Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Many questions remain after the NHL approved a 24-team return-to-play format Tuesday - especially regarding how the league will ensure the safety of players and team personnel.Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league will test players and personnel every evening for the coronavirus once play resumes, with results to be made available the following morning, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.In total, Bettman thinks the NHL could conduct 25,000-30,000 tests throughout the playoffs, an endeavor costing "millions of dollars."Bettman added in his return-to-play announcement that each team will be limited to 50 personnel in a hub city.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.The NHL Draft Lottery will be held June 26, and it will feature a few new wrinkles due to the league's 24-team playoff, commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday.There are three lottery spots up for grabs. The teams included in the lottery will be the seven clubs that failed to qualify for the expanded playoff, and eight "placeholders" to represent the squads that don't advance out of the qualifying round.Odds for the picks will be the same as in years past. Here's how the teams stack up:TeamPoints %Odds1. Detroit Red Wings.27518.5%2. Ottawa Senators.43713.5%3. Ottawa Senators*.43711.5%4. Los Angeles Kings.4579.5%5. Anaheim Ducks.4728.5%6. New Jersey Devils.4937.5%7. Buffalo Sabres.4936.5%8. Team An/a6.0%9. Team Bn/a5.0%10. Team Cn/a3.5%11. Team Dn/a3.0%12. Team En/a2.5%13. Team Fn/a2.0%14. Team Gn/a1.5%15. Team Hn/a1.0%The Senators' second pick was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade. The Devils get the higher odds over the Sabres due to Buffalo recording more regulation and overtime wins.If the top three spots are awarded to any combination of the first seven teams, those clubs nab the corresponding pick and the rest of the list carries on as usual. Teams eliminated from the qualifying round would then take up spots eight to 15 based on inverse order of the regular-season points percentage.However, if one or more of the placeholders moves up and wins a top-three selection, the rights to those picks will be determined in the second phase of the draft lottery. If necessary, that will be held between the qualifying and first rounds of the playoffs.The draws during a potential second phase will only include the eight teams that failed to advance out of the play-in best-of-five series.The date of the draft is still undetermined, but it will occur after the playoffs.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Tuesday that the NHL will stage a 24-team playoff split by conference between two hub cities, with timelines and locations to be finalized at a later date.The top four seeds in each conference will get byes, while seeds 5-12 will battle in best-of-five series to determine who advances. The NHL and NHLPA have yet to decide whether teams will be reseeded or if the postseason will use a bracket format.The matchups are based on points percentage in conference standings through games played until March 12. Teams with byes will all play each other once under regular-season rules to determine their seeding in the next round.Here's a look at how it breaks down.Eastern ConferenceByes: (No. 1) Boston Bruins, (No. 2) Tampa Bay Lightning, (No. 3) Washington Capitals, (No. 4) Philadelphia Flyers

Baby steps.That's what it's going to take for NHL action to return this summer, but the hope is clearly that play will resume.The league and the players' association continued to move in that direction Tuesday, announcing the approval of a 24-team playoff format to be played in two hub cities at some point this summer.The news followed Monday's announcement intending to transition from Phase 1 (months of self-quarantining) into Phase 2 of a four-stage plan aimed at relaunching the 2019-20 season, which has been on hiatus since March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Phase 2, which is targeted to begin sometime in early June and was labeled "strictly voluntary" for players in a 22-page memo from the league, revolves around the introduction of small-group training sessions. Concrete dates for Phase 2 and timelines for Phase 3 (full team training camps) and Phase 4 (resumption of games in multiple hub cities), are still to be determined.In light of recent news, let's take a look at some lingering questions.Will Phase 2 be a success?In examining Phase 2, the words "comprehensive," "thorough," and "meticulous" come to mind. The health and safety of not only players, but also coaches and support staff, seems to be top priority in a delicate, constantly evolving situation.A maximum of six players will be allowed to train together at a time, with coaches and other personnel prohibited from participating in the non-contact on-ice sessions. Players can train off the ice, though regular social distancing measures apply. When a player is inside a team facility but not on the ice or in the gym, he must wear a surgical-type mask or face cloth."If players are present in the locker room at the same time, they must appropriately socially distance at all times (i.e., be at least 6 feet apart)," the memo read. "Clubs shall coordinate small group sessions that will allow for appropriate spacing between players' designated stalls in the locker room." Patrick Smith / Getty ImagesPlayers and staff will take a nasal swab test 48 hours prior to the start of this special training period and will be tested in the same way twice a week. Players will also undergo temperature and symptom checks twice a day - once at home on their own, and once when they arrive at the team facility. A designated "facility hygiene officer" will administer the second test.Another bright spot: The NHL clearly consulted with all parties involved to create Phase 2's guidelines. For example, the NHL specifies that supplements (such as BioSteel or Gatorade) should only be available in single-serving packs in an effort to avoid sharing from larger containers. I'm going to take a wild guess and suggest it wasn't a player or a league executive who thought of this (my money's on a trainer or doctor).Perhaps the most encouraging part of the plan is the implementation of contact tracing. This means that when someone tests positive for the COVID-19 virus, whoever they were recently in contact with will be identified and tested. Ideally, this course of action will ensure the virus doesn't spread beyond one person or, at worst, a small group of people. Those who are infected can then be quarantined for an appropriate time and hopefully recover in isolation.All of this sounds great on paper, but none of it will really matter if the rules and best practices laid out in the memo aren't followed and enforced. As we've seen across the world over the past few months, execution and attention to detail will be key in Phase 2, as well as in the final two phases.One thing I wonder about in connection to all these precautions is the mental state of some players who suffer from anxiety-related disorders, particularly OCD. How might they react? It might not be easy for them to enter Phase 2, where the smallest misstep could result in a positive test for them or someone they care about.This plan is well-thought-out and seems to have considered just about every what-if scenario, but I am thinking about how people who might encounter additional mental-health hurdles in an abnormal work environment will be affected.Which teams benefit most from the playoff format?It's official: The NHL is going to try its best to crown a 2020 Stanley Cup champion through a 24-team tournament. If all goes according to plan - the NHL/NHLPA Resumption of Play Committee still needs to iron out a number of logistics and safety issues - mid-to-late July could be a reasonable estimate for a restart if the season resumes."We voted strictly on the format," NHLPA rep and Minnesota Wild goalie Devin Dubnyk told The Athletic's Michael Russo. "In other words, 'If we are to come back, this is how it’s going to be played.' But we have not even touched on logistics or cities or travel or testing or how the economics will work or what this quarantine bubble (the players are) supposed to live in will be like or any of that stuff yet."Nothing else has been voted on … yet."In case you missed it, the playoff format calls for four teams in each conference to receive a bye as a reward for regular-season success, though these teams will face each other to determine seeding. Excused from a best-of-five play-in series are the East's Bruins, Lightning, Capitals, and Flyers, and the West's Blues, Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Stars. Here are the play-in matchups, whose winners would advance to a 16-team bracket (it remains possible that the second round is a best-of-five series, as well):Eastern ConferenceWestern ConferencePenguins (5) vs. Canadiens (12)Oilers (5) vs. Blackhawks (12)Hurricanes (6) vs. Rangers (11)Predators (6) vs. Coyotes (11)Islanders (7) vs. Panthers (10)Canucks (7) vs. Wild (10)Maple Leafs (8) vs. Blue Jackets (9)Flames (8) vs. Jets (9) Kirill Kukhmar / Getty ImagesIf the season does resume in July, there'll be a giant gap between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Four months away from the grind offers a clean slate. Handicapping who benefits from this format, then, is difficult. Still, here are a few attempts:Columbus Blue JacketsThe Maple Leafs will have their hands full as Seth Jones and Josh Anderson, two important contributors to a feisty, well-coached Blue Jackets squad, should be recovered from their respective injuries. Columbus was rarely at full health this year and still managed a .579 points percentage (33-22-15, 81 points in 70 games).Then again: NHLers will undoubtedly be rusty in terms of conditioning, timing and coordination, and linemate chemistry. In terms of playing style, does a highly talented run-and-gun team (Toronto, in this instance) have a distinct advantage over a structurally sound team (Columbus)? Or, with no lead-in games before the playoff series, will structure triumph?Philadelphia FlyersPrior to the pause, the Flyers were on a 14-4 run that helped vault them into a top-four spot - a place Boston, Tampa Bay, and Washington occupied for most of the year. Now imagine if Montreal upsets Pittsburgh: Philly would suddenly be facing a comparatively weak first-round foe.Then again: Is bypassing the play-in portion actually a huge benefit to the Flyers and their contemporaries? Aside from owning last change more often than not, how useful will "home ice" be without fan support?St. Louis BluesIn the proposed play-in format, Calgary and Winnipeg - not exactly titans to begin with - will battle hard for a chance to play the Blues. The series goes all five games, right? That should suit the defending champions, who could welcome back Vladimir Tarasenko from his October shoulder surgery.Then again: Count Carolina (Dougie Hamilton and maybe Brett Pesce), Pittsburgh (Jake Guentzel), and Vancouver (Jacob Markstrom) among the handful of teams that should get a significant piece or two back by July. Does St. Louis really have some great advantage?As you can see, there are infinitely more hypotheticals than sure things. The entire format - starting with 24 teams instead of 16 after a rust-inducing layoff, which could increase the possibility of upsets in the play-in round - is a recipe for chaos. In other words, good luck to Vegas oddsmakers.What might cause another shutdown?NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has said that a few players testing positive for COVID-19 wouldn't necessarily derail the postseason. Games would carry on as the players isolate and recover. It wouldn't spell the end of the tournament.But what's the magic number? Would, say, 10 infected players on one team tip the scales toward a cancellation? Could a playoff series be halted after three games because of a widespread infection?Perhaps the NHL won't know the answer unless something extreme happens. Geoffrey Hauschild / Getty ImagesIn each hub city, hundreds of NHL-affiliated personnel will be living and working in a fairly small area. Players, players' families, coaches, on-ice officials, hockey operations employees, public relations employees, trainers, equipment managers, off-ice officials, security personnel, medical personnel, broadcast teams, arena staff, caterers, hotel workers … the list is impossible to complete without knowing the full scope of the NHL's plan, but you get the idea. There's a ton of variables involved in putting on such a large event.Let's face it: COVID-19 cases will inevitably pop up. And while it's encouraging that the NHL is taking a proactive approach to testing, you hope those with underlying health issues avoid infection. The worst-case scenario - someone within the hub-city bubble getting seriously ill or dying - is awful to think about.This league's protocols, while comprehensive, "cannot mitigate all risk," the memo cautioned. "A range of clinical scenarios exist, from very mild to fatal outcome. COVID-19 generally affects older age groups and those with previously existing medical conditions, more so than younger, and otherwise healthy, individuals, and we recognize that players and personnel have family and household members who may fall into these vulnerable categories."What happens to league economics?The NHL projected $5 billion in revenue for the 2019-20 season. If it was canceled today, revenue would sit somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.8 billion-$3.9 billion. The 24-team format could apparently inject about $350 million, bringing the total above $4 billion.Even if everything falls into place and a champion is indeed crowned, the NHL will come up about 20% short of its original projection. There's no denying that losing the end of the regular season and being forced into a broadcast-only postseason will hurt both team owners and the players' union. The salary cap, for one, could very well stay at $81.5 million for 2020-21, and it likely won't jump much higher for 2021-22. Nick Monaghan / Getty ImagesCollective bargaining between the NHL and NHLPA is tied into all of this return-to-play protocol discussion. Although everyone would like to have hockey back, it's never as simple as it may seem from the outside. There's a lot of money and pride on the line.Just spitballing here:

