Pierre Lacroix dies at 72: How the hockey world reacted to the former Avalanche GM’s death – The Denver Post

Former Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix died Sunday. He was 72.

Lacroix was the architect behind the Avs teams that won the Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001.

Here’s a look at how the world of hockey reacted to his death.

— Erik Johnson (@6ErikJohnson) December 13, 2020

Cleveland Baseball Team to Drop ‘Indians’ Name, NYT Reports

Cleveland’s baseball team plans to drop the word “Indians” from its name, the New York Times reports, citing three people familiar with the decision.

The team doesn’t have a plan for its new name yet, and could use the Indians name for the 2021 season before shifting away from it, one of the people said. Another option could be to proceed without a replacement name and come up with one in the future, two of the people said. The plans could be announced as soon as this week, according to the report.

The Cleveland team, which has moved away from its cartoonish tribal chief logo and had earlier announced plans to reconsider its moniker, didn’t immediately comment to the Times.

In the months since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, a global reckoning on race and equality has prompted several name and branding changes to drop racist slurs and imagery. The Washington Football Team dropped the word “Redskins” earlier this year. Several other professional U.S. sports teams with tribal names and imagery, including the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Blackhawks, have said they will keep their names.

New Zealand agrees on 'travel bubble' with Australia early next year

WELLINGTON (REUTERS) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday (Dec 14) that the Cabinet has agreed in principle to allow travel with Australia without quarantine in the first quarter of 2021.

Ms Ardern said this was subject to decisions by Australian governments, and more preparations were still needed to finalise the “travel bubble”, adding that intends to name a date in the New Year once remaining details are determined.

Australia-New Zealand Quarantine-Free Travel May Begin in Early 2021

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says a travel bubble with Australia could begin in the first quarter of next year once final details have been worked out.

Addressing reporters after a Cabinet meeting, Ardern said the quarantine-free arrangements depended on levels of Covid-19 in both countries not getting worse. A bubble with the Cook Islands is likely to come first, she said.

Australia and New Zealand already have a limited travel corridor, but anyone returning from a trip from Australia must quarantine for 14 days on their return.

Cleveland Indians To Change Nickname After Years Of Protests

After protests from Native American groups and fans, the Cleveland Indians are finally changing their name.

According to the New York Times, the Cleveland baseball team will change its name after 105 years. The use of an Indian as a mascot has been criticized as racist and as a result, there has been a push to drop the nickname. This is a long time coming as Native American groups have been pushing for sports team to not use their cultural iconography and imagery as mascots.

This seems like the final step in shifting away from the racially insensitive nickname, as the Cleveland team spent much of 2019 phasing out the offensive imagery of the cartoon mascot Chief Wahoo.

The New York Times reports that Cleveland will keep its team name for 2021 and change in 2022.

This comes at a time when the country is witnessing a reckoning when it comes to systemic racism and police violence. It also comes after NFL’s Washington Football Team dropped “Redskins” as its nickname in July. Native American groups are continuing to push for professional sports teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Blackhawks and the Atlanta Braves to follow suit.

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U.K. Property Boom Will Last Another Year, Rightmove Says

The surge in U.K. property prices will persist into next year as housing needs outweigh economic uncertainty, according to Rightmove.

It predicts asking prices will climb 4% in 2021 as this year’s unprecedented demand spills into the coming months. Currently there is a logjam of 650,000 properties in the market, with prices up 6.6% compared to this time last year, the property website said.

The first quarter will be busy with people hurrying to buy homes to take advantage of a temporary tax cut on purchases that ends in March. Cheap mortgage rates will attract first-time buyers and fuel activity, Rightmove said.

“Pandemic-related uncertainties have been around for nearly a year, and Brexit uncertainties for far longer, and record activity month after month has proved that movers are willing and able to act on their
new or existing housing priorities,” said Tim Bannister, a director at Rightmove.

Asking prices slipped 0.6% in December from the previous month but were up 6.6% from a year earlier, the fastest pace in four years, the website said.

— With assistance by Lucy Meakin

Biden Will Follow Fauci’s Guidance on When to Take Vaccine: Aide

President-elect Joe Biden will follow the guidance of Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, about when to take a coronavirus vaccine and will have it administered in public, a transition official said Sunday as the Trump administration prepared to begin offering the vaccine to top officials.

For months Biden has said he would heed Fauci’s advice about the safety of the vaccine and will continue to do so after he takes office in little more than a month. He’s asked Fauci to continue on in his role as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and to also be his chief medical adviser.

Biden said earlier this month that he would “be happy” to take the vaccine in public, just as former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have said they would.

“When Dr. Fauci says we have a vaccine that is safe, that’s the moment in which I will stand before the public,” Biden said in an interview with CNN.