Artemi Panarin rejoins Rangers after 2-week leave of absence
Artemi Panarin rejoined the New York Rangers for practice in Boston on Wednesday after taking a two-week leave of absence. Coach David Quinn said Panarin won’t play Thursday night against the Bruins and his timeline for getting back to game action is unclear. But there’s a buzz around the Rangers...
NHL reaches 7-year agreement with ESPN
The National Hockey League and ESPN are together again: The two sides announced a seven-year agreement Wednesday beginning next season that includes four Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL All-Star game and comprehensive streaming rights. ESPN has a long history with the league, stretching back to the network’s launch, but hasn’t...
Secondary scoring proves to be pivotal for the top NHL teams
The Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup last year, leaning on their top line of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat to produce nearly 40% of their points during the postseason run. Tampa Bay is now winning a different way, nearing the midway point of the 56-game, pandemic-shortened...
First Call: Twists as JuJu Smith-Schuster approaches free agency; Islanders stay hot atop East
Monday’s “First Call” features a few interesting twists along the way toward JuJu Smith-Schuster’s free agency. The New York Islanders stay red-hot atop the Eastern Division. Robert Morris’ women’s hockey team takes a unique route to the NCAA tournament. And Duquesne’s spring football season opener turns back the clock when...
Washington’s Tom Wilson suspended 7 games for hit
BOSTON — Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was released from the hospital Saturday after spending the night following a head hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson. Later Saturday, Wilson was suspended for seven games by the NHL without pay after an Zoom hearing to discuss the incident. Wilson is...
Blackhawks’ Brent Seabrook calls it a career because of injury
Longtime Chicago Blackhawks defenseman and three-time Stanley Cup winner Brent Seabrook announced Friday he is unable to continue playing hockey because of injury. After surgeries on his right shoulder and both hips, it’s a lingering right hip issue that’s keeping the 35-year-old Canadian from getting back on the ice. Seabrook...
Walter Gretzky, father of NHL great Wayne Gretzky, dies at 82
TORONTO — Walter Gretzky, the father of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, has died. He was 82. Wayne Gretzky said in a social media post Thursday night that his father battled Parkinson’s disease and other health issues the past few years. “It’s with deep sadness that Janet and I share the...
Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin fined $5K for spearing Bruins’ FredericVideo
NEW YORK — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was fined $5,000 by the NHL on Thursday for spearing Boston Bruins rookie Trent Frederic, an amount that is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. Ovechkin delivered a spear in an upward direction to Frederic’s groin with five minutes left...
Vengeance sweet for Zdeno Chara, James Harden in 1st trips back
Wednesday night provided fireworks for a pair of superstars returning to their longtime homes. Former Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (now with the Washington Capitals) and erstwhile Houston Rockets guard James Harden (with the Brooklyn Nets) notched victories over their old teams. Harden had a triple-double with 29 points, 10...
No Fun NHL? Restrictions help players appreciate hockey more
Instead of going out to dinner with his fiancee after coming home from practice, Brandon Carlo takes his dogs on long walks to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. “It’s nice that I can still do those things,” the Boston defenseman said. NHL players and their...
First Call: Steelers show interest in high-speed WR; goalie goal, goalie fight; Marc-Andre Fleury bet
A few Steelers post on social media about free agency. The franchise appears to have an interest in a blazer at wide receiver in the upcoming draft. A goalie fight, a goalie goal and a Golden Knights goalie bet. All that in Monday’s “First Call.” Banner’s self-ban Steelers free agent...
Capitals’ Henrik Lundqvist back on ice, ‘months’ away from deciding futureVideo
WASHINGTON — Henrik Lundqvist said Thursday he is months away from making a decision about his hockey-playing future after returning to the ice less than two months since undergoing open-heart surgery. The 38-year-old goaltender posted videos to social media earlier this week of himself in goaltending gear taking shots in...
Canadiens fire coach Claude Julien amid losing stretchVideo
MONTREAL — The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday after a three-game skid. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff. After a one-week break in their schedule, the Canadiens have lost...
Robert Morris goalie’s work with veterans groups helps to earn coveted hockey nomination
For years, every game day at Clearview Arena, we had the same routine. About 90 minutes before faceoff, my broadcast partner Mike Prisuta and I would head down from the broadcast deck and make our way to ice level and go through the team entrance. On the way to the...
First Call: Tyler Glasnow on difference between Pirates and Rays; no love for Bud Dupree; another Fleury shutout
Tuesday’s “First Call” wonders why the NFL Network is overlooking Steelers pass rusher Bud Dupree. Tyler Glasnow dishes on the difference between the Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays. We check in on the Eastern Division standings. Marc-Andre Fleury pitches another shutout. And we recall the “Miracle on Ice.” Tampa...
Artemi Panarin denies Russian report, takes time away from Rangers
New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the team after a Russian tabloid printed allegations from a former coach that he attacked a woman in Latvia almost a decade ago, which he denies. Andrei Nazarov, a former NHL enforcer who coached Panarin in the...
Avs beat Golden Knights 3-2 in delayed Lake Tahoe game
STATELINE, Nev. — Everyone knew playing an outdoor game on a golf course near Lake Tahoe instead of in a stadium would provide a unique experience. Few could have imagined how it all turned out with the game starting with breathtaking views in the sunshine, taking an eight-hour break because...
NHL outdoor game at Lake Tahoe delayed because of bright sun, ice conditionsVideo
STATELINE, Nev. — The setting was spectacular but the ice conditions were far from it, leading to an extended delay between the first and second period of the outdoor game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche at Lake Tahoe. The NHL decided to halt the game for more...
AP source: NHL adding game-day rapid covid-19 testing
The NHL is adding game-day rapid tests for players, team personnel and on-ice officials as part of a series of expanded safety protocols unveiled Thursday in its latest bid to stem potential covid-19 outbreaks. Rapid tests initially will be made available to the league’s 24 U.S.-based teams and provide results...
Tensions rising: NHL multigame series ratchet up animosity
It turns out Saturday night was all right for fighting between Arizona and St. Louis. Monday night, too. Coyotes and Blues players dropped the gloves in both games, which were the third and fourth consecutive against each other. They will play three more times in four days — that’s right,...
Unique season forges new bonds among NHL officials, players
NHL referees and linesmen are holding pre- and postgame meetings virtually, not eating meals with each other and taking all the necessary precautions to limit time spent together. They’re seeing each other less but players much more, the result of a unique schedule with teams almost always facing off multiple...
Blue Jackets center Mikko Koivu retires during his 16th NHL seasonVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets center Mikko Koivu said Tuesday he decided to retire in the midst of his 16th NHL season. The 37-year-old Koivu signed a free-agent contract with Columbus before this season after 15 years in Minnesota as the Blue Jackets sought more depth at center ice....
Maple Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds out 6 weeks with broken wristVideo
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Wayne Simmonds until mid-March. The team announced Monday the bruising winger is set to miss six weeks after suffering a broken wrist in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Simmonds, 32, scored twice in the game but took a clearing...
NHL revises virus protocols with 40 players on covid-19 list
The NHL has followed the NBA in revising its virus protocols early in the season as a response to covid-19 problems cropping up around the league. Glass panels have been removed from behind benches for better air flow, players and coaches are not allowed at the arena until 1 hour...
Most NHL teams using 2 goalies to get through pandemic play
Most NHL teams are keeping two goaltenders busy, trying to keep them fresh as the frequency of games picks up with the league shooting to squeeze 56 games into less than four months. Montreal, Boston, Carolina, Florida and Vegas are off to strong starts while essentially alternating starts between their...