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will make a formal announcement Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ET regarding the league's 2019-20 return-to-play plan.It will air live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada, as well as NBCSN and NHL Network in the United States.NHL general managers will receive the details of the proposed format on a 3 p.m. ET conference call with the league, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie, who added that Bettman is expected to address the details of the draft and draft lottery.Last week, the NHLPA authorized further negotiations regarding the 24-team playoff plan, while noting that several key issues still needed to be discussed.Among those matters were reportedly whether the postseason would reseed or use a bracketed structure following the play-in round, and whether the Round of 16 would be comprised of best-of-five or best-of-seven series.The NHL and NHLPA detailed their plans to reopen facilities in a memo to teams and players Monday, saying they're targeting early June for a transition to Phase 2 of the return-to-play process.Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who represents the club on the NHLPA's executive committee said over the weekend that while the league was expected to formalize the return-to-play plan, "that does not mean hockey's back" and "we still have a long way to go."Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The jersey Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin wore when he scored "The Goal" against the then-Phoenix Coyotes in 2006 fetched $111,930 at an auction recently.Ovechkin's memorable goal put the Capitals up 6-1 in the Jan. 16, 2006 game at the then-Glendale Arena.Goldin Auctions, which facilitated the sale, noted in its description that the jersey has "moderate game use with some team repairs and stains." It was also photo-matched to the Capitals' March 4, 2006 game against the Atlanta Thrashers.The jersey previously belonged to a Canadian collector, who told Scott Allen of the Washington Post earlier this month that he paid "just a bit more" than $33,000 for it at an auction in 2018.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.Amid talk of the NHL returning with a 24-team playoff to complete the 2019-20 season, we dove yesterday into the updated Stanley Cup odds based on the new format.There are also odds available for each of the eight play-in series, and there's a ton of value available for bettors with the majority of matchups so closely contested.Eastern Conference5. Pittsburgh Penguins (-190) vs. 12. Montreal Canadiens (+170)As much as Carey Price may worry the Penguins, this isn't 2015, and Pittsburgh boasts too much firepower, especially with Jake Guentzel returning. At his best, Price will give them a scare, but the Canadiens lack the roster talent or depth to keep up.6. Carolina Hurricanes (-150) vs. 11. New York Rangers (+130)This would be a fascinating series between high-powered teams, but the break could really hurt the Rangers' momentum. I have to give the edge to the Hurricanes, who are dynamic up front and loaded on the blue line - the latter being particularly true with Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce set to return.7. New York Islanders (+100) vs. 10. Florida Panthers (-120)Things haven't gone quite to plan for the Panthers in what was supposed to be a special season under Joel Quenneville, but this second chance might be exactly what they needed. The break could prove to be a valuable mental reset, and this an incredibly dangerous team if it hits its groove. The Panthers have the sort of game-breaking talent the Islanders just can't match, which means it's Florida or nothing for me at this short price.8. Toronto Maple Leafs (-160) vs. 9. Columbus Blue Jackets (+140)A disciplined, well-coached, and healthy Blue Jackets team is a brutal draw for the Maple Leafs, who will suffer more from the lack of home-ice advantage. Toronto's youthful roster could prove a significant edge coming out of the hiatus, but it's hard to pass up this value with all the big guns back in Columbus.Western Conference5. Edmonton Oilers (-150) vs. 12. Chicago Blackhawks (+130)Missing out on a bye won't sit well with the Oilers, who were just 0.09 back of the fourth-seed Dallas Stars in points percentage. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are playing with house money. With all of the firepower on these teams, it could prove to be run-and-gun series that comes down to which side gets the better goaltending - and it's hard to look past Corey Crawford's strong run before the campaign was suspended. The Blackhawks won the season series and warrant a strong look at this price.6. Nashville Predators (-125) vs. 11. Arizona Coyotes (+105)Both of these teams came into the season with loftier expectations, but the Predators never could get out of first gear and the Coyotes struggled to find any consistency. Regardless, Arizona had the superior goal difference, and this series has the biggest gap in save percentage between the two clubs, as Darcy Kuemper is severely underrated between the pipes. I have the Coyotes as a small favorite here, which makes them terrific value at the current price.7. Vancouver Canucks (-140) vs. 10. Minnesota Wild (+120)Much like the Maple Leafs, this young Canucks team could be one of the least impacted by the break, and it will also get back goalie Jacob Markstrom. The Wild are polar opposites in terms of age, and it's hard to envision them flying out of the restart. The momentum they built in February was halted in its tracks, and this feels like a tough draw for them.8. Calgary Flames (-110) vs. 9. Winnipeg Jets (-110)This would be an excellent series featuring a pair of the season's bigger underachievers. On paper, there's very little separating these teams in what would be an incredibly tough one to call. I'd feel more comfortable backing the Jets with their better goaltending and more playoff experience up front.Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A debate swirled around the first overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft: Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires or Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers? Ten years later, there's still a case to be made for either player.Using the knowledge we have now, let's redraft the entire first round of a deep 2010 selection:1. Edmonton OilersOriginal pick: LW Taylor Hall

It's been more than six months since Jim Montgomery was fired as head coach of the Dallas Stars for unprofessional conduct, and the 50-year-old says he hopes to return to the NHL one day."I'm hopeful for an opportunity," he told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "I don't control that. Right now I'm just focused on myself and my family."Montgomery checked himself into rehab for alcohol addiction less than a month after his firing. The Stars had reportedly warned him about his public drinking episodes, and he wasn't fired for one single incident, but it's still unknown what exactly led to his dismissal.He said he deserved to be let go and was thankful for his firing because it served as a wake-up call. He's now been sober for five-and-a-half months."My rock bottom helps me. And that's why I'm grateful to the Stars. Because I have my health, I have my family, and I haven't lost any close friends," he said.Montgomery believes that if he's able to land another job, his sobriety will make him a better coach than he was before, offering life on the road as an example."Unfortunately, there were nights where I spent that time doing the wrong things," he said. "That's going to be the time to do the right things now. That's going to just make me a better coach, let alone a much better person."Across parts of two seasons, Montgomery led the Stars to a 61-43-10 record and a first-round playoff series win. Prior to his tenure in Dallas, he coached at the University of Denver, where he won a national championship in 2017.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk says that while talks are moving in the right direction, the NHL and NHLPA still have a lot of work to do in establishing an appropriate plan for returning to play.Players voted last week in favor of a 24-team playoff format in the event the season can continue this summer. The NHL is expected to announce exactly how this expanded format will work as early as Tuesday."But that does not mean hockey's back," said Dubnyk, who represents the Wild on the NHLPA's 31-player executive board, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "We still have a long way to go."He continued: "We voted strictly on the format. In other words, 'If we are to come back, this is how it's going to be played.' But we have not even touched on logistics or cities or travel or testing or how the economics will work or what this quarantine bubble (the players are) supposed to live in will be like or any of that stuff yet."NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said last week the league is examining eight or nine potential locations that could serve as hub cities to host games. Requirements for hub cities include a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases, sufficient hotel space for players and their families, suitable playing and practice facilities, and adequate testing areas.But Dubnyk said many crucial questions remain."How long are guys OK with being away for? When we are in this city, are we locked in our hotel room?" he said. "Going from the hotel room to the rink and back only, are guys OK with just doing that? Can our families come with us, or if there's a family emergency and we leave the bubble (to go back into society), can we return to the bubble or are we done?"What's the food situation? Like, can we only eat in our hotel rooms? How often are we tested? Who pays for that? What's the damage economically to the sport?"All of these things - and there's so many variables - need to be talked about, and we've got to start getting a grasp on it now so that it doesn't just hit us in the face all of a sudden."The NHL is looking to begin Phase 2 of its return-to-play plan in early June. At that point, players would be permitted to work out at team facilities in groups of no more than six.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Islanders legend Bob Bourne believes the 1980s teams should be among the first mentioned in the debate about the greatest sports dynasties of all time.The Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983 before losing to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 Final. Bourne believes those 19 playoff series successes in a row are a feat that will never be matched by any team in sports."Nineteen wins in a row. No one says it. I never see it. It's always the Chicago Bulls, maybe the New England Patriots. But no one gives us credit," Bourne told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "Nineteen. That's what I'm very proud of. No one in this world, in any sport, will ever beat 19 in a row. No one. It's impossible. And we did it."The 1990s Bulls won six championships in eight years, but they managed to win only 13 playoff series in a row. Meanwhile, the Patriots' longest postseason win streak is seven games. Even the 1960s Boston Celtics, who won 11 rings in 13 years, peaked at winning 18 straight playoff series, as the majority of their postseason runs required only two series.Sunday marked the 40-year anniversary of the Islanders' first Cup. Bourne is rarely mentioned alongside Hall of Fame teammates Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies, or Billy Smith, but he was an integral part of those teams, tallying 74 points in 74 playoff games during the four Cup runs.