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Tag: Hockey

  • Askarov stands tall (again) as Sharks finish homestand with impressive win

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    SAN JOSE – Shakir Mukhamadullin and Macklin Celebrini both had goals in the first two periods, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 33 saves as the San Jose Sharks earned a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday to close out a four-game homestand.

    Mukhamadullin scored his first goal of the season at the 15:53 mark of the first period, and Celebrini added his 14th at the 11:45 mark of the second on a power play as the Sharks took a 2-0 lead.

    The Bruins got one goal back at the 10:02 mark of the third as Morgan Geekie scored his 17th of the season in front of the Sharks’ net off a pass from David Pastrnak.

    Collin Graf iced the win for the Sharks with an empty-net goal with 1:07 to play.

    Askarov didn’t have a chance on that play and had eight saves in the third period, as the Sharks finished their homestand with a 3-1-0 record.

    Askarov made 25 saves through two periods, including one on a one-timer by Pastrnak midway through the second period.

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) keeps an eye on the puck against Boston Bruins’ Marat Khusnutdinov (92) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

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Askarov entered Sunday as one of the hottest goalies in the NHL. In seven starts this month, Askarov was 6-1-0, and his .957 save percentage was second-best among all NHL goalies who have started at least seven games.

Askarov was coming off a 31-save performance in the Sharks’ 4-3 shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings. Askarov also made 24 saves in San Jose’s 3-2 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday to open the homestand.

The Sharks were looking to bounce back after a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday when coach Ryan Warsofsky lamented his team’s lack of complete, battle-level, and attention to detail.

San Jose held a 2-1 lead late in the second period, but a poor line change helped lead to a goal by Senators winger Fabian Zetterlund, and a defensive breakdown late in the third allowed Tim Stutzle to score the go-ahead goal, handing the Sharks their third loss in five games.

The Sharks tweaked their forward lines for Sunday’s game. William Eklund was moved to the top line alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and Philipp Kurashev slid to the second line with Alexander Wennberg, who played his 100th game with the Sharks on Sunday, and Tyler Toffoli.

Playing on back-to-back days, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky also wanted to get fresh legs into the lineup, as rookie Sam Dickinson entered the lineup for Sam Klingberg. But it was clear, too, that Warsofsky thought Klingberg’s miscue led to Stutzle’s goal on Saturday.

“We don’t scan well enough as a defense, we don’t read it,” Warsofsky said Sunday. “It’s a quick game. So, we’ve got to be able to read it quickly. Again, the change isn’t (ideal), but it’s a 2-1-2 (neutral-zone forecheck). We should be able to defend that pretty easily.”

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San Jose Sharks’ Tyler Toffoli (73) fights for the puck against Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) and Boston Bruins’ Elias Lindholm (28) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

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Curtis Pashelka

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  • Sharks’ Klingberg takes a seat after miscue; Will roster spot be available for young center?

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    SAN JOSE – Say this about the way the San Jose Sharks’ active roster is put together: When coach Ryan Warsofsky wants to make a change on defense, he has no shortage of options.

    Sunday, it was again John Klingberg’s turn to take a seat in the press box, as the Sharks prepared to face the Boston Bruins at SAP Center to finish a four-game homestand.

    Playing on back-to-back days, Warsofsky said he wanted to get fresh legs into the lineup Sunday, as rookie Sam Dickinson entered the lineup for Klingberg. But it was clear, too, that Warsofsky thought Klingberg’s miscue helped the Ottawa Senators earn a 3-2 win over the Sharks on Saturday.

    Klingberg scored a power-play goal for the Sharks in the first period. But he was also on the ice late and out of position in the third period when the Senators got a 2-on-0 and scored what would become the game-winning goal.

    As Sharks forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev headed off the ice on an ill-timed line change, Klingberg was too far to the outside when Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson sent a pass right past Shakir Mukhamadullin to Drake Batherson.

    Batherson passed to Dylan Cozens, whose shot on a forehand-to-backhand move was saved by Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. Klingberg got back but was unable to clear the puck off the goal line before Tim Stutzle arrived and poked it across with 6:38 left in the third period for the go-ahead goal.

    “We don’t scan well enough as a defense, we don’t read it,” Warsofsky said Sunday. “It’s a quick game. So, we’ve got to be able to read quick. Again, the change isn’t (ideal), but it’s a 2-1-2 (neutral-zone forecheck). We should be able to defend that pretty easily.”

    Klingberg, signed to a one-year, $3 million contract as a free agent in July, was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Tuesday when San Jose hosted Utah.

    “I’m a defenseman. I’ve got to know what’s going on behind me,” Klingberg said after Saturday’s game. “But I’m thinking it’s a 1-1-3, so I’m gapping up on (Stutzle) and then they pass it, and there’s a breakaway 2-on-0 behind me. So, I’ve got to realize that a lot quicker.

    “(Nedeljkovic) obviously makes a huge save, and then I kind of get stuck with my stick in his pad. Otherwise, I’m clearing out (the puck) on the goal line.”

    Veteran defenseman Nick Leddy will also be a scratch for a third straight game Sunday, as the Sharks had eight available defensemen against the Bruins. They will soon have a ninth, as Vincent Iorio finishes up his two-week conditioning loan with the Barracuda.

    The overabundance of blueliners has created a bit of a tricky situation for Warsofsky, who has to dress the best lineup he can for every game while ensuring that Dickinson and Mukhamadullin are still playing and developing the proper way.

    Asked Sunday how tenable it is to continue to have nine defensemen, while only having 12 forwards, Warsofsky said, “It is what it is. We’ll focus on today, and the guys on the roster, and we’ll make do.”

