16 Sports Radio Stations In South Florida Region

     There are now 16 sports talk format radio stations throughout South Florida that consists of areas from Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers and Key West. The region reached 16 when The Zone 97.7 Sports Radio WAVK-FM in Key West flipped to a sports format on Monday. 

     Miami has 560 The Joe WQAM-AM. Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM, Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM and Unanimo Deportes 990 WMYM-AM. The Ticket and The Joe are sister-stations with Entercom Communications while Miami Sports is with iHeartMedia in that market.
     West Palm Beach consists of ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM, Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM, Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM and Deportes Radio 760 WEFL-AM. ESPN West Palm and Deportes Radio are both with Good Karma Brands in that area. Hubbard Broadcasting has Fox Sports 640 and iHeartMedia has The Zone.

     Key West got two radio stations from the same Florida Keys Media cluster. They are Sports Radio 1600 WKWF-AM and The Zone 97.7 Sports Radio WAVK-FM.
     The Southwest Florida region has 99.3 ESPN WWCN-AM associated with Beasley Media Group. The Sun Broadcasting simulcast of Fox Sports Fort Myers WFSX-AM 1240 AM on WNOG-AM 1270 AM in Naples is on FM translators at 103.3 FM in Cape Coral, 105.9 FM in Naples and 94.1 FM in Fort Myers. 

Summer Olympics Rescheduled

     The International Olympic Committee and other Olympic organizations have rescheduled the upcoming 32nd Summer Olympics from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. The 2020 Olympics were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 24.
     It will be the first time of the modern era that the Olympics will be held during an odd year. It was cancelled in 1918 because of World War I along with 1940 and 1944 due to World War II. Athletes from the state of Florida will compete in track and field, tennis and swimming.

Florida Panthers Sign John Ludvig

     The Florida Panthers signed defenseman John Ludvig to a three-year, entry-level contract. He was orginally selected by the Cats in the third round as the 69th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
     Ludvig played the 2019-20 season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League and compiled 17 goals and 45 assists in 62 games. Portland had the best record in the WHL with a 45-11-3-4 mark prior to the cancellation of the season on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

WAVK-FM Flips To Sports Format

     WAVK-FM in Key West has flipped their format from hot adult contemporary music to sports talk and will be known as The Zone 97.7 Sports Radio. They will have the same programming that is heard on Florida Keys Media sister-station Sports Radio 1600 WKWF-AM. The station has a mix of programming from Fox Sports Radio and CBS Sports Radio.
     Rick Lopez is the general manager of both radio stations. He hosts the afternoon sports show Conch Town Live and is the high school sports radio play-by-play announcer of the Key West Conchs.

Tiz The Law Wins Florida Derby

     Tiz The Law captured the 2020 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach on Saturday. It was done with no crowd in the grandstand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
     The final result got Tiz The Law to clinch a spot for the Kentucky Derby that will be held in September instead of the usual date which is the first Saturday in May. Shivaree finished in second place while Ete Indien picked up third place.

Marlins Send Down Harrison And Neidert

     The Miami Marlins optioned outfielder Monte Harrison and pitcher Nick Neidert to their Triple-A affiliate Wichita in the Pacific Coast League. The club made the moves prior to a freeze of all Major League Baseball rosters on Saturday.
     Harrison had a .274 batting average, .357 on-base percentage .451 slugging percentage, nine home runs and 24 runs batted in with New Orleans last year in 56 games played. Neidert went 3-4 with a 5.05 earned-run-average in nine games with New Orleans in 2019.

Panthers Sign Max Gildon And Alec Rauhauser

     The Florida Panthers signed two college prospects on Thursday. They are defenseman Max Gildon and defenseman Alec Rauhauser.
     Gildon just finished his sophomore season with the University of New Hampshire. He had 73 points in101 games played with the school. Gildon was originally selected 66th overall by the Panthers during the 2017 NHL Draft and agreed to a three-year, entry-level deal.
     Rauhauser inked a one-year, two-way contract with Florida. He just ended his senior year at Bowling Green University. Rauhauser, who was an undrafted player, compiled 122 points in 159 games.

