COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Courtney Kennedy (Woburn, Mass./Boston Fleet), a two-time Olympian and current skills coach for the PWHL’s Boston Fleet, will serve as the head coach of the 2026 U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team, it was announced today by USA Hockey. 

Joining Kennedy will be assistant coaches Shelly Picard (Taunton, Mass./Long Island University), Greg May (Burnsville, Minn./University of Minnesota), Chris Bailey (Marietta, N.Y.) and goaltending coach Mackenzie Bruch (Powder Springs, Ga./Minnesota State University). 

Haley Skarupa (Rockville, Md./USA Hockey), who is the head scout for the U.S. Women’s National Team, will serve as the general manager of the team. 

“We’re excited for the coaching staff led by Courtney Kennedy and Haley Skarupa,” said Katie Million (Hannibal, N.Y.), USA Hockey’s director of women’s national team programs. “Each coach brings a wealth of experience and we’re looking forward to having them lead the team in January.”

The 2026 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship will take place January 10-18, 2026, in Sydney and Membertou, Nova Scotia. 

A Florida appellate court on Wednesday held that Jack Nicklaus’ defamation lawsuit against businessman Howard Milstein and Nicklaus Companies LLC for comments related to Nicklaus and LIV Golf is not barred by a contractual forum selection clause.

Nicklaus and Milstein have battled each other in New York and Florida courts over the aftermath of a multi-document, $145 million transaction in 2007. 

At the time, Nicklaus sold the company GBI Investors to Milstein in a deal that gave rise to Nicklaus Companies. GBI Investors had licensed Nicklaus’ intellectual property—including his NIL and trademarks—and oversaw his golf course design business. The transaction contained four agreements (purchase and sale; limited liability company or LLC; noncompete; and employment) and each contained forum selections, with New York or Florida listed as the applicable state.

The relationship between Nicklaus and Milstein eventually soured. The two disagreed about business matters, including the extent to which, and under which circumstances, Nicklaus could license his IP to golf tournaments and other projects. In 2022, Nicklaus resigned from Nicklaus Companies’ board.

That same year Nicklaus Companies sued GBI Investors and Nicklaus in New York for breach of contract, tortious interference and related claims. In March a judge held that Nicklaus preserved licensing authority for his NIL, including for deals related to golf course design. Nicklaus Companies, however, owns certain trademarks connected to its licensing, golf course design and several brands, including Golden Bear™ and Jack Nicklaus™. New York litigation involving these parties remains on the docket.

In the Florida case, Nicklaus is the plaintiff. He argues the defendants defamed him in statements that “went viral around the world and tarnished his reputation.” The statements concerned Nicklaus meeting with representatives of Golf Saudi in 2021 for the design of a Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Saudi Arabia. At the time, Saudi Golf was planning LIV Golf and eyed Nicklaus for a leadership role. As Nicklaus tells it, he rebuffed Golf Saudi’s overtures because he knew it would prove problematic with the PGA Tour, an organization that is directly connected to his legacy as winner of a record 18 major championships. He also insists Milstein and Nicklaus Companies played no meaningful role in his decision. 

Nicklaus argues that Nicklaus Companies defamed him by claiming Milstein and company officials saved him from moving forward with Golf Saudi. Nicklaus also contends that Nicklaus Companies suggested to clients and others that Nicklaus, 85, was exhibiting signs of dementia and “needed to have his car keys taken away.”

Whether Nicklaus can prove defamation remains to be seen, but a contract-based forum clause defense for Nicklaus Companies won’t end the case. 

Writing for himself and Judges Dorian K. Damoorgian and Ed Artau, Judge Spencer D. Levine affirmed a trial court’s denial of Nicklaus Companies’ motion to dismiss based on language in an LLC agreement in 2007. The agreement stated that disputes over “any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this agreement” are heard in New York.

Nicklaus Companies asserts that Nicklaus’ defamation case is tied to statements and allegations made in the company’s lawsuit in New York and are connected to the LLC agreement. 

Levine disagreed. He wrote the LLC agreement does not apply to alleged defamation. 

