The 2025-26 NHL schedule released Wednesday came with plenty of potentially intriguing matchups if they materialize.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have ratified their extension of the collective bargaining agreement.

The NHL, NHLPA and international officials finalized a long-ago agreed-to deal to send players to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

An 84-game season is coming to the NHL as part of an extension of the collective bargaining agreement.

Two people familiar with negotiations tell The Associated Press the NHL and NHL Players' Association are close to an agreement on a four-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement.

Moving to an 84-game regular season from 82 is one of the topics that has been discussed in collective bargaining talks between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association, a person with familiar with negotiations tells The Associated Press.

Hockey is seeing a surge in popularity and buzz, fed by the 4 Nations tournament, Alex Ovechkin’s stirring run to the NHL career goals record and the Florida Panthers repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

The NHL has suspended Florida Panthers vice chairman and alternate governor Doug Cifu from any involvement with the team or the league, doing so in response to inappropriate posts on Cifu’s now-shuttered social media account.

The NHL team in Salt Lake City is now known as the Utah Mammoth.

Winning the second draw at the NHL draft lottery and moving up from having the 14th pick to No. 4 is the latest development setting up a momentous summer for the Utah Hockey Club.

A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the NHL is planning an international event at UBS Arena next February in lieu of the previously announced All-Star Weekend at the home of the New York Islanders.

Wayne Gretzky witnessed Alex Ovechkin scoring his 893rd goal to move one back of tying his NHL record, as the Canadian great made his first in-person appearance during this chase.

The NHL has met with a group led by billionaire Dan Friedkin to discuss its interest in bringing an expansion team to Houston.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the league and the Players' Association will sit down to begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement the week of April 1.

Video review, particularly coach's challenges for goaltender interference, took center stage on the first day of the NHL general managers' annual spring meeting.

The 4 Nations Face-Off was a one-off, a tournament with no past and no future, a trimmed-down version of the World Cup of Hockey staged because the NHL’s best players have waited so long for something of its kind.

Hockey.

A lawyer and investor who managed money for one of the richest families in Texas, helped create one of the giants of the private-equity business and pushed to bring professional hockey to Seattle has died.

Talks on a new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHL Players' Association are set to begin in early 2025.

While a vast majority of the 1,312 NHL games through June will take place in North America, the spotlight this season is on international play.

The outlook for NHL free agency.

The NHL team that moved from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as the Utah Hockey Club during its inaugural season.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman sat next to the former Arizona Coyotes owner in a downtown Phoenix hotel meeting room, trying to put a positive spin on the funeral for a franchise.

The NHL is the only major North American professional sports league that has not expanded its playoffs in recent years.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called Winnipeg a strong market where “hockey matters,” and said he believes the Jets' falling attendance will be resolved.

Italian officials want to hold the hockey games at brand new 16,000-seat arena in Milan (which is co-hosting along with Cortina d’Ampezzo), but in what’s become a theme of other construction efforts for the 2026 Games, the Italians are doing things at the last minute and better hope no delays occur.

The police chief in London, Ontario, has issued a public apology to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by members of Canada's 2018 world junior team.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the league will wait for the judicial process to play out before making any decisions about four players charged in a 2018 sexual assault case in Canada.

NHL players are returning to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade.

Four current members of the National Hockey League and a former NHL player have been charged with sexual assault.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed Corey Perry to a contract for the remainder of the NHL season.

The last centralized NHL Draft for the foreseeable future is going out with the glitz and bright lights of Vegas.

The death of American hockey player Adam Johnson from a skate blade to the neck has led officials in the NHL and other leagues to continue discussions about cut-resistant protection.

The Golden Knights raised their Stanley Cup championship banner in the most Las Vegas way possible.

The NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players can and cannot do as part of theme celebrations this season, including a ban on the use of rainbow-colored stick tape for Pride nights.