Chris Moore Temporarily Off WFAN

     Florida Panthers original radio voice Chris Moore has been temporarily taken off WFAN-AM from his weekend show in New York City. Station management decided to add additional shifts of their weekday on-air talent to host weekend programs. It was done due to the coronavirus pandemic and to prevent more people to be present at that radio station.
     Moore, an Ithaca College grad, was the Panthers radio play-by-play announcer during their first six seasons from their inaugural season in 1993-94 until 1998-99. His game analyst for the first two years was John Moynihan, Alain Chevrier did one season during their 1995-96 big playoff run and Randy Moller worked with him in the broadcast booth for three seasons.
     An opportunity happened to him in Miami that would change his career path. Moore was teamed up with John "Boog" Sciambi in 1997 to co-host the midday shift at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He has hosted sports talk radio programs constantly for the past 23 years.
     He joined ESPN Radio in 1999 to co-host the evening shift with Chuck Wilson and was given plenty of play-by-play assignments. Moore then went to Fox Sports Radio and worked weekend mornings until late 2009. He landed at SiriusXM Radio as the NFL radio channel morning host in 2010. Moore would start to fill-in as a host at WFAN and later became a weekend host during the 2010s.

Damon Amendolara WFAN Sunday Host

     Former 560 WQAM talk host Damon Amendolara has added a shift as a Sunday early afternoon host on WFAN-AM in New York City. Their entire weekend lineup of that radio station will be simulcasted nationally on CBS Sports Radio as of March 28. It can be heard locally on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in Miami and Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM in West Palm Beach.
     Amendolara, a Syracuse University 2001 grad, is currently the morning host on CBS Sports Radio since January 6. He joined them when they launched in January 2013 as an overnight host. He was put in the evening host spot in January 2015 and promoted to the late morning slot in April 2017.
     He worked at WQAM as an evening host from early 2008 to August 2009. Amendolara moved up to Boston and was employed by WBZ-FM from August 2009 until December 2012 as an evening host.
     Amendolara was at Sports Radio 770 WWCN-AM in Fort Myers as an afternoon host during the early 2000s. He landed in Kansas City in 2003 to host the evening program at KCSP-AM. Amendolara was elevated to the morning show at that station in 2004.

NHL Postpones Off-Season Events

     The National Hockey League has postponed three of their off-season events. They were to be held during the month of June.
     The NHL Scouting Combine was scheduled from June 1 to June 6 in Buffalo. The NHL Awards ceremony was supposed to occur on June 18 in Las Vegas. The annual NHL Draft was to be held in Montreal on June 26-27 in Montreal.

Palm Beach Post Dropped Ryan DiPentima

     The Palm Beach Post eliminated nine members of their staff back on February 27 due to job cuts. It included lead high school sports reporter and college recruiting writer Ryan DiPentima.
     He had been associated with that newspaper since the start of 2016. DiPentima, a University of Central Florida grad, began as an aggregator in the news department and was shift to the sports department in an aggregator role. He later became a community news reporter in southern Palm Beach County. DiPentima was elevated to lead high school sports reporter in July 2018 when Adam Lichtenstein left.

Steve Diener Adds WMEN Segment

     Steve Diener added duties recently to have a five-minute local segment named A Dose Of Diener during The Herd Show with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM. It launched on Febrauary 24 and runs from 12:55 PM to 1:00 PM.
     Diener still continues to announce sports updates at that station. He was New York Yankees pregame studio host for the entire 2019 Major League Baseball season.
     He has been employed at WMEN for several years. Diener was first noticed locally as a producer and co-host of a pro wrestling weekend show with DJ Flash.
     Diener became a mid-afternoon weekday on-air sidekick of Kevin's Other Show alongside Kevin Rolston in February 2018. The program left the schedule in September 2018, returned one month later as a Monday afternoon show and lasted until the end of December 2018. Diener co-hosted the Out Of Bounds podcast with Ricky Bobby from January 2019 to late March 2019.

Elliot Brownstein Gone From WMEN

     Elliot Brownstein is no longer with Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM. He was last heard as a co-host on the Chris Kokell Podcast back on February 1. He will continue as a high school football reporter for TC Palm Prep Zone and Florida Today Preps.
     Brownstein joined the radio station in August 2017 as a producer when the radio station was known as 640 The Hurricane. He eventually became the producer and co-host for the Chris Kokell Show several months later after Kokell arrived in June 2018. Brownstein did co-host the High School Football Preview program, a Saturday show and a weekly evening show with Kokell for the past two years.

Sal Licata Added To CBS Sports Radio

     Former South Florida sports host Sal Licata has joined CBS Sports Radio as of this weekend. He will work the overnight shift on Saturdays at WFAN-AM in New York City and his program will be simulcasted on that national network. Licata will keep his spot as the late night weekday host at WFAN which he has held since last year.
     Licata was the New York Yankees pregame studio host on 640 Sports WMEN-AM from late April 2013 to August 2013 and did his broadcasts from a studio in New York City. He has also worked for SNY, MLB.com and WOR-AM during his broadcasting career.

