TORONTO (AP) — Sheldon Keefe is out as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, fired Thursday after another early exit from the NHL playoffs. The move had been expected after Toronto lost to rival Boston in Game 7 last weekend, the fourth time in five years under Keefe that the team has lost in the first round. The Maple Leafs won just one playoff series since Keefe took over in November 2019. “Today’s decision was difficult,” general manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. “Sheldon is an excellen
Ownership of the NHL’s team in Utah has given fans 20 choices to vote on for the franchise’s new name, according to a survey sent out Wednesday by Smith Entertainment Group. Owner Ryan Smith has told The Associated Press the team will have a name starting with Utah. The inaugural season will feature jerseys with the name of the state on them, with a name, logo and colors to debut for 2025-26 after work done by the branding company Doubleday & Cartwright. “Utah’s NHL team is a community asset, an
SASKATOON — Lynden Lakovic scored 36 seconds into overtime to lift the Moose Jaw Warriors past the Saskatoon Blades 3-2 and into the Western Hockey League finals on Tuesday. It's the first time in 18 years that the Warriors will play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup and they will face the Portland Winterhawks, with Game 1 set for Friday. Ethan Semeniuk and Jagger Firkus also scored for Moose Jaw, which came back from a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven third-round series. Jackson Unger made 37 saves. Eas
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed forward Lukas Reichel to a two-year contract. The team announced the deal on Tuesday. It runs through the 2025-26 season with a $1.2 million cap hit. The Blackhawks were hoping for a breakout performance from Reichel this season, but he struggled with inconsistency for much of the year. Reichel, who turns 22 on May 17, finished with five goals and 11 assists in 65 games. “I think it’s a good opportunity for us to potentially gain some value,”