Fasth earned a new contract after just nine unbeaten appearances with the Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who have the NHL’s second-best record at 12-2-1. He’ll make $2.4 million next season and $3.4 million in 2014-15.

“You always try to do your best and play your best, try to help the team as much as you can,” Fasth said in a phone interview. “That’s what I’ve been trying to focus on, and that’s what I have to keep doing, to do my part.”

The Ducks signed the 30-year-old Fasth to be Jonas Hiller’s backup last summer after a stellar pro career in his native Sweden, outbidding other NHL teams with a $1 million, one-year contract.

With Hiller slowed by a lower-body injury, Fasth has been largely outstanding in his place, making nine appearances with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage while tying for the league lead in victories.

“It feels great,” Fasth told ESPN.com. “I really like it here — the organization and the team and everything — so it feels great.”

Fasth is just the third goalie in NHL history to win his first eight decisions, joining Ray Emery and Bob Froese. He’s one win away from matching Emery’s record 9-0-0 start to his career with Ottawa.

He’s also playing a major role in the outstanding start by the Ducks, who have missed the playoffs in two of the last three years. Anaheim, currently on a five-day break between games, has won five straight while rising to second place in the Western Conference behind Chicago.

“Viktor has proven himself not only this year in the NHL, but the previous two seasons as the top goaltender in Sweden,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. “We are pleased to be able to keep him and feel fortunate to have two top NHL goaltenders going forward.”

Anaheim relied heavily last season on Hiller, who set a club record with an NHL-high 73 starts. The Ducks were determined not to wear down their former All-Star from Switzerland, and Fasth has provided coach Bruce Boudreau with two outstanding options.

Fasth won a shootout against Nashville in his NHL debut on Jan. 26, and he posted his first shutout at Colorado on Feb. 6.

Hiller outplayed longtime Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere to claim the Anaheim starting job during the 2008-09 season, but Hiller hasn’t lost his own starting job to Fasth quite yet. Hiller made 25 saves against Columbus on Monday night for his first victory in 18 days.

When asked if he considered himself the Ducks’ starter, Fasth replied: “No, I don’t.”

“Jonas played against Columbus and played incredibly good,” he added. “I just try to work hard, and I’ll play when the coach tells me to play. That’s how things work.”

Hiller is under contract through 2013-14, making $4.5 million this season and again next year.

Fasth has thoroughly impressed the Ducks with his smooth positional play and exceptional stick work, but the veteran netminder was expected to be a solid NHL player. He was named the Swedish Elite League’s top goaltender in each of the past two seasons with AIK Stockholm, the first goalie to win back-to-back Honken Trophies since New York Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist.

Fasth also played at the 2011 world championships in Slovakia, backstopping Sweden to silver medals while winning the tournament MVP award and raising his profile among international hockey watchers.

“The national team is a window for every player to get the ice under you,” Fasth said. “The Swedish Elite League, I don’t know if there’s many scouts watching that, but of course it helps to play for the national team and play good there.”

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The Argentina superstar put pen to paper on his new deal at the Nou Camp on Thursday afternoon and is now tied to the Catalan giants until June 30, 2018.

Messi began his career at Newell’s Old Boys, where he played for five years until 2000, when he made the journey to Spain to join Barcelona’s youth team at age 13. He played for the first time on the senior squad at 16, in a friendly against Porto.

His contract with Barcelona wasn’t due to expire until June 30, 2016.

Messi follows in the footsteps of fellow club stalwarts Xavi and Carles Puyol, both of whom signed their extensions last month. Puyol and Xavi will extend theirs to June 2016.

The Catalans announced in December that Messi, along with Xavi and Puyol, had agreed to extend their contracts.

Barcelona defender Jordi Alba says Messi’s renewal “is great news for Barcelona.”

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The league said the decision to reinstate Payton was made after a meeting between the coach and commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday in New Orleans.

“Sean fully complied with all the requirements imposed on him during his suspension. More important, it is clear that Sean understands and accepts his responsibilities as a head coach and the vital role that coaches play in promoting player safety and setting an example for how the game should be played at all levels. We are committed to delivering football that fans love and the safety players deserve. Coach Payton agrees and I look forward to working with him going forward to do that.”

The NFL said Payton is allowed to attend Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., this week and resume his duties with the team.

