Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews back skating after missing season with immune disorder
CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews revealed Wednesday that he missed this past season while dealing with what he described as chronic immune response syndrome. Toews revealed his diagnosis for the first time in a video released on social media. The video showed him skating at the team’s practice...
Tim Benz: Numbers from Tampa Bay Lightning postseason run are replicating Penguins’ Stanley Cup success
As the Tampa Bay Lightning march through their Stanley Cup title defense, they are clipping along at a rate reminiscent of past Pittsburgh Penguins achievements. Coach John Cooper and his team are up 1-0 over the Montreal Canadiens in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. That’s the result of a 5-1...
Sean McDonough, Steve Levy to lead ESPN’s NHL coverage
Mark Gross has sought out and fielded plenty of calls since ESPN won the rights to the NHL in March. On Tuesday, the network’s Senior Vice President of Production and Remote Events saw the first major step accomplished as the announcers and analysts for the upcoming season were announced. The...
Marc-Andre Fleury gets 1st Vezina Trophy; Connor McDavid is unanimous MVP
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid ran away in the voting to win his second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP on Tuesday, much like he blew away the competition while leading the league in points. McDavid became just the second unanimous Hart selection — joining Wayne Gretzky in 1982 — in...
Canadiens need bounce-back from best players in Cup Final
TAMPA, Fla. — The loser of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final has won the championship each of the past three years. The Tampa Bay Lightning likely will end that streak if the Montreal Canadiens do not get a better showing from their offensively talented line of Cole Caufield,...
Oilers sign forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to 8-year extension
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers signed forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to an eight-year extension on Tuesday with an average annual value of $5.125 million. Nugent-Hopkins’ previous deal for seven years and $42 million expired after this season. He had 16 goals and 19 assists in 52 games this year. Nugent-Hopkins...
Veteran Wayne Simmonds signs 2-year deal with Maple Leafs
TORONTO — Veteran forward Wayne Simmonds signed a two-year contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The team says his contract has an average annual value of $900,000. Simmonds played in 38 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs during this past season, with seven goals and two assists....
First Call: New home for Steelers’ Paxton Lynch; a look at NHL TV plans for drafts on ESPN
Tuesday’s “First Call” gives Steelers fans a Paxton Lynch sighting. We get one more look at Jack Leiter before the Pirates pass on him. A local guy goes yard in the NL Central. And we get our first glance at ESPN plans for the upcoming NHL drafts. Lynch looks north...
Tampa Bay outclasses Montreal in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
TAMPA, Fla. — Playoff scoring leader Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 18 saves to outplay Carey Price and lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night....
Gary Bettman casts doubt on NHL players going to Beijing OlympcsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said time is running out to reach a deal to send players to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, casting doubt on the league’s return to that event after skipping it in 2018. The league, players’ union, International Olympic Committee and International Ice...
Son of Bruins star David Pastrnak dies 6 days after birth
BOSTON — Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak says his son has died six days after birth. He did not disclose a cause. Pastrnak posted on Instagram that girlfriend Rebecca Rohlsson gave birth to Viggo Rohl Pastrnak, who died June 23. “We have an Angel watching over us and we call...
Blackhawks hire outside firm to investigate allegations
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent review of allegations that a former player was sexually assaulted by a then-assistant coach in 2010. CEO Danny Wirtz announced the move in an internal memo Monday morning. It also was confirmed by a person...
First Call: Will David DeCastro file a grievance over his release? What’s Marc-Andre Fleury’s future in Las Vegas?
Monday’s “First Call” features a question about David DeCastro’s release by the Steelers. A former Pirates pitcher shines. Considering Marc-Andre Fleury’s future. And the Browns backs are hand-in-glove. Done with DeCastro One reason why the Steelers may have tagged David DeCastro’s release as related to a non-football injury is in...
Ellwood City native Stephen Johns spotlights mental health in hockeyVideo
Stephen Johns worked out at the rink, trying to get back to playing after a concussion. Dallas Stars teammates asked how he was doing but never quite understood. “They kind of went on about their days not really knowing what was really going on, kind of the thoughts I was...
NHL royalty vs. Hockey Bay as Canadiens take on Lightning in Stanley Cup FinalVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Brian Engblom sat in the lower bowl at Amalie Arena with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s two Stanley Cup banners to his right and the team looking to add a third skating on the ice in front of him. Reflecting on his days playing for the Canadiens and...
Canadiens’ Joel Armia in covid-19 protocol day before Stanley Cup FinalVideo
Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia was placed in the NHL’s covid-19 protocol and didn’t travel with the team to Tampa Bay on Sunday, a day before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. General manager Marc Bergevin made the announcement after Armia was not at practice in Montreal before the...
Canadiens brace for biggest test: Defending champion Lightning
MONTREAL — Artturi Lehkonen is keeping his composure after becoming part of the Montreal Canadiens’ illustrious history by scoring the franchise’s most important goal in nearly three decades. If the upstart Canadiens’ remarkable playoff run has been fueled, in part, by a desire to earn respect, then their journey is...
Lightning vs. Canadiens in 1st all-East Cup final since 1980
After gutting out a tough series to get to the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning shouldn’t have to change their style of play to match up against the Montreal Canadiens. They won’t have to change time zones, either. While teams in the Eastern Time Zone have met in...
Andrei Vasilevskiy shines, Lightning eliminate Islanders in Game 7
TAMPA, Fla. — Andrei Vasilevskiy had 18 saves, and Yanni Gaurde scored a short-handed goal to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders, 1-0, in Game 7 of their NHL playoff semifinal series Friday night. The defending champions advanced to a Stanley Cup Final matchup against the...
Canadiens keep hands off Campbell trophy, focus on Stanley CupVideo
MONTREAL — Shea Weber and the Montreal Canadiens kept their hands off the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, and even rookie Cole Caufield had no interest in touching it. “Obviously, there’s a bigger one out there that we’re chasing, so I think that’s the...
Canadiens finish off Golden Knights in 6 games, reach Stanley Cup Final
MONTREAL — Artturi Lehkonen scored 1:39 into overtime, Carey Price stopped 37 shots, and the Montreal Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 28 years following a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. Cole Caufield and captain Shea Weber also scored,...
Expansion Seattle Kraken hire Dave Hakstol as first coach
SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken hired Dave Hakstol on Thursday as head coach of the expansion franchise that will begin play this fall. Hakstol will lead the first-year organization in his second head job in the NHL. He coached the Philadelphia Flyers for three-plus seasons from 2015-19 and spent the...
Islanders rally to beat Lightning in OT, force Game 7Video
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Anthony Beauvillier scored 1 minutes, 8 seconds into overtime, and the New York Islanders rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2, on Wednesday night to force a deciding Game 7 in their Stanley Cup semifinal series. Jordan Eberle and Scott Mayfield scored for the Islanders, who...
With 3-2 series lead, Canadiens frustrating Golden Knights
MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens defenseman Erik Gustafsson enjoys the notion of the Vegas Golden Knights showing signs of frustration in being pushed to the brink of elimination in their Stanley Cup semifinal playoff series. That’s what happens when most everyone discounted Montreal’s chances before the series began. “We were kind...
Report confirms hockey great Bob Plager died of ‘cardiac event’
ST. LOUIS — The final report on the cause of death of former St. Louis Blues defenseman Bob Plager has confirmed that he died of a “cardiac event” before crashing his SUV in March. St. Louis Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Graham revealed the final report on Tuesday, confirming his preliminary...