2020 Summer Olympics Postponed

     The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan was postponed on Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was to be held from July 24 until August 9 this year. The Olympics may possibly be held in the summer of 2021.
     It will be the fourth time that the Olympics will not be held at the appropriate time during the modern era. It was cancelled in 1916 due to World War I along with 1940 and 1944 because of World War II.
     Some United States athletes from the state of Florida will be effected by this. They include people who are involved in track and field, tennis and swimming.

Denny Hamlin Wins iRacing Homestead Event

     Denny Hamlin won the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event that was simulated from a virtual depiction of Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. It was the first NASCAR race to be substituted and use the iRacing computer program.
     The concept was implemented because NASCAR had suspended the actual race in Homestead due to the coronavirus pandemic. The eNASCAR iRacing spectacle was shown nationally on Fox Sports 1.

Amber Wilson On ESPN Radio

     Local sports talk host Amber Wilson added duties as a Saturday afternoon co-host on ESPN Radio. She started the new position back in January.
     Wilson is currently the midday co-host with Jonathan Zaslow on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM. She took on a full-time role at that station in March 2016 to co-host the morning program with Zaslow and Brett Romberg. Wilson and Zaslow were shifted to the midday slot in August 2019.
     She was previously on SNY in New York City as the host of Beer Money from 2010 to 2011. Wilson then was a studio co-host for the weekend show Sports Bang with Steve Goldstein and Jon Weiner at WFOR-TV Channel 4 in Miami.
     Wilson, a University of Florida and University of Miami grad, also worked at several other media organizations in South Florida. She was employed at CBS Sports Interactive from 2006 until 2008 and at Open Sports with Sid Rosenberg from 2008 to 2009.

Adrian Colbert Stays With Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins will bring back safety Adrian Colbert for the 2020 season. They have signed him to a new deal.
     Colbert played in six games for the Dolphins last year and started in five contests. He had 16 solo tackles and no interceptions. Colbert was with the San Francisco 49ers for two seasons to begin his NFL career. He was on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad to start the 2019 season and was

Dolphins Waive Rashard Causey

     The Miami Dolphins waived defensive back Rashard Causey on Thursday. He was on the practice squad and did not get a chance to play in a regular season game in 2019.
     Causey, a University of Central Florida grad, is best known locally from playing high school. He was with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders and helped them capture two FHSAA Class 7A state titles in 2012 and 2014.

West Palm Beach Ratings February 2020

     Ratings were released for sports format radio stations in the West Palm Beach area. The time span is from the just before the Super Bowl until the final week of February. ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM is not associated with any service and does not subscribe.
     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM dropped from a 0.4 to a 0.3 in the period. They have utilized Florida Atlantic University broadcasts while the Florida Panthers battled for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
     Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM stayed at a 0.1 for the fifth straight month. It has been consistent over the last couple of months and have found some audience. They use Jeff DeForest in mornings with nationally syndicated CBS Sports Radio for the rest of the day.

Marlins Games In Puerto Rico Cancelled

     Games that were scheduled to be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the 2020 season have been cancelled by Major League Baseball. The Miami Marlins were to host the New York Mets from April 28-30.
     If Major League Baseball would reschedule the three contests later this year, they would be played at Marlins Park in Miami. The start of the 2020 regular season was recently pushed back by MLB to the middle of May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Elandon Roberts Going To Dolphins

     Linebacker Elandon Roberts is expected to sign a contract with the Miami Dolphins. He will join his former New England Patriots teammates Kyle Van Noy and Ted Karras that just signed with the Dolphins.
     Roberts spent his entire four-year NFL career with the New England Patriots. He contributed to two Super Bowl champions and three AFC champions. Roberts played in 60 games and had 206 combined tackles.

Dolphins Pick Up Ted Karras

     Offensive lineman Ted Karras has agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. He is the ninth free agent that the Dolphins have signed in the last three days.
     Karras has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the New England Patriots. He helped that club capture two Super Bowl titles and three consecutive AFC championships. Karras has played 60 games with the Patriots and started a career-high 15 contests last season.

