No Fun NHL? Restrictions help players appreciate hockey more
Instead of going out to dinner with his fiancee after coming home from practice, Brandon Carlo takes his dogs on long walks to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. “It’s nice that I can still do those things,” the Boston defenseman said. NHL players and their...
First Call: Steelers show interest in high-speed WR; goalie goal, goalie fight; Marc-Andre Fleury bet
A few Steelers post on social media about free agency. The franchise appears to have an interest in a blazer at wide receiver in the upcoming draft. A goalie fight, a goalie goal and a Golden Knights goalie bet. All that in Monday’s “First Call.” Banner’s self-ban Steelers free agent...
Capitals’ Henrik Lundqvist back on ice, ‘months’ away from deciding futureVideo
WASHINGTON — Henrik Lundqvist said Thursday he is months away from making a decision about his hockey-playing future after returning to the ice less than two months since undergoing open-heart surgery. The 38-year-old goaltender posted videos to social media earlier this week of himself in goaltending gear taking shots in...
Canadiens fire coach Claude Julien amid losing stretchVideo
MONTREAL — The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday after a three-game skid. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff. After a one-week break in their schedule, the Canadiens have lost...
Robert Morris goalie’s work with veterans groups helps to earn coveted hockey nomination
For years, every game day at Clearview Arena, we had the same routine. About 90 minutes before faceoff, my broadcast partner Mike Prisuta and I would head down from the broadcast deck and make our way to ice level and go through the team entrance. On the way to the...
First Call: Tyler Glasnow on difference between Pirates and Rays; no love for Bud Dupree; another Fleury shutout
Tuesday’s “First Call” wonders why the NFL Network is overlooking Steelers pass rusher Bud Dupree. Tyler Glasnow dishes on the difference between the Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays. We check in on the Eastern Division standings. Marc-Andre Fleury pitches another shutout. And we recall the “Miracle on Ice.” Tampa...
Artemi Panarin denies Russian report, takes time away from Rangers
New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the team after a Russian tabloid printed allegations from a former coach that he attacked a woman in Latvia almost a decade ago, which he denies. Andrei Nazarov, a former NHL enforcer who coached Panarin in the...
Avs beat Golden Knights 3-2 in delayed Lake Tahoe game
STATELINE, Nev. — Everyone knew playing an outdoor game on a golf course near Lake Tahoe instead of in a stadium would provide a unique experience. Few could have imagined how it all turned out with the game starting with breathtaking views in the sunshine, taking an eight-hour break because...
NHL outdoor game at Lake Tahoe delayed because of bright sun, ice conditionsVideo
STATELINE, Nev. — The setting was spectacular but the ice conditions were far from it, leading to an extended delay between the first and second period of the outdoor game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche at Lake Tahoe. The NHL decided to halt the game for more...
AP source: NHL adding game-day rapid covid-19 testing
The NHL is adding game-day rapid tests for players, team personnel and on-ice officials as part of a series of expanded safety protocols unveiled Thursday in its latest bid to stem potential covid-19 outbreaks. Rapid tests initially will be made available to the league’s 24 U.S.-based teams and provide results...
Tensions rising: NHL multigame series ratchet up animosity
It turns out Saturday night was all right for fighting between Arizona and St. Louis. Monday night, too. Coyotes and Blues players dropped the gloves in both games, which were the third and fourth consecutive against each other. They will play three more times in four days — that’s right,...
Unique season forges new bonds among NHL officials, players
NHL referees and linesmen are holding pre- and postgame meetings virtually, not eating meals with each other and taking all the necessary precautions to limit time spent together. They’re seeing each other less but players much more, the result of a unique schedule with teams almost always facing off multiple...
Blue Jackets center Mikko Koivu retires during his 16th NHL seasonVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets center Mikko Koivu said Tuesday he decided to retire in the midst of his 16th NHL season. The 37-year-old Koivu signed a free-agent contract with Columbus before this season after 15 years in Minnesota as the Blue Jackets sought more depth at center ice....
Maple Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds out 6 weeks with broken wristVideo
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Wayne Simmonds until mid-March. The team announced Monday the bruising winger is set to miss six weeks after suffering a broken wrist in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Simmonds, 32, scored twice in the game but took a clearing...
NHL revises virus protocols with 40 players on covid-19 list
The NHL has followed the NBA in revising its virus protocols early in the season as a response to covid-19 problems cropping up around the league. Glass panels have been removed from behind benches for better air flow, players and coaches are not allowed at the arena until 1 hour...
Most NHL teams using 2 goalies to get through pandemic play
Most NHL teams are keeping two goaltenders busy, trying to keep them fresh as the frequency of games picks up with the league shooting to squeeze 56 games into less than four months. Montreal, Boston, Carolina, Florida and Vegas are off to strong starts while essentially alternating starts between their...
Hurricanes set to return from covid-19 pause, postponementsVideo
The Carolina Hurricanes played just three games this season before having to shut down workouts and postpone four games because of covid-19 concerns. They returned to practice this week and are set to play Thursday against Tampa Bay in what amounts to a second try at starting the season, although...
‘Sloppy’ hockey is the name of the game early in NHL season
With an outbreak delaying the Dallas Stars opener, Rick Bowness got to watch a lot of hockey in the first couple of nights of the NHL season. It wasn’t a coach’s dream. “It was entertaining hockey, but it was a little sloppy,” Bowness said. “And that’s to be expected.” Sloppy...
Blue Jackets deal unhappy star center Pierre-Luc Dubois to JetsVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After Pierre-Luc Dubois was benched for lack of effort two days ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday traded the unhappy star center to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Dubois, Columbus’ top-line center, made it clear when he signed a two-year contract before...
Alexander Ovechkin on covid list; Capitals fined $100K
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin and three other Washington Capitals players were added to the NHL’s covid-19 list Wednesday, and the team was fined $100,000 by the league for violating coronavirus protocols. In addition to three-time MVP Ovechkin — one of just eight players in NHL history with more than 700...
Florida Panthers 1 of 3 NHL teams allowing fans into arenasVideo
SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida coach Joel Quenneville already has a raspier-than-usual voice after the Panthers’ first two games of the season. Screaming over crowd noise isn’t easy. Florida is one only three NHL teams that is permitting fans back into arenas for the start of this season. The Panthers averaged...
Flat salary cap makes NHL teams get creative
In the 16 years since the salary cap has been a reality in the NHL, it has never been this much of a challenge to maneuver. Teams that made moves in 2019 and right up to the 2020 trade deadline expected the cap to increase substantially from the current $81.5...
Avalanche send ex-Penguins defenseman Ian Cole to WildVideo
DENVER — Colorado and Minnesota swapped veteran defensemen Tuesday, with the Avalanche acquiring Greg Pateryn and the Wild receiving former Pittsburgh Penguin Ian Cole. The trade represents a significant salary-cap savings for Colorado from Cole’s $4.25 million hit to Pateryn’s $2.25 million. It also frees up a spot on the...
Hurricanes-Predators game becomes 1st postponed NHL contest
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NHL has postponed its first game since the league’s season began, calling off Tuesday night’s game between the Hurricanes and the Predators hours after Carolina won the first of a two-game set in Nashville. “The decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure...
Virus limits NHL vet-rookie time away from rink
Colorado defenseman Ian Cole has taken a young kid under his wing as he starts his 11th season in the NHL, dining with him often and going the extra mile to make sure his needs are met. Of course, this is Cole’s infant son, who was born over the summer....
