First Call: Steeler most likely to make Pro Bowl debut; Steelers draftee who almost missed his call; Pierre McGuire’s new job
Tuesday’s “First Call” takes a peek at potential Steelers who could make their Pro Bowl debuts. One Steeler almost missed Mike Tomlin’s draft day phone call. Remembering “Mr. Wonderful’s” football career. And a new job in the NHL for Pierre McGuire. Sounds like a good idea Last week, NFL.com compiled...
Lightning dent Stanley Cup after another Tampa boat parade
TAMPA, Fla. — Turns out the Stanley Cup is going to Montreal after all. But it will return to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s possession for an extended party. After the Lightning celebrated a second consecutive championship with another signature Champa Bay boat parade on Monday, hockey’s holy grail needed to...
Mark Madden: NBC offered individual brilliance, but NHL broadcasting run failed to generate buzz
It was laughable when NBC took a sentimental bow at the end of its 16-year run as the NHL’s broadcast partner. It was understandable from the viewpoint of those who toiled for NBC in the production thereof. Eddie Olczyk teared up. He did a great job. He’s also going to...
Sportsbooks at Heinz Field, PNC Park and PPG Paints Arena? Bet on it, analysts say
Like grabbing a drink and a bag of peanuts before the game, stopping by a betting window to place money on the Penguins, Pirates or Steelers soon could become part of the ritual of going to a game. Such is the reality at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., which...
‘Fast and furious’ NHL offseason to unfold over 3 weeksVideo
Pausing the Stanley Cup celebration and with his voice still hoarse from partying, Alex Killorn acknowledged the back-to-back champion Tampa Bay Lightning will not be back together on the ice when the NHL returns in the fall. “We’re all grown men, and we understand that in a salary-cap system, the...
Stanley Cup champion Lightning ace final exam on ‘last day of school’Video
TAMPA, Fla — With the clock ticking on their time together, the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning talked about what they already knew was their last Stanley Cup run as a group. They talked about it midway through the playoffs. They talked about it on the verge of reaching the...
Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy wins Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP
TAMPA, Fla. — When Andrei Vasilevskiy was thrust into action during the 2015 Stanley Cup Final with starting goaltender Ben Bishop injured, he was a shy, unknown quantity at the beginning of his NHL journey. Six years later, he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion at the peak of his career...
Tampa Bay blanks Montreal, repeats as Stanley Cup championVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Quieting the din inside Amalie Arena for just a moment, Gary Bettman looked over to the Tampa Bay Lightning and reached back into the dark days of the pandemic perhaps one last time. The NHL commissioner beckoned not just captain Steven Stamkos but the entire team over...
Bucks focus on being better against Suns in Game 2 of NBA FinalsVideo
PHOENIX — At their best, the Phoenix Suns have three players who can take over a game. There’s Chris Paul and Devin Booker, breaking down defenses from the backcourt. Deandre Ayton has been a beast on the backboards and almost automatic as a shooter. When all three are rolling the...
Stanley Cup notes: Top defensemen relatively quiet
TAMPA, Fla. — With star defenseman Shea Weber having a relatively quiet series, an argument can be made that the Montreal Canadiens are fortunate to still be playing in the Stanley Cup Final. The same could be said about the likelihood of the Tampa Bay Lightning being on the brink...
After Habs jab Lightning, defending champs look to Game 5Video
TAMPA, Fla. — It was no coincidence 5-foot-9 Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher kept going after 6-foot-6 Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman after the first period in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, shoving him and moving linesmen out of the way to continue the altercation. The Canadiens still look...
‘Crazy’ Canadiens familiar with staring down adversity
MONTREAL — During a season that has been anything but normal for Dominique Ducharme, the Montreal Canadiens interim coach finds it somehow apt his team is flying into a potential hurricane for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. “It’s no surprise anymore,” Ducharme said Tuesday before the Canadiens boarded...
