8:33 PM ET ST. LOUIS — After a 51-season wait, the Blues raised the banner for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history Wednesday. And then they played “Gloria” one more time. The ceremony preceded St. Louis’ season opener against the Washington Capitals, who won their first Stanley Cup one year earlier. Captain Alex Pietrangelo,
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7:36 PM ET John Tavares has been named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto unveiled Tavares’ new “C” as part of the pregame introduction for the team’s season opener Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators. Forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and defenseman Morgan Rielly were named alternate captains. Tavares served as the New York Islanders‘
2:01 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes have signed goalie Darcy Kuemper to a two-year contract extension with an average annual salary of $4.5 million. The deal announced Wednesday would keep Kuemper in the desert through the 2021-22 season. The 29-year-old Kuemper had been a career backup until Arizona’s No. 1
2:19 PM ET Kelly CohenESPN There are some things that feel really great: finding $20 in your pocket, getting a duvet cover on perfectly the first time you try, breaking a 34-year-old record. At the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, this week, Donavan Brazier did exactly that. He won the 800 meters
7:39 AM ET The puck drops on the 2019-20 NHL season on Wednesday night, including the St. Louis Blues raising their championship banner, and the San Jose Sharks visiting the Vegas Golden Knights for a renewal of their budding rivalry. But we’re looking way ahead today, answering the big questions: Who will win the Stanley
7:00 AM ET In the final installment of our position group rankings, we’re going to take a look at the best and worst defense groups in the NHL. You can open up a couple new tabs for our goalie tandem rankings, and forward group rankings. Evaluating the contributions of defensemen can be tricky because of
10:40 AM ET Before every new season, hockey fans start mentally separating teams into castes. The ones that could win a Stanley Cup. The ones that won’t win anything. The ones for which it isn’t love or hate — just indifference. The St. Louis Blues were in that “could win” category before the previous season.
3:28 PM ET Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn has undergone surgery on his midsection and will be out about six more weeks. The Wild said Tuesday that the procedure for a bilateral core muscle repair went as planned in Philadelphia. Pateryn missed most of training camp because of the
2:01 PM ET Associated Press Lee Stempniak has retired from the NHL after playing for 10 teams in 14 seasons. The 36-year-old winger announced his decision Tuesday through the players’ union. He says he is “extremely grateful to have lived my dream every day throughout my career.” Stempniak was a steady presence, playing in 70
12:54 PM ET San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was suspended three games by the NHL on Tuesday for physical abuse of officials, stemming from an incident in a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. The suspension was automatic per NHL rules, but can be appealed to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Kane