RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes will get a lineup boost for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, as winger Teuvo Teravainen is expected to return from injury.

Teravainen, 28, broke his hand on a slash from New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau in Game 2 of their first-round series. He had surgery to repair the hand and missed the remainder of that series and the Hurricanes' six-game second-round series win over the New Jersey Devils.

There were encouraging signs for his progress this week. On Monday, he shed his no-contact jersey and participated in a full practice. Then it became a matter of whether the hand was rehabbed enough to play.

"I'm not going to throw him in if he can't shoot," coach Rod Brind'Amour said.

Teravainen was an active participant in the Hurricanes' morning skate ahead of Thursday's Game 1 against the Florida Panthers. He took line rushes with center Eric Staal and winger Martin Necas.

"He should be ready to go. He gave me a thumbs-up yesterday, and I think he was fine this morning. We've got to get him in," Brind'Amour said.

The coach said Teravainen is an elite passer and "one of our better defenders."

Teravainen had 12 goals and 25 assists in 68 games this season and was scoreless in two playoff games.

There were concerns that the Hurricanes' offense would suffer with Teravainen joining scoring wingers Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty out of the lineup with injuries. But Carolina is fourth in the postseason goals per game (3.64).

Rafael Nadal announced Thursday that he is pulling out of the French Open because of a lingering hip injury that has sidelined him since January and that he expects 2024 to be the final season of his tennis career.

The owner of a record 14 championships at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament will miss it for the first time. He made his debut there in 2005.

Nadal, who turns 37 next month, delivered the news of his withdrawal -- and future plans -- during a news conference at his tennis academy in Manacor, Spain. He said he does not want to set a date for his return to the tennis tour but expects it to take months.

"You can´t keep demanding more and more from your body, because there comes a moment when your body raises a white flag," said Nadal, who sat alone on a stage, wearing jeans and a white polo shirt, as his session with the media was carried live in Spain by the state broadcaster's 24-hour sports network. "Even though your head wants to keep going, your body says this is as far it goes."

He did not offer a date for his return to the tennis tour, but said it is likely to take months.

"You never know how things will turn out," said Nadal, who answered questions in English, Spanish and the local Mallorcan dialect, "but my intention is that next year will be my last year."

One thing he made clear: He does not want to bow out like this, holding a microphone in his left hand instead of a racket. Nadal has been the ultimate competitor, playing every point as if it might be his last, as if the outcome might depend on each and every swing.

"I don't deserve," Nadal said, "to end my career like this, in a press conference."

Nadal's 14 titles at the French Open are the most by any male or female player at any single major in tennis history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Play begins at Roland Garros in Paris on May 28. Nadal has a career record of 112-3 across 18 appearances at the French Open, a level of dominance unmatched by any man or woman at any Grand Slam event in the long annals of a sport that dates to the 1800s. When Nadal won the trophy last year at age 36 while dealing with chronic foot pain, he became the oldest champion in tournament history.

He said he is not sure that taking more time off now will give him a real chance of coming back next season in competitive form, but he explained that he knows he can't keep trying to force his body back into match condition now.

"I am going to stop, I am not going to train. I am not ready to train," Nadal said, alternating answers in Spanish and English. "These have been many months with many moments of frustration, and I can handle frustration, but there comes a time when you have to stop."

Nadal's birthday is June 3, when ordinarily he might have been playing his third-round match in Court Philippe Chatrier. Instead, he will be out of action, just as he has been for most of this season.

He hasn't competed anywhere since he lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open on Jan. 18, when his movement clearly was restricted by a bothersome left hip flexor. That was Nadal's earliest Grand Slam exit since 2016.

An MRI the next day revealed the extent of the injury, and his manager said at the time that the Spanish player was expected to need up to two months to fully recover. He initially aimed to return at the Monte Carlo Masters in March on his beloved red clay, but he wasn't able to play there, then subsequently sat out tournament after tournament, decreasing the likelihood that he would be fully fit in time for the French Open.

