NHL News

10:14 PM ET Associated Press BRANTFORD, Ontario — Walter Gretzky’s family thought the end was coming quickly in the middle of February. The father of hockey’s greatest player had suffered a serious hip injury and, after battling Parkinson’s disease and other health issues in recent years, his time — something Walter was always willing to

10:52 PM ET ESPN News Services Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy ripped Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for what he called “a predatory hit” on defenseman Brandon Carlo early in Friday night’s game in TD Garden. Carlos went down after Wilson went hands-high to his head in the corner behind the Boston net, smashing the

7:00 AM ET Jeff Carter doesn’t need to sugar coat it. The last two seasons were hard on the Los Angeles Kings, especially around the trade deadline. A team that won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 suddenly found itself in rebuild mode, and began moving players who were critical to those championships. “I

7:00 AM ET The Montreal Canadiens started the 2021 season with a 7-1-2 record. Their big-ticket offseason acquisitions meshed well with a returning core of talents. It appeared that coach Claude Julien had a North Division juggernaut on his hands. Three weeks later, Julien was handed his pink slip. In the pressure cooker of a

9:00 AM ET Logan Couture loves the new schedule format the NHL is using for the 2021 season. “I’m a fan. I think there are going to be a lot of guys that are fans of it,” he said. “Certain players have been pulling for this for years.” This season’s schedule was created out of

7:00 AM ET The San Jose Barracuda began their season with an unforgettable road trip — the team got stuck in Texas for a week as the state was ravaged by a devastating winter storm and power crisis. It’s a classic minor league tale, featuring bus hijinks, close calls and 50 frozen DiGiorno pizzas. Combine

6:58 PM ET Associated Press Boston Bruins forward Charlie Coyle has entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, upping the number of players on the list to four, pending test results from Anaheim and the Los Angeles Kings. Coyle becomes just the second Bruins player added to the protocol, and first since Karson Kuhlman spent the first

7:00 AM ET We’re seven weeks into the 2021 NHL season, and less than six weeks away from the trade deadline. It’s about that time that trends start to solidify. For this week’s ESPN Power Rankings, we identified an encouraging or worrying trend for every team. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits

7:19 PM ET Associated Press The list of players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol dropped to a season-low three, despite the additions of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Nashville‘s Ryan Johansen. San Jose‘s Tomas Hertl is the only other player on the list after entering his seventh day in the protocol. Arizona‘s John Hayden, Detroit‘s

7:00 AM ET In our monthly canvassing of NHL awards voters, one thing has become increasingly clear: We need a little FOMO, right this very minute. As we mentioned in the last NHL Awards Watch, the NHL’s temporary realignment — in which teams play only opponents within their divisions and no one else — has

3:47 PM ET ESPN News Services The NHL closed February with a season-low-matching four players on its COVID-19 list. Detroit’s Patrik Nemeth entered the protocol on Sunday, while Ottawa’s Ryan Dzingel and Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny were cleared after spending two weeks on the list. Konecny was the final Flyers player in the protocol after the

7:00 AM ET “Nobody knows what I’ve been doing since I left the game,” Theo Fleury says. “Everyone thinks I’m still this crazy person with problems and issues, but I’ve actually been trying to figure it out.” Fleury last played in the NHL in 2003; he was suspended by the league for violating its substance

12:55 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — – Sabres starting goalie Linus Ullmark will miss at least the next month with a lower-body injury, leaving Buffalo with one established netminder. Captain Jack Eichel will also miss his second game but remains day to day with a lower body injury, coach Ralph Krueger said before

4:02 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is out for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers because of a sore wrist. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe announced the decision before the start of a three-game series between these teams. Matthews has 31 points (18 goals, 13 assists) in 20 games

6:15 PM ET The Vegas Golden Knights have terminated a brief partnership with UpickTrade, a company based in Mexico that sells sports betting picks, including on the NHL. “The Vegas Golden Knights have ended their sponsorship agreement with UpickTrade. The organization will not have additional comments on the matter at this time,” the team said

1:57 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — – Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel is considered day to day, and starting goalie Linus Ullmark will miss at least the team’s two-game weekend series against the Philadelphia Flyers. In the meantime, coach Ralph Krueger still wasn’t ready on Friday to say whether high-priced forward Jeff Skinner

4:09 PM ET Associated Press The San Jose Sharks have returned to practice and are set to play the St. Louis Blues as scheduled on Saturday night after having one game postponed because a player tested positive for the coronavirus. Tomas Hertl was placed on the COVID-19 list on Wednesday, leading to the team canceling

8:50 AM ET So, you’re a hockey fan and looking at this whole NBA Top Shot phenomenon and have a bunch of questions: What exactly is this? What is an NFT? Can’t I just watch the highlights online? And, is this coming to hockey eventually? We’re here to help. Hopefully, by the end of this