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Hagel scores twice as Lightning hold on to top Capitals 5-3

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored two goals and added two assists and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Saturday night.

    Nikita Kucherov scored and had two assists, and Oliver Bjorkstrand and Anthony Cirelli also scored for the Lightning, winners of three straight.

    Jakob Chychrun had a goal and assist and Ethen Frank and Justin Sourdif also scored for the Capitals, whose three-game winning streak came to an end.

    After Sourdif struck 1:06 into the first, the Lightning got to work and quickly took over.

    Tampa made the most of special teams early on, with Hagel tying the game with a shorthanded goal before Bjorkstrand struck on a power-play opportunity to put the Lightning up 2-1 about five minutes in.

    Hagel got on the board again with a slap shot from the slot midway through the first. He found Kucherov for a breakaway goal that made it 4-1 and ended Logan Thompson’s night after he surrendered four goals on six shots.

    In the second, Chychrun’s point shot went off Gage Goncalves’ skate and in to cut the lead to 4-2, and in the third, Frank picked up his third goal in the last two games to pull Washington within one.

    The Lightning were without Kucherov, who left early in the second period following a hit from Tom Wilson that sent him hard into the referee.

    Cirelli buried a puck loose in the crease to restore the two-goal lead late, and despite outshooting Tampa and trying to rally, Washington’s comeback bid fell short. The Capitals went 0 for 6 on the power play.

    Jonas Johansson made 31 saves for the Lightning.

    Charlie Lindgren made nine saves on 10 shots in relief of Thompson.

    Up next

    Lightning: Return home to host the Flyers on Monday.

    Capitals: Host the Blue Jackets on Monday.

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    Associated Press

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  • Two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost taken down by Toronto Sceptres 2-1 in PWHL season opener

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    The two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost were beaten by the Toronto Sceptres 2-1 in a season opener of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Friday night.

    Rookie Kiara Zanon scored the go-ahead goal in the third period for the Sceptres.

    Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield got the Frost off to a fast start when she used assists from Kelly Pannek and Britta Curl-Salemme to score four minutes into the match.

    Ella Shelton found the net for the Sceptres to tie it late in the first period. Natalie Spooner and Savannah Harmon had assists.

    That was it until Zanon scored 5:14 into the third period with assists from Spooner and Emma Maltais.

    Toronto goalie Raygan Kirk stopped shots by Dominique Petrie and Sidney Morin in the final 32 seconds to preserve the win. Kirk finished with 19 saves.

    Maddie Rooney totaled 31 saves in goal for Minnesota.

    Minnesota began the league’s third season without two key defenders from its two championship runs — Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques.

    The duo now plays for the Vancouver Goldeneyes, who close out the first night of the season by hosting the other expansion club in the now eight-team league — the Seattle Torrent — at a sold-out Pacific Coliseum.

    Up next

    Minnesota: The Frost travel to play the Torrent on Friday.

    Toronto: The Sceptres host the Boston Fleet on Nov. 29.

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    CBS Minnesota

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  • The Shark Tank is rocking again. Their rookie goalie is a big reason why

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    SAN JOSE — Forward Philipp Kurashev scored on his shootout attempt, and rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov didn’t allow a goal at the other end to continue his exceptional play of late as the San Jose Sharks earned a raucous 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at SAP Center.

    After the Kings scored late in the third period to tie the game 3-3, and following a scoreless overtime, Kurashev beat goalie Anton Forsberg with a wrist shot for the Sharks’ only goal of the shootout. But Askarov stopped shots by Trevor Moore and Adrian Kempe before Corey Perry’s attempt went wide, helping to give the Sharks their sixth win in their last eight games.

    Adam Gaudette and Ty Dellandrea also scored, Collin Graf had two assists, and Askarov made 31 saves through three periods and overtime in another solid performance.

    “I haven’t seen this team have any mental weakness,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’re excited to come to the rink every day. They take the coaching, the constructive criticism, and they want to get better, individually and collectively. There’s a real care to win, which we haven’t had in a long time. And you can see it.”

    With the victory, the Sharks, at 10-8-3, already have half of the wins they had through 82 games last season (20-50-12). They’re also 6-0-1 at home since late October, and are one point out of a playoff spot going into Friday’s games.

    “We’re finding a rhythm. And I don’t think it’s just at home,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “We’re just finding our game altogether.”

    The Sharks could have sagged after allowing a game-tying goal to Kempe with 58.3 seconds left in regulation time. But they were probably the better team in overtime, and once the shootout began, they might have felt some peace with the way Askarov has been playing of late.

    This month, after Thursday, Askarov is 6-1-0 with a .957 save percentage with one of the NHL’s best marks in goals saved above expected. Askarov also had 24 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.

    After Thursday’s shootout, Askarov pumped his fist before his Sharks teammates swarmed him.

    “Awesome, unbelievable, clutch,” Dellandrea said of Askarov. “He wants the big moments. He wants a lot of saves. He could be the first star every night, it seems. He’s been playing great, winning us games, keeping us in games. We’ve got to tighten it up a bit and not rely on him.”

    Thursday’s atmosphere was reminiscent of the glory days of the Sharks-Kings rivalry, as the announced attendance of 16,387 witnessed a back-and-forth game featuring dynamic playmaking and elevated physicality.

    “It was great, eh?” Dellandrea said. “The Tank was loud. It was fun to play in. You hear the chants during play, during whistles. It’s a great spot to be in when it’s like that.”

    “I wasn’t here when the Shark Tank was alive and well, but I’ve heard a lot about it, and we want to make it like that very, very soon,” Warsofsky said.

