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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Newsmakers

Hired The New Jersey Devils announced the hiring of John Hynes as coach, making him the youngest coach in the NHL at 40 years old. General manager Ray Shero announced the hiring on Tuesday, saying the Devils would be a fast, attacking team that knows how to play defense. Shero said nobody but Hynes was offered the job. Hynes has spent the past five seasons coaching Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, the Penguins’ top farm team. Shero is a former Penguins general manager. The Devils have missed the playoff the past three seasons, falling short by 20 points this season with the league’s sixth-worst record. Pete DeBoer, who coached the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, was fired in December.

John Hartwell was hired as the next athletic director at Utah State, university president Stan Albrecht announced. The former Troy athletic director replaces Scott Barnes, who took the same position at Pittsburgh. Hartwell spent three years at Troy, where he guided major upgrades to several athletic facilities. Three of his hires were named Sun Belt Conference coach of the year in 2014-15 as the women’s golf team and men’s tennis team won conference titles. He also negotiated a new deal with Adidas to outfit the school’s teams.

Signed Prized prospect Lagerald Vick, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, reclassified for the 2015 class and signed a grant-in-aid agreement to play basketball for Kansas. Vick was originally planning to attend prep school for a year, but he managed to complete all the academic requirements necessary to be part of this year’s recruiting class. He averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists last season for Douglass High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Agreed The Montreal Canadiens agreed to a $33 million, six-year contract with defenseman Jeff Petry. Petry, who was eligible for unrestricted free agency, became a key performer for the Canadiens after general manager Marc Bergevin acquired him from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. The 27-year-old Petry had three goals and four assists in 19 regular-season games for the Canadiens. He added two goals and an assist during the postseason.

Extended Chattanooga women’s basketball coach Jim Foster received a two-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season. Foster, a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, is 58-8 at Chattanooga and has reached the NCAA tournament each of his two seasons. The Mocs are undefeated in SoCon play under Foster.