Miami Ratings February 2020

     Ratings were released for sports format radio stations in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. It covers the time period following the Super Bowl held in Miami. There was a tremendous change among how all four competitors in the market finished.
     560 The Joe WQAM-AM ended up tied on top after six straight months being in first place alone as they moved from a 0.9 to a 0.7. The early afternoon show piped in from ESPN Radio since January 20 with Jason Fitz having highlights of the First Take show on ESPN does not connect with the local audience. The University of Miami Hurricanes basketball team were in the middle of a mediocre season while the Florida Panthers were battling for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM shared the top spot with their sister-station as they went from a 0.8 to a 0.7 in the month. The last time that they were in or had a share of first place was in July 2019 when the Dan Le Batard Show was still on their station and prior to the major schedule change. The Miami Heat continued with a top six position in the Eastern Conference.
     Fox Sports 640 South Florida remained with a 0.3 rating. The good news for them was that they finished in third place by themselves in the Miami market for the first time ever. It is an amazing accomplishment considering that their transmitter is in Royal Palm Beach. They carry Florida Atlantic University basketball and Florida Panthers broadcasts.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM fell from a 0.3 to a 0.2 in the monthly span. It was the first time that they ended up in fourth place among all their competitors. They still put an emphasis on University of Florida basketball broadcasts.

Jordan Howard Joins Miami Dolphins

     Running back Jordan Howard has signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins for $10 million. He is the second offensive player and eighth overall player that the Dolphins have gotten during the free agent period over the last two days.
     It is the third team for him in the last three years. Howard played the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears and had 3,370 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in 47 games during his stint. He was with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019 and compiled 525 rushing yards in 10 games played.

Kamu Grugier-Hill Signs With Dolphins

     Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill agreed to a one-year deal worth $3 million. He played for the last four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
     Grugier-Hill was part of a squad that brought Philadelphia a football championship for the first time in 57 years with a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He played in 54 games and had 98 combined tackles with them.

Miami Dolphins Sign Emmanuel Ogbah

     After signing five free agents on Monday, the Miami Dolphins continued to pick up more as they inked defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah to a two-year, $15 million contract.
     Ogbah was with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2019 season and helped them win their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. He had 5 1/2 sacks and 23 solo tackles in ten games with them.
     He played his first three seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. Ogbah participated in 40 games and had 12 1/2 sacks. He was traded by the Browns to the Chiefs for defensive back Eric Berry on April 2, 2019.

Kyle Van Noy Heads To Dolphins

     Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy has signed with the Miami Dolphins. The length of the contract is four years for $51 million.
     Van Noy played the last four seasons with the New England Patriots. He helped them win two Super Bowl titles and three AFC championships. Van Noy had 154 solo tackles for the Patriots in 51 games played. He began his NFL career with the Detroit Lions.

Dolphins Get Clayton Fejedelem

     Safety and special teams player Clayton Fejedelem has inked a contract with the Miami Dolphins. It is a $8.55 million deal for three years.
     Fejedelem never missed a contest in four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He had 77 solo tackles in 64 games played.

Byron Jones Joins Miami Dolphins

     Cornerback Byron Jones has agreed to join the Miami Dolphins. The deal is for five years totaling $82.5 million.
     Jones finished off a five-year NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. He compiled 349 combined tackles and two interceptions in 79 games played.

Shaq Lawson Goes To Dolphins

     Defensive lineman Shaq Lawson has agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins. It is a three-year deal with the Dolphins for $30 million.
     Lawson, who attended Clemson University, was with the Buffalo Bills for the past four seasons. He compiled 108 combined tackles and 16 1/2 sacks in 50 games during his NFL career.

Sam Montembeault Returns To Springfield

     The Florida Panthers have sent goalie Sam Montembeault back to their American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield. He has a two-way deal with the Panthers organization and is still exempt from being put on waivers. 

     The Panthers made the move due to a decision by the National Hockey League. There will be a league-wide roster freeze as of Monday night. Players will not be allowed to be moved between the NHL and the AHL while both leagues are suspended. 

Ereck Flowers Signs With Dolphins

     Former local high school and college offensive tackle Ereck Flowers has signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins. It is a three-year deal worth $30 million.
     Flowers played high school football in Dade County with the Dr. Krop Lightning through his junior year. He spent his senior season with the Miami Norland Vikings and along with running back Duke Johnson helped them capture the 2011 FHSAA Class 5A state championship over Crawfordville.
     He attended the University of Miami and was with them for three seasons. Flowers was in 37 games with the Hurricanes.
     Flowers was selected ninth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He was with that club for four seasons and played in 51 games. Flowers finished the 2018 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and started in all 16 games for the Washington Redskins in 2019.

