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NHL category, Page 41

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
NHL teams shuffle before Seattle Kraken expansion draft
Before 30 NHL teams release the list of players available for the Kraken, many of them are shuffling the deck to make sure they’re in good position for the Seattle expansion draft. Rather than losing Ryan Graves, Colorado traded him to New Jersey. Rather than worry about whether 2020 playoff...
Panthers buy out final 2 years of Keith Yandle’s contract
The Florida Panthers bought out the remainder of veteran defenseman Keith Yandle’s contract on Thursday. Yandle was signed for two more seasons at a salary cap hit of $6.35 million. The buyout saves Florida $4 million against the cap next season, just under $1 million in 2022-23 and costs an...
Moving on from past is 1st step in this NHL offseason 
It’s hard for Duncan Keith to say goodbye to yesterday. Pekka Rinne and Kevan Miller, too. Even more difficult for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter because it wasn’t their call. Moving on from the past is an early theme of the NHL offseason. Chicago traded Keith after 16 seasons that...
Canadiens give Dominique Ducharme 3-year deal as head coach 
MONTREAL — Dominique Ducharme was hired as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday after leading the club on a playoff run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. The Habs announced Ducharme agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2023-24 season, removing the “interim” qualifier...
Wild buying out final 4 years of Zach Parise, Ryan Suter contracts
After signing with Minnesota together, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are being bought out together. The Wild announced Tuesday that the team is buying out the final four years of each player’s contract, a stunning move early in the NHL offseason. Parise and Suter signed identical $98 million, 13-year contracts...
Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne retiring after 15 seasons
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne, the 2018 Vezina Trophy winner, is retiring after 15 seasons. Rinne, 38, announced his decision Tuesday morning. The Predators have a previously scheduled news conference later in the day. “For more than 15 years, I’ve been on an incredible, life-changing journey with...
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 weeks 
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’ 
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 champion 
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 Finals 
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 5 
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 sweep 
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 communities 
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 titles 
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 Cups 
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...


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