I was trying to avoid a collision there. I feel like I didn't even have a chance to touch (the plate). That was a big, big challenge for us."

Mike Yastrzemski followed Pederson's hit with an RBI liner up the middle, and J.D. Davis then lashed a single to right center for a four-run lead in a game eventually won by the Giants 4-2.

"It was a definite momentum shift," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "Obviously we came out on the good end of it. If I was on the other side, I'd probably find something to be upset about. But under the circumstances I'm good with it."

A night earlier, Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was ejected after a call at the plate was overturned because catcher Jonah Heim was ruled to have blocked the plate illegally.

The Chicago White Sox's Zach Remillard singled in Elvis Andrus with the go-ahead run on a play that was overturned by video review. Andrus was initially called out at the plate by umpire D.J. Reyburn on Travis Jankowski's throw.

Bochy was booted for the 80th time in his career.

"For that call to be made, I'm dumbfounded," Bochy said. "It's absolutely one of the worst calls I've ever seen, and it was done by replay. I just don't get it. I don't care how many times they'll try to explain it. You can't do that in that situation. It's a shame. It's embarrassing, really.

"There was never any contact with the catcher. It was a sweep tag. I don't get it. I really don't. Again, I'm shocked. Jonah did a great job there. The throw took him to the left a little bit, sweep tag. I'm lost on this one. That's a tough one to take."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Luis Suárez's teammates at Gremio and the Brazilian club's president expressed concern Wednesday after media speculation that the striker is on the verge of retirement because of persistent knee pain.

The 36-year-old former Barcelona and Liverpool striker has not commented on Brazilian media reports this week, but Gremio president Alberto Guerra, defender Reinaldo and midfielder João Paulo Bitello have spoken publicly about the veteran player's difficulties in training and matches. His right knee is his main injury concern.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"[He needs] a lot of injections, a lot of medicine," Guerra told reporters during an event at the club's stadium. "It is reaching a limit. But we don't know where that limit is, when is his last [match]."

Guerra said Suárez could even need knee replacement surgery at some stage.

Despite the speculation, the Uruguay striker is expected to play for Gremio against America in the Brazilian league game on Thursday.

Bitello said Suárez "complains about his pain, he has an overload in his legs, he sacrifices himself," adding that the player has to put his health first.

"If that [retirement] happens it will be a huge loss for us. We get along very well, he is a great player. But his health comes before everything else," Bitello told Radio Bandeirantes. "He has [had] a beautiful career and we have to take care for this injury not to get worse.

"He never talked about retirement, but during training sessions he complains about pain."

Reinaldo said he and his teammates "are enjoying every moment" with Suárez.

"We hope he can carry on this year and in the next one," Reinaldo said. "He is a player that helps us a lot day-to-day and during matches."

Suárez joined Gremio in December. He has played 25 matches for the southern Brazil team and scored 11 goals. His contract is due to expire at the end of 2024.

He had been linked with a reunion with former Barca teammate Lionel Messi at MLS club Inter Miami SC, but Suarez rejected that idea as "impossible" earlier this month.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Three days after being placed on the injured list for mental health reasons, Minnesota Twins reliever Jorge López was on the mound participating in pitchers' fielding practice.

López is happy to be around the team, appreciative of the support he has received and is working toward a return.

The 30-year-old right-hander hopes he doesn't need much longer than the required 15 days, but López recognized the need for help after the team approached him.

"It was more their decision," López said. "I just accepted. I think it's something I really appreciate, to recognize that and work through that. I think we talk about that a lot, about this game, it's more mental than physical. So, you work as much as you can to get your body and everything like that but at the same time, you got to do your mind.

"That's what I'm trying to do every day, get my mind fresh and start clean."

López admitted to frustration over his recent performances that caused him to act out. López was unscored upon in April, holding opponents to a .140 batting average over 12 innings and 13 appearances.

