11:46 PM ET Associated Press Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque has tested positive for COVID-19. The 43-year-old Laraque made the announcement on social media Thursday in a post showing him in a hospital gown. “I guess I’m not invincible, just got diagnosed with Covid, since I’m asthmatic, not the best news, will fight it off!”
NHL
6:54 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that starting the 2020-21 season as late as December is on the table as the league considers all options for finishing this season and beginning the following one. “We have a great deal of flexibility in terms of when we can start,” Bettman said in an interview
6:33 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have agreed to a three-year, entry-level deal with goaltender Justus Annunen, the team announced Thursday. The 20-year-old Finnish product was a third-round pick by Colorado in the 2018 draft. He was 15-5-3 with a 1.77 goals-against average this season for Karpat, a team in Finland’s
9:48 AM ET It only took 27 years, a few lockouts and a global coronavirus pandemic, but National Hockey League players might finally have some leverage against commissioner Gary Bettman and the owners. As the NHL considers any and all plans to restart its season this summer, there are two essential entities that need to
8:00 PM ET Ricky Williams smoked marijuana a few times in high school, and a couple of times when he played football for the University of Texas. But the first time he noticed the drug helped him relax was during his senior year of college. “I had a really bad breakup with my girlfriend,” Williams
6:58 PM ET The NHL is hoping its players can return to local team training facilities at “some point in the latter half of May,” if local restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic will allow it. “We are not targeting a specific date at this point in time,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN via
4:59 PM ET The New York Islanders and the NHL’s Seattle expansion franchise said their respective arena construction projects remain on schedule despite the coronavirus pandemic and are still expected to be open beginning in the 2021-22 season. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that restarting construction projects, with strict health guidelines, is
9:52 PM ET Treatments for forward Oskar Lindblom‘s cancer “have gone as well or better than we could have expected,” Philadelphia Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr told reporters Tuesday. Lindblom, 23, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, in December. He has been undergoing care at the Hospital of the
10:02 AM ET The NHL season remains paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the league is offering fans a unique way to support their team while also following social distancing guidelines. The NHL is now selling licensed cloth face coverings, featuring all 31 team logos, on the league’s apparel website. NHL-licensed cloth face coverings
7:00 AM ET With the 2019-20 NHL season on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic (here’s the latest update on where things stand), we’ve started the NHL Viewers Club, highlighting some of the most rewatchable games from this season — such as when EBUG David Ayres beat the Maple Leafs — along with some cool
7:39 PM ET Associated Press Kyle Palmieri has been trying to keep busy around his Long Island home, doing a lot of painting projects — walls and ceilings, mostly. As for a bright picture of the NHL resuming play, the New Jersey Devils forward isn’t sure. “Hopefully, there’s a light at the end of the
6:20 PM ET Associated Press The San Jose Sharks have announced a plan to provide grants to 1,800 part-time workers at the team’s arena and practice facility who are unable to work because of the new coronavirus pandemic. The Sharks say that ownership, players, coaches, front office staff and corporate partners have already pledged more
7:30 AM ET If there’s one thing NHL scouts hate, it’s re-drafts. The reverse engineering and 20-20 hindsight makes it all too easy for us to ask “What if?” and point out where everyone went wrong in evaluations. But unfortunately for those scouts, that’s also what makes re-drafts fun exercises. There is no magic formula
7:00 AM ET It has been 46 days since the NHL hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season. As the cancellations and postponements around the world of sports continue, the 2020 NFL draft was staged virtually this weekend, to mostly positive reviews. Could that be a preview of what’s to come for the NHL?
4:51 PM ET The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a two-year contract extension on Thursday, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed, but according to multiple reports, the annual average value for Merzlikins’ deal is $4 million. The 26-year-old Latvian rookie is tied for second in shutouts (5) and is fifth
2:09 AM ET NHL greats Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin might not be the greatest when it comes to virtual hockey, but their deadlock Wednesday night left plenty of winners as they helped raise over $40,000 for relief efforts related to the coronavirus pandemic. With over 300,000 watching their EA Sports NHL 20 showdown via
8:30 AM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had a message for his general managers this week. “We don’t live in a world of perfect anymore. We’re going to have to make adjustments,” he said. “If we can’t do ideal, if we can’t do perfect, then we’ll have to figure out what’s next to perfect.” To
8:24 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman discussed a potential four-arena plan for a season restart, a draft held before the season is completed and fans returning to games during a wide-ranging interview with Sportsnet on Wednesday. “Anything we’re considering doing starts with health and well-being, whether it’s the players or other personnel or fans