6:53 AM ET Associated Press The World Junior Championship is a holiday hockey tradition like no other. And it should look a little different this year. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the 2021 tournament was moved to Edmonton, Alberta, and played in “bubble” conditions with no fans allowed to watch the proceedings. This year, Edmonton and
NHL
9:00 AM ET It’s hard to think about leveling up at a time when hockey is sinking into an abyss of positive tests, postponed games and a best-on-best Olympic tournament that will exist only in our daydreams and video game simulations. So let’s remember the good times, shall we? Here are 10 players and teams
2:44 PM ET The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have come to an agreement to not participate in the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament in Beijing, multiple sources told ESPN. The NHL and NHLPA had negotiated Olympic participation in 2022 and 2026 into the newest collective bargaining agreement after NHL players did not participate
5:27 PM ET Associated Press CALGARY, Alberta — The Calgary Flames have pulled out of a deal with the city for a new arena because of increased costs. John Bean, president and chief executive officer of Calgary Sports and Entertainment, said Wednesday that there is no viable path forward to complete the 19,000-seat Event Centre.
1:22 PM ET Kelly CohenESPN The idea, back in 1995, was to have the world’s best hockey players on the ice for the Winter Olympics. Three years later, NHL players debuted in the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, with all of the accompanying fanfare and excitement. It hasn’t gone as planned. NHL players were not
10:20 AM ET On Monday, the NHL announced that it was hitting pause on the 2021-22 season through the Christmas break. On Tuesday, the second piece of disappointing news emerged, as the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement that NHL players would not be participating in the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, after such
9:16 PM ET ESPN News Services The Tampa Bay Lightning were without coach Jon Cooper on Tuesday night in the only game left in the NHL this week after he was placed in COVID-19 protocol earlier in the day, according to the team. Assistant coach Derek Lalonde took his place running the bench in Las
10:18 AM ET ESPN staff The headlines on Monday night were stark, if unsurprising: The NHL was going to pause the 2021-22 season Wednesday, and resume after Christmas break, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. This followed a flurry of team shutdowns that left a diminishing number of games on the schedule. In the aftermath,
7:00 AM ET Shane Wright remembers the first arm he was asked to autograph. “It was a forearm. I’ve signed a couple of them, actually,” he said. “Signing people’s skin has been a little weird for me.” Wright, 17, is a center for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s also the consensus
9:06 PM ET The NHL plans to pause its season on Wednesday, two days before its planned Christmas break, sources told ESPN on Monday evening. All NHL team facilities will be closed between Dec. 22 and 25 as the league tries to weather several COVID-19 outbreaks. Players are set to report back to team facilities
12:34 PM ET The NHL has shut down two more teams through the Christmas break as COVID-19 cases have continued rising around the league. On Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens both had their team activities paused until after Dec. 26. They were the eighth and ninth teams that the NHL has closed
8:12 AM ET The year in hockey 2021 began with a 56-game season, impacted the COVID-19 pandemic, that saw the league’s 31 teams realigned into four new divisions. It ends with the teams back in their usual divisions, although there are now 32 of them thanks to the Seattle Kraken. Oh, and it’s once again
12:32 AM ET The Toronto Maple Leafs are pausing team activities through next Sunday because of the coronavirus, the NHL announced. The league said that a decision will be made in the coming days on when Toronto’s facilities will open again. The move comes as the league postponed 12 games involving U.S. teams playing Canadian-based
4:51 PM ET The NHL has suspended games involving cross-border travel until after the Christmas break, the league announced Sunday. The league postponed 12 games involving U.S. teams playing Canadian-based teams from Dec. 20 to Dec. 23, citing concern about “the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions.” The NHL has already seen 27 games postponed
2:40 PM ET The NHL made another round of postponements Saturday amid a growing number of COVID-19 cases around the league. Nashville and Boston will both be shut down through Christmas. The Predators have eight players and several coaches placed in COVID-19 protocols and were due to play Carolina on Sunday and Winnipeg on Tuesday.
12:26 PM ET Associated Press The NHL reintroduced stricter COVID-19 protocols Saturday that include daily testing and other steps in a bid to limit a growing outbreak among players and team personnel. The enhanced protocols will be put into effect immediately and last through Jan. 1 with an evaluation of their impact no later than
1:33 PM ET The NHL has postponed games for the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche until after Christmas break. That news came down Friday as COVID-19 cases continue to climb throughout the NHL. At the time of publication, Florida had seven players in COVID protocols: Sam Bennett, Radko Gudas, Aaron Ekblad, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Lomberg,
10:58 AM ET Paul Maurice has resigned as coach of the Winnipeg Jets, the team announced on Friday. Maurice was in his ninth season as Jets coach, amassing a record of 315-223-62. Assistant coach Dave Lowry has agreed to become the team’s interim head coach ahead of Friday night’s home game against the Washington Capitals.