Kane and Toews launch NHL 11
NEW YORK -- Patrick Kane threw a hook, and it was "down went Toews, down went Toews." The Blackhawks captain fell like a stone and Kane erupted, throwing his arms up in the air and letting out a few "woo hoos." Kane, a 5-foo... [Detail...]

A look at the top remaining free agents
With September here and training camps now just a week away, there are dozens of free agents still looking for some place to play, either with the team they played for in 2009-10 or one that has a hole it hopes to fill. Here's a look at some of... [Detail...]

Kesler realizes dream as cover boy for NHL 2K11
NEW YORK -- A childhood dream has come to fruition for Ryan Kesler. The Vancouver Canucks center, who had a career-high 75 points last season, is gracing the cover of NHL 2K11, which is available now for the Nintendo Wii. Kesler and New Jersey ... [Detail...]

Maltby agrees to one-year deal with Wings
The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday they have re-signed veteran forward Kirk Maltby to a one-way, two-year contract. No financial terms were released, but ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun is reporting Maltby will make $525,000 if he stays in the NHL... [Detail...]

Four-time Cup champ Maltby signs with Red Wings
Kirk Maltby skated with some of his Red Wings' teammates Wednesday morning at Joe Louis Arena, then signed a one-year, two-way contract to remain with the organization that he has played with for 13 of 16 NHL seasons. The 37-year-old veteran fo... [Detail...]

Predators, Franson agree to two-year deal
Nashville finalized a deal Wednesday with restricted free-agent defenseman Cody Franson on a two-year, $1.6 million contract. The 23-year-old Franson had 21 points and a plus-15 rating in 61 games last season as a rookie. According to a report ... [Detail...]

Boston coaching legends share Lester Patrick honors
Jack Parker and Jerry York have been intertwined as friends and rivals for most of their lives, so the fact that they were both named as recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the United States this week is perfectly... [Detail...]

Ashton, Connolly see tourney as skills showcase
Teammates Carter Ashton and Brett Connolly have the same goal, but for different reasons. The mission for the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects is to make a lasting impression at the 13th annual NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich., fro... [Detail...]

HV 71, Djurgardens look to retain Elitserien supremacy
The Swedish Elite League (Elitserien) regular season gets under way one week from today. The most intriguing of the season openers will be a rematch of last season's championship finals as defending champion HV 71 Jönköping will visit to... [Detail...]

Wild's Sheppard suffers broken patella
The Minnesota Wild have confirmed an earlier report that center James Sheppard has suffered a serious knee injury that will sideline him indefinitely. According to the Wild, "Sheppard suffered a broken patella in his left knee in an off-ic... [Detail...]

Wellwood trying out for Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes have invited free-agent center Kyle Wellwood to attend training camp on a tryout basis according to the team's website. Wellwood, 27, has played 338 NHL games (for Toronto and Vancouver) and has notched 63 goals and 97 assists.... [Detail...]

Halpern inks one-year deal with Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Jeff Halpern to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. As per club policy, financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Halpern, 34, split the 2009-10 season between the Tampa Ba... [Detail...]

Hawks announce 5 front-office promotions
Tuesday was rewards day for some of the men who helped turn the Chicago Blackhawks into a championship team on and off the ice. The Stanley Cup champions announced the promotions of Stan Bowman to Vice President/General Manager, Jay Blunk to E... [Detail...]

Yzerman's Bolts will be Wings' foe in Traverse City
Detroit Red Wings Assistant General Manager Jim Nill already can sense the buzz building throughout the resort community of Traverse City, Mich. Traverse City is the site of the 13th annual NHL Prospects Tournament, which will take center stage... [Detail...]

Expect Ambroz to earn a first-round nod in '11
The faster the 2011 Entry Draft gets here, the harder it will be to ignore the soaring stock of forward Seth Ambroz. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound "freak" -- the words of Omaha Lancers coach Bliss Littler  -- has grown right before our... [Detail...]

Bogosian healthy and ready for a big season
DULUTH, Ga. -- Zach Bogosian said it was the kind of collision in which nine times out of 10 times, nothing happens. This unlucky occasion, however, proved to be the 19-year-old Atlanta Thrashers own personal Halloween nightmare, ruining what w... [Detail...]

Look on the bright side
Everyone is back to work today after most of us enjoyed a long holiday weekend. Many are also attending their first day of school today. I know, I know, it is hard to get back to the mentality of work and study. But look at it this way -- hocke... [Detail...]

Thrashers sign Fredrik Modin
The Atlanta Thrashers announced Monday that they have signed unrestricted free agent forward Fredrik Modin. No terms of the deal were disclosed. "I know Fredrik well from our time in Tampa, and he is an experienced and talented veteran who... [Detail...]

Halak says goodbye to Montreal
Jaroslav Halak (Getty Images) Jaroslav Halak (Getty Images) Playoff hero Jaroslav Halak used an autograph signing for charity on Saturday as his way of saying goodbye to Montreal hockey fans An estimated 5,000 fans stretched the lengt... [Detail...]

Cycling for Charity
Blues players know a lot about teamwork. A player doesn't typically score a goal without an assist or two from his teammates. And those goals wouldn't matter much if their goaltender didn't make timely saves for the team. But on Saturday mo... [Detail...]

