Rise of the Kraken leaves GM Ron Francis pleased, not satisfied after playoff runVideo
SEATTLE — As the Seattle Kraken scattered after the end of their second season in existence, general manager Ron Francis and coach Dave Hakstol received an overwhelming message from their players. Getting to the playoffs and making a run was great and will go a long way in helping establish...
First Call: Antonio Brown plans to play for his arena team; praise for Steelers signing; interesting Pens nuggets in minorsVideo
Thursday’s “First Call” has high praise for a Pittsburgh Steelers free agent signing. There are some changes of interest in the Steelers scouting department. Pirates prospect Henry Davis won’t cool down. We have some interesting notes from the Penguins seeping out from the farm club. And then there’s the story...
Arizona Coyotes’ bid for new arena appears to be rejected by voters
The Arizona Coyotes’ bid for a new arena appears to be dead. In the first release of results from Tuesday’s referendum, voters in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe were strongly against three propositions to build a $2.3 billion entertainment district that would include a new arena for the Coyotes. Opposition...
Fate of Arizona Coyotes arena project in the hands of voters
The Arizona Coyotes are about to learn the fate of a proposed entertainment district that would include a new home for the team, which has crisscrossed the city searching for a permanent place to play. Residents in Tempe are voting Tuesday on a referendum that will determine whether plans for...
NHL suspends Pietrangelo, Nurse on eve of critical Game 5 between Golden Knights, OilersVideo
LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights will be without their best defenseman in Game 5 with their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers hanging in the balance. Alex Pietrangelo was suspended for one game Thursday by the NHL Department of Player Safety for his slash on Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl...
Flyers promote Danny Briere, hand rebuild to player-turned-broadcaster Keith Jones
PHILADELPHIA — The Flyers had been drubbed in yet another loss in April 2021 — a dreary preview for two more adrift seasons ahead — when analyst Keith Jones went on the televised postgame show and cut loose on the sorry state of the franchise. “This is a team that’s...
Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl on pace to break record for most goals in NHL playoff year
Leon Draisaitl is scoring goals in the NHL playoffs at a rate not seen in four decades. The big German has 13 goals through Edmonton’s first 10 games, the most since Mark Messier scored 14 in 1983 and the third-highest total through 10 games in more than a century. Newsy...
Mark Madden: Stanley Cup playoffs should be a showcase, but this display is terrible
Let’s be blunt about the NHL playoffs. They’ve been awful so far. • Too many lopsided games. • Terrible goaltending. (Today’s NHL has so few good goalies.) • Two of the best teams got eliminated in the first round, namely regular-season champ Boston and defending Stanley Cup winner Colorado. As...
Flyers name Keith Jones team president, Danny Briere general manager
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers have named long-time television analyst Keith Jones team president of hockey operations and have removed the interim tag from general manager Danny Briere’s title. Jones was a surprise choice Thursday after he spent the last 23 years as an analyst for Flyers telecasts on NBC...
U mad, bro?: Pirates fans already turn sour from May slump; Penguins fans grumble about missing playoffs
The honeymoon appears to be over for the Pittsburgh Pirates. And for Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. And for football owner Antonio Brown. Pittsburgh sports fans chime in on all those topics and more in this week’s “U mad, bro?” We begin with “Frogger33” on Twitter. I was on WPXI’s “The...
Why Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg, other celebrities want to buy the Ottawa Senators
OTTAWA, Ontario — While some hockey fans may be surprised by multiple celebrities facing off for a minority ownership stake in the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, experts who study the business of sport say the prospect stands to lift the team’s profile to new heights. It is also seen as a...
NHL playoffs a showcase for savvy stickwork on offense, defenseVideo
Alec Martinez remembers a time in his career when teams kept track of a stat less celebrated than goals and assists but arguably just as valuable. “They called them ticks,” the veteran Vegas defenseman said. “How many plays you break up with your stick.” Keeping the puck out of the...
