Knowing the Western Hockey League plans to begin play again on Jan. 8 has brought a sigh of relief from Zack Ostapchuk and some of the other players he’s training with in St. Albert, Alta. “I think everybody is pretty excited,” said Ostapchuk, a 17-year-old forward with the Vancouver Giants. “We were all a little worried
Canada
SYDNEY, N.S. — Elliot Desnoyers scored four times as the Halifax Mooseheads beat the Cape Breton Eagles 10-2 in Cape Breton on Saturday evening. Desnoyers scored his first of the night in the opening period before scoring three times in the third. Landon Miron added two goals for Halifax (3-4-1). Zachary L’Heureux, Robert Orr, James
Surviving the COVID-19 pandemic has been harder for women’s pro sports than men’s because of the financial gap between the two. Women’s hockey in Canada was already in transition before the pandemic threatened to halt its progress. The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) will continue its pursuit of a pro league this winter with
CALGARY – The Calgary Flames and Russian defenceman Nikita Nesterov have agreed to a one-year contract. The deal is worth US$700,000, the NHL club said Friday in a statement. The 27-year-old from Chelyabinsk scored seven goals and assisted on 16 in 53 KHL games last season with CSKA Moscow. Nesterov, five foot 11 and 200
Claude Julien glanced down at some notes towards the end of his nearly hour-long video conference call with reporters Thursday. The Montreal Canadiens head coach was promptly asked — tongue firmly planted in cheek — if what was in front of him included the team’s roster, and if so, if he felt like sharing his
SYDNEY, N.S. – Defenceman Nathan Larose scored once and set up two more as the Cape Breton Eagles topped the Halifax Mooseheads 5-3 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Emile Hegarty-Aubin, Ryan Francis, Connor Trenholm and Felix Lafrance also found the back of the net for Cape Breton (3-4-0), which trailed 3-2
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a one-year contract extension worth $874,125 US. The 23-year-old recorded 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 56 regular-season games in 2019-20 before adding one assist in five games during the Maple Leafs’ qualifying round series against Columbus. The native of Newmarket, Ont., has 41 points
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a one-year contract extension worth US$874,125. The 23-year-old recorded 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 56 regular-season games in 2019-20 before adding one assist in five games during the Maple Leafs’ qualifying round series against Columbus. The native of Newmarket, Ont., has
It’s been a “heck of a year” for Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat. When he was handed the jersey with a C stitched over the heart just over a year ago, Horvat had no idea he’d soon be leading the Canucks through a season unlike any other, all while balancing his own growing family. “What
VANCOUVER – It’s been a “heck of a year” for Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat. When he was handed the jersey with a C stitched over the heart just over a year ago, Horvat had no idea he’d soon be leading the Canucks through a season unlike any other, all while balancing his own growing
The NHL has announced that its Winter Classic and all-star weekend will not be held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Winter Classic featuring the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues was scheduled for Jan. 1 at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Florida Panthers were to host the all-star weekend at the BB&T
OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators have avoided arbitration with Connor Brown by signing the forward to a three-year, US$10.8-million contract. The Senators and Brown were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing Thursday. Brown had 16 goals and 27 assists over 71 games for the Senators last season. His 27 assists and 43 points were career
The landscape on ice is changing rapidly. For years, hockey and figure skating have been dominated by white athletes, and to varying degrees, they still are today. But three Black competitors on the sixth season of Battle of the Blades — former NHLer Akim Aliu and figure skaters Asher Hill and Vanessa James — are
SEATTLE—One-time NHL power forward Gary Roberts had a choice to make back in 1996 when a serious neck injury threatened to force him into early retirement at age 30. The longtime, rugged Calgary Flames winger, contemplating a return to play, realized the golf games he’d been enjoying would soon be a permanent fixture in his
Thinking back over 50 years in hockey, Mike Emrick can’t name one favourite memory or game, but one story sticks out. Minutes after watching T.J. Oshie score four shootout goals to help the U.S. beat Russia at the Sochi Olympics, the camera panned to dejected fans and Emrick echoed 1980 gold medal-winning head coach Herb
NEWARK, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils have re-signed restricted free-agent forward Nick Merkley to a one-year, two-way contract. General manager Tom Fitzgerald said Wednesday the 23-year-old Merkley would earn $874,125 annually at the NHL level and $70,000 at the AHL level. Merkley is currently playing for Ässät in Liiga (Finland), for whom he has
Mitch Marner texted Jake Muzzin the moment he heard rumblings Joe Thornton might be interested in signing with the Maple Leafs. Muzzin, who played against Thornton in the Western Conference and alongside him for Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, confirmed the chatter. The Toronto defenceman quickly followed up by offering glowing reviews
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs and forward Ilya Mikheyev have agreed to a two-year, US$3.29 million contract extension. The team announced the deal, which carries an average annual value of $1.645 million, on Tuesday. Mikheyev was a restricted free agent and reportedly heading to arbitration before the two sides agreed to the extension. The