The San Jose Sharks will host training camp and start their regular season in Arizona due to local COVID-19 restrictions, a source told John Wawrow of The Associated Press.California's Santa Clara County has banned contact sports through at least Jan. 8. The NFL's San Francisco 49ers have also relocated to Arizona due to the government mandate.The NHL and NHLPA reportedly agreed on a tentative 56-game campaign with training camp opening Jan. 3 and the regular season starting Jan. 13. Since the Sharks were one of the seven teams to miss out on the expanded playoffs over the summer, the team will be permitted to open camp Dec. 31.The league's board of governors still needs to vote on the agreement before the campaign is set in stone. Their decision is expected over the next few days.The NHL's placement of Canadian teams is one significant obstacle facing the league's potential return. A seven-team division solely north of the border was the original plan, but provincial and municipal health units have recently questioned the idea and will need to approve anything before the NHL can finalize decisions.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The fan who scolded the Houston Astros through a megaphone this October was radicalized by the franchise's stealing of signs, an ethical breach that Tim Kanter, like many people in baseball, considered unforgivable. He only thought up his response, though, because a different antagonist set him off first.For that, the Astros can blame Matt Kemp. In 2014, the veteran outfielder was traded to the San Diego Padres and soon developed a reputation among the Petco Park faithful for trying, let's say, less than his hardest. Memories of Kemp dogging it stuck with Kanter, a transplanted Chicagoan and a White Sox fan since childhood whose workplace overlooks the Padres' stadium. He was out on the office balcony this summer when Kemp, now with the Colorado Rockies, stepped to the plate about 700 feet away, an open invitation for disgruntled onlookers to jeer him. So Kanter started booing."The left fielder turned around and looked up at me," Kanter recalled recently.Tim Kanter's balcony view of Petco Park. As COVID-19 marauded the globe this year, no spectators were allowed inside Petco Park or any MLB venue until late in the postseason, magnifying the sounds of the game for players and coaches: the crack of the bat, the thud of ball meeting mitt, taunts bellowed from 13 stories above street level. Playoff series were held at neutral sites, including the ALCS in San Diego, and the Astros were among the last clubs standing. If one player had heard Kanter heckle Kemp without amplification …That train of thought leads to the top of the fourth inning on Oct. 14. Game 4 between the Astros and Tampa Bay Rays was underway in front of zero paying fans. Kanter was alone on the balcony with sunflower seeds and a can of .394, a locally brewed pale ale named after Tony Gwynn's best single-season batting average. He held his cellphone, on which he'd typed a short script, and a $200 megaphone, purchased with the help of family and friends.Confident in the appliance's power - Kanter had tested the megaphone by shouting down a canyon - he stood when the Astros took the field in the fourth inning. It was nighttime in Chicago, but not so late that his buddies there had gone to bed. Kanter was nervous but spoke clearly. “You all are a bunch of cheaters," he read, loud enough to break through the silence the pandemic imposed.––––––––––"What is the word 'sport' without 'fan'?" asked LeBron James. It was late March, a couple of weeks into the NBA’s coronavirus hiatus, and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was speaking from his wine cellar to Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, the retired players who headline the "Road Trippin'" podcast. James had proclaimed right before the shutdown that he wouldn't compete in empty arenas, only to walk that back when it became clear the season couldn't be completed otherwise. He had a sense of the spirit these games would lack: the crying, the joy, the motivation to quiet a wrathful road crowd."That's what brings out the competitive side in players: to know that you're going on the road in a hostile environment," James said to Jefferson, Frye, and show host Allie Clifton. "Yes, you're playing against that opponent in front of you. But you really want to kick the fans' ass, too."LeBron James (23) and Anthony Davis are shown on court in the NBA bubble. Nathaniel S. Butler / NBA / Getty ImagesDeprived of the feeling, many teams spent months vying for wins and titles in sealed venues, showing viewers how weird it is to consume sports in a pandemic. The only seatholders in the NBA bubble were beamed into the building on 17-foot video screens. The only fans on hand for the NHL playoffs were the machine kind, masked to suit the occasion. Cardboard cutouts - of celebrities, of pets, of "South Park" characters in Denver - filled space at NFL and MLB games. Barred from the arena, fans lost the role they play in the theater of pro sports."No one was really able to speak for the people who (wanted to shame the Astros)," Kanter said. "Except for, you know, the yahoo with the megaphone."Across North America, sports' biggest leagues and events were forced for the first time to anoint victors in sterile environments. No one got to attend the tennis US Open this summer, nor the rescheduled Masters in November. Some NFL and college football teams have welcomed spectators in limited numbers, and MLB sold 11,500 tickets to NLCS and World Series games in Texas. Far more often, though, canned chatter was broadcast to conceal stillness, and legendary venues or sparkling new sports palaces, from Lambeau Field to L.A.'s SoFi Stadium to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, were shut for the year.2020 changed what it feels like to be a fan in the ways James forecasted. People couldn't congregate with pals or by the tens of thousands to yell, despair, and berate opposing stars. James' Lakers, like the Tampa Bay Lightning, triumphed in the postseason without once playing in their home city; the L.A. Dodgers took their last two steps on the championship ladder 20 miles west of Dallas. Everything was televised, but those among us who prize being in the stadium, bedecked in team gear or customized costume, endured a visceral loss."It's like watching a commercial on TV for a steak restaurant," said Mark Acasio, the Las Vegas Raiders superfan who goes by the nickname Gorilla Rilla. "You're hungry and you can taste that food, but you can't eat it."Mark Acasio, aka Gorilla Rilla, in 2019. The Mercury News / MediaNews Group / Getty ImagesIn recent weeks, theScore spoke to prominent fans and sports fandom scholars about the thrust of James' question: How is engaging with sports different when everyone is holed up inside? Some noted that we still could witness games as they happened, preserving the spontaneity, and maybe much of the allure, of the experience. Before sports came back, market research company MRI Simmons concluded in June that U.S. fans felt disconnected without live action to watch, and that they missed the ready-made excuse to gather with family and friends.If the resumption of games eased the first feeling, it didn't restore interest to pre-COVID levels. With the exception of the National Women's Soccer League, the first league to return to play in a bubble, TV sports ratings have been down across the board since the summer. Until things return to normal, we won't know if this is the beginning of a trend or a reflection of how 2020 altered our usual patterns.The coronavirus pauses that took hold in March utterly discombobulated everything in sports. LeBron won his fourth ring when NBA training camps are usually in session. Dustin Johnson slipped into the green jacket at Augusta during Week 10 of the NFL season. Indeed, every major team sport played high-stakes games opposite the NFL this fall, disrupting viewing habits like never before."That kind of compression basically causes an upset stomach," said Joseph L. Price, a Whittier College professor emeritus who has studied the intersection of sports and religion. "The regularity is gone."Gone, too, when objects were all that populated the bleachers, was the pretense that the games were normal. Only the 2020 baseball season could have opened, in Los Angeles, with the destruction of Austin Donley's cutout at the left-field wall.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.Fresh off its first world junior gold medal in eight years after the 2005 dream team's triumph, Canada was looking to repeat on home soil in British Columbia. However, going back-to-back wouldn't be easy, as there was just one returning player from Canada's loaded 2005 squad on the 2006 team.The 2005 roster contained just two players under the age of 19. The 2006 squad, meanwhile, featured 11.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeDan BertramF19Michael BlundenF19Dave BollandF19Dustin BoydF19Kyle ChipchuraF19Andrew CoglianoF18Blake ComeauF19Steve DownieF18Guillaume LatendresseF18Ryan O'MarraF18Benoit PouliotF19Tom PyattF18Jonathan ToewsF17Cam Barker*D19Luc BourdonD18Kris LetangD18Marc StaalD18Ryan ParentD18Sasha PokulokD19Kris RussellD18Devan DubnykG19Justin PoggeG19*Denotes returning player

With an all-Canadian division reportedly in jeopardy due to the country's COVID-19 protocols, the Ontario government hopes the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators can remain at home."I had a good conversation with the Leafs and the Senators this morning," Ontario’s minister of heritage, sport, tourism, and culture Lisa MacLeod said Friday, according to The Ottawa Suns' Bruce Garrioch."I think the option that they would prefer is to have the Canadian division," she continued. "The complications with that are you’re not just dealing with provincial health units, you’re also dealing with the local municipalities, and their health units."The NHL is looking for ways to reduce travel amid the pandemic, and the league is reportedly exploring the possibility of playing all games in the United States next season if a Canadian division isn't possible. The seven Canadian teams would need to find new temporary homes south of the border.MacLeod says her understanding is that the five provinces and seven Canadian cities involved would all need approval from the respective health units."If one Canadian city was unable to proceed then that would probably be a game-changer for an all-Canadian division," MacLeod added. "It’s important that we all understand where everybody else is at. That’s kind of an important conversation."For example, if six of the seven teams were in agreement, but the seventh wasn’t, that’s a concern for the league."The NBA's Toronto Raptors will begin their season in Tampa Bay due to the Canada-United States border restrictions. The MLB's Toronto Blue Jays played their 2020 season in Buffalo for the same reason.The NHL is aiming to begin the season on Jan. 13, and both the league and players prefer a 56-game schedule.