TORONTO (AP) — Toronto captain Auston Matthews sat out the Maple Leafs' game Saturday night against the New York Islanders because of an undisclosed injury.
Toronto coach Craig Berube said Matthews took a cross-check to the back late in a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Matthews missed nine games last month because of an upper-body injury that saw him travel to Germany for treatment. Berube replied “a little bit of both” when asked Saturday if the current issue is new or related to the star center’s previous absence.
The three-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-scorer skipped the morning skate Friday in Buffalo before scoring against the Sabres. Matthews has 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games this season.
Ryan Reaves and Connor Dewar slotted into the lineup against the Islanders in place of Matthews and Pontus Holmberg.
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Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) is stopped by Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) celebrates after his goal against the Buffalo Sabres with teammates Auston Matthews (34) and Morgan Rielly (44) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — New York's governor has ordered more than a dozen prison staffers to be fired over the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has directed the state's corrections department commissioner to begin the process of terminating 14 workers involved in the fatal attack at the Marcy Correctional Facility.
Robert Brooks died on Dec. 10 after an encounter with officers the day earlier at the prison located in Oneida County.
Hochul's office didn't elaborate on the circumstances leading up to the death but said her decision comes after an internal review.
“The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service," the Democrat said in a statement. "But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse."
The corrections department on Saturday provided a list of 13 employees, including correctional officers, sergeants and a nurse, who have been suspended without pay as well as another correctional officer who has resigned.
But the agency declined to provide more details about the incident other than to say that Brooks was pronounced dead at a hospital in Utica in the early morning hours on Dec. 10.
The 43-year-old had been serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017, according to the department.
State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III also denounced the staffers' actions and said the suspensions are “in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve.”
“There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act,” he said in an emailed statement. "These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued.”
The labor union representing correctional officers didn't immediately comment.
Brooks' family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are “incredibly shocked and saddened" about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany, which first reported the death.
“We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place,” the family said in its statement, according to the newspaper. “No one should have to lose a family member this way.”
State Attorney General Letitia James said her office is also investigating the use of force by correction officers that led to the death.
The Democrat said her staff has obtained video of the incident and will make it public after Brooks' family has viewed it.
“Law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and I am committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve," James said in a statement.
FILE - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference in the Queens borough of New York, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