    Anze Kopitar, in his last regular-season game in San Jose after a 20-year NHL career, scored on a breakaway on Askarov 1:47 into the second period to tie the game 2-2.

    Kurashev, though, scored a go-ahead goal late in the second period.

    Setting up near the slot, Kurashev created some space for himself, took a pass from Will Smith, and beat Kings goalie Anton Forsberg five-hole for his sixth goal of the season.

    At the 11:46 mark of the second period, a Joel Armia goal was taken off the board, as, after a Sharks challenge, it was determined Kings forward Kevin Fiala had preceded the puck into the offensive zone.

    Macklin Celebrini recorded his third career NHL hat trick in the Sharks’ win over Utah. Still, the Sharks did not like how they played, especially 5-on-5, as their lack of connectivity defensively allowed the Mammoth to create almost twice as many high-danger chances as they did, per Natural Stat Trick.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Guentzel gets 8th career hat trick as Lightning beat Devils

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    TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored three goals for his eighth career hat trick and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday night.

    Darren Raddysh had a goal and two assists, and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves as Tampa Bay improved to 9-3-0 since a 1-4-2 start.

    Nico Hischier scored for New Jersey, which got Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown and Evgeni Dadanov back in the lineup. Jakob Markstrom stopped 24 shots for the Devils, who lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 2 to end a five-game point streak (4-0-1).

    The Lightning played without coach Jon Cooper, who missed the game for what the team described as personal reasons. Cooper, the head coach for Team Canada at the Olympics in February, last missed a game on Dec. 21, 2021, at Las Vegas when he tested positive for COVID.

    Jeff Halpern served as the head coach on Tuesday.

    Guentzel opened the scoring on a breakaway 11:40 into the game, and added his second of the game at 10:38 of the second period with a power-play goal as he shoveled in a pass from Raddysh. Guentzel completed his third hat trick in a Lightning uniform at 7:48 of the third period from the left post as he again shoveled a puck into the net off a cross-ice pass from Kucherov.

    Kucherov moved into third all-time in franchise history with his 366th career goal with 22 seconds left in the first period to make it 2-0. Hischier cut New Jersey’s deficit to 3-1 with 2:13 remaining in the second for his 435th career point to move past Mark Streit for fifth-most by a Swiss-born player.

    Up next

    Devils: At Florida on Thursday

    Lightning: Host Edmonton on Thursday

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    Associated Press

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  • Canucks score 5 3rd-period goals to beat Lightning 6-2

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    TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kiefer Sherwood, Linus Karlsson and Drew O’Connor scored in a 1:40 span in Vancouver’s five-goal third period and the Canucks overcame an early deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Sunday night.

    Sherwood tied it at 2 on a power play at 4:11, with his shot deflecting in off Lightning defender J.J. Moser’s skate. Sherwood has 12 goals this season.

    Karlsson put the Canucks ahead at 4:54 with a backhander, and O’Connor added his fifth of the season at 5:51 on a tip. Mackenzie MacEachern scored his first of the season with 6:08 remaining, and Marcus Pettersson added his first of the season into an empty net with 3:03 to go.

    Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves, and Quinn Hughes had four assists after missing a game because of an upper-body injury. The Canucks ended a three-game losing streak. They opened a three-game trip Friday night with an overtime loss at Carolina

    Jake DeBrusk started the comeback on a power play at 9:26 of the second, beating Jonas Johansson from close range off a rebound for his seventh goal.

    Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel spotted Tampa Bay — coming off a 3-1 victory at Florida on Saturday night — to a 2-0 lead, each scoring their eighth of the season.

    Kucherov scored on a one-timer from the right circle with 35 seconds left in the first period, and Guentzel made it 2-0 on a tip at 4:35 of the second.

    Up next

    Canucks: At Florida on Monday night.

    Lightning: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

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  • United Heroes League’s outdoor rink gets upgrade ahead of Hockey Day Minnesota

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    Months before Hockey Day in Minnesota comes to Hastings, its host venue is getting a chance to show off major upgrades ahead of the festivities.

    United Heroes League cut the ribbon on a multi-million-dollar expansion to its outdoor rink Saturday. New locker rooms and indoor restrooms were the highlight — as well as a grandstand capable of hosting crowds in the thousands.

    For the Hastings-based non-profit, Saturday was also the next step forward in serving veterans and their families. Founder Shane Hudella says since its founding in 2009, the United Heroes League has given out more than $30 million in gear, trips and experience to military kids and their families.

    The outdoor rink in Hastings serves as a way to commemorate their service – and give veterans and their families a place to play.

    “The building, the facility, it’s cool, it’s shiny and brand new, but really for me, it’s about more opportunities for military kids,” Hudella said Saturday. “To make them feel valued and have a special place for our veteran family to come and gather and enjoy the comradery that they enjoyed in the military.”

    Hudella says the project is still in its final funding stages. More information on fundraising can be found on the United Heroes League website.

    “We have veterans in the community here that are amputees, that may not feel comfortable going to a local arena, an open skate there, just because of some of the challenges they’ve had related to their service,” Hudella said. “This was a massive project and it was really a stretch for us. This is about 5 million dollars of construction for our veterans here. We’ve still got a pretty big gap to fill before end of year.”

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    Adam Duxter

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  • Jack Finley scores 1st NHL goal to help the Lightning beat the Panthers 3-1

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    SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jack Finley scored his first NHL goal early in the third period to break a tie and the Tampa Bay Lightning held on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Saturday night.

    Emil Lilleberg and Zemgus Girgensons also scored for the Lightning. They improved to 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and 5-2-2 on the road.

    Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots for Tampa Bay.

    Brad Marchand scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season for Florida, a power-play tally midway through the second period that tied it at 1.

    But Finley picked up a loose puck near the blue line and skated in alone on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for what became the go-ahead goal 4:09 into the third. Girgensons sealed it with an empty-netter with 50.3 seconds remaining.

    Bobrovsky made 17 saves for Florida, which saw its two-game winning streak snapped.

    It was the first game between the teams since Oct. 4, a preseason contest that saw more than 300 penalty minutes and both rosters getting depleted because so many players were sent to the locker room early because of those infractions.

    And this game was chippy at times — as Lightning-Panthers games tend to be — but it was nothing like the penalty-fest from the preseason. There were only 14 penalties, 13 of them 2-minute minors and the other a 4-minute double minor against the Lightning in the third. There were some scuffles, but nothing that rose to the level of a fighting penalty or a major.

    Up next

    Lightning: Host Vancouver on Sunday night.

    Panthers: Host Vancouver on Monday night.

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    Associated Press

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  • GF of NHL Player Exposes His Alleged Theft of Thousands From Her

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    Former New York Rangers player Arthur Kaliyev has been accused of using the money of his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Mochen, to gamble, The New York Post has reported.

    He had also supposedly tricked her into cashing in fake checks, allegedly to pay her back $400, which he had borrowed from her PayPal account.

    Kaliyev had used the pretense of his accounts being frozen to obtain access to Mochen’s account.

    The situation, in her words, went on for some time as he continued having her cash in checks, which he had claimed were from his parents’ company.

    Afterwards, he would have her send him money digitally.

    While on the way to a vacation, Mochen had been notified by her bank that the checks had been fake, and she discovered that her balance was in the red.

    Like Family

    Mochen stated helping her boyfriend during the 2023/24 NHL season – she had been the one paying for everything.

    Kaliyev had supposedly told her that his parents had been taking his money; however, she stated he had recently at the time acquired a new pair of Gucci shoes.

    Yet, Kaliyev had been able to become close to Mochen’s family, which compounded the issue.

    The hockey player had bonded with her stepfather over golf and had even gotten close enough to her mother to confide in her.

    However, Mochen has gone on to describe how, over time, he became more focused on sports and would spend time watching only that, which she attributes to possible bets on the games.

    Getting Her Money Back

    Mochen has stated she plans to press charges following a multipart TikTok series where she explained that Kaliyev had opened a secret joint PayPal account, which she claims he used to take over $14,000 from her.

    Right after the pair broke up, Machen filed an incident report.

    As of today, Kaliyev has yet to be charged with anything, and the report has yet to be verified.

    Debts Unpaid

    Mochen isn’t the only person from whom Kaliyev has been supposedly borrowing money for gambling.

    The player has reportedly racked up quite the debt with multiple Kings players, whom he has yet to pay.

    His gambling addiction, as well as the large sums of money he owes, have also seen him restricted from team practice at one point.

    However, the Rangers also refused to trade him or let him go until the debts were clear.

    Mochen has shared that Kaliyev had borrowed money from her to pay back trainers, which he never did.

    The Lie Unravels

    Mochen revealed that over time she had come to realize that Kaliyev had a betting problem.

    After being denied the opening of a joint account by Chase Bank, she began to grow suspicious.

    They did manage to open one through another bank, and by using the account, Mochen was able to uncover transactions with Crypto.com and FanDuel.

    After doing some searching, she was able to uncover a transaction connected to a betting site illegal in the United States, called Bovada, she alleges, as reported by the Post.

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    Tolga Ismetov

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  • After bonding over Jays, fans find ways to cope | Globalnews.ca

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    When the Blue Jays’ season ended in heartbreak on Saturday, Khela Maquiling was surprised to find herself sobbing outside a Toronto bar.

    The 30-year-old web designer had only started watching the playoffs to bond with her baseball-loving partner, but somewhere along the way she fell for the game — and for the nightly ritual that brought them closer.

    As the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 win in 11 innings to capture Game 7 of the World Series against the Jays, Maquiling watched from the Drake Hotel with her boyfriend, caught up in the anguish that rippled across the city. The game drew an average audience of 10.9 million viewers on Sportsnet.

    “I just started crying and I shocked myself because I didn’t think I was a sports person until that moment,” the Toronto resident recalls.

    “And then my boyfriend turns to me and he’s like, ‘I am so grateful that I got to experience this entire post-season with you,’” she adds, choking up.

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    With her partner moving to Switzerland soon for work, watching the Jays’ playoff run had become a cherished routine, making the loss especially bittersweet.

    “I’ve been coping in not the smartest way, because I keep watching videos of Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.) looking sad after the game.”

    For many Toronto fans, the Jays’ post-season was more than baseball — it was a reason to gather with friends, family and partners night after night. Now, with the season concluding in crushing defeat, fans like Maquiling are left navigating the quiet, reflecting on the shared experience and figuring out how to fill the sudden void.

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    For Guy Felicella, a 56-year-old Vancouver father of two, the post-season became a multi-generational ritual, sparking a newfound love of the game in his youngest son, five-year-old Leo.

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    “He’s just became a fanatic. He loves Bo Bichette. He started asking all these questions about how to play the game. It was such a good bonding experience for me,” says the public speaker.

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    Felicella watched every game with Leo and his 11-year-old brother, Noah, with the kids even staying up through the 16th inning of Game 3’s 18-inning thriller against the Dodgers.

    When the Jays lost Game 7, Felicella says he was “devastated.”