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach will serve as Canada's captain for the 2021 world juniors, the team announced Friday.Forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram - both returnees from last year's gold medal-winning squad - were named alternates."These three players are all leaders in their own right who have the respect of their teammates," head coach Andre Tourigny said. "Kirby has set a standard for himself through his commitment and determination, which is a great example for the others on our team. He has a strong desire to represent his country."Bowen and Dylan are veterans who know what it takes to win at this tournament, and their voices will be important in our leadership group."The Blackhawks selected Dach third overall in 2019 and loaned him to Canada with the status of the 2020-21 NHL campaign unclear. The 19-year-old posted 23 points in 64 games with Chicago as a rookie last season.The Colorado Avalanche drafted Byram fourth overall in 2019, while the Buffalo Sabres selected Cozens at No. 7. Neither Byram nor Cozens has cracked the NHL yet, but both players are blue-chip prospects and are expected to play significant roles for Canada in Edmonton.Canada begins its gold-medal defense on Dec. 26 versus Germany.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Eight players from Germany's world junior squad tested positive for COVID-19 after they arrived at the tournament bubble in Edmonton, the IIHF announced Friday.Two members of Sweden's staff have also tested positive.The Germans must now quarantine until Dec. 24 in accordance with Alberta's provincial health regulations, while the Swedes must do the same until Dec. 21.The IIHF will review the pre-competition schedule with the teams' new quarantine dates in mind and release a new schedule in the coming days.Exhibition games are set to begin on Dec. 20 before the preliminary round kicks off on Dec. 25. Germany was set to face Austria in an exhibition contest on Dec. 21, while Sweden was scheduled to face Canada on the same day.Germany is currently slated to face Finland in round-robin action on Christmas Day before a matchup with Canada on Dec. 26.Over 2,000 tests have been administered to players, staff, and game officials since all 10 teams entered the bubble last week. Players and staff will undergo daily COVID-19 testing as the tournament progresses.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After Henrik Lundqvist shared the sad news Thursday that he will miss the 2020-21 season due to a heart condition, the Washington Capitals suddenly find themselves without a viable second goaltender with the campaign possibly weeks away.It's unclear how exactly the Capitals would have divvied up goaltending duties, but the 38-year-old was set to be a part of a tandem with youngster Ilya Samsonov. Now the team must decide how to replace a Hall of Fame-worthy netminder.Let's take a look at the options.Sign a free agentWhen the Capitals initially signed Lundqvist, general manager Brian MacLellan had high expectations. He wasn't just bringing in Lundqvist because of his experience or to mentor Samsonov; he was banking on him to win some games and compete for starts. While most marquee free-agent goaltenders have already signed with new teams - including ex-Capital Braden Holtby - there are still several veteran options for Washington to consider as it looks to replace Lundqvist.Ryan Miller Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyMiller is the league's oldest active goaltender after turning 40 this past summer. He's certainly not the goalie he once was, but he's proven over the past three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks that he can be an adequate backup.The former Vezina Trophy winner has appeared in 71 games over the last three campaigns, recording a 29-19-12 record with a .916 save percentage and a 2.72 goals-against average. His .931 even-strength save percentage over that span is tops among all goalies who have played at least 3,000 minutes. He's undeniably able to play at a high level when called upon, but the issue seems to be whether he wants to continue playing. The veteran said in May that while he still has a desire to play hockey, the COVID-19 pandemic could force him into retirement.Craig Anderson Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyAfter manning the Ottawa Senators' crease for the last decade, Anderson saw his time in Canada's capital come to an end when the team brought in Matt Murray. The 39-year-old's play declined significantly over the past few seasons, but the fact he was playing behind a Senators team in the midst of a full-scale rebuild can't be ignored.Anderson has played in 142 games since the start of the 2017-18 season, earning a 51-69-12 record with a .901 save percentage and a 3.37 goals-against average. His .913 save percentage at even strength last season wasn't dazzling, but it was better than those of other notable netminders such as Holtby, Jonathan Quick, John Gibson, and Sergei Bobrovsky.Jimmy Howard Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyDespite enduring the worst season of his NHL career in 2019-20, Howard has made it clear on numerous occasions that he doesn't intend to retire just yet. The 36-year-old began his career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2005, but his time with the club came to an end when it added Thomas Greiss in free agency.Howard's 2019-20 stats are tough to look at. His abysmal 2-23-2 record surely won't help him pitch himself to a new team, nor will his .882 save percentage or 4.20 goals-against average. Still, the veteran goalie wasn't showing many signs of regression before last season, and he could be a strong bounce-back candidate if he's no longer playing behind one of the worst rosters the NHL has seen in some time.Promote from within Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe Capitals don't have a ton of goaltending depth now that Samsonov is the team's starter, but it's entirely possible they stick with what they have instead of dipping into free agency again. Pheonix Copley has been with the organization for the past four years, and while the 28-year-old has mostly filled an AHL role, he does have 29 games of NHL experience.Washington's top goalie prospect is now Vitek Vanecek, a 2014 second-round selection. The 24-year-old has spent the last four seasons in the AHL, previously splitting games with Samsonov before sharing the net with Copley. He appeared to outplay Copley last season, posting a .917 save percentage to Copley's .905. He's never played in an NHL game, but perhaps he could make the jump a bit earlier than expected.Seek out a trade Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe Capitals have virtually no cap space ahead of the coming season, so a trade would be difficult to pull off. There are some high-profile goalies on the market, such as Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights, but taking on all or even some of his $7-million cap hit after letting Holtby walk wouldn't make much sense.It would be shocking if Washington traded for a goaltender. There are viable options in free agency and within the organization, and the team would probably have to part ways with a significant roster player to make room. Still, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames have signed restricted free-agent defenseman Oliver Kylington to a one-year, two-way contract worth $787,500, the team announced Friday.Kylington's entry-level contract expired at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. The 23-year-old appeared in a career-high 48 games with the Flames last season, notching two goals and five assists while averaging 13:42 of ice time per contest.Selected by the Flames in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Kylington was Calgary's last unsigned RFA.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With goaltender Alex Stalock out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, the Minnesota Wild have signed veteran netminder Andrew Hammond to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced Wednesday.Hammond last appeared in an NHL regular-season game in 2017-18 with the Colorado Avalanche. He spent the last three seasons with three different AHL franchises, including Minnesota's affiliate, the Iowa Wild, for 33 games in 2018-19.He owns a .923 save percentage across 56 NHL starts.Stalock started 38 games for the Wild last season, earning 20 victories and registering a .910 save percentage.Minnesota dealt longtime No. 1 netminder Devan Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks earlier this offseason.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.Canada iced its best-ever world junior roster at the 2005 tournament, which took place in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in the midst of an NHL lockout.The Canadian program was coming off a crushing loss to the United States in the gold-medal game in Finland one year prior. In that matchup, the Americans wiped out a two-goal deficit with three third-period tallies en route to a 4-3 win.It had been a long time since Canada tasted victory at the tournament, as the team hadn't won gold since 1997, settling for four silvers and two bronzes in the seven years following that triumph.With the 2005 tourney taking place on U.S. soil, Canada was under even more pressure to prevent the hosts from repeating as champions. However, with a whopping 12 returning players thanks in large part to the NHL work stoppage, the Canadians were perfectly positioned to steamroll the field and reclaim the crown.The rosterPlayerPositionAgePatrice BergeronF19Jeff Carter*F19Jeremy Colliton*F19Sidney Crosby*F17Nigel Dawes*F19Stephen Dixon*F19Colin FraserF19Ryan Getzlaf*F19Andrew LaddF19Clarke MacArthurF19Corey PerryF19Mike Richards*F19Anthony Stewart*F19Cam BarkerD18Shawn Belle*D19Braydon Coburn*D19Dion Phaneuf*D19Brent Seabrook*D19Danny SyvretD19Shea WeberD19Rejean BeaucheminG19Jeff GlassG19*Denotes returning player

The Florida Panthers signed forward Anthony Duclair to a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday.Duclair's deal is worth $1.7 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.The 25-year-old became an unrestricted free agent in October after the Ottawa Senators declined to give him a qualifying offer."Anthony is a dynamic and highly skilled player who is capable of being a dependable offensive contributor for our team" Panthers general manager BIll Zito said. "He possesses tremendous speed and goal-scoring ability and earned an opportunity to be named an NHL All-Star last season. We're excited to welcome Anthony and look forward to what he can add to our team."Duclair notched a career-high 23 goals while adding 17 assists through 66 games with the Senators in 2019-20.The Panthers needed another left-winger after seemingly moving on from sharpshooter Mike Hoffman this offseason, and they'll likely use Duclair in a top-six role in an attempt to replace some of Hoffman's offense.Florida has $6.61 million in projected cap space with just one outstanding restricted free agent in forward Aleksi Saarela, according to CapFriendly.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is exploring the idea of playing all games in the United States if government and health authorities north of the border don't approve the league's plan for an all-Canadian division.Holding the 2020-21 season entirely within the U.S. is the "likely outcome" if Canadian officials don't sign off on the current proposal, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.There has been no indication that the relevant lawmakers and health experts won't ultimately consent to the idea of an all-Canadian division, but they hadn't done so by Thursday afternoon, Johnston added.However, the Canadian government responded to the report several hours later, making it clear that NHL teams will not be exempt from provincial guidelines.

