Czech government: Russian NHL players unwanted in Prague
PRAGUE — NHL teams playing in the Czech capital next month have been told their Russian players are not welcome. The Czech Foreign Ministry has told the NHL of its stance because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ministry declined to say whether the NHL has replied. The Nashville Predators...
Training camps open around NHL after another short offseason
Training camps open around the NHL on Thursday after another short offseason, a third in a row squeezed by the pandemic. That doesn’t bother Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon one bit. For one of hockey’s best players and his teammates, it’s already time to get back on the ice and...
AP source: Nathan MacKinnon signs 8-year deal, highest paid in NHL
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are making Nathan MacKinnon the highest-paid player in the NHL’s salary cap era. MacKinnon, who just turned 27 earlier this month, signed an eight-year contract that is worth $100.8 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated...
Longtime NHL defenseman Zdeno Chara, 45, retires as Bruin
BOSTON — Zdeno Chara announced his retirement Tuesday after playing 21 seasons in the NHL and captaining the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011. The 6-foot-9 defenseman from Slovakia is calling it a career at age 45. He returned to TD Garden in Boston to make that announcement...
P.K. Subban retires after 13 NHL seasons
Defenseman P.K. Subban announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday following 13 seasons playing for the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils. The 33-year-old former Norris Trophy winner shared the news on social media. Subban, who is from Toronto, registered 115 goals and 467 points in 824...
First Call: Huge TV ratings for Steelers game; Pittsburgh names to bet on for Dallas QB spot; Marian Hossa’s honor vs. Pens
Thursday’s “First Call” has some gaudy television ratings numbers for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season opener. Bill Belichick gives some thoughts on the Steelers without T.J. Watt. A few Pittsburgh names are being tied to the Dallas Cowboys’ QB vacancy. And the Penguins are going to be sucked into some...
Quebec party leaders say new Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki must learn FrenchVideo
MONTREAL — Several of Quebec’s major party leaders say new Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki needs to learn French. Coalition Avenir Quebec leader Francois Legault said the Habs made an “excellent choice,” describing the center as one of the team’s best players, before adding that Suzuki now has to learn...
Canucks sign J.T. Miller to 7-year, $56 million contract
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Vancouver Canucks signed forward J.T. Miller to a seven-year, $56 million contract Friday. The 29-year-old Miller, who grew up in Coraopolis, was Vancouver’s leading scorer last season with 99 points on 32 goals and 67 assists in 80 games. He was set to become an...
Phil Kessel signs 1-year deal with Vegas Golden Knights (because of course he does)
LAS VEGAS — In perhaps the most appropriate marriage of player and team in the history of free agency, the Vegas Golden Knights bolstered their forward depth by signing veteran Phil Kessel to a one-year, $1.5 million deal Wednesday. The 34-year-old Kessel spent the past three seasons with the Arizona...
Blackhawks agree to 1-year deal with former Penguins D Jack JohnsonVideo
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to a one-year contract with former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson after the veteran helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup last season. The rebuilding Blackhawks announced the deal Wednesday. Johnson’s contract carries a $950,000 hit for the salary cap. “Jack provides the team with...
Hip surgery to sideline Vegas goalie Robin Lehner for upcoming seasonVideo
LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner will require hip surgery and is expected to miss the upcoming season, the team said Thursday. The 31-year-old Lehner, who will likely spend the entire 2022-23 season on long-term injured reserve, has three years remaining on a contract that carries a...
First Call: Honus Wagner’s baseball card surpassed at auction by another legend’s; ex-Penguin finds new team
Friday’s “First Call” has competition for the legendary Honus Wagner baseball card. Saquon Barkley is trying to find his 2018 form. Significant injury news in the NHL. A former Penguin has a new place to play. And the Pirates look to get back on track in San Francisco. Step aside...
First Call: Seahawks name starting QB for game with Steelers; Penguins fans will hate the news from New York
Wednesday’s “First Call” finds out which Seattle Seahawks quarterback will start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. The Jordan Addison transfer is getting more attention. The Browns lost a player thanks to a long-term injury. And we have some hockey news that could drive Penguins fans bonkers. Smith versus Steelers...
Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron returning for 19th season; David Krejci coming back too
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins are getting the gang back together, signing captain Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci — two members of their 2011 Stanley Cup championship team — to one-year deals on Monday. Almost three months after he left the ice without any certainty that he would return, Bergeron...
Paul Sullivan: With the futures of Toews and Kane in flux, Blackhawks’ rebuild is ‘draining’ — and has only just begun
CHICAGO — Jonathan Toews had an apt description of the Chicago Blackhawks rebuild during a recent interview with The Athletic. “Really, really draining,” he said. “And exhausting.” Truer words couldn’t be spoken, and the rebuild has only just begun. They don’t call him Captain Serious for nothing. Imagine how Toews...
Sharks hire David Quinn as new head coachVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks hired former New York Rangers coach David Quinn as their coach. The Sharks announced Tuesday that Quinn would replace the fired Bob Boughner as the Sharks overhaul their management and coaching team. “His previous NHL head coaching experience is valuable to us,...
Panthers get Matthew Tkachuk from Flames for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar
SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk and Jonathan Huberdeau both had the best years of their career this past season. And now they’re changing places in an NHL blockbuster. Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers on Friday night, with Huberdeau part of the haul that is going to the Calgary...
Capitals overhaul roster most of any contender in the East
Several hours into NHL free agency, the Washington Capitals had two new goaltenders and a replacement for the defenseman they lost to Seattle. They were far from done. They traded for winger Connor Brown, signed forwards Dylan Strome and Henrik Borgstrom and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson, and brought back versatile homegrown...
NHL takes big strides on women in hockey ops executive rolesVideo
Kate Madigan blushed, and she could not keep herself from smiling. When it was time for her to introduce herself with her title at the New Jersey Devils’ development camp, Madigan got the chance to say she was assistant general manager. She is just the sixth woman in the history...
Blue Jackets win, Flyers lose on 1st day of NHL free agency
Judging success and failure in NHL free agency just hours after the market opened can be tricky, looking into the future to predict which moves will pan out — or not. Looking back at the slew of signings Wednesday, it seems relatively easy to identify at least one winner and...
NHL free agency: Rangers get Trochek, Senators land GirouxVideo
On a hectic afternoon in which Claude Giroux looked ahead to a homecoming in Ottawa, the Washington Capitals landed Stanley Cup-winning goalie Darcy Kuemper and the New York Rangers spent big on center Vincent Trocheck, Jaromir Jagr — remember him? — even wondered whether he could get in on the...
Duncan Keith announces retirement after 17 NHL seasonsVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Family brought Duncan Keith to Edmonton after a stellar run as the backbone of the Chicago Blackhawks’ defense. And after a season with the Oilers, family is why Keith feels he’s in a good place to end his NHL career after 17 seasons, three Stanley Cups and...
Shane Wright moves past draft slide, looks ahead with KrakenVideo
SEATTLE — In the days after his unexpected draft night slide, Shane Wright’s phone lit up with a constant stream of text messages and calls from unfamiliar numbers. Some were expected, like new teammates with the Seattle Kraken reaching out. Others caught the 18-year-old by surprise, like when Wayne Gretzky...
Flyers waive Oskar Lindblom, donate $100K to cancer organizationVideo
The Philadelphia Flyers placed forward Oskar Lindblom on waivers Tuesday with the intent of buying out the final year of the 25-year-old cancer survivor’s contract. General manager Chuck Fletcher called it a “very difficult decision” to free up salary cap space by cutting a player who recovered from being diagnosed...
Big-name stars make up star-studded NHL free agent class
While Evgeni Malkin is returning to Pittsburgh, Johnny Hockey is testing the free agent market. Join the club. It’s a good one. On the eve of free agency, Malkin re-signed with the Penguins on a $24.4 million, four-year contract, and MVP candidate Johnny Gaudreau informed the Calgary Flames he’s leaving...