    “I just turned the TV off. I didn’t want to see any of it.”

    Thankfully, his sons have taken the Jays loss pretty well. They’ve been filling the void by watching NHL games. But Felicella says he can’t get invested in any sport quite like baseball: “It’s 162 regular season games a year, hockey’s like 82. When you get locked into that, it takes a physical and mental toll.”

    Leo, meanwhile, is optimistic about next season. He’s looking forward to attending his first Jays game.

    “After the loss, I tucked him into bed and he still had his Jays hat on. He told me he loved me. I mean, that’s it right there. He’ll be a Jays fan for life, but the most important thing is it brought us so close.”

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    While Leo is just discovering the thrill of playoff baseball, Cecilia Reyes has been there for it all. At 94, she’s been following the Jays for decades, attending games whenever she could and watching every post-season since she moved to Canada in 1973. She saw the Jays win back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993, and was hopeful they could recreate that magic.

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    “I’ve been watching the game a long time and I love the Jays very much, but I’m so disappointed that we lost,” says Reyes, who was born in Trinidad.

    She followed all the playoff games with her daughter and son-in-law, cheering when the Jays hit dingers, and quietly mourning with them when the team fell behind.

    “Whenever we won, we would laugh, jump up, clap our hands,” she says.

    “We were very, very sad when we lost. But I told my family, ‘This is how games are. You have to have a loser and a winner.’”

    Reyes says she’ll be occupying her time by rooting for the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs.

    “I love sports. Any game that they have on the TV, I’ll be looking at it.”

    Still, the Jays hold a special place in her heart. She’s already counting down the days until spring training.

    “I hope that the good Lord gives me life to see them play again next year,” she says.

    “If they keep practising, learn from their loss and put in their best efforts, I think good things will happen.”

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2025.

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    &copy 2025 The Canadian Press

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  • Bloomington Ice Garden reopens after $37 million renovation

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    The Bloomington Ice Garden in Bloomington, Minnesota, has reopened after roughly 200 days of construction, unveiling a $37 million renovation that city leaders say modernizes the beloved arena while preserving its history.

    “I couldn’t be more excited than to be here, the Bloomington Ice Garden, opening up this Saturday with our grand opening,” Bloomington Mayor Tim Busse said on Monday. “You can see there’s already folks on the ice. Just thrilled that we’re back in here after only 200 days closed between closure and reopening. And the amount of work we did here was amazing.”

    The project is funded through the city’s half-cent local option sales tax as part of the Bloomington Forward plan. Busse said the 1970s-era building needed both mechanical upgrades and a better fan experience.

    “We knew the building was open in 1970. It was tired. It needed some work done … not only the nuts and bolts kind of mechanical stuff, a new roof, new ice-making equipment and so on. We just needed to improve the user and visitor experience in this building, and to bring it up to the iconic status that it is,” Busse said.

    A key change is that the main sheet was resized from Olympic to NHL dimensions, bringing all three sheets to standard size for games and tournaments.

    “Practically speaking, it made more sense to shrink it down to an NHL-sized rink, and now we have three sheets of ice standard-sized, and we can use them for different tournaments,” Busse said. 

    The renovation also adds seating and improves viewing sightlines.

    “There’s plenty of room in here for fans. Now, in fact, we fully expect to host more tournaments, more section finals for the state hockey tournament, just, it’s a better fan experience on a number of different levels,” Busse said.

    Chad Nyberg, activities director at Bloomington Jefferson High School, said the upgrades help players and keep the building’s character intact.

    “From a high school perspective, having rink one, which was our old rink three, downsized to an NHL-size rink is tremendous, seating on both sides that will help us get good visual angles,” Nyberg said. “And from a high school player perspective, having locker rooms underneath the stands is, is a huge plus, not having to drag your bag around and things like that.”

    “I think there’s, again, when I was walking around, like you could still feel some of the old right on top of the new, or the new on top of the old, and still have that sense of nostalgia for sure,” Nyberg added. “But it’s going to feel different in its own way, and it’s going to create new memories for people.”

    This season also marks a new chapter for high school hockey in the city, with the Bloomington Kennedy and Bloomington Jefferson Hockey programs skating together.

    “It’s great to see that the two schools came together and found a solution to the dwindling number of players over at Kennedy,” Busse said. “I’m so very glad that they’re going to be part of the Jefferson program now, and we can continue that great tradition of great high school hockey in Bloomington.”

    Locals know the rink by a simple nickname.

    “Of course, this is Bloomington Ice Garden, but everybody in town calls it BIG, and that’s all you have to say,” Busse said. “And everybody knows what you’re talking about.”

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    Nick Lunemann

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  • Macklin Celebrini explains why he likes the Sharks’ new forechecking style

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    SAN JOSE – The day after the Sharks were blown out by the Utah Mammoth last month, coach Ryan Warsofsky said his team – desperate to get off to a fast start — was too focused on the result of winning, and not enough on the details of how to make it happen.

    “So we’ve got to worry about – and every coach says it — the process, and the way we have to work and the way we have to play,” Warsofsky said Oct. 18, “and (victories) will come with that.”

    Now the Sharks have a blueprint for what makes them successful.

    Since that 6-3 loss to the Mammoth on Oct. 17 in Salt Lake City, the Sharks have switched from a 1-1-3 alignment to a much faster, more aggressive 2-1-2 forechecking style. The move has allowed the Sharks to utilize their speed and create a few more high-danger scoring chances, while preventing fewer grade-A opportunities for opposing teams at the other end.

    With that has come what everyone in teal wanted from the start — more wins. Since a 0-4-2 start, the Sharks,“You ask any player, they don’t like being under pressure.