“I am thankful today Commissioner Goodell has granted me reinstatement. As I stated back in March, I, along with Mickey Loomis, take full responsibility for all aspects of our football program. I clearly recognize that mistakes were made, which led to league violations,” Payton said in a statement.

“Furthermore, I have assured the Commissioner a more diligent protocol will be followed. Lastly, I feel we have learned from our mistakes and are ready to move forward. I want to thank our owner, Mr. [Tom] Benson, and all of our great fans for the overwhelming support throughout this past year. I am excited to be back as Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints!”

Earlier this month, The Saints signed Payton to a five-year contract extension that runs through the 2017 season.

The deal is expected to pay Payton more than $8 million annually, which should establish him as the NFL’s highest paid coach, a league source told ESPN.

“We are all thankful that Sean Payton has been reinstated. We have a lot of work to do and we are in the middle of it right now,” Benson said in a statement. “He is our head coach and we welcome him back. We look forward to a great 2013 season and making another run at a World Championship for our fans!”

Payton is the only coach in Saints history to win a Super Bowl. But his legacy was tarnished by the NFL’s bounty probe, as Goodell ruled that Payton failed to exert proper institutional control over a cash-for-hits bounty program run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009 to 2011.

Williams was suspended indefinitely for his role in the bounty program. Williams has not been reinstated by the NFL and his status will not be addressed until another team is interested in hiring him, sources told ESPN. It was reported in early January that Williams would not return to the Rams, where he had been hired prior to his suspension.

The commissioner also suspended Loomis for half the season and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six games.

Loomis and Vitt are in Mobile evaluating players. Loomis said he was caught off guard by the news of Payton’s return. But he said having Payton back sooner than expected will help the Saints.

“Every day makes a difference. We’ve certainly missed Sean in terms of the football team and all the things that go with our business and the game. But look, I miss his friendship. We all miss his friendship. We miss him as a person. I’m excited that he’s going to be back here and fired up that he’s back.”

Vitt said he talked to Payton on Tuesday morning and that he should join the Saints’ contingent in Alabama on Wednesday.

“We just found out on the way to practice,” Vitt said. “Mr. B called Mickey and we’re all excited. Sean went and spent the day in New York (Monday). He just got back in Dallas. I talked to him on the phone about 5 o’clock this morning. He’s packing his bags, so we’ll expect he’ll be here some time” Wednesday.

Vitt agreed with Loomis that the timing of Payton’s return is good for the team.

Payton is “going to hit the ground running with both feet. His jaw is going to be set. He’ll have a note pad full of thoughts and ideas and he’s going to have to get himself caught up with the evaluation process of our team and looking at film, which he’ll do. This is perfect, getting him back now, because he’s going to be here for the readings of our players. He’s going to be here for the readings of these college seniors. We start handing out unrestricted free agent tape on Thursday and Friday of this week.

“This is where you’re building the foundation of your football team, with the evaluation process of these draft-eligible juniors and seniors and the free agents that are out there.”

Payton is 62-34 in regular-season games as Saints coach and 5-3 in the postseason. During the three seasons before his suspension, the Saints won 41 regular-season and playoff games combined, more than any other team in the NFL.

Without Payton on the sideline this season, the Saints missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

There remains one outstanding issue for the Saints stemming from the bounty probe: What will become of the Saints’ second pick next spring? As part of the bounty punishment, Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away second-round picks in 2012 and 2013. However, Goodell left open the possibility of restoring the 2013 second-rounder and instead docking the team a later-round pick if he is satisfied with the club’s level of cooperation in the bounty matter.

Payton’s reinstatement is one more step for the Saints to return to normalcy, but for Vitt, it doesn’t bring closure to the bounty scandal.

“It doesn’t for me. You’re going to have to ask Sean that question, Mickey that question, Vilma that question. It certainly doesn’t for me. I can forgive. I’m not going to forget. It is what it is.”

The post Sean Payton of New Orleans Saints reinstated from suspension appeared first on IdealCapper.

Cole’s previous deal was set to expire at the end of the season and at one stage he was expected to leave the Champions League holders.

However the 32-year-old, who had been linked with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, has agreed fresh terms at the club he joined from Arsenal in 2006.

Cole said on the club’s official website: “I am pleased I will be starting my eighth season at Chelsea.

“I wanted to stay at Chelsea because we are always fighting and challenging for trophies. That desire and the will to want to win things have not gone.”