Nadal is just 1-3 this season. He has dropped seven of his past nine matches overall, dating to a fourth-round loss to Frances Tiafoe in the US Open's fourth round last September.

It is one thing for Nadal to lose more frequently, and in earlier rounds, than he usually has over the course of his illustrious career -- one in which his 22 major titles are tied with rival Novak Djokovic for the most by a man, and includes 92 trophies in all, along with more than 1,000 tour-level match wins.

It is another thing entirely for Nadal to be missing from Roland Garros, where he has appeared 18 times, every year since he won it as a teen in 2005. He also was the champion in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Nadal dropped out of the field before the third round in 2016 because of an injured wrist, and he was eliminated by another player three times: Those losses came against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, against Djokovic in the quarterfinals in 2015, then again against Djokovic in the semifinals in 2021.

This year, Nadal will be absent right from the start from his favorite event -- and one in which he generally is regarded as the favorite to win, no matter what.

"Tournaments stay forever; players play and leave. So, Roland Garros will always be Roland Garros, with or without me, without a doubt. The tournament is going to keep being the best event in the world of clay, and there will be a new Roland Garros champion -- and it is not going to be me," Nadal said. "And that is life."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NFL owners will not vote on the Washington Commanders sale during their meetings next week in Minnesota, a league official said Thursday.

Dan and Tanya Snyder reached a purchase and sale agreement for the Commanders with a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner Josh Harris on Friday. The Snyders, who first announced their intention to sell in November, agreed to sell the team for $6.05 billion.

While a vote this month was considered unlikely, Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, said there would be no vote when owners convene in Minneapolis on Sunday and Monday.

"The league staff and finance committee will continue to review the details of the transaction," Miller said during a conference call previewing the meetings. "We will provide membership with an update in Minnesota."

A signed document was submitted to the NFL, and the league's finance committee must review the documents and vet the investors. The Harris group includes at least 12 limited partners, according to a release announcing last week's agreement, all of whom must be vetted, adding to how long it could take.

While some owners and league sources have expressed concern over the structure of Harris' bid, a source close to him said the NFL has not relayed any concerns to the group. The source said Harris' group has a net worth of approximately $100 billion.

The sale would be the largest in sports history. On June 7 last year, the Walton family reached an agreement to buy the Denver Broncos for a reported $4.65 billion. The finance committee recommend approval on July 27, and the other owners voted in favor Aug. 9.

"Any transaction like this deserves due process, and we will do it as expeditiously as we can," Miller said. "[We have] plenty of people working on it, and doing so is a priority."

Miller also said nothing has changed regarding the Mary Jo White investigation into Dan Snyder. Miller reiterated that the NFL would release the findings once she is done with her investigation, which began in February 2022 after a new accusation of sexual harassment levied against Snyder by former team employee Tiffani Johnston.

It's possible White is looking into other previous allegations as well. The Commanders were fined $10 million in July 2021 as a result of the league's investigation into the workplace culture created during Snyder's tenure. Congress later investigated the team's workplace culture as well.

LAS VEGAS -- The NBA is adding a fan event to its summer league.

The league unveiled plans Thursday for a three-day event called NBA Con, which will run July 7-9 in Las Vegas and coincide with the opening days of the league's summer session there.

Fans will have the opportunity to meet and interact with current and past players, with the list of commitments for this year including presumed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama, fellow top draft prospect Scoot Henderson, Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and current NBA players Mike Conley, Tyrese Haliburton, CJ McCollum and Trae Young.

NBA Con, the league said, will be "a celebration of the best of hoops culture" and include interactive experiences, a chance to mingle with players, conversations featuring NBA personalities, the opportunity to play in open runs with other fans, fashion and footwear exhibits and live musical performances.

Wembanyama and Henderson are among the players who are expected to play in the summer league, which starts July 7. They'll be drafted on June 22, with Wembanyama likely to go No. 1 to San Antonio and Henderson expected to be picked either No. 2 by Charlotte or No. 3 by Portland.