Cheechoo to go to camp with Stars
Dallas General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk announced Saturday that right wing Jonathan Cheechoo has accepted an invitation to attend the Stars' training camp for a tryout. "We're pleased that Jonathan has accepted our invitation to come to our ... [Detail...]

Hamilton close to fulfilling dream
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, one of the top 2011 draft-eligible prospects vying for an opportunity to one day perform in the NHL, can recall vividly the games within the game when he was a young lad just learning the ropes. Looking back, Hamilto... [Detail...]

Some of hockey's best players from No. 67 to No. 99
The number a player wears becomes a part of him. Some numbers are overloaded; others have only a couple of applicants -- and most players wear more than one number during their careers. In trying to determine the best of the best, we've attempt... [Detail...]

Some of hockey's best players from No. 34 to No. 66
The number a player wears becomes a part of him. Some numbers are overloaded; others only have a couple of applicants -- and most players wear more than one number during their careers. In trying to determine the best of the best, we've attempt... [Detail...]

Hockey's best players by the numbers they wore
The number a player wears becomes a part of him. There's not a hockey fan alive who doesn't associate "99" with Wayne Gretzky or "66" with Mario Lemieux. But not every player has a number to himself. For example, five of th... [Detail...]

NHL, NHLPA reach agreement governing long-term contracts
The National Hockey League Players' Association and National Hockey League early Saturday  announced an agreement that will implement new rules governing the parameters of long-term contracts and how they are valued within the NHL Salary Cap ... [Detail...]

Meet the new-look Devils
What hockey fans have seen from the New Jersey Devils in recent weeks points clearly to the fact Lou Lamoriello wasn't kidding when he indicated people would be surprised by the changes that were coming in New Jersey. The bitter taste of the fi... [Detail...]

Kovalchuk's career by the numbers
Nineteen days after free agency opened, Ilya Kovalchuk has decided he's going to remain with the New Jersey Devils, the team that acquired him in a midseason trade with Atlanta during 2009-10. The Devils outlasted the Los Angeles Kings, who hosted... [Detail...]

Kovy deal registered as NHL, NHLPA reach settlement
The Ilya Kovalchuk saga has come to an end. Kovalchuk will be a New Jersey Devil after all, and the circumvention investigations of the contracts for Roberto Luongo, Marc Savard, Chris Pronger and Marian Hossa will not be pursued. Early Sat... [Detail...]

NHL, NHLPA extend deadline for Kovalchuk decision
The Ilya Kovalchuk contract situation expected to reach a conclusion by 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday will instead continue until 3 a.m. ET Saturday, ten hours longer than original Friday 5 p.m. ET deadline. The National Hockey League and the National Ho... [Detail...]

Belfast Giants add to roster for Bruins exhibition
The Belfast Giants have added three more players to the roster that will face the Boston Bruins in an exhibition game in Belfast next month. The game, part of an exhibition slate leading up to Boston's Compuware NHL Premiere Game showdown again... [Detail...]

Kings sign Kolomatis to entry-level deal
The Los Angeles Kings announced Friday they have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with 21-year-old defenseman David Kolomatis. Kolomatis, selected by the Kings in the fifth round (No. 126) of the 2009 Entry Draft, played in... [Detail...]

Zuccarello-Aasen gunning for spot with Rangers
Mats Zuccarello-Aasen is a bit of mystery to North American hockey fans. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound left wing is probably best known for flashing his speed and ability at the 2010 Olympics as a member of Team Norway, which placed 10th in Vancouver. ... [Detail...]

Beach sees Hawks' changes as golden opportunity
The Chicago Blackhawks parting ways with so many key members from their Stanley Cup-winning team -- Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Adam Burish and Antti Niemi, just to name a few -- has provided an opportunity for some of the franchise'... [Detail...]

Comrie inks deal with Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Mike Comrie to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero. The contract is for the 2010-11 season and is worth $500,000. Comrie, 29, has p... [Detail...]

Fankhouser knows coaching with Skalde was right
The office of the new Cincinnati coaching staff underwent a remodeling earlier this week. Incoming assistant coach Scott Fankhouser nudged his desk next to boss Jarrod Skalde, and the work pretty much was done. "We're good. We just move... [Detail...]

Avs ink Stewart to two-year deal
The Colorado Avalanche announced the signing of restricted free-agent forward Chris Stewart to a two-year contract through the 2011-12 season. Stewart, 22, led Colorado with 28 goals and finished second on the team in scoring with 64 points in ... [Detail...]

Youngsters will play big roles in Panthers' future
If Dale Tallon transforms the Florida Panthers from an also-ran into a championship team the same way he did with the Chicago Blackhawks, it's going to start by laying a foundation of good, young talent on which to build. The quick-drying cemen... [Detail...]

Predators ownership completes purchase
Nashville Predators Chairman Tom Cigarran announced Thursday the Predators ownership group has completed the purchase of the franchise ownership shares previously held by Forecheck Investments LLC. The transaction has been approved by all the ... [Detail...]

Canadiens sign Price to two-year contract
The Montreal Canadiens finally have their No. 1 goaltender in the fold, and Carey Price didn't miss a beat when asked during a conference call Thursday how many games he's hoping to play in this season. "Eighty-two," Price responded, ... [Detail...]