Inter Miami CF And Lockhart Stadium Comparisons

     Inter Miami CF Stadium was supposed to hold their first Major League Soccer game on Saturday between Inter Miami CF and LA Galaxy. The contest and MLS was suspended last week due to the coronavirus pandemic.
     The design of Inter Miami CF Stadium looks different from the prior facility on the grounds which was Lockhart Stadium. Inter Miami CF Stadium has their long main grandstands on the west and east side of the property. The goalposts are on the north and south sides of the field. The luxury boxes along with the press box is at the top of the west grandstand and is facing east where you can see I-95 in the background. Inter Milan CF Stadium has a capacity of 20,000.
     Lockhart Stadium had their main grandstand with the press box on the south side and their other long grandstand on the north side. The goalposts were located on the east and west side of the pitch. The seating capacity in 2018 was 17,417.

ECHL Cancels Florida Everblades Season

     The East Coast Hockey League cancelled the 2019-20 season on Saturday. The ECHL had announced on Thursday that they has suspended the season.
     The Florida Everblades, who are the Nashville Predators affiliate in the ECHL, saw their season come to a complete halt. The Everblades play their home games in Estero. It is the first time that the ECHL will not complete a season since their inception in 1988-89.

NASCAR Postpones Homestead Race

     NASCAR decided to postpone their next two races due to the coronavirus situation. The race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22 was one of the two upcoming events.
     Homestead may not host a NASCAR race in the 2020 season. That race track did hold the final race of the NASCAR season from 2002 until 2019.

Gulfstream Park Closed To Public

     Gulfstream Park race track announced that they will not allow the public in their facility. Horse racing will continue in Hallandale, however their will be no spectators in the grandstand.
     They will still have horse racing on a daily basis. Their biggest race of the year is the Florida Derby and will be run on March 28.

Major League Baseball Suspends Games

     Major League Baseball announced that the first two weeks of the 2020 regular season will be suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. MLB also said that the remaining spring training games will be suspended and not made up.
     The Miami Marlins were to open up the regular season at Marlins Park on March 26 against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins had 11 games left to play in spring training.

National Hockey League Suspends Season

     The National Hockey League has suspended the 2019-20 season indefinitely due to the coronavirus situation. They join other North America sports organizations that includes the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and college sports conferences.
     The Florida Panthers have six home games left in the regular season. Their next home game was to be on Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils. The Panthers were to host the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals in the next three weeks.

Inter Miami CF Franchise Home Opener Suspended

     Major League Soccer announced on Thursday that the 2020 season has been suspended for 30 days. It is due to the coronavirus threat.
     Inter Miami CF was supposed to have their franchise home opener on Saturday at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale against LA Galaxy. The team was to play the first regular season game in their new facility. Lockhart Stadium was demolished in May 2019 and a new stadium was built over the past year.

Miami Open Suspended

     The Miami Open tennis tournament has been suspended due to the coronavirus crisis. Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Gimenez announced the cancellation of sporting events that involved all mass gatherings in Dade County.
     The grounds that are next to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens is where the Miami Open was to be held for the second straight year. The tennis tournament was slated from March 25 to April 5.

Ruthie Polinsky New WTVJ-TV Sportscaster

     Ruthie Polinsky has been named the new sportscaster at WTVJ-TV Channel 6 in Miami. She takes over the position that was held by Chris Fischer. He left the organization earlier this year.
     Polinsky, a University of Michigan grad, arrives from WPRI-TV in Providence where she worked as a sports anchor and sports reporter for the past three years. She previously was at KFDX-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas as a sportscaster.

Heat Fall To Hornets, NBA Suspends Season

     The Miami Heat lost to the Charlotte Hornets 109-98 at American Airlines Arena. It was the second loss by the Heat at home against the Eastern Conference this season. They entered the contest with an 18-1 record in that category.
     It will be the last game that the Heat will play in quite a while. It was announced late in the game that the NBA has suspended their season as of Thursday due to the coronavirus.
     Miami(41-24) rocketed out to a 40-22 after one quarter. Charlotte(23-42) bounced back outscoring the Heat 37-11 in the second quarter and had a 59-51 advantage at halftime.
     Kendrick Nunn dropped in a team-high 24 points for the Heat while Derrick Jones Jr. had 23 points. Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists. Devonte' Graham led the Hornets with a game-high 30 points.
   

Sports Leagues Close Locker Rooms To Media

     North American professional sports leagues have decided to close locker rooms and clubhouses to all media personnel on a temporary basis. This is due to the threat of the coronavirus and health concerns. 

     The National Hockey League was the first of the major professional sports leagues to implement this procedure on Saturday. The Florida Panthers had a home game in Sunrise that night, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance for the Roberto Luongo jersey retirement ceremony, and the Panthers organization allowed the local South Florida media to enter the team locker room after their contest ended against Montreal to interview players. The Canadiens held their postgame press conferences for their head coach and players outside their locker room area in a scrum. 