Cole, who has played 293 games for Chelsea, added: “I have great memories here and I enjoy coming to training every day. The staff are amazing and I enjoy training with the lads.

“I have been able to fulfil nearly all my ambitions at Chelsea. I have won the Champions League, the League, I have won FA Cups here but of course you don’t want to stop winning trophies and being at a big club, you are always fighting to win a trophy.

“Being here for seven years and being at Arsenal before that playing for trophies, you never lose that hunger. I wanted to stay at Chelsea because we are always fighting and challenging for trophies. That desire and the will to want To win things have not gone.”

With Chelsea, Cole has won one Premier League title, four FA Cups, one League Cup and was also part of the team that defeated Bayern Munich in last year’s Champions League final.

Cole said there was a slight sense of trepidation at what might have occurred had he left Chelsea.

Discussing his stay at the club, he said on Chelsea TV: “It’s gone quick. After six or seven years and the trophies I’ve won here and the great memories I’ve got here it was a little bit scary and sad thinking I could have left. But I’m glad to have signed and stay here for another year.”

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The Eagles and Kelly have agreed to revisit talks when he returns this weekend, according to league sources.

CBSSports.com reported Wednesday that the Chicago Bears also are interested in Kelly. But sources refuted that report to ESPNChicago.com.

Kelly coached the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 regular season and an appearance in the Discover BCS National Championship. Playing for its first national title since 1988, Notre Dame was routed by Alabama, 42-14, on Monday night.

Philadelphia has been seeking a replacement for longtime coach Andy Reid, who was fired one day after the Eagles completed a disappointing 4-12 season.

Kelly denied having any interest in an NFL coaching job this past Saturday, claiming that leaving Notre Dame “is not an option. I don’t even think about it.”

The 51-year-old Kelly has steadily climbed the coaching ladder, from Division II Grand Valley State to Central Michigan to Cincinnati to Notre Dame, winning big at every stop along the way.

Kelly has a 28-11 record in three seasons with the Fighting Irish.

“I think from my perspective I’ve got the best job in the country, NFL, college, high school, whatever,” Kelly said Saturday. “I just look at the place that I’m at and thankful for the opportunity that I have.”

Just a year ago, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick gave Kelly a two-year contract extension to keep him with the Fighting Irish through the 2016 season. Terms have not been released.

Kelly was hired in December 2009, getting a five-year deal. He left an undefeated Cincinnati team that was ranked No. 4 at the time. Fans liked his approach and his resume, which included improved records at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati.

He has done the same thing in South Bend, begging the question of whether he is ready so soon to make a fresh move, this time to the NFL, or is perhaps trying to parlay a better contract out of Notre Dame.

Kelly was the third college coach Philadelphia has interviewed since firing Andy Reid on Dec. 31. Penn State’s Bill O’Brien and Oregon’s Chip Kelly interviewed with the Eagles last week, but chose to stay at their schools.

Philadelphia has interviewed six candidates and plans to meet with four others, but general manager Howie Roseman said Wednesday that the Eagles aren’t in a rush to replace Reid.

Roseman, owner Jeffrey Lurie and president Don Smolenski also plan to meet with former Bears coach Lovie Smith on Thursday.

“Jeffrey has been very adamant with us that the key is getting the right guy,” Roseman said in an interview on the team’s website. “The key isn’t getting the right guy as quickly as possible, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

They met Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Sunday and plan to interview Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

“This whole organization is built to support a head coach and they know that — not only in actions but in words — and all they have to do is call Andy Reid,” Roseman said. “It’s been a positive experience.”

The interview with Chip Kelly last Saturday lasted for several hours, fueling speculation that he was going to take the job. But Kelly, who also was pursued by Cleveland, opted for the second straight year to pass up the NFL. He turned down Tampa Bay last year.

This is the third time Lurie is hiring a new coach since he bought the team from Norman Braman in 1994. He hired Ray Rhodes on Feb. 2, 1995, after a long, exhaustive search that included a flirtation with former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil. Lurie needed less time to hire Reid, giving him the job on Jan. 11, 1999.

The post Brian Kelly interviews with Eagles appeared first on IdealCapper.

Ruutu recently had hip surgery and is expected to be out until at least early May.

The Hurricanes were aggressive in the offseason in adding Alexander Semin and Jordan Staal up front. But their spending started earlier last year, when they signed Ruutu to a four-year, $19 million contract extension in February, preventing him from hitting unrestricted free agency this summer.

