John Tavares
Montreal Canadiens players and coaching staff look on from the bench against a backdrop of empty seats during during second-period NHL hockey game action against the Philadelphia Flyers in Montreal, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
NHL shuts down 2 more teams for a week amid COVID surge

By Stephen Whyno Dec. 17, 2021 06:17 PM EST

Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas, left, shoots and scores against Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) during the third period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, May 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Nashville, Montreal out to avoid elimination in first round

By Stephen Whyno May. 26, 2021 05:18 PM EDT

St. Louis Blues' Mike Hoffman (68) and San Jose Sharks' Fredrik Handemark (37) chase after a loose puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Capped out: Flat salary cap makes NHL teams get creative

By Stephen Whyno Jan. 20, 2021 02:45 AM EST

FILE - In this March 11, 2020, file photo, San Jose Sharks' Joe Thornton (19) moves the puck as Chicago Blackhawks' Brandon Saad (20) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago. The Toronto Maple Leafs signed 41-year-old forward Thornton to a one-year, $700,000 contract Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)
Joe Thornton points to talk with Joe Montana in Toronto move

Oct. 18, 2020 11:01 PM EDT

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (3) shoots during during an NHL hockey training camp on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
'Luck in disguise': Layoff helps Blue Jackets get healthy

By Mitch Stacy Jul. 15, 2020 03:15 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane, left, and Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins chase the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago. Assuming everything goes according to plan and the final details are ironed out between the league and the players' union, the Blackhawks will play the Oilers in a best-of-five qualifier series for the playoff bracket. “It's been a weird three months,” Kane said during a video conference call with reporters. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
NHL players not rushing back to rinks for voluntary skates

By Stephen Whyno Jun. 12, 2020 02:12 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 26, 2019, file photo, the Stanley Cup playoffs logo is seen on the ice during a light and sound check prior to Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series between the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes, in New York. The NHL nailed down the final details of a playoff format if the season can resume on the same day word came out that another player has tested positive for the coronavirus.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
NHL: Players can start voluntary group workouts next week

By Stephen Whyno Jun. 04, 2020 03:22 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2019, file photo, Philadelphia Flyers' Claude Giroux controls the puck during an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Philadelphia. Among the unknowns about the NHL returning amid the coronavirus pandemic is what the on-ice product might look like. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
NHL post-quarantine: Recapturing team chemistry a challenge

By Stephen Whyno Jun. 02, 2020 02:12 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 16, 2020, file photo, Tina Nguyen, left, a nurse at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle's International District, takes a nose swab sample from David Carroll, an ICHS employee, during testing for the coronavirus in Seattle. At a cost of $120-130 per test and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s estimate the league will need 25,000-35,000 in total to get through the playoffs, the price tag he concedes is “millions of dollars.” But regular testing is something players insisted on in the name of feeling safe to compete.(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
NHL plans to test players for COVID-19 daily if games resume

By Stephen Whyno May. 31, 2020 11:57 AM EDT