NHL news stories on Newser

Black Player's Big Goal Brings Racist Tweets

John Johnson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:57:27 CDT

Joel Ward of the Washington Capital scored every hockey player's dream goal last night: a Game 7 overtime winner that knocked the defending champ Boston Bruins out of the playoffs. The only hitch is that Ward is a black player in what has long been a white man's league, and...

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...

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...

Trio of Enforcer Deaths Puts Spotlight on NHL Fighting

Rob Quinn — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:43:05 CDT

A trio of deaths has put the spotlight on the role of tough guys in hockey like never before. Recently retired player Wade Belak was found hanged in a hotel room this week. His death follows that of Rick Rypien, who died in apparent suicide last month, and New York...

Bruins Win Stanley Cup

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:57:48 CDT

The Boston Bruins have won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the finals. Tim Thomas capped a spectacular playoff run with 37 saves in the Canucks' hostile home arena, and Patrice Bergeron scored two goals as the Bruins...