Traditional pipe opener to the British track and field season sees Katarina Johnson-Thompson in action as teams from England, Scotland, Wales, GB U20s, National Athletics League and hosts Loughborough clash

One week before tackling a heptathlon in Götzis, Katarina Johnson-Thompson will stretch her legs and her throwing arm at the Loughborough International on Sunday (May 21).

The former world and reigning Commonwealth champion is poised to compete in the 100m hurdles, shot put and 4x400m along with a number of other Götzis-bound combined eventers like Holly Mills, Jade O’Dowda and Niamh Emerson. The event is a popular competition choice for combined eventers with Olympic champion Jess Ennis-Hill opening her season in the past at the same venue.

Plenty of Britain’s leading track and field athletes are also ready to make an early-season mark at the 65th staging of this historic event. Many will be part of teams from England, Wales, Scotland, GB&NI Under-20s, the National Athletics League plus Loughborough Students Past and Present. We could also see some big names turning out on Sunday as guest competitors, too.

Johnson-Thompson says: “LIA has always been a landmark date on the athletics calendar and I’m excited to compete here across three events. Last summer we saw incredible crowds at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and I’m sure their energy helped all the athletes go the extra mile. We’ll no doubt have the same carnival atmosphere at LIA that I can’t wait to witness it first-hand.”

Here are the teams for Sunday…

Loughborough Students

Paralympic sprints champion Thomas Young is in the Loughborough past and present squad along with 400m runner Alex Haydock-Wilson, who runs the match 200m, plus recent BUCS champions like javelin thrower Bekah Walton and sprint hurdler Cameron Fillery.

GB & NI Under-20

Sprinter Joy Eze is among the juniors chasing qualifying performances for this summer’s European Under-20 Championships. After starting her season with 9:07.54 for 3000m in Birmingham, cross-country star Innes FitzGerald, 17, tackles that distance again, whereas the junior team also includes shot putter Cleo Agyepong and pole vaulters Charley O’Neill and Lazarus Benjamin.

Scottish Athletics

Scotland boasts a mix of youth and experience and they will be hoping to get good points in the discus in particular with Nick Percy and Kirsty Law.

England Athletics

England traditionally field a strong team in this match and their class of 2023 includes sprinters Imani-Lara Lansiquot and Jona Efoloko, high jumper Laura Zialor, pole vaulter Amelia Strickler and hammer talent Charlotte Payne. The 400m talent Ed Faulds is also back from injury and in the 4x400m.

Welsh Athletics

Wales feature Hannah and Joseph Brier in the 200m, James Heneghan in the mile and Seren Bundy-Davies, the 2016 Olympian who is finding form again lately, in the 400m.

National Athletics League

The final team to show their hand in the run-up to Sunday, it includes para sprinter Sophie Kamlish and 400m hurdlers Hayley McLean and Chris McAlister.

Events kick off at 10.45am and the full timetable is here.

Tickets start at £3 for students and £8 for adults and can be bought here.

Veteran athlete on the immense feeling of running Night of the 10,000m PBs and why the event is so special

Chris Thompson is no stranger to Night of the 10,000m PBs.

The 42-year-old On athlete has taken part in the event on a myriad of occasions and has raced the full 10,000m race three times. The first was back in 2014 – a year after the inaugural edition – when he battled but lost out to Andy Vernon for the British 10,000m crown under the lights at Parliament Hill.

In 2018 and 2019 “Thommo” also finished seventh and 14th respectively. He is back on the track again in 2023 but this time will be the pacemaker for the 29:50 group.

There are not many athletes better placed than Thompson to describe how Night of the 10,000m PBs has evolved from a much lower-key meet a decade ago to the extravaganza it is now, capturing the imagination of both spectators and those competing.

AW caught up with the On athlete at the brand’s recently opened flagship store in Regent Street the week before the event (May 20).

For the SECOND week in a row, Christopher Thompson is our male 10k winner at the AJ Bell #GreatBristolRun!

