Personal matter delays Victor Hedman traveling to NHL’s bubbleVideo
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman won’t travel with the team to the NHL’s Eastern Conference “secure zone” in Toronto because of a personal matter. General manager Julien BriseBois said Hedman will go from his home to the rink and back and avoid the general public in Florida this week...
Pending free agents confront injury risk in NHL playoffsVideo
Alex Pietrangelo and his wife had ongoing discussions about whether he should return when the NHL season resumes. In addition to wanting to keep the couple’s infant triplets safe during the pandemic, the 30-year-old captain of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues is heading into free agency while in...
Release the Kraken: Seattle unveils name for NHL franchise
SEATTLE — The NHL’s newest team finally has its name: the Seattle Kraken. The expansion franchise unveiled its nickname Thursday, ending 19 months of speculation about whether the team might lean traditional or go eccentric with the name for the league’s 32nd team. “The Kraken is a name born of...
Shh! NHL gags teams on injury disclosure for player privacyVideo
Jakub Voracek thinks it is none of your business. When the Philadelphia Flyers winger missed practice over the weekend, no injury, illness or other reason was given. That is the NHL’s mandatory rule during the pandemic, adding another layer of secrecy to a sport already infamous for disclosing — at...
NHL’s training camps advantage for coaches hired midseasonVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Play a game, head for the airport. Take a day off, play another game. Squeeze in a practice when you can. The pace of a regular NHL season is challenging enough, but coaches who take over in the middle of a season are forced to play catch-up,...
Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Artemi Panarin selected as Hart Trophy finalistsVideo
The Hart Trophy voters agreed with NHL players in selecting Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers as MVP award finalists. The finalists were announced by the NHL on Tuesday and determined by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The three also...
NHL announces finalists for top defenseman, defensive forward awards
Washington’s John Carlson, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman and Nashville’s Roman Josi have been named the finalists for the NHL’s James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. The finalists were announced Monday and voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Led by Carlson’s 75 points...
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyk, Tuukka Rask picked as Vezina finalistsVideo
Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning was selected as a Vezina Trophy finalist for the third consecutive season, with a shot at becoming the first back-to-back winner of the NHL’s top goalie award in 12 years. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyk and Boston’s Tuukka Rask rounded out the list of finalists...
Edmonton Oilers’ arena deemed structurally sound after stormVideo
Edmonton’s mayor said a preliminary assessment shows storm damage to Rogers Place is not structural, and the arena will be able to hold upcoming NHL games. Don Iveson said photos of Thursday night’s flooding and damage to the arena’s roof are concerning. “The damage is cosmetic and is to the...
Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Panarin named Ted Lindsay Award finalists
NEW YORK — NHL leading scorer Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Rangers winger Artemi Panarin were named finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award on Tuesday. The trophy goes to the league’s most outstanding player as voted by fellow players. None of them has won the...
Pucks, masks prevalent as 24 NHL teams open training campVideo
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is so accustomed to wearing a mask, he didn’t mind doing so for the past four months during the coronavirus pandemic. “Sometimes, I forgot I’m wearing it while driving,” Binnington said Monday, when the Blues were among the NHL’s 24 teams to open training...
NHL, players take collaborative approach in bid to resumeVideo
Collaboration or bust. Given the gravity of the new coronavirus pandemic and the abrupt decision to place the NHL season on pause in March, it didn’t take commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Don Fehr long to realize they were going to have to work together if play was to...
Lindy Ruff hired as Devils coach, Tom Fitzgerald stays on as GMVideo
Lindy Ruff impressed the New Jersey Devils with his experience from decades of coaching. Tom Fitzgerald wowed ownership with his moves in a few short months as general manager. The Devils on Thursday hired Ruff as coach and removed Fitzgerald’s interim tag to give him the full-time GM job. Ruff,...
First Call: Gerrit Cole’s pandemic problem, NHL TV schedule, robot fans, no Cleveland for Clowney
Thursday’s “First Call” features a pandemic problem for Gerrit Cole. Might we see robot fans at games? The potential rebooted NHL television schedule is interesting. And the Cleveland Browns appear to be out when it comes to Jadeveon Clowney. Covid conundrum for Cole Former Pirate Gerrit Cole made a simulated...
NHL, players agree on return-to-play protocolsVideo
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed Sunday on protocols to resume the season, a major step toward the return of hockey this summer. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Associated Press there was an agreement on protocols for training camps and games, and the sides are still negotiating an...
Madden Monday: Odd coverage of Ben Roethlisberger’s addictions; defending NHL draft lottery
When Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger admitted addictions to alcohol and pornography last week, it took a long time for that story to gain traction. Particularly on a local level. I wrote a column immediately after I found out about the news. But I found coverage of Roethlisberger’s mea culpa to...
After weird NHL Draft Lottery, losers of 1st-round playoff series in running for top pickVideo
Alexis Lafreniere was supposed to walk on stage Friday night in Montreal as the top pick in the NHL Draft. After the covid-19 pandemic paused the hockey season and postponed that possibility, Lafreniere was supposed to find out Friday night where he would be going when the league held its...
Rangers’ Artemi Panarin suggests NHL players shouldn’t report without escrow reform
NEW YORK — NHL MVP candidate Artemi Panarin said Thursday he has concerns about the health and safety of players if the season resumes and about finances beyond that. The New York Rangers winger posted a statement on Twitter saying he’s worried about the “long-term prosperity of the NHL.” His...
Red Wings have shot to win NHL lottery, draft Alexis LafreniereVideo
The once-proud Detroit Red Wings hope to win the NHL draft lottery, giving them a shot to select Canadian Alexis Lafreniere. Detroit desperately needs a boost after easily being the worst team in the league during the pandemic-shortened season that was put on ice in March. Lafreniere, an 18-year-old winger,...
Madden Monday: ‘Steelers making the playoffs this year is far from a sure thing’
Well, we’ve made it to triple digits. We are now beyond 100 days since major American team sports shut down. We’re at 103 now. So if you think it’s easy to do this job without melding the coronavirus and its surrounding society-wide quagmire into the mix, you are insane. During...
5 Tampa Bay Lightning employees test positive for covid-19Video
The Tampa Bay Lightning closed their facilities Thursday after five team employees tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on Friday on the condition of anonymity because the NHL and the team are not announcing...
Canada approves plan to play hockey in country amid pandemic
Canada has approved the NHL’s return-to-play proposal that could lead to one or more cities north of the border serving as host sites for the league’s 24-team playoff format. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Friday that the nation’s top public health officer, and health officials in Alberta, British Columbia...
Oilers have Hart? Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl among NHL MVP candidatesVideo
The Edmonton Oilers’ resurgence placed Connor McDavid back in the NHL MVP conversation, along with teammate Leon Draisaitl. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Boston’s David Pastrnak made their case, too, during a pandemic-shortened season. And don’t forget Artemi Panarin, a late entry in the discussion after the New York Rangers finished...
Puck woes: NHL’s bottom line facing short-term blow
With so much uncertainty, Larry Quinn can’t predict just how severe the NHL’s financial losses might be due to the coronavirus pandemic. That doesn’t stop the former Buffalo Sabres managing partner from providing a bleak assessment, at least for the short term. “They’ve got big challenges ahead,” Quinn said. “And...
No full shields for players; NHL talking off-ice protection
NHL players won’t be expected to wear full face shields if games resume this summer, though there could be plenty of covered faces around them. Equipment changes have not been a focus of return-to-play negotiations between the league and players’ union, according to a person with knowledge of those talks....
