Canada

Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher thinks there will be hockey this summer. And that belief comes from what he knows about one of the men in charge. Speaking on a conference call with reporters Thursday, Gallagher said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is “very motivated” when it comes to completing the 2019-20 campaign. The league paused

TAMPA, FLA.—A former youth hockey coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning says she lost her job after telling the organization’s human resources department she was sexually assaulted by a team executive during a company trip, according to a lawsuit. The Hillsborough County (Fla.) woman, 23, is seeking punitive damages for post-traumatic stress disorder, back pay

The latest twist in the soap opera surrounding elite women’s hockey came Wednesday in a press release issued by the National Women’s Hockey League. “Launching our first team in Canada is a pivotal and proud moment for the NWHL,” league founder and commissioner Dani Rylan said in statement announcing a new franchise in Toronto. “Everyone

There was something to be admired about Wednesday’s announcement of a Toronto franchise in the National Women’s Hockey League. For one thing, it took some chutzpa for the team’s overseers to choose the thick of a global pandemic to make public their plan for their league’s sixth team and its first Canadian franchise. Considering nobody

Brad Treliving will be paying close attention to the NFL draft. And not because he’s curious to see if Joe Burrow does indeed go No. 1 to the Cincinnati Bengals or where fellow quarterback Tua Tagovailoa winds up. The general manager of the Calgary Flames is planning to focus on how his football counterparts deal

TORONTO—There won’t be any surprises Wednesday when it comes to the No. 1 selection at the 2020 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. The Regina Pats announced Tuesday they will be selecting forward Connor Bedard — the first player to ever be awarded exceptional player status for the WHL. “Clearly we think a lot of him,

One of the best Nova Scotian athletes in history needs just a single word to describe the current situation in her province — “surreal.” Six-time national women’s curling champion Colleen Jones, now a reporter with CBC, has been living out the grim aftermath of Sunday’s killing rampage with fellow Nova Scotians at work and at

We live in a sports world without a present these days. Either we’re reviewing the past, such as old Masters tournaments and Michael Jordan’s career, or we’re imagining some unusual future, such as NHL isolation games in North Dakota or how we’ll feel one day standing closer than six feet behind some Bubba who’s coughing

Jason Spezza believes the Maple Leafs’ turbulent first 70 games of 2019-20 will pay dividends down the road. And the veteran Toronto centre wants to be part of whatever’s to come. “We certainly didn’t cruise through the regular season,” Spezza said on a conference call Tuesday. “We had plenty of ups and downs and sideways

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.—The University of Lethbridge has shut down its men’s and women’s hockey teams citing three straight years of cuts to its operating grant. “The elimination of the hockey programs is one of a number of budget reduction strategies in response to unprecedented cuts from the provincial government,” the university said in a statement on

The Ottawa Senators have named Anthony LeBlanc as their president of business operations. LeBlanc was most recently a founding partner of Schooner Sports and Entertainment, a group trying to bring a CFL team to Halifax. He served as president, chief executive officer and alternate governor of the Arizona Coyotes from 2013 to 2017. Prior to

Women’s professional hockey, already in upheaval, is facing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jayna Hefford, the leader of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) remains undaunted in her quest to navigate women to the league they desire. The road map is murkier, however, because of a virus that’s pushing hockey down the

For just one day, Erie Otters coach Chris Hartsburg says he would like to skate like his 18-year-old defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who could wind up in Detroit if the Red Wings fall out of the top two spots in the NHL draft lottery. “Watch out when he gets those first three strides going,” says Hartsburg,

Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of himself in Alex Ovechkin, from the smile on his face each time he steps on the ice to his passion for scoring goals. There are also differences, like Gretzky’s sole focus on the NHL growing up in Brantford, Ontario, versus Ovechkin’s upbringing in Moscow. “The Great One” believes the

Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of himself in Alex Ovechkin, from the smile on his face each time he steps on the ice to his passion for scoring goals. There are also differences, like Gretzky’s sole focus on the NHL growing up in Brantford, Ontario, versus Ovechkin’s upbringing in Moscow. “The Great One” believes the

Wayne Gretzky is optimistic the NHL will be able to resume at some point this summer. “The Great One” told The Associated Press on Sunday he’s hopeful hockey and other sports will be able to come back from the coronavirus pandemic and serve as a positive sign that conditions are improving. “I really believe somehow,

PITTSBURGH—The card inside that envelope was about to change everything for one team and alter the futures of the other 29 represented in an uncomfortable ballroom. It was Friday afternoon and the clock was ticking toward 4:30 at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in Manhattan. Jim Rutherford was unusually sweaty. Brian Burke was

NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr said he has not yet had discussions with the league about any specifics related to neutral-site locations for a potential Stanley Cup playoffs this summer. “Other than the general understanding that they’re looking at all possibilities, which includes neutral sites — neutral being defined as a place that