Resilient Vasilevskiy gives Lightning edge moving forward
No team has been more resilient in the NHL playoffs than Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have a knack for rebounding from losses and closing out opponents standing between them and a Stanley Cup title. The defending champions are 14-0 in games following a postseason loss over...
Canadiens avoid sweep, edge Lightning in overtime
MONTREAL — Josh Anderson delivered in overtime, and Montreal killed Tampa Bay’s chance for a Stanley Cup sweep. Anderson said the Canadiens weren’t done, and he was right — at least for one night. The speedy winger scored his second goal 3:57 into overtime, and the Canadiens avoided elimination by...
Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks, 24, dies in fireworks accident
A medical examiner in Michigan says an autopsy has determined that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast, and not a fall as authorities previously reported. Police in Novi, Mich., said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward...
Canadiens face uphill Cup Final climb as Lightning on verge of sweepVideo
MONTREAL — An extra day of rest between Stanley Cup Final games might ease forward Josh Anderson and the Montreal Canadiens’ lingering disappointment of falling behind 3-0 to the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. It won’t, however, change the daunting challenge they face in being pushed to the brink of...
NHL pushes puck up ice in bid to reach Latino communitiesVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Scott Gomez grew up among the diverse cultures that amalgamate around Anchorage, Alaska. Race was something he never really thought about, particularly on the ice. The son of a Mexican American father and Colombian mother, Gomez heard a few disparaging remarks while coming up through the junior...
Kucherov leads Lightning to verge of back-to-back Cup titlesVideo
It is impossible for Nikita Kucherov to fly under the radar while leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the verge of a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Just how much he is producing still can come as a surprise. “I didn’t even realize he had 32 points,” coach Jon Cooper...
Lightning on cusp on sweeping Canadiens, winning back-to-back CupsVideo
MONTREAL — Tyler Johnson and the quick-strike Tampa Bay Lightning moved a victory away from successfully defending their title, beating the Montreal Canadiens, 6-3, on Friday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning caught the Canadiens flat-footed by scoring twice in the opening minutes of each...
2 for 2: Lightning trades for Coleman, Goodrow pay off
Two trades in an eight-day span in February 2020 could deliver two Stanley Cup championships for the Tampa Bay Lightning. General manager Julien BriseBois paid the hefty price of two first-round picks and a blue-chip prospect to acquire Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow, figuring they would be able to help...
Sean McDonough on his new NHL play-by-play role, the league’s move to ESPN and hockey broadcasting history
When news broke in March that the NHL was heading to ESPN and Turner Sports next season, many hockey fans had two consistent questions: • How will broadcasts change, if at all, from NBC’s approach? • Will ESPN really prioritize hockey coverage more in its highlight-intensive sports news shows and...
Canadiens, Lightning get rugged in Stanley Cup FinalVideo
Corey Perry walked into the locker room after his 164th career NHL playoff game and 19th with the Montreal Canadiens and told his teammates to savor the experience. “This is hockey,” Perry said. “It’s fun. Enjoy it.” It would have been far more enjoyable for the Canadiens had they won,...
L.A. Kings acquire Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville for 2 picks
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville in exchange for two draft picks. The Predators get a second-round pick this year and a third-round pick in 2022 in the trade announced Thursday. The 28-year-old Arvidsson is a two-time 30-goal scorer who has spent...
Heroic goal by Coleman, dominant effort from Vasilevskiy put Lightning up 2-0 in Stanley Cup FinalVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Just when the Montreal Canadiens found another gear to show they can hang with the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, Blake Coleman singlehandedly kept the series from being tied. Coleman scored a one-armed, diving buzzer-beater, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was the best...
Stanley Cup notes: Canadiens await Dominique Ducharme’s return
TAMPA, Fla. — When the Stanley Cup Final shifts to Montreal for Games 3 and 4, the Canadiens expect to have coach Dominique Ducharme back behind their bench. Ducharme was required by provincial protocol in Quebec to isolate for 14 days after testing positive for the coronavirus. That two-week period...