The Coyotes say owner Alex Meruelo has executed a letter of intent to buy a piece of land for a potential arena in Mesa, Arizona.

Rocky Wirtz, who won three Stanley Cup titles as owner of the Chicago Blackhawks and presided over the team during one of the NHL’s biggest scandals, has died.

A new women’s pro hockey league will begin competing in North America as early as January.

Tennessee State announced it will become the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey.

NHL teams won’t have players wear themed jerseys during pregame warmups next season.

Marty Walsh was less than halfway through his term in the Biden administration as labor secretary when the phone rang with an interesting opportunity.

The modern era for Las Vegas sports began when the NHL awarded the city an expansion franchise in 2016.

Mark Stone was presented the Stanley Cup by Commissioner Gary Bettman as captain of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Commissioner Gary Bettman says the NHL is still committed to Arizona after Tempe voters rejected a referendum for a Coyotes arena.

The Arizona Coyotes were confident more than two decades of instability were coming to a close.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman defended the way the league and two teams handled controversial developments involving Pride night celebrations.

The Boston Bruins have hired a law firm led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to review their player vetting process after signing prospect Mitchell Miller and then rescinding his contract offer.

Bruins President Cam Neely says the team “dropped the ball” with its internal vetting of Mitchell Miller, ultimately leading to the decision to rescind its contract offer to the defenseman.

The NHL salary cap could be going up more than expected sooner than expected.

The NHL for the first time has done an internal demographic study of its staff and all 32 teams.

The Montreal Canadiens have selected Slovak winger Juraj Slafkovsky with the first pick in the NHL draft.

The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup after dethroning the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

The chairman of the Nashville Predators has agreed to sell the majority of his stake in the NHL team to former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the league is projecting record revenue this season.

Josh Manson scored 8:02 into overtime, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in his return to the net from an eye injury, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in Game 1 of their second-round series.

The start of the NHL playoffs included more penalties called than any other first round in almost a decade.

Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and the Florida Panthers topped the Washington Capitals 5-1 on Thursday night to even their Eastern Conference first-round series at a game apiece.

Turner Sports and ESPN are carrying the NHL playoffs after they aired for 16 years on NBC and NBCSN.

Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter scored second-period goals while Antti Raanta was strong in net to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 5-1 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Puck and player tracking in the NHL has taken major leaps since it was first tested in January 2019.

Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur, who helped the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, has died at age 70.

The NHL has unveiled a new logo for the Stanley Cup playoffs and Final that replaces the one used for the last 13 years.

The NHL is launching a faceoff probability stat that uses 10 years of data to determine the likelihood of each player in the circle winning the draw.

Emile “The Cat” Francis, the diminutive goalie who became a Hall of Fame coach and general manager with the New York Rangers has died.

The Arizona Coyotes will use Arizona State’s new on-campus hockey arena for at least the next three years while the team looks for a permanent home.

The NHL has announced that players won't be able to participate in the Beijing Olympics.

Some NHL players say they are unsettled by word that a positive COVID-19 test during the Winter Olympics in China could lead to a long quarantine.

The Jack Eichel era in Buffalo is over.

The Chicago Blackhawks have held settlement talks with the attorney for a former player who has sued the team.

Commissioner Gary Bettman is defending the NHL’s handling of disciplinary matters following an investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks over sexual assault allegations in 2010.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has talked to Kyle Beach about what the league can do to better protect its players after Beach said he was sexually assaulted by an assistant coach in 2010 and his allegations were largely ignored by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Andrew Brunette is ready to coach the Florida Panthers for as long as the team needs.

Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wants the Hockey Hall of Fame to cover the name of an assistant coach on the Stanley Cup after he was accused of sexually assaulting a player during the team’s run to the 2010 title.

The NHL has decided not to discipline a former Chicago Blackhawks assistant general manager for his role in the club's mishandling of sexual assault allegations made by a player in 2010.

