Trades juice up arms race in deep Metropolitan DivisionVideo
The Metropolitan Division was already the deepest and most competitive in the NHL. Now the race to the finish is getting juiced up. Nearly every Metro contender made a move ahead of Monday’s trade deadline to gear up for the playoff push. The first-place Washington Capitals got it started by...
Capitals acquire Ilya Kovalchuk from Canadiens for 3rd-rounderVideo
WASHINGTON — The Capitals on Sunday acquired winger Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens for a 2020 third-round pick. Washington made the move to get another top-nine forward hours after its second victory in eight games. Montreal will retain 50% of Kovalchuk’s $700,000 salary and cap hit. The 36-year-old Kovalchuk...
700 club: Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin scores for milestone goalVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — With power and a prodigious shot, Alex Ovechkin stands where few in hockey have been. He became the eighth NHL player to score 700 career goals, reaching the milestone in the third period of the Washington’ Capitals’ 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. “It’s...
In Lake Placid, a miracle from 40 years ago still inspiresVideo
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The woman had been waiting for her opportunity for more than an hour, which was no big deal because, technically, she had been waiting 40 years. She went to the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on a frigid night earlier this week with a folder...
NHL teams get jump on deadline with flurry of early tradesVideo
Tom Fitzgerald changed teams twice at the NHL trade deadline as a player and knows how it feels. As interim general manager of the New Jersey Devils, he didn’t wait until deadline day to trade captain Andy Greene or forward Blake Coleman. Beating the buzzer by more than a week,...
Pete Babando, Stanley Cup hero born in Braeburn, dies at age 94
Pete Babando, who was born in the Braeburn section of Lower Burrell and scored one of the most dramatic goals in NHL history, died Wednesday at the age of 94. Babando wrote his name in the history books April 23, 1950 while playing for the Detroit Red Wings against the...
Bouwmeester back in St. Louis, ‘on the road to recovery’
ST. LOUIS — Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is back in St. Louis after collapsing on the bench during a game in Anaheim last week and said in a statement Tuesday that he is “on the road to recovery.” Bouwmeester, 36, collapsed during the first period of the Feb. 11 game...
Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has defibrillator inserted to regulate heartVideo
Jay Bouwmeester had surgery Friday to insert a defibrillator to restore his heart’s normal rhythm after the St. Louis Blues defenseman collapsed on the bench during a game in Anaheim this week. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the procedure was performed at the UC Irvine Medical Center. The 36-year-old...
Wild GM Bill Guerin fires coach Bruce BoudreauVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild fired coach Bruce Boudreau on Friday, with the team out of playoff position. He is the eighth NHL coach to lose his job this season. First-year general manager Bill Guerin dismissed Boudreau after a shootout loss to the New York Rangers. Assistant Dean...
After Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac episode, Blues lean on their dadsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Jay Bouwmeester’s cardiac episode was a scary experience for the St. Louis Blues. Even for a bunch of tough hockey players, having dad around certainly helps. St. Louis is on its annual father’s trip, and the dads are providing some valuable counseling after the 36-year-old Bouwmeester collapsed...
Detail-oriented DeBoer hoping to get Vegas back in playoffsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Peter DeBoer could have chosen a life inside a courtroom arguing in front of a judge’s bench, considering he has law degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit. Instead, he’s enjoyed a mostly successful career behind an NHL bench. In each of his...
Jeremy Roenick won’t return to NBC Sports as a result of suspension
Jeremy Roenick will not be returning to NBC Sports after his suspension for making inappropriate comments about coworkers. A network spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that Roenick will not be back on the air. The spokesman said NBC Sports would have no further comment. Roenick announced the...
First Call: Bold claim about Steelers view of Ben Roethlisberger; Alex Galchenyuk’s debut with Wild
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” someone is calling for Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Alex Galchenyuk made his Minnesota Wild debut. A frightening NHL event. Michigan State may have its coach. “Monday Night Football” games may get flexed. You might be a little early on this Former NFL player-turned-NFL analyst Chris Canty plunged...