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.We might get playoff hockey, after all.The NHL took a giant leap toward completing the 2019-20 season when the NHLPA voted to approve a 24-team, conference-based tournament format. The details are still being ironed out but, essentially, the top-four seeds in each conference would get a bye to the standard 16-team playoff, with the remaining squads engaging in shorter play-in series.Sportsbooks have updated their Stanley Cup odds to reflect the new format, with the top seeds sitting at significantly shorter prices.TEAM ODDSTampa Bay Lightning6-1Boston Bruins6-1Vegas Golden Knights6-1Colorado Avalanche8-1St. Louis Blues10-1Washington Capitals10-1Philadelphia Flyers12-1Dallas Stars14-1Pittsburgh Penguins16-1Toronto Maple Leafs30-1Edmonton Oilers40-1Nashville Predators40-1Arizona Coyotes50-1Carolina Hurricanes50-1Calgary Flames50-1Vancouver Canucks50-1Winnipeg Jets50-1Columbus Blue Jackets80-1Florida Panthers80-1Minnesota Wild80-1New York Islanders80-1New York Rangers80-1Chicago Blackhawks100-1Montreal Canadiens100-1The eight teams with the shortest odds are the top-four seeds in each conference, and they'll avoid the play-in series. That's been baked into their prices, sapping much of the value from their lines.Regardless of whether they avoid the play-in, winning four best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup is an incredibly tough task, so you won't find me investing in the likes of the Lightning, Bruins, or Golden Knights at the short price of 6-1. The Avalanche don't offer any value at 8-1, either.The 2018 and 2019 Stanley Cup champions, the Blues and Capitals, are a bit more reasonably priced at 10-1, with the Flyers (12-1) and Stars (14-1) rounding out the top seeds.However, these odds don't reflect the fact that teams that win the play-in series could be significantly sharper than those with byes after the long layoff, as those clubs won't have played for close to four months.Rounding out the upper tier are the Penguins (16-1), who are the only non-top-four seed with shorter than 30-1 odds and will be considered large favorites over the Canadiens (100-1) in their play-in series. Pittsburgh will also have Jake Guentzel back from injury.There is then a large drop-off on the oddsboard before getting to the Maple Leafs (30-1), who are the first true value play on the board should they get past the Blue Jackets (80-1). The winner of this series will see its odds slashed in half - at the very least - following the play-in round.The same applies to every team involved in the play-in series. If you're looking for the best value, hop on board before the action returns. Waiting to see which teams win the first-round matchups to qualify for the playoffs will only result in the value being sucked out of their current prices.Among the play-in teams that jump out to me as great value bets are the Hurricanes (50-1), Canucks (50-1), Panthers (80-1), and Rangers (80-1).Carolina and Vancouver will be fully healthy following the break, and both possess the sort of elite young players who should be least impacted by this hiatus, while the Panthers and Rangers have a healthy blend of scoring and goaltending that makes them very dangerous late seeds.The Blackhawks (100-1) and Canadiens (100-1) are interesting if only because of Patrick Kane and Carey Price, who possess the kind of star power that can send their respective teams on a deep run should they get hot at the right time.Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes were one of two clubs to vote against the proposed 24-team playoff format on Friday due to the possible handicap it puts on the team."For where we were and where our team thought we could get to, it hurts our odds," Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook said, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman."It's not like we didn't want to play or anything, it's just that we felt this particular option maybe didn't benefit us - and it's not gonna benefit every team, but this is just the stance that we took," Martinook added, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian. "(This format) doesn’t really benefit the teams that are in 5, 6, 7 and 8 so it kinda hinders those teams. Then it obviously gives a lot to 9, 10, 11 and 12. It didn’t really benefit our team in any way."The Tampa Bay Lightning were the other team to vote no, citing similar reasons.At the time of the 2019-20 season's pause on March 12, the Hurricanes sat in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 38-25-5 record.Martinook added that despite the majority voting in favor of the format, his team is ready to move forward and play if the opportunity does eventually arise."But it's going to be good for the game. It's going to grow the game. It's going to keep a lot of fan bases in it and we want to do anything we can to keep people excited in the times that we're in," Martinook said. "We're not looking past that, we want the NHL to do the best we can, and we want the players to help the world and give people something to rally around."Under the proposed format, 16 teams will need to take part in a best-of-five play-in series in order to secure a spot in the playoffs. Only the top four teams in each conference are guaranteed a berth.The Hurricanes would be set to take on the New York Rangers in their play-in series if the format is ultimately approved. This season, Carolina went 0-4 in their meetings with the Rangers.After voting in favor to authorize further negotiations on the format on Friday, a formal announcement of approval is expected in the coming days.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.The NHL and NHLPA sent out a lengthy Phase 2 protocol memo to teams and players on Monday. The memo details the plan to reopen team facilities and allow small group workouts."Based on the current information available, we are now targeting a date in early June for a transition to Phase 2," the memo reads. "However, it has not yet been determined when precisely Phase 2 will start or how long it may last. We are continuing to monitor developments in each of the club’s markets, and may adjust the overall timing if appropriate, following discussion with all relevant parties."The memo outlines how teams can safely return to practice facilities and the protocols players and staff must follow to do so. It adds that participation during this phase is strictly voluntary, and players outside of their home cities are not yet required to return.Players may need to serve a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in their club's city. If they traveled via airplane or train, it will be mandatory to isolate. Players from teams who are sheltering in proximity to another team's facility may request access to that facility to train.Phase 2 will allow a maximum of six players in a practice facility at one time, and no coaches or personnel will be allowed on the ice with them. Players will need to wear face coverings at all times - other than while exercising or on the ice - when entering or leaving the facility and while inside where social distancing cannot be maintained.When it comes to testing players and staff during Phase 2, the NHL will do so as long as tests are available."As an over-riding principle, testing of asymptomatic players and club personnel must be done in the context of excess testing capacity, so as to not deprive health care workers, vulnerable populations, and symptomatic individuals from necessary diagnostic tests."Players and staff will be given a COVID-19 nasal swab test two days before the commencement of Phase 2, and will be tested two times per week afterward, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. They must also self-administer temperature and symptom checks daily.There was no mention of Phase 3 (training camp) and Phase 4 (return to play) in the memo.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.In addition to New York sports teams getting the go-ahead to open training camps, one of the state's NHL franchises received some more good news Sunday.Phase one of the club's new arena construction at Belmont Park will go forward as well, according to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.The Islanders halted work at the site in late March amid the coronavirus pandemic after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo expanded his temporary ban on non-essential projects throughout the state.Construction began last September, and the building was originally scheduled to open for the start of the 2021-22 season.The site for the new facility is adjacent to the Belmont Park racetrack.Cuomo said Sunday that all of the state's sports squads could open training camps effective immediately while following the appropriate health protocols.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Sports teams based in New York can start conducting training camps as of Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf signed an order Friday exempting foreign-born professional athletes from being denied entry into the country."Professional sporting events provide much-needed economic benefits, but equally important, they provide community pride and national unity," Wolf wrote. "In today's environment, Americans need their sports. It's time to reopen the economy and it's time we get our professional athletes back to work."Wolf's order specifically mentions Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the Women's National Basketball Association, the PGA and LPGA tours, and the ATP and WTA tennis tours. In addition to athletes, the order also exempts each league's "essential staff and their dependents."MLB, the NBA, and the NHL are all working on plans to either begin or resume their seasons amid the pandemic.It was reported Friday that MLB safety protocols will not require players to quarantine if they are returning to the U.S. from abroad; some foreign-born players returned to their respective home countries when the league halted spring training in mid-March.Some in the NBA are apparently hoping players will be allowed to report directly to potential game sites in order to avoid quarantining. Orlando's Disney World is reportedly emerging as a top site to host the resumed basketball season.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer hasn't been with his new team for long, but he can already tell he has a special group in front of him."It's the most talented team I've had in my coaching career I've walked into," DeBoer said on Daren Millard's "The Chirp." "It seems like a great combination of talent and character and leadership. Great community, great ownership, great management."I think you coach in this league for opportunities like this, with teams like this. I'm really thankful for how everything played out this year, as tough as some of the moments were."The San Jose Sharks fired DeBoer in December after a middling start to the 2019-20 season. A month later, the division-rival Golden Knights made him their new head coach.Vegas has gone 15-5-2 - including an eight-game win streak - since DeBoer's debut Jan. 16. They sat in first place in the Pacific Division when the season was paused on March 12.After spending over four seasons with the Sharks, which included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, DeBoer saw his surprise firing as a sign of better things to come."I'm a big believer that everything in hockey happens for a reason," DeBoer said. "One door closing, the way that my career has gone, there's always been another door opens with a better opportunity. For me, as tough as it was to leave San Jose 33 games after going to the Conference Final the year before - for me, the Vegas situation is an opportunity of a lifetime."DeBoer has been a head coach in the NHL since the 2008-09 season when he started with the Florida Panthers. Before arriving in San Jose, he had a stint with the New Jersey Devils, whom he also led to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. Overall, he's compiled a 430-334-113 record.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Athletes everywhere continue to get creative as they deal with their respective leagues being on hiatus. Some are better at it than others. Every Sunday throughout May, we'll look back on the week that was before crowning a quarantine king or queen. Here are the top isolation moments from the sports world over the last seven days.10. Bend it like VirgilPremier League clubs returned to socially distanced training sessions in small groups this week as England's top flight continues to work toward a June return. It gave players their first opportunity in roughly two months to display their skills in a familiar setting, and Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk took full advantage by showing everyone at the club that he should probably be on free-kick duty when the season resumes.

