1:41 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman promises this summer’s unconventional tournament “won’t be too gimmicky,” as the league balances safety concerns with creating a good television product and maintaining the integrity of the Stanley Cup. “I think everybody can feel good, based on the combination of the play-in round and the way we’re going
NHL
9:14 AM ET It has been 95 days since the NHL hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the cancellations and postponements around the world of sports continue, there also have been continuous nuggets of new information regarding the potential resumption of the season, the draft, the playoffs
11:26 AM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year entry-level contract Monday. Laaksonen, 20, was Buffalo’s third-round pick in the 2017 draft and spent the past two-plus seasons playing in Finland’s Elite League. Laaksonen had five goals and 35 assists in 113 career games with Ilves
5:29 PM ET Associated Press An Arizona Coyotes staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolated at home in the Phoenix area. The staffer is asymptomatic and feeling well, the team said. All other staff members or players involved in Phase 2 of the NHL’s testing protocol have tested negative as teams prepare
1:33 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Edmonton Oilers prospect Cooper Marody has written a song in memory of teammate Colby Cave to raise money for a memorial fund. Cave, from Battleford, Saskatchewan, died April 11 in a Toronto hospital after suffering a brain bleed. He was 25. Marody’s song “Agape” will be released
7:00 AM ET ESPN staff Now’s your chance to play director of the 2020 ESPYS Presented by Capital One. Do you want to cast Simone Biles, Anthony Edwards, Dearica Hamby or a backyard magician in the starring role? You get to decide by voting for the winner of the year’s Can’t-Stop-Watching Moment. Today we introduce
11:52 AM ET The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association have announced that formal training camps for the 24 teams resuming play will begin on Friday, July 10, if conditions related to the coronavirus pandemic allow it. The league and its players are currently in Phase 2 of their “return to play” protocol, as NHL
7:15 AM ET The NHL Awards ballots were sent out this week to voters. I’m once again honored to have one through the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and have spent the past few days figuring out how to determine the regular season’s greatest performances when the 2019-20 campaign was stopped short by a global pandemic.
3:14 AM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kim Pegula is staying on as Buffalo Sabres president with a continued focus on making the small-market franchise economically sustainable, while in the face of criticism the team has been mismanaged under her leadership. The team’s co-owner told The Associated Press in a recent interview she believes
10:43 PM ET Johnny Boychuk, who suffered a gruesome-looking eye injury just days before the NHL season was paused in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, told Newsday on Wednesday that he’s fully recovered and will be ready to play if the season resumes. The Islanders defenseman needed 90 stitches to repair a cut above