NHL

Associated Press'Epic week': Hockey, country music collide in NashvilleBy ERIK SCHELZIGNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Country music is always a big draw in Nashville, but the convergence of a major sports championship with one of the city's biggest music events is reaching its crescendo this weekend in Tennessee's capital city.The...

AP Sports WriterRoberto Luongo back with Panthers as a special adviserBy TIM REYNOLDSRoberto Luongo retired from the Florida Panthers. He just never left.And now the goaltender is officially part of the franchise again.Florida's all-time leader in wins and shutouts has agreed to become a special adviser to general manager...

AP Hockey WriterNHL players in favor of 'international flavor' All-Star ideaBy STEPHEN WHYNOST. LOUIS (AP) Nathan MacKinnon enjoyed when the NHL All-Star Game featured North America against the World in the late 1990s and early 2000s.Something similar could be coming back next year, but with a twist.The league...

AP Hockey WriterSabres' Kyle Okposo diagnosed with another concussionBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo has sustained his third concussion in less than three years.The team announced the diagnosis on its Twitter account Tuesday, a day after Okposo was sent home for follow-up medical tests....

AP Sports WriterLured out of retirement, Preds' Mike Fisher chasing 1st CupBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Losing the Stanley Cup last June wasn't what hurt Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg the most. Seeing how painful the loss was for veteran center Mike Fisher proved even more agonizing.''That...

AP Hockey WriterCalgary coach in limbo after allegedly using racial slursBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Bill Peters’ status as the Calgary Flames coach - and whatever future he might have in the sport - have been placed into question while the NHL and the team investigate allegations he...

AP Hockey WriterExperience not required: Rookie coaches a growing NHL trendBy STEPHEN WHYNORick Tocchet is the kind of coach who doesn't mind if a player calls him at 9 p.m. to share a thought.He doesn't expect that to change as he goes from a Pittsburgh Penguins assistant to head...

AP Sports WriterOld friends: Rival Sharks, Ducks meet in 2nd playoff seriesBy GREG BEACHAMANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Although the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks both have been regular Stanley Cup playoff participants for the past 15 years, the California rivals somehow met in the postseason only once...

AP Sports WriterPanthers strike deal with 2018 draft pick Grigori DenisenkoBy TIM REYNOLDSMIAMI (AP) The Florida Panthers finally have a deal with Russian forward Grigori Denisenko.The Panthers announced Tuesday that Denisenko has agreed to a three-year entry level contract - though it remains unclear when that contract will...

Couturier 3rd Flyers to be named NHL's top defensive forwardEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier prides himself in playing a 200-foot game, and even ended this ninth NHL season skating on a sprained right knee.Couturier became the third Flyers player to be chosen as the NHL's...

The Latest: Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov wins Hart TrophyLAS VEGAS (AP) The Latest on the NHL Awards show (all times local):7:20 p.m.Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning has won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player.The Russian right wing won the award for the first...

AP Sport WriterCoyotes won't offer captain Shane Doan a contractBy JOHN MARSHALLGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Shane Doan was showered with tributes and applause following the final game of the 2016-17 season, the big send-off coming just in case the Arizona Coyotes captain decided to retire.Doan still hasn't decided if...