SPORTS NEWS

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the NFL season for his role in Deflategate, the league announced Monday. In addition, the Patriots were fined $1 million and had their first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft taken away. MORE: Classic photos of Tom Brady | Iyer: Blame Pats' shady past for Goodell's bad decision | Pats will be just fine without Brady Brady will be able to participate in all offseason, training camp and preseason activities, including exhibition games. He won't be eligible to play regular-season games until the Week 6, Oct. 18 game at the Colts. The Patriots have a bye in Week 4. The league said it punished Brady and the Patriots for their "violation of the playing rules and the failure to cooperate in the subsequent investigation." Patriots equipment staff employees John Jastremski and James McNally were indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, ...

Can the Montreal Canadiens avoid elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs? We'll find out when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. It's the rare weekend night on which one NHL game is scheduled. Game 5 of the Habs-Bolts series will be played at Bell Centre in Montreal, with telecasts starting at 7 p.m. ET. TV coverage: NBC Sports Network, CBC and TVA Sports. MORE: Rangers stay alive; Ducks up 3-1 | Saturday's pick, odds | Action images | Video highlights By Monday, matchups could be set for the conference finals. The Chicago Blackhawks await their rival in the West, and the East's finalists are close at hand. Both the Habs and Lightning knew winning Saturday won't be easy. "It took a lot of hard work to get here. We just can't let this go," coach Jon Cooper told The Tampa Bay Times. "The other side of things, we can't be so wrapped up in the pressure and make ourselves wound so tight that we don't perform. So there's that ...

The NCAA approved three new bowl games on Tuesday, according to ESPN. The new bowls will be in Tucson, Ariz., Austin, Texas, and Orlando, Fla.  With the three new bowls, the total bowl count is now up to 42, including the College Football Playoff national championship game. That means 82 of the 127 FBS teams will be required to fill each bowl game of the 2015 season.  MORE: Breakout candidates this fall | CFP teams spend big on trips | SEC reigns supreme in NFL Draft The Tucson bowl will matchup teams from the Mountain West and Conference USA, while teams from the American Athletic Conference and Sun Belt will face off in both the Austin and Orlando bowls.  An official announcement on the bowl games will come later this week, according to ESPN.  The Arizona Bowl will be played on Dec. 29 in Arizona Stadium and is expected to be televised by CBS Sports Network. If the Mountain West or Conference USA can't field an eligible team, the Mid-American Conference would be considered.  In ...