Huge well done ? pic.twitter.com/DP75yBF43S

— Great Run (@Great_Run) May 14, 2023

Thompson, who has won both Birmingham (May 7) and Bristol (May 14) Great Run 10kms since he finished 10th at the London Marathon (April 23) in 2:11:50, is excited to be back in Highgate and there was one recurring theme during our interview. The noise.

Not the sirens of the police cars that shot by outside as we started the recording, but the ferocity of the fans who line the Parliament Hill track less than a metre from the athletes. From cheers and cowbells to screams and songs, there’s a plethora of sound that hits the athletes.

“It [the noise] gets you right in the stomach,” Thompson says. “I love it but you also have to find a way to to stay calm. It’s an incredible feeling and racing in that environment is unlike anything else.

“London 2012 will always be the pinnacle when I stepped out on that track with the noise. But I was following the lead pack and I wasn’t having a great day. The thing with Highgate is that it gets you to your very core because people are screaming and they are doing it right next to you.

“When I’ve raced in the past friends know they’ll be able to give me abuse when I’m running and know that I’ll hear it! The event is what you make it and there’s so much to offer. For athletes running across all events, they’re getting to experience the noise and atmosphere akin to championships for elite athletes. It’s about the intenseness of people in your face.”

It’s Highgate’s unique selling point. Night of the 10,000m PBs has always given credence to everything off track as well as on it.

How do you mentally prepare as an athlete though? This year runners from as far as Chile and Mexico to Burundi and Rwanda will take to the track in what is one of the biggest international fields in the event’s history. A lot of them will be aiming to nail the qualifying standards – 27:10.00 for men and 30:40.00 for women – for the World Championships in Budapest (August 19-27).

Thompson’s bit of advice is to try and use the noise as a rhythmic tool.

“It’s hard to just walk into that arena and feel at home when you’ve never done it before,” he adds. “I remember on my first one in 2014 just getting used to that intenseness. That consistency of noise comes round with each lap and I was able to anticipate the difference in noise at certain points of the track.

“I was able to work with those emotions because I could feel what was going on and I’m a very rhythmic runner. You have to ride it like an elevator.

“With Highgate it’s an environment for an athlete to perform well and it’s all about how you use that to your advantage. You have pacemakers and wavelight technology and they are all there to work for you. I think these athletes have come and are coming because they know if they turn up then they can get the best out of themselves.

“It’s not just a party but it’s about having fast 10,000ms.”

Chris Thompson emotional after a solid 2:11:50 aged 42 at #LondonMarathon

?️ @Jason_AW pic.twitter.com/tRC7i9wVuj

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 23, 2023

So what does the future hold for Thompson after a London Marathon which saw him run his third ever fastest time over 26.2 miles, after the 2:11:19 he clocked on the same course in 2014 and then that 2:10:52 at Kew Gardens which qualified the then 39-year-old for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He states he’s still processing his run in the British capital in April and wants to take some time off in June before looking at options in July.

Thompson is not discounting an autumn marathon and also has his eye on the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Latvia (September 30 – October 1).

As always, “Thommo” is philosophical about what is important for him at this stage of his career.

“For a long time athletes were seen through this small window as a commodity on the back of performance,” he says. “It was the case of ‘you’ve done your bit and thank you very much’ whereas now it’s different.

“An athlete’s assets may change as they get older and it doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills or knowledge that they can’t help the sport. So it’s nice and refreshing for me that On, as I get get older, have given me that space to do that.”

For fast times, festival vibes and free entry for spectators, see Chris Thompson in action at On Track Nights.

Mo Farah set for penultimate race while Hellen Obiri returns to defend her crown on city streets

Mo Farah will tackle what is set to be the penultimate competitive race of his storied career as the 20^th edition of the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run is staged on Sunday (May 21), but it won’t just be the multiple global track champion who will be attracting attention on the city streets.

Last year’s 10km event produced a spectacular women’s race as Hellen Obiri surged to a brilliant win in 30:15, four seconds ahead of Eilish McColgan’s British record-breaking performance.

The Kenyan returns to defend her title this year, fresh from winning the Boston Marathon last month, but the former 5000m world champion and 2022 Great North Run winner won’t be joined by McColgan who is continuing her recovery from the knee problem which prevented her from making her marathon debut in London.

