4:51 PM ET The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a two-year contract extension on Thursday, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed, but according to multiple reports, the annual average value for Merzlikins’ deal is $4 million. The 26-year-old Latvian rookie is tied for second in shutouts (5) and is fifth
NHL
2:09 AM ET NHL greats Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin may not be the greatest when it comes to virtual hockey, but their deadlock Wednesday night left plenty of winners as they helped raise over $40,000 for relief efforts related to the coronavirus pandemic. With over 300,000 watching their EA Sports NHL 20 showdown via
8:30 AM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had a message for his general managers this week. “We don’t live in a world of perfect anymore. We’re going to have to make adjustments,” he said. “If we can’t do ideal, if we can’t do perfect, then we’ll have to figure out what’s next to perfect.” To
8:24 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman discussed a potential four-arena plan for a season restart, a draft held before the season is completed and fans returning to games during a wide-ranging interview with Sportsnet on Wednesday. “Anything we’re considering doing starts with health and well-being, whether it’s the players or other personnel or fans
7:06 PM ET ESPN News Services New Jersey Devils interim coach Alain Nasreddine is focusing on a having his team ready to play should the NHL resume games after a pause caused by coronavirus pandemic rather than whether he will have a job next season. Speaking in conference call Wednesday, Nasreddine said he is aware
2:00 PM ET Kelly CohenESPN Have you ever seen those memes about how fun it would be to be coworkers with your best friend? In sports, it happens more than you would think. On Tuesday, tight end Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to return to the NFL. Having retired with the New England Patriots,
2:14 PM ET The NHL has turned its attention away from neutral sites and is focusing on restarting the 2019-20 season at league arenas, sources tell ESPN. Venues like the University of North Dakota were rumored to be under consideration for “neutral site” games, in less-populated locations that weren’t as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
8:00 AM ET The NWHL is expanding to Toronto for the 2020-21 season, the league announced on Wednesday. Johanna Neilson Boynton, a former captain of the Harvard’s women’s hockey team, is leading the ownership group for the league’s sixth franchise. Margaret “Digit” Murphy, the longtime Brown University and CWHL coach, is the team’s president, while
7:20 AM ET Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka expected to be scoreboard watching in March, with his team in the thick of an extraordinarily tight Western Conference playoff race. Instead, he was packing boxes with emergency kits at St. Mary’s Food Bank, helping out his community during the coronavirus pandemic. “I think people can
7:00 AM ET On Monday, Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin recorded their first joint interview, and they each had a chance to ask each other a question. Ovechkin wanted to know, if Gretzky was playing right now, how would he stay in shape during the NHL’s coronavirus pause? Simple, Gretzky said. Find a pair of