9:44 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza was suspended for six games without pay by the NHL on Tuesday for kneeing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk. In the third period of Sunday’s game between the Jets and Maple Leafs, Pionk had a knee-on-knee hit on Toronto’s Rasmus
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1:20 PM ET Associated Press China will take part in the men’s hockey tournament at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing after initial concerns that the team would be embarrassed on home ice against NHL-level competition. The International Ice Hockey Federation confirmed China’s participation Tuesday, avoiding what would have been an unprecedented removal of a
10:05 PM ET Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini says he may have been “too patient” in waiting for the struggling NHL team to turn its season around. His patience ran out Sunday as the team cleaned house, firing general manager Jim Benning, assistant manager Jim Weisbrod, coach Travis Green
6:50 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk was suspended two games Monday for a knee-on-knee hit on Rasmus Sandin of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period Sunday. After the hit on Sandin, Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza drove his left knee into the face of Pionk,
10:25 AM ET The Flyers have fired coach Alain Vigneault. Vigneault was in his third year of a five-year deal that paid him $5 million annually, per sources. The news comes after the Flyers got embarrassed by the Lightning at home 7-1 on Sunday, extending Philadelphia’s losing streak to eight games (0-6-2). The Flyers have
2:00 AM ET Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has told Sweden that he won’t accept their invitation to play in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Lehner is the first high-profile NHL player to announce he won’t participate in the Beijing Games, which will feature restrictive COVID-19 protocols and potentially lengthy quarantines for those who test
9:19 PM ET The Vancouver Canucks fired coach Travis Green on Sunday, a source told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski Sunday night, confirming an earlier report. With the team stuck in last place, Bruce Boudreau has been hired to replace Green as the Canucks’ 20th coach. Green was promoted to Vancouver’s bench on April 26, 2017, after
2:09 PM ET Associated Press Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson on Friday became the second NHL player to undergo an unusual neck surgery. Johnson’s operation was the same artificial disk replacement surgery that Jack Eichel underwent last month, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on
2:00 PM ET We don’t always see a highlight reel packed with blocked shots and run-of-the-mill body checks. A dozen or so points won’t have a player on the scoring leaderboards. But combine those things, package them up in a player that skates as much or more than most forwards, and you get a mix
7:00 AM ET Here’s a bold prediction for the 2021-22 NHL Awards: an Edmonton Oilers player will be nominated for the Hart Trophy. Beyond that, the ultimate finalists for these awards are anyone’s guess. Here’s the NHL Awards Watch for December. This is informed speculation, taken from conversations around hockey and with voters, regarding the