NHL Central

Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop won't return to the NHL because of a degenerative knee injury, general manager Jim Nill told the Dallas Morning News' Matthew DeFranks on Saturday.

"It's no secret, he has a degenerative knee injury, and he went down there, he wanted to be a big part of this. He wanted to do everything he could to get back," Nill said. "In the end, by going through the process, going down there and playing, he found out that it's the end of his career."

The 35-year-old underwent surgery last year to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

The news comes after Bishop had been on a conditioning stint with the AHL's Texas Stars. He appeared in his first game since August 2020 on Thursday and gave up eight goals on 34 shots.

Bishop had been one of the most successful goaltenders in the NHL since entering the league during the 2008-09 season as a member of the St. Louis Blues. He appeared in 13 games for the Blues before being traded to the Ottawa Senators before the 2011-12 season.

The former third-round pick spent a season-and-a-half in Ottawa before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2012-13 season. He spent about four seasons in Tampa Bay before joining the Los Angeles Kings during the 2016-17 season and later the Stars.

Bishop appeared in 413 career games over his 11-year career, compiling a 222-128-36 record, 2.32 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He was a two-time All-Star and three-time Vezina Trophy finalist.

One of Bishop's best seasons came during the 2015-16 campaign when he went 35-21-4 with a 2.06 GAA, .926 SV% and six shutouts as a member of the Lightning.

Bishop is in the fifth year of a six-year, $29.5 million deal. He is expected to meet with the media Tuesday morning.

The Stars have primarily relied on Braden Holtby and Jake Oettinger in net this year. Dallas is sixth in the Central Division with a 13-9-2 record.  

The Arizona Coyotes have paid off their outstanding tax bills and unpaid arena charges and will not be evicted from Gila River Arena, the franchise told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. 

ESPN's Kristen Shilton reported Wednesday the city of Glendale informed the Coyotes they would be locked out of their home rink unless they paid their state and city taxes, which totaled more than $1.3 million.

According to the tax lien notice filed by the Arizona Department of Revenue, the Coyotes had unpaid tax bills dating back to June 2020. The franchise called the incident an "unfortunate human error" in a statement made Wednesday: 

We have already launched an investigation to determine how this could have happened and initial indications are that it appears to be the result of an unfortunate human error. Regardless, we deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused.

We will make sure that by [Thursday] morning, the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever. And we will take immediate steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever possibly happen again.

Even though the Coyotes have paid their taxes, the franchise will be in search of a new arena after the 2021-22 season because the City of Glendale opted out of its joint lease agreement. The termination notice came after months of rocky negotiations between the two sides on an extension. 

The Coyotes have proposed to build a new 16,000-seat rink in Tempe, Arizona. The $1.7 billion proposal includes space for hotels, apartments, a theater, and shopping and dining areas. 

The Coyotes began playing at the America West Arena in downtown Phoenix in 1996 before moving to Glendale's Gila River Arena in 2003. 

The team is last in the Central Division with a 5-18-2 record.

Chicago Blackhawks centre Jujhar Khaira was taken off the ice on a stretcher during Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers.

NBC Sports' Charlie Roumeliotis reported that Khaira took a "massive" hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. The hit occurred nearly midway through the second period.

Chicago interim head coach Derek King provided a positive update on Khaira, saying, "He’s up. He’s talking. He’s very responsive."

The Blackhawks announced that Khaira had been taken by ambulance to Northwestern Hospital to undergo further evaluation.

Khaira had his head down as he attempted to control a pass when Trouba hit him, leading with his shoulder into Khaira's head/neck area. Khaira's head bounced twice on the ice as he went down. No penalty was assessed on the play.

A few Chicago players swarmed Trouba as Khaira laid motionless on the ice. The fighting stopped when they noticed that Khaira was unconscious, and play was suspended for about five minutes.

Blackhawks defenseman Riley Stillman later went after Trouba during the second period and was put in the penalty box. Each of Stillman's teammates gave him a fist bump for his efforts.

Khaira is a six-year veteran in his first season with Chicago. He spent the first five years of his career with the Edmonton Oilers. Khaira has two goals this season and nine penalty minutes in 17 games. For his career, he has 26 goals and 39 assists.

The Blackhawks are trying to claw their way back from an 0-7-2 start to the season and had a record of 9-13-2 entering Tuesday's game.