Joel Quenneville resigned as coach of the Florida Panthers on Thursday, two days after the second-winningest coach in NHL history was among those implicated for not swiftly responding to allegations by a Chicago Blackhawks player of being sexually assaulted by another coach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The former player at the heart of the Chicago Blackhawks assault scandal has come forward publicly.

The Panthers are rolling this season but coach Joel Quenneville being named in a report detailing how the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled sexual assault allegations that an assistant on his staff sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010 could derail Florida's hopes.

Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville says he'll meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday to discuss his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks’ sexual abuse scandal.

The day started with Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato on top of the iconic Space Needle raising a deep blue flag with the tentacle shaped ‘S’ flying over the city.

Several months after COVID-19 vaccinations were made widely available in the United States, vaccination status continues to disrupt professional and college sports.

The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane for 21 games for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

While the fisticuffs never materialized, the Washington Capitals made a season-opening 5-1 victory against the division-rival New York Rangers memorable for Alex Ovechkin’s 731st and 732nd goals and Hendrix Lapierre’s first.

Tristan Jarry had 26 saves, Danton Heinen and Brian Boyle scored early second-period goals, and the short-handed Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 in the regular-season opener.

NHL players are going back to the Olympics.

Jersey advertisements are coming to the NHL.

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has denied allegations his wife made on social media that he bet on NHL games, including against his own team.

University of Michigan dominates start of NHL draft with defenseman Owen Power and forward Matthew Beniers becoming the first teammates selected first and second overall since 1969.

Commissioner Gary Bettman says the NHL schedule will include a break for the 2022 Winter Olympics even though there is no commitment the league's players will go to Beijing.

Expect a fast and furious NHL offseason to unfold in the coming days and weeks.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast in what authorities described as a tragic accident on the Fourth of July.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says time is running out to reach a deal to send players to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The Chicago Blackhawks have hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent review of allegations that a former player was sexually assaulted by a then-assistant coach in 2010.

Vegas forward Ryan Reaves was suspended two games by the NHL for his roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct on Colorado’s Ryan Graves during the Golden Knights’ 7-1 loss in Game 1 of their second-round series Sunday.

The New York Rangers have been fined $250,000 by the NHL for criticizing head of player safety George Parros.

Tyrrell Hatton is the fourth player out of the Valspar Championship because of a positive test for the coronavirus.

The National Hockey League is coming to TNT.

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb 2, 2017 file photo, Former St. Louis Blues player Bob Plager waves to fans while speaking during a ceremony to retire his number before an NHL hockey game between the Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs in St. Louis. Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Bob Plager was killed Wednesday, March 24, 2021 in a car crash in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)ST. LOUIS – Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Bob Plager was killed Wednesday in a car crash in St. Louis. “It is unimaginable to imagine the St. Louis Blues without Bobby Plager,” the team said in a statement. “He was an original 1967 member of the St. Louis Blues, but also an original in every sense of the word.

AP Photo/Chris Seward)A year after the pandemic temporarily shut down the NHL, a handful of roadblocks remain to handing out the Stanley Cup again this season — including the U.S.-Canada border. The border remains closed to nonessential travel, an issue the NHL addressed before the 2021 season began in January by realigning its divisions. But the league has a decision looming on what to do when a Canadian team faces a U.S. opponent in the third round of the playoffs. Talks are ongoing with Canadian government officials, though nothing needs to be settled yet since cross-border play won't happen until mid-June. “We’ve got a little bit of time to deal with this,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said during a video interview Thursday.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The National Hockey League and ESPN are together again: The two sides announced a seven-year agreement Wednesday beginning next season that includes four Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL All-Star game and comprehensive streaming rights. It had the national NHL rights from 1985-88 and 1992-2004. The ABC games would likely air on Saturdays beginning around the All-Star game with the ESPN top game being on Thursday. ESPN will also produce 75 national games per season that will streamed exclusively on both ESPN+ and Hulu. Fox had NHL rights from 1995-99.