    The Sharks are still sporting a modest 3-6-2 record, but the eight points they have after 11 games actually represent their best start to a season since the 2021-22 season, when they began 6-4-1.

    “I think our strength is we’re young and we’ve got some guys with some juice in this room,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “Using our skating and being as aggressive as possible, what we’ve been doing — obviously being smart while we’re doing it — but our aggressive play has really helped us so far.

    “Since we’ve been playing better with that, we haven’t changed a thing.”

    In beating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday, forwards Alexander Wennberg and Philipp Kurashev each had a goal and an assist, and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his best performance of the season.

    Macklin Celebrini assisted on Will Smith’s second-period goal that gave the Sharks a 4-1 lead and now has five goals and seven assists in a career-long six-game point streak, as the Sharks earned their first win on home ice this season.

    Celebrini now had 17 points in 11 games, becoming just the fifth teenager in the past 15 years to record 17 or more points in a single calendar month. The others were Connor McDavid in February and November 2016, Clayton Keller in March 2018, Andrei Svechnikov in November 2019, and Connor Bedard in March 2024.

    That Celebrini’s hot streak began soon after the Sharks made the change to a less conservative forechecking style probably isn’t a complete coincidence.

    “I think it helps just not sitting back as much, not giving (teams) free entry,” Celebrini said. “Putting a little bit more pressure, turning over more pucks, I think it helps us just get possession.

    “You ask any player, they don’t like being under pressure. So I think the more pace and pressure we can put on the other team’s players or defensemen, it helps us get more possession time.”

    Since a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 18, a game they controlled for the final two periods, the Sharks have gone 3-3-0, with the three losses by a combined four goals.

    “I think you can see in these last couple of games, we’ve come out pretty strong, come out really fast, gotten the first goal,” said Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who made 29 saves Thursday. “We’re in games. There haven’t been a lot of games this year, maybe like one or two, where we didn’t really have it that night, and we didn’t really have a shot.”

    The Sharks’ next few games will offer a stiff test. After Saturday’s game against the Central Division-leading Avalanche, the Sharks face the Atlantic Division-leading Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. That’s followed by games against the improved Seattle Kraken, the Winnipeg Jets, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

    “We’ve definitely taken steps in that process, of what it looks like to win, and what it feels like, what it takes, and how hard you have to work, the details you need to play with,” Warsofsky said. “We still have a ways to go, but our group is definitely taking the teaching and the coaching of what it takes, and our guys are growing it with that as we go.”

    DICKINSON UPDATE

    Sam Dickinson was still with the Sharks as of Friday afternoon, as the team didn’t make any announcement about whether they would keep the rookie defenseman on the NHL roster to the Ontario Hockey League. Dickinson played his ninth game of the season on Thursday and had 14:23 in ice time, all at even strength, as he played on the Sharks’ third defense pair with Shakir Mukhamadullin.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • From Milan to Cortina, a glance at the 2026 Winter Olympics venues

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    MILAN — With 100 days to go, northern Italy is gearing up to host the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the most spread-out Winter Games in history.

    The two main clusters of the Games are Milan — the beating heart of Italy’s industrial north — and Cortina d’Ampezzo, an upscale winter resort in the Dolomites mountain range. Visitors should expect a full day of travel between the two locations, which are more than 400 kilometers (250) miles apart by road.

    In addition, athletes will compete in three other mountain clusters, while the closing ceremony will be held in Verona, the largest city in the northeastern Veneto region.

    The games will mostly make use of existing infrastructure, though some venues are being renovated or built from scratch. Here’s a closer look at the venues:

    SAN SIRO STADIUM: The opening ceremony will be held in Milan’s iconic 80,000-seat San Siro stadium, home of the city’s two famous soccer teams — AC Milan and Inter Milan. It will be a last hurrah for the historic venue, which is set to be demolished and replaced by a new teams-owned stadium after the games.

    SANTAGIULIA ICE HOCKEY ARENA: The timeline is tight for the new 16,000-seat arena that will serve as the main hockey venue for the games. A test event scheduled for December had to be moved, but organisers are confident that it will be completed by the end of the year. New test events have been set for Jan. 9-11 — less than a month before the first puck is dropped at the Olympics. The multipurpose facility, which is being built by private investors, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena and is a majestic sight to those arriving into the southeastern periphery of Milan.

    ICE PARK: While the ice hockey finals will be held in the Santagiulia Arena, some matches will take place in the Fiera Milano exhibition venue, which will also host the speed skating. The trade fair complex, which opened in 2005 in the northwest of Milan, will use temporary structures for the games. The so-called Ice Park will occupy four pavilions of the huge exhibition center and comprise the Speed Skating Stadium and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena, which still needs to be completed. The Speed Skating Stadium was delivered in August and the work to lay down the ice was set to start on Wednesday.

    ICE SKATING ARENA: Short-track speed skating and figure skating events will take place in the Forum di Milano, a multipurpose facility that is mainly used for basketball, ice hockey and tennis as well as live concerts. The 12,500-capacity venue in the southwestern outskirts of Milan was opened in 1990 and renovated in 2017, the year before it hosted the figure skating world championships.

    TOFANE ALPINE SKIING CENTER: Regularly referred to as the queen or the pearl of the Dolomites, Cortina hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956. The Olympia delle Tofane course will be the site of the women’s Alpine skiing next year. The iconic slope is a regular stop on the women’s World Cup circuit and also held the world championships in 2021.