The Tampa Bay Lightning feel the proposed 24-team playoff format gives an unfair advantage to some teams."I brought the format to my team. They didn't feel it was fair that certain teams that probably wouldn't have made the playoffs would have a chance to make the playoffs in a best-of-five series," Lighting winger and NHLPA representative Alex Killorn said, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith. "My team also felt it was unfair that the teams with a bye would not be as well prepared for a playoff series as the teams that had already basically played a playoff series to get into the playoffs.""I don't want people to think that we don't want to play. Everyone on our team wants to play. In saying that, we are fine with the vote the PA took and we are ready with it going forward," Killorn added.Tampa Bay was one of two teams to vote against the 24-team format on Friday. The other was the Carolina Hurricanes, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.The Lightning were in second place in the Atlantic Division when the league paused the season on March 12 and are guaranteed a playoff berth under the proposed format. Instead of participating in a best-of-five play-in series, the top four teams in each conference will reportedly be given a bye and partake in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding."The only problem I have with that format is that the top teams that have a bye, I don't know how competitive their games will be going forward where the teams at the bottom will be playing playoff games right away and (would be) potentially more prepared for, I guess, the real playoffs," Killorn said.The NHL is reportedly continuing to work out the details for the format, including whether to reseed or use a bracketed structure following the play-in round and if the first round after the play-in series will be five- or seven-game series. An official announcement is expected early next week.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.An infectious disease expert says NHL players shouldn't agree to a return to play before making sure the league will cover costs for any long-term medical issues that arise if they contract COVID-19."Young athletes do not think about this stuff because think they are invincible, but every so often we see young, healthy people get very bad diseases, and this is no different," said Dr. Andrew Morris, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, according to TSN's Rick Westhead.Dr. Morris urged players to ensure teams and the league are committed to covering the costs of any medical care including rehabilitation, hospitalization, prescriptions, and counseling; according to Morris, patients on ventilators can later suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder."It would be unusual for a healthy young athlete to get really sick with COVID and wind up in the ICU, but, hey, somebody wins the lottery, right?" he said. He added: "(Players) should want their health care and income insured, seeing that they are taking an additional risk, especially if residing in the U.S."The NHLPA agreed Friday to further talks with the NHL regarding a potential return featuring a 24-team playoff format. Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is looking at eight or nine locations that could serve as hub cities to host games.To this point, eight players - five from the Ottawa Senators and three from the Colorado Avalanche - have contracted and recovered from COVID-19.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf signed an order Friday exempting foreign-born professional athletes from being denied entry into the country."Professional sporting events provide much-needed economic benefits, but equally important, they provide community pride and national unity," Wolf wrote. "In today's environment, Americans need their sports. It's time to reopen the economy and it's time we get our professional athletes back to work."Wolf's order specifically mentions Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the Women's National Basketball Association, the PGA and LPGA tours, and the ATP and WTA tennis tours. In addition to athletes, the order also exempts each league's "essential staff and their dependents."MLB, the NBA, and the NHL are all working on plans to either begin or resume their seasons amid the pandemic.It was reported Friday that MLB safety protocols will not require players to quarantine if they are returning to the U.S. from abroad; some foreign-born players returned to their respective home countries when the league halted spring training in mid-March.Some in the NBA are apparently hoping players will be allowed to report directly to potential game sites in order to avoid quarantining. Orlando's Disney World is reportedly emerging as a top site to host the resumed basketball season.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Conventional wisdom dictates the true Stanley Cup Playoffs feature best-of-seven series, but under these unconventional conditions, that tradition is being reconsidered.In addition to the debate over whether to reseed or use a bracketed structure following the play-in round of the proposed 24-team playoff format, another matter that remains undecided is whether the first round of the 16-team postseason will feature five- or seven-game series, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.As currently constructed, the 24-team format would reportedly involve a round-robin tournament between the top four teams in each conference (with those clubs progressing to the next round regardless of result), and bracket-based, best-of-five series between each conference's eight next-best clubs to determine matchups in the round of 16.While the best-of-five nature of the play-in round has been agreed upon, the question is whether to continue with shortened series once the "real" playoffs begin.The NHLPA said Friday that its executive board has authorized further talks with the league regarding the return-to-play proposal, but made it clear that some issues still need to be ironed out."Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play," the union wrote in a statement.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.The NHLPA's executive board has authorized more talks with the NHL on a 24-team playoff format, the union said in a statement Friday night."Several details remain to be negotiated and an agreement on the format would still be subject to the parties reaching agreement on all issues relevant to resuming play," the NHLPA added.The players have agreed to the format, despite the fact that other critical issues still have to be negotiated, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun, who reiterated a point he made earlier Friday that the NHL will now have to conduct its own "process," with an announcement expected to come within the next few days.One of the issues that remains open for discussion is whether a playoff bracket will be used, and if the teams would reseed, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.LeBrun adds that another issue being talked about is whether the first round of the actual playoffs, after the play-in round, would be best-of-five or the regular best-of-seven.The NHLPA's executive board reportedly held a conference call to discuss the league's 24-team playoff format Thursday night, after which it initiated a vote.The postseason structure in question would have the top four teams in each conference receiving byes but playing one another in a round-robin tournament before facing the winners of the best-of-five matchups between the next-best 16 clubs.If and when a further announcement is made, it's not expected to include a timetable for a return or a list of critical dates, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported earlier Friday.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane still believes there's a long way to go as the NHL deals with racism and hatred tied to hockey."For me, it's really just disappointing, it's shocking. And the disappointment comes because I love hockey so much, and I think our sport is the greatest sport by far out of any," Kane said to TSN's Mark Masters and Rick Westhead."And all this racism does is drag it down," he continued. "For me, as a player, who really wants this game and this league to grow as big as it possibly can to get on some of the levels that other leagues are on, we're not going to be able to do that until we fix this massive issue that all we've done so far is just cover it up or try to cover it up.""This is just kind of the beginning of people understanding that there's still racism in hockey whether you want to pretend there isn't or there is," he added.The 28-year-old has been subjected to racist taunts from fans while playing in the NHL. During the 2019 playoffs, a fan in Colorado told him to "stick to basketball," which Kane later addressed on Instagram.He believes players still face similar issues today, pointing to Akim Aliu, who recently revealed his past experiences with racism in professional hockey."I think there's a lot more stories like that. This wasn't racism from another player on another team or another coach on another team, this was from right in his own locker room," Kane said. "That happens as well, it's happened to me.""This isn't about Akim being good enough to play in the NHL or not, it's about while he was playing in the NHL, or while he was playing in the AHL, or while he was playing in the OHL, he encountered racism," he added. "Whether that happened yesterday or whether that happened 10 years ago, it makes no difference because the people - specifically to Akim's story - that were causing that sort of racism and displaying those types of remarks and verbalizing that were still active participants in our league, so it is current. It is real. It's not about how long ago it was."Aliu wrote a piece published on The Players' Tribune last week calling for change across all levels of hockey to improve diversity and inclusivity.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber is aware that the proposed 24-team playoff format provides him and his team a chance to seize an unexpected opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup."Obviously, I think we're excited. Do I think it's fair to all the teams that were in the playoffs? No," Weber said on TSN 1040. "At the same time, that gives us a chance to win and it gives us a chance to keep playing."The NHL is inching toward officially opting for a 24-team playoff format if the league returns to complete the 2019-20 season. On Friday, the NHLPA voted in favor of authorizing further negotiations with the NHL to examine additional details regarding the format.Montreal sat 24th in the league standings when the season was paused March 12. Despite a near zero percent chance of making the playoffs, the Canadiens would squeeze in as the final team under the proposed format."Obviously, the situation we were in where we weren't officially out (of the playoffs) but it would have been a tough road ahead to get in, and I think now it gives us a little bit of hope," Weber added. "At the end of the day, I think everyone's going to consider it, whether they'll give it an asterisk ... it's still the Stanley Cup."Expectations are that the league will formally announce the approval of the format in the coming days, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, who adds that a timetable or return date is unlikely to also be included.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After "The Last Dance" reminded fans of the greatness of Scottie Pippen existing in the shadow of Michael Jordan, theScore's feature writers decided to examine some of the most compelling second bananas in other sports. Previous entries in the series came from college football and MLB.It was Game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final and the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins were trailing 4-3 with five minutes left in regulation. They were in trouble, until one Pittsburgh forward - No. 68, the guy with the brown mullet spilling out of his helmet - intercepted a clearing attempt and began a dizzying path of destruction in the offensive zone.First, Jaromir Jagr maneuvered around a Chicago Blackhawks defender, slowing down to quickly survey the zone from the half boards. When a second defender unleashed a poke check, Jagr deftly dangled the puck through his legs before sidestepping a third body. On his way through the slot he avoided a fourth opponent, then shuffled a backhand through Ed Belfour's five-hole.It was a magnificent goal for any NHLer, let alone a 20-year-old sophomore."That was probably the greatest goal I've ever seen," Penguins captain Mario Lemieux gushed to reporters after his team's 5-4 win. "I've scored a lot of big goals, but (down one), he picked up the puck and beat three or four guys. He's got such great balance, can beat a guy one-on-one at will, and he's very strong with his upper body. That was a great goal."Lemieux - regarded as one of hockey's all-time greatest players, if not the greatest by some - was at the peak of his powers when he made those remarks. Only three years removed from an obscene 199-point campaign, Super Mario had just earned another scoring title after accumulating 131 points in the 1991-92 regular season and was three games away from claiming his second straight Conn Smythe Trophy.Powered by Lemieux, the Penguins won back-to-back Cups to start the 1990s. A formidable supporting cast was headlined by a young Jagr and Hall of Fame-bound veterans Bryan Trottier, Paul Coffey, Joe Mullen, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy, and Mark Recchi. Jagr lived in Lemieux's shadow for those two runs, his first experiences in the NHL, laying the foundation for his Gordie Howe-esque pro hockey journey, which amazingly entered its fifth decade in January."As Jags' career went on, he became a superstar, the franchise, the man in the spotlight," Jim Paek, a defenseman on those Cup teams, said in an interview.Early-career Jagr might be hockey's closest comparable to Scottie Pippen, with Lemieux representing Michael Jordan. Jagr was an overqualified sidekick and protege.But Lemieux was the perfect advisor for Jagr at the start of his career. Lemieux was seven years older and also tall and preternaturally skilled, commanding respect on and off the ice. Dominating the game seemed to come easily for Lemieux."Jagr was loaded with talent, size, and strength, but he was still coming into his own," Alex Hicks, who played left wing for the 1996-97 and 1997-98 