NHL News

10:20 AM ET On Monday, the NHL announced that it was hitting pause on the 2021-22 season through the Christmas break. On Tuesday, the second piece of disappointing news emerged, as the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement that NHL players would not be participating in the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, after such

9:16 PM ET ESPN News Services The Tampa Bay Lightning were without coach Jon Cooper on Tuesday night in the only game left in the NHL this week after he was placed in COVID-19 protocol earlier in the day, according to the team. Assistant coach Derek Lalonde took his place running the bench in Las

10:18 AM ET ESPN staff The headlines on Monday night were stark, if unsurprising: The NHL was going to pause the 2021-22 season Wednesday, and resume after Christmas break, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. This followed a flurry of team shutdowns that left a diminishing number of games on the schedule. In the aftermath,

7:00 AM ET Shane Wright remembers the first arm he was asked to autograph. “It was a forearm. I’ve signed a couple of them, actually,” he said. “Signing people’s skin has been a little weird for me.” Wright, 17, is a center for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s also the consensus

8:12 AM ET The year in hockey 2021 began with a 56-game season, impacted the COVID-19 pandemic, that saw the league’s 31 teams realigned into four new divisions. It ends with the teams back in their usual divisions, although there are now 32 of them thanks to the Seattle Kraken. Oh, and it’s once again

12:32 AM ET The Toronto Maple Leafs are pausing team activities through next Sunday because of the coronavirus, the NHL announced. The league said that a decision will be made in the coming days on when Toronto’s facilities will open again. The move comes as the league postponed 12 games involving U.S. teams playing Canadian-based

4:51 PM ET The NHL has suspended games involving cross-border travel until after the Christmas break, the league announced Sunday. The league postponed 12 games involving U.S. teams playing Canadian-based teams from Dec. 20 to Dec. 23, citing concern about “the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions.” The NHL has already seen 27 games postponed

12:26 PM ET Associated Press The NHL reintroduced stricter COVID-19 protocols Saturday that include daily testing and other steps in a bid to limit a growing outbreak among players and team personnel. The enhanced protocols will be put into effect immediately and last through Jan. 1 with an evaluation of their impact no later than

2:40 PM ET The NHL made another round of postponements Saturday amid a growing number of COVID-19 cases around the league. Nashville and Boston will both be shut down through Christmas. The Predators have eight players and several coaches placed in COVID-19 protocols and were due to play Carolina on Sunday and Winnipeg on Tuesday.

12:41 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has reduced the suspension of Toronto Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza from six games to four for kneeing the head of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk on Dec. 5. Spezza had been suspended for six games by the Department of Player Safety, which had called the hit “reckless”

7:00 AM ET For the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games, the NHL is allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament in Beijing next February. National pride and gold-medal glory are on the line for the best players in the world — provided they actually make it to China.

5:51 PM ET The Carolina Hurricanes have been able to transport their COVID-19 positive players out of Canada and get them en route home, the team has confirmed. Hurricanes forwards Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, along with massage therapist Mike Maresca, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday while Carolina was in Vancouver, British Columbia. In

9:00 AM ET Hearing someone say that the NHL’s 3-on-3 overtime has gotten boring is like hearing someone say, “Hey, remember when pizza was good?” It’s pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s good. I’ve chanted the same mantra about the 3-on-3 overtime format, which the NHL implemented in 2015 to end games before they reached

7:00 AM ET It’s certainly been a tumultuous start to the week, given a slew of additional game postponements due to COVID-19 — and many players and team staff entering the protocol — but the Power Rankings march on. And for the second straight week — and fifth time this season — the Florida Panthers

9:00 AM ET ESPN staff The rise in COVID-19 cases is becoming an increasing concern throughout the NHL. In just over 36 hours (from early Monday to Tuesday evening), nearly 30 players and staff members were added to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Tuesday’s game between the Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes was postponed because of

7:01 AM ET Don’t let their last two games fool you. The Minnesota Wild are for real. And they’ve been pretty spectacular. The Wild had been on the NHL’s hottest run through early December, winners of eight straight games before closing out their recent road trip with back-to-back defeats at L.A. and Vegas. Minnesota’s loss

2:40 PM ET ESPN staff The ESPN+ exclusive schedule continues on Tuesday night with a potential Stanley Cup Final matchup, as the New York Rangers visit the Colorado Avalanche, with coverage starting at 8:55 p.m. ET. To help get you ready for the game, we’ve put together a guide on all the key players to

6:46 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Monday that star center Sebastian Aho, rookie center Seth Jarvis and a member of the training staff have entered the COVID-19 protocol. The team said all three would remain in Vancouver. The Hurricanes lost there 2-1 on Sunday, with Aho missing