hockey news stories on Newser

Vladimir Putin: Hockey Star

Kevin Spak — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:35:08 CDT

Is there anything Vladimir Putin can't do? Russia's old/new president celebrated his inauguration by lacing up his skates for an amateur hockey team and scoring the winning goal against a team of hockey legends, Russia Today reports. The game was a season-ending exhibition between select members of the Russian Amateur...

Panthers Ban Rat Sales

Rob Quinn — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:41:00 CDT

The Florida Panthers are taking steps to cool down one of the NHL's stranger traditions as their playoff run continues. Plastic rats—which fans have been chucking on the ice by the hundred—will no longer be sold at the team's souvenir shops, reports the Miami Herald . The home team...

Dear NHL Owners, Do You Know Kids Are Watching?

John Johnson — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:41:51 CDT

Dave Banks is thrilled that his 10-year-old son started playing hockey this year, absorbing all the great lessons that team sports can bring to a kid. Too bad the adults playing the game are such lousy role models, he writes for the GeekDad blog at Wired . In an open letter...

Brain of Dead Hockey Player Was 'Going Bad'

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:11:00 CST

Hockey enforcer Derek Boogard died of a drug and alcohol overdose at age 28—but his future likely wouldn't have been too bright had he lived, because he probably faced midlife dementia. In the last of a three-part series on Boogard, the New York Times reveals that the multi-millionaire bruiser...

NHL Team Signs 51-Year-Old Goalie

John Johnson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:50:10 CST

The NHL's Minnesota Wild signed an emergency goalie today, which is news only because the guy is 51 years old and owns an embroidery store. As it turns out, Jim Deutsch won't have to suit up for an NHL game, but he came thisclose , reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune . The...

Flyers Pull On-Ice Stunt to Send NHL a Message

John Johnson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:19:10 CST

Bizarro moment in an NHL game last night: The Philadelphia Flyers refused to budge with the puck, and Tampa refused to go after them. It actually happened multiple times, with the Flyers trying to send a message about Tampa’s reviled “trap” system. The trap is a defensive scheme apparently designed...

Cause of Deadly Hockey Plane Crash: Pilot Hit Brake

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:09:45 CDT

A tragic coda to the story of the Russian hockey team that perished in a plane crash in September: The accident was caused because one of the pilots accidentally pressed the brakes during takeoff, officials revealed today. The New York Times calls it an "extraordinarily basic human error," and explains...

Fan Tosses Banana Peel at Black NHL Player

John Johnson — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:53:05 CDT

Very classy act from a hockey fan in Canada: Someone tossed a banana peel onto the ice as Wayne Simmonds—one of the few black players in the NHL—skated toward the net during a shootout last night, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer . The peel landed in the path of the...

Only Player to Survive Russia Plane Crash Dies

Matt Cantor — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:18:24 CDT

The only hockey player to survive last week’s plane crash in Russia died today of his injuries, the Hockey News reports. Alexander Galimov, 26, died from burns over 90% of his body, said a Moscow hospital. The only other crash survivor, a member of the plane’s crew, is still in...