8:26 PM ET ESPN News Services TAMPA, Fla. — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has only four unvaccinated players as it opens up the 2021-22 season. Bettman was in attendance for the regular-season opener as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Tuesday night. “Everybody banding

5:40 PM ET William E. Ricks After a long offseason, hockey is back! The NHL regular season kicks off Tuesday night featuring some exciting games from some of the the league’s best — and newest — franchises. The Tampa Bay Lightning will raise their second banner in as many years while the Pittsburgh Penguins try

1:31 PM ET Associated Press ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin is questionable to play in the Washington Capitals season opener against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Ovechkin took part in an optional practice Tuesday after skating several laps around the ice to test out his unspecified lower-body injury. The 36-year-old Russian star is

10:35 PM ET Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will not play in Tuesday’s season opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he told Steve Levy in an interview that aired on Monday Night Football. Crosby, 34, made the trip to Tampa Bay and has begun practicing with the team, but is still recovering from surgery on

12:57 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Blackhawks brought back Erik Gustafsson on Monday, agreeing to a one-year contract with the free-agent defenseman. Gustafsson was released by the New York Islanders on Sunday. The deal with Chicago is worth $800,000. The return of Gustafsson bolsters the Blackhawks’ blue line after they lost young defensemen

7:00 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning ended an unprecedented NHL season full of modifications and adjustments forced by the COVID-19 pandemic in July by hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. They’ll go for the three-peat in a 2021-22 campaign that sees the league revert to its normal alignment but features big

The words “coming out” represent a nearly universal experience, and often a defining moment, for members of the LGBTQ+ community. For Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, ESPN spoke to 17 out athletes from around the world about their journeys. Athletes from Argentina to Australia, America to Africa, and many other places between, shared details

7:00 AM ET The 2021-22 NHL season is being called a return to normalcy. Last season was an unprecedented one for the NHL due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Four geographically realigned divisions, including one solely comprising Canadian teams; teams playing only opponents within those divisions; and a new playoff format that eschewed wild-card teams. But

12:56 PM ET Associated Press The New York Rangers and top center Mika Zibanejad have agreed to an eight-year contract worth $68 million. Zibanejad, 28, will count $8.5 million against the salary cap beginning next season and through 2029-30. He was a point-a-game player last season with 24 goals and 26 assists in 50 games.

1:17 PM ET Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby practiced Saturday for the first time since undergoing surgery on his left wrist in early September. The two-time Hart Trophy winner, who had been dealing with the wrist injury for years, opted for surgery after all minimally invasive options had been exhausted. At the time of the