     Neither the Miami Heat and Inter Miami CF have not participated in a home game in South Florida since this important decision has been made. The Heat will have their next game in Miami against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Inter Miami CF will play their Major League Soccer franchise home opener on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale against LA Galaxy. 

Panthers Move By Blues

     The Florida Panthers visited the defending Stanley Cup champions and handled the St. Louis Blues 2-1 at Enterprise Center on Monday night. The Panthers are now one point behind for a playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
     The contest was shifted to one day earlier last month. It was due to the cancellation of a game involving the Blues at Anaheim on February 11 when Jay Bouwmeester suffered an emergency health problem on the team bench.
     St. Louis(41-19-10) moved up to a 1-0 lead with 8:40 left in the second period.  Robert Thomas flipped a cross-ice pass from the left point and Colton Parayko blasted a slap shot from above the right circle past Chris Driedger.
     Florida(35-26-8) responded back on the power play with 3:48 to go and tied the contest 1-1. Aleksi Saarela controlled the puck on the left wing and sent a cross-ice pass through the left circle. Mike Hoffman snapped shot from the right-circle dot by Jordan Binnington for his 29th goal of the season. It was the eighth goal in the last 11 games for Hoffman.
     The Panthers pulled ahead 2-1 at the 4:23 mark of the third period. Saarela outraced Vince Dunn around the Blues cage for the loose puck, connected a pass across the blue paint from the right goal line and Brett Connolly scored on a wrist shot from below the left circle.

Heat Outpace Wizards

     The Miami Heat held off the Washington Wizards 100-89 at Capital One Arena on Sunday. The Heat have been victorious in five of their last six games. The Wizards are more than five games behind the Orlando Magic for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
     Miami(41-23) get out to a 29-23 lead at the end of the first quarter and had a slight edge 57-54 at halftime. Washington(23-40) was able to tie it 72-72 after three quarters, but the Heat outscored them 28-17 in the final frame.
     Bam Adebayo busted through with a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat. Duncan Robinson drained in 23 points while Kendrick Nunn contributed 18 points. Shavazz Napier had a team-high 27 points and seven assists for the Wizards and Bradley Beal dropped in 23 points.

Panthers Take Down Canadiens

     Roberto Luongo had his number 1 jersey retired before the game as the Florida Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. He is the first player to receive that honor. Luongo joined former team president Bill Torrey(number 93) and original team owner H. Wayne Huizenga(number 37) as the only uniform numbers to be retired by the club.
     The Panthers snapped an eight-game winless streak at home. The last time they won in South Florida was January 16 against the Los Angeles Kings. They finished the five-game home stand with a 1-2-2 record.
     After a scoreless first period, Florida(34-26-8) got up 1-0 with 9:38 left in the second period. Aaron Ekblad forwarded the puck and Noel Acciari made a touch pass at the Canadiens blue line. Lucas Ullmark picked it up in the left circle, faked a forehand shot and lifted a backhand shot at the top of the crease past Charlie Lindgren for his first goal with Florida.
     The Panthers scored early in the third 41 seconds into the frame. Frank Vatrano won the faceoff in the right circle and knocked it back to Ekblad on the right point. He sent a cross-ice pass and MacKenzie Weegar smashed a one-time slap shot from the left point for his second tally in the last two games.
     The Cats extended it to 3-0 at the 4:13 mark. Mike Hoffman poked the puck from the right corner to Erik Haula on the goal line. He connected a pass to the middle and Jonathan Huberdeau scored on a wrist shot from the left of the crease.
     Montreal(31-30-9) finally got on the scoreboard at 8:04. Jake Evans carried the puck from the left wing, across the high slot and snapped a shot by Chris Driedger.
     Florida made it a three-goal margin with 1:54 to go. Hoffman shot the puck from just before the red line into an empty net for his 28th goal of the season.

D.C. United Stops Inter Miami CF

     D.C. United topped Inter Miami CF 2-1 on Saturday at Audi Field for their first Major League Soccer victory in franchise victory. They will play their franchise home opener in Fort Lautderdale against LA Galaxy next Saturday.
     It bagan great for Inter Miami CF(0-2-0) as they took the lead 1-0 in the second minute of the contest. Rodolfo Pizarro received a pass in the middle of the six-yard box from Lewis Morgan and roofed a right-footed shot to get them ahead.
     The second half would belong to D.C. United as they moved ahead. They compiled goals from Yamil Asad in the 59th minute and Frederic Brillant in the 61th minute.

