7:00 AM ET The Montreal Canadiens started the 2021 season with a 7-1-2 record. Their big-ticket offseason acquisitions meshed well with a returning core of talents. It appeared that coach Claude Julien had a North Division juggernaut on his hands. Three weeks later, Julien was handed his pink slip. In the pressure cooker of a
NHL
1:21 AM ET The Calgary Flames fired head coach Geoff Ward on Thursday night, replacing him with former coach and two-time Stanley Cup champion Darryl Sutter. The Flames routed the Ottawa Senators, 7-3, at home on Thursday night, but Ward’s fate was apparently sealed after going 11-11-2 to start the season. He was officially hired
12:01 AM ET Walter Gretzky, the father of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, died at age 82. Wayne Gretzky announced the news on Twitter on Thursday, saying his father “bravely battled Parkinson’s and other health issues over these last few years, but he never let it get him down.” “For me, he was the reason I
8:10 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Thursday for an illegal check to the head of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. Blichfeld was called for a match penalty Wednesday night when he hit MacKinnon on the way to the
5:21 PM ET The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Sidney Crosby from the COVID Protocol Related Absence list ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Crosby missed Tuesday’s game against the Flyers while on the list. Crosby is tied for the team lead in goals (7), assists (11) and points (19) in 20 games.
6:13 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier broke his nose and sustained a concussion when he was hit in the shield of his helmet by a shot last weekend. The Devils said Thursday they placed the 22-year-old Swiss center on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 27. He is
11:32 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was fined $5,000 by the NHL on Thursday for spearing Boston Bruins rookie Trent Frederic, an amount that is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. Ovechkin delivered a spear in an upward direction to Frederic’s groin with five minutes left
9:00 AM ET Logan Couture loves the new schedule format the NHL is using for the 2021 season. “I’m a fan. I think there are going to be a lot of guys that are fans of it,” he said. “Certain players have been pulling for this for years.” This season’s schedule was created out of
7:00 AM ET The San Jose Barracuda began their season with an unforgettable road trip — the team got stuck in Texas for a week as the state was ravaged by a devastating winter storm and power crisis. It’s a classic minor league tale, featuring bus hijinks, close calls and 50 frozen DiGiorno pizzas. Combine
6:58 PM ET Associated Press Boston Bruins forward Charlie Coyle has entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, upping the number of players on the list to four, pending test results from Anaheim and the Los Angeles Kings. Coyle becomes just the second Bruins player added to the protocol, and first since Karson Kuhlman spent the first