Penguins, said earlier this week. "In terms of a pecking order, Mario was firmly at the top. He was the best and everybody knew it. Jags was having fun, riding shotgun, and getting better everyday." Denis Brodeur / Getty ImagesAmong his various claims to fame, Jagr was the first Czech hockey player to get drafted into the NHL without having to defect from the former communist nation. And if not for some trickery on Jagr's part, he could have easily ended up in a different city, according to then-Pittsburgh general manager Craig Patrick's recollection of the 1990 draft.Jagr assured the Penguins' brass he would move to North America shortly after the draft while at the same time telling numerous other teams that he wouldn't necessarily be leaving Europe right away. So, thanks to a bit of luck, he landed in Pittsburgh's lap at fifth overall.The rationale behind Jagr's tactics: He apparently desperately wanted to share the ice with Lemieux, the man he idolized as a teenager in Kladno, an outer suburb of Prague."Everything I know I learned from him," Jagr told reporters in 2008."That's why you never should forget where you learned everything. I came there at 18 years old. I didn't know much. But I kept my eyes open and watched the best player in the league for so many years. How he did it. That was probably the best thing that happened to me - to be on the same team as him. I could learn a lot."Jagr earned the nickname Mario Jr. early in his 11-year tenure in Pittsburgh, a convenient anagram of "Jaromir." Jagr, while learning the game and about life in North America, also provided a counterpoint to Lemieux, as well. Lemieux was the squad's quiet leader, a big-brother figure to many teammates during an injury-ravaged career. His leadership was not only evident in his willingness to battle through constant back pain and Hodgkin's lymphoma but to maintain excellence."There was this aura about Mario," Hicks said. "Jagr was the complete opposite. Happy go lucky, hanging around with Petr Nedved. Laughing, giggling. He was the one guy who could joke around with Mario in a comfortable way. He loosened everybody up."Jiri Hrdina, another Czech forward, is credited with helping ease Jagr's transition to the U.S., though the charismatic Jagr we came to know and love over his career was more or less present from Day 1. Jagr coupled natural ability with an insatiable drive - solitary late-night and early-morning workouts, 1,000 squats a day - and knew when to use his playful sense of humor. He drove fast cars, celebrated goals with a cheeky salute, and embraced his heritage."Really confident young man," ex-NHL defenseman Jeff Chychrun, who joined the Pens in February 1992, recalled. "I remember Jags really sticking up for his European heritage: 'European hockey player, we better than North American.'" B Bennett / Getty ImagesOn the ice, Jagr's intelligence, stickhandling, and passing created a distinct mix with his solid 6-foot-3 frame. He had a low center of gravity for a bigger dude, and it wasn't long before his rear end became a renowned puck-shielding tool in an era of clutching and grabbing."It was like he was playing keep away with a kid," Hicks said."In hockey terms, he had such a big ass," Paek said. "You couldn't knock him down or get the puck from him. And his knack around the net to score goals - his hockey sense, which you can't teach - was just incredible."Jagr finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting after recording 57 points in 80 games in 1990-91. Excluding the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign, Jagr racked up 90 points or more every single season from 1992-93 to 2000-01, his last in Pittsburgh, hitting triple digits in four of eight years: 149 in 1995-96, 102 in 1997-98, 127 in 1998-99, and 121 in 2000-01. Oh, and he won the Art Ross Trophy in that abbreviated 1994-95 season, with 70 points in 48 games.In total, Jagr picked up eight major trophies in a Penguins uniform - five Art Rosses as league scoring champion, two Lester B. Pearsons as the players' choice MVP, and one Hart Trophy. The team made the playoffs all 11 years of his tenure but failed to return to the Cup final until 2008, when he was long gone and Sidney Crosby had taken up the superstar mantle.Jagr got to be top dog in Pittsburgh for three-and-a-half seasons - Lemieux sat out 1994-95 for health reasons and retired after the 1996-97 season. When Lemieux returned partway through the 2000-01 season, it just wasn't the same. Pittsburgh lost in Round 3 and Jagr left on a sour note.He was traded to the Washington Capitals in a salary dump, with the Penguins receiving only spare parts in exchange for a legitimate superstar. Jagr, then 29, finally had the spotlight to himself. He quickly signed a monster deal paying him $77 million over seven years.And that's where Jagr's HockeyDB profile turns into a 1,000-piece puzzle. Since inking that deal with Washington, Jagr later dressed for seven more NHL teams: the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames. He's taken his talents overseas three times over the years, too, most recently out of necessity as his dwindling foot speed ended his NHL career in 2018, just short of his 46th birthday. Graig Abel / Getty ImagesLast we heard, Jagr was doing quite literally everything for the Kladno Knights, a Czech team he owns, operates, manages, and plays for. In his post-Pittsburgh NHL life, there were strong individual showings in New York (a third Pearson award), New Jersey, and Florida. His reputation grew at every stop (remember the Traveling Jagrs?) and through appearances at five Olympic tournaments. NHL team success didn't follow him, yet Jagr's longevity is legendary."To continue to do what he's done, he seems immortal," Paek said.Even now, with a seemingly endless resume, nothing compares to Jagr's first NHL home. Pittsburgh is where he won; where he paved the way to eventually climb the league's all-time points list all the way to No. 2, behind only Wayne Gretzky; where he learned how to be a captain; and where he rocked an iconic mullet. It's where he became a superstar, thanks to a deep skill set and a big ass. Really, when you think about it, Jagr spun a Lemieux sidekick gig into a successful and impossibly long career."When Mario was there, I knew it don't matter how good I'm gonna be, I'm still never gonna be better than him," Jagr told Sportsnet in 2015. "That guy was the most talented player. (Young) people don't even know."One of a kind, and larger than life. Likely the best European-born NHLer ever. Arguably one of the top 10 NHLers of all time. The ultimate second banana.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writerCopyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ian Cole is confident his Colorado Avalanche could defeat any NHL club in a traditional playoff matchup.The veteran defenseman, who's won two championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins, said he's all for the reported return-to-play proposal, or for any format that allows the paused season to resume."I like to keep it simple: Whatever gets us back and playing, I'm 100% for," Cole told the Denver Post's Mike Chambers on Thursday. "Whether that's 16 teams, 24 teams - 30 teams, 31 teams - whatever gets us back and playing.""You only have so many opportunities to be on a really great team that has a very legitimate chance, and I view us as a team that has a very legitimate chance to win (the) Stanley Cup," Cole continued. "I look around at all the teams in the league, and, obviously, I'm quite a bit biased, but I think we can beat any team in this league in a seven-game series."The 31-year-old, who helped the Penguins win back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, is in favor of the reported wrinkle in the potential format that would pit the top four teams in each conference against each other in a round-robin tournament to determine their seeding before they face the winners of best-of-five series involving the other 16 clubs."I like competing for that top spot in the conference," Cole said. "If we are able to do that, that's something we'd like to do."That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, considering that at the time of the pause, the Avalanche ranked second in the Western Conference behind the St. Louis Blues in terms of both total points (two back with one fewer game played) and - more importantly - points percentage (total points divided by maximum possible points).On Friday night, the NHLPA's executive board agreed to hold more talks with the league regarding its 24-team return-to-play proposal.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.A vote by the NHLPA's executive committee is expected to result in the union's approval of the league's return-to-play proposal, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.A conference call Thursday about the proposal "got a little heated at times," and players still hold a wide range of individual views on the 24-team playoff plan, adds McKenzie.The NHLPA executive board - comprising one player representative from each of the league's 31 teams - reportedly opened voting Thursday evening to determine whether to accept the NHL's return-to-play parameters. The board requires 18 votes to pass, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Once the players have formalized their stance, "the league has its own 'process' to go through," adds LeBrun, but it's expected that it would be made official within "a couple of days."McKenzie reported Friday that an eventual announcement of the format isn't likely to include a timetable or a list of critical dates.The NHL has reportedly been discussing a 24-team format in which the top four clubs in each conference would receive byes but would face off against one another in a round-robin tournament to determine playoff seeding. The next-best eight teams in each conference would take part in bracketed best-of-five series to determine their subsequent postseason matchups.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.The University of Alabama in Huntsville is discontinuing its men's hockey program due to financial challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, the school announced Friday.UAH is the first Division I hockey school to cancel its program since the pandemic and the first to do so since Wayne State in 2008, according to USCHO. The university also eliminated its men's and women's tennis programs.The Chargers won two games this season and have a combined record of 48-181-24 over the last seven years.UAH's departure leaves Arizona State as the only D-I men's hockey program located in the Sun Belt.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Few things are more exciting in sports than an incredible comeback. There's nothing quite like overcoming the odds and pulling out a victory from the jaws of defeat. So, how much do you know about the best come-from-behind wins in sports history? Find out by taking our quiz below.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets sniper Patrik Laine is excited to hopefully get back on the ice this summer and compete for the Stanley Cup, but he knows his game won't pick up where it left off."My game is probably gonna look terrible since I haven't skated for two months," Laine said on a video conference call Friday, according to The Canadian Press. "It's always a struggle to come back after a long period when you haven't skated."The NHL is reportedly voting on a 24-team playoff format that'll be used if the league returns to finish the 2019-20 season. Under the proposed format, the Jets would take on the Calgary Flames in a best-of-five play-in series.Despite the potential expanded field, tougher path to the title, and the likelihood of being quarantined in a hub city, Laine is simply looking forward to competing."I just want to play, and I can do whatever format they decide. It's still hockey, but I don't mind the format. It's not an issue for me," Laine said. "I'll have to bring my computer so that I can play some video games. It will be boring, but if that's what it requires to play hockey this summer, that's fine with me. I don't mind and I don't need to go anywhere but my hotel room. So that would be just normal for me on the road."If that's necessary, I don't mind it."The 22-year-old was having a solid season before the pause, recording 28 goals and 35 assists in 68 games.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the NHL reportedly in the midst of voting on an unprecedented 24-team playoff format, clubs weren't willing to give two of the league's biggest stars an easy chance to disrupt the postseason."The league initially suggested this play-in round be best two out of three and the players said no way," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said Friday on Sportsnet 590's "Lead Off." "They felt it was not acceptable enough for the teams that had a better regular season and Pittsburgh looked at its matchup and it said 'two out of three against Carey Price is not fair for a team that had zero percentage points to play in the playoffs.'"Friedman added: "If the players feel that way, the players feel that way. They're the guy that they gotta shoot against and they clearly believe that he is a difference-maker ... The players fought the two-out-of-three because of him."Under the current proposed 24-team format, the Pittsburgh Penguins would be tasked with facing the 24th-placed Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-five play-in series. The Penguins were nearly guaranteed a playoff berth at the time of the season's pause on March 12, whereas the Canadiens seemed destined for a lottery pick.Price has a career .914 save percentage in the playoffs and is widely seen as the league's best goaltender despite his lackluster play of late. He was voted the best goalie by his peers in the 2019-20 NHLPA player poll.Similar sentiments were felt in the Western Conference about Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks in a short series."I did hear that the Western teams - and now it's going to be Edmonton - they were like, 'two out of three with Patrick Kane? I mean come on.' But it wasn't at the same level as Price."Friedman added that the results of the vote on the proposed 24-team format are expected to be known on Friday evening or Saturday.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Over the years, North America's "Big Four" leagues - the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB - have seen powerhouses reach their respective summits and then knock off challengers for years to come.When a team accrues enough continued success in an era, it eventually elevates to "dynasty" status, which defines its dominance from a historical perspective.But the question remains: Which dynasties reign supreme above others? Here's our top 10.10. Cincinnati RedsYears of dynasty: 1970-79

