6:12 PM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN SOUTH BEND, IN – It wasn’t what Dallas Stars president Jim Lites said that irked NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, but how he said it. Last Friday, Lites lit into his two star players, forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. He told The Athletic that Seguin and Benn have been “f—ing

4:31 PM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN SOUTH BEND, IND — The NHL knows where it’s taking its next three outdoor games. It just isn’t ready to reveal who’s playing in two of them yet. The NHL announced that the 2019 Heritage Classic, their outdoor game series in Canada, will feature the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg

8:16 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN SOUTH BEND, IN — The collective eye roll from hockey fans was enough to stir the faux snow placed around the NHL’s Winter Classic rink. The Chicago Blackhawks? In another outdoor game? Aren’t there, like, 30 other teams in this league? Catch more than 180 NHL games streaming live this

12:56 AM ET Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Pavel Shen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Russia defeated Canada 2-1 Monday in the world junior hockey championship. With the win, Russia (4-0-0-0) claimed the top spot in Group A in the preliminary round. Canada (3-1-0-0) finished second in the group. Shen,

11:03 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN SOUTH BEND, IN — The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins will have to wait until New Year’s Day to take it outside at the University of Notre Dame. Steady rain in South Bend forced the teams to move their practices indoors and off the puddle-covered rink at Notre Dame Stadium

7:00 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN The year in hockey 2018 gave us triumphs, like the Washington Capitals and the U.S. women’s national team overcoming their archrivals for glory. It gave us inspiration, whether it was overcoming the odds or overcoming tragedy. And it gave us the weirdness we’ve come to expect from our beloved sport,

5:49 PM ET The NHL Players Association on Sunday took to task Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites for derogatory comments he directed Friday at stars Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Stars center Tyler Seguin said he was surprised at comments from CEO Jim Lites about his performance this season, while captain Jamie Benn said, “I

3:23 PM ET Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice says defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will be “out for a while” after leaving Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury in the third period. Maurice, speaking to reporters on Sunday, said Byfuglien will not need surgery, but likely will not play until after the

1:49 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The New York Islanders have placed forward Jordan Eberle on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury and recalled forward Michael Dal Colle from Bridgeport of the AHL. Eberle missed practice Thursday and then sat out the Islanders’ 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night due

1:38 PM ET Tyler Seguin says he and Jamie Benn “hear the message” after Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites ripped into the team’s top two players for their “terrible” play this season. “Jamie and I hear the message. I think the whole team hears it,” Seguin said after he and Benn participated in the team’s