NHL

7:50 AM ET John N. Minton III ON FEB. 7, 2018, 33-year-old Randel McCoy sits in his car, alone, in an empty parking lot. He’s processing the life-changing news he has just heard, contemplating a world in which he will slowly lose everything — his strength, his freedom, his life. Through tears, he reaches for

8:54 AM ET We are nearly a week into the 2021-22 NHL regular season, which is just enough time to start freaking out about teams and players defying or failing to meet expectations. Here’s a look a 10 first impressions made since the season started back on Tuesday, and whether they’re delusional or harbingers of

5:40 PM ET Former NHL player Jimmy Hayes had cocaine and fentanyl in his system when he died, his family told The Boston Globe on Sunday. Hayes was found dead at his home in the Boston suburbs on Aug. 23, the day after celebrating his son’s second birthday. He was 31. “I hope getting Jimmy’s

9:22 AM ET The Toronto Maple Leafs are the NHL’s most valuable team and the only franchise in the league worth $2 billion, according to data compiled by Sportico. The NHL welcomes the Seattle Kraken as its 32nd team for the 2021-22 season, but according to Sportico, the league’s top five most valuable teams are

7:36 PM ET ESPN News Services LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights lost two more players when forward Max Pacioretty and captain Mark Stone were injured Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings, adding two key names to the Golden Knights’ long list of inactives. Pacioretty is week to week after he broke a foot

5:27 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The NHL suspended Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin for a game for roughing Tampa Bay forward Mathieu Joseph. The league announced the penalty Friday, adding Larkin will give up $30,500 in pay that will go toward the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Larkin will miss Detroit’s home

10:14 AM ET Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has agreed to an eight-year, $76 million contract extension, a source told ESPN on Friday. The 23-year-old was due to be a restricted free agent after the season. McAvoy is in the final year of a three-year bridge deal that paid him $4.9 million annually and is

11:49 AM ET The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) — formerly the National Women’s Hockley League — announced on Friday an updated policy governing participation for transgender and non-binary athletes. The new policy will be in effect immediately for the 2021-2022 season. “Transgender and non-binary athletes deserve equal opportunity to compete in the Premier Hockey Federation,”

7:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff Tonight is the first game of the 2021-22 NHL season that will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu, and it should be a great one. We’ve got a captivating early-season matchup as reigning Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild head out west to take on John

11:50 AM ET ESPN News Services The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Brady Tkachuk to a seven-year, $57.5 million contract, the team announced Thursday. The deal was reached with the restricted free agent hours before the Senators’ season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tkachuk did not play for Ottawa during the preseason. Tkachuk, 22,

6:48 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Thursday for boarding Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach. Landeskog was assessed a minor penalty for boarding with 3 minutes, 38 seconds left in Colorado’s 4-2 home victory Wednesday night in the

8:15 AM ET The New York Islanders are going to win the 2022 Stanley Cup. “Please God, no,” wrote reader “Hockey Island,” whose Twitter profile includes an image of the team’s previous four championship banners from the 1980s. People like Mr. Island understand that my predicting the Stanley Cup winner is usually the kiss of

7:00 AM ET WHEN ELVIS MERZLIKINS HEARD the Columbus Blue Jackets had another Latvian goalie in the organization, he was excited — but also confused. “My first question was: Who the hell is this guy?” Merzlikins says. “I had never heard about him, never knew about his existence.” That goalie was Matiss Kivlenieks, who came

10:20 PM ET WASHINGTON, D.C. — Alex Ovechkin went from being a game-time decision to making more NHL history on Wednesday night. The Washington Capitals star scored twice in the team’s 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers, giving him 732 career goals in 1,198 games. Those goals moved him past Hockey Hall of Famer

7:47 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs sported TikTok decals on their helmets Wednesday night for the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. The team’s parent company announced a deal with TikTok earlier Wednesday for the social media platform’s logo to appear on players’ helmets throughout the season. Maple Leaf Sports

1:02 PM ET ARLINGTON, Va. – Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was a full participant in practice on Wednesday ahead of the team’s season opener against the New York Rangers, but both the winger and coach Peter Laviolette said he remains a game-time decision. Ovechkin, 36, skated off gingerly in the team’s preseason finale against

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 between the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. “Everybody banding together

5:49 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — – Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon will miss the season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night after testing positive for a breakthrough infection of COVID-19. Colorado general manager Joe Sakic said Tuesday that MacKinnon’s positive test surfaced Monday and that the center is “asymptomatic and feeling