Until signing that extension, Ruutu was the trade target of a number of contending teams near the deadline.

The versatile Ruutu finished last season with 18 goals in 72 games for the Hurricanes.

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Ollie has demonstrated to UConn that he can coach, lead, coordinate, relate and organize a program.

He also has had to ensure his players performed well academically, especially after a poor Academic Progress Rate spanning a four-year period at the school was the reason the Huskies were the highest-profile program banned from the 2013 postseason.

According to UConn athletic director Warde Manuel, the first-semester grades posted were satisfactory and the results “weren’t an issue.”

Therefore, Ollie was approached this week with a chance to become the permanent successor to Hall-of-Fame coach Jim Calhoun, instead of a seven-month interim stint. Ollie, who turned 40 on Thursday, had been working under a one-year, $625,000 contract since September, when he was hired to replace the retired Calhoun.

“I’m not replacing coach Calhoun,” Ollie said. “He’s here, and I’ll lean on him for a lot of advice. I’m not following in his footsteps. He has his own shoes. I’ve got to create my own path and I can’t waiver from my convictions.

“I’m used to winning around here. That’s why I came here. That’s not going to stop. We will do it well and we will do it right.”

Ollie’s new deal was completed Saturday morning. The Huskies beat Washington 61-53 at Hartford’s XL Center on Saturday night.

Ollie will receive a total of $1.2 million in Year 1, with increases to $1.25 million in 2014-15; $1.3 million in 2015-16; $1.325 million in 2016-17 and $1.34 million in 2017-18.

“It’s a five-year contract, but I’m looking at it like I can be the coach here for 20-25 years,” said Ollie, who consistently has called coaching his alma mater his dream job.

The contract also contains strong language about the Huskies’ APR. Ollie will receive a payment of $10,000 if the APR score is 930 or above in a single year, while a four-year APR average of 930 or above would earn him a one-time payment of $50,000.

If UConn’s APR score falls below 930, Ollie will not only be coaching a team not going to the postseason again, but he also will lose two weeks of base salary. Two consecutive years of a sub-930 APR would result in possible termination or, at the very least, a suspension.

UConn also included strong buyout language, with Ollie owing the school $3 million if he leaves in 2013, $2 million in ’14, $1 million in 2015 and $800,000 in 2016. Conversely, UConn would owe Ollie the same amount each year if he were terminated for anything other than just cause.

Ollie said he had no problem agreeing to the tough APR details, claiming he’s committed to the full student-athlete experience. He also said he knows that he was being judged by how his players were responding in the classroom in the fall semester.

Ollie, who played point guard for Calhoun at UConn from 1991-95, was his former coach’s hand-picked successor. Ollie became an assistant at UConn in 2010 after 13 years as an NBA journeyman. He never previously had been a head coach on any level.

Ollie relished the opportunity to take over for his mentor, who plucked him from Los Angeles only to see him outwork higher-ranked recruits to get a starting job in his last three seasons for the Huskies.

Ollie was so well-respected in the NBA that he was lauded as much for his on-court play in places such as Philadelphia, Cleveland and Oklahoma City, as much as he was for his locker-room leadership and counsel to younger players. He was on a track to work in the Thunder’s front office for general manager Sam Presti had he not taken an assistant coaching job with the Huskies.

The Huskies, who finished a disappointing 20-14 last season a year after winning the program’s third national title, were picked to finish ninth in the Big East this season. The postseason ban pushed three players to transfer, including starting center Alex Oriakhi to Missouri. Two others left early for the NBA draft.

Motivating a team that couldn’t play in the Big East tournament, let alone the NIT or NCAA, wouldn’t have been easy for any coach, including Calhoun, Manuel said.

But UConn has started strong under Ollie, upsetting then-No. 14 Michigan State in the season opener en route to a 10-2 record.

The lack of stability in conference alignment also has been a tenuous subject, as the Huskies were passed over for a spot in the ACC by Big East rival Louisville.

“He has led this team,” said Manuel, adding that Ollie has done it in more ways than just wins and losses. “He came into a very tough situation in his first time as a head coach.”

Calhoun was on vacation and wasn’t at Saturday’s impromptu news conference. But Calhoun has been pushing behind the scenes for Ollie to get the full-time job for months. Ollie also has the support of former Huskies now in the NBA, which will prove critical in continued funding for a practice facility and recruiting.

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