Wild’s Matt Dumba kneels, NHL puts focus on Black Lives Matter movement
Minnesota’s Matt Dumba became the first NHL player to kneel during the U.S. national anthem when he did so before the opening playoff game between Edmonton and Chicago in Edmonton, Alberta. Dumba knelt at center ice Saturday while fellow Black players Malcolm Subban of Chicago and Darnell Nurse of Edmonton...
Semyon Varlamov stops 27 shots, Isles beat Panthers in Game 1Video
TORONTO — Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots, and the New York Islanders opened their best-of-five playoff series with a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday in the NHL’s return. Anthony Beauvillier had the decisive goal by scoring on the power play 3 minutes, 39 seconds into the second...
Blackhawks stun Oilers in Stanley Cup qualifying series openerVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Rookie winger Dominik Kubalik scored two goals and added three assists, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 6-4 win over the host Edmonton Oilers in the opener of their best-of-five qualifying round series Saturday. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews added two goals and one assist. Connor McDavid had...
Sebastian Aho leads Hurricanes over Rangers in NHL’s returnVideo
TORONTO — Sebastian Aho scored a goal and set up another in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday in the NHL’s opening playoff game following a 41/2-month pause. Jaccob Slavin scored 61 seconds in on Carolina’s first shot on goal in helping the Hurricanes...
Game On: NHL restart a small step toward return to normalcy
TORONTO — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman took a short break from watching the final few exhibition games Thursday to ponder the significance of awarding the Stanley Cup some two months from now — should all go as planned. The magnitude of the task it took to simply reach the cusp...
Trade-deadline players aim to provide boost in NHL’s restart
Vincent Trocheck was part of a wave of NHL players moved at the February trade deadline, jumping right into the lineup a day later for a learn-on-the-fly introduction to his new Carolina Hurricanes team. Hardly an easy task. “Obviously coming from a different team, you’re going to have a little...
Could NHL home-nation advantage end Canada’s Cup drought?
Ken Dryden became so accustomed to winning championships with the Montreal Canadiens the Hockey Hall of Fame goalie has difficulty assessing Canada’s Stanley Cup drought. “It is bizarre,” Dryden recently told The Associated Press by phone from his home in Toronto. “If you go back to the records, I remember,...
No positive covid-19 tests in NHL last week
The National Hockey League reported zero players tested positive for the coronavirus last week. The league says it administered a total of 4,256 tests to more than 800 players from July 18-25. Two players tested positive during the first week of training camps July 13-17. Players and staff from the...
John Chayka steps down as Arizona GM a week before qualifierVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona general manager John Chayka, once the youngest GM in major North American sports history, earned a contract extension early this season for building the Coyotes into playoff contenders in four short years. He was being called a quitter by the team in a strongly worded statement...
Personal matter delays Victor Hedman traveling to NHL’s bubbleVideo
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman won’t travel with the team to the NHL’s Eastern Conference “secure zone” in Toronto because of a personal matter. General manager Julien BriseBois said Hedman will go from his home to the rink and back and avoid the general public in Florida this week...
Pending free agents confront injury risk in NHL playoffsVideo
Alex Pietrangelo and his wife had ongoing discussions about whether he should return when the NHL season resumes. In addition to wanting to keep the couple’s infant triplets safe during the pandemic, the 30-year-old captain of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues is heading into free agency while in...
Release the Kraken: Seattle unveils name for NHL franchise
SEATTLE — The NHL’s newest team finally has its name: the Seattle Kraken. The expansion franchise unveiled its nickname Thursday, ending 19 months of speculation about whether the team might lean traditional or go eccentric with the name for the league’s 32nd team. “The Kraken is a name born of...
Shh! NHL gags teams on injury disclosure for player privacyVideo
Jakub Voracek thinks it is none of your business. When the Philadelphia Flyers winger missed practice over the weekend, no injury, illness or other reason was given. That is the NHL’s mandatory rule during the pandemic, adding another layer of secrecy to a sport already infamous for disclosing — at...
NHL’s training camps advantage for coaches hired midseasonVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Play a game, head for the airport. Take a day off, play another game. Squeeze in a practice when you can. The pace of a regular NHL season is challenging enough, but coaches who take over in the middle of a season are forced to play catch-up,...
Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Artemi Panarin selected as Hart Trophy finalistsVideo
The Hart Trophy voters agreed with NHL players in selecting Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers as MVP award finalists. The finalists were announced by the NHL on Tuesday and determined by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The three also...
NHL announces finalists for top defenseman, defensive forward awards
Washington’s John Carlson, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman and Nashville’s Roman Josi have been named the finalists for the NHL’s James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. The finalists were announced Monday and voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Led by Carlson’s 75 points...
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyk, Tuukka Rask picked as Vezina finalistsVideo
Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning was selected as a Vezina Trophy finalist for the third consecutive season, with a shot at becoming the first back-to-back winner of the NHL’s top goalie award in 12 years. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyk and Boston’s Tuukka Rask rounded out the list of finalists...
Edmonton Oilers’ arena deemed structurally sound after stormVideo
Edmonton’s mayor said a preliminary assessment shows storm damage to Rogers Place is not structural, and the arena will be able to hold upcoming NHL games. Don Iveson said photos of Thursday night’s flooding and damage to the arena’s roof are concerning. “The damage is cosmetic and is to the...
Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Panarin named Ted Lindsay Award finalists
NEW YORK — NHL leading scorer Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Rangers winger Artemi Panarin were named finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award on Tuesday. The trophy goes to the league’s most outstanding player as voted by fellow players. None of them has won the...
Pucks, masks prevalent as 24 NHL teams open training campVideo
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is so accustomed to wearing a mask, he didn’t mind doing so for the past four months during the coronavirus pandemic. “Sometimes, I forgot I’m wearing it while driving,” Binnington said Monday, when the Blues were among the NHL’s 24 teams to open training...
NHL, players take collaborative approach in bid to resumeVideo
Collaboration or bust. Given the gravity of the new coronavirus pandemic and the abrupt decision to place the NHL season on pause in March, it didn’t take commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Don Fehr long to realize they were going to have to work together if play was to...
Lindy Ruff hired as Devils coach, Tom Fitzgerald stays on as GMVideo
Lindy Ruff impressed the New Jersey Devils with his experience from decades of coaching. Tom Fitzgerald wowed ownership with his moves in a few short months as general manager. The Devils on Thursday hired Ruff as coach and removed Fitzgerald’s interim tag to give him the full-time GM job. Ruff,...
First Call: Gerrit Cole’s pandemic problem, NHL TV schedule, robot fans, no Cleveland for Clowney
Thursday’s “First Call” features a pandemic problem for Gerrit Cole. Might we see robot fans at games? The potential rebooted NHL television schedule is interesting. And the Cleveland Browns appear to be out when it comes to Jadeveon Clowney. Covid conundrum for Cole Former Pirate Gerrit Cole made a simulated...
NHL, players agree on return-to-play protocolsVideo
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed Sunday on protocols to resume the season, a major step toward the return of hockey this summer. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Associated Press there was an agreement on protocols for training camps and games, and the sides are still negotiating an...
Madden Monday: Odd coverage of Ben Roethlisberger’s addictions; defending NHL draft lottery
When Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger admitted addictions to alcohol and pornography last week, it took a long time for that story to gain traction. Particularly on a local level. I wrote a column immediately after I found out about the news. But I found coverage of Roethlisberger’s mea culpa to...
