Philadelphia Flyers' goaltender Samuel Ersson will replace the injured Jacob Markstrom on Team Sweden for the upcoming 4 Nations tournament.

Tuesday's announcement came days after New Jersey Devils' netminder Markstrom was placed on injured reserve by the team with an MCL sprain he suffered in a collision with Boston forward Justin Brazeau in last Wednesday's game. The timeline for Markstrom's recovery was set around 4-6 weeks and a source told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that Markstrom's participation in the 4 Nations event would be "a challenge."

Now it's official that Markstrom won't be participating and instead it'll be Ersson getting the call. Philadelphia's starter has been impressive of late, posting an 8-2 record with a .930 save percentage in his last 10 starts, and he's 15-8-2 on the season. The 25-year-old has represented Sweden on five other occasions internationally, including the 2024 World Championships where Sweden took home a bronze medal.

Ersson may not be the only replacement goaltender Sweden needs for 4 Nations, either. Linus Ullmark -- who was named along with Markstrom to Sweden's roster in December -- hasn't suited up for Ottawa since a back injury sidelined him in late December. He's been skating again but whether he's available to Sweden in next month's event is still to be determined.

As it is, Markstrom is the second player to be removed from a team's roster due to injury. Canadian defenseman Alex Pietrangleo also will not be participating; no replacement has been named as of yet for him.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will feature teams from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland. It will take place from February 12-20 with round-robin action between the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.

Kansas City Current's star striker Temwa Chawinga has penned a three-year contract extension, the NWSL side confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

The extension comes as a reward for the Malawi international's stellar debut campaign in the NWSL, where her record-breaking 20 goals in the 2024 season saw her win the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player award.

"This year, we hope to bring the trophy home for the fans, for KC," Chawinga said. "My team has been good to me and they treated me well last season. My teammates are kind, my coach is amazing, and my KC community has been incredible. All the support, it feels like home here, that's why I decided to extend my contract with the KC Current."

Chawinga wasn't able to add a winner's medal to her collection last season, with Current losing 3-2 in the playoff semifinal to eventual winners Orlando Pride.

"Securing Temwa's long-term future in Kansas City was a significant priority this offseason," general manager Caitlin Carducci said.

"She had anamazing debut season, but both Temwa and our club feel that we are just getting started in reaching our potential together. We're excited to see her wearing the Current crest for years to come."

A fire on the perimeter of Etihad Stadium was extinguished on Wednesday as fans arrived for Manchester City's decisive Champions League clash against Club Brugge.

The fire broke out near the entrance to the Colin Bell West Stand when City were unveiling their new January signings nearby.

City confimed the fire would not delay kick-off.

"Emergency services are present at the scene and the fire has now been extinguished," City said in a statement.

"The safety of all attending the match tonight is our top priority, and as such all events planned for West Stand reception have been cancelled, including the welcome event for new players, and the first team arrival."

No casualties were immediately reported to police.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service told ESPN in a statement: "Just before 6pm this evening, two fire engines from Blackley and Philips Park fire station were called to reports of a building fire involving an outbuilding on the car park of the football ground on Rowsley Street, Manchester.

"Crews arrived quickly at the scene. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose reels to extinguish the fire, they are currently dampening down any hotspots and making the area safe.

"Firefighters have been in attendance for around thirty minutes and are still at the scene."

City, who are 25th in the Champions League table ahead of the final group fixture, must beat Brugge to make the knockout playoffs.

Information from Reuters and ESPN's Rob Dawson contributed to this report.

Cristiano Ronaldo might be the "GOAT" to many fans across the football world, but not everyone in his household agrees, with the Portugal star admitting that his own son prefers Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.

Ronaldo scored twice in Al Nassr's comfortable Saudi Pro League win at the weekend to move to the top of the division's goal-scoring charts, but that was not enough to impress his five-year-old child, Mateo.

In an extract from an upcoming interview with Spanish outlet La Sexta, Ronaldo admitted the France captain has surpassed him in his son's eyes.

"Mateo, he really likes Mbappé," Ronaldo said. "He sometimes tells me: 'Hey dad, Mbappé is better than you,' and I reply by saying: 'No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals."

Mbappé, who is known to have idolised Ronaldo in his youth, has started to emulate some of his feats at the Bernabéu in recent weeks after his high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

After his hat trick against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Mbappé now has 15 goals in LaLiga, second in the Pichichi race behind Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski. Ronaldo scored a club-record 450 goals for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Mbappé has the chance to continue his recent hot streak later on Wednesday against Brest, while Ronaldo is next in action against Al Raed on Thursday.

The Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who led his team to wins in the first two Super Bowls.

