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...
Flyers sign center Sean Couturier to $62M, 8-year extensionVideo
The Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday signed No. 1 center Sean Couturier to an eight-year contract extension worth $62 million. Couturier counts $7.75 million against the salary cap with his contract that begins after next season and runs through 2029-30. It’s the same value as the contract Andrei Svechnikov agreed to...
Jimmy Hayes, 31, Boston College star who played 7 seasons in NHL, dies
MILTON, Mass. — Jimmy Hayes, who won a national hockey championship at Boston College and played seven seasons in the NHL, has died. He was 31. A law enforcement official said medics on Monday were called to the Hayes home in the Boston suburbs, where he was pronounced dead. No...
Rod Gilbert, Hall of Famer for New York Rangers, dies at 80
NEW YORK — Rod Gilbert, the Hall of Fame right wing who starred for the New York Rangers and helped Canada win the 1972 Summit Series, died. He was 80. Gilbert’s family confirmed the death to Rangers on Sunday. The team didn’t provide details. “I am deeply saddened by the...
‘It’s time’: Star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist retires at 39
WASHINGTON — Henrik Lundqvist, one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation, announced his retirement Friday less than nine months after heart surgery. The 39-year-old Swede starred for years for the New York Rangers, where he piled up 459 wins along with a a 2.43 goals-against average and 64 shutouts...
Tim Benz: Derek Schooley hopes to build Robert Morris hockey from the ground up — again
Here’s a challenge. Recruit for a college hockey team that doesn’t exist. Here’s another challenge. Do it twice in less than 20 years. That’s the task facing presumptive current Robert Morris men’s hockey head coach Derek Schooley. Wait a minute. Is that a thing? “Presumptive current head coach.” It feels...
Plum native, former NHL player R.J. Umberger set to join Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
Five years have gone by since R.J. Umberger last laced up his skates in an NHL game. “Time sure has flown by,” said the Plum native who played 11 years in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers. “Before I know it, it will be 10 and...
Joe Thornton, 42 and not done yet, signs with Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. — Joe Thornton’s pursuit of the elusive Stanley Cup is bringing him to the Florida Panthers. The 42-year-old Thornton signed a one-year deal with the Panthers on Friday, making Florida his fourth franchise in a now 24-year NHL career. He has more points than any other active NHL...
Robert Morris hockey players feel ‘double crossed,’ doubt school’s sincerity about reinstatement plan
The Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey programs are about to enter another postseason overtime period. The clock isn’t reading 20 minutes. It’s reading four months. For a second time, Robert Morris University officials have given both teams nothing more than a foggy possibility as to whether they will be...