“No nexus existed,” the judge explained, “between the defamation claim and the LLC agreement.” 

Levine explained that the LLC agreement concerned such business topics as “organizational matters; capital, capital accounts, and members; distributions; allocations of net profits and net losses; operations; interests and transfers of interests; and dissolution, liquidation, and termination of the Company as well as buy-out rights.” Those subjects, Levine reasoned, contrast with Nicklaus accusing the defendants of making “false statements relating to Nickalus and the new Saudi golf league.” The Saudi matter is “wholly independent from the LLC agreement.”

The Florida case involving Nicklaus will thus continue.

In a statement shared with Sportico, a spokesperson for Nicklaus Companies stressed the appellate court “did not rule on any issue of fact in favor of one party or another” and instead ruled on where a trial would be held. The spokesperson also mentioned that the Florida court previously “denied Mr. Nicklaus’s motion for punitive damages.”

As Nicklaus Companies tells it, the complaint the company filed in New York “was never given to any reporter, and the facts show the goal was always to minimize public attention while the rights of the parties were properly determined by the New York court,” and no one at the company defamed Nicklaus.

“We maintain the greatest respect for Mr. Nicklaus’s legacy and have always hoped to work with him again in some capacity,” the spokesperson said. “We still hold that hope. In the meantime, we are confident the jury will agree with our position once all the evidence is presented in court.”

In the last 60 years, Kelly Clymer has witnessed it all when it comes to hockey in Texas.

After years of playing hockey, Clymer became a dedicated coach and volunteer, leading to a big impact on other coaches throughout the nation.

Due to his influence on coaching across the country, USA Hockey is honoring Clymer with the Walter Yaciuk Award, presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the organization’s coaching education program during many years of service as a volunteer.

“When I first got the phone call, I broke down and cried,” Clymer said. “I’m blown away, and to win this award is just staggering. I don’t think I did anything special. I just did my job.”

The award is named in honor of the late Walter Yaciuk, who was USA Hockey’s first coach-in-chief. Throughout Clymer’s coaching career, he worked hard at development, but he worked harder to maintain positive relationships with former players.

“He is the epitome of a volunteer coach, and he’s someone who is in love with the game,” said Cosmo Clarke, the Rocky Mountain District coach-in-chief. “He’s someone who wants to see kids excel at the sport. He has a true love and passion for this game, and he’s a mentor to so many people.”

When Clymer played in the 1960s, he said there were about 30 kids involved in the game in the Dallas area. Now, there are more than 130 high school hockey organizations. He first took the ice in 1968, before an organized hockey association existed in Dallas. When the Dallas Junior Hockey Association (DJHA) started three years later, Clymer began playing there. 

Clymer eventually attended North Texas University and joined the hockey team for his last two years of college.

“Hockey was good for me,” Clymer said. “It really taught me everything and it kept me out of trouble. After the day you realize your career is over and you’re not going to the show is the saddest day of your life, but I still wanted to stay involved any way that I could.”

Clymer began coaching inline hockey when his son, Taylor, was born. He returned to ice hockey in 1999 as a coach with the Texas Aces Hockey Club before becoming an assistant coach within the DJHA a year later.

“I stayed with [Taylor] quite a bit, but there were years I coached more than one team because we were hurting for coaches in Dallas those days,” Clymer said. “As my son got older, he was 6-foot-7 and had to make the decision of playing basketball for his high school or hockey. I stuck with hockey and kept coaching. It has been the highlight of my life, and it has done a lot for me.”

For the next 23 years, Clymer coached at every level in the DJHA. Most of his coaching came at the U18 before retiring in 2023. 

“The one important thing I worked hard on, not just when I was coaching teams, but also in development clinics, and everything I did, was humility,” Clymer said. “I always tried to be humble.”

Clymer joined the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program as a coach developer in 2003. There, he led clinics and educated the next generation of coaches, helping them attain a USA Hockey certification. Clymer was appointed coach-in-chief for the Texas Amateur Hockey Association in 2018, where he served until his retirement in 2023.

Clymer taught coaching clinics to several significant names in the world of hockey, including former NHL All-Stars Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.

