No NHL boosts Russian hopes for Olympic gold in men’s hockey
When the National Hockey League and its players agreed to pause the season and participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, it came with the caveat of pandemic conditions not making it impractical to go to China. Seven weeks before puck drop at what was supposed to be the first Olympics...
Sabres sign Wexford’s Michael Houser to shore up injury-depleted goalie depth
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres signed Michael Houser to a one-year, $750,000 contract and called up Aaron Dell from the minors on Wednesday to shore up their injury depleted goaltending ranks. The signing comes with Buffalo adding goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukonen and Malcolm Subban to their injured list. Luukonen is...
Goalie Tuukka Rask returns to Bruins after agreeing to 1-year dealVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins on Tuesday signed Tuukka Rask for the rest of the season, bringing back the winningest goalie in franchise history after he recovered from offseason hip surgery. General manager Don Sweeney said Rask will back up Linus Ullmark for Wednesday night’s game against the rival Montreal...
Marc-Andre Fleury welcomed back to Vegas by adoring fans
LAS VEGAS — Hockey fans in southern Nevada still love Marc-Andre Fleury. The adoration overflowed Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena when the 18-year veteran led the Chicago Blackhawks onto the ice for their game against his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Fans lined the end boards, pounded the glass,...
Sharks plan to terminate Evander Kane’s contractVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks placed forward Evander Kane on unconditional waivers with the intent to terminate the remainder of his $49 million, seven-year contract. The Sharks said Saturday they made the move because Kane violated covid-19 protocols in the AHL, where he is currently playing for...
NHL MVP, Oilers captain Connor McDavid goes on covid-19 protocol listVideo
Edmonton captain and reigning league MVP Connor McDavid went on the NHL’s covid-19 protocol list Wednesday, while the Dallas Stars and their captain Jamie Benn prepared to return to the ice after missing six games over 2 1/2 weeks because of virus issues. McDavid, forward Derek Ryan and defenseman Tyson...
Tied atop NHL, Capitals get players back from virus protocolVideo
ARLINGTON, Va. — Tied for the most points in the NHL, the Washington Capitals are faring better in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus than many of their rivals. The Capitals navigated a stretch in which top players Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and others went into league covid-19...
Jordan Kyrou keeps Blues warm Winter Classic win vs. Wild
MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Kyrou had two goals and two assists in a five-goal second period for St. Louis, and the Blues cruised through the coldest outdoor game in NHL history to beat the host Minnesota Wild, 6-4, in the Winter Classic on Saturday night. The official faceoff temperature was minus-5.7...
Dick Vitale taking extended break from ESPN college hoops
Dick Vitale is taking an extended break from the airwaves to rest his voice. The ESPN college basketball analyst said in a story posted Wednesday to ESPN Front Row that on a recent visit to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, throat specialist Dr. Steven Zeitels advised him to rest his...
NHL cutting isolation time to 5 days, change applies in U.S.
The NHL is following other leagues and the CDC by cutting covid-19 isolation times to five days under certain conditions and where it is allowed by local laws. The change went into effect Wednesday and applies only in the U.S. because of stricter pandemic regulations in Canada. The league has...
NHL players vent frustration over being barred from Olympics
Brad Marchand is not happy. Neither is Vladimir Tarasenko. And they are not alone. A handful of NHL players are voicing their frustration over the league’s decision barring them from participating in the Winter Olympics in China in February. Even though the agreement between the league and NHL Players’ Association...
Kraken lose fan favorite Brandon Tanev to major knee injury
SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken will be without forward Brandon Tanev for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn ACL in his knee, the team said Monday. Tanev was injured Dec. 18 against Edmonton and had sought a second opinion on the extent of the injury. The...
First Call: Browns clear players from covid list; Steelers star upset over Pro Bowl snub; bad news for 2 ex-Penguins
Tuesday’s “First Call” provides a health update on the Cleveland Browns before they visit the Steelers on Monday night. We also hear from a Steelers player who is mad that he was left off of the Pro Bowl roster. And we’ve got some bad news for a pair of former...
NHL officially pulls plug on Olympic participation
NHL players will not be allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics after the league pulled the plug amid a rash of postponements caused by positive covid-19 test results. Commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Tuesday, making official what seemed inevitable in recent days when the list of postponed games...
NHL to withdraw from Winter Olympics after covid surge
The NHL will withdraw from the Winter Olympics after the regular-season schedule was disrupted by coronavirus outbreaks, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the announcement had yet to be made on...
NHL shutting down from Wednesday through Saturday
The NHL is beginning a leaguewide shutdown Wednesday amid a rise in positive covid-19 test results among players, and with 10 of the league’s 32 teams’ schedules already paused and their facilities closed. The league announced Monday night that it will open its annual holiday break two days earlier than...
Blue Jackets, Canadiens shut down, 9 of 32 NHL teams paused
More than a quarter of NHL teams have been shut down through at least the weekend, after the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens became the eighth and ninth to have activities paused because of several positive covid-19 test results among players. The Blue Jackets had games scheduled for Monday...
Covid issues force Red Wings to shut down through at least Dec. 26Video
DETROIT — Given recent developments it seemed inevitable. On Sunday it came to pass. The Red Wings have shut down team operations until at least after the NHL’s holiday break that concludes Dec. 26 due to an uptick in positive covid cases, the league announced Sunday. Sunday, the Wings placed...
NHL shuts down 2 more teams for a week amid covid surgeVideo
Postponements and coronavirus problems for the NHL are coming at a dizzying and disquieting pace not seen since earlier in the pandemic. The league shut down two more teams through the Christmas holiday break Friday, eager to avoid putting all 32 on pause amid worsening covid-19 conditions across North America....
Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice resigns; Dave Lowry gets interim job
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice has resigned in a surprise move in his ninth year with the team. The team announced Maurice’s decision on Friday, and said it was effective immediately. Dave Lowry was elevated to interim coach. The Jets (13-10-5) have dropped three of four heading...
Chicago Blackhawks settle lawsuit with Kyle Beach
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks settled a lawsuit by a former player who said he was sexually assaulted by assistant coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup title run. After representatives for the Blackhawks and former first-round pick Kyle Beach met Wednesday with a mediator for the first...
AP source: NHL reintroducing enhanced covid-19 restrictions
With the number of coronavirus cases and game postponements climbing, the NHL is reintroducing enhanced covid-19 protocols that include restricting players to staying in their hotels while on the road in a bid to limit a growing outbreak among players and staff. The enhanced protocols will be put into effect...
Wild’s Bill Guerin promoted to take over as U.S. men’s Olympic GMVideo
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin was promoted to take over the men’s U.S. Olympic hockey team Tuesday, two months after Stan Bowman’s resignation in the wake of the Chicago Blackhawks’ sexual assault scandal. “Unfortunately, things turned out the way they did, and we’re here today,” Guerin said during a...
Covid-19 outbreak for Hurricanes prompts postponement of game vs. WildVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Carolina Hurricanes became the latest NHL team hit by a coronavirus outbreak Tuesday as four more players were placed in the covid-19 protocol, prompting the league to postpone their game at Minnesota. The call came a little more than five hours before the scheduled start...
Flyers showing early signs of an offensive resurgence under Mike Yeo, and need it to continue
The Flyers’ attack and power play have looked better in three of the four games under interim coach Mike Yeo. Is it a mirage or a product of a new mindset/system under Yeo and the new power-play director, assistant Darryl Williams? “The last couple days, we’ve talked about trusting your...