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, an interview-style podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.Puck Pursuit · Former NHLer Riley CoteRiley Cote, a former NHL forward, joins the show to discuss a variety of topics, including:

E.J. Johnston - founder of the new three-on-three hockey league, 3ICE - said last year that the players and coaches who participate will be familiar faces, and he has yet to disappoint.Grant Fuhr, Bryan Trottier, Guy Carbonneau, Larry Murphy, Angela Ruggiero, John LeClair, Joe Mullen, and Ed Johnston round out the group of coaches for the league's eight teams. In total, they've combined for 23 Stanley Cup victories and six of the eight have made their way into the Hockey Hall of Fame.The three-on-three league is set to debut in June 2021 and travel across North America where teams will play in bracket-style tournaments in different cities every weekend."We’re anticipating that we’re going to be able to have a lot of exciting hockey," league commissioner Craig Patrick said, according to USA Today's Chris Bumbaca. "Even more than the NHL’s overtime format, because we’re going to go for a lot of speed and skill throughout and we’re going to look at different rules that enable that to happen more frequently in our game."While the players remain unknown, Johnston believes he'll be able to attract a good group to join his league. He described the ideal 3ICE participants as "shorter, faster players, with elite hands and stick speed.""These guys will have NHL pedigree. If the NHL was overtime all the time, they’d still be playing in the league," Johnston added. "The creativity is really what we’re looking for.”Games will be aired on CBS Sports in the United States and TSN in Canada. They will consist of eight-minute halves and have a running clock. There will be no penalties in the league, only penalty shots.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

When 31 general managers log on, in June or in the fall, to the NHL's first virtual draft, expect the proceedings to evoke the spirit of the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes - the last player bonanza the league held under such weird circumstances.The upcoming draft shares a certain symmetry with the 2005 edition, and not only because touted top prospect Alexis Lafreniere - like Crosby - hails from the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic. Anomalous events will have forced the league to reschedule and relocate both drafts: to the Westin Hotel in downtown Ottawa, in the case of Crosby's entry to the league, and, presumably, to executives' home offices across the U.S. and Canada in this moment of physical distancing.GMs in recent weeks have expressed objection to staging this draft in June, considering the 2019-20 season might yet resume in some form afterward. The typical selection process has been upended, sort of like it was when the overdue conclusion of a 10-month lockout forced the league to move the show on short notice to a muted conference room.It was a peculiar setting for a transformative weekend in league history: July 30-31, 2005, when the Penguins capitalized on their luck in a free-for-all lottery by picking the superstar who's since led them to three Stanley Cups - and when several other storylines that would change the NHL were spoken into existence. Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesAhead of the 2020 draft's particular unorthodoxy, let's relive some of those subplots from '05: the legendary batch of goalies selected, the crestfallen teams that shortly thereafter won the Cup anyway, the negation of a possible Crosby-Alex Ovechkin partnership, and more.Penguins' odds pay offWith no 2004-05 standings from which to set a draft order, the NHL modified its rules for the 2005 lottery to give every team a weighted shot at the first overall pick - and the 17-year-old center who'd spent the span of the lockout racking up 168 points in the QMJHL.The league conferred the best odds - three lottery balls in the draw - to the four teams that hadn't reached the last three postseasons or won any of the past four lotteries: Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Columbus, and the Rangers. (The Blue Jackets and Penguins drafted No. 1 in 2002 and 2003, respectively, but only after Florida earned and traded both picks.) Ten teams received two balls each for making one of those postseasons or winning one of those lotteries. The remainder of the league's clubs got a single ball apiece.That distribution left Pittsburgh with a mere 6.25% (1-in-16) chance to earn the top selection, scarcely exceeding most other teams' odds of 2.08% (1-in-48) and undermining the belief of cynics and conspiracy theorists that the NHL rigged the lottery to save the Penguins from bankruptcy. Fortune smiled on Pittsburgh that July, while the Blue Jackets landed at sixth overall and the Sabres and Rangers fell out of the top 10.The upshot of 2004It was a stroke of luck that revived the Penguins and guaranteed the franchise would evolve into a perennial contender. But history might have unfolded differently if not for a previous setback.The last time NHL hockey had been played, in 2003-04, the Penguins' 58 points constituted the worst regular-season total in the league. Yet despite a lottery format stacked heavily in favor of the last-place club, Pittsburgh lost the ensuing draw to the Capitals, who also jumped Chicago for the right to draft Ovechkin and, as a result, received only one ball in the Crosby raffle.What twilight-zone scenario might have ensued had the Penguins won the 2004 lottery and selected Ovechkin, thereby enabling the Blackhawks to take Evgeni Malkin at No. 2 and leaving Washington without a foundational star? The Capitals, Sabres, Blue Jackets, and Rangers would have all seen their odds to land Crosby improve slightly, but imagine this: Maybe Pittsburgh's remaining two balls would have been sufficient to win again, empowering the Penguins to deploy Ovechkin on Crosby's wing for the duration of their careers.Champs near the topHow's this for an only-in-2005 moment - an oddity befitting a unique draft. Two teams finished below .500 in '03-04 and received top-three picks that, achingly, didn't net them the generational talent available. Those clubs then combined to win the next two Stanley Cups, beating Pittsburgh to the prize even as Crosby became the NHL's first teenaged Art Ross Trophy winner.L-R: Bobby Ryan, Sidney Crosby, Jack Johnson. Brian Bahr / Getty ImagesCarolina and Anaheim lifted the Cup in 2006 and 2007, respectively, but each did so without its top '05 draftee on the roster. The Hurricanes dealt defenseman Jack Johnson, the No. 3 pick, to the Kings following their championship season - before Johnson left the University of Michigan to turn pro. Bobby Ryan, the Ducks' selection at No. 2, made his NHL debut in 2007-08 as GM Brian Burke's club set about defending its title.Of all people, Darren Helm - a fifth-round pick at No. 132 - was the first player from the 2005 draft class to lift the Stanley Cup; he centered the Red Wings' fourth line during their triumphant postseason run in 2008. (Two other Detroit draftees from 2005, second-rounder Justin Abdelkader and fourth-rounder Mattias Ritola, each played a pair of games that season but didn't feature in the playoffs.)Greatest goalie draft ever?That statement is true in recent memory at minimum. The 2005 draft produced four current NHL starters - Carey Price (No. 5 overall), Tuukka Rask (No. 21), Jonathan Quick (No. 72) and Ben Bishop (No. 85) - but a simple list of names woefully undersells the merit of their collective efforts this past decade:

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.If the 24-team playoff proposal is ultimately approved, the top four clubs in each NHL conference would be playing meaningful games against each other in order to prep for their subsequent playoff matchups.Under the prospective plan the NHL and the NHLPA are reportedly discussing, the eight best teams will jockey for seeding even while being guaranteed a playoff spot, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers would play a round robin against each other in the East, while the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars would do so as well in the West.These games would help determine how those teams are seeded No. 1 through No. 4 when the playoffs begin, according to Johnston, who cautioned that the plan still hasn't been finalized or approved.It was reported Wednesday that the format would be organized by conference standings and that the top four seeds in each conference would play a three-game tuneup tournament. However, it wasn't previously clear whether those contests would carry any weight.In the proposed postseason structure, the 16 other teams would take part in bracketed best-of-five play-in series to determine their next opponents.The NHLPA's executive board took a vote Thursday night on the 24-team return-to-play format, according to Johnston, who added that the results aren't expected until Friday. TSN's Darren Dreger later reported that the process isn't likely to be concluded until Friday evening.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Brian Burke approves of the proposal to expand the playoffs for just this season, but he's concerned about the risks associated with a return involving 24 clubs."Well, this year I say yes," the former longtime NHL executive said Thursday on Sportsnet's "Tim & Sid" when asked how he'd respond if someone pitched him on the reported 24-team plan. "Okay, if you look at the alternatives, the ideal thing is you finish the regular season. Then you know the proper order of finish, you've got the order of selection in the draft, all of those ... picks are sorted out. Okay, but we can't do that. We're not going to be able to finish the season, so what's the next best thing? This year (it's) to expand the playoffs."Now, I've been cynical and skeptical about our ability to play," Burke continued. "I remain that way. I think this is too many teams. I think it's going to almost guarantee that we have an issue with this virus, but if they can pull this off, fantastic - this year only. My prediction is this is going to open the door for expanded playoffs going forward, which I'm vehemently opposed to."Burke commended the league and the players' union for coming up with the 24-team format under these circumstances and said he hopes it happens, but he has doubts about the ability to adequately test for COVID-19 upon a potential resumption of the season."(In terms of) the testing that we're doing right now, there's not enough of it and it's not accurate enough," he said, adding, "You're going to have to test these players every day. There's going to be a regular roster of players, plus black aces, plus trainers, plus coaches, plus management people. It's 50 (people) per team without families. That's 50 tests per team per day (and) 24 teams. It's a big undertaking and I hope they can pull it off."The NHLPA's executive board began voting on the 24-team proposal Thursday night, as first reported by Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. The results aren't expected until Friday.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Common sense may prevail when it comes to contracts that are scheduled to conclude at the end of next month.The NHL intends to agree on a slide with the NHLPA that would extend all contracts through the end of the 2019-20 season, an NHL source told The Athletic's Michael Russo.This would apply to NHL players in the final years of their deals, as well as minor leaguers on two-way contracts.However, whether it will apply to coaches and other team employees remains to be seen, because they don't have a union of their own."The dynamic is different without collective representation," the source told Russo.June 30 is traditionally the final day of the league year before the new one begins July 1. While the league and the players' union are reportedly making progress on a 24-team playoff format, a timetable for the NHL's return hasn't yet been determined.St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, Arizona Coyotes sniper Taylor Hall, and Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby are among the league's pending unrestricted free agents.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL appears to be making progress in determining the parameters of its eventual return, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday that the league and the players' union are working toward a 24-team playoff format based on points percentage within conference standings.Details are limited, and the proposal still needs team and player approval before the league can move forward. We do know that under this structure, the top four seeds in each conference would get byes, while teams seeded fifth through 12th would be placed in conference brackets and clash in best-of-five, play-in series.The winners of theses play-in series would each advance to face a corresponding top-four seed in a best-of-seven clash. For example, the winner of the clash between No. 5 and No. 12 would play the No. 4 seed, while the winner of No. 8 versus No. 9 would play the team atop the conference standings.It's different, but it's playoff hockey. After months of uncertainty, we'll surely take what we can get. With a faint light beginning to appear at the end of the tunnel, let's explore which of the potential play-in series would be the most intriguing.Penguins (5) vs. Canadiens (12) Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyPITStatMTL40-23-6 (.623)Record (PTS%)31-31-9 (.500)plus-28 (7th)Goal diff.minus-9 (24th)19.9% (16th)PP%17.7% (22nd)82.1% (10th)PK%78.7% (19th)51.97% (7th)xGF% (5-on-5)54.01% (2nd)This is a major mismatch based on season stats, as the Canadiens have the fewest points of any team that would qualify under the expanded format. They do, however, possess the ultimate X-factor: goaltender Carey Price. He's far removed his 2015 MVP form, but the 32-year-old is still capable of winning games by himself. He also owns a combined .922 save percentage over his last three playoff appearances. Could he get hot enough to win three of five games? We're certainly not ruling it out.The Penguins, meanwhile, are always one of the last teams anyone wants to meet in the playoffs. They're dangerous at even strength, and their lack of power-play success so far this season is not indicative of the top unit's talent. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are as potent as ever, and Pittsburgh, after being ravaged by injuries all season, should finally be able to ice a healthy roster following a lengthy layoff. That's a scary thought for the rest of East's playoff teams.Flames (8) vs. Jets (9) Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettyCGYStat (rank)WPG36-27-7 (.564)Record (PTS%)37-28-6 (.563)minus-5 (21st)Goal differentialplus-13 (10th)21.2% (12th)PP%20.5% (15th)82.1% (8th)PK%77.6% (22nd)50.35% (16th)xGF% (5-on-5)43.57% (31st)It's a shame this potential series would have to proceed without fans, as Calgary and Winnipeg boast some of the most electric playoff atmospheres in the sport. Still, spectators or not, this series, on paper, projects to be one of the most tightly contested of the play-in tournament.The Flames and Jets have both ridden highs and lows all season, with each team battling bouts of inconsistency and weaknesses in certain areas of the roster. That said, Calgary and Winnipeg both have multiple game-breakers capable of dominating a shortened series. How will Matthew Tkachuk set the physical tone after going months without agitating anybody? Can Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele outduel Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan? Will Connor Hellebuyck's Vezina-calibre regular-season form carry over after such a lengthy hiatus?Let's hope we find out.Maple Leafs (8) vs. Blue Jackets (9) Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyTORStat (rank)CBJ36-25-9 (.579)Record (PTS%)33-22-15 (.579)plus-11 (12th)Goal differentialminus-7 (23rd)23.1% (6th)PP%16.4% (27th)77.7% (21st)PK%81.7% (12th)51.54% (12th)xGF% (5-on-5)51.92% (9th)The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets could not be further apart in terms of roster construction. One team is built around a deep group of star forwards primed to outscore anybody, while the other is a relentlessly hard-working group always ready to systematically frustrate opponents. Yet here they are, essentially deadlocked in the Eastern Conference standings and on the verge of a potential playoff meeting. Which team's style is better suited to a shortened series with virtually no margin for error?After Game 7 losses in back-to-back seasons at the hands of the Boston Bruins - who would, of course, face the winner of this series - Toronto's 2019-20 campaign has been all about playoff progress since Day 1. The players made no mistake promoting that narrative, either, often looking disengaged for long stretches of underwhelming regular-season play. Perhaps the arrival of the postseason could be the jolt the Maple Leafs need to finally resemble the contenders many expected them to be.The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, surprisingly hung around the playoff picture despite losing major star power last offseason. Columbus improbably rode some white-hot goaltending to stay in the mix, but the team should get Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, and potentially Josh Anderson back from injury in time for the playoffs. In addition to those reinforcements, we all know head coach John Tortorella will have his crew ready to play. Just ask the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning.Oilers (5) vs. Blackhawks (12) Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyEDMStat (rank)CHI37-25-9 (.585)Record (PTS%)32-30-8 (.514)plus-8 (14th)Goal differentialminus-6 (22nd)29.5% (1st)PP%15.2% (28th)84.4% (2nd)PK%82.1% (9th)48.51% (22nd)xGF% (5-on-5)46.93% (27th)First things first: The Blackhawks should be extremely grateful if the playoffs are indeed expanded. Chicago had lost six more games than it won before the league halted play, and the squad wasn't particularly impressive in any team metrics. There are major revenue implications in including the Windy City's hockey-mad market in any playoff format, so we'll let it slide and just enjoy the show. Plus, the slight possibility of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews catching lightning in a bottle for one last deep playoff run is incredibly intriguing.But the real reason to get excited about this matchup is Connor McDavid playing in meaningful games. The world's most dynamic player has only 13 playoff contests under his belt since the Oilers drafted him in 2015, and it's fair to assume the hockey world is ready to watch him perform on the biggest stage, even if it's not under the traditional format. Watching him and Leon Draisaitl - the NHL's leading scorer at the time of the pause - go on a run in the wide-open Western Conference would be a treat.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As with most things in the world right now, the short-term future of pro sports is murky. While some sports in some parts of the world have resumed, others remain suspended indefinitely. Nobody knows for sure when, or in what form, they'll be back.It seems evident that when sports do return, they'll do so without fans in attendance. We've already seen that happen with pro baseball in South Korea, and with pro wrestling, MMA, and NASCAR in the United States. Germany's top soccer league, the Bundesliga, returned with fan-less matches last weekend. Until a vaccine or a provably effective COVID-19 treatment becomes widely available, cramming tens of thousands of potential spreaders into a single venue won't be tenable.That will present a strange new environment for everyone involved in pro sporting events, from players to coaches to officials to broadcasters to the fans watching from home. The live audience is what turns a game into the interactive, operatic spectacle we know and love. It's right there in the description: Spectator sports. What is a spectator sport without spectators? At what point does it stop being the thing we recognize, and become an altogether different entity?In trying to conceptualize the new sports reality, I've found myself thinking a lot about those old NBA promos - the ones that open on a shot of an empty arena before reconstructing an iconic postseason play, piece by piece, player by player. The fans are last to materialize, and the moment feels incomplete until that final addition. Then the whole scene vanishes as quickly as it appeared, leaving only the empty gym once again.I always found something haunting about the idea of these incredible, historic moments taking place against a silent backdrop of vacant seats. It felt like a brief glimpse into an alternate reality in which we'd decided not to imbue sports with meaning. There's a reason LeBron James initially reacted to the prospect of playing in empty arenas by dismissing it out of hand.Those ads probably wouldn't feel out of place if they ran tomorrow. They speak simultaneously to what we're currently missing, and what we'll be gaining - and yet still lacking - when sports return.It's not impossible to imagine what sports without fans will look or sound like. The difficult thing will be trying to reconcile the idea of a sporting event that looks and sounds like a scrimmage with one that ostensibly carries monumental stakes. Will those stakes resonate in the same way for the players or their homebound fans? Can players perform at the same level without a crowd there to pump them full of adrenaline? If a three falls and there's nobody there to cheer it ...History provides us with some examples. The one most people might remember is the Orioles-White Sox game that was played in an empty Camden Yards in Baltimore just over five years ago, while protests raged throughout the city in the wake of Freddie Gray's death in police custody.The players who participated in that game talked about the eeriness of the quiet. They were put off not only by the lack of reaction to big plays, but also by the absence of the ambient noise that had unconsciously become a staple of their experience."It's the same as waking up having coffee every day for five years and then waking up and having zero coffee, and kind of being dependent on that energy," then-Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph told The Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath. "And then out of nowhere it's gone."White Sox-Orioles, 2015. Ken Cedeno / Corbis Sport / Getty ImagesBack in 1989, Siena and Boston University played the North Atlantic Conference championship game in an empty arena because of a measles outbreak on Siena's campus."It was definitely an adjustment," Siena forward Tom Huerter told The Times Union's Mark Singelais of the game, which Siena won by one point to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. "I think the best description is it felt like playing in a preseason scrimmage, against a really good team."We can also now draw on examples from our present-day situation.The WWE - which was deemed an essential business by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - has been taping matches in empty venues for weeks. The fan-less experience is particularly strange for pro wrestling, which is by definition more performative and more of a pure entertainment product than non-scripted spectator sports. When theatricality is the whole point, what are you supposed to do when the theater's empty?With the performance greeted by silence, both the physical and dramatic components of the sport are rendered bizarre. The performers still play to a nonexistent crowd, complete with over-the-top walk-out introductions and pregnant pauses in dialogue for effect. It's like a dress rehearsal for a hammy stage production."You know they're there watching at home, and that's what you have to try and focus on," wrestler Adam Joseph Copeland, aka Edge, said on WWE's "After the Bell" podcast. "The performance for the people at home that are hopefully reacting the way that you would want them to within the arena."The Korean Baseball Organization began its season last week against a similarly silent backdrop. Umpires and coaches wear protective masks, while cheerleaders and mascots dance in front of empty seats. In Incheon, the SK Wyverns tried to create the illusion of a home crowd by filling the outfield bleachers with rows of banners displaying fans wearing the team's hat. As if to add an element of realism, the fake fans are also depicted wearing protective face masks. Chung Sung-Jun / Getty ImagesThere are still a lot of practical questions to answer about how the games will be packaged when team sports return in North America.Will they be played in smaller, more intimate facilities? That might take some of the strangeness out of the endeavor; the sounds of the game would otherwise echo through cavernous, empty stadiums and serve only to emphasize the quiet of the place. Other sports may borrow the KBO's cardboard-fan idea. Perhaps some will take it a step further and stage games in front of a green screen so broadcasts can show a digitized live audience.Another unknown is whether arenas will still feature the work of game-ops staff. Will they pump in artificial crowd noise or music during the run of play? Without any of that, viewers are likely going to hear a lot of stuff they aren't used to hearing, from the otherwise obscured sounds of the game to things said in the heat of the moment: sideline play-calling, profane trash talk, and heated arguments with officials.Maybe the participants will tone down their usual mouthiness. Or maybe they won't. Steph Curry suggested that games without background noise "might be something that's really appealing from a fan perspective, to get real up close and personal with what we do on the court."Orioles and White Sox players and coaches said they could hear everything the other team was saying, on the field and in the dugout, be it cheering or heckling or strategizing. Hearing a coach bellowing instruction from the bench won't be a novel phenomenon to anyone who's ever watched a Tom Thibodeau-coached team play, but there's a different level of tactical transparency in a silent stadium. On the playing field or in the huddle during a timeout, teams will have to go to greater lengths to conceal their intentions. Baseball players holding their gloves in front of their mouths to discourage lip-reading won't be enough."I had to change my coaching style because I was kind of an emotive guy," former Siena coach Mike Deane told Singelais. "If there's nobody in the gym, and no noise to filter that, you've got to be a little different."Mike Deane coaching for Marquette in 1995. Jamie Sabau / Getty ImagesAs for the broadcast, will commentators be on site or off? If it's the former, I can tell you - as someone who used to call Atlantic University Sport basketball games for Dalhousie campus radio in Halifax, Nova Scotia - that it's a strange, self-conscious feeling to be describing the scene on display in a quiet gym where all of the players and attendants can hear you. The players, meanwhile, have to try to focus on playing while essentially having their actions narrated back to them in real time."When I went in to pitch, I just heard (Orioles play-by-play announcer) Gary Thorne the whole time I was in my delivery," former Orioles closer Zack Britton told The Athletic's Dan Connolly and Dan Hayes of his relief appearance in empty Camden Yards. "I'd get my pitch (signal) and I could hear him say, 'Britton's coming set. And the pitch.' I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, Gary, can I just mute you right now? Because I hear everything you're saying.'"Not all athletes have found that to be problematic, though. In fact, two fighters in UFC 249 earlier in May said they won their bouts in part because they overheard and heeded tactical suggestions from fighter-turned-broadcaster Daniel Cormier.If the NBA and NHL return in the near future, they'll either jump directly to the playoffs or be in the midst of the home stretch of the regular season, with some playoff positions still to be decided. If MLB returns, chances are it will play in empty stadiums. That Orioles-White Sox game was just one early-season game out of 162. How will it feel to play in or watch a fan-less game to decide a playoff spot, or a series, or a championship? How do you generate the requisite level of intensity and tension for a contest of that magnitude without a crowd? Andrew D. Bernstein / NBA / GettyWe often reference "playoff atmosphere," which connotes a particular energy in a venue that is equal parts sound and texture. When we think of memorable postseason games we think of crowds so loud that players and coaches can't properly communicate. People who dream of being pro athletes dream of performing miraculous physical feats in front of thousands of roaring fans. Imaginary plays pantomimed in the driveway or the backyard are customarily followed by, "And the crowd goes wild!"There won't be any substitute for the goosebump-inducing thrill of a momentum-swinging run or a game-breaking play in front of a frenzied home crowd; the murmuring angst between pitches during a crucial, drawn-out at-bat; the roar after a successful penalty kill; the swelling sound as a visiting team lines up for a third down; the anticipatory hum as a play develops into a breakaway or an open 3-pointer; the cathartic explosion after a frantic sequence of events is punctuated by a goal or a dunk or a tape-measure home run. The gravity of these moments is communicated, in large part, by a crowd's reaction to them.Maybe the biggest question in all this is one that has nothing to do with practicality and everything to do with emotional gratification. The special thing about sports spectatorship is that it's interactive; you feel like you have a role to play in the production, however small. That feeling may not persist when the interactive element is taken away.And what about the communal element? A common refrain about the power of sports is that they bring people together. That's often meant figuratively, but there is, of course, a literal component as well, whether that means populating stadiums or going to friends' houses or packing into sweaty bars to take in the spectacle and react among fellow fans.Will it feel the same to root for a local team if that team isn't even playing in the local market? Can a fan base collectively celebrate a victory if its members can't celebrate with each other in person? Can sports still bring people together on a spiritual level if they can't do so on a physical level?And if not, then what, exactly, is left?Joe Wolfond writes about basketball and tennis for theScore.