Two months after the Chicago Blackhawks committed to a rebuild, the team promoted Stan Bowman on Wednesday, giving him the title of president of hockey operations in addition to his general manager responsibilities.Bowman is now his own boss, which means he'll remain in charge of the Blackhawks as the team undergoes a critical transformation.Bowman is a polarizing figure in The Windy City. Though he didn't lay the foundation for Chicago's dynasty (that credit belongs to Dale Tallon) he oversaw all three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015) following his promotion to GM in July 2009.However, the team has sputtered the past few seasons, finishing last in the Central Division two of the last three years. Up until the formal announcement of a rebuild, the club seemed to constantly teeter between a youth infusion and trying to win one last Cup with the old core.Below, we'll grade the job Bowman's done in five categories (drafting, trading, free agency, cap management, and overall vision) before coming to a conclusion on whether he's fit to lead the team in its rebuild.Drafting Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport / GettyThis is where the 47-year-old executive has excelled. The Blackhawks made their first-round selections count despite going eight straight years without a top-15 pick. Even though some of the draftees found their primary success with other teams, Bowman's eye for young talent can't be denied. Here's a list of players he's picked in Round 1:YearPickPlayer201024Kevin Hayes201118Mark McNeill201126Phillip Danault201218Teuvo Teravainen201330Ryan Hartman201420Nick Schmaltz201729Henri Jokiharju20188Adam Boqvist20193Kirby Dach202017Lukas ReichelMcNeill is the only blemish on this impressive list. Boqvist and Dach have flashed early signs of being future stars.Bowman hasn't found many recent hidden gems outside of the first round, though. He drafted Brandon Saad (second round) and Andrew Shaw (fifth round) in 2011, but he's only found four NHL regulars after the first round since then. Three of them (Vinnie Hinostroza, John Hayden, and Tyler Motte) are just depth players, but Alex DeBrincat (second round, 2016) is a star.Grade: ATrading Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyBowman's trade resume is a mixed bag. He made some shrewd moves early in his tenure to help Chicago win Cups. Plenty of his trades were salary dumps, though, because the Blackhawks were up against the cap. Here are his best swaps:DatePrimary acquisitionPrimary departureFebruary 2010Nick LeddyCam Barker (to MIN)February 2012Johnny Oduya2nd-round pick (to WPG)January 2019Dominik Kubalik5th-round pick (to LA)Bowman got Leddy and Oduya, important pieces to those Cup-winning teams, without sacrificing much at all. Kubalik was a Calder Trophy finalist this past season.However, Bowman's list of bad trades is longer, with the majority of them coming in the last few years:DatePrimary acquisitionPrimary departureOctober 2014Ville PokkaNick Leddy (to NYI)February 2016Dale WeisePhillip Danault (to MTL)June 20162nd-round pickTeuvo Teravainen (to CAR)June 2017Brandon SaadArtemi Panarin (to CLB)October 2020Brad MorrisonOlli Maatta (to LA)October 2020Nikita ZadorovBrandon Saad (to COL)As always, context is key. Leddy was due for a modest raise and Bowman took a chance by replacing him with Pokka, a prospect who didn't pan out. Danault hadn't done much in Chicago and seemed to benefit from the change of scenery. Teravainen was a sweetener for the Carolina Hurricanes so they would take on Bryan Bickell's contract.Other deals, though, were head-scratchers. In an effort to extend the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup window, Bowman ended up sealing it for good by dealing Panarin, who had two years left on his contract at the time, in exchange for Saad, who had four.Though the GM made moves this offseason to clear cap space, Bowman still had to eat half of Maatta's cap hit while receiving only an ECHLer a year after giving up Dominik Kahun for the defenseman. And the return for a valuable asset in Saad was underwhelming, to say the least.Bowman probably would've graded out as a B here after his first six years on the job, but the five years since have mostly been a failure.Grade: D+Free agency Bill Smith / National Hockey League / GettyDue to cap constraints, Bowman hasn't been overly active in free agency during his tenure. Here's a look at his most notable signings, both good and bad (this only includes acquisitions, not re-signings):YearPlayerLengthAAV2011Steve Montador*4 years$2.75M2012Michal Rozsival1 year$2M2014Brad Richards1 year$2M2015Artem Anisimov*5 years$4.55M2015Artemi Panarin2 years$818K2018Cam Ward1 year$3M2018Brandon Manning2 years$2.25M2019Robin Lehner1 year$5M2020Mattias Janmark1 year$2.25M*Acquired players' rights just before signingThough he's not included on this list, Bowman was promoted to GM two weeks after the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $62.8-million deal.Plucking Panarin out of Russia was extremely savvy, but otherwise, Bowman hasn't made any impactful free-agent additions (even though Lehner netted him a second-round pick). He gets credit for not making any overly egregious signings, though.Grade: B-Cap management Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyBowman did an excellent job maintaining the club's core during the Stanley Cup years while adding depth pieces, but his work managing the cap has declined since then.His first three signings on the job (Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane's matching five-year, $31.5-million contracts, along with Duncan Keith's 13-year, $72-million pact) were all superb. And while Toews and Kane's second pair of matching contracts (eight years, $84 million) has limited the team's flexibility in recent years, Bowman had to make those deals.He signed Niklas Hjalmarsson to team-friendly contracts (four years, $14 million in 2010 and five years, $20.5 million in 2013). Corey Crawford's six-year, $36-million deal in 2013 was fair value, too.However, one awful contract can cripple an organization in a hard-cap league, and the eight-year, $55-million agreement Bowman handed to Brent Seabrook in 2015 has done just that. Seabrook's contract, which has four years remaining at a $6.875-million cap hit, is arguably the worst in the league. Hindsight is 20/20, but signing a 30-year-old defenseman lacking foot speed to an eight-year deal had disaster written all over it.If Bowman had let Seabrook walk, he may have been able to hold onto Panarin, Teravainen, and potentially others. Knowing when to let go is a critical part of being a good GM.And while they're more minor, debacles such as trading for Maatta, only to eat half his salary a year later, is the definition of poor cap management.Bowman would've graded out with an A following his early years on the job, but it's been all downhill as of late.Grade: CVision Bill Smith / National Hockey League / GettyThis is much more difficult to quantify. Bowman's vision was obvious in his early years: keep the core together and win as many Stanley Cups as possible. He did exactly that without mortgaging too much of the future.Bowman's vision has been foggy in recent years, though. Following a second straight first-round playoff exit in 2017, the GM decided to shake things up despite a conference-best 109-point regular season.He traded Panarin that offseason. Bowman also shipped Hjalmarsson to the Arizona Coyotes for Connor Murphy. The Hjalmarsson deal has panned out better for Chicago than expected because he's 33 now and has lots of mileage, while Murphy, 27, is coming off his best season.However, it took a few years for Murphy to find his footing, and Hjalmarsson - who was more integral to the team's last two Stanley Cups than Seabrook - remained elite defensively up until this season. Had Bowman hung on to Panarin and Hjalmarsson, the Blackhawks could've remained a contender in 2017-18. Instead, Chicago has the league's fifth-worst points percentage since that deal.That's where vision comes into play. Bowman tried to contend and retool on the fly, and he failed.The vision is clear now, but a legitimate rebuild probably should've started a year ago. Instead, Bowman signed Lehner. Netting a second-round pick out of that is great, but that signing signaled the Blackhawks were still trying to compete. Without Lehner's 33 games, the team would've finished lower in the standings and probably missed the expanded postseason, which would've guaranteed Chicago a better draft pick.It's best to go all-in or all-out, but Bowman was stuck in the middle for three years.Grade: C-Verdict Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport / GettyBowman was once rightly regarded as one of the league's top executives. However, fans have soured on him over the last few years. The Blackhawks finished 30th in a recent front-office confidence poll conducted by The Athletic.Given the excellent work he did during the first half of his tenure, some of the criticism is unfair. Bowman will probably be revered in Chicago once his time is all said and done. However, as of now, the latter half of his term will be defined by two moves: the Seabrook contract and trading Panarin.Can Bowman be trusted to not make similar mistakes going forward? Given that he doubled down on the Panarin trade a year later, we're not so sure. It's also concerning when the team's core is fed up with the GM and seemingly left in the dark about the club's direction.The Blackhawks will have big decisions to make in the coming years. Boqvist's and Dach's entry-level contracts expire after 2022. Toews, Kane, and Keith all come off the books after 2023.This is a "what have you done for me lately" type of business, and Bowman has made mostly poor decisions over the last few years. Chicago would've benefited from bringing in an outside mind to objectively assess the team's current situation. That could've meant hiring a separate president of hockey operations to oversee Bowman as GM, or parting with him altogether.Despite all the great things he's done, extending Bowman's leash - and giving him more power - during a critical time for the franchise could prove to be a fatal mistake.(Contract source: CapFriendly)Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Henrik Lundqvist won't suit up for the Washington Capitals this season due to a heart condition, the veteran goalie announced Thursday.Lundqvist says doctors determined it's best he doesn't play during the upcoming campaign following weeks of tests. He'll spend the coming months figuring out his plan going forward."For the past two months, I've been so inspired by the opportunity to play in D.C. and committed to my game, spending every day at the rink to prepare for the upcoming season," Lundqvist said. "The news was very difficult to process, but after the last test result earlier this week, we knew there was only one way to go from here."I want to thank the entire Capitals organization for not only giving me this opportunity but also for their support throughout this challenging time. I will take the next few weeks to be with my family and I'll be back to share the next steps."Commissioner Gary Bettman commented on the situation with a statement."While we are all saddened as hockey fans that we will not be able to watch Henrik tend goal for the Capitals this season, we are also thankful that he will be getting the necessary medical care to deal with his heart condition," Bettman said. "Henrik is a beloved player across the NHL and throughout his native Sweden and a wonderful ambassador for the game. We wish him and his family well."Lundqvist signed a one-year, $1.5-million contract with the Capitals after he was bought out by the New York Rangers in September.The 38-year-old spent 15 seasons on Broadway, earning 459 wins - good for sixth all time - while posting a .918 save percentage. Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top netminder in 2011-12 and was a finalist for the award on four separate occasions.