Roberto Luongo Number 1 Jersey Retired

     The Florida Panthers retired the number 1 jersey of goalie Roberto Luongo on Saturday. It happened prior to their contest against the Montreal Canadiens at BB&T Center in Sunrise. Luongo is a Montreal native and the ceremony was broadcast internationally on Hockey Night In Canada.
     Luongo became the third uniform number to be retired by the club. The Panthers first president Bill Torrey had the number 93 retired on October 23, 2010 and the Panthers first owner H. Wayne Huizenga had the number 37 put up to the rafters on January 19, 2018
     Luongo ended up setting all the goaltender records in Florida Panthers franchise history during two stints with the team. He had 233 victories, 38 shutouts, 572 games played, 16,086 saves and a .919 save percentage in 11 seasons with the Panthers.
     He is near the top on the all-time list for goalie accomplishments in the National Hockey League. Luongo inished his NHL career third in goalie wins with 489, niinth in shutouts with 77, second with 1,044 games played and second with 28,409 saves.

Pelicans Fly By Heat

     The New Orleans Pelicans outscored the Miami Heat 110-104 at Smoothie King Arena on Friday night. The Heat had their four-game winning streak snapped.
     New Orleans(27-36) rushed out to a 32-26 lead after one quarter and extended it to 65-51 by halftime. Miami(40-23) remained down 89-74 at the end of three quarters.
     Jimmy Butler compiled 28 points and six assists for the Heat. Duncan Robinson added 24 points and Goran Dragic dropped in 15 points. Jrue Holiday scored 20 points for the Pelicans while Zion Williamson chalked up 17 points.

Florida Panthers Losing AHL Affiliate

     The Florida Panthers will not have the Springfield Thunderbirds as their American Hockey League affiliate as of next season. The St. Louis Blues swept in and signed a five-year deal with Springfield.
     Florida will have a new AHL affiliate in 2020-21. The Panthers have used Springfield as their top minor league team for the past four seasons.

Vladimir Louissaint Back In Miami

     Vladimir Louissaint is now working for Entercom Communications Miami and Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as a producer. He returned to South Florida during 2019.
     Louissaint was first noticed on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as the overnight producer for a show hosted by Joe Castello and Marc Eisenberg from 2003 to 2004. He added duties as the Florida Marlins reporter for the station in the middle of the 2003 season when the contract of Josh Friedman was not renewed. The Marlins ended up winning their second World Series title that year. Louissaint was the Florida Panthers reporter during the 2003-04 season and finished his tenure at WQAM as a producer.
     He then went to Los Angeles and was the overnight producer on The Third Shift with Jorge Sedano at Fox Sports Radio. Louissant also contributed to two overnight programs with first David Stein and then J.T. The Brick until 2011.
     Louissaint joined NBC Sports Radio in January 2013 as a producer. He left the organization in 2019 when they eliminated the 24-hour sports talk format in January 2019 and condensed it to two weekday shows, two weekend shows and top-of-the-hour sports updates.

Shandel Richardson At Inside The Heat.com

     Former South Florida Sun-Sentinel sportswriter Shandel Richardson is now at Sports Illustrated.com as the writer for Inside The Heat.com. He joined that organization in early January. Richardson was the Miami Heat beat writer with The Athletic Miami from September 2018 until November 2019.
     He previously held the post of Miami Heat reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Richardson previously held posts as the high school reporter and University of Miami Hurricanes beat writer at that newspaper.

Bruins Edge Panthers

     The Boston Bruins got by the Florida Panthers 2-1 in overtime at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Panthers lost their eighth straight home game and have a 0-6-2 record in South Florida since the NHL All-Star Game break. The Bruins, who have won four straight and swept a three-game road trip, stand in first place with the best record in the National Hockey League.
     It was the last three-day break that the Panthers will have for the rest of the season. The Cats will conclude their five-game home stand on Saturday and retire the number 1 jersey of goalie Roberto Luongo.
     There was no scoring from either club during the first period. The B's outshot the Cats 12-4 in the frame.
     Florida(33-26-8) broke the tie at 6:55 of the second period. Brett Connolly made a pass from the right wing and MacKenzie Weegar blasted a one-time slap shot from the high slot past Jaroslav Halak. Lucas Wallmark was credited with the secondary assist on the play for his first point with his new team.
     Boston(43-13-12) evened it up 1-1 on the power play with 9:00 left in the second. Brad Marchand moved the puck from the right side to Torey Krug at the top of the zone. His slap shot was redirected in by Patrice Bergeron in the slot area for his 30th goal of the season. It was the sixth time that Bergeron has reached the 30-goal mark in his NHL career.
     In overtime, the Bruins got their only lead of the contest with 51.9 seconds remaining. David Krejci left the puck for David Pastrnak in the low left circle. He angled it back to Torey Krug in the high slot and Krug released a snap shot by Chris Driedger for the game-winning tally.

