Devils meet Sabres in Prague to open NHL regular seasonVideo
PRAGUE — Ondrej Palat has won the Stanley Cup twice. He’s won a gold medal with the Czech Republic at the world championships. This week, the forward will check another item on his bucket list when his New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres open the NHL regular season with...
Alex Ovechkin has scored on a lot of goalies. They are in awe of him as he chases Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin’s teammates have gotten used to him passing hockey greats and reaching new milestones on a regular basis. The greatest of the great is yet to come. All eyes are on Ovechkin as he closes in on Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record of 894. He is just 42...
Sharks’ Celebrini and Smith and Canadiens’ Slafkovsky headline the NHL’s next generation of starsVideo
Juraj Slafkovsky was an NHL draft pick, just like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard. The spotlight, however, has not been quite as bright or the hype train as strong for him in Montreal. “I like it that way,” Slafkovsky said. Regardless of...
Utah Hockey Club knows it finally has home in Salt Lake City
SALT LAKE CITY — Defenseman Sean Durzi got a taste of the NHL in Salt Lake City when he and the Kings played the Golden Knights in a 2022 preseason game. Durzi had a goal and two assists in Los Angeles’ 6-4 loss to Vegas, but more than his play...
Driver charged with killing Johnny Gaudreau had .087 blood-alcohol level
PHILADELPHIA — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday. Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed near...
John and Matthew Gaudreau mourned by the hockey community, family and friends at their funeral
MEDIA, Pa. — John and Matthew Gaudreau were remembered as loving brothers and husbands who put family above hockey and everything else at a tearful funeral held Monday, a week and a half after they died when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their...
PWHL unveils team nicknames and logos entering women’s hockey league’s 2nd season
They are no-names no longer. In a process nearly a year in the making, the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Monday unveiled the nicknames and logos for each of its six franchises entering its second season. There’s a Fleet sailing into Boston, a Frost settling in Minnesota and Sirens in...
Funeral for Gaudreau brothers set for suburban Philadelphia church
The funeral for John and Matthew Gaudreau has been scheduled for Monday at a church in suburban Philadelphia while the driver charged with killing them remains in jail awaiting his next court appearance. The memorial service for the Gaudreau brothers is set to take place at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic...
Blue Jackets players, GM try to make sense of Gaudreau deathsVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just three weeks before the opening of training camp, the Columbus Blue Jackets are seeking to make sense of a senseless tragedy after All-Star winger Johnny Gaudreau and younger brother Matthew died when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home...
Oilers sign Leon Draisaitl to an 8-year extension worth $112 million
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers have signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension worth $112 million, a deal that gives the German star the highest salary cap hit in NHL history at $14 million. The new contract begins with the 2025-26 season and runs through 2033. General manager...
Wave of condolences, tributes pour out after tragic passing of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew
The tragic deaths of NHL winger Johnny Gaudreau, 31, along with his younger brother, 29-year-old Matthew, are sure to leave indescribable voids in the lives of their family, friends. New Jersey State police confirmed that both brothers were struck by a suspected drunk driver Thursday night while riding bicycles in...
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew die in New Jersey biking accident
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said Friday. New Jersey State Police said the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on...
American Hockey League mandates cut-resistant neckwear for players, officialsVideo
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The American Hockey League announced Friday that cut-resistant neck protection is mandatory for every player and on-ice official across all 32 teams beginning this season. AHL president and CEO Scott Howson said the league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the move, which applies to any skater and...
Blue Jackets trade former No. 2 overall pick Patrik Laine to Canadiens for Jordan HarrisVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets traded forward Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round draft pick in 2026. The Blue Jackets were without the 26-year-old Laine for much of the 2023-24 season. He sought help from the NHL’s player assistance...
Blues issue offer sheets to Oilers’ Broberg and Holloway, leaving Edmonton 7 days to match
The St. Louis Blues looked to salary cap-strapped Edmonton to upgrade their roster, issuing offer sheets to Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway, the team announced Tuesday. The rarely used move leaves the Oilers seven days to match the Blues’ contract offers to the restricted free agents or...
Wild sign ROY runner-up Brock Faber to 8-year, $68M extension
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin saw more than enough potential in Brock Faber’s rookie season to sign the defenseman to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension Monday. The deal doesn’t kick in until the 2025-26 season once Faber’s rookie contract expires. It comes after the...
Flyers sign All-Star Travis Konecny to an 8-year extension worth $70 millionVideo
The Philadelphia Flyers signed All-Star Travis Konecny to an eight-year extension worth $70 million, committing to him being a long-term part of their core as they seek to shift from rebuilding mode to contending. The deal announced Thursday keeps Konecny under contract through 2033. He will count $8.75 million against...
Oilers hire Bowman as GM less than 3 years since he resigned after Blackhawks sexual assault scandal
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers hired Stan Bowman as general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations on Wednesday, making him the first former Chicago Blackhawks executive re-hired by an NHL team since the team’s 2010 sexual assault scandal came to light in recent years. The league reinstated...
Buffalo Sabres avert arbitration by agreeing to sign forward Beck Malenstyn to a 2-year contract
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres averted salary arbitration by agreeing to sign newly acquired forward Beck Malenstyn to a two-year, $2.7 million contract on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Malenstyn was a restricted free agent and had opted for salary arbitration earlier this month. The Sabres acquired the hard-hitting left winger...
Columbus Blue Jackets hire Dean Evason as coach
The Columbus Blue Jackets hired Dean Evason as coach Monday, filling the NHL’s final vacancy two months before training camps open. Evason, 59, will be Columbus’ third coach in as many seasons not counting Mike Babcock being hired and resigning on the eve of training camp last September. The team...
First Call: Overlooked Steelers angle before training camp; love for Paul Skenes, not much for NHL
After a week off at “Breakfast With Benz,” there is plenty of catching up to do. We have a lot to preview as NFL training camps begin and the Pittsburgh Pirates get back into divisional play this week. For our initial “First Call” back from break, let’s get recalibrated by...
Capitals promote Chris Patrick to GM, Brian MacLellan remains president of hockey operations
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals named Chris Patrick as their general manager on Monday with longtime GM Brian MacLellan remaining president of hockey operations. Patrick, 48, who was also named as a senior vice president, has worked for the Capitals in various capacities since 2009 and served as assistant...
Buffalo Sabres acquire forward Ryan McLeod in a trade with Edmonton
The Buffalo Sabres acquired forward Ryan McLeod in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, getting an established NHL player who just experienced a long playoff run in exchange for one of the organization’s top prospects. Buffalo received McLeod and minor leaguer Tyler Tullio from the Western Conference champions...
Red Wings sign 2-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko away from the Panthers
The raiding of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers continued Wednesday with the Detroit Red Wings signing winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million. Tarasenko, 32, is the sixth player from Florida’s Game 7 lineup to leave in free agency, not an uncommon theme around the NHL...
Jessica Campbell will be the first woman on an NHL bench as assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken
SEATTLE — Jessica Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach Wednesday. Campbell has spent the past two seasons working as an assistant coach for Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley alongside head...
