First Call: Seahawks watching other stars with injuries before playing Steelers; ex-Penguin scores in Kraken debut
As the Seattle Seahawks get set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Sunday Night Football,” a few other big names are on the injury list besides just Russell Wilson. The franchise may be adding a recognizable quarterback to the roster as well. Two pitchers with Pirates ties got starts in...
Vegas beats Seattle to spoil Kraken’s debut
LAS VEGAS — Max Pacioretty scored twice and the Vegas Golden Knights spoiled the Seattle Kraken’s debut with a 4-3 win on Tuesday night. Vegas, which made its league debut four years ago, held off a rally from the NHL’s latest addition in what turned out to be a scrappy...
Current captains of every NHL team for 2023-24 season
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby remains the longest-tenured captain in the NHL heading into the 2023-24 season, having earned the “C” in May 2007. Crosby’s run is followed by Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (2010) and Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (2012). Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand,...
Kraken have 5 players in covid protocol on eve of opener
SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken are expected to be without five players for the season opener at Vegas because of covid-19 protocols, coach Dave Hakstol said Monday. Forwards Jared McCann, Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Johansson, and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak were placed on the league’s covid-19 protocol list on Monday. Forward...
Ovechkin begins 5-year contract chasing Gretzky’s goals mark
ARLINGTON, Va. — Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career goals has for a long time been one of hockey’s hallowed numbers, a record that would never be broken with scoring in the NHL so different now. But great players will keep coming after the “Great One.” Alex Ovechkin is ready to take...
Golden Knights, Avalanche appear to be teams to beat in West
The Vegas Golden Knights have made deep playoff runs in three of their four years and are used to being looked at as the team to beat in the Western Conference. Advancing in the postseason, though, is not going to satisfy a young franchise that lost in the Stanley Cup...
NHL Eastern Conference race still runs through ‘Champa Bay’
It’s going on 40 years since the NHL last celebrated a three-peat Stanley Cup champion as part of the New York Islanders’ run of four straight titles from 1980-83. The Lightning have won two straight, and defenseman Victor Hedman doesn’t see why Tampa Bay can’t make it three in a...
NHL preview: What to know about the 2021-22 season
There is more high-level hockey on tap over the next nine months than ever before. Thanks to the addition of the Seattle Kraken as the NHL’s 32nd franchise and the return to a full schedule, 1,312 regular-season games are set to be played before the start of the playoffs next...
Alex Ovechkin injured in Capitals’ preseason finale
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin left the Washington Capitals’ preseason finale against Philadelphia on Friday night with what the team called a lower-body injury. Ovechkin bumped into Flyers forward Travis Konecny midway through the first period and then went down to the ice. Washington’s captain was slow to get up and...
AP sources: Panthers, Barkov agree on 8-year, $80M extension
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov was just a teenager when he arrived in Florida from Finland to start his NHL career back in 2013, spent a few weeks in his new sunny surroundings and came to the following conclusion. “I could live here,” Barkov said. He hasn’t left since....
NHL ready for 82-game season, wide-open race for Stanley Cup
Drew Doughty needs a refresher going into his 13th NHL season. When he ran into Patrick Kane before training camps opened, it was the first time he had seen the Chicago star around a rink in almost two years. “I don’t even know who plays for what team anymore,” Doughty...
Canada’s NHL teams embrace return to normal divisions
TORONTO — Tyler Toffoli had just filled the net on back-to-back nights against his former team. The Montreal winger registered a hat trick in a 6-5 shootout loss to Vancouver and followed that up with two goals and an assist 24 hours later in a 7-3 victory. Toffoli then spent...
Montreal star goaltender Carey Price steps away for mental health help
MONTREAL — Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has voluntarily entered the NHL/NHL Players’ Association joint player assistance program, a stunning announcement Thursday less than a week before start of the season and just three months after the former NHL MVP backstopped Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. The league and players’...
NHL investigates Evander Kane for fake vaccine card
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane is being investigated on allegations that he used a fake covid-19 vaccination card. A person familiar with the investigation says the league is looking into whether Kane submitted a fake card. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition...
First Call: Todd Haley discusses his relationship with Ben Roethlisberger; Jaromir Jagr still scoring in Czech league
Friday’s “First Call” has Todd Haley discussing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, video of Penguins legend Jaromir Jagr still scoring goals and news about Lamar Jackson’s absence from Baltimore Ravens practice. Also, the story of a kicker who helped beat the Steelers—and himself—at the same time. Going over old times Former...
Time to get Kraken: Seattle opens 1st NHL training campVideo
SEATTLE — It didn’t take long for Mark Giordano to get years of seeing red out of his system. The longtime Calgary Flames defenseman didn’t even flinch Thursday while pulling on the jersey of a different team for the first time in his career. Give an assist to his wife...
Sabres captain Jack Eichel fails physical, placed on long-term IR
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel failed his pre-training camp physical and was placed on injured reserve, leaving the two sides no closer to a resolution over how to treat a herniated disk which has sidelined the player for six months. General manager Kevyn Adams said the player...
Flyers’ Hayes has abdominal surgery, to miss start of season
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes will miss four to six weeks after he had abdominal surgery Tuesday. Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said Hayes was skating with his teammates Monday at the team complex in Voorhees, N.J., when he “felt something in his groin.” Hayes had surgery and could...
Training camps opening after NHL’s shortest offseason
Every offseason feels short to Philipp Grubauer, though this one was a doozy. After playing the most games of his NHL career, the German goaltender saw his season end with Colorado in June, waited for a new contract and, by the end of July, joined the expansion Seattle franchise. He...
Zdeno Chara, 44, returning to Islanders on 1-year contract
Zdeno Chara pondered his future, talked to his family and decided a blast from his past was the right choice for where to play a 24th NHL season. Chara agreed to terms with the New York Islanders on a one-year deal Saturday, returning 25 years later to the organization that...
NHL expects 98% of players to be vaccinated before season
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday the NHL expects 98% of players to be fully vaccinated against covid-19 by the start of the season. The league projects that only between 10 and 15 of roughly 700 players will not be vaccinated by the time the season begins Oct. 12. The...
NWHL rebrands to Premier Hockey Federation entering 7th year
The National Women’s Hockey League is history. Welcome, Premier Hockey Federation. North America’s first women’s professional hockey league to pay players a salary is adopting the new name on Tuesday as part of a rebranding to reflect sweeping changes made to its management structure, coupled with an influx of private...
NHL to punish unvaccinated players more harshly this season
The NHL plans to punish unvaccinated players more harshly if they test positive for the coronavirus as part of new protocols for the upcoming season. Teams will be able to suspend unvaccinated players without pay if they cannot participate in hockey activities as part of the protocols, according to a...
Flyers sign forward Joel Farabee to $30 million, 6-year extension
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers signed forward Joel Farabee to a $30 million, six-year contract extension. Farabee’s extension, announced Thursday, kicks in with the 2022-23 season. He was scheduled to become a restricted free agent after this season. The 21-year-old Farabee led the Flyers with 20 goals and had 38...
McDavid’s NHL MVP defense begins with defensive improvement
Connor McDavid did not take much time off after he and the Edmonton Oilers were swept out of the playoffs in the first round. The unanimous NHL MVP returned to the ice in July and worked hard to improve his defensive game with an eye on building off a 105-point...
