NHL could adjust playoffs for travel restrictions in CanadaVideo
The NHL is preparing contingency plans if virus restrictions in Canada prevent travel between provinces or back and forth to the U.S. during the playoffs. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday called the situation “wildly unpredictable.” The NHL put off the thorny issue of cross-border travel before the season began...
NHL reaches 7-year deal with Turner Sports, ending NBC run
The National Hockey League is coming to TNT. The league and Turner Sports on Tuesday announced a seven-year agreement that begins next season. The deal means NBC’s run of covering the league ends after after this season’s playoffs. NBC has broadcast games since 2005 and is in the final season...
Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw retires after latest concussion
CHICAGO — Andrew Shaw was the scrappy “mutt” on a star-studded team, a gritty fan favorite who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win two Stanley Cups. Now, he is calling it a career. Shaw announced his retirement Monday on the advice of doctors after multiple concussions over the course of his...
Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw retires after latest concussion
CHICAGO — Andrew Shaw, the gritty forward who played a key role in helping the Chicago Blackhawks win two Stanley Cup championships, announced his retirement Monday on the advice of his doctors after multiple concussions over the course of his career. The native of Belleville, Ontario, played 10 seasons in...
Dent in the pipeline: NHL draft-eligible players take a hit
A few years from now, Brandt Clarke might be able to brag he took the Auston Matthews path to the NHL by playing in Europe during his draft year. “He kind of went over voluntarily,” Clarke said. “I went over out of desperation.” Clarke and other 2021 draft-eligible prospects didn’t...
Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen added to NHL’s covid-19 list
DENVER — Colorado Avalanche star right winger Mikko Rantanen was added to the NHL’s covid-19 protocol absence list Tuesday. Rantanen joins goaltender Phillipp Grubauer and winger Joonas Donskoi on the list. The Avs have been shut down since Donskoi went on the list last week and are scheduled to return...
Sharks’ Patrick Marleau ties Gordie Howe’s NHL mark for games playedVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — San Jose forward Patrick Marleau tied Gordie Howe’s NHL record for career games played, appearing in his 1,767th on Saturday as the Sharks faced the Minnesota Wild. Marleau hopped over the boards for his first shift 40 seconds into the game. He could break Howe’s record...
Patrick Marleau poised to break Gordie Howe’s games record
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Growing up on a farm as a hockey-loving kid in Saskatchewan, the knowledge that players like Gordie Howe had made the journey from that remote province to the NHL gave Patrick Marleau belief that he could one day follow that same path. Marleau has done far...
NHL delays Canucks’ return to play after covid-19 outbreakVideo
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The NHL delayed the Vancouver Canucks’ return to competition. The Canucks, who have not played since March 24 because of a covid-19 outbreak, had been scheduled to host the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. The league announced Thursday the team would not play that game and...
Sabres’ Jack Eichel ruled out for rest of season with neck injuryVideo
Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel won’t play the rest of the season because of a neck injury. The team said Wednesday that Eichel has a herniated disk and is expected to be healthy for the start of next season. The 24-year-old center hasn’t played since March 7. “He (was) playing...
Deal the Kraken? Ron Francis can’t make official trades — yet
Just because the NHL can’t release the Kraken until October doesn’t mean Seattle wasn’t in the mix at the trade deadline. General manager Ron Francis can’t finalize any transactions until ownership makes its final expansion payment to the league, but there’s precedent for him making a handshake deal or two....
First Call: James Conner says goodbye to Pittsburgh, addresses ATV accident; Ben Roethlisberger’s MVP odds; Flyers fading
Former Steeler and Pitt Panther James Conner says goodbye to the city of Pittsburgh. Big odds against “Big Ben” in the NFL MVP race. The Flyers continue to fail. And an ex-Pirates pitcher has a bad night. All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.” Au revoir Running back James Conner posted...
