First Call: T.J. Watt slips on list of top NFL edge rushers; NHL’s top pick to start career vs. Pens; Carey Price’s live draft gaffe
Steelers star T.J. Watt loses ground in one offseason ranking. Connor Bedard will make his debut in Pittsburgh against Sidney Crosby. The Pirates will square off against an old friend Wednesday afternoon. We know Duquesne’s Atlantic 10 opponents. And an all-time goaltending great has an all-time televised mishap. All that...
Generational talent Connor Bedard taken 1st in NHL Draft by Blackhawks
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard with the first pick in the NHL Draft on Wednesday night, kick-starting a hopeful new era with a highly skilled offensive forward who’s drawn comparisons to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Bedard became the second No. 1 pick in Blackhawks history,...
Avalanche trade for Ross Colton from the Lightning. They’re expected to lose J.T. Compher
The Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Ross Colton in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, hours before the start of the NHL draft. Colorado sent the 37th pick in the draft to Tampa Bay for the player who scored the Lightning’s Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2021. The move...
Fresh off playoff appearance, New Jersey Devils re-sign forward Timo Meier to 8-year, $70M contract
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils secured another piece from last year’s team, re-signing forward Timo Meier to an eight-year, $70.4 million contract through the 2030-31 NHL season. General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the signing of the restricted free agent Wednesday, hours before the start of the league’s draft...
Tennessee State will become the first HBCU to add ice hockey
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee State University announced Wednesday it will become the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey. The school plans to have a men’s team playing at the club level in 2024, with a goal of fielding Division I men’s and women’s teams “in the...
Alex Killorn, J.T. Compher and Ivan Barbashev are among the NHL free agents to watch
Stanley Cup rings have a handful of players set up for big paydays when NHL free agency opens Saturday. Recent champions Alex Killorn, J.T. Compher and Ivan Barbashev, as well as three-time winner Patrick Kane, are among the players available in the free agent market. It includes a handful of...
Adam Fantilli not worried about being overshadowed at NHL DraftVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a different year, this NHL Draft might have been considered the chase for Adam Fantilli as the top pick rather than the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. Fantilli’s got the size at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds as well as a proven ability to put the puck in the...
Sharks acquire goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from Devils, working to trade Erik KarlssonVideo
While the San Jose Sharks have acquired a goaltender, they’re still looking to trade their best player. The Sharks acquired goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. They’re still looking to deal Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson to a contender. “He would like the chance to have...
Blackhawks set to begin rebuild with anticipated selection of Connor Bedard in NHL DraftVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson arrived for the NHL Draft in Music City this week reflecting on the teardown job he began conducting a summer ago by trading away Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. And that was before Davidson essentially completed the process by dealing away...
Pierre-Luc Dubois acquired by Kings in sign-and-trade deal with JetsVideo
The Los Angeles Kings acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois in a major sign-and-trade deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. The 25-year-old center was a restricted free agent but told the Jets this month that he didn’t plan on re-signing with them. Dubois agreed to an eight-year extension worth $8.5 million annually...
Kevin Hayes traded from Flyers to Blues for 6th-round pick in 2024Video
PHILADELPHIA — The St. Louis Blues acquired center Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. The teams announced the trade Tuesday, the day before the first round of the draft. The Flyers are retaining half of Hayes’ $7.14 million salary cap hit for...
NHL, players unveil inclusion coalition they hope will help make hockey more diverse and welcoming
The NHL and NHLPA are launching a new inclusion committee made up of current and former men’s and women’s players, with minority and LGBTQ+ representation, aimed at diversifying hockey and making the sport more welcoming. The NHL Player Inclusion Coalition unveiled Tuesday is the latest step in a process started...
Chicago Blackhawks acquire forward Taylor Hall in multiplayer trade with Boston Bruins
CHICAGO — Taylor Hall knows a lot about being the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. That should come in handy for Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Hall was traded from Boston to Chicago on Monday, clearing some valuable cap space for the Bruins and giving the Blackhawks...