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Veteran St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen has called it a career after 15 NHL seasons, the team announced Thursday."This has been an emotional process," Steen said in a release. "But as I look back on my years in hockey, I would like to thank our organization, our city, our fans, and my teammates as I am so proud of all the teams I was part of."Steen has one more year at $5.75 million on his current contract. The Blues have already placed him on long-term injured reserve because he was injured during the NHL's buyout period, meaning the team can exceed the salary cap by $5.75 million this coming season, according to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.Steen's decision to retire is linked to "multiple levels of degenerative herniated discs of his lumbar spine," according to St. Louis. The 36-year-old was limited to 55 regular-season games in 2019-20 and only made four postseason appearances.The Blues acquired Steen from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2008-09 season. The 24th overall pick of the 2002 NHL Draft played 1,018 career games, registering 622 points. He won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019 and claimed a silver medal with Sweden at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is hoping to find the back of the net more frequently this upcoming season.When asked what he's been working on this offseason, Marner said getting to the net has been a key area of focus."Being around the net more to put the puck in," the winger told Josh Clipperton of The Canadian Press. "Goals is something where I need to ask more of myself."Marner has always been a pass-first player, as 208 of his 300 career NHL points are assists. He notched a personal-best 26 goals in 2018-19, but only managed 16 tallies in 59 contests this past season.However, the 23-year-old said he's starting to learn to trust his shot."I've been trying to really be OK and comfortable with myself shooting regardless of how the shot comes off," Marner said. "That's something I'm trying to get my head wrapped around and something I'm becoming more confident with."The NHL is reportedly working on returning Jan. 13, but there are still several obstacles to overcome. However, the upcoming season is apparently set to feature an all-Canadian division, which would include Marner's Maple Leafs.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.The 20th world juniors was held in Massachusetts. Canada entered the 1996 event looking for its fourth consecutive gold medal and ninth overall to tie Russia/ the Soviet Union, which held both records.The tournament marked the first time teams were split into two groups and a knockout stage to determine each medalist followed round-robin play.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeJarome IginlaF18Christian DubeF18Daymond LangkowF19Hnat DomenichelliF19Alyn McCauleyF18Jason PodollanF19Jason Botterill*F19Robb GordonF19Mike WattF19Jamie WrightF19Brad LarsenF18Curtis BrownF19Craig MillsF19Jason HollandD19Nolan Baumgartner*D19Denis GauthierD19Wade Redden*D18Chad Allen*D19Chris PhillipsD17Rhett WarrenerD19Jose TheodoreG19Marc DenisG18*Denotes returning player

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.The 1997 tournament marked one of the rare times when Canada wasn't considered a heavy favorite. The team was still entering the event in Switzerland looking to secure its record fifth consecutive gold medal.Despite the consistent success in recent years, this group didn't boast much star power and was far from one of Canada's most dominant teams. But the squad managed to sit atop the podium again with young head coach Mike Babcock at the helm.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeDaniel BriereF19Boyd DevereauxF18Christian Dube*F19Dwayne HayF19Brad IsbisterF19Brad Larsen*F19Trevor LetowskiF19Cameron MannF19Alyn McCauley*F19Peter SchaeferF19Joe ThorntonF17Trent WhitfieldF19Shane WillisF19Jason DoigD19Hugh HamiltonD19Richard JackmanD18Chris Phillips*D18Cory SarichD18Jesse WallinD18Jeff WareD19Marc DenisG19Martin BironG19*Denotes returning player

Jimmy Butler slumped over the ad board behind the baseline, depleted. A thousand miles outside the NBA bubble, Mike Smith understood what he felt. Smith starts at point guard for Michigan and is a close friend and protege of Butler's. For several months this spring, he worked out with the Miami Heat star in the long wait for the NBA season to resume. They rose daily by 5 a.m., lifted and shot, and twice a week, wherever they were - San Diego or Miami - they went out to run miles uphill or on sand.Fatigue wasn't just inescapable; it was the invited goal. When Smith flagged, his quads burning and lungs aflame, his mentor was quick with a pick-me-up: "Keep grinding. Keep working."Back to Butler with his head buried. Forty-six seconds remained in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and the veteran forward had driven the lane and gotten bumped at the rim by the Los Angeles Lakers' Markieff Morris. Butler hadn't subbed out since the first quarter, yet he'd owned the last few minutes at each end. He blocked LeBron James. He stole the ball from Alex Caruso. He set up Duncan Robinson for a three. He hit consecutive go-ahead jumpers as the lead seesawed. Mark Jackson, providing analysis on ESPN, likened the scene to boxing's Fight of the Century: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier trading blows as Round 15 dawned. Andrew D. Bernstein / NBA / Getty ImagesThe NBA bubble was good to Butler because he made it so. Big Face Coffee, the $20-a-cup concern he ran out of his hotel room, became an internet sensation, and on the court, he didn't have to raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy to be vindicated as a winner. Miami reached the final as the Eastern Conference's fifth seed. In Game 3 against the Lakers, with Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo injured, Butler's 40-point triple-double kept his overmatched squad kicking. In Game 5, down three games to one and trailing by a point in the clutch, it fell to him to score through weariness - to rest a moment, steady his breath, and stick a pair of free throws."You could see right there, he was basically saying, 'We almost got this,'" Smith said. "'We got this. Keep pushing.'"Never in a century has there been a year like 2020, when the focus of life for many of us became the safety of our own homes. Distance and sickness made us feel the hardest, heaviest things: loneliness, anxiousness, anguish, despair. Last words were exchanged over FaceTime. People grieved 1.6 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide. Police shot Breonna Taylor in her home, kneeled on George Floyd's neck, attacked protesters in American streets, shot Jacob Blake in the back. It provoked a chain reaction of protests in cities big and small.The spring and early summer gave us so much to process. All the while, the daily entertainment of pro sports vanished and then resumed, in sealed hubs and at empty stadiums, trauma coexisting with triviality, and the games served different functions for different people: moneymaker, reprieve from stress, amplifier of cries for change. Ned Dishman / NBA / Getty ImagesHow do we tie together the threads of sports' pandemic seasons? Why did bubbles keep out the coronavirus, why was Heat Culture lauded, and why did Los Angeles and Tampa Bay stockpile championships? One explanation is resilience, which every athlete, team, and league that returned to play invariably had to muster.Take the Lakers, who were caught in China last fall during the Daryl Morey-Hong Kong democracy flap, who mourned the passing of Kobe Bryant in January, and emerged from the three-month sequester in Florida to cap all this tumult with a title. Take the thousands of athletes, team staff, and league personnel who sacrificed family time and freedom of movement to salvage seasons and make bubbled competition safe.Take it from Steve Mayer, the NHL executive who oversaw the creation of his league's secure zones in Toronto and Edmonton: "If you're ever going to be resilient, man, this is the year to do it."In Game 5, before Smith and a rapt TV audience, Butler looked like resilience personified: the winded, wincing embodiment of what it took to withstand a challenge. After Morris bodied him, Butler finally rose from his elbows and hit his allotted foul shots. At the other end, Anthony Davis scored off a rebound to reclaim the lead for L.A. Ali jabbed; Frazier had a hook in return. Butler drove the lane again, drew contact at the hoop again, and strode to the line to sink two more free throws, finalizing the 35-point triple-double that cemented Miami's win.––––––––––Ryan Hamilton, the mental performance coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, spent 65 days in the bubble this summer with the eventual NHL champions. Life there was straightforward, he said. There were no errands to run, meals to prep, or flights to catch for the next leg of a road trip.With those perks came novel stressors and demands. Players shouldered the pressure of chasing the Stanley Cup without their usual coping mechanisms. Hamilton missed his daughter's birthday, and by a couple of months at that. Walled in, no one could unplug or distance themselves from the job at hand, he said: "It was constantly being in a situation of constraint, and a situation of always being turned on."To Hamilton, resilience isn't a trait that people either have or don't, but a verb accessible to the masses: a choice to act, an adaptation to be made in the midst of some stressful event. In hockey, squandering a third-period lead is an evergreen example. Dealing with seclusion from family and the outside world was a wrinkle exclusive to this year. In either case, the resilient response is the same."It's not that when adversity strikes, you don't get knocked on your backside occasionally," Hamilton said. "It's recovering quickly, and then ultimately it's sticking to goals and values and your identity." Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / Getty ImagesResilience alone is rarely enough to win games. Our pandemic-era champs - the Lightning, Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA's Seattle Storm - probably were their respective league's most talented teams. But across the board, in environments that required creative thinking and resolve to organize, their breakthroughs and other, subtler success stories exemplified the power of sticktoitiveness: of teammates playing for each other, not being cowed by setbacks, trusting in their stars and schemes, and trusting, ultimately, that this approach would pay off when it mattered."Throughout the playoffs, we lost the first game of this series, first game of that series. (Game 5 against Miami), we don't think we should have lost," Caruso said, reminiscing recently about the Lakers' title run."The whole bubble scenario was being resilient, being different, being outside of your element. We had veteran guys on our team who just kept everybody in place. I think the chemistry of our team really kept us tight-knit and singularly focused on what we needed to do."In the NBA bubble, resilience wasn't solely the province of the Lakers and Heat. Buoyed by four 40-point games from Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets became the first team to wipe out multiple 3-1 series deficits. The Toronto Raptors' offense sputtered, but they defended well enough in the second round to alarm the Boston Celtics until the bitter end of Game 7. The Portland Trail Blazers arrived at Disney 3 1/2 games out of the playoffs, and Damian Lillard took it upon himself - he scored 42, 45, 51, and 61 points in the seeding stage - to erase that gap. Kevin C. Cox / Getty ImagesThen there were the Phoenix Suns, the bubble format's unlikeliest beneficiary. Needing to win out to avoid elimination, the Suns went 8-0, barely missing the Western Conference play-in game but brightening their outlook for the future."We couldn't control our fate. To at least have a shot, we had to win all eight," Phoenix swingman Mikal Bridges said. "Obviously, we didn't make it, but it just showed that when our backs are against the wall, and we can't lose and we need to win, how mentally tough we were for that."In hockey, pluck powered the teams that stuck in the bubble the longest. The Lightning won a league-high six overtime games, including a 5OT epic over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the club that swept them from the first round of the 2019 postseason. They surged to the title without their captain, Steven Stamkos, who was injured all playoffs except for a magical five-shift cameo in Game 3 of the final. The Lightning triumphed because they beat the Dallas Stars, who endured their own injury issues yet prevailed five times in OT - twice in series clinchers - and overcame deficits in nine of their 15 playoff wins."We’re banged up, and maybe it’s not the most ideal situation in the bubble, but we’re going to play for each other," Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak said, characterizing his team's mentality. "All the work we put in during the season, the offseason, we’re going to make sure it pays dividends here." Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesIn baseball, on-field mettle helped the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays reach the World Series. Think of Tampa nearly collapsing in the ALCS and then stonewalling the Houston Astros in Game 7. Think of Cody Bellinger homering to atone for his down season and clinch an NLCS comeback. Think, too, of the teams that adapted on the fly to 2020's peculiarities. Playing as many as 11 doubleheaders, the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins made the expanded playoffs despite COVID-19 outbreaks that upended their schedules.From Buffalo, so did the Toronto Blue Jays. Barred from hosting opponents in Canada, the Jays had to play their first 13 games on the road before settling into a permanent home - the franchise's Triple-A grounds - almost three weeks into the season."We could have thrown in the towel and just said, 'Hey, the cards are against us. Nothing's going to go our way.' But none of us really did," said Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Borucki, whose team went 17-9 at Buffalo's Sahlen Field upon getting to unpack their suitcases."We (adopted the mindset that) as much as it stinks to be in Buffalo, if we accept it and go through it, having these other teams that have these beautiful, state-of-the-art facilities - making them come down to our level and play against us, we felt like that was a little bit of home-field advantage." Timothy T Ludwig / Getty ImagesStarting in the fall, resilience was to be found in football, too. Scheduling turmoil because of other teams' virus outbreaks didn't stop the Pittsburgh Steelers from opening the year 11-0. The quarterback who finally topped them, Washington's Alex Smith, is a starter again two seasons after he nearly lost his right leg. In the NCAA, as some traditional powers faltered, unbeaten Coastal Carolina and Buffalo, like one-loss Louisiana and Liberty, embraced chaos and cracked the national top 25 for the first time.When COVID-19 issues sidelined every Vanderbilt kicker in November, Sarah Fuller, the senior goalkeeper from the Commodores soccer team, seized the chance to become the first woman to play in a Power 5 game, revealing a career's worth of resilience to a national audience. Serious foot and disc injuries benched Fuller for much of her time at Vanderbilt, but six days before the football opportunity arrived, Vandy won the SEC soccer title with her in goal."She was the one who got chosen. She was the right person. Technically, it matched up well. The right personality to handle all the (attention) that's come with it," said Darren Ambrose, Vanderbilt's women's soccer coach. "But there are so many other reasons that she could have not been standing on that field. She could have walked away. She could have quit when she had the major back injury that kept her out for about a year and a half. She could have stopped."The initiative and courage of women's leagues were central to the story of 2020. Before the NBA and NHL came back this summer, the National Women's Soccer League's month-long hub tournament returned zero positive cases, proving on a smaller scale that bubbles work. By scrapping its travel schedule and hustling to stage the Challenge Cup in Utah in June and July, the NWSL boosted its profile - TV viewership on CBS increased by 493% from 2019 - and enabled the Houston Dash's surprising title run. After allowing the most goals across four preliminary matches, the Dash didn't concede once from the quarterfinal onward. Julio Aguilar / Getty ImagesSome NWSL players brought their kids to Utah, juggling training with childcare and evincing the added load that the women of the WNBA also bore this past season. Over three months inside their own Florida bubble, the WNBA held a 22-game regular season and crowned powerhouse Seattle as its champion. Without head coach Dan Hughes, who stayed home due to his brush with cancer last year, the Storm followed the lead of stars who'd missed all of 2019 rehabbing surgeries: Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, the future Hall of Fame point guard who turned 40 the week after clinching the title.All season, WNBAers wore Breonna Taylor's name on their jerseys, an idea advanced by Las Vegas Aces forward Angel McCoughtry. In August, they sat out of play for a couple of days to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Black Lives Matter warmup shirts were an omnipresent sight in the bubble. Players missed their families, and they tried to decompress at the pool next to opponents and referees. On top of those rigors, most of them were still Black women living in America, grappling daily with what Natalie Achonwa calls the "reality that my life might not be valued as much, or seen as important."Overwhelmed at points by the weight of it all, different diversions steadied Achonwa, an Indiana Fever forward and member of the WNBPA's executive committee. She baked desserts for her team. She FaceTimed her boyfriend for date nights during which they'd order similar food. She sought out "any moment to myself that I could to take a breath." On the first day of the racial justice sit-outs in August, the league's 144 players met in a hotel conference room to decide how to act, and their togetherness strengthened and energized her, one more prompt to keep digging deep."Being in the bubble, in moments of isolation and moments of not having that release, can really eat at you," Achonwa said. "I just had to continue to remind myself that it's bigger than this moment. It's bigger than the bubble. It's bigger than me. That would be my daily motivation."––––––––––To remember how sports looked in 2020 will be to picture a patchwork of defining scenes. Players marched shoulder to shoulder, kneeled arm in arm, competed in front of cardboard cutouts and heads that beamed from screens. In late September, unmasked fans drank from the Stanley Cup in Tampa. In late October, Justin Turner returned to the field while infected to revel in the Dodgers' World Series win. In late November, practice-squad receiver Kendall Hinton took snaps at quarterback for the Denver Broncos, because in the NFL, when COVID-19 forces an entire QB group into quarantine, the game must go on.Safety wasn't always the priority that prevailed, but when the games continued in bubbles, at least, nobody got sick. League events staffers were the backbone of these operations. Hundreds of them resided on scene for months, tasked with facilitating the unprecedented on deadline.Mayer, the NHL's bubble boss and chief content officer, woke up in Edmonton in mid-July, fewer than two weeks before teams arrived, to the sight of a dilemma: the busy block between his hotel and the arena would have to be shut to the public to assure safe passage into the hub. League employees got the city to erect fences, and once inside, they devised a 12-line testing site that swabbed players and other personnel for COVID-19 without wasting their time. This was the sort of solution, Mayer said, that wound up convincing wary dwellers that bubbles had merit. Maddie Meyer / Getty ImagesLisa Baird, the first-year commissioner of the NWSL, started in her role on March 10, the day before Rudy Gobert's positive test shut down the NBA season and, in succession, all of sports. Her league's path into the bubble was fraught: a coronavirus outbreak forced one squad, the Orlando Pride, to withdraw right before they were to travel to Utah. Baird's staff rejigged the schedule, and on site, their medical protocols held. The tournament finalists, Houston and the Chicago Red Stars, got to contest the full slate of seven matches at altitude."The thing that really touched me the most was how incredibly professional the players were," Baird said. "To do a group-round, knockout tournament that early in the season, it just took so much grit."Across sports, the protagonists of 2020 will carry forward their own defining memories. Early in the Lakers' title run, Rajon Rondo reminded Caruso he'd won an NBA ring when he was young, and Caruso felt imbued with the confidence to play freely. When the Blue Jays qualified for the playoffs in Buffalo, Borucki hugged Danny Jansen and Cavan Biggio, teammates with whom he shared a two-bedroom apartment in Single-A ball. In 2017, Columbus Crew supporters mobilized to stop the club from relocating, and last weekend, they got to see the Crew win the MLS Cup at home.Patrick Maroon, a back-to-back NHL champion who joined the Lightning in 2019-20, remembers the relief his weary teammates felt after Brayden Point scored on Columbus in the fifth overtime. Their persistence had been rewarded - "The guys just kept sticking with it, staying in the structure," Maroon said - and now the group was assured that they'd gotten over last year's sweep."It was like a big brick was lifted off our shoulders," Maroon said. Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesLike Achonwa musing about video calls and player solidarity, others remember small blessings that eased the strain. During his months in the NHL bubble, Oleksiak, Maroon's opponent in the final, discovered solace in getting to leave the hotel to play games. Consider it a testament to one of the takeaways from Hamilton, the Lightning's mental performance coach. In sports as in life, when times are trying and stress is chronic, there's value in finding things for which to be grateful, he said, "however fleeting" they may be.The longer a player stayed in the bubble, of course, the longer their season had purpose. Whenever an NHL team came within a loss of being eliminated, officials had to sit with Mayer to plan the logistics of how they'd depart. Teams indulged the hypothetical in the name of safety, but usually, they ended these meetings professing confidence: They weren't going to lose their next game."I can't tell you how many times we met with the same team over and over and over again," Mayer said.So it is that we return to Jimmy Butler gasping for air in Game 5 of The Finals, down a point late but about to deliver at the stripe. Watching at school in Michigan, Mike Smith thought about those hiatus runs, all the miles he and Butler clocked on trembling legs as the NBA paused, and he thought about each little contest that had animated their downtime together. Dominoes. Uno. Paddle tennis. Arcing crumpled paper into the garbage.Butler yearned to dominate those time-fillers. The same propellant was fueling him against LeBron."I think that's where his resilience comes from," Smith said. "Wanting to be the best."Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

America's most respected infectious disease expert is recommending the NHL employ its backup plan for the 2020-21 campaign rather than the league's favored strategy."I'm told that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has sought the counsel of Dr. Tony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health over the course of this pandemic, and one of the recommendations that Dr. Fauci had made to Gary Bettman over the last number of weeks was, 'If you want to pull this off and start the NHL season safely, the best way to do that would be in hubs,'" TSN's Frank Seravalli reported Tuesday on "Insider Trading.""That's not the preference of both clubs and players, but I'm told that hubs very much remain a Plan B and are on the table," Seravalli added.The NHL and NHLPA are in the midst of talks seeking to establish terms for the upcoming season. While the two sides reportedly prefer a 56-game schedule, Bettman says putting the players in a bubble for longer than the duration of the 2019-20 return to play wouldn't be ideal."(Playing in home arenas) will not be as risk-averse as being in a bubble or a hub, but for an entire regular season, even if it's abbreviated, we didn't think we could put the players in a bubble for six months," the commissioner said Wednesday, according to NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. "That just wasn't practical."However, Bettman acknowledged the league is exploring the possibility of using hubs in some capacity."If enough teams can't play, again, without fans, in their own facilities, then we may have to move more and more toward a hub," he said. "It may be that some teams are playing in other buildings. It may be that a whole group of teams have to play in other buildings."

