First Call: Super Bowl odds after Steelers draft Najee Harris; Tom Wilson is at it again
Oddsmakers don’t seem impressed with the Steelers drafting Najee Harris. Tom Wilson is up to his old tricks. And a pair of happy goaltending debuts with Pittsburgh ties. All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.” Did Najee move the number? BetOnline.ag released its Super Bowl odds after the NFL Draft. How...
Rangers rip Capitals’ Tom Wilson for injuring star winger Artemi Panarin
New York Rangers coach David Quinn and center Mika Zibanejad called out Tom Wilson for a lack of respect for the game after the Washington Capitals winger’s latest violent act. In the second period of a 6-3 Capitals win over the Rangers on Monday night, Wilson threw punches at Pavel...
Wexford’s Michael Houser wins NHL debut after 8-plus years in minors
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Michael Houser stopped 34 shots in his NHL debut, Sam Reinhart scored twice in Buffalo’s three-goal third period, and the Sabres beat the playoff-bound New York Islanders 4-2 on Monday night. Tage Thompson and Rasmund Asplund also scored for Buffalo, which trailed 2-0 early in the second...
Here’s what the NHL’s TV deals with ESPN, Turner may mean for the league
SEATTLE — Kraken television play-by-play broadcaster John Forslund sees “an interesting frontier” ahead for the NHL now that its dual U.S. national television-rights holders have been named. Forslund, who remains one of NBC’s lead hockey broadcasters through the upcoming playoffs, said this week that new NHL partners ESPN and Turner...
Jaromir Jagr leads his club back to top Czech league at 49
KLADNO, Czech Republic — Jaromir Jagr was celebrating on the ice again Thursday. The 49-year-old right winger had an assist to help his hometown club Kladno Knights return to the top Czech league by beating Jihlava, 5-2, to clinch their playoff series 4-3. Jagr made his debut for Kladno as...
Ryan Miller’s time: Ducks goalie to retire at end of season
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ryan Miller smiled and choked up a bit when he considered how his career as the winningest American-born goalie in professional hockey history almost never happened. When Miller first became fascinated with goaltending as a youngster growing up in Michigan, he says his father, Dean, gently tried...
Canadiens’ Drouin taking indefinite leave of absence
MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens say forward Jonathan Drouin is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. The Canadiens announced on their Twitter feed that Drouin will be placed on long-term injured reserve by the club. “We ask everyone to respect his privacy,” the Canadiens...
Doug Jarvis’ ironman streak could be next major NHL record broken
After Patrick Marleau passed Gordie Howe last week for the most games played in NHL history, the ironman streak of Doug Jarvis could be the next milestone to fall. Jarvis played in a record 964 consecutive games — every game for 12 full seasons from 1975-87 on three different teams...
First Call: A team that may draft Najee Harris before Steelers pick; Alex Ovechkin sidelined; Josh Bell struggles
Wednesday’s “First Call” clues us in on a team that may steal Najee Harris in the first round of the NFL Draft before the Pittsburgh Steelers get a chance to pick him. Steelers Hall of Famer Alan Faneca throws his support behind a potential top-5 draft choice for a very...
NHL could adjust playoffs for travel restrictions in CanadaVideo
The NHL is preparing contingency plans if virus restrictions in Canada prevent travel between provinces or back and forth to the U.S. during the playoffs. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday called the situation “wildly unpredictable.” The NHL put off the thorny issue of cross-border travel before the season began...
NHL reaches 7-year deal with Turner Sports, ending NBC run
The National Hockey League is coming to TNT. The league and Turner Sports on Tuesday announced a seven-year agreement that begins next season. The deal means NBC’s run of covering the league ends after after this season’s playoffs. NBC has broadcast games since 2005 and is in the final season...
Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw retires after latest concussion
CHICAGO — Andrew Shaw was the scrappy “mutt” on a star-studded team, a gritty fan favorite who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win two Stanley Cups. Now, he is calling it a career. Shaw announced his retirement Monday on the advice of doctors after multiple concussions over the course of his...
Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw retires after latest concussion
CHICAGO — Andrew Shaw, the gritty forward who played a key role in helping the Chicago Blackhawks win two Stanley Cup championships, announced his retirement Monday on the advice of his doctors after multiple concussions over the course of his career. The native of Belleville, Ontario, played 10 seasons in...
Dent in the pipeline: NHL draft-eligible players take a hit
A few years from now, Brandt Clarke might be able to brag he took the Auston Matthews path to the NHL by playing in Europe during his draft year. “He kind of went over voluntarily,” Clarke said. “I went over out of desperation.” Clarke and other 2021 draft-eligible prospects didn’t...
Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen added to NHL’s covid-19 list
DENVER — Colorado Avalanche star right winger Mikko Rantanen was added to the NHL’s covid-19 protocol absence list Tuesday. Rantanen joins goaltender Phillipp Grubauer and winger Joonas Donskoi on the list. The Avs have been shut down since Donskoi went on the list last week and are scheduled to return...
Sharks’ Patrick Marleau ties Gordie Howe’s NHL mark for games playedVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — San Jose forward Patrick Marleau tied Gordie Howe’s NHL record for career games played, appearing in his 1,767th on Saturday as the Sharks faced the Minnesota Wild. Marleau hopped over the boards for his first shift 40 seconds into the game. He could break Howe’s record...
Patrick Marleau poised to break Gordie Howe’s games record
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Growing up on a farm as a hockey-loving kid in Saskatchewan, the knowledge that players like Gordie Howe had made the journey from that remote province to the NHL gave Patrick Marleau belief that he could one day follow that same path. Marleau has done far...
NHL delays Canucks’ return to play after covid-19 outbreakVideo
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The NHL delayed the Vancouver Canucks’ return to competition. The Canucks, who have not played since March 24 because of a covid-19 outbreak, had been scheduled to host the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. The league announced Thursday the team would not play that game and...
Sabres’ Jack Eichel ruled out for rest of season with neck injuryVideo
Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel won’t play the rest of the season because of a neck injury. The team said Wednesday that Eichel has a herniated disk and is expected to be healthy for the start of next season. The 24-year-old center hasn’t played since March 7. “He (was) playing...
Deal the Kraken? Ron Francis can’t make official trades — yet
Just because the NHL can’t release the Kraken until October doesn’t mean Seattle wasn’t in the mix at the trade deadline. General manager Ron Francis can’t finalize any transactions until ownership makes its final expansion payment to the league, but there’s precedent for him making a handshake deal or two....
First Call: James Conner says goodbye to Pittsburgh, addresses ATV accident; Ben Roethlisberger’s MVP odds; Flyers fading
Former Steeler and Pitt Panther James Conner says goodbye to the city of Pittsburgh. Big odds against “Big Ben” in the NFL MVP race. The Flyers continue to fail. And an ex-Pirates pitcher has a bad night. All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.” Au revoir Running back James Conner posted...
Avalanche GM embraces win-now mode with decisions looming
DENVER — Deep down, this is precisely the sort of depth Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic always pictured. Two goaltenders to back up one of the best in the league. Three balanced lines to complement a top one that’s anchored by Nathan MacKinnon. A blue line filled with the...
Lightning, Maple Leafs among NHL trade deadline winners
The defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning went into the NHL trade deadline without much money to make a move. As the league’s best teams often do, the cash-strapped Lightning found a way to improve their chances of winning with a shrewd deal. The Buffalo Sabres, meanwhile, had one...
Capitals make one of few big splashes at NHL’s cap-crunched trading deadlineVideo
Flat cap or not, the Washington Capitals refused to stand by and watch their division foes improve their rosters without making a move at the NHL trade deadline Monday. Not long after the Boston Bruins acquired 2018 NHL MVP Taylor Hall from Buffalo, the Capitals responded by mortgaging a valuable...
Bruins bolster playoff push, acquire Taylor Hall from Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The banged-up Boston Bruins are getting a boost for their late-season playoff push by acquiring forward Taylor Hall in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres reached early Monday. The Bruins also added checking line forward Curtis Lazar, who has missed the past six games with an upper...
