NHL

AP Sports WriterPredators sign C Ryan Johansen to 8-year, $64 million dealBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators have signed top center Ryan Johansen to an eight-year, $64 million contract, the largest deal the franchise has ever handed out.General manager David Poile announced the deal Friday.Poile...

AP Hockey WriterRangers, Brendan Smith agree to $17M, 4-year dealBy STEPHEN WHYNOWASHINGTON (AP) The New York Rangers have agreed to terms on a $17 million, four-year deal with Brendan Smith.The defenseman will count $4.35 million against the salary cap in each season of the new contract.General manager Jeff...

AP Hockey WriterDevils buck odds to win NHL draft lottery; Vegas to pick 6thBy JOHN WAWROWThe New Jersey Devils bucked the NHL lottery odds, and lady luck wasn't with Las Vegas.New Jersey won the lottery, vaulting four teams including the last-place Colorado Avalanche and expansion Vegas Golden Knights for...

AP Sports WriterPreds even Stanley Cup Final at 2-2, beat Penguins 4-1By TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Frederick Gaudreau sure is doing his best to earn his own locker with the Nashville Predators with a Stanley Cup Final debut for the ages.For now, he insists he is happy...

AP Sports WriterPredators sign Ryan Johansen to 8-year, $64 million dealBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators have signed top center Ryan Johansen to an eight-year, $64 million contract, the largest deal the franchise has ever handed out.General manager David Poile announced the deal Friday.Poile noted...

Devils C Zajac out 4-to-6 months with pectoral injuryNEWARK, N.J. (AP) The New Jersey Devils have lost top center Travis Zajac for four to six months with a pectoral injury.Devils executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero announced that Zajac had surgery to repair the pectoral muscle...

Rangers agree to terms with defenseman Brendan SmithNEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have agreed to terms on a new deal with defenseman Brendan Smith.General manager Jeff Gorton announced the deal Thursday. Smith was set to be an unrestricted free agent Saturday.Smith, 28, would have been one...

Sabres hire ex-NHLer Komisarek as player development coachBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres have hired former NHL defenseman Mike Komisarek as a player development coach.Komisarek becomes the latest addition to first-time head coach Phil Housley's staff.The 35-year-old is from West Islip, New York, and played for three teams...

AP Hockey WriterSports hernias putting strain on hockey players of all agesBy STEPHEN WHYNOMonths removed from sports hernia and hip surgeries, Claude Giroux still didn't feel like himself.The Philadelphia Flyers' captain finally got back to normal by the end of the season, roughly nine months after going under the...

AP Sports WriterCoyotes hire Rick Tocchet as head coachBy BOB BAUMPHOENIX (AP) The Arizona Coyotes have hired Rick Tocchet as head coach, turning the team over to a man who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the past two Stanley Cup titles.The 53-year-old Tocchet, who spent the past three...

Coyotes add MacLean, Allen as assistant coachesGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Coyotes hired John MacLean and Scott Allen on Wednesday as assistant coaches on Rick Tocchet's staff.MacLean played 18 NHL seasons with four teams before becoming an assistant coach in the New Jersey Devils organization for seven seasons....

AP Sports WriterFish tale: How the catfish toss came to be a Predators thingBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Detroit Red Wings fans have their octopi. The Panthers' faithful in Florida had the ''rat trick.''Nashville? The Predators have catfish, the Southern staple that has become a beloved badge...