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NHL category, Page 61

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
‘Slap Shot’ still iconic in hockey despite sport’s changes 
A few nights after one of their players was injured by a dirty hit, the Johnstown Jets plotted to exact some revenge on Buffalo’s Greg Neeld. An all-out brawl broke out during warm-ups, and the North American Hockey League game was postponed, much to the dismay of ownership and presumably...
Capitals cut ties with Leipsic after disparaging comments
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals on Friday placed Brendan Leipsic on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract after he made disparaging comments about women and teammates in a private social media chat. In a conversation involving his brother and Florida Panthers minor leaguer Jack Rodewald, Leipsic commented on the...
Alain Vigneault, Flyers hope to continue Stanley Cup pursuit 
PHILADELPHIA — Gritty is the home school teacher the world needs right now. The furry Flyers mascot offers an education of sorts each weekday on Instagram with ” Gritty’s 1/4 Hour of Power,” and his top student one day this week was forward Joel Farabee. Gritty played charades with Farabee,...
NHL exploring ways to finish season, including playing only in select cities 
Get used to the concept of pods and pucks if the NHL is going to have any chance of completing its season, with the most likely scenarios calling for games in empty, air-conditioned arenas during the dog days of summer. What is emerging as the leading plan involves bringing teams...
First Call: Steelers 2021 draft pick, more Tom Brady rules debates, smelly Penguin
Wednesday’s “First Call” is actually “Last Call” for the week. After plowing through the NFL Draft last weekend, “Breakfast With Benz” is closing the kitchen until Monday. So we go out by making Steelers fans angry over yet another rules debate surrounding Tom Brady. A new Steeler makes his grandmother...
Clock ticking for NHL veterans as they might face final chance at Stanley Cup 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Goaltender Pekka Rinne scratched scoring a goal off his NHL bucket list this season. Winning the Stanley Cup? That remains on the list with the season suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic amid concerns next season will be affected, too. Rinne, a three-time All-Star and former Vezina...
NHL goalies try to find ways to stay sharp during shutdown 
TORONTO — Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom is using a tennis ball machine as part of his training to stay sharp. Columbus Blue Jackets counterpart Joonas Korpisalo doesn’t have that technology at his disposal during the coronavirus pandemic, so a wall has had to do the trick. Toronto’s Frederik Andersen...
Can Alex Ovechkin catch Wayne Gretzky? ‘The Great One’ rooting for him 
Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of himself in Alex Ovechkin, from the smile on his face each time he steps on the ice to his passion for scoring goals. There are also differences, like Gretzky’s sole focus on the NHL growing up in Brantford, Ontario, versus Ovechkin’s upbringing in Moscow....
Target of racial slur open to 2nd chance for ex-NHL coach Bill Peters 
Bill Peters is back in hockey, and Akim Aliu — the player whose racial allegations led to the former Calgary Flames coach’s resignation — said he’s open to people getting second chances. “Only with the past behind us can we focus on the future,” Aliu wrote in a text to...
First Call: Watt brothers star on ‘Tonight Show’; sports movie ideas for Stephen King’s list
For “First Call” Wednesday, we try to help out renowned horror writer Stephen King. And the Watt brothers take over “The Tonight Show.” The offseason of the Watt brothers continues. Steelers T.J. and Derek Watt joined older brother J.J. Watt during a segment on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday. It was...
With NHL on hiatus, Stanley Cup gets locked away 
Phil Pritchard spent a recent afternoon carrying groceries back to his home outside Toronto — a far cry from taking the Stanley Cup around North America in the heat of the NHL playoffs. Hockey is on hold, the Stanley Cup is locked away in its case at the Hockey Hall...
NHL extends self-quarantine period, further pausing the season
The NHL will remain on pause through at least the end of the month. The league on Tuesday announced it was extending its self-quarantine recommendation for players, coaches and staff through April 30. The announcement marks the third time the NHL has pushed back its timetable since suspending play on...