However, Bill Belichick said coaches can't win games without the players and suggested the Lombardi Trophy be renamed after Tom Brady, who won an NFL-record seven Super Bowl rings in his career -- six with Belichick as his head coach.

Belichick, the former New England Patriots head coach who is now the coach at the University of North Carolina, made his comments on the "Let's Go!" podcast this week in a conversation with co-host Jim Gray.

"Maybe they should name it the Brady Trophy. He won seven of them." Bill Belichick, on the Super Bowl trophy

"Players win games. You can't win games without good players. I don't care who the coach is, it's impossible. You can't win without good players. You know, I found that out when I had [Lawrence] Taylor and [Carl] Banks and Harry Carson, Pepper Johnson, Jim Burt, Everson Walls, all those guys at the Giants," said Belichick, who has won eight Super Bowl rings, including two as an assistant with the Giants. "And same thing when we got good at Cleveland and then at New England. I mean, it's [Tom] Brady, it's [Willie] McGinest, it's [Mike] Vrabel, it's [Tedy] Bruschi, it's Corey Dillon, it's Randy Moss, Troy Brown, Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison. Those are guys that won the games, man. I didn't make any tackles. I didn't make any kicks. That was [Adam] Vinatieri that made that kick in 4 inches of snow.

"You got to have good players and as a coach, you want to give your players a chance to win. You want to put them in a position where if they go out there and play well, they'll have a chance to win. That's what Coach [Bill] Parcells taught me, is there's always a way to win. You just got to figure out what it is, and you have to give the players a chance."

Gray, however, pointed out, "They don't name it the Starr Trophy," referring to Bart Starr, the Packers' quarterback for those first two Super Bowl wins. "It's named the Lombardi Trophy."

Belichick responded, "Maybe they should name it the Brady Trophy. He won seven of them."

Brady won six Super Bowls as the quarterback with the Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a five-time Super Bowl MVP, the most by any player in NFL history.

Hall of Famer Reggie Miller will join NBC Sports as its top color commentator when the NBA returns to the network later this year, Front Office Sports reported Wednesday.

Miller reportedly will call the games alongside play-by-play broadcasters Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle, starting with the 2025-26 season.

An NBC Sports spokesperson declined to comment and Miller's representatives could not be reached for comment, per Front Office Sports.

Miller, 59, has worked as an NBA analyst for TNT since 2005.

In August, the NBA announced a new 11-year, $77 billion media deal with incumbent ESPN and newcomers NBC and Amazon Prime Video that goes into effect next season.

NBC previously aired NBA games from 1954-62 and again from 1990-2002.

Miller was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. The five-time All-Star shooting guard averaged 18.2 points per game over 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers from 1987-2005.

NEW YORK -- The rate of increase for Major League Baseball's average salary slowed to 2.9% last year to a record $4.66 million, according to the annual report of the players' association.

The average of $4,655,366 was up from $4,525,719 in 2023, which marked a 7% increase from 2022.

After declining to $3.68 million in 2021, a year following the pandemic-shortened season, the average rose 23% over the next two seasons.

Union figures are based on the 2024 salaries, earned bonuses and prorated shares of signing bonuses for 1,033 players on Aug. 31 active rosters and injured lists, before active rosters expanded for the remainder of the season.

The union's report was finalized as salary arbitration hearings started this week.

Right-hander Ryne Stanek and the New York Mets are in agreement on a one-year contract, according to a source, further bolstering a bullpen with a hard-throwing reliever with significant postseason experience.

The deal marks a reunion between the two sides after the Mets acquired Stanek in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last summer.

Stanek, 33, posted a 6.06 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Mets down the stretch of the regular season, but he was better in the playoffs, allowing just three runs across eight innings in seven games as New York fell two wins short of the National League pennant.

The veteran reliever boasts a 2.89 ERA in 30 career postseason appearances with the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Mets. The track record includes four scoreless appearances during the Astros' World Series run in 2022. He owns a 3.65 ERA over 401 career regular-season games since making his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.

The Mets initially acquired Stanek for minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas last July, days before the trade deadline, as part of a midseason bullpen overhaul that included the acquisitions of veterans Phil Maton and Huascar Brazoban.

It's been a busy winter for the Mets, who landed Juan Soto, the offseason's most prized free agent, in early December and have continued fortifying the roster.

Stanek is the third reliever the Mets have acquired over the past two weeks. The club claimed right-hander Austin Warren off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Jan. 15. Eight days later, the Mets signed A.J. Minter, one of the top left-handed relievers on the free agent market, to a two-year, $22 million contract. They all figure to serve as a bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.

Pete Alonso, the Mets' homegrown star first baseman, remains a free agent. A reunion, although unlikely, remains possible.