The Chicago Blackhawks named incumbent general manager Stan Bowman the club's new president of hockey operations, the team announced Wednesday.He'll perform in both roles moving forward."This is a special day for the Blackhawks organization and shows the bright future ahead for the team. I would like to thank Rocky and Danny Wirtz for their continued support and the opportunity to serve in this new role. Their leadership in developing the new organizational structure has set the stage for sustained success in the coming years," Bowman said in the release.The Blackhawks also named Jaime Faulkner the new president of business operations and Danny Wirtz the club's chief executive officer in a significant front-office overhaul.Faulkner was named one of Sports Business Journal's women game-changers in sports in 2015. She becomes the fourth woman in Chicago's hockey ops after the club recently hired Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield as a player development coach.Chicago abruptly fired former president and CEO John McDonough in April after 13 years with the organization.Bowman was hired as Chicago's general manager in 2009 and led the franchise to three Stanley Cups from 2010-15.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom is cancer-free just over one year after being diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma."What a year!" Lindblom's girlfriend, Alma, posted Tuesday on Instagram. "369 days ago we found out that Oskar had cancer, and today we got to know that the scans are clear after his second checkup."

Mitch Marner has a strong idea what kind of teammate the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting in Joe Thornton - all thanks to Patrick Marleau.Marner - and Auston Matthews - formed a strong friendship with Marleau during his two years in Blue and White. As a longtime teammate of Thornton's with the San Jose Sharks, Marleau gave Marner the rundown on Jumbo Joe."Throughout Patty's time here, he's talked to me and Auston a good amount about Jumbo, just says ... (he) keeps everything light, has a great time, but on the ice, he's a competitive guy. He plays hard, and he wants to win," Marner told Sportsnet's Tim and Sid on Tuesday."I'm excited. I mean, everything I've heard about him, he just seems like an unbelievable dude, and Patty's always relayed that back to us. I'm excited to get talking to him, and as soon as he signed, I sent him a big text saying, super excited to have him, and I think he's going to do a lot."The Maple Leafs signed Thornton to a one-year contract for the league minimum of $700,000 this offseason. The 41-year-old tallied 31 points in 70 games with the Sharks last season, but he's just one year removed from a 51-point campaign.Thornton also played 12 games with HC Davos of the Swiss League this year and registered 11 points. He left Davos on Monday to head to Toronto for the Leafs training camp.While Thornton projects to serve as Toronto's third-line center, it remains to be seen what kind of impact he can still have on the ice. Off the ice, however, there's no questioning Thornton's character and leadership.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Western Hockey League pushed back its targeted Jan. 8 start date due to public health restrictions that remain in place across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest U.S."We continue to make every effort to get our season started, but our first priority has always been the health and safety of our players, and everyone associated with the WHL," commissioner Ron Robison said in a statement."Given the public health restrictions that are currently in effect, we are not in a position to determine a new target date for our season. We will continue to consult with health authorities to determine when it is safe and responsible to get our season started."The board of governors will meet in January to discuss a new target start date, and the league will continue to work with government and health authorities to establish a plan for the 2020-21 season.The WHL, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey League - which all fall under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella - ended their 2019-20 seasons early due to the pandemic and didn't hold playoffs.Of the three, only the QMJHL began its 2020-21 season. However, the league suspended play in November and aims to resume on Jan. 3.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty believes his experience playing in Montreal has taught him how to handle outside pressure."I played in Montreal for 10 years, so this is lightweight stuff," Pacioretty said Tuesday regarding a recent report that suggested Vegas is looking to trade him, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I've heard a lot worse. ... This is nothing."Team owner Bill Foley denied the rumors, but the Golden Knights are nearly $1 million over the salary cap, and Pacioretty's contract carries a $7-million hit for three more seasons.Pacioretty's production would be difficult to replace. The 32-year-old led the Golden Knights in goals (32), points (66), and shots (307) in 71 games last season.The former Canadiens captain played under constant trade rumors during his final season in Montreal. Pacioretty insisted he never wanted to leave, but Habs general manager Marc Bergevin claims he asked for a trade. Pacioretty was eventually dealt to Vegas in September 2018 for Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a second-round pick.The Golden Knights have also reportedly explored moving Jonathan Marchessault and Marc-Andre Fleury.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer is well aware of the level of competition his club may have to face next season should the NHL's reported realignment plan remain as is.The Golden Knights, who finished atop the Pacific Division in 2019-20, are slated to be in a group featuring the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars. Those three clubs sat first, second, and third respectively in the Central before the season was paused.“That’s the group of death, to use a soccer term,” DeBoer said Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.Vegas is somewhat familiar with the three Central Division giants. DeBoer's club knocked off each team in last summer's round robin to determine the top four seeds in the Western Conference playoffs. The Golden Knights were eventually eliminated in five games by the Stars in the conference finals.Despite DeBoer's declaration, the division's other half would feature the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Arizona Coyotes. Each of those clubs finished in the bottom 10 of the NHL last season for points percentage.Though the reported divisions aren't official, the NHL will be realigning teams to mitigate travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the $500,000 worth of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia taken from his father Walter Gretzky's home, Brantford Police Services announced Tuesday.The Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police were involved in the investigation as well.The Gretzky family contacted police in August after realizing several valuable artifacts from The Great One's career went missing. The three-month investigation concluded the memorabilia was sold to various collectors across Canada.Multiple game-used sticks, hockey gloves, pants, jerseys, and a Player of the Year award were recovered and returned.The investigation is currently ongoing. The police charged a 58-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman, both from Ontario.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes added some championship pedigree to their bench, hiring two-time Stanley Cup winner Cory Stillman as an assistant coach Tuesday.Stillman was previously the head coach of the OHL's Sudbury Wolves, a role he occupied for the last three seasons.The 46-year-old served as the Carolina Hurricanes' director of development for five campaigns and also worked in the Florida Panthers' player development department.Stillman won titles with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2003-04) and the Hurricanes (2005-06) as a player. The former forward notched 278 goals and 449 assists in 1,025 games over a 16-year career while playing for six teams, including the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, and the Panthers.Stillman joins legendary former defenseman Phil Housley as an assistant on Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet's staff under new general manager Bill Armstrong.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Melker Karlsson will play the 2020-21 season on his home soil.The forward, who's been an unrestricted free agent, has inked a deal with Skelleftea AIK in Sweden for the rest of their ongoing campaign, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.Karlsson played the last six seasons with the San Jose Sharks, helping the team ice the NHL's best penalty-killing unit in 2019-20.The Sharks signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Sweden in 2014. Before that, the 30-year-old spent parts of six campaigns with Skelleftea.Karlsson posted 112 points in 396 NHL games.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.Canada completed its three-peat at the 1995 world juniors, winning gold with a perfect record at the tournament held in Red Deer, Alberta. The roster was one of the most dominant the tourney has ever seen, loaded with first-round picks and players who went on to have impressive professional careers.This edition of the world juniors was the last one to rely solely on a round-robin format. The IIHF implemented two groups and a medal round in 1996, which is still used today.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeShean DonovanF19Alexandre DaigleF19Marty Murray*F19Todd HarveyF19Darcy TuckerF19Larry CourvilleF19Jason Allison*F19Eric DazeF19Denis PedersonF19Ryan SmythF18Jeff O'NeillF18Jason Botterill*F18Jeff Friesen*F18Jamie RiversD19Bryan McCabe*D19Lee SorochanD19Nolan BaumgartnerD18Ed JovanovskiD18Chad AllanD18Wade ReddenD17Jamie Storr*G19Dan CloutierG18*Denotes returning player

Nick Foligno was sad to see Josh Anderson leave the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he believes the trade that sent Anderson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Max Domi will work out well for all parties."(Anderson's) a great player. Obviously, last year he had an injury season and couldn't find his way back, but he's a big asset," the Blue Jackets captain Monday on TSN Radio 690. "It was, I'm sure, not an easy decision for (general manager) Jarmo (Kekalainen) to make, and for all of us - we all love Josh, he's a great teammate."I think he's going to fit in really well there and do great things. I'm really happy that he seems to be in a place where he's excited about, and we'll miss him."Foligno added: "It was hard to see him go, but that's the business."The Blue Jackets and Canadiens swapped the young forwards in October. Both players were restricted free agents at the time, and both have since signed fresh deals with their new clubs. Domi inked a two-year, $10.6-million pact with Columbus, while Anderson agreed to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract with Montreal.Domi and Anderson both enjoyed their strongest NHL season in 2018-2019: Domi set career highs in goals (28), assists (44), and points (72), while Anderson also recorded personal bests with 27 goals, 20 assists, and 47 points.But both forwards struggled in 2019-20. Domi, 25, often found himself in a reduced role with the Canadiens and finished with 17 goals and 27 assists in 71 games; Anderson, 26, battled a shoulder injury and managed just one goal and three assists in 26 contests.Despite Domi's lackluster performance with Montreal last season, Foligno likes what he's previously seen from the 2013 first-round pick and is expecting him to return to form with the Blue Jackets."I think we gained a really good player coming back in Max Domi," Foligno said. "I know things maybe didn't work out the last year for him there, but I remember his first year there (in Montreal) and how dominant he was. For him to find that footing again and get all the opportunities that he's going to get here, it could be a really, really good thing for our team."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.In the 18th edition of the annual tournament, Canada was seeking its second straight gold medal. The 1994 world juniors marked the second last year using the round-robin format, with no quarterfinals, semifinals, or gold-medal game.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeJason AllisonF18Jason BotterillF17Curtis BowenF19Anson CarterF19Brandon ConveryF19Yanick DubeF19Jeff FriesenF17Aaron GaveyF19Martin Gendron*F19Rick GirardF19Todd HarveyF18Marty MurrayF18Mike PecaF19Chris ArmstrongD18Drew BannisterD19Joel Bouchard*D19Bryan McCabeD18Nick StajduharD19Brent Tully*D19Brendan WittD18Manny FernandezG19Jamie StorrG18*Denotes returning player