Column: If NFL cancels 2020 season, it should call on NHL for help
The prize was future Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, one of the greatest prospects anyone had seen since Wayne Gretzky. And the method to determine who got him, as best as then-Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Doug MacLean can recall, was hashed out over a few meetings as the NHL...
‘Undrafted but undaunted’: Oilers’ Colby Cave dies at 25 
Colby Cave, an excellent teammate whose lone goal for the Edmonton Oilers this season came on an “awesome” rush down the ice, died Saturday after a brain bleed this week. He was 25. The NHL club did not say what caused the bleed. Cave’s agent, Jason Davidson, has said the...
Oilers say Colby Cave remains in medically induced coma 
TORONTO — Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave remains in a medically induced coma in a Toronto hospital after suffering a brain bleed earlier in the week. The Oilers, through Cave’s family, provided an update on Cave’s status Thursday on their Twitter account. “This is giving his brain time to heal...
No ice, big problem: Nothing mimics skating for NHL players 
Taking ice away from NHL players has caused some to resort to desperate measures. New York Islanders captain Anders Lee bought a Peloton. Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson wants a pair of roller blades. League leading scorer Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton stickhandles around his dog. Whatever works. “You’re kind of going...
Bettman raises chance of NHL not completing regular season
For the first time since halting play four weeks ago, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman raised the possibility Tuesday of not completing the regular season in order to squeeze in time to award the Stanley Cup. Bettman acknowledged during an interview with NBCSN the league is considering having games played at...
Oilers’ Colby Cave in medically induced coma after brain bleed 
Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a brain bleed. The Oilers said Tuesday on their Twitter account that the brain bleed happened overnight and that Cave was in the critical care unit at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital. A 25-year-old from Battleford, Saskatchewan, Cave...
NHL playoff possibilities feature plenty of whens, wheres and hows 
Shorts and skates don’t usually mix. Maintaining NHL-quality ice in August or holding a Stanley Cup Final in September? Those are far from the norm, too. With the NHL playoffs, which were to begin Wednesday, on indefinite hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, anything and everything is on the table...
NHL extends self-quarantine for players and staff until April 15 
The NHL extended its guideline for players and staff to self-quarantine until April 15, and it is possible the coronavirus pandemic could push that back even further. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the extension to the Associated Press in an email Tuesday. It adds an extra 11 days to the...
Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss Bruce Arians swatting away Antonio Brown, NHL playoff prospects
In this week’s “Madden Monday,” Mark Madden and I bask in the only activity that is allowed to go on in the sports world these days: the NFL offseason. And thank goodness for that. So we examine the Stefen Wisniewski signing as well as Bruce Arians snubbing Antonio Brown in...
Column: As we battle virus, don’t forget 1919 Stanley Cup 
Anyone who scoffs at all these drastic measures to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, who wonders if it really is necessary to shut down sports around the world, needs a primer on the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals. The tragic turn of events is right there on the silver chalice, engraved...
Signing college free agents is rare NHL business going on 
Colton Poolman had a good feeling about what was to come. He and his North Dakota teammates were ranked third in the country with the conference tournament coming up. They felt they had as good a chance as anyone to win the NCAA title until the season was abruptly canceled...
NHL’s top draft prospect staying patient amid uncertainty 
Alexis Lafreniere never could have envisioned ending his prolific junior hockey career in such an anticlimactic setting. There was no final buzzer, and the NHL’s projected top draft prospect was nowhere near an ice rink Wednesday. Lafreniere instead was sitting at home in suburban Montreal as he opened a conference...
Getting home: Hockey players travel scrambled by coronavirus 
Ryan Stanton would pull off the highway every few hours to give his pregnant wife, Kirsten, a chance to stretch her legs. That’s usually when Kirsten and her mother-in-law would switch places to tend to the Stantons’ 18-month-old daughter in the backseat of the pickup truck during a 27-hour drive...


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