Podium

If you have any doubt the New Jersey Devils are frustrating the New York Rangers in their Eastern Conference finals, just look at Game 4. Forget that Zach Parise scored two goals and set up another in the Devils' 4-1 win that evened the series at 2-all. Look at the extracurricular stuff in the game Monday night. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur got sucker-punched by former teammate Mike Rupp, who might now be facing a suspension. New Jersey teammates Patrik Elias, Adam Henrique and Steve Bernier were the victims of cheap shots, and the Rangers spent most of the final 20 minutes...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The placement of his replica of the Harley J. Earl Trophy, given to the winner of the Daytona 500, spoke volumes about Trevor Bayne's humility as much as his youthful exuberance. They were traits that imbued his improbable victory as a 20-year-old rookie for Wood Brothers Racing in NASCAR's season-opening event last year. But Bayne did not have a special cabinet made for it. Or have it placed in a glass case. That would have been too pretentious for the unaffected Bayne, who was initially awestruck by the adulation his first Sprint Cup triumph brought him. But he...

Downhill champ Lindsey Vonn had never won a World Cup race in the United States. Until yesterday. But of course, that's not the story. The real story is that when she reached the podium, she did...well, this. Tebow. In fact, the Broncos' quarterback's brother was on hand for the race at Beaver Creek's Birds of Prey, joining what the Denver Post labels Lindsey's "Vonntourage," and the World Cup champ made sure with Robby Tebow that the "Tebowing" celebration was OK. "This is my first ski race," Tebow said.

CAMBRIDGE - At Sanders Theatre on Thursday night, Benjamin Zander made a musically focused, notably apolitical return to the podium of his Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. It was the embattled conductor's first BPO performance since his dismissal last month by New England Conservatory, his main professional home for over four decades. The Boston Philharmonic has of course been this conductor's second home since he founded the orchestra in 1979. In last night's "Discovery Series" concert, Zander seemed keen to keep his two worlds separated, and while he spoke from the podium...

CAMBRIDGE - At Sanders Theatre on Thursday night, Benjamin Zander made a musically focused, notably apolitical return to the podium of his Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. It was the embattled conductor's first BPO performance since his dismissal last month by New England Conservatory, his main professional home for over four decades. The Boston Philharmonic has of course been this conductor's second home since he founded the orchestra in 1979. In last night's "Discovery Series" concert, Zander seemed keen to keep his two worlds separated, and while he spoke from the podium...

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski walked with a confident stride and gait, showing no signs of a limp. But he still showed some nervous tension today as he sat in his booth for Super Bowl Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The enormity of the situation seemed to catch up with him as he was peppered with queries about his ankle, which was injured in the third quarter of the AFC championship. On Monday, according to Gronkowski, the boot that covered his left ankle was removed.

Norway's Petter Northug and Marit Bjoergen won cross-country skiing World Cup distance races Saturday. Northug won the 30-kilometer freestyle in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 43.8 seconds, beating Maurice Manificat of France by 51.4 seconds. Czech Lukas Bauer was third. Bjoergen eased to her 49th World Cup victory, covering the 15-kilometer freestyle course in 35:59.5. In a Norwegian podium sweep, Vibeke Skofterud trailed Bjoergen by 41.8 seconds, relegating Therese Johaug to third.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is not catching many breaks these days from the podium. Sir Andrew Davis has withdrawn from this week’s set of concerts because of a family illness, and the Frenchman Yan Pascal Tortelier has stepped in, making his subscription debut last night in Symphony Hall. (He has also tweaked the program, replacing Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements with the composer’s “Firebird’’ Suite of 1945.) There is a nice local connection in that Tortelier’s father, the cellist Paul Tortelier, once led the BSO’s cello section in the late 1930s.

Romed Baumann held off a strong challenge from promising Frenchman Alexis Pinturault to win Sunday's World Cup super-combined race for his second career victory. Baumann led Pinturault by a comfortable 3.27 seconds after posting the fastest time in the morning's downhill run on the La Verte des Houches course, and the Austrian held firm in the afternoon slalom session to win by 1.10 seconds. Switzerland's Beat Feuz, tied for fifth after the downhill, was 1:19 behind Baumann in third place — his third supercombi podium so far this season.

City Councilor Daniel Raymondi stands at the podium with other city councilors and state reps, speaking to the chamber. By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent Quincy City Councilor Daniel Raymondi has officially accepted a newly created Department of Public Works Commissioner job that pays $110,000, delivering him a salary increase of nearly $90,000 a year. Raymondi, who made $22,300 annually as a city councilor, starts in the position today, and was sworn in by Mayor Thomas Koch this morning, Mayoral Spokesperson Christopher Walker said.