The Arizona Coyotes denied a Forbes report that suggested the NHL franchise is for sale and drawing interest from a potential buyer who would move the organization to Houston.

"This is false. Totally false," the Coyotes said in a statement to Craig Morgan of the NHL Network. "We're not selling. We're not moving. The Coyotes are 100 percent committed to playing in Arizona."

The future of the Coyotes has come into question since the city of Glendale announced in August it would not extend its lease agreement with the franchise to use Gila River Arena, which has served as the team's home ice since 2003.

In September, Kevin Reichard of Arena Digest reported the Coyotes released plans for a 16,000-seat arena that would serve as the core of a $1.7 billion development in Tempe.

That proposal isn't without issue, though.

First, the project has an estimated completion date in 2025, which would leave the team without an arena for the next three NHL seasons.

Second, officials from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport have stated the project could interfere with airport operations.

Alex Meruelo, the team's majority owner since 2019, hasn't commented on the Coyotes' arena plans since saying in June 2020 they hoped to have a plan in place by the end of last year. That didn't happen, and they're running out of time to finalize details by the end of 2021.

"We're committed to Arizona," Meruelo said last June.

The organization moved to Arizona in 1996 after 25 years as the Winnipeg Jets in the Canadian province of Manitoba. They were named the Phoenix Coyotes before rebranding to Arizona in 2014. The Jets returned to existence in 2011 via relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers, who debuted in 1999 as a new franchise.

On the ice, the Coyotes have been one of the NHL's worst-performing teams over the past decade and own the league's second-worst record this season with 12 points (5-16-2) through 23 games.

Arizona returns to action Friday when it hosts the Vegas Golden Knights at Gila River Arena.

The Colorado Avalanche's hopes of turning things around amid a slow start will be more difficult with Nathan MacKinnon expected to miss three weeks. 

Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters that MacKinnon will be out after he suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Wednesday's announcement came after MacKinnon missed practice the day before. He was on the ice for 20:40 against the Blue Jackets, right in line with his season average (21:16). 

The Avalanche started the season without MacKinnon because of COVID-19 protocols. The 26-year-old missed the first two games before being cleared to return ahead of an Oct. 19 game against the Washington Capitals. 

A three-week time frame would put MacKinnon on track to potentially return Dec. 1.

After Colorado won a division title last season for the first time since 2013-14, expectations were high for the Avs. Yet they are off to a 4-5-1 start and rank sixth in the Central Division standings with nine points. 

MacKinnon is tied for the team lead with 10 points, but he only has one goal through eight games. The Canadian star has averaged 33.8 goals and 88.5 points per game over the past four seasons.

J.T. Compher and Nazem Kadri will likely lead Colorado's front-line offense until MacKinnon returns.    

The NHL informed "John Doe 2," the pseudonym given to a high school hockey player who was sexually assaulted by former Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Brad Aldrich, that the league will not cover his counseling and therapy costs.

Doe's lawyer said the NHL believes those expenses are the Blackhawks' responsibility. 

The mother of John Doe 2 recounted the severe behavioral issues and mental health trauma her son suffered after being assaulted by Aldrich in 2013. The mother said her son's behavior changed almost immediately and he began using drugs.

“‘Do you want to know why Mom? Do you want to know why I’m a loser, Mom?’ He yelled in my face in shock,” the woman said in a TSN interview. “Those horrible words came out, ‘Because I was raped, Mom.’ I just held him and screamed no, no, no.”

Aldrich was sentenced to nine months in jail in 2014 after sexually assaulting John Doe 2. His jail sentence came four years after Aldrich allegedly assaulted two Blackhawks players, one of whom has since come forward. 

Former Blackhawks winger Kyle Beach revealed he is the player suing the franchise over its mishandling of the allegations he made in 2010. According to Beach, management was made aware of the situation but did not go to the police or fire Aldrich. The Blackhawks later allowed Aldrich to resign after winning the 2010 Stanley Cup after another allegation came to light.

"The only way I could describe it was that I felt sick, I felt sick to my stomach," Beach told TSN. "I reported this and I was made aware that it made it all the way up the chain of command by ‘Doc’ (James) Gary and nothing happened. It was like his life was the same as the day before. Same every day. And then when they won, to see him paraded around lifting the Cup, at the parade, at the team pictures, at celebrations, it made me feel like nothing. It made me feel like I didn’t exist."

