Nick Saban purchases minority stake in NHL’s Nashville Predators
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban has purchased a minority stake in the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Predators chairman and majority owner Bill Haslam announced Tuesday the purchase made by Dream Sports Ventures LLC, an entity controlled by Saban and business partner Joe Agresti. “Although I am now...
Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in blockbuster trade
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season. The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple...
Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley is out at least 8 weeks with a lower-body injury
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley is expected to miss a minimum of eight weeks with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. General manager Bill Armstrong announced Cooley’s timeline Thursday. Cooley, 21 and a West Mifflin native, was injured Dec. 5 in Vancouver when he...
NHL cautiously optimistic of Olympic participation despite smaller rink size and ice safety concerns
The NHL said Tuesday it remains cautiously optimistic about sending the world’s best hockey players to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February amid issues with a smaller-than-expected rink size and questions regarding ice quality resulting from construction delays. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly reiterated that belief in an email to...
Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman who owned Stars, Rangers and Liverpool teams, dies at 79
DALLAS — Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, has died. He was 79. Spokesperson Lisa LeMaster said in statement that Hicks died peacefully Saturday in Dallas surrounded by family. Hicks owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars...
Mt. Lebanon native Parker Milner, 35, signs tryout with CapitalsVideo
The Washington Capitals signed goaltender Parker Milner, a native of Mt. Lebanon, to a professional tryout contract and dressed him as their backup for a road contest against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. With goaltender Charlie Lindgren sidelined by an undisclosed injury, the Capitals were unable to recall a reserve...
First Call: Darius Slay claimed off waivers; Browns open practice window for Deshaun Watson; Pens start rugged stretch
Thursday’s “First Call” has a new destination for former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Darius Slay. The prospect exists that the Steelers might get to face Deshaun Watson when they visit Cleveland after Christmas. The Penguins open up a brutal stretch of games against one of the NHL’s division leaders Thursday...
First Call: James Cook’s blunt assessment of Steelers’ CBs; Aaron Rodgers bothered by postgame question; Pens vs. Flyers
Buffalo’s star running back tells the world why his team was able to exploit the Pittsburgh Steelers on the ground. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t like a question from the media. Linebacker Patrick Queen snaps at a former Steeler via social media. And the Penguins renew acquaintances with the Flyers in Philadelphia....
Rangers fail to duplicate road success at MSG, fall to 2-8-1 at home after loss to Lightning
NEW YORK — The New York Rangers have an NHL-best 11 road wins, yet their play at home has been a mess by comparison. Coming into Saturday’s game against Tampa after impressive road wins over Carolina and Boston — and a three-game winning streak overall — the Rangers reverted to...
Stars forward Mikko Rantanen gets automatic 1-game suspension over 2nd ejection in 3 gamesVideo
NEW YORK — The NHL issued an automatic one-game suspension to Mikko Rantanen on Sunday after the Dallas Stars forward’s second major penalty and ejection for boarding in a span of three games. The first suspension of Rantanen’s 10-year NHL career came a day after he checked Calgary’s Matt Coronato...
Brad Marchand reaches 1,000 career points, 102nd to hit milestone
SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand remembers a conversation he had with the Boston Bruins early in his days as a pro, and how some scouts there told him that getting to 400 games would signify having a pretty good career. He’s done far better than that. Marchand became the 102nd...
Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is taking leave of absence, returning to Sweden
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is taking a leave of absence and returning to Sweden to take care of a personal matter. “I will say this: He said everything is OK,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Friday. “He’s got full support by our team.” Ruff said there’s...
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington ‘always planned’ to give Alex Ovechkin his 900th goal puckVideo
BUFFALO — St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington insists he always planned to hand over the puck Washington star Alexander Ovechkin scored in becoming the NHL’s first to reach 900 career goals. Binnington tucked the puck into his pants as the Capitals’ bench cleared celebrating Ovechkin’s milestone goal in a...
