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Longtime former Wheat Kings staffer passes

1 minute read Yesterday at 11:32 PM CDT

Lyn Shannon, a fixture in the Brandon Wheat Kings office for many years, died last week.

Shannon, who served as executive assistant to former owner Kelly McCrimmon and the club, spent 31 years with the team handling everything from accounting to billet coordination to the Wheat Kings education fund and many other tasks.

She retired in May 2021.

She is survived by her husband Barry, daughter Tricia, son Tom, their spouses and five grandchildren.

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Hockey

Hurricanes use stifling defense to blank Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 and win the Stanley Cup

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Hurricanes use stifling defense to blank Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 and win the Stanley Cup

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 6 minute read Monday, Jun. 15, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Carolina spent the first part of the Stanley Cup Final surviving, finding ways to overcome deficits and play a high-scoring game that didn't fit the Hurricanes' typical style.

But when it came down to doing what it takes to win the Cup, the Hurricanes' defense put its stamp on this series, shutting down the Vegas Golden Knights and not letting up.

The Hurricanes held Vegas to five total goals in Games 4 and 5 and used a suffocating defense in a 3-0 shutout Sunday night in Game 6 to win their first championship in 20 years.

“That’s a lot of years,” said Carolina center Jordan Staal, who received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. “It’s amazing. This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again. "

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Monday, Jun. 15, 2026

Hockey

Shaw scores OT winner for Marlies, who lead Wolves 2-0 in Calder Cup final

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Sunday, Jun. 14, 2026

CHICAGO - Logan Shaw's second goal of the game, scored at 3:46 of overtime, lifted the Toronto Marlies to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday to grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Calder Cup final.

The Marlies, who surrendered a goal to Juuso Valimaki with 17 seconds left in the third period that forced overtime, can win the American Hockey League championship series at home with Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) scheduled for Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Benoit-Olivier Groulx also scored twice for Toronto on Sunday, while Alex Nylander added a single. Vinni Lettieri and William Villeneuve each chipped in with three assists.

Valimaki scored twice for the Wolves, who lost Friday's series-opener 4-2. Charles Alexis Legault and Noah Philp also scored for the hosts, while Justin Robidas and Ryan Suzuki each had two assists.

Hockey

Tortorella doubles down on Carter Hart as Golden Knights face elimination in Game 6

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Tortorella doubles down on Carter Hart as Golden Knights face elimination in Game 6

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Golden Knights coach John Tortorella is sticking with Carter Hart against the Hurricanes even though he is the first goalie to give up four goals in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final.

The teams meet in Game 6 on Sunday, and the Stanley Cup will be in T-Mobile Arena with Carolina up 3-2 and having a chance to close out the best-of-seven series over Vegas.

Tortorella, who previously coached Hart in Philadelphia, has been perhaps his staunchest defender.

“Because I know him,” Tortorella said Saturday. “I know there's a better game in him. I've seen it throughout the playoffs. Yeah, I think he's a very good goalie. We've got to do a better job around him, too. You can look at the numbers, and you guys (media), that's what you do. You spit out those numbers, but I've got to look at things differently and watch the play going on around him and what type of goals are being scored.”

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Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

Hockey

Lettieri leads Marlies to 4-2 win over Wolves in Calder Cup opener

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Friday, Jun. 12, 2026

NORTH CHICAGO - Vinni Lettieri's goal at 11:32 of the third period snapped a 2-2 deadlock and lifted the visiting Toronto Marlies to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Wolves in the opening game of the Calder Cup final on Friday at Allstate Arena.

Ben Danford and Cedric Pare also scored for the Marlies, while Lettieri — who finished with three points — scored into an empty net with nine seconds left and the Wolves pressing for the equalizer.

Bradly Nadeau and Skyler Brind'Amour scored for the Wolves, who outshot the visitors 28-25. Both teams were 0-for-3 on the power play.

The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and 2-2 heading into the third.

