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When Braden Holtby signed with the Vancouver Canucks, he knew he needed new gear for the occasion and, most importantly, a new mask. That meant turning to his long-time mask designer David Gunnarsson, who designs many masks for NHL players, including former Canucks Jacob Markstrom and Eddie Lack. The new mask design from Holtby and Gunnarsson sparked controversy, however, when Gunnarsson posted the mask on his Instagram. It was clearly inspired, if not directly copied from, Indigenous art of the northwest, but the Swedish Gunnarsson is not Indigenous.

The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Sunday the team plans to open its home games and other events by reading an Indigenous land acknowledgment. The hockey team committed on the first day of Native American Heritage Month to making a land acknowledgement, or “a formal statement that recognizes the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.”... In a statement, the Blackhawks said they “acknowledge that the team, its foundation, and the spaces we maintain, work, and complete within, stand upon the traditional homelands of the Miami, Sauk, Fox, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, and the Council of the...

New England has produced some famous athletes: Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Tom Brady, Ted Williams. But Bobby Orr holds a special place in the hearts of sports lovers in New England -- especially those who watched Orr play for the Boston Bruins on those low-res TVs of the 60's and 70's. You see, as a kids growing up there, skating and ice hockey were rich personal experiences.  The many ponds and lakes in the region would freeze over in December, November, and January.  And all you needed to do was shovel way the snow on top and you had your...

After a 47-year broadcasting career, Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick is hanging up the mic. Emrick announced his retirement Monday after calling hockey for three decades, including 22 Stanley Cup Finals, 45 Stanley Cup Playoffs/Final Game 7s, six Olympics, NHL Winter Classics and All-Star Games. He has spent the last 15 years as the lead play-by-play voice for NBC Sports’ NHL coverage. “It was 50 years ago this fall, with pen and pad in hand at old Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, I got my first chance to cover the National Hockey League. Gordie Howe was a Red Wing, Bobby Hull was a...

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Dallas Stars 2-0 in Game 6 of the Final at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Monday. The Lightning previously won the Cup in 2004. "It's the best moment of our hockey lives," Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said. "So many emotions. It's going to take months for it to sink in, but we're going to be champions forever, we're going to be on that Cup forever. … It's what you imagine all your life."

A neighbor called sheriff’s deputies on some rabid Tampa Bay Lightning fans who were screaming, “Shoot! Shoot!" as they watched Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final on TV Wednesday night. The call prompted several Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies to show up at Devon Garnett’s apartment door. He and two friends had gathered to watch the game at Garnett’s Radius Palms apartment. SNIP “So they came to the door and thought there were guns in the house,” Garnett, 26, told the Tampa Bay Times. “We’re like, ‘Nope, we’re just screaming for Steven Stamkos.’”

Game 4 is on right now. they are in the 2nd period. on broadcast TV, not cable. game 5 Saturday.

Tampa Bay counting on up-tempo offense against Khudobin, strong Dallas defense The Stanley Cup Final -- the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Dallas Stars in a best-of-7 series -- will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the hub city for the Final.

Turning on the TV the other night for my ailing mother-in-law, a devotee of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, we were pummeled by the public address announcer’s sanctimonious spiel about Black Lives Matter, the social sickness of “systemic racism,” and how these issues were “bigger than the game.” Some of the players were featured delivering solemn, not-entirely lucid homilies about justice for the oppressed and the need for brotherhood among the races. One could sense Saint Kaepernick kneeling in the background. I must say I did not appreciate being enlightened by an announcer reading a script he’d been provided by...

The protest from players is now costing the owners money. Over the past week we have seen protests from multiple sports league's following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the National Hockey League has been no exception. Although protests or boycotts from players in the National Basketball Association have received a good bit of praise in this regard, with the NBA also getting its fair share of critics to be sure, similar protests in the NHL have been met by far more backlash from fans, especially as more and more evidence in the case of Jacob Blake...