    CURLING OLYMPIC STADIUM: Curling will take place in the Olympic Ice Stadium, one of the legacies of the 1956 Games, when it also hosted the opening ceremony. The arena — and Cortina in general — also served as a filming location for the 1981 James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only,” starring Roger Moore.

    CORTINA SLIDING CENTER: The century-old sliding center in Cortina has been completely rebuilt for the 2026 Games at a cost of 118 million euros ($123 million) amid staunch opposition from the International Olympic Committee. The timeframe was so tight that it necessitated a Plan B option that would have required moving bobsled, luge and skeleton events all the way to Lake Placid, New York. However, it appears the gamble has paid off with the IOC even saying recently that the venue has “surpassed expectations.” The track secured preliminary certification in March and test events are taking place through November. Completion of the roofing and all the facilities next to the track is scheduled for Nov. 5.

    The men’s Alpine skiing will take place on the fearsome Stelvio course in Bormio, a renowned fixture on the World Cup circuit. Veteran Italian skier Christof Innerhofer told The Associated Press that he can’t remember a tougher course at the Olympics in the past 30 years. The Stelvio Ski Center will also be the venue for ski mountaineering, which will be making its Olympic debut. Bormio is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Milan.

    Livigno, about an hour’s drive north of Bormio, will host the sports that are perhaps most popular among young people. Snowboarding and freestyle skiing will be held at Livigno Snow Park and Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park, with 26 medals awarded. The small town in Valtellina, near the border with Switzerland, proudly unveiled the Aerials and Moguls Park last December, boasting that it had delivered the first 2026 Olympic venue.

    Surrounded by the peaks of the Dolomites, Predazzo will be a stunning setting for the ski jumping events. Predazzo, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Cortina, is the most populated municipality in Val di Fiemme, an area which has a rich history of hosting Nordic skiing world championships and World Cup races. The ski jumping facility spans an area of 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet) and consists of two main ramps for international competitions as well as training ramps and other equipped spaces for athletes.

    Tesero, less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Predazzo, will host the cross-country skiing events. The cross-country skiing stadium was opened in 1990, the year before the area hosted the Nordic World Ski Championships for the first time.

    The biathlon competition will be held in Anterselva, nestled in the South Tyrol mountains and with 60 kilometers (40 miles) of tracks. The Anterselva Biathlon Arena has a rich history with the sport, having hosted the world championships multiple times since the 1970s. It also hosts World Cup races every year. The town itself, which is near the border with Austria, has a unique cultural heritage: more than 98% of the population speak German as their mother tongue.

    The closing ceremony will take place at the historic Verona Arena, a large Roman amphitheater built almost 2,000 years ago that is mainly used to host large-scale opera performances. It is an imposing presence in the main piazza of Verona, which is a UNESCO world heritage city. Originally built to host 30,000 spectators in ancient Roman times, it currently has a capacity of around half that for its world-famous summer festival. About 15,000 spectators will be allowed for the closing ceremony on Feb. 22.

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  • Lightning beat Ducks 4-3 to snap four-game skid

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    By  ERIK ERLENDSSON

    TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel and Anthony Cirelli each scored twice and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 on Saturday to snap a four-game skid.

    Nikita Kucherov had an assist for his 1,000th career point as Tampa Bay got its first home win of the season. Victor Hedman registered his 800th career point and Brandon Hagel picked up career point No. 300.

    Jonas Johansson finished with 37 saves for Tampa Bay, which ended an 0-2-2 stretch with just its second win of the season (2-4-2)

    Troy Terry, Jacob Trouba and Ryan Poehling scored for Anaheim, which lost in regulation for the first time in four games. Lukas Dostal finished with 29 saves.

    Cirelli scored the tiebreaking goal on the power play with his second of the night with 3:15 left in the third period with a quick shot from the low slot.

    Guentzel and Cirelli scored 2:01 apart in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Guentzel directed Brayden Point’s pass in off his skate with 7:41 left on a play Kucherov got his 1,000th point.

    Cirelli made it a two-goal lead as he pounced on rebound with 5:40 remaining. Hedman and Hagel each hit their milestones on the goal.

    Poehling and Terry scored 59 seconds apart to tie it 3-3 at 8:10 of the third.

    Guentzel opened the scoring for the Lightning 9:10 into the first period as a rebound found his stick in the low slot.

    Anaheim tied it at 4:42 of the second after an offensive zone faceoff win landed on the stick of Trouba for a slap shot off the inside of the near post and in.

    Up next

    Ducks: At Florida on Tuesday.

    Lightning: Host Vegas on Sunday.

    ___

    AP NHL: https://www.ap

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    Associated Press

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  • University of Minnesota hockey player returns to practice after assault

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    A student at the University of Minnesota who was assaulted near campus last month is back practicing with the hockey team.

    Sources previously told WCCO they feared the injuries would end his ability to play.

    A police report says two people assaulted him near Fourth Street and 16th Avenue just before 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.

    The U sent a crime alert out warning other students after it happened.

    The University of Minnesota Police Department hasn’t said if it’s connected to any other crimes in the area.

    Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko says he can’t talk about what happened, but that the player is now back on the ice.

    “My goodness can he skate. Like he is electric level of skating. And we hope very soon that he’s going to be back,” said Motzko. “It’s really noticeable and we’re excited to get him back.”

    Police are not releasing the victim’s name to protect his privacy. They haven’t indicated any arrests.  

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    WCCO Staff

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  • Warsofsky shoulders responsibility as Sharks seek first win: ‘It’s on me’

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    SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini stood inside the San Jose Sharks dressing room and seemed to be in disbelief that he and his teammates were going through this again. Outside the room, coach Ryan Warsofsky, who has now been through four straight agonizingly slow starts with the team, facetiously said he’d give up one of his two young children for a win right now.

