Kelly Babstock is ready to have her name written in hockey’s history books. Babstock, from Mississauga, Ont., signed with the new Toronto franchise of the National Women’s Hockey League on Saturday. Toronto’s new team was announced on April 22, and is the first Canadian city to have a club in the American NWHL. “It’s a
Canada
Owen Brady got up early last Sunday morning, strapped on his workout gear and went for a long bike ride. Had it not been for the continued lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Brady would have been celebrating something that was 18 months in the works. The 17-year-old defenceman would have been participating in the
The NHL is hoping to convince teams the league should move the 2020 draft to early June and hold it virtually, according to a report. ESPN said Saturday that it obtained a memo sent by deputy commissioner Bill Daly to teams that laid out the benefits of holding the draft in early June. It currently
OTTAWA—The Ottawa Senators have signed Russian defenceman Artem Zub to a one-year, entry-level contract. The 24-year-old spent the 2019-20 season with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he set career-highs in goals (13), assists (nine) and points (22). The six-foot-two, 198-pound blue-liner also finished tied for the KHL lead with a plus-35
Connor McDavid vividly remembers the thrill of the 2015 NHL draft. Hearing his name called by the Edmonton Oilers, the roar of the crowd, climbing on stage, the hand shake with commissioner Gary Bettman, pulling on a crisp, new jersey. “It’s such a special experience,” McDavid recalled recently. Auston Matthews had the same thrill 12
Connor McDavid vividly remembers the thrill of the 2015 NHL draft. Hearing his name called by the Edmonton Oilers, the roar of the crowd, climbing on stage, the hand shake with commissioner Gary Bettman, pulling on a crisp, new jersey. “It’s such a special experience,” McDavid recalled recently. Auston Matthews had the same thrill 12
Former NHL goaltender and current Calgary Flames colour commentator Kelly Hrudey has never shied away from talking about mental health, and he is continuing to bring awareness to the important issue in an effort to help those struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing measures and the current global health situation have increased the challenges faced by those suffering from mental
Former NHL player Georges Laraque has tested positive for COVID-19. The 43-year-old Laraque made the announcement on social media Thursday alongside a photo of himself in a hospital gown. The veteran of 695 NHL games said: “I guess I’m not invincible, just got diagnosed with Covid, since I’m asthmatic, not the best news, will fight
In the hours that followed the horrific Humboldt Broncos bus crash on the evening of April 6, 2018 and as the full scope of the tragedy was being realized, there was that photo — three young men on hospital beds holding hands. Teammates Derek Patter, Nick Shumlanski and Graysen Cameron were clinging to one another.
Ivan Provorov is one of the lucky ones during the pause in the NHL’s season because of the coronavirus pandemic. He is staying with his billet family in Wilkes-Barre —he lived there as a teenager after moving from Russia —and not only has access to a full gym at the house, but is one of
The NHL is in no rush to return from its shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with commissioner Gary Bettman saying the end of the current season could push back the start of next season as far as December. Speaking Thursday on NHL Network, Bettman said, “We have a great deal of flexibility in terms
The roster of NHL owners includes some heavyweights in the world of billionaires. Among them are Walmart heir Ann Walton Kroenke and her commercial real estate magnate husband, Stan Kroenke (Colorado Avalanche); real estate/arena operator Philip Anschutz and partner Edward Roski Jr. (Kings); Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan (Ducks); and assorted software,
There has recently been lots of hopeful chatter about how and when professional sports will emerge from the Coronavirus lockdown. The NBA has announced players could soon start practising again. And the NHL and MLB continue to float scenarios that would see its players get back into action. All of these plans must confront serious
Get used to the concept of pods and pucks if the NHL is going to have any chance of completing its season, with the most-likely scenarios calling for games in empty, air-conditioned arenas during the dog days of summer. What is emerging as the leading plan involves bringing teams back in a few empty NHL
The NHL is offering Maple Leafs fans — and fans of all 31 teams — a chance to play safe during the coronavirus pandemic while showing off their favourite team’s colours. The league announced Tuesday it was selling NHL-licensed cloth face coverings, with proceeds going to food banks in Canada and the U.S. “The health,
CALGARY—The Hlinka Gretzky Cup, a tournament featuring the world’s top under-18 male hockey players, has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight-country tournament was scheduled for Aug. 3-8 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta. “Although this was a difficult decision to make, we believe it is in the best interest of everyone involved
Philadelphia Flyers left-winger Oskar Lindblom is nearing the end of his cancer treatments and “feels great,” the team’s assistant general manager said. Brent Flahr told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the 23-year-old is progressing in his fight with Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Lindblom was diagnosed in December. At the time, the Swede had
Goaltender Pekka Rinne scratched scoring a goal off his NHL bucket list this season. Winning the Stanley Cup? That remains on the list with the season suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic amid concerns that next season will be affected, too. Rinne, a three-time All-Star and former Vezina Trophy winner, keeps dreaming about winning his