The Stars have lost customers over their support of Black Lives Matter and protests over racial inequality, president and CEO Brad Alberts said Friday afternoon. “But we/I stand by our organization’s commitment and support our players 100% to express their views,” Alberts said. When asked which customers the team has lost, Alberts said season-ticket holders, and that it was a mix of individual and company accounts. He did not disclose specific names. Alberts said no advertisers have pulled funding.

On top of their formal request for the National Hockey League to suspend all playoff games last night, Rick Westhead, a senior correspondent for TSN, reports the HDA (Hockey Diversity Alliance) has a number of other demands. Hockey Diversity Alliance, an association made up of seven players whose stated purpose is to eradicate systemic racism and intolerance in hockey, have also revealed these demands: Team owners offer NHL rinks to be used as polling stations for the upcoming US election. NHL should be fully transparent about “all information related to the policies, targets and commitments” related to the hiring of...

The NHL is following the MLB, NBA, WNBA and MLS' lead ... with the league officially postponing games following the Jacob Blake shooting. "After much discussion, NHL Players believe that the best course of action would be to take a step back and not play tonight’s and tomorrow’s games as scheduled," the league announced Thursday. The decision comes after several players -- including Matt Dumba and Evander Kane -- criticized the league's response to the boycotts sweeping the sports world. The NHL says they support the players' wishes ... and will make up the games starting Saturday. NHL continued ......

The NHL announced its four Stanley Cup Playoff games scheduled for Thursday and Friday have been postponed after the players on all eight remaining teams decided not to play as a form of protest against systemic racism and police brutality. "After much discussion, NHL players believe that the best course of action would be to take a step back and not play tonight's and tomorrow's games as scheduled," the NHL and NHL Players' Association said in a statement. "The NHL supports the players' decision and will reschedule those four games beginning Saturday and adjust the remainder of the Second Round...

Sharks captain Logan Couture tweeted Wednesday morning that he was sucker-punched Tuesday night in Ontario, Canada, for talking about voting for the Republican Party and mentioning President Donald Trump. I spent last night in Toronto Ontario. I talked about voting for the Republican Party, and I mentioned Donald Trump by name. I was sucker punched. Is this really what we are coming to? If you vote you are a villain? Man this world is so wrong — Logan Couture (@Logancouture) August 26, 2020

NBC Sports removed Mike Milbury from his NHL assignment Friday following backlash against commentary he made during a game Thursday night. The NHL issued a statement Friday condemning Milbury for the commentary. “The National Hockey League condemns the insensitive and insulting comment that Mike Milbury made during last night’s broadcast, and we have communicated our feelings to NBC. The comment did not reflect the NHL’s values and commitment to making our game more inclusive and welcoming to all.” Milbury made the comment amid a discussion with play-by-play man Brian Boucher about the bubble environment NHL players are playing and living...

EASTERN CONFERENCE Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8) Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7) Washington Capitals (3) vs. New York Islanders (6) Boston Bruins (4) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (5) WESTERN CONFERENCE Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8) Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Arizona Coyotes (7) Dallas Stars (3) vs. Calgary Flames (6) St. Louis Blues (4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5)

Players from the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars knelt on the ice before their game Monday to support Black Lives Matter and other social causes. Dallas forward Tyler Sequin and Jason Dickinson knelt alongside Vegas forward Ryan Reaves and goaltender Robin Lehner during the American and Canadian national anthems prior to their round-robin playoff game.

It might be time for patriotic Americans to discover a new favorite sport, professional hockey. Unlike other professional athletes, hockey players have refused to show disrespect toward the National Anthem. At exhibition games this week, all players with the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers stood for the National Anthem. Likewise, for Thursday night’s start of the season, all the players with the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators stood for the National Anthem. After the game, a few of the Dallas players displayed their clothing featuring the slogan, #WeSkateforEquality. The NHL is allowing players...