NHL News

9:15 AM ET It has been 123 days since the NHL hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the sports world continues to reckon with adjusted schedules around the world, there also have been continuous nuggets of new information regarding the resumption of the NHL season, the draft,

7:00 AM ET The NHL is set to return from the monthslong pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. The postseason will be played out with a 24-team format, with 12 teams from the Eastern Conference skating in Toronto and their Western Conference counterparts heading to Edmonton, Alberta. Some have said this format could be the

12:10 PM ET ESPN News Services Captain Steven Stamkos will be limited at the start of Tampa Bay Lightning training camp because of a new lower-body injury, general manager Julien BriseBois announced Saturday. Stamkos fully recovered from core muscle surgery in early March but was injured again during voluntary workouts. He is expected to be

5:23 PM ET NHL players will hear fans chanting “We Want The Cup!” during their postseason tournament — just not in person. The league’s teams began emailing season-ticket holders over the weekend, asking them to record 30-second clips of cheering on their players. The clips will be used during games played in empty arenas inside

2:39 PM ET ESPN News Services Edmonton’s Mike Green, Boston’s Steven Kampfer, Vancouver’s Sven Baertschi, Dallas’ Roman Polak and Montreal’s Karl Alzner on Saturday joined the list of players who won’t be reporting to training camp for the resumption of the NHL season. In the aftermath of a deal being struck to resume the season

3:07 PM ET The NHL announced on Saturday that it has prohibited teams from releasing coronavirus test results and injury information during its season restart this summer. “We’ve talked to the NHLPA about it and continue to feel that medical privacy is important in this process. Having said that, we have an obligation as a

7:26 PM ET The NHLPA and the NHL’s board of governors have approved a package that will not only allow the league to restart this summer, but also includes a four-year CBA extension. You read that correctly, the two sides have reached an extension without a work stoppage! We don’t want you to have to

5:21 PM ET Associated Press FRISCO, Texas — Longtime Dallas Stars executive Jim Lites is transitioning from his role as CEO to chairman, a move that will lessen his day-to-day duties with the team. The Stars announced the move Friday. Brad Alberts, the Stars president since March 2018, will remain in that role while also

7:00 AM ET My favorite thing about the “return to play” documents released by the NHL and the NHLPA this week — besides the whole “here’s a way to bring hockey back this summer” thing — is the subtle renaming of their “hubs” as the much more heavy metal “Phase 4 Secure Zone,” which sounds

7:20 AM ET Emily Cave Editor’s note: Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave died on April 11, after suffering a brain bleed earlier in the week. He was 25. His wife Emily shares her story here, as told to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. When the hockey season paused for coronavirus, Colby and I returned to Canada. He

8:35 PM ET The NHL is targeting Dec. 1 as the start of the 2020-21 season, according to a memorandum of understanding obtained by ESPN that is being voted on by NHL players. The NHL’s board of governors also must approve it. The NHL Players’ Association began a full membership vote on a four-year CBA

7:00 AM ET NHL Insiders The 2020 NHL playoffs will be unlike any postseason that preceded them — and perhaps the last 24-team tourney the league stages for some time. But as with any edition of the Stanley Cup playoffs, goaltending will be a deciding factor on which teams advance, and which teams leave their

9:33 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks say they will continue to use their team name because it honors a Native American leader who has been an inspiration to generations. “The Chicago Blackhawks name and logo symbolizes an important and historic person, Black Hawk of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, whose leadership

7:00 AM ET The NHL’s 24-team tournament this summer promises to be one of the most unpredictable — if not fascinating — postseasons for hockey ever. The paused season due to the coronavirus pandemic provided significant extra time for injured stars to mend, and there are a number of intriguing lineup decisions that could have

6:04 PM ET The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association have reached a tentative agreement on a Return to Play plan to restart the 2019-20 season, and a memorandum of understanding that adds an additional four years to the term of the current collective bargaining agreement. The next step in the process is the voting.

8:50 AM ET It has been 116 days since the NHL hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the cancellations and postponements around the world of sports continue, there also have been continuous nuggets of new information regarding the potential resumption of the season, the draft, the playoffs

8:20 PM ET The NHL and NHLPA have finalized the protocols for the season to resume this summer in Edmonton and Toronto, a source confirmed to ESPN. As of Sunday night, the sides are still finalizing the details for a memorandum of understanding for a collective bargaining agreement extension. The Phase 3 (training camp) and

9:08 AM ET The NHL has shifted its focus to selecting two Canadian hub cities, sources confirmed to ESPN. That would have the NHL resuming its season in Toronto and Edmonton later this summer. Nothing is final until players vote on the return-to-play proposal, which is not expected to happen until later this week. The