NHL

Blues fire coach Ken Hitchcock, promote Mike YeoST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues have fired coach Ken Hitchcock.Assistant and coach-in-waiting Mike Yeo replaced him. Yeo was supposed to succeed Hitchcock after this season, the veteran coach's final season in St. Louis.General manager Doug Armstrong announced the change...

AP Hockey WriterSimmonds, Gretzky engineer Metropolitans' All-Star Game winBy GREG BEACHAMLOS ANGELES (AP) Wayne Simmonds scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:58 to play, and fill-in coach Wayne Gretzky led the Metropolitan Division to a 4-3 victory over the Pacific Division on Sunday in the final match of the...

AP Sports WriterBruins coach Cassidy ready to return to playoffsBy JIMMY GOLENBOSTON (AP) Bruce Cassidy knows how to handle the pre-playoff jitters this time.Returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs as a head coach for the first time since 2003, Cassidy is trusting in his team to smooth over...

Blackhawks place defenseman Michal Rozsival on IRCHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks have placed defenseman Michal Rozsival on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Gustav Forsling from the minors.The Blackhawks did not announce any specific details regarding the injury for the 38-year-old Rozsival, who got hurt during practice on Wednesday.Forsling...

AP Hockey WriterAP Source: Maple Leafs place unhappy Brooks Laich on waiversBy JOHN WAWROWA person with direct knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that the Toronto Maple Leafs placed Brooks Laich on waivers, two days after the veteran center questioned where he fit in the team's plans.The...

AP Sports WriterPenguins begin title defense against untested Blue JacketsBy WILL GRAVESPITTSBURGH (AP) Forget about past history and playoff experience. The Pittsburgh Penguins insist those things won't matter when the puck drops on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their first-round series against Columbus Blue Jackets.So what if...

AP Sports WriterCrosby doing it all again as Penguins close in on CupBy WILL GRAVESPITTSBURGH (AP) Sidney Crosby's teammates keep saying nothing ever changes with the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. That the secret to his greatness is really no secret at all. The Penguins believe he remains the same...

AP Sports WriterIOC joins talks to get NHL players in 2018 OlympicsBy LARRY LAGEThe four top stakeholders in the discussion over whether NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next year met without resolution Friday, with one warning that time is running short to make...

AP Hockey WriterTrading for Shattenkirk another 'all-in' move for CapitalsBy STEPHEN WHYNOWASHINGTON (AP) Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan didn't feel any pressure to make a move before this week's trading deadline because of Washington's impressive collection of talent.What MacLellan did feel was a sense of urgency that the...

AP Hockey WriterPressure still on Caps, but spotlight is on Fleury in Game 6By STEPHEN WHYNOThree goals in five minutes sparked sing-song chants of ''FLEU-RY! FLEU-RY!'' and might've planted enough of a seed of belief for the Washington Capitals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.All series the Capitals had struggled to...

Ducks D Sami Vatanen is late scratch for Game 2 vs FlamesANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen was a late scratch from Game 2 of Anaheim's first-round playoff series with the Calgary Flames.Korbinian Holzer made his NHL playoff debut Saturday night in place of Vatanen, who has...

AP Sports WriterCoyotes get Stepan, Raanta for DeAngelo from RangersBy JOHN MARSHALLGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Coyotes have acquired center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta from the New York Rangers for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh overall pick in this year's draft.The Coyotes have made massive...