Sports briefs: NHL to host more outdoor games next season

NHL • The NHL has limited its outdoor games to one or two a year since it first began playing them 10 years ago.

In January, that's set to change. There will be four games that month, and two more in March. To the rest of North America, the events could begin to seem ordinary. But the league is confident they'll remain a strong draw to the people who matter most.

"For fans that want to attend, we can't do enough of them," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday, standing on the spot at Yankee Stadium where the Rangers will play twice in January.

Devils in bind, close to being sold

NHL • The three-time Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils are for sale and a deal is expected before the start of the season.

A person familiar with the negotiations says several groups are vying to buy the financially strapped franchise and there is a chance a deal might be done quickly.

From wire reports