Hockey

Vancouver Canucks sign defenceman Jack Thompson to one-year deal

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Vancouver Canucks sign defenceman Jack Thompson to one-year deal

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Friday, Jun. 12, 2026

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks have added to their blue line depth, signing defenceman Jack Thomson to a new contract.

General manager Ryan Johnson announced the news on Friday, saying the 24-year-old from Courtice, Ont., has agreed to a one-year, two-way deal. 

Thompson spent much of last season in the American Hockey League, logging 14 games with the Abbotsford Canucks and 42 with the San Jose Barracuda, and posting a total of six goals and 25 points. 

The six-foot-one, 189-pound blue liner was part of the San Jose Sharks organization before being dealt to Vancouver for Jett Woo on March 5.

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Friday, Jun. 12, 2026

Hockey

Svechnikov, Aho strike as Hurricanes top Golden Knights 4-2 to move within a win of the Stanley Cup

Aaron Beard, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Sebastian Aho added a second-period goal in a breakout game for Carolina’s top-line performers, helping the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Thursday night to move within a victory of winning the Stanley Cup.

Captain Jordan Staal added his fifth goal in the series on a night when Carolina overcame multiple hiccups from these playoffs, from a shaky power play to being outplayed in the second period of this series.

And there had been the waiting game for Aho and Svechnikov — two roster mainstays in an eight-year postseason run — to find a better offensive groove.

It all came together in Game 5, with Svechnikov’s short putaway at the post on the power play giving Carolina a 4-1 lead midway through the third period. And unlike most multi-goal leads in what has been a wild and thrilling series, this one held up, with Brandon Bussi finishing with 22 saves in his second career postseason start.

Hockey

Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov wins the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, his second such honor

The Associated Press 1 minute read Preview

Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov wins the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, his second such honor

The Associated Press 1 minute read Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the second such honor of his career after also winning the Hart in 2019.

The league announced the news Thursday prior to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Kucherov led all players with 1.71 points a game on 44 goals and 86 assists. With 130 points, he ranked second to only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who had 138.

McDavid was a close second by 10 points in voting by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was third and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini fourth.

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Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

Hockey

Joe Sakic backs Avs coach Jared Bednar, plans to run it back again with core led by Nathan MacKinnon

Pat Graham, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Joe Sakic backs Avs coach Jared Bednar, plans to run it back again with core led by Nathan MacKinnon

Pat Graham, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

DENVER (AP) — Joe Sakic trusts his core group of players. That trust extends to his head coach, too.

So he's giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

The Colorado Avalanche president of hockey operations — and now de facto general manager — plans to run it back next season behind a group that includes Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and captain Gabriel Landeskog. Jared Bednar remains safe, too, with Sakic throwing his support behind the coach with the most wins in team history. 

Sakic prefers to focus on a regular season that produced a franchise-most 121 points — and the Presidents' Trophy — over one bad week of hockey in which the Avalanche were swept by Vegas in the Western Conference Final. 

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Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

Hockey

Darnell Nurse gives the Oilers a short list of teams he would accept a trade to, AP source says

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Darnell Nurse gives the Oilers a short list of teams he would accept a trade to, AP source says

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 2 minute read Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

Darnell Nurse's time with the Edmonton Oilers could be coming to an end soon.

Nurse provided the Oilers with a short list of teams he would be willing to be traded to, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because discussions are being kept private.

The 31-year-old left-shooting defenseman has four seasons left on his contract at an annual salary cap hit of $9.25 million. Because the eight-year, $74 million contract he signed in August 2021 was largely front-loaded, Nurse is only owed $29.6 million in actual dollars through 2030, and that dips to $23.6 million after he receives his bonus this summer.

Nurse has spent his entire NHL career with Edmonton since being selected with the seventh pick in the 2013 draft. He helped the team make seven consecutive playoff appearances including back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and ‘25.

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Thursday, Jun. 11, 2026

Hockey

Golden Knights need improved play from Eichel, Hart and special teams to beat the Hurricanes

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Golden Knights need improved play from Eichel, Hart and special teams to beat the Hurricanes

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Golden Knights find themselves in the same spot as they were in the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs, and Vegas certainly would love for it to be the same outcome.

