1:57 PM ET China will take part in the Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Games despite concerns that the host nation will be embarrassed competitively by established hockey nations. China is currently seeded in Group A with top-ranked Canada, the U.S. and Germany. Although China is the No. 12 seed in the
NHL
7:00 AM ET NEWARK, N.J. — Something was moving in the shadows behind Andreas Johnsson. The New Jersey Devils forward was giving a postgame interview after their recent win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It soon became clear he wasn’t alone. As he talked remotely to studio host Erika Wachter, the contours of a face started
8:46 PM ET NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr recommended that the union hires an outside law firm for an independent review on its handling of the Kyle Beach allegations in 2010. Fehr made the suggestion to the roughly 80 players on an NHLPA conference call Monday. The NHLPA executive board, which consists of one representative
10:49 PM ET ESPN News Services CHICAGO — Perhaps Chicago Blackhawks center Kirby Dach put it best on Monday when illustrating how important it was to have star forward Patrick Kane back with the team. “It’s just good to have him back in the locker room,” he said, “and on the ice.” Especially the latter.
6:32 PM ET The New York Rangers and their young Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, Adam Fox, have agreed to a historic contract extension. Fox, 23, signed a seven-year deal on Monday, taking him through the 2028-29 season. Terms weren’t disclosed by the team, but a source tells ESPN the average annual value of the contract is
6:06 PM ET ESPN News Services CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel entered the COVID-19 protocol Monday after testing positive for the coronavirus. Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed the positive tests, and said Pettersson is symptomatic while Ruhwedel is so far asymptomatic. Pettersson and Ruhwedel are the fifth and sixth
5:47 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — The NHL has suspended Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette two games without pay for boarding Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras. The incident occurred in the first period of the Ducks’ 4-2 win over Montreal on Sunday in Anaheim. Paquette was given a major penalty and game
3:17 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman defended the league’s role in the Chicago Blackhawks‘ sexual assault investigation regarding allegations made by former player Kyle Beach, including the league’s decisions on additional discipline for those involved. “We could not be more sorry for the trauma that Kyle has had to endure,” Bettman said Monday. “And
12:15 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has been removed from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. Assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Matt Meacham also have left the protocol. The move means Kane is cleared to play when Chicago tries for its first win of the season Monday night against the Ottawa Senators.
7:00 AM ET The NHL logo spun around before locking into place, with a sound effect reminiscent of a cell door locking. The next image on the video was that of the new sheriff in town. “I’m Brendan Shanahan, the National Hockey League’s senior vice president of player safety …” Shanahan was 42 years old