As a hockey fan, I love digging up nuggets about players who interest me. What makes them tick off the ice? What hobbies do they enjoy? It makes for great water-cooler conversation and humanizes them to me. Sometimes we think of athletes as these super people who never make mistakes and are just programmed to
12:03 PM ET The ECHL’s entire North Division has elected to voluntarily suspend operations for the 2020-21 season due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, sources confirm to ESPN. The six teams impacted are the Adirondack Thunder, an affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils; the Brampton Beast (Ottawa Senators); the Maine Mariners
3:25 PM ET The majority of American sports fans are waiting for the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine before they feel comfortable returning to the bleachers, according to a new study conducted this past weekend. Two-thirds of the survey respondents said they would not attend an indoor sporting event without a vaccine — even if
Shane Wright is well aware of the names to come before him. Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are among the 16 year olds to suit up for Canada at the world junior hockey championship. Wright is going to do everything in his power to join that list. “It’s definitely crossed my mind,” the
Shane Wright is well aware of the names to come before him. Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are among the 16 year olds to suit up for Canada at the world junior hockey championship. Wright is going to do everything in his power to join that list. “It’s definitely crossed my mind,” the
They need a nickname. How’s Jelvis or Korpikins? Maybe the Blue Blockers? Whatever you want to call them, the dynamic goalie tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins is likely the Columbus Blue Jackets’ greatest strength heading into the 2020-21 season. They are both 26 years old, entering their prime, and have shown flashes of
I’ll just say it. Overall, I don’t like the Adidas “Reverse Retro” jerseys. I don’t like how cartoonish most of them look, and I don’t like the fact that this is obviously another cash grab for both the National Hockey League and Adidas. The NHL is one of the most financially stable sports leagues in
After the significant changes this offseason, the makeup of the Minnesota Wild’s roster is drastically different from last season. If the team desires a playoff berth next season, it will be essential for several players to have breakout seasons. A breakout season from a young player can really impact a team’s outlook. The Wild saw
This morning in my email inbox, there was some good news for the world in general and for NHL hockey fans specifically. It’s been reported that now two companies (both Moderna and Pfizer) have created a vaccine that’s shown in clinical trials to be about 95% effective. As a result, there might be light at
VANCOUVER – The last time Olli Juolevi felt this healthy was 2½ years ago, before he injured his back training for the transition to professional hockey in North America. After that, there was a significant knee injury with the AHL’s Utica Comets — and two more surgeries. Then a perplexing hip issue. Juolevi spent the
7:00 AM ET Even before Julien Gauthier got to the NHL, he was a fascination to many NHL teams. “Every year at the scouting combine, there are players everyone is curious about,” said one NHL team exec. “In 2016, one of those guys was certainly Julien Gauthier. He was a late birthday and already played
Zachary Roy scored twice, and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada downed the Victoriaville Tigres 5-1 on Tuesday in the first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game for both teams in almost six weeks. The latest plan for keeping the QMJHL season alive is to have seven teams play in a bubble at the Videotron Centre in Quebec
Rick Vaive is finally ready to tell his story — his whole, unfiltered account. The former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs was never one to hold back, and it makes sense the same approach would apply to his book “Catch 22: My Battles, In Hockey and Life.” “I always said that if I was
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, what kind of deal are the Carolina Hurricanes looking at for Dougie Hamilton? Who will start in goal for the Vancouver Canucks when the season starts? Are the Edmonton Oilers having financial struggles? Finally, what’s the latest on when the season will start and will we see fans in attendance
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been a busy man this offseason. From the two top-five picks at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft which translated into Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson, to his work in free agency, on the trade front, and signing some key restricted free agents, he’s done a fabulous job of
Who knows when a puck will drop for the 2020-21 season, but it’s never too early to start looking at who could be taking the ice on opening night for the Vegas Golden Knights. Between the blockbuster acquisition of Alex Pietrangelo, the departure of Paul Stastny and Nate Schmidt, and the rise of some of
If we’re being honest, it’s a part of innate human nature to occasionally check up on our exes. In most cases, we want them to be doing well, just maybe not too well – or at least not better than us. Those same sensibilities apply to players who have moved on from your favorite team.
3:41 PM ET Brett Peterson has been hired by the Florida Panthers, who believe that he is the first Black assistant general manager in NHL history. “If it means that we’re expanding opportunities for people in hockey, then I’m humbled. But this was a hockey hire,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito told ESPN on Tuesday.