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler believes a 24-team playoff format could offer bubble teams a leg up on the competition."I think what you need to be really conscientious of in this situation is that there are some teams that've had incredible regular seasons and you don't want to handicap them as well," Wheeler said on Wednesday's edition of "Dreger Cafe." "I think the hard thing would be to have the bubble teams play a play-in and all of the sudden now Boston or St. Louis or Colorado who've been at the top of the standings all year, they're sitting there cold and have to play a team that's already played a three-to-five game series and they're coming in hot."As part of the NHL's effort to avoid the issue Wheeler is concerned about, the latest reported playoff format would see the top four teams in each conference play tune-up games against each other while the clubs ranked from No. 5 to No. 12 (by points percentage) in each conference would participate in best-of-five play-in series. The tune-up contests may not share the same intensity as the play-in games, though.Wheeler's Jets currently occupy the ninth seed in the Western Conference based on points percentage. The reported proposal would pit them against the Calgary Flames for the play-in series.The veteran winger added that he isn't against the idea of an expanded playoff field but believes there must be meaningful games for all teams beforehand."When I say the games matter, I'm talking about do-or-die situations come up so that the players are in somewhat decent shape and so that the competitive balance is intact," Wheeler said.Meanwhile, Nashville Predators forward Matt Duchene said Tuesday that he'd like to see the playoffs carried out in a more traditional fashion to avoid a "COVID Cup," where fans and pundits may place an asterisk beside the champion.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.The NHL and the players' union are working on a 24-team playoff setup based on conference standings, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Friedman noted that nothing is set in stone and that both teams and players must still approve it. He added that discussions on the proposal could happen as early as Thursday.Friedman admitted he's not certain of every detail, but said he has an idea of how it would work: The top four seeds (based on points percentage) in each conference would receive byes through the play-in but participate in a three-game tournament to serve as a tune-up.The rest of the playoffs would be "bracketed." In each conference, the No. 5 seed faces the No. 12 seed (winner plays No. 4), No. 6 faces No. 11 (winner plays No. 3), No. 7 faces No. 10 (winner plays No. 2), and No. 8 faces No. 9 (winner plays No. 1).The play-in series would be a best-of-five, and the rest of the postseason would be best-of-seven series.Here's a look at the current standings based on points percentage:Eastern ConferenceRankTeamPTS%1.Boston Bruins.7142.Tampa Bay Lightning.6573.Washington Capitals.6524.Philadelphia Flyers.6455.Pittsburgh Penguins.6236.Carolina Hurricanes.5967.New York Islanders.5888.Toronto Maple Leafs.5799.Columbus Blue Jackets.57910.Florida Panthers.56511.New York Rangers.56412.Montreal Candiens.500Western ConferenceRankTeamPTS%1.St. Louis Blues.6622.Colorado Avalanche.6573.Vegas Golden Knights.6064.Dallas Stars.5945.Edmonton Oilers.5856.Nashville Predators.5657.Vancouver Canucks.5658.Calgary Flames.5649.Winnipeg Jets.56310.Minnesota Wild.55811.Arizona Coyotes.52912.Chicago Blackhawks.514Another major change in this format would be the lack of reseeding. For example, if a No. 10, 11, or 12 seed managed to pull off an upset in the Eastern Conference play-in, the higher-ranked winner of Toronto and Columbus would still play Boston next.This conference-based format would erase the NHL's much-maligned divisional playoff system - at least for one season.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.The coronavirus has cost Taylor Hall and other pending unrestricted free agents money this summer.Before the pandemic hit, the NHL salary cap was projected to rise to somewhere between $84 million and $88.2 million for next season. Now, with the campaign on pause, the 2020-21 cap ceiling is unlikely to rise above the current $81.5 million.Despite this, Hall doesn't plan on signing a one-year contract in order to get a bigger long-term payday a year from now, according to Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet."You're talking about a guy who, before this, was going to make a ton of money," Tocchet said on the "ESPN On Ice" podcast, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "With this whole pandemic, like he told me, he doesn't want to go through another year trying to play on a one-year contract. He wants to get settled somewhere. So, he's got a lot of different options that he's gotta weigh."Where Hall chooses to spend the next chapter of his career remains to be seen, but Tocchet believes the Coyotes have a strong chance."I'm not saying he is going to sign here, but I definitely think we're a team he's very interested in staying with," Tocchet said.General manager John Chayka would have to get creative to keep Hall in Arizona. The Coyotes already have $79.9 million committed to their payroll for next season, according to CapFriendly. Multiple players would likely have to be traded in order for the team to afford Hall.The former Hart Trophy winner was traded from the New Jersey Devils to Arizona in January. He's totaled 52 points in 65 games this season between the two clubs.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tyson Barrie is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but when that will be remains unclear with the 2019-20 campaign still on pause."It's a weird time to be heading into free agency," Barrie said Wednesday, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton."We're still not certain on what's going to play out here. At this point, I think all I can do is focus on getting ready to play, if we are going to play, and take a run with the Toronto Maple Leafs."The Stanley Cup is traditionally awarded in early June and the free-agent signing period begins July 1. As the NHL continues to explore different scenarios for resuming play, several critical factors that will impact free agency - including what next season's salary cap will be - still need to be discussed.While so much remains uncertain, Barrie is clear about what he's searching for when it comes to his next team."It's got to be the right fit. I think it has to be a spot where they are in need of someone like myself," he said. "A good team headed in the right direction and a good organization. I think there's a lot of right organizations that tick those boxes."Barrie signed a four-year, $22-million deal with the Colorado Avalanche ahead of the 2016-17 season and was traded to Toronto last July. The veteran rearguard ranks fifth on the team and first among defensemen with 39 points while logging 21:53 of average ice time through 70 games.Several other coveted talents are also set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason, including Arizona Coyotes forward Taylor Hall and St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It takes a special caliber of athlete to win an MVP award. All the stars must align at just the right time to be named the premier player in a specific sport. How much do you know about the athletes who've claimed MVPs over the years? Find out by taking our quiz below.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Few moments over the course of a career are as special for NHL players as their very first game. Some relish the spotlight, putting forth a memorable effort in their introduction to the hockey world.With this in mind, we're going to remember five of the best player debuts in recent memory. The timeframe for this exercise spans 25 seasons, which, unfortunately, forces us to leave out classic examples such as Mario Lemieux's infamous first goal, on his first shift, on his first shot. Other claims to fame, like Philadelphia Flyers alumnus Al Hill notching five points and a Gordie Howe hat trick in his debut in 1977, were also left out.Before we get to the list itself, we're going to list some honorable mentions for players that had incredible moments in their debuts but didn't find the scoresheet frequently enough.Jordan Eberle, 2010Eberle, having already established himself with a legendary performance for Canada at the world juniors a year prior, once again took center stage with an incredible goal in his NHL debut. That toe drag and backhand finish are moves players dream about pulling off once in their careers, and it only took Eberle two periods.Vladimir Tarasenko, 2013After spending three seasons in the KHL, Tarasenko finally came to the Blues in 2013 and burst onto the NHL scene. St. Louis' 2010 first-rounder torched the Detroit Red Wings in his debut, and his second goal of the night was an absolute beauty.Elias Pettersson, 2018Pettersson hardly wasted any time before showcasing his outstanding shot to Canucks fans, burying an absolute laser over then-Flames goaltender Mike Smith in the first period of his first NHL game.Now, let's get to the list.5. Derek Stepan, Rangers Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / GettyDate: Oct. 9, 2010

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner appeared on former teammate Connor Carrick's podcast recently and made light of the list incident with former coach Mike Babcock that blew up following the dismissal of the veteran bench boss earlier this season.Carrick asked Marner which moment he uses as a learning opportunity to this point of his career."Well, I think one is to never grade your teammates on their work ethic in practice," Marner joked. "That one is definitely the top."In the week following Babcock's firing, it was reported the coach privately asked the forward to rank his teammates based on their work ethic during his rookie season. Babcock then shared the list with the players Marner categorized as the laziest without telling him.Marner later confirmed the story amid the media firestorm, and told Carrick that the teammates he unknowingly singled out - Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, and Nazem Kadri - didn't take it personally."I was really young. I was nervous. I didn't know what to do, so I did it. Next thing I knew it got reported to the team," Marner said. "Bozie, JVR, and Naz - those three are some of the best guys I've ever played with. They've been great throughout my career, talking to them and stuff like that. It was hilarious. At first, they were jiving me about it, because I didn’t know it was gonna get shown to them. I think (Babcock's) lesson was trying to show the older guys that I'm a young guy and I'm looking up to these three and that's what was happening."Marner and the New Jersey Devils defenseman discussed a wide variety of topics, including Marner's highly publicized contract negotiation last offseason. The 23-year-old was in the crosshairs all summer long for a lengthy dispute that resulted in a six-year, $65.358-million pact inked at the start of training camp."It was really interesting to be a part of it and see what a lot of people try to do to kinda tear you down," Marner said about the negotiations process. "Try and make you feel like you're not the player you are."Marner was among the Leafs' top performers before the season was shut down, posting 67 points over 59 games in his fourth year with the club.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.Ottawa Senators skaters and other NHL players from the area can skate again at a private facility in Canada's capital for the first time since the coronavirus shut the league down March 12, according to the Ottawa Sun's Ken Warren.Physical distancing will be enforced, and no more than five skaters will be allowed on the ice at any time. Players are also being asked to show up to the arena in everything but their skates.The NHL still prohibits the use of team practice rinks until every franchise receives government clearance to reopen. However, Ontario has begun procedures to restore the use of local facilities, so players in Ottawa can return to the ice under certain provisions.The league is working toward an expanded 24-team playoff format if it's able to stage a return, but the Senators, who occupied 30th place through 71 games at the time of the pause, won't play again until next preseason.Five Senators players have tested positive for COVID-19 during the stoppage.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.