Heat Stuff Magic

     The Miami Heat handled the Orlando Magic 116-113 on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat, won have won four straight games, are now 27-4 at home this season.
     Miami(40-22) moved out to a 30-26 lead at the end of one quarter and stayed ahead 60-55 at halftime. Orlando(27-35) cut the gap slightly and trailed 88-84 after three quarters.
     Duncan Robinson dropped in a team-high 27 points for the Heat. Goran Dragic fell short of a double-double with 25 points and nine assists while Kelly Olynyk was able to add 16 points. Terrence Ross had a game-high 35 points for the Magic and Nikola Vucevic compiled a double-double with 22 points along with 16 rebounds.

Heat Run By Bucks

     The Miami Heat picked up a 105-89 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena on Monday night. The Bucks have the best record in the National Basketball Association and have already clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
     Miami(39-22) started off with a 28-24 lead after one quarter and had a 53-52 edge at halftime. Milwaukee(52-9) were outscored by ten points during the third quarter and they trailed 81-70.
     The Heat got 18 points each from Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder. Bam Adebayo delivered a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo compiled a double-double for the Bucks with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Brook Lopez ended up with a game-high 21 points.

Dontrelle Willis Added To Oakland A's Broadcasts

     Former Florida Marlins starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis has joined NBC Sports California. He will be a studio analyst for Oakland A's telecasts. The D-Train was born in Oakland and grew up as an A's fan. Willis has been a baseball studio analyst on MLB Whiparound on Fox Sports 1 since April 2015.
     Willis first appeared with the Florida Marlins during the 2003 season. He helped the club win their second World Series title as they upset the New York Yankees in six games. Willis received the National League Rookie of the Year Award that year with a 14-6 record and 142 strikeouts in 27 games started.
     He played five seasons with the Marlins and was dealt along with Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers in an eight-player trade in December 2007. Willis also had stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds to complete his nine-season Major League Baseball career.

Tom Koehler Retires

     Former Miami Marlins pitcher Tom Koehler retired on Monday. He was trying to make the Pittsburgh Pirates roster and was invited to their spring training camp.
     Koehler started 132 games for the Marlins from 2012 until 2017. He had a 36-55 record with them along with a 4.43 earned-run-average and 586 strikeouts in 767 1/3 innings pitched. Koehler was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in August 2017 and finished his major league career with them several months later.

Inter Miami CF Lose MLS Franchise Opener To LAFC

     Inter Miami CF made their Major Soccer League franchise debut on Sunday and lost to Los Angeles Football Club 1-0 at Banc of California Stadium on Sunday. It was the first time that a South Florida based soccer club played in the MLS since the Miami Fusion in 2001.
     Their was only one goal in the entire contest. LAFC got up 1-0 in the 44th minute as Carlos Vela scored on a left-footed shot from the middle of the penalty area.
     Inter Miami CF had six shots on goal and 15 shots overall in the contest. Los Angeles Football Club compiled nine shots on goal and 21 shots overall.

Flames Burn Panthers

     The Calgary Flames dismantled the Florida Panthers 3-0 at BB&T Center on Sunday. The Panthers lost their seventh consecutive game at home and are 0-6-1 during the last six weeks in Sunrise. The Flames finished off a five-game road trip and will now play 11 of their final 15 games of the regular season at home.
     Calgary(34-26-7) raced out to a 1-0 lead on the power play at the 6:21 mark of the first period. Mark Giordano angled a pass from the top of the zone to Elias Lindholm on his right. Lindholm connected a cross-ice pass from the top right circle to the top left circle and Johnny Gaudreau snapped a shot past Sam Montembeault for his 17th goal of the season.
     The Flames  were given a penalty shot with 7:43 left in the first when Gaudreau was taken down on a breakaway by MacKenzie Weegar. On the penalty shot, Gaudreau slowly skated in and went with a backhand shot that was stopped by Montembeault.
     In the second period, Calgary made it 2-0 at 3:10. Giordano shot the puck from the left circle and it was deflected wide left by Derek Ryan from the crease area. Ryan recovered it on the end wall, centered it and Milan Lucic scored from the top of the crease for his seventh goal.
     Florida(33-26-7) surrendered another goal 1:09 into the third period and they trailed by three goals. Gaudreau flicked the puck from the right circle to T.J. Brodie at the blue line. He passed it to Girodano on the left wing and it was returned to him. Brodie then blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone for his first goal in the last 38 games.