Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon wins Ted Lindsay Award for 1st time
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was the big winner at Thursday’s NHL awards show, taking home the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award as the league’s most outstanding player as decided by the NHL Players Association. MacKinnon, who helped lead the Avalanche to the...
Oilers, GM Ken Holland part ways after 5 seasons, Stanley Cup Final
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers said Thursday general manager Ken Holland will not have his contract renewed, calling it a mutual decision between the veteran executive and the NHL club. Holland spent the past five seasons as the Oilers’ GM and built a team that advanced to Game 7...
Oilers coach: Stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl played through injuries in playoffs
EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Wednesday that some of the team’s top stars were playing through injuries during their Stanley Cup playoff run. The Oilers lost 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers on Monday night. “It’s obviously disappointing. It’s...
Hall of Famer Glen Sather retires after 6 decades highlighted by Oilers dynasty
NEW YORK — Hockey Hall of Famer Glen Sather, who built and coached the NHL’s last great dynasty with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s and helped resurrect the New York Rangers in the early 2000s, is retiring after six decades in the sport as a player, coach and executive....
NHL, Fanatics unveil new jerseys for 2024-25 season
Fanatics and the NHL on Wednesday unveiled new on-ice player jerseys for the 2024-25 season, which officials say have been tested and refined well before making their debut in games this fall. It is the first time the company has designed and made in-game uniforms with its own branding for...
First Call: Looming questions about Penguins goalies, Mike Tomlin’s player appeal, Steelers radio play-by-play job
Aside from posting “U mad, bro?” on Thursday morning, “Breakfast With Benz” is taking a quick break for a few days. This will be the final “First Call” for the week. We’ll get back in gear Monday. For Wednesday’s “First Call,” I thought I’d do something different and address a...
The Panthers took a long road to the title. The Stanley Cup proves the path was right
SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk decided to go for a little swim as his offseason was beginning Tuesday morning. The Florida Panthers forward took a few steps off the sand and into the water of Fort Lauderdale Beach, then dove in while hanging onto his new best friend. The Stanley...
No time for a Stanley Cup hangover as the NHL offseason is already here
The Stanley Cup was still on the ice when Patric Hornqvist offered a sobering thought surrounded by former teammates and other family revelers holding cans of beer during the celebration. The newly crowned champion Florida Panthers had work to do already because the offseason already is here for them and...
Paul Maurice, a hockey lifer, now has a Stanley Cup. And it was worth the wait
SUNRISE, Fla. — Paul Maurice was once the last player picked in the NHL draft. An afterthought, almost. He never made it to the league as a player. And there were many times when he wondered if his name would ever be on the Stanley Cup. Wonder no more. It...
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in losing cause
SUNRISE, Fla. — Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Monday night despite Edmonton’s Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida, a nod to one of the greatest postseason performances in NHL history. McDavid, who was held without a point the final two games of the final,...
Florida Panthers stop Edmonton in Game 7 to win Stanley Cup
SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov put his hands at either end of the Stanley Cup and began skating away to start the celebration that the Florida Panthers have wanted forever. And as he began to hoist hockey’s chalice for the first time, he had one thought. “It’s heavy,” he said....
Tij Iginla embraces family name, eager to follow his dad’s footsteps entering NHL Draft
Tij Iginla doesn’t shy away from his famous last name, instead embracing the expectations that come with being the son of a Hockey Hall of Famer. The 17-year-old is so comfortable being former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jarome Iginla’s son, he welcomes the possibility of following his father’s footsteps should he...
For Panthers, Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final will bring immortality or ignominy
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It’s very simple for the Florida Panthers now: Win Monday, and you’re Stanley Cup champions. Lose Monday, and you’re the first team since World War II that blew a 3-0 lead in hockey’s title series. Either way, the outcome will last forever. “It’s probably the biggest...
Connor McDavid, Oilers can make history in Stanley Cup Final Game 7 vs. Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. — Connor McDavid admired and looked up to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby as the kind of player he wanted to become one day. But when McDavid was pretending as a kid to score the goal to win the Stanley Cup, he always imagined himself being in that...
Top Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov could join team soon after release from KHL team
Matvei Michkov is being released by his club in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, the first step toward the Philadelphia Flyers’ top prospect joining them in the NHL next season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday...
Basketball ties aside, top prospect Macklin Celebrini focused on hockey as NHL Draft nears
Having a father working for the Golden State Warriors and former NBA star Steve Nash for an uncle, college hockey player of the year and the presumptive No. 1 NHL draft pick Macklin Celebrini, likes to think he’s got game. “I think it’s pretty good,” Celebrini said, referring to his...
Panthers must regroup for Game 7 with history, Stanley Cup on line
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It’s the greatest offer a team could get at the start of every season: reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and as an added bonus, host it in your rink. One game. For everything. “Yeah, 32 teams are all-in on that idea,” Florida Panthers...
Oilers join 9 NHL teams that forced Game 7 after trailing 3-0
The Edmonton Oilers aren’t the first team in the NHL to fight back from 3-0 down in a best-of-seven series to force a deciding contest. This is the 10th time it has happened in 211 opportunities in NHL history and the first in 10 years. Based on history, the momentum...
Oilers beat Panthers to force a Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final
EDMONTON, Alberta — Leon Draisaitl made his first major impact in the Stanley Cup Final, and the series is heading back to South Florida. Draisaitl set up Warren Foegele’s early goal, Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman scored in the second period and the Edmonton Oilers forced a Game 7 by...
Stuart Skinner making timely saves to help Oilers claw back
EDMONTON, Alberta — Stuart Skinner sprawled to his right to glove a shot by Carter Verhaeghe on a 2-on-1 early in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final that maintained the Edmonton Oilers’ lead. Less than a minute into Game 5, he lunged the same direction to deny Aaron Ekblad...
Connor McDavid magic has kept Stanley Cup Final going
EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid was surrounded by greatness. His hair still wet from practice, he sat in Studio 99, the restaurant in the Edmonton Oilers’ home arena named for Wayne Gretzky and full of memorabilia commemorating the legendary career of the “Great One.” To his right was a jersey...
First Call: Patrick Queen’s jab at former Ravens teammate; ex-Steelers WR wants NFL comeback; Metro goalie trades
Patrick Queen’s arrival in Pittsburgh is already adding spice to the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. The Pittsburgh Steelers are advancing plans for a game in Ireland. A former Steelers wide receiver is attempting a comeback. Gerrit Cole made his first Major League start of the year. And teams in the Metropolitan Division...
Panthers try to shrug off Stanley Cup Final pressure
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice sat behind a microphone again Wednesday, giving his daily news conference even though basically nothing new had happened in the 13 hours between then and the last time he spoke to reporters. He took a bunch of questions. He also had...
Kings acquire goaltender Darcy Kuemper from Capitals for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings acquired goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Washington Capitals for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois in a trade of high-priced, underachieving players on Wednesday. Kuemper, who has three seasons remaining on a five-year $26.25 million contract he signed with Washington in 2022, ended up being the...
New Jersey Devils acquire goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames
The New Jersey Devils acquired Jacob Markstrom in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, getting the goaltender they have been targeting for quite some time. New Jersey sent 6-foot-6, 23-year-old defenseman Kevin Bahl and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick to Calgary. Markstrom, a 34-year-old Swede, will be...
