NHL News

3:06 PM ET ESPN Stats and Analysis With quarterback Tom Brady deciding to leave New England after 20 seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it got us to thinking of a unique sports rivalry that has been brewing in recent years between the Boston-area professional sports teams and the folks from down south. In Brady’s

6:03 PM ET Associated Press Alexis Lafreniere could never have envisioned ending his prolific junior hockey career in such an anticlimactic setting. There was no final buzzer, and the NHL’s projected top draft prospect was nowhere near an ice rink Wednesday. Lafreniere was instead sitting at home in suburban Montreal as he opened a conference

6:26 PM ET Dallas Stars president Jim Lites and general manager Jim Nill have taken 50% cuts in salary while the NHL season is paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, Nill told ESPN on Wednesday. The salary cuts were voluntary and not related to any team staffing reductions. “As soon as this virus hit and

10:27 PM ET Associated Press James Dolan, the executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Company and owner of the New York Knicks, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Knicks announced Dolan’s diagnosis Saturday night. It is not clear when he was tested or when he received the diagnosis. Dolan is the first U.S. major

1:35 PM ET A second Colorado Avalanche player has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Saturday. The player, who was not identified, is in self-isolation and the team said no other players or staff members have shown symptoms of the coronavirus. On Thursday, the Avalanche said another player had tested positive but already recovered

7:20 AM ET The National Hockey League needs to cancel its remaining regular-season games. It brings me no pleasure to put this out there. We all want to see this season to its equitable completion; if there is a postseason, to have the previous five-and-a-half months boiled down to the points percentage variance between teams,

2:25 PM ET Connor McDavid likes where the NHL paused its 2019-20 regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic. His Edmonton Oilers would be in the playoffs, and have home ice advantage in a first-round series against their rivals, the Calgary Flames. “I think (the standings) look pretty good right now,” he joked in a

5:04 PM ET The Colorado Avalanche said they were informed Thursday that one of their players has tested positive for coronavirus, though he has recovered. It is the third known case in the NHL after two players for the Ottawa Senators had tested positive. “The player has been at home in isolation since the first

3:38 PM ET If the NHL were to resume play this season, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby wouldn’t mind skipping right to the postseason. Of course, it helps that the Capitals and Penguins were in first place and third place in the Metropolitan Division, respectively, when the NHL paused play on March 12. “I’d rather

6:30 PM ET The ticketing giant Stubhub has begun furloughing employees, making it the first major ticketing company to publicly admit to significant cost-cutting moves in the wake of financial damage created by the coronavirus pandemic. Following the postponement or cancellation of hundreds of sporting events — including 448 NBA and NHL games, along with

2:50 PM ET The NHL’s chief medical officer is urging caution toward the NHL returning to play this season — including the idea of playing in empty arenas. “From a medical perspective, I think we’d have to understand what the risks are for the different groups,” Dr. Willem Meeuwisse said on a call with reporters

8:13 PM ET Associated Press The NHL is extending its recommendation for players and staff to self-isolate and stay away from team facilities during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly on Tuesday confirmed the NHL has asked that players and staff extend their self-quarantine 10 days beyond the original March 27 timeline to

2:13 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers ownership group told ESPN it has reversed a decision and will instead pay its employees their full salary. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the sports and entertainment group that owns the 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, on Monday notified salaried, full-time employees they will be subject to temporary

9:09 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils have notified non-contracted employees they will be subject to pay cuts starting as soon as next month, sources confirmed to ESPN. Both teams are owned by billionaire Josh Harris. The cuts will affect full-time employees who make $50,000 or more and would go as high

2:44 PM ET Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators have signed goaltender Connor Ingram to a three-year contract. Predators general manager David Poile announced the deal Monday. The 22-year-old Ingram posted a 21-5-5 record for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in the 2019-20 season. He ranked third among AHL goaltenders in save percentage and

9:11 PM ET Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, a 22-year veteran in the NHL with 14 seasons in Boston, commended Tom Brady on Sunday via Instagram, lauding Brady’s years of success with the Patriots and how much it meant to New England fans. “It’s with sadness and joy I find myself reflecting on the news of

10:48 AM ET The 2020 IIHF men’s hockey world championships have been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The event was supposed to take place in May in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland. “This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept,” IIHF president René

5:42 PM ET New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who required 90 stitches to repair a cut around his eyelid after being hit in the face by the skate of the Montreal Canadiens left wing Artturi Lehkonen earlier this month, will return to action when the NHL resumes play, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Saturday.