Valeri Nichushkin spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since leaving the Avalanche under murky circumstances during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but offered few details about the incident in his Seattle hotel room.

Nichushkin skated with the second group of Avalanche players during the first day of training camp, one day after his coach...Read more

CHICAGO — Connor Bedard skated around the second rink Thursday at Fifth Third Arena, looking as if he always had been there.

But it was a new experience for him and Chicago Blackhawks fans who packed the stands to watch him: Bedard’s first training camp.

“It was good,” he said in his very even-toned manner. “I didn’t know how that ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Barring some unforeseen future catastrophe, 2006 will always be the most important season in the history of the Carolina Hurricanes. Not because of how it ended, but because of the fog of uncertainty in which it began. How it ended changed all that, almost but not quite for forever.

As this next season begins, 18 years later, ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Julien BriseBois’ main focus during his tenure as Lightning general manager has been to ensure that the team remains an annual Stanley Cup contender. He has had to navigate through severe salary-cap constraints and been forced to say goodbye to key pieces in order to do that.

And during Wednesday’s media day, on the eve of ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes had a very memorable summer.

Pesce, 28, was married. The wedding was held July 22. It was a big to-do in Connecticut and a good time was had by all, including a few of Pesce’s teammates.

“Some of the boys came and it was a big party,” a smiling Pesce said Friday.

Let’s see, ...Read more

Someone dared put a scratch on the future face of the NHL.

During Connor Bedard’s first day of Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp Thursday, he explained how he got a cut on the right side of his chin that looked healed over and dark purple.

“Just collided with a guy and his jersey kind of came up. It’s not bad,” he said., “Yeah ... ...Read more

Alex Chiasson may not be the most coveted player in the National Hockey League, but he tends to grow on teams when given the chance.

Chiasson, 32, recently signed a professional tryout contract with the Bruins, making it the fifth time in the last seven years the former Boston University Terrier entered an NHL training camp without a contract. ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — It has been nearly five years since Carl Hagelin played for the Penguins. He still is remembered fondly here for his contributions to the franchise's Stanley Cup teams in 2016 and 2017. He always should be remembered fondly in this city.

The contributions were that significant.

Hagelin, 35, announced his retirement from the NHL ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The call came from Mario Lemieux.

"We talked," Bob Errey recalled over the weekend. "He just congratulated me on a great career."

This was Wednesday night, soon after Errey learned he had been fired as a Penguins broadcaster after working for the team since the 1999-2000 season.

It was a tough call for Lemieux to make. Errey ...Read more

CHICAGO — Barring the unthinkable — Connor Bedard not making the Chicago Blackhawks opening roster — the whole country will get to watch his NHL debut.

The Blackhawks will appear on national television 13 times this season, according to a schedule released Wednesday, including the Oct. 10 opener in Pittsburgh.

Bedard could face off ...Read more

SEATTLE — Doggone it, where is Davy Jones?

The image of the Kraken's team dog, proudly holding a stuffed fish, still adorns crew socks at the team store. He's on the back of a steeply discounted 2023 calendar. His X, formerly known as Twitter, account with more than 3,000 followers sent Matty Beniers congratulations after the Seattle rookie ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Kyle Dubas might never win a playoff series with the Penguins, let alone a Stanley Cup. His Toronto teams didn't win much. The Maple Leafs won one postseason series in his five years as general manager.

Omar Khan might never win a playoff game with the Steelers, let alone a Super Bowl. They missed the postseason three times in ...Read more

Former Chicago Blackhawks great Jonathan Toews announced plans to sit out the upcoming season but stopped short of saying he’s retiring.

“I am taking time away from the game again this season,” Toews posted on his verified Instagram account Thursday. “I cannot deny my love for the game of hockey and still feel the passion for competing ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Tom Dundon flew in Tuesday afternoon on a Southwest flight from Dallas, arriving at PNC Arena long after the morning’s hubbub had subsided and the politicians and reporters and television crews were gone.

His ambition to develop the vacant land around the arena had been approved in a special meeting of the arena authority, ...Read more

SEATTLE — Back when still an NHL and junior hockey goalie, Tri-City Americans co-owner Olaf Kolzig once swung his stick at fans in a Seattle crowd, fought on-ice with the best man from his wedding and even gave fighting lessons to future Hall of Fame netminder Carey Price.

And to think “Olie the Goalie” was widely known as one of hockey�...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — On Tuesday morning, as the sun beat down on the familiar facade of PNC Arena, the parking lots were all still there, as always, spread out over empty acres on another typical day they went unused with the arena quiet. Inside, their future was changing forever.

It’s almost impossible to overstate the scope of what’s going ...Read more

BOSTON — David Krejci’s body told him it was time to bid the National Hockey League farewell.

While Krejci, who announced his retirement from the Bruins on Monday, left the door open to play in Europe after New Year’s in preparation for possible participation in the World Championships when the tournament will be held in Prague, the Czech...Read more