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Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the playing of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” has had a ripple effect across the sports world in the past week. It has elicited reactions — both in support and in condemnation — from players around the NFL and beyond, military members and even President Obama. A prominent name from professional hockey added his opinion to the mix Tuesday, and it wasn’t in favor of Kaepernick’s social justice protest. “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game,” USA Hockey Coach...

There are a lot of things to question about the way John Tortorella operates, but one thing that can never be questioned is his overwhelming sense of patriotism. The ex-Rangers coach and now head coach of Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey drove that point home again Tuesday, saying that if any of his players emulate 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and sit for the national anthem, then they will be benched for the entirety of the game. “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the...

Link here: http://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/hockey-legend-gordie-howe-dies-at-age-88

Roogned Odor (Pronounced O'Door) nearly knocks Jose Bsutista out after Bautista ries to give Odor a career ending knee injury

The cat slipped onto the ice Friday before the Sharks won a big playoff gameThe San Jose Sharks got an unexpected visit Friday. Before the NHL team beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 at the SAP Center, a black cat crept out of the player bench area and scurried onto the ice. As the Sharks warmed up for the first game of their best-of-seven playoff series, fans watched the small feline making a beeline for an oversized, fiberglass shark head, only to escape under the seats at "the Shark Tank," as the arena is known. The venue’s staff was able...

NEW YORK -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw has been suspended for one game for making a homophobic slur during Game 4 of the team's first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series with the St. Louis Blues in Chicago on Tuesday, April 19, the National Hockey League announced today. Shaw has also been fined $5,000 for directing an inappropriate gesture at the on-ice officials during the same game. Shaw will also be required to undergo sensitivity training. Both incidents took place at 17:56 of the third period. Shaw will miss Game 5 of the series on Thursday, April 21, in St. Louis....

The NHL is investigating the possible use of a homophobic slur by Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw during Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals Tuesday night at the United Center. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an e-mail to the Tribune on Wednesday, "yes we are looking into it, and no we can't comment on it until that process is complete." After being assessed an interference penalty late in the Blues’ 4-3 victory, Shaw was yelling at officials while seated in the penalty box and video of the incident appeared to show him using a homophobic slur.

It's time for hockey's "Second Season" ! Place your bets and get your team colors on !

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Ed Snider, the Philadelphia Flyers founder whose "Broad Street Bullies" became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, has died after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 83.

Andy Bathgate, a Hall of Fame hockey player who spent much of his 18-year career with the New York Rangers as one of the most prolific goal scorers of his day, died Feb. 26 in Brampton, Ont. He was 83. The Rangers confirmed the death. He reportedly had Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. A dynamic shooter and playmaker, Mr. Bathgate was the NHL’s most valuable player for the 1958-59 season, when he scored 40 goals and had 88 points. He was the first member of the Rangers to score 40 times in a season. His Rangers record of 272 goals...

Cheap Trick is headlining Soul Asylum is also performing Jazmine Sullivan will perform The National Anthem. The game will be broadcast live Sunday February 21st, at 3:30 p.m. ET in the U.S. as part of Hockey Day in America on NBC and in Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. When you follow the link - There are a number of interesting stories on the left hand side of the page - from both the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks side.

A cool story!

NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators know they play in a nontraditional hockey market, but they wouldn't have it any other way. The passion for hockey always has been there in Nashville, and it will be on display at the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) and at different events during All-Star Weekend. Nashville has had a hockey fandom even if the popularity and a deep understanding of the history of the game wasn't always prevalent. When the Predators came into the NHL as an expansion franchise before the 1998-99 season, die-hard fans...

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman sent linesman Don Henderson to the ice when he checked him from behind during a game against the Nashville Predators. In the second period Wednesday night, Wideman was skating toward the Flames' bench when he cross-checked Henderson, who had his back to the defenseman. Moments earlier, Wideman had taken a hit from the Predators' Miikka Salomaki. Wideman said after the game that his hit to Henderson was unintentional. "I took a pretty hard hit down in the corner and had some pretty good pain in my shoulder and my neck and...

Id like to thank Bike & @RussellAthletic for saving my bacon tonight! #closecall

The impact that several 2016 NHL Draft-eligible prospects have had for their respective countries at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland this year has been remarkable. "It's like being a kid in a candy store," Chicago Blackhawks senior director of amateur scouting Mark Kelley told NHL.com. "Not only has the competition been top notch, but if you look at the teams and the roles that some of these players are having on those teams at the age they are, it's incredible. "These aren't players who are on the team to gain experience; they're players who are on the team...

The U.S. opened the 2016 World Junior Championship with a stunning 4-2 victory over Canada by riding a three-goal third period. The game wasn't always pretty, but the Americans picked it up late to pull away from their North American rivals. The game's first four goals were scored by first-round NHL draft picks, with Canada's Mathew Barzal, a New York Islanders prospect, opening things up with a second-period goal. That was followed by Team USA's and Ottawa Senators first-rounder Colin White tying things up on a great effort to get to the net. Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Dylan...

Dickie Moore, a Hockey Hall of Famer who played on six Stanley Cup championship teams with the Montreal Canadiens and won two straight N.H.L. point-scoring titles, died on Saturday in Montreal. He was 84.

Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane will not face criminal charges after a woman claimed she was raped by the NHL player at his home near Buffalo in early August. Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III released the findings Thursday morning: The Town of Hamburg Police Department and the Office of the Erie County District Attorney have conducted an exhaustive investigation over the course of the past three months regarding allegations made by a 21 year-old woman that 26 year-old Patrick Kane raped her on his bed. The investigative findings include the following:

Vladimir Putin turned 63 on Wednesday, and he celebrated in a rather unorthodox manner: by partaking in an all-star hockey game with former NHL stars and Russian cabinet members. The leader, famous for posing shirtless on horseback and in other unashamedly macho situations, played in a hockey game Wednesday night alongside former NHL stars. As you'd expect, Putin's team won. And the man himself scored seven goals. The President's teammates included former Vancouver Canucks player Pavel Bure, as well as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who earlier in the day had been briefing Putin on Russia's latest round of military strikes...