Connor Bedard broke windows, records in becoming NHL Draft’s presumptive No. 1 pick
The tales of how much time Connor Bedard devoted to developing his precise and productive puck-shooting skills while growing up in the secluded neighborhood of Lynn Valley, tucked amid Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, have become the stuff of lore. Marred floors, broken windows, the thud of shots keeping neighbors up...
Hurricanes re-sign Jordan Staal to a 4-year, $11.6 million contract
RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Staal is staying with the Carolina Hurricanes after signing a four-year contract worth $11.6 million. The team announced the deal with their captain Sunday, less than a week before Staal would have become an unrestricted free agent. He’s not going anywhere, sticking around to try to...
NHLPA launches a new program to help players prepare for retirement, life after hockey
Early in his time in the NHL, Darnell Nurse says he did not notice a lot of players talking about what to do after hockey. Going into his ninth season, the chatter is now normal. “People are curious as to what there is outside the game and what you can...
Mark Madden: The NHL is broken. Here’s how to fix it
UFC impresario Dana White offered a candid assessment of the NHL: “They are all old, dumb (expletive) people that have no idea what’s going on. They have no idea where this younger generation is, how you reach them.” (There’s a Van Halen lyric in there somewhere.) White pointed out that...
Vegas-Florida Stanley Cup Final shows the value of street hockey in many U.S. markets
Music blared from speakers outside the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility while kids ran around with hockey sticks, batting a ball into a couple of nets. Pizza was available nearby. A similar scene played out a week later steps from the Florida Panthers’ arena before Stanley Cup Final games, with...
First Call: T.J. Watt still beating himself up over pec injury; Craig Patrick endorses Penguins’ hire of Kyle Dubas
Monday’s “First Call” features some personal introspection from Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Kyle Dubas gets a hearty endorsement from a former Penguins general manager. A precedent is set for NHL buyout candidates. And an ex-Pirates player makes an interesting decision. Full ‘Watt’ age in 2023? Former NFL Defensive Player of...
Why Marty Walsh left the Biden administration to run the NHL players’ union
Marty Walsh wasn’t a man in a hurry to leave the Biden administration. Less than halfway through the president’s term, Walsh was in a comfortable spot in the Cabinet as labor secretary. Then he got a call about an interesting opportunity: running the NHL Players’ Association. The former mayor of...
Vegas Golden Knights and fans celebrate 1st NHL championship with parade and rally
LAS VEGAS — Thousands of Vegas Golden Knights fans lined the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday for a Stanley Cup victory parade and a rally in front of the team’s home arena to mark the city’s first NHL championship. For the team that played its first game as an expansion...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Don’t join the ‘culture’ club
After his team lost the Stanley Cup Final in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice gave a powerful interview that referenced his “special group” and talked about how his players “love each other.” Hockey’s romantics fairly wept, citing the Panthers’ great culture. But it’s...
U mad, bro?: Pat Narduzzi vs. Coach Prime blowback; puttering Pirates and Tristan Jarry have fans on edge
Pittsburgh Penguins fans “can’t get no satisfaction” with their goalie. College football coaches are ticked at each other. And Pirates fans are stuck in the middle about how to view this up-and-down season. Two months from now, the Steelers will be getting ready for their first preseason game. So for...
Panthers’ injury issues from Stanley Cup Final will carry into next seasonVideo
SUNRISE, Fla. — Reminders of this run to the Stanley Cup Final will be everywhere when next season starts for the Florida Panthers. There will be a new banner to celebrate the Eastern Conference championship. There will inevitably be a highlight video recapping the best moments of this postseason. There...
Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup title lifts Las Vegas to another level in sports worldVideo
LAS VEGAS — Massive cheers rather than the usual boos rained down on Gary Bettman on Tuesday night because nothing could keep Vegas Golden Knights fans from enjoying what the NHL commissioner was about to do. He first presented the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to Jonathan Marchessault and...