    “Trust me, it sucks,” Warsofsky said Saturday night. “I keep telling myself, there’s a reason why this keeps happening.”

    A Sharks season that was hoped to be a little bit better than the previous few has so far turned out to be anything but, as San Jose enters a challenging four-game road trip this week as the NHL’s last remaining winless team.

    The Sharks fell to 0-3-2 with a 3-0 loss to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at SAP Center. Responding after poor performances against the Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth earlier in the week, the Sharks were the better team for the final two periods as they established a forecheck, outchanced the Penguins, and kept Pittsburgh’s shots on goal to a minimum.

    Still, the Sharks were unable to beat Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry, who made 31 saves, as they were shut out for the first time this season. Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 18 saves in a frenetic first period, but Crosby scored a second-period goal on a tipped shot, and Anthony Mantha and Evgeni Malkin both scored in the third, with Malkin’s being an empty-netter, to hand San Jose its third straight regulation-time loss.

    “The only way we’re going to get those bounces is if we keep working for them. They’re not just going to happen,” Nedeljkovic said. “We have to earn those bounces. And if we play like we did tonight, more times than not, coming up, we’ll start getting some.”

    While the goaltending took a step forward Saturday, the Sharks have still managed just two even-strength goals in their last three games.

    “I think we have a really tight group, and it’s just hard,” Celebrini said, “especially when you play some good games, do some good things, and it just feels like it hasn’t really kind of connected yet.”

    The Sharks begin a four-game road trip on Tuesday against Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft, and the New York Islanders. That’s followed by games against the New York Rangers on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils on Friday, and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

    The Sharks were 0-5-0 to begin the 2022-23 season, started 0-10-1 in 2023-24, and 0-7-2 last year. Warsofsky has unfortunately been a part of every dismal start, as he was an assistant under David Quinn from 2022 to 2024 before he was named the Sharks’ head coach.

    This year’s team is believed to be better than any of the previous three. Now’s the time to show proof.

    “We’re not going to quit,” Warsofsky said. “We’re five games into this thing. What’s happened has happened, and we’ve got to work. I’ve got to get this team to improve and individuals to improve. It’s on me.”

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Carolina Hurricanes stay unbeaten, beating the Ducks 4-1

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    ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Seth Jarvis scored his 100th and 101st NHL goals and added an assist, and the Carolina Hurricanes remained the NHL’s only unbeaten team with a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

    Alexander Nikishin scored his first NHL goal and Shayne Gostisbehere matched his career high with three assists for the Hurricanes, who improved to 4-0-0 with their second win to start a six-game trip.

    Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist and Frederik Andersen made 23 saves against his former team for Carolina. Jarvis scored the Canes’ first two goals, giving him five in four games during his sizzling start.

    The Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference finals last summer, and they appear loaded for another memorable season after outscoring their opponents 19-8 so far. Jarvis, Nikishin, Gostisbehere, Aho and Jackson Blake have all scored in each of Carolina’s first four games.

    Leo Carlsson scored and Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots for the Ducks in their first home defeat under new coach Joel Quenneville.

    Carolina went ahead late in the first when Jarvis scored on a rebound after Gostisbehere intercepted Mikael Granlund’s poor pass. Jarvis added a power-play goal in the second, but Carlsson scored for Anaheim 70 seconds later.

    Nikishin scored in the slot early in the third period. The promising 24-year-old Russian defenseman joined Carolina for four playoff games last summer, and he spent the summer learning English with a tutor before making the Canes’ opening-night lineup and racking up three assists in his first three regular-season games.

    Aho scored his first goal of the season with 4:12 to play.

    Up next

    Hurricanes: At Kings on Saturday.

    Ducks: At Blackhawks on Sunday to open a five-game trip.

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  • San Jose Sharks place two defensemen on waivers

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    SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks placed defensemen Jack Thompson and Lucas Carlsson on waivers on Sunday.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Jarvis, new arrival Miller help Hurricanes beat Devils 6-3 in season opener

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    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis scored the go-ahead goal with a redirect with 2:43 left to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 6-3 in Thursday night’s opener for both teams.

    Jarvis got position at the top of the crease as Sebastian Aho sent the puck in for the deflection, with Jarvis getting it past Jacob Markstrom. That allowed Carolina to finally take control after alternating goals with New Jersey.

    Jarvis added a long-distance empty-netter with 54.1 seconds left off a turnover, while Eric Robinson added one more — this one past Markstrom after he returned to net — with 12.6 seconds left.

    Defenseman K’Andre Miller scored twice in his debut with Carolina, which acquired him from the New York Rangers and signed him to a long-term deal. Taylor Hall also scored for Carolina.

    Dougie Hamilton, Cody Glass and Jesper Bratt scored goals for the Devils, who answered scores from Carolina each time until Jarvis’ first score.

    Frederik Andersen finished with 19 saves, while Markstrom had 27.

    Carolina is opening a season among the Stanley Cup favorites after winning at least one series in seven straight postseasons, including twice reaching the Eastern Conference final in the past three seasons before falling to two-time reigning champ Florida each time.

    New Jersey is trying to reach the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, with the previous two trips both ending with losses to Carolina.

    The Devils are opening the season with three straight road games, followed by a home opener against Florida. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, get another home game before going on their annual lengthy October road trip due to the arrival of the North Carolina State Fair taking over the area from the adjacent fairgrounds.

    Up next

    Devils: New Jersey visits Tampa Bay on Saturday night.

    Hurricanes: Carolina hosts Philadelphia on Saturday night.

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