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Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta have confirmed that Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien, 27, was found dead in his home in Crowsnest Pass, AB, on Monday. According to a report in the Toronto Globe and Mail, RCMP officials confirmed the death was not of a suspicious nature. National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement regarding the death of Rypien: "The National Hockey League sends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Rick Rypien, who played the game with so much energy and emotion and whose passing fills us all with a sense of...

Day one of the 2011 NHL Draft featured some trades, 30 picks being made, and all of the spectacle that could be had when you invite a bunch of junior players. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers and Brian Campbell was dealt to the Florida Panthers. Jun 25, 2011 - The first day of the 2011 NHL Draft is usually the day with all of the glitz and the glamour. The majority of NHL Draft trades go down during it, the biggest names get drafted in it, and the television coverage is usually all over...

There’s been no shortage of witnesses willing to point out rioters responsible for the post-Stanley Cup mayhem in Vancouver on Wednesday night. According to the Vancouver Police Department, the sheer volume of evidentiary photo submissions from the public temporarily overwhelmed its website yesterday.

After nearly four decades of waiting, fans of the Boston Bruins can finally celebrate a Stanley Cup champion. But the road to the trophy wasn't easy. VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 15: Head coach Claude Julien, Dennis Seidenberg #44, Tim Thomas #30, Patrice Bergeron #37 and Zdeno Chara #33 of the Boston Bruins pose with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game Seven of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4 to 0. Jun 16, 2011 - The 39-year...

Blood in our streets. I saw people on the ground, bleeding. Shattered glass everywhere. Police cars set alight. Major bridges are now closed, preventing public access into the downtown core. Transit is plugged up, there’s no way out. More police and fire crews are arriving, from the suburbs, but again, it seems too late. And as I write this, the sun has just set. Vancouver, what a disgrace

Congrats to the Bruins. You played lights out. Every ex-pat canadian here in L.A. just coming out of the bar thought that Thomas played lights out. (stupid Luongo,,,you miserable mediocre goalie, you could play for Team Canada and give everything but you are a damn overrated clown..get lost loser) and you Sedin twins, STFU! You Swedes couldn't fight back in WW2, and you should not have quaranteed game 7. Go back to sweden, punks! ahem..going back. Thanks to Ryan Kesler, my favorite Canuck for the journey. and I feel good for Mark Rechii of BB who's from BC, like me.

Last night the Boston Bruins blew out the Vancouver Canucks for the second straight game. But while the series might now be even at two games apiece, the series is anything but even. In sports, one of the best indicators of how good (or bad) a team really is, is to look at that team's goal/run/points differential. That is, the difference between the number of points they have scored and the number of points they have allowed. The bigger the difference, the better a team is. And in the NHL playoffs, the results so far tell us that the Canucks...

Atlanta will be losing a National Hockey League team for the second time, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, will be gaining one for the second time.The new owner of the franchise, True North Sports and Entertainment, announced Tuesday that it has acquired the team from its current owners, Atlanta Spirit.

BOSTON, MA - MAY 17: Michael Ryder #73 of the Boston Bruins scores a second period goal past Dwayne Roloson #35 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 17, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. Jim Rogash/Getty Images The Tampa Bay Lightning stormed into Boston last Saturday night to kick off the Conference Finals and ran over the hosting Bruins, winning 5-2.However, Boston evened the count with an exciting, wide-open 6-5 victory in Game 2, highlighted by a five-goal second period that erased...

It began in 1959. After experimenting with designs off the ice for months, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante felt he had found the right kind of goalie mask to use for protection in a game, but there was just one problem. He wasn't allowed to use one.It wasn't just that no goalie before him had ever worn a mask during a game in the NHL, but that his coaches, including head coach Toe Blake, thought it would hinder his vision, and therefore told Plante he would not be able to wear the mask.Talk about tough love, and especially for a goalie...

Prior to wearing the familiar black and white striped jerseys, NHL referees wore cream colored sweaters, as well as neckties, which made for a quite dapper look. The cream sweaters lasted into the early 1950's. 1940's NHL referee's sweater Hockey Hall of Famer and first American referee Bill Chadwick wearing a cream colored referees sweater, complete with necktie Following the cream colored sweaters, in order to differentiate themselves from the home player's white sweaters, NHL referees changed in March of 1953 to a bright orange style with a half zip front, which sadly meant neckties were no longer worn. Hall...

-excerpt- The 28-year-old player was found dead Friday in his Minneapolis apartment. The team announced his death Friday but gave no details.

Barnaby, Michelle Beadle's boyfriend, is currently sitting in a NY jail cell. Jalen Rose recently was arrested for DUI as well ... any doubts they will return? Why is the ESPN culture so accepting of this behavior? A few examples of talent suspended or sued over sexual harrassment claims: Tony Kornheiser Scott Van Pelt Woody Paige Jay Moriatti Jay Crawford Mike Tirico Neil Goldberg Chris Berman Eric Kasilious (sp?) Harold Reynolds Howard Bryant Jeremy Green Ron Franklin Steve Phillips

AP A lot of people think that it’s unfair that the playoffs can make or break players’ legacies. It’s reasonable to feel uncomfortable about that since the sample size is so small, but there’s no doubt that lasting memories are made when everyone can focus on one game. The fact that tonight’s Detroit Red Wings-San Jose Sharks match is a Game 7 only intensifies that scrutiny.The fact that Game 7s are still technically one game means that lesser known players can often steal the spotlight. Maxime Talbot scored two goals against the Red Wings in Game 7 of the...

The matchups have been determined, and the combatants will ratchet up their quest for the Stanley Cup, with the NHL's postseason beginning on Wednesday, April 13. Here is the schedule for the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Quarterfinals. 2011 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS #1 seed Washington Capitals vs. #8 seed New York Rangers Wednesday, April 13 at Washington, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 at Washington, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 17 at New York, 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 20 at New York, 7:00 p.m. *Saturday, April 23 at Washington, 3:00 p.m. *Monday, April 25 at New York, TBD *Wednesday, April 27 at Washington,...

Sidney Crosby's concussion is causing a headache for the Penguins on the ice and the National Hockey League off it. Nobody knows when Crosby might play hockey again, and continued speculation about his health is as frustrating to the team as it is confusing to fans. ---(snip)--- Head injuries will be a major topic during three days of meetings by the league's 30 general managers starting today in Boca Raton, Fla. -- and not just because Crosby, widely regarded as the face of the NHL, has cast a spotlight on the subject. ---(snip)--- Taking a toll According to The Concussion...

Rick Martin, one-third of the most fabled line in Buffalo Sabres history, died today of a heart attack. He was 59. Martin reportedly had a heart attack while driving in Clarence, a law enforcement officer said on the condition of anonymity. Martin became etched in local lore as the high-scoring winger on the "French Connection," skating alongside Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert as the infant Sabres captured the area’s attention. Martin helped welcome new Sabres owner Terry Pegula to town late last month, skating onto the ice with Perreault and Robert and shaking Pegula’s hand at center ice as the...

Air Canada threatens to pull NHL sponsorship By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) -- In an unusually public faceoff between a pro sports league and one of its major sponsors, Air Canada has threatened to pull support for the National Hockey League, saying that violent play on the ice hurts the airline's brand image.

Watch the Heritage Classic on Sunday March 20, beginning at 6 PM on Versus. Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames in historic McMahon Stadium, Calgary, Canada.

“Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn’t hockey. It was a travesty. It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that. “The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed. “We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not...