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.The 1993 World Junior Hockey Championship in Gavle, Sweden, was an important one for Canada.One year beforehand, the team sputtered to a sixth-place finish despite boasting the likes of Eric Lindros and Scott Niedermayer.Neither of those future Hall of Famers returned to the '93 squad, but it still featured its share of standout performers, including another eventual legend who cemented himself as a budding star with his play in this tourney and a goaltender who stole the show.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeJeff BesF19Alexandre DaigleF17Jason DaweF19Martin GendronF18Chris GrattonF17Ralph IntranuovoF19Paul Kariya*F18Nathan LaFayetteF19Martin Lapointe*F19Dean McAmmondF19Rob NiedermayerF18Jeff ShantzF19Tyler Wright*F19Adrian AucoinD19Joel BouchardD18Chris ProngerD18Mike RathjeD18Jason SmithD19Brent TullyD18Darcy WerenkaD19Phillippe DeRouvilleG18Manny LegaceG19*Denotes returning player

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning is confident his club's young group of stars will ultimately lead the franchise to a Stanley Cup - he just needs to sign them first.Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko are all restricted free agents after the 2021 season, and Benning believes the impending salary cap restructuring will be easily resolved by then."They're real important players for our franchise," Benning told NHL.com's Pete Jensen. "We can figure out a way that makes sense for those guys and for the organization to get them signed, and that's going to be our intention. They're going to be part of our core group, we think, for when we do win the Cup. We're excited to have them."Vancouver projects to have $24 million in cap space for the 2021-22 campaign but only has 14 players signed to this point. Pettersson and Hughes combined could take up the vast majority of that available money if the Canucks opt to sign the pair of superstars long term, and Demko, 25, will be worth much more than the $1.05 million he's currently making if he emerges as the goaltender of the future.All three players are eligible to sign extensions. In November, Benning said the club and Pettersson had yet to engage in substantive contract talks.The Canucks are coming off their most successful season in nearly a decade. The club won a playoff round for the first time since 2011, ultimately losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round in seven games.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pierre Lacroix, longtime president and general manager of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche, died Sunday at the age of 72, the team announced."Pierre was the architect of the Avalanche's two Stanley Cup championships, which included the city of Denver's first major sports championship in 1996," the Avalanche said in a statement. "Pierre was instrumental in not only the team's on-ice success but also building the Avalanche brand into what it is today. His legacy reaches far beyond the NHL level and his impact can be felt throughout all of youth hockey in the Rocky Mountain region."Lacroix was named general manager and president of the Nordiques in 1994 and followed the team to Colorado the following season. He played an instrumental part in building two Stanley Cup-winning Avalanche teams.He made numerous big trades during his career, including acquiring a disgruntled Patrick Roy from the Montreal Canadiens during the 1995-96 season, Ray Bourque during the 1999-2000 campaign, and Rob Blake during the 2000-01 season. The Avalanche won two Cups during his tenure - 1996 and 2001 - due in large part to his acquisitions.Lacroix stepped down as general manager in 2006 but remained president until 2013 when he took on an advisory role.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Braden Holtby will not wear the new Indigenous-themed mask he had planned to debut with his new team this season after being accused of cultural appropriation."I just wanted to make sure I apologize to anyone I had offended," Holtby told CTV News' Emad Agahi on Saturday. "It was definitely not my intent and I definitely learned a valuable lesson through this all and I'll make sure I'm better and moving forward, do the things that help the community the most."In a now-deleted Instagram post, Swedish goalie mask artist Dave Gunnarsson shared his design for Holtby's headgear, which he wrote depicted "the myth of the Thunderbird, a Canadian west (coast) myth." Gunnarsson also described the image, as shown below, as "The Northwest Coast Indigenous Myth." (Courtesy: Reddit Hockey)Gunnarsson took the post down a day later after social media users claimed it appropriated Aboriginal culture. Several First Nations figures agreed."When we see the mask, although looking brilliant, one of the first questions you ask is, 'Who made it?'" said Robert Philips, a member of the First Nations Summit Political Executive and the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (Shuswap) of the Canim Lake First Nation."Immediately thoughts of cultural appropriation come up,” Philips told Agahi.Jay Soule, an Indigenous artist based in Toronto, had a suggestion for Holtby."If the goalie in question wants to use Indigenous art on his helmet, the right thing to do would be just to reach out to an Indigenous artist and commission (them) to do that," Soule said.Soule added that when this kind of work comes from non-Indigenous artists, it has a "catastrophic" effect on his community's economy. The artist also said he too believes it was cultural appropriation, but lauded Gunnarsson for taking "a step in the right direction" by removing the post.Holtby told Agahi he plans to collaborate with a First Nations artist for a new mask he'll wear for the 2020-21 season.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan has high expectations for this season and believes his club is ready to take the next step beyond its rebuild."The players that are coming back this year, they're long-term players for us," McLellan said Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris. "I heard (general manager) Rob Blake talk to each of the individuals saying, 'Listen, we are basically done with the initial phase of the rebuilding.'"We've moved players around and out and brought different players in. It's time to turn the ship and let's start growing all of this."The Kings missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 2019-20 but showed signs of improvement down the stretch, winning 10 of their final 13 contests. Los Angeles also boasted gaudy possession numbers, ranking fourth in both Corsi For (53.10%) and shot share (52.51%), and eighth in expected goals for percentage (51.95%) at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.McLellan hopes the influx of young, promising talent will help translates those numbers into more goals. The team added second overall pick Quinton Byfield to a pipeline of encouraging prospects that includes 2019 first-rounder Alex Turcotte, Finnish pivot Rasmus Kupari, and American sniper Arthur Kaliyev, among others.The Kings bench boss believes Blake's commitment to taking the next step will serve as motivation for perennial pieces such as Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty.“If I’m one of the five long-term veterans coming back, I got to be excited to hear that. I’ve got to be excited about seeing [Blake] bring guys like Maatta in and trading for Lias Andersson."That’s signaling that we’re trying to make our team better and trying to push now up the hill rather than just waiting, not necessarily to bottom out, that’s a bad term, but for the cleanse to finish. I think there’s more stability."The NHL is targeting Jan. 13 for opening day and a 56-game schedule for the 2020-21 campaign.Nothing has been made official, but the Kings will reportedly play in a realigned division featuring the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, and Vegas Golden Knights.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The United States finalized its 25-man roster for the 2021 world juniors Saturday.The group features eight members from the 2020 team that failed to medal. All rosters include two extra players this year due to the unusual circumstances of holding the tournament in a bubble.One interesting omission is Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson. He's one of America's top forward options, but TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Friday that Robertson would be forced to miss NHL training camp if he were to participate in the tournament due to quarantine protocols.*Denotes returning playerForwardsPlayerNHL draftMatthew Beniers2021 eligibleBrett BerardNo. 134 in 2020 (NYR)Matthew BoldyNo. 12 in 2019 MIN)Bobby Brink*No. 34 in 2019 (PHI)Brendan BrissonNo. 29 in 2020 (VGK)Cole Caufield*No. 15 in 2019 (MTL)Sam ColangeloNo. 36 in 2020 (ANA)John FarinacciNo. 76 in 2019 (ARI)Arthur Kaliyev*No. 33 in 2019 (LA)Patrick MoynihanNo. 158 in 2019 (NJ)Landon SlaggertNo. 79 in 2020 (CHI)Alex Turcotte*No. 5 in 2019 (LA)Trevor Zegras*No. 9 in 2019 (ANA)DefensePlayerNHL draftBrock FaberNo. 45 in 2020 (LA)Drew HellesonNo. 47 in 2019 (COL)Ryan JohnsonNo. 31 in 2019 (BUF)Tyler KlevenNo. 44 in 2020 (OTT)Jackson LacombeNo. 39 in 2019 (ANAJake SandersonNo. 5 in 2020 (OTT)Hunter SkinnerNo. 112 in 2019 (NYR)Henry ThrunNo. 101 in 2019 (ANA)Cam York*No. 14 in 2019 (PHI)GoaliesPlayerNHL draftSpencer Knight*No. 13 in 2019 (FLA)Logan SteinUndraftedDustin Wolf*No. 214 in 2019 (CGY)Team USA has two exhibitions scheduled on Dec. 20 and Dec. 22 before beginning the tournament versus Russia on Christmas Day.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.The 1991 edition of the world juniors took place throughout Saskatchewan and saw Team Canada take home its second consecutive gold medal. Once again, the squad faced stiff competition after edging out the Soviet Union for gold in 1990. With the round-robin format still in place, Canada came out on top with a clutch win in their final game.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeMike Craig*F19Dale CraigwellF19Kris DraperF19Martin LapointeF17Pat FalloonF18Greg JohnsonF19Eric Lindros*F17Kent Manderville*F19Brad MayF19Steven Rice*F19Pierre SevignyF19Mike SillingerF19Scott ThorntonF19Patrice Brisebois*D19Karl DykhuisD18David HarlockD19Jason MarshallD19John SlaneyD18Chris SnellD19Scott NiedermayerD17Trevor KiddG18Felix PotvinG19*Denotes returning player