Instead, the strongest challenge is set to come from Peres Jepchirchir, the Kenyan Olympic marathon champion who was third in London, and Ethiopia’s 2015 5000m world championships silver medallist Senbere Teferi.

Steph Twell will lead the home charge as part of a British contingent which also features the likes of Mollie Williams, Monika Jackiewicz, Lily Partridge, Rose Harvey and Natasha Cockram.

On paper, the fastest man in the men’s field is Callum Hawkins, though how close he can come to his 10km road PB of 28:02 remains to be seen following his injury problems in recent years. The Scot, who has twice finished fourth over the marathon at the World Championships, will be looking to make more progress back towards top form.

Fellow Brit Marc Scott, the winner of this event in 2021, has a PB of 28:03 and will want to make his mark in his first outing since coming 12^th in the Istanbul Half Marathon at the end of last month. Farah can expect plenty of support again, having last been seen in action when coming ninth in the London Marathon, where he confirmed his intention to retire at the end of this year. The four-time Olympic champion also clocked 30:41 for 10km in Gabon last month.

The home athletes will be up against the Australian duo of Jack Rayner – runner-up in Manchester last year and the current national 10km record holder – plus Stewart McSweyn, the national 1500m and 3000m record-holder who has an identical road PB to Scott.

Last year’s Osaka Marathon champion, Japan’s Gaku Hoshi, plus Uganda’s Commonwealth marathon champion Victor Kaplangat, add to the strength of the international field.

The men’s wheelchair race should be a tight contest, too, featuring Sean Frame, Johnboy Smith and Commonwealth marathon bronze medallist Simon Lawson.

As well as the popular 10km, the event schedule also features a half marathon plus the Mini and Junior Great Manchester Run.

The elite wheelchair event gets underway at 9:04am, while the women’s 10km sets off at 11:15am with the men under starter’s orders at 11:30am. The action will also be broadcast on BBC One from 11:00am.

Wales and Gloucester-Hartpury lock Gwen Crabb said rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament during the Six Nations is the "hardest thing" she has ever been through.

Crabb had only returned to playing after fracturing her fibula in December.

She has had surgery and faces seven to nine months on the sidelines.

"Off the back of my ankle injury I think in hindsight it was easier for me to remain positive during that injury. One, it was shorter term, and two, it was probably the first big injury I'd had since I was about 17, 18," Crabb told the BBC Radio Gloucestershire No Tackle podcast.

"My focus was to get back for the Six Nations and I did that, so you can imagine there was a lot of emotion around playing that first game against Ireland.

"For, so soon in the game, that to all come crashing down was probably one of the hardest things I've ever been through in my life."

Crabb has experience with an ACL rupture having recovered from the same injury early in her career, although to her other knee.

That experience meant Crabb knew what she was up against this time around.

"I knew exactly what I had done when I did it, because you just know what it feels like," Crabb continued.

"Trying to get that realisation of what I had done and how long I was going to be out for, especially coming off the back of a four-month injury, was pretty tough to get my head around.

"I don't think it really set in for about four or five days, there was many ups and downs where I'd just be sat in a room thinking I was all right and then all of a sudden I'd just remember something and be like, 'This is happening.'"

'Coming out the other side'

Crabb has been capped 29 times for Wales since her debut in 2019 and was awarded a retainer contract from the Welsh Rugby Union in February last year.

She joined Premier 15s side Gloucester-Hartpury in 2020 but has had to watch as her club stormed back to the top of the league table after their win over Loughborough.

"[I'm] definitely feeling a lot more positive and excited to get back to rehab and back to training and see what the next few months has," Crabb said.

"I want to push it to try and get back as soon as I can but also it's one of those injuries where if things aren't right there's no point pushing it because things are just going to set you back.

"I think I'm going to look at it more in a case of ticking off milestones. little things like being able to walk properly again, being able to squat, being able to use a bike, run, those are the performance indicators that are more important for any injury like this."