NHL

NWHL officially announces Toronto expansion team
NHL

Professional women’s hockey will soon be returning to the Great White North. The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) officially announced the addition of a new franchise in Toronto on Wednesday morning. It will be the league’s sixth team and its first in Canada, joining the NWHL’s existing franchises in Monmouth Junction, N.J., Danbury, Conn., Buffalo, N.Y., Boston and Saint Paul, Minn.  “Launching our first team in Canada is a pivotal and proud moment for the NWHL,” commissioner

NHL reportedly scraps neutral-site plan, now eyeing one city per division to finish season
NHL

The NHL has reportedly scrapped the idea of hosting games at neutral sites in the United States and Canada and has shifted its focus to hosting games in one city per division. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the league would bring in teams from each division to a city to complete the regular season. One idea being floated is to play tripleheaders each day per location. Friedman said the players would have

NHLPA's Fehr: No talks on specific neutral sites
NHL

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr on Saturday said he has not yet had any discussions with the NHL about specific neutral-site locations for a potential Stanley Cup playoffs this summer. “Other than the general understanding that they’re looking at all possibilities, which includes neutral sites — neutral being defined as a place that isn’t a home

Akim Aliu on Bill Peters coaching in KHL: 'I believe in second chances for everyone'
NHL

Despite everything, Akim Aliu still believes in second chances and forgiveness for his former coach Bill Peters, who used a racial slur directed at him when they were with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. “Hockey is for all,” Aliu tweeted Thursday morning in response to the news that Peters signed a two-year deal with the KHL’s Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist. “I believe in second chances for everyone, that we can all find forgiveness

Ovi, Gretzky settling greatness -- at video games
NHL

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Alex Ovechkin is just 188 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s career record of 894. And while the NHL season is on pause, fans will get the chance to see who truly is the greatest goal scorer — in video games. Gretzky and Ovechkin have agreed to square off in EA Sports’ NHL 20 next Wednesday. The one-night event, played on Xbox, will

Canucks' Tyler Myers: 'We see ourselves as a playoff team'
NHL

The vast majority of NHL teams and players are extremely frustrated right now as the 2019-20 season remains paused. Franchises were in the midst of playoff pushes or trying to gain momentum ahead of the postseason when commissioner Gary Bettman brought play to a screeching halt March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic. One team that might be slightly less annoyed is the Canucks.  Vancouver’s campaign got off to a promising start, but then its season

Kings' Drew Doughty: 'Honestly, I don't see how the season is going to return'
NHL

On a conference call with reporters Monday, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty became the first star player to publicly come forward and express pessimism that the 2019-20 season will resume. “Honestly, I don’t see how the season is going to return. I really don’t,” he said pointedly. “We have no idea when this virus is going to be over. We’re all kind of just sitting at home, obviously hoping to return to

Hurricanes' Rod Brind'Amour, Coyotes' Rick Tocchet, Blues' Craig Berube forced to adjust to season pause
NHL

Right as the NHL season was heading into its final stretch, everything came screeching to a halt. The coronavirus pandemic has now put the rest of the year on hold and left the hockey world in a state of uncertainty. It’s extremely frustrating for the athletes, many of whom were either gearing up for the playoffs or already in the midst of an intense playoff push, but it’s also hard on the

NHL free agency tracker 2020: Full list of signings, best available players
NHL

When the NHL’s free agency period will open is anyone’s guess, but contracts are definitely going to expire and new ones will need to be signed. Whether it’s unrestricted or restricted free agents, there are some big fish to reel in for teams across the league. Where they’ll land is a big unknown, but the salary cap is expected to, for now, rise to between $84 million and $88.2 million. This will

Oilers' Alex Chiasson focused on family's safety during NHL's coronavirus delay
NHL

We’re often reminded that the NHL stars we watch on TV are just normal people off the ice, and that’s especially true given everything that’s going on with the coronavirus pandemic. The Oilers’ Alex Chiasson is no different. “I’m not a medical expert,” Chiasson told reporters on a video chat Wednesday. “I get the news just as everyone else does.” Chiasson has been riding out the pandemic at his home in Edmonton and doing