The Detroit Red Wings have traded the rights to forward Dmytro Timashov to the New York Islanders for future considerations.Timashov, a restricted free agent, played five games with the Red Wings last season after Detroit claimed him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs in late February.The 24-year-old reunites with Lou Lamoriello, the Islanders' president and general manager, who left the Maple Leafs to join New York in May 2018.Timashov collected four goals and five assists in 39 contests during his first NHL season with Toronto in 2019-20. Before that, the Ukrainian winger played three campaigns with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, helping them win the Calder Cup in 2018.The Maple Leafs drafted him 125th overall in 2015.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Forward Seth Jarvis was the most notable player among the final cuts when Canada announced its roster for the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship on Friday.Joining the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft are forwards Samuel Poulin, Mavrik Bourque, Graeme Clarke, Gage Goncalves, and Jamieson Rees, and defensemen Ryan O'Rourke, Lukas Cormier, and Donovan Sebrango.Shane Wright, a 16-year-old phenom, headlined Thursday's cuts.The IIHF raised the roster limit to 25 players this year - two more than usual - due to the unusual circumstances of holding the tournament in a bubble.Here's Canada's final roster, which consists of 20 first-round picks, including all 14 forwards.*Denotes returning playerForwardsPlayerNHL DraftKirby DachNo. 3 in 2019 (CHI)Connor ZaryNo. 24 in 2020 (CGY)Dylan HollowayNo. 14 in 2020 (EDM)Cole PerfettiNo. 10 in 2020 (WPG)Jakob PelletierNo. 26 in 2019 (CGY)Alex NewhookNo. 16 in 2019 (COL)Ryan SuzukiNo. 28 in 2019 (CAR)Connor McMichael*No. 25 in 2019 (WSH)Peyton KrebsNo. 17 in 2019 (VGK)Quinton Byfield*No. 2 in 2020 (LA)Dawson Mercer*No. 18 in 2020 (NJ)Dylan Cozens*No. 7 in 2019 (BUF)Philip TomasinoNo. 24 in 2019 (NSH)Jack QuinnNo. 8 in 2020 (BUF)DefensePlayerNHL DraftBraden SchneiderNo. 19 in 2020 (NYR)Kaedan KorczakNo. 41 in 2019 (VGK)Bowen Byram*No. 4 in 2019 (COL)Thomas HarleyNo. 18 in 2019 (DAL)Jamie Drysdale*No. 6 in 2020 (ANA)Jordan SpenceNo. 95 in 2019 (LA)Kaiden GuhleNo. 16 in 2020 (MTL)Justin BarronNo. 25 in 2020 (COL)GoaliesPlayerNHL DraftDevon LeviNo. 212 in 2020 (FLA)Taylor Gauthier2021 eligibleDylan GarandNo. 103 in 2020 (NYR)There are two lines starting to develop chemistry in practices that could stay intact to begin the tournament, notes TSN's Bob McKenzie:LWCRWConnor McMichaelDylan CozensKirby DachDylan HollowayAlex NewhookJakob PelletierThe top-three defense pairings project to look as follows, McKenzie adds.LDRDBowen ByramJamie DrysdaleThomas HarleyBraden SchneiderKaiden GuhleJustin BarronCanada begins its gold-medal defense on Dec. 26 against Germany.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hockey's favorite youth team is making a comeback.Disney announced a new installment in the hit "Mighty Ducks" franchise Thursday and a trailer for "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" TV series surfaced Friday, providing some major nostalgia for those who have indulged in the '90s movie trilogy.

It's been over 20 years since Wayne Gretzky last played in the NHL, but The Great One is still breaking records.A 1979 Gretzky O-Pee-Chee Gem Mint rookie card sold for $1.29 million on Thursday, according to Heritage Auctions. There are only two specific 1979 Gretzky O-Pee-Chee cards to receive a Professional Sports Authenticator 10 gem mint status, making it extremely rare.It's the first hockey card to surpass the $1-million mark. It's also the sixth-most expensive sports card ever sold, trailing a 2009 Mike Trout ($3.9M), a 1909 Honus Wagner ($3.3M), a 1952 Mickey Mantle ($2.9M), a 2013-14 Giannis Antetokounmpo ($1.9M), and a 2003-04 LeBron James ($1.8M), according to a list made in November by Groove Wallet.Gretzky is the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. Even if you took away his 894 career goals, his 1,963 assists would still be the most points ever. He won 10 Art Ross Trophies, nine Hart Trophies, and four Stanley Cups.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.The 1990 world junior championship returned to Helsinki, where Canada captured gold the last time Finland hosted the event in 1985.With only two returning players, the Canadian squad was a group of fresh faces looking to make their marks on the international stage.The rosterPlayerPositionAgeDave ChyzowskiF18Mike NeedhamF19Stu BarnesF19Dwayne NorrisF19Wes WalzF19Eric LindrosF16Mike Ricci*F18Mike CraigF18Kent MandervilleF18Scott PellerinF19Steven RiceF18Kris DraperF18Patrice BriseboisD18Kevin HallerD19Dan RatushnyD19Jason HerterD19Stewart MalgunasD19Adrien PlavsicD19Stephane Fiset*G19Trevor KiddG17*Denotes returning player

The man who put together the championship team at the last best-on-best men's international hockey tournament will likely be entrusted to do it again."(St. Louis Blues general manager) Doug Armstrong will be asked to come back and be GM of Canada's national team for the Olympics," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on the latest edition of "Insider Trading."The NHL's participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics is still not a certainty, as the league and the IOC still need to hammer out an agreement.Armstrong assembled the Canadian team that won gold at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. The longtime executive was also part of the Canadian management groups that built championship clubs at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics as well as the World Championships in 2007 and 2016.The executive constructed the St. Louis squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2019, becoming the first individual in management to join the Double Triple Gold Club by winning two titles in the NHL, a pair at the Olympics, and two more at the worlds.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The border between Canada and the United States remains closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but that won't stop NHL teams in one nation from making deals with clubs in the other.There will be no rules preventing intercountry trades, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on the latest edition of "Insider Trading."However, players traded from Canada to the U.S. or vice versa will still be subject to quarantine protocols in the relevant provinces or states, LeBrun added.The border has been closed to all non-essential travel since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford recently expressed concern that he wouldn't be able to make as many swaps as he usually does due to the travel restrictions.The NHL is reportedly targeting a Jan. 13 start date for the 2020-21 season. Both the league and the NHLPA prefer a 56-game schedule.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is exploring the idea of selling ads on players' helmets in an effort to create additional revenue, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The possibility was brought up during Wednesday's Board of Governors call, but there won't be any formal comment until team presidents are informed Monday, Friedman adds.Commissioner Gary Bettman has said numerous times before that ads do not belong on NHL jerseys. However, the league is looking to recoup some of the money lost from the shortened 2019-20 season.Helmet ads are one of several issues the NHL is tackling leading up to its hopeful Jan. 13 start date. Other areas of interest include playoff formats, divisional realignment, and COVID-19 protocols.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin has made good use of his team's extended layoff and is feeling better physically than he has before."I'm definitely a lot stronger. ... Even William (Nylander) can't even handle me on the ice right now," Sandin said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.The 20-year-old returned to Sweden when Toronto was eliminated from the 2019-20 postseason and has been training with teammate and friend Nylander, which Sandin said recently resulted in many broken sticks on the forward's end.Sandin said that being able to practice against a more experienced NHL player has helped him measure his progression."He's obviously a great player, so going against him, I can play in a little bit of a different way," Sandin said. "Before I definitely was just more trying to have my stick and trying to be more in a good position. Now I can pair that up ... with pushing other players from the puck a bit more and winning those battles."That's why I feel like this (prolonged break) has helped me a lot on the ice."Sandin appeared in 26 games with the Maple Leafs this past season, and he also spent 21 games with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.Though a spot on the Maple Leafs' roster isn't a lock due to their sudden logjam on the blue line, Sandin hopes to do whatever he can to help the team succeed."Play all the games I can and make a bigger impact on the team this year - try to help the team win more games," Sandin said of his goals for the upcoming season. "I feel prepared and I can't wait to get camp started."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley poured cold water on a recent report indicating the club is looking to trade forward Max Pacioretty."We're not shopping Patches," Foley told KLAS TV. "We do have cap issues, and so some of those things have to be resolved as we go forward, we started getting into the season. But he definitely is not being shopped."The Golden Knights' cap issues are front and center as the NHL inches closer to a potential return in mid-January. TSN's Frank Seravalli reported Tuesday that Pacioretty is on the block. Forward Jonathan Marchessault and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury were identified as other potential trade pieces by The Athletic's Jesse Granger on Wednesday.Vegas is about $1 million over the $81.5-million salary cap, according to Cap Friendly. The Golden Knights' busy offseason saw them land prized free agent Alex Pietrangelo while also awarding goaltender Robin Lehner with a long-term extension.Pacioretty counts for $7 million against the cap every year until 2023. He was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 and led the Golden Knights with 32 goals this past season.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Canada has released seven players from its national junior team camp, Hockey Canada announced Thursday.Forwards Adam Beckman, Tyson Foerster, Hendrix Lapierre, Cole Schwindt, and Shane Wright were among the players to be released.Team Canada also cut goaltenders Brett Brochu and Tristan Lennox, leaving it with three goalies on the roster: Devon Levi, Dylan Garand, and Taylor Gauthier.Wright, who's expected to be the top pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, is the most notable name to not make the team. He was vying to join the likes of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Wayne Gretzky as 16-year-olds who suited up for Team Canada.Canada still has 34 players remaining on its roster. The team will need to make nine more cuts after Thursday night's intra-squad scrimmage.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.