Oilers’ Connor McDavid out 2 to 3 weeks with quad injuryVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will be out two to three weeks with a quad injury. “That’s a normal timeline for this injury. We’re hoping less,” general manager Ken Holland said Tuesday. The injury initially was said to be a bruised knee from Saturday’s game against the...
NHL cool to Olympic participation despite assurancesVideo
The NHL remains reluctant to reverse course and compete at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing despite new assurances from Olympic officials to lift various major stumbling blocks, which also have the backing of the league’s players. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly significantly tamped down hopes of the world’s best...
First Call: Why Peter King didn’t vote for Troy Polamalu; emotional goal for Western Pa. NHL starVideo
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” we somehow bring Antonio Brown, Mike Vick and Plaxico Burress together. A great Twitter burn by an NFL team. Someone outs themselves as a person who didn’t vote for Troy Polamalu to make the Hall of Fame. And two great stories about some NHL products from...
No evidence Flyers mascot Gritty hit 13-year-old in the back, police say
Did Gritty physically assault a 13-year-old boy in November? No, said Philadelphia police Monday. A news release stated that the actions of the person wearing the Flyers’ mascot costume that night did not constitute physical assault. The investigation is no longer active. The person wearing the mascot costume has not...
Black hockey history celebrated in Hill District with mobile museumVideo
When Kwame Mason was a pre-teen and a high scoring right wing for the Toronto Aeros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, he wanted to be like Guy Lafleur, the high flying right wing for the Montreal Canadiens. “When you’re playing hockey out with your friends, you always say ‘I’m...
Green Day drops several expletives during NHL All-Star performanceVideo
During their performance at the 2020 NHL All-Star on Saturday night, Green Day colored their songs with some not-so-family-friend language. The band, which recently signed a two-year partnership deal with the league, was part of the weekend festivities in St. Louis. Performing on the ice during the second intermission of...
Youngsters take center stage as Pacific defeats Atlantic in All-Star finalVideo
ST. LOUIS — Hockey’s young skill was on display at the NHL All-Star 3-on-3 tournament. Boston’s 23-year-old David Pastrnak, Edmonton’s 24-year-old Leon Draisaitl and Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson put on an offensive show in the 3-on-3 finale. Draisaitl and Pettersson’s Pacific Division team beat Pastrnak’s Atlantic, 5-4, on Saturday night in...
Shots from stands, women’s 3-on-3 highlight NHL skills eventVideo
ST. LOUIS — Shooting pucks from the stands and some of the best women’s hockey players in the world going back and forth in a 3-on-3 game stole the show at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition. The two new events spiced up the skills competition by showcasing the kind of...
3-on-3 overtime in NHL has evolved over past 5 seasonsVideo
ST. LOUIS — Victor Hedman fondly recalls the NHL’s first 3-on-3 overtime because it was madness. “It was probably a minute and a half of just breakaways,” the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman said. “Jason Garrison scored the goal — beat the D-man (and scored) five-hole.” Trading breakaways and playing at...
Police investigating claim Flyers mascot Gritty punched teen
A Philadelphia Flyers season ticket holder is claiming his son was punched by team mascot Gritty, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. According to Chris Greenwell, he and his son, Brandon, 13, had been invited to meet the NHL mascot at a season ticket holder event Nov. 19. The incident happened...
Canadian network kicks off 6 NHL broadcasts in Plains CreeVideo
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Clarence Iron believes he is on a divine mission to revitalize the Plains Cree language through hockey. He will be the play-by-play announcer with host Earl Wood and analyst John Chabot on Sunday night when APTN televises the Winnipeg Jets game in Chicago against the Blackhawks. It...
First Call: Steelers’ surprising 2021 Super Bowl odds; Alex Ovechkin nears Mario Lemieux
The odds to win the Super Bowl in 2021 are out. And it appears the oddsmakers have a lot of faith in Ben Roethlisberger making a healthy return. Let me rephrase. The oddsmakers seem to have a lot of faith in Steelers fans having a lot of faith in Ben...