He allowed two earned runs in his first outing in May that started a tough month-plus. Over his last 16 appearances before being put on the injured list, he gave up 15 earned runs in 15 innings and opponents hit .349 against him. It culminated in a two-inning appearance against Detroit on June 15 when López gave up three runs.

"Just little stuff where bad outings, I'd start kicking stuff, punching stuff, getting mad real quick and I couldn't control the emotion and stuff," López said Wednesday. "That took me a little bit out of the game and you became frustrated every day. Even you try to be new guy next day, but it kind of get the snowball going. Good thing they recognized that and they told me about it, and it's just time to reflect and move forward."

López was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday for mental health reasons. He became the fourth player in the majors this season to be added to the injured list for mental health following Colorado's Daniel Bard, Detroit's Austin Meadows and Oakland's Trevor May.

"I think it's been actually pretty fantastic that he's been able to be here with us and spend some time, work on some of the things non-baseball related, and also get on the field," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I'm really so happy for him that he's taken this as a challenge. He's looked at himself, and he's said, 'I need some help, and I need some support right now.' And we're happy to be there to give it to him in every possible way."

López said he has spoken with a psychologist. Being around his teammates has also been helpful.

"At the end of the day, I just want to make everybody feel good when I win, but some emotions, you have to get into yourself and talk about it to get better," López said. "Just keep smiling, stay happy inside of the body, and control what you can control."

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Los Angeles Angels infielder Gio Urshela is likely to miss the rest of the season with a broken pelvis.

Angels manager Phil Nevin provided the update Wednesday on Urshela, who was enjoying a solid debut season for Los Angeles before he fell awkwardly at first base while trying to beat out his grounder on June 15 at Texas.

Urshela fractured his left pelvis in the fall. The Colombian veteran has seen two specialists to determine he won't need surgery, but the rest and recovery time necessary to heal are likely to prevent him from playing again in 2023, Nevin said.

Urshela is batting .299 with two homers and 24 RBI for the Angels, who acquired the former Yankees infielder from Minnesota last November and signed him to an $8.4 million, one-year contract. He has filled all four infield positions for the Angels, playing primarily at third base and first base.

His absence is a blow to the playoff hopes of the Angels, who are trying to end their eight-year postseason drought.

The Angels are also currently playing without oft-injured third baseman Anthony Rendon and promising rookie shortstop Zach Neto due to injuries.

The 31-year-old Urshela will be an unrestricted free agent this winter.

The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is the year of the goaltender.

Netminders Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon have all been selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, as announced Wednesday. They join former NHL center Pierre Turgeon and Canadian women's hockey star Caroline Ouellette, as well as coach Ken Hitchcock and the late Pierre Lacroix, who built two Stanley Cup champions with the Colorado Avalanche.

Lundqvist was a first-year-eligible Hall candidate. He's sixth in NHL career wins (459), ninth in games played (887) and 11th in career save percentage (.918). Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender in 2011-12 and was a finalist for the award a total of five times. He was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2011-12.

What really put Lundqvist over the top was his international success. He led Team Sweden to Olympic men's hockey gold in the 2006 Turin Games and silver in the 2014 Sochi Games. He won gold at the IIHF world championship in 2017 and bronze at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Lundqvist played his entire career with the New York Rangers. He signed a free agent contract with the Washington Capitals in 2020 but did not play for them, as his career was cut short by a heart condition.

"Growing up as a kid, thinking about players in the Hall of Fame, it was such a big inspiration to me. It's why I started playing hockey," said Lundqvist on Wednesday. "Even thinking about Tom and Mike, I remember having posters on the wall of both of you guys."

Barrasso has been eligible since 2006. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. In 1983-84, he was the rookie of the year and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender with the Buffalo Sabres. His 369 wins is 20th all time.

Vernon has been eligible since 2005. He led two teams to the Stanley Cup: the Calgary Flames in 1989 and the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, when Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His 385 NHL wins ranks 16th all time.