Avalanche GM embraces win-now mode with decisions looming
DENVER — Deep down, this is precisely the sort of depth Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic always pictured. Two goaltenders to back up one of the best in the league. Three balanced lines to complement a top one that’s anchored by Nathan MacKinnon. A blue line filled with the...
Lightning, Maple Leafs among NHL trade deadline winners
The defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning went into the NHL trade deadline without much money to make a move. As the league’s best teams often do, the cash-strapped Lightning found a way to improve their chances of winning with a shrewd deal. The Buffalo Sabres, meanwhile, had one...
Capitals make one of few big splashes at NHL’s cap-crunched trading deadlineVideo
Flat cap or not, the Washington Capitals refused to stand by and watch their division foes improve their rosters without making a move at the NHL trade deadline Monday. Not long after the Boston Bruins acquired 2018 NHL MVP Taylor Hall from Buffalo, the Capitals responded by mortgaging a valuable...
Bruins bolster playoff push, acquire Taylor Hall from Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The banged-up Boston Bruins are getting a boost for their late-season playoff push by acquiring forward Taylor Hall in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres reached early Monday. The Bruins also added checking line forward Curtis Lazar, who has missed the past six games with an upper...
Heart inflammation nixes Henrik Lundqvist’s attempt to play for Capitals this seasonVideo
WASHINGTON — Henrik Lundqvist is abandoning a long-shot attempt to return from open-heart surgery in time to play for the Washington Capitals this season after a checkup last week showed some inflammation. Lundqvist tweeted Sunday that the inflammation around his heart requires a few months of rest and recovery. The...
Virus-battered Canucks aim to complete condensed seasonVideo
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Vancouver Canucks are recovering from the NHL’s worst covid-19 outbreak and believe they can complete the pandemic-condensed season. An outbreak has ripped through the team over the past week and a half with 25 people — 21 players and four members of the coaching staff...
NHL grapples with vaccine inequity between U.S., CanadaVideo
His smile covered by a light blue surgical mask, Jacob Trouba’s eyes shined as the needle went into his left arm. The New York Rangers gave players, coaches and staff a day off this week so they could get vaccinated against covid-19. “We’re very fortunate to be able to get...
Islanders acquire Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac from DevilsVideo
The New York Islanders acquired veteran forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils in a move to improve their Stanley Cup chances. The teams announced the deal Wednesday night, with the Devils getting the Islanders’ first-round pick this year, a conditional fourth-round choice next year and...
Canucks say 25 players and coaches have tested positive for covid-19Video
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks said 25 players and coaches have tested positive in a covid-19 outbreak involving a variant of the virus. The team said Wednesday that 21 players, including three from the taxi squad, and four members of the coaching staff have tested positive, and one other player...
Cratering Blues running out of time to salvage season
Craig Berube stood back and watched his St. Louis Blues practice battle drills so he could see how players handled the situation amid a seven-game losing streak. Anyone looking in from the outside can spy a team in deep trouble. Berube’s Blues have lost 12 of their last 14 games...
Sabres sitting Taylor Hall in anticipation he’ll be traded
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres are taking the precautionary step of scratching forward Taylor Hall for their Tuesday game at New Jersey in anticipation the NHL’s 2018 MVP will be traded in the coming days. Team spokesman Chris Dierken announced that Hall will not be in the lineup in...
Buffalo’s Taylor Hall among top NHL players available for tradeVideo
The NHL trade deadline is less than a week away and teams willing to deal have some potentially intriguing options. Most franchises might be idle or severely limited because 18 teams have $1 million or less of salary cap space available, and the ceiling for what they can spend will...
NHL’s North Division reacts to Canucks’ covid-19 situation
The Vancouver Canucks’ season being brought to a standstill by the covid-19 pandemic makes players and coaches elsewhere in the all-Canadian North Division uneasy for that team and their own. Sixteen of the 22 players on the Canucks’ active roster were on the NHL’s protocol list with Sunday’s addition of...