Ivica Kostelic captured his second consecutive World Cup super-combined title with a victory Sunday on the 2014 Sochi Olympics course, then hobbled off with an injured right knee that that might need surgery. The Croatian was in visible pain during the victory celebration, using his ski poles like crutches and struggling onto the podium on the verge of tears while sister Janica looked on crying. "You saw he could not walk," Croatia team spokesman Vedran Pavlek said. "He could not extend his knee.

LET THE record reflect that even Dave Portnoy — the trash-mouthed commandant of the website Barstool Sports — knows that there are certain times when you shouldn't make certain jokes. This was proven on a night earlier this month, when Barstool, which equally celebrates sports and the male id, was holding an installment of its "Barstool Blackout Tour," a traveling dance party with lasers and black lights, for Northeastern students at the House of Blues. A campus protest group that called itself Knockout Barstool held a competing event: an open-mic rally against rape,...

Romed Baumann held off a strong challenge from promising Frenchman Alexis Pinturault to win Sunday's World Cup super-combined race for his second career victory. Baumann led Pinturault by a comfortable 3.27 seconds after posting the fastest time in the morning's downhill run on the La Verte des Houches course, and the Austrian held firm in the afternoon slalom session to win by 1.10 seconds. Switzerland's Beat Feuz, tied for fifth after the downhill, was 1:19 behind Baumann in third place — his third supercombi podium so far this season.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski walked with a confident stride and gait, showing no signs of a limp. But he still showed some nervous tension today as he sat in his booth for Super Bowl Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The enormity of the situation seemed to catch up with him as he was peppered with queries about his ankle, which was injured in the third quarter of the AFC championship. On Monday, according to Gronkowski, the boot that covered his left ankle was removed.

Norway's Petter Northug and Marit Bjoergen won cross-country skiing World Cup distance races Saturday. Northug won the 30-kilometer freestyle in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 43.8 seconds, beating Maurice Manificat of France by 51.4 seconds. Czech Lukas Bauer was third. Bjoergen eased to her 49th World Cup victory, covering the 15-kilometer freestyle course in 35:59.5. In a Norwegian podium sweep, Vibeke Skofterud trailed Bjoergen by 41.8 seconds, relegating Therese Johaug to third.

Downhill champ Lindsey Vonn had never won a World Cup race in the United States. Until yesterday. But of course, that's not the story. The real story is that when she reached the podium, she did...well, this. Tebow. In fact, the Broncos' quarterback's brother was on hand for the race at Beaver Creek's Birds of Prey, joining what the Denver Post labels Lindsey's "Vonntourage," and the World Cup champ made sure with Robby Tebow that the "Tebowing" celebration was OK. "This is my first ski race," Tebow said.

Didier Cuche won the downhill season-opener Saturday, giving Switzerland a 1-2 finish in the World Cup race at Lake Louise. The 37-year-old Cuche finished in 1 minute, 47.28 seconds. He also won at Lake Louise in 2009. "Actually, I always struggle to be fast here in Lake Louise, especially in the downhill," Cuche said. "I was on the podium three or four times in the super-G, but before the win two years ago I was maybe once top five. It's a hard course to be fast. You need to attack.

Just when it seems Franconia, N.H.’s Bode Miller is fading from the scene — having hit the Olympic heights last winter in Vancouver — the 33-year-old pops up again. This time Miller grabbed a bronze-medal finish in one of the most exciting races on the World Cup tour — a night dual slalom before 25,000 fans in an arena in Munich last Sunday. It was Miller’s first podium of the season. Miller, a five-time Olympic medalist, came from behind in his final run to edge hometown favorite Felix Neureuther for third, earning a spot on the podium, $21,000, and 60 points in the World Cup standings.

Didier Cuche won the downhill season-opener Saturday, giving Switzerland a 1-2 finish in the World Cup race at Lake Louise. The 37-year-old Cuche finished in 1 minute, 47.28 seconds. He also won at Lake Louise in 2009. "Actually, I always struggle to be fast here in Lake Louise, especially in the downhill," Cuche said. "I was on the podium three or four times in the super-G, but before the win two years ago I was maybe once top five. It's a hard course to be fast. You need to attack.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Myung-Whun Chung, conductor At: Symphony Hall, Thursday night (repeats tonight) Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. Myung-Whun Chung returned to the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium Thursday night. This Korean-born conductor from a gifted musical family built his career mostly in Europe, but now directs the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He made headlines this fall for his efforts to bring North and South Korean musicians together.