Inside NHL draft lottery Blackhawks won for Connor Bedard
SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL draft lottery and the chance to select Connor Bedard long before Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly revealed it on national television. The process to determine who got the No. 1 pick and Bedard, considered hockey’s top prospect since Connor McDavid, actually wrapped...
No place like road: Visiting teams thriving in NHL playoffs
When the Vegas Golden Knights went on the road to face the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the NHL playoffs, they got a chilly welcome — and that was inside. “They had no hot water at the Fairmont Hotel last week in Winnipeg, which I really didn’t like...
Former Penguins forward Petr Klima dies at 58Video
PRAGUE — Czech forward Petr Klima, a Stanley Cup winner with the Edmonton Oilers in 1990 who played nine games for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1996-97 season, has died. He was 58. The news was announced by HC Litvinov, the Czech club where he started his career in the...
Joe Pavelski, Leon Draisaitl each score 4 goals in NHL playoff games
Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Dallas’ Joe Pavelski made some history in the NHL playoffs, even if they couldn’t really celebrate it. Draisaitl and Pavelski became just the second pair of players to each score four goals in a playoff game on back-to-back days and the first in 35 years. They’re...
Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg in mix to buy Ottawa Senators?
OTTAWA, Ontario — There appears to be celebrity interest in buying the Ottawa Senators, the National Hockey League team for sale in Canada’s capital city. Rap impresario Snoop Dogg said in an Instagram post Monday that he was “looking forward” to being part of a bid by Los Angeles-based businessman...
The race to the Stanley Cup filled with 1st round chaos
Chaos is usually the name of the game in the first round of the NHL playoffs, with eight series rolling and plenty of upsets. This year was no different. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins who set records for the best regular season in hockey history? Gone. The defending Stanley Cup...
Kraken beat Avalanche, eliminate defending Stanley Cup champs
DENVER — The Seattle Kraken converged from all points on the ice to the same spot — Philipp Grubauer’s net. A fitting gathering place to celebrate another first for this young franchise. Grubauer was stellar in stopping 33 shots, Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice and the Kraken eliminated the defending Stanley...
Panthers oust record-setting Bruins in OT in Game 7Video
BOSTON — Brandon Montour tied it with 1 minute left in regulation, and Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner at 8:35 of overtime to lead the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 Game 7 victory on Sunday night and eliminate the record-setting Boston Bruins from the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves...
Mark Madden: Bad headlines detract from NHL’s good stories during Stanley Cup playoffs
There’s been some dissatisfaction with the refereeing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. As ex-player Scottie Upshall advised the refs via Twitter: “Put the whistles away. Let games be decided five-on-five. Tougher/bloodier teams win.” Upshall, a winger, got drafted sixth overall in 2003. He cracked 20 goals just once in his...
Rangers suddenly looking for answers after 2 close losses to DevilsVideo
NEW YORK — After a pair of easy wins in their first two games across the Hudson River in New Jersey, the New York Rangers appeared to be cruising along to another postseason series win. Not so fast. Two tight losses at home later, the Rangers’ stagnant offense can’t seem...
Been there, done that: Cup winners bolster NHL playoff teamsVideo
Before the Seattle Kraken played the first NHL playoff game in franchise history, players heard from those on the roster who already have won the Stanley Cup. “(They) told us guys that haven’t been there before just what to expect,” young defenseman Will Borgen said. The Kraken not only have...
Colorado’s Cale Makar suspended for Game 5 after hit on Seattle’s Jared McCannVideo
Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar was suspended one game by the NHL on Tuesday for his hit on Seattle’s Jared McCann early in a Game 4 loss to the Kraken. Makar, last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, will be a spectator for Game 5 on Wednesday...
Injuries force teams to adapt, push through in NHL playoffs
RALEIGH, N.C. — Mackenzie MacEachern went from joining the Carolina Hurricanes as a call-up from the minors to skating on the team’s top line in a road playoff game for a team struggling with injuries. “Obviously it’s a playoff game,” MacEachern said, “but it’s just trying to approach it like...