"The game has meant a lot to me throughout my life," said Vernon. "I'm just flabbergasted."

Turgeon has been eligible since 2010. He played 1,294 games in the NHL with six teams, the majority of them with the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues. His 515 career goals ranks 40th all time, and his 1,327 career points ranks 34th. Turgeon never won an international hockey medal, never won the Stanley Cup and won only a single individual award in the NHL: the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play in 1992-93.

"It's crazy [that] I played hockey for a living. And I still play. And I still go out there twice a week because I love the game so much," said Turgeon.

Ouellette was in her second year of eligibility. The forward is one of only five athletes to win a gold medal in four consecutive Winter Olympics, helping the Canadian women to the top of the podium in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, along with Olympic silver in 1998. She won six gold medals in the IIHF women's world championship.

Ouellette had a 2.36 points-per-game average in 97 games with University of Minnesota-Duluth. She also won the 2009 Clarkson Cup with the Montreal Stars, becoming only one of three players to win the Clarkson Cup, Olympic gold and worlds gold. The other two are Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, both Hall of Famers.

Since 2010, when women's players earned their own category, there has only been one induction class that included more than one women's player.

Hitchcock is fourth in career NHL wins with 849 and seventh in games coached with 1,598. Hitchcock led the 1998-99 Dallas Stars to their first Stanley Cup championship and then won the Western Conference again the next season. Hitchcock also coached the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers. He also served as an assistant coach for the 2014 Canadian Olympic national team, which won gold.

"My career started in minor hockey coaching kids. To reach this stage is almost overwhelming to me," said Hitchcock.

Lacroix passed away in 2020. He was the president and general manager of the Quebec Nordiques and then followed them when they relocated to Colorado. His bold moves as Avalanche GM -- including the acquisitions of Hall of Famers Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake -- led to Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001.

"It's been a long time coming. I'm sure my father today is overwhelmed. I know he wanted this badly, so thank you to everybody," said his son, Marty Lacroix.

Among the players who didn't make the cut this season were winger Alexander Mogilny; centers Rod Brind'Amour, Patrik Elias, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, Henrik Zetterberg; defenseman Sergei Gonchar; goalie Curtis Joseph; and women's players Meghan Duggan and Jennifer Botterill.

Eligible players must have played their last game at least three years ago. They must receive at least 75% of the vote from the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee. A maximum of four men's players, two women's players and two builders are inducted each year.

The selection committee consists of 18 individuals appointed by the board of directors. Among the current committee members are former players such as Mike Gartner (chairman), Ron Francis, Cammi Granato and Igor Larionov; hockey executives such as Brian Burke, Mark Chipman and David Poile; and media members such as Bob McKenzie.

The induction celebration is scheduled for Nov. 13 at the Hall of Fame in Toronto.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Spencer Knight has been in contact with the Florida Panthers, and the team is working under the premise that the goaltender will be back with the Panthers this fall.

Knight entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in February and was not with Florida for the remainder of the season, including the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final.

"He's doing well, and we expect him back in the fold in the fall," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said Wednesday.

Knight was in his second full season in the NHL, sharing responsibilities in net with veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. He started in 19 games and appeared in 21 this past season, going 9-8-3 with a 3.18 goals-against average and .901 save percentage.

He last appeared for Florida on Feb. 18.

Knight leaving the team led to Alex Lyon getting significant playing time for the Panthers in the stretch run of the regular season -- in part because Bobrovsky got sick -- and in the beginning of the playoffs. Lyon went 6-2-1 with a .930 save percentage late in the season, fueling Florida's run to secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Lyon is about to become an unrestricted free agent.

"I can imagine that, at a minimum, we'll be talking to Alex," Zito said.

The NHL and NHLPA started the player assistance program in 1996, giving players access to a confidential phone line and counselors in each city in the league. The jointly funded group assists players and their families with mental health, substance abuse and other matters.