Alex Ovechkin scores 900th NHL goal with Washington Capitals
WASHINGTON — The NHL now has a 900-goal club. Charter member: Alex Ovechkin, of course. The Washington star pushed his record total to a new level Wednesday night, scoring against the St. Louis Blues to reach 900. The milestone came 2 minutes, 39 seconds into the second period. Ovechkin was...
NHL power rankings: 2024-25 non-playoff teams surprise early
USA Today Sports’ NHL points projections saw pretty much the status quo from the 2024-25 playoff field. The Utah Mammoth would replace the St. Louis Blues in the West and the Columbus Blue Jackets would replace the Montreal Canadiens in the East. But in the early going – emphasis on...
Rangers are beginning to find their identity with coach Mike Sullivan
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — The way the New York Rangers have played early in the Mike Sullivan era wouldn’t light up a Broadway stage. It does bring the two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach some satisfaction. A month into games with Sullivan in charge, the Rangers have been way more successful at keeping...
Avalanche sign Martin Necas to 8-year, $92M contract extension
The Colorado Avalanche signed Martin Necas to an eight-year contract extension through 2034. Necas’ deal is worth $92 million, according to reports. When the contract kicks in starting with the 2026-27 NHL season, Necas will count $11.5 million against the salary cap annually. That is $500,000 a year less than...
Mammoth forward, Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley inks 8-year, $80M extension
The Utah Mammoth locked up center Logan Cooley with an eight-year, $80 million contract extension Wednesday. Cooley, 21, leads the team in goals (eight) and is tied for second in points (12) through 11 games this season. The Pittsburgh native has 121 points (53 goals, 68 assists) in 168 games...
Former NHL player Ryan Kesler faces criminal sexual conduct charges related to 16-year-old
Former NHL player Ryan Kesler has been arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct related to alleged inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old child earlier this year. Kesler, 41, was arraigned on Monday in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and plead not guilty to the charges in court....
Report: Golden Knights to sign goalie Carter Hart to 2-year deal
Goaltender Carter Hart’s professional tryout with the Vegas Golden Knights is expected to convert to a two-year, $4 million contract, TSN reported Friday. Hart, one of five players acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in 2018, agreed to a tryout contract with Vegas on Oct. 16. He...
Logan Cooley has natural hat trick and assist in 1st-period spree for MammothVideo
ST. LOUIS — Logan Cooley had a natural hat trick in a 4:48 span of the first period and also had an assist to help the Utah Mammoth take a 4-0 lead over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. The West Mifflin native assisted on Ian Cole’s opening goal,...
Jaromir Jagr is back: At 53, the former NHL great starts his 38th professional season
KLADNO, Czech Republic — At age 53, Jaromir Jagr began his 38th professional season by playing on the fourth line for his hometown Kladno Knights in a 3-1 victory over Vitkovice on Friday night in the Czech league. The former NHL great logged 10:08 minutes of ice time and joined...
Goalie Carter Hart, acquitted in Hockey Canada case, to join Knights
Goaltender Carter Hart, one of five players acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in 2018, agreed to a tryout contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. Hart became eligible to sign with an NHL team after his acquittal of charges that came from a time when...
First Call: Joe Flacco downplays Mike Tomlin’s trade comments; Mike Sullivan’s Rangers shut out again
Wednesday’s “First Call” has Joe Flacco’s response to Mike Tomlin’s criticism of the Cleveland Browns trading him to Cincinnati. We have a health update on the Bengals heading into Thursday’s game against the Steelers. We also examine the officiating crew for that contest. And Mike Sullivan’s Rangers are off to...
Canadiens’ Lane Hutson lands lucrative 8-year deal after rookie of the year season
Montreal’s Lane Hutson is the latest young NHL defenseman to cash in with a major contract extension. The Canadiens announced that Hutson, 21, will average $8.85 million in the eight-year deal that he agreed to on Monday. The $70.8 million contract will start next season and run through 2033-34. Hutson...