“You have a lot of wannabes and pretenders in these courses, but the real guys didn’t do a lot of talking,” Clymer said. “I told [Thornton], you’re not going to learn the x’s and o’s from me, but what you’re going to learn is how to keep your butt out of the courtroom because if something goes wrong, guess who they’re going to put on the front page of the paper.”

Clymer also played a significant role in Clarke’s transition as the coach-in-chief of the Rocky Mountain District in 2020.

“He’s a true friend and a guy you can call at any time of the night,” Clarke said. “It’s great to bounce ideas off him, whether it’s hockey or not, and he’s going to give you an unbiased opinion. He’s helped mentor me into this position.”

Clymer was instrumental in the growth of the game and made an undeniable imprint on the sport throughout Texas and Oklahoma. He started during a time where fighting was widely acceptable in the game and now the sport has evolved to the point where it features cutting-edge technology and structure models for coaches to follow.

“I want you to imagine hockey in a place like Laredo, Texas, where a father accepted a job to coach a hockey team because they don’t have anyone,” Clymer said. “The kids can’t skate, and he doesn’t know what to do … the USA Hockey structure is a great tool he can use to help.”

Clymer helped bring that structure to life, and throughout his career, made profound impacts on players and coaches that crossed his path.

“All I judged my kids on were passion and effort,” Clymer said. “My secret is always being humble. It has been flattering.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled a bit of a surprise Wednesday when they announced that Dan Muse will be the team’s new head coach. Muse was with the New York Rangers for the previous two seasons as an assistant coach, but has been a head coach before at the USHL level, notably with the Chicago Steel and U.S. National Team Development Program.

Muse has a track record of helping players develop, but also with winning. He helped lead the Steel to its first ever Clark Cup in 2017. He also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Championship with a roster led by future high draft picks Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault and Will Smith.

At just 42 years old, Muse will be among the youngest head coaches in the NHL and has followed a unique path from prep school assistant all the way to the NHL on his coaching journey, which is fascinating.

The Penguins are in a bit of a precarious spot. They have aging veteran superstars who still want to win, but there’s also the need to rebuild and start planning for the long term. 

Pittsburgh’s prospect system is starting to improve, but it still has a long way to go in order to remake the future of the team. Being able to mix development with winning is a very difficult needle to thread, but it helps to bring in someone that has done that in previous stops.

Dan Muse’s Path From Prep School To The Pittsburgh Penguins

Despite being just 42, Muse has been a coach at some level for 20 years already. The Canton, Mass., native graduated from Stonehill College where he played at the NCAA Division III level.

He went straight into coaching, first with Milton Academy prep school. After two years there, he made the jump to college, as an assistant at Division III Williams College. After just one year there, he went to Division I Sacred Heart University where Muse spent one more year before getting a really big break – being named an assistant coach at Yale University under Keith Allain.

The Bulldogs won their first ever NCAA championship in 2013 with Muse’s fingerprints all over it. It was his fourth year at the school and Muse had quickly gained a reputation as a hard worker who was relentless in trying to make himself, his program and his players better.

When a program wins a championship, especially one like Yale which had an illustrious history with so few trophies to show for it, people notice.

That same year, Muse was named video coach for Team USA at the World Junior Championship. With a team led by Johnny Gaudreau, John Gibson and Seth Jones, Team USA won its first gold since 2010.

In 2015, Muse got his first head coaching job. The Chicago Steel brought him in and success soon followed. Muse was there for two seasons, winning the Clark Cup in 2017 – the first championship in the team’s 17-year history in the USHL. It was an especially dramatic turnaround for the team after missing the playoffs altogether in his first year.

The Clark Cup has been a rite of passage of several NHL head coaches. Among current head coaches, Jon Cooper, Jeff Blashill and Jim Montgomery have all won Clark Cups on their way to the NHL. Former Detroit Red Wings bench boss Derek Lalonde also won one.

Of those coaches, only Blashill also spent time as an NHL assistant coach prior to running an NHL bench. Muse will have that same experience.

Muse’s rapid ascent in the coaching world continued as he was hired by the Nashville Predators to be an assistant coach with Peter Laviolette, who himself came up as a player in the Division III NCAA ranks.

