NHL

TORONTO (AP) - Mike Babcock has been introduced as the Toronto Maple Leafs' new coach and says restoring the team will be a ''massive, massive challenge.''The former Detroit Red Wings coach takes over a team that finished 27th in the league this season. He said at a news conference...

AP Hockey WriterDumba kneels, NHL puts focus on Black Lives Matter movementBy STEPHEN WHYNOMinnesota's Matt Dumba became the first NHL player to kneel during the U.S. national anthem when he did so before the opening playoff game between the Oilers and Blackhawks in Edmonton, Alberta.Dumba knelt at center ice...

NHL playoffs to resume with 3 games each Saturday, SundayThe NHL's second-round playoff series will resume with three games each on Saturday and Sunday after players prompted the league to postpone two days of action to protest racial injustice.In the NHL's Eastern Conference hub city of Toronto, Tampa Bay...

AP Hockey WriterNHL's restricted free agents have proven to be untouchablesBy LARRY LAGESome of the NHL's best, young players are available.Technically.Mitch Marner, Brayden Point and Jacob Trouba are just a few of the restricted free agents in a bumper crop.Every team in the league would like to add any...

AP Hockey WriterOvechkin 700: Opponents helpless vs. NHL's best goal-scorerBy STEPHEN WHYNOWASHINGTON (AP) Alex Ovechkin arrived in Washington in the summer of 2005 wearing mismatched flip flops and Daisy Duke shorts. He looked like a lost tourist.Ovechkin went No. 1 in the draft and was touted as a...

AP Sports WriterIce melting to slush in Vegas heat at Stanley Cup FinalBy GREG BEACHAMLAS VEGAS (AP) After just one game, it's already clear this Stanley Cup Final is on thin ice. Thin, patchy, slushy, rut-riddled ice.The Vegas Golden Knights have shocked the sporting world by playing for...

Lightning sign Kucherov to 8-year extension through 2026-27TAMPA, Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Nikita Kucherov to an eight-year contract extension worth an average of $9.5 million in salary and annual bonuses.The team announced the deal Tuesday. The 25-year-old would have been a restricted free...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The injury-riddled Columbus Blue Jackets will be without forward Boone Jenner for one to two months because of a stress fracture in his back.The club placed Jenner on injured reserve Saturday and recalled center Sean Collins from its American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts.Jenner...

AP Sports WriterPastrnak's NHL-best 38th goal caps 6-1 Bruins romp past WildBy DAVE CAMPBELLST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Boston Bruins used the break to recharge their power play. The time off sure didn't slow David Pastrnak down. Then again, few opponents have done that this season.The NHL scoring...

AP Hockey WriterSalary cap economics squeezing out NHL's middle classBy STEPHEN WHYNOStanley Cup-winning experience isn't worth what it used to be. Neither is experience of any kind.As NHL teams move toward paying their stars more money and relying on young players to fill the gaps, hockey's middle class is...

Predators sign Yakov Trenin to 2-year, $1.45 million dealNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators have signed forward Yakov Trenin to a two-year contract worth $1.45 million.The Predators announced the deal Thursday. Trenin will be paid $700,000 for the 2020-21 season and $750,000 for 2021-22.Trenin, 23, skated in 21...

AP Hockey WriterRacial injustice not forgotten as NHL resumes playoffsBy STEPHEN WHYNOEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Before playoff hockey returned to its usual intensity, the NHL and its players took time Saturday to highlight racial injustice and the sport's role in confronting it.Players pushed to postpone two days worth of...