But the situations are notably different.

Vegas had home-ice advantage against Utah and Anaheim, winning both series in six games after they were each 2-2. Now the Golden Knights have to figure out a way to win two of the next three games in the Stanley Cup Final with the possibility that two will be at Carolina, including what would be a winner-take-all Game 7.

Game 5 is there Thursday night.

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Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026

Hockey

Players’ union asks NHL for a Mike Babcock investigation if Oilers want to hire him, AP sources say

John Wawrow And Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Players’ union asks NHL for a Mike Babcock investigation if Oilers want to hire him, AP sources say

John Wawrow And Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026

The NHL Players’ Association has asked the league to investigate Mike Babcock’s ill-fated tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets before Edmonton or any other NHL team can hire him as coach, two people with knowledge of the discussions said Wednesday.

The request followed reports that the Oilers expressed interest in hiring Babcock. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the talks were private. 

It was not clear whether the league had resumed or restarted an investigation of the veteran coach who has drawn criticism in recent years for his approach with players. 

All coaching hires are subject to league approval.

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Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026

Hockey

Veteran Staal scoring at a pace not seen in the Stanley Cup Final since Bossy in 1982

W.g. Ramirez, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Veteran Staal scoring at a pace not seen in the Stanley Cup Final since Bossy in 1982

W.g. Ramirez, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal chose the simple approach to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final with Carolina trailing in the best-of-seven series.

But, the 20-year veteran’s winning goal on Tuesday night was anything but simple. Then again, considering how he has played against the Vegas Golden Knights in this series, perhaps it was.

With the game tied at 3 in the third period, Staal’s sprawling backhand shot while in the air with 13:29 left beat Vegas' Carter Hart and found the back of the net for his second score of the game, and it held up as the winner in the 5-3 victory.

“For a second, I wasn’t sure if it exactly went in, and I heard everyone go quiet,” said Staal, who lay face down on the ice after his acrobatic goal. “I heard some guys yelling. I was in my own world. It was an incredible moment, obviously, and just let a big yell go and then celebrated with the guys.”

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Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

Hockey

A wild Stanley Cup Final swings again as Hurricanes win 5-3 to make series 2-2 with Golden Knights

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

A wild Stanley Cup Final swings again as Hurricanes win 5-3 to make series 2-2 with Golden Knights

Mark Anderson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Carolina-Vegas series was largely expected to be a Stanley Cup Final in which goals were at a premium and each shift felt like a march up a well-defended hill.

Yeah, that isn't this.

Another two-goal lead went the way of the landline on Tuesday night, the go-ahead shot came from a 37-year-old on his stomach on one of the great runs in Cup final history, and the winning goalie made his first start in two months and doesn't know if that will be his last one this postseason.

None of it makes sense and yet it all somehow does in this series that is now even after four games — probably aptly so — because of Jordan Staal's second goal at 6:32 of the third period that came while sprawled on the ice in what became a 5-3 Hurricanes victory over for the Golden Knights.

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Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026

Hockey

Avs captain Landeskog nets Mark Messier Leadership Award, Masterton Memorial Trophy

Pat Graham, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Avs captain Landeskog nets Mark Messier Leadership Award, Masterton Memorial Trophy

Pat Graham, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was presented with not one, but two awards on Tuesday, earning the Mark Messier Leadership honour and the Masterton Memorial Trophy. 

The 33-year-old forward from Sweden becomes the first player to win both in the same season. It's been a long road back to the rink for Landeskog in his return from a serious knee injury. 

The Masterton Trophy is awarded to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

The Messier Award goes to the player who demonstrates “great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey."

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Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

Hockey

Clague signs two-year deal in Russia

1 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

Kale Clague is taking his hockey career to Europe.

The former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman has signed a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League after eight pro seasons spent mostly in the American Hockey League.

He has also played 94 games in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings — the team that drafted him int he second round in 2016 — Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

The two-time Canadian world junior team member spent last season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, where he had nine goals and 18 assists in 67 games.

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