After three seasons in the NHL, USA Hockey came calling for Muse again. He was brought in to lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the National Team Development Program which featured future NHL star Luke Hughes, among others.

That first year was difficult, not just because of COVID-19 hampering the season, but injuries derailed the team. On home ice at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, with six additions from the U17 Team just for injury replacements including Hughes, USA failed to medal for the first time at the tournament in 17 years. A young Rutger McGroarty, now one of the key prospects in Pittsburgh’s system, was one of those U17 players called up.

It was a bitterly disappointing moment, even if there were some clear disadvantages USA had to deal with at that tournament.

Two years later, however, Muse and Team USA got redemption as a team led by Leonard, Smith, Perreault, Trey Augustine, beat Sweden in overtime for the gold medal giving Muse his second overall championship in just five years as a head coach.

The following season, Laviolette called Muse to join him with the Rangers, where he was for the last two years. 

Will It Work?

There are very few coaches anywhere in the world that have had a coaching path quite like the one Muse has been on. But when you win enough, the opportunities come faster and more frequently. 

That said, Muse’s head coaching experience has been limited to the junior level. Having the NHL assistant coaching experience is a huge plus, but now Muse faces one of the biggest coaching challenges in the NHL.

Sidney Crosby has said he wants to remain with the Penguins, which is great news for any coach. The hard part is trying to push the franchise in a more positive direction where there is bound to be frustration if the wins don’t come quickly. That’s going to require giving more responsibility to younger players, even though they might not be the best options in the lineup relative to the veterans they have.

Kyle Dubas has been aggressive in his maneuvering as Penguins general manager. Not every move has been popular, but that’s kind of the way things are going to go there for a bit. Building a championship team again is going to take time.

Hiring Muse, who has a track record of helping players get better while not sacrificing winning, is a good idea to try. When you look at the path he has taken, there is no doubt work ethic is a big part of what got the Massachusetts native to this point.

Whether it works or not remains to be seen, but it is definitely an outside-the-box shot worth taking. 

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STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is proud to announce the return of longtime staff member Corey McCarthy, who has been named Director of Athletics for Communication & Marketing. McCarthy rejoined the Monks in June 2025 after serving as Associate Commissioner of the North Atlantic Conference during the 2024–25 academic year.

A familiar and respected presence at Saint Joseph’s, McCarthy began his career on the baseball coaching staff in 2004 and transitioned to athletics administration in 2007. Over the course of nearly 20 years, he has played an integral role in shaping the identity and visibility of Monks Athletics. His past titles include Sports Information Director, Assistant Director of Athletics (2015), and Associate Director of Athletics (2020).

“We are honored to have Corey back at SJC,” said Athletic Director Chris Willer. “Corey provides incredible historical knowledge of SJC athletics and will undoubtedly help move our athletics department forward. His ability to lead and promote successes is commendable, and we are very grateful to have him back in MONKS NATION!”

In his previous tenure at SJC, McCarthy led a comprehensive overhaul of athletics communications, including a full website redesign, the development of a historical record book, and the expansion of live streaming capabilities that made Saint Joseph’s a regional leader in digital coverage. He also spearheaded branding initiatives, established a thriving student internship program, and supported the addition of several varsity sports, including alpine skiing and track & field.

McCarthy is also well known as the host of the “Monks Take” podcast and Chair of the Athletics Hall of Fame committee. A member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, he co-directs the Maine College Baseball & Softball Association, helping elevate NCAA Division III student-athletes across the state.

 A native of Inkster, North Dakota, McCarthy holds a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy.His work has been recognized with three GNAC Sports Information Director of the Year awards (2009, 2014, 2019) and three Father John Tokaz Awards for outstanding service to the athletics department.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return to Saint Joseph’s College — a place that has meant so much to me and my family for more than two decades,” said McCarthy. “I’m excited to step into this new role and support the continued growth of Monks Athletics while working alongside so many talented colleagues in the department and across campus. I truly appreciate the confidence President Cassidy and the leadership team have placed in me, and I’m looking forward to this next chapter.”