Aldrich continued his work in hockey after leaving the Blackhawks, working with USA Hockey, Notre Dame, Miami (Ohio) University and Houghton (Michigan) High School. It was in Houghton where Aldrich sexually assaulted the high school student.

The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million for "inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response" in response to Aldrich after an independent investigation. Team president Stan Bowman and director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac both resigned their posts. Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, who was the coach of the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season, also resigned his position.

The Blackhawks are in the midst of lawsuit settlement talks and have vowed to reach a "fair resolution."

After a 1-9-2 start to the season, Jeremy Colliton has been fired as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

The team announced Colliton's dismissal Saturday, along with assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank. 

Derek King will serve as interim head coach. 

Colliton had expressed frustration with the team's performance this season.

“It’s just another hard lesson, but I would like us to stop learning hard lessons and respond with a change in how we think about the game,” he told reporters after Wednesday's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that saw the Blackhawks blow a 3-1 lead.

Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones did express support for Colliton after a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 24. 

"100 percent the team has faith in Jeremy," Jones said. "I’ve been here a short time, but his message has been great for us. What it really comes down to, there’s only so much a coach can do. He's not going to lace them up for you.

The final straw came Friday night when Chicago lost 5-1 to the Winnipeg Jets. The franchise is in the midst of its worst start since the 1999-2000 season when it was 0-4-4 after eight games. 

The Blackhawks turned things around that season to finish with a respectable 33-37-10-2 record. 

Colliton was in his fourth season as Chicago's head coach. The 36-year-old replaced Joel Quenneville early in the 2018-19 season. He went 87-92-26 with one playoff appearance for the Blackhawks. 

King has been head coach for the Rockford IceHogs of the United Hockey League since April 2019. He will make his debut for the Blackhawks on Sunday night when they host the Nashville Predators at 7 p.m. ET.    

The Hockey Hall of Fame confirmed to The Athletic it has crossed out the name of former Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Brad Aldrich from the Stanley Cup following an investigation into the club's mishandling of an allegation he sexually assaulted a former player. 

The Blackhawks requested Aldrich's name be removed from the Cup as the club continues dealing with the fallout from the independent investigation completed by Jenner & Block law firm. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported the Hall of Fame crossed out Aldrich's name when the names for last season's Tampa Bay Lightning were added.

This is the second time a name has been crossed out on the Cup. The NHL had the Hall remove Basil Pocklington, the father of former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, after his name was etched onto the Cup following the 1983-84 Stanley Cup. 

"That decision, among others, reflects the Cup's storied history of engraving mistakes and errors that have ended up enshrined in silver, or been corrected after the fact," Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote. 

Wirtz said that "taking a stand" on Aldrich's behavior meant removing him from the Cup.

Former Blackhawks winger Kyle Beach revealed he was one of Aldrich's victims and is suing the club. The Blackhawks are planning to settle the lawsuit out of court.

"I know I'm not the only one, male or female. And I buried this for 10 years, 11 years. And it's destroyed me from the inside out," Beach said in an interview on TSN. "And I want everybody to know in the sports world and in the world that you're not alone. That if these things happen to you, you need to speak up."

The Blackhawks released a statement Tuesday apologizing to Beach for dismissing his allegation: "We apologize to Kyle Beach for previously stating his allegations ‘lacked merit.’ It is clear now that our organization did not do the right thing."

Following the playoffs,  the investigation found that Aldrich was allowed to resign from the team without investigation, given severance pay and celebrated the Stanley Cup victory with the team before going on to work for USA Hockey, Notre Dame, Miami (Ohio) and at a high school in Houghton, Michigan.

Aldrich was convicted of sexually assaulting a minor in Houghton in 2014 and sentenced to nine months in jail. 

The Chicago Blackhawks held settlement talks Tuesday with an attorney who represents former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press.

Beach has said former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him in May 2010, as he detailed in an interview with Rick Westhead of TSN. He is suing the organization over its handling of the allegations.

"The meeting was respectful and cordial for each side," Beach's attorney, Susan Loggans, said of the settlement discussions. "But each side had different viewpoints. It was decided that an opportunity may exist to move forward. However, both parties will meet with their clients and meet again in the near future."

Beach told team personnel of the allegations before senior officials met on May 23 to discuss the situation, but no action was taken for several weeks. Aldrich was later allowed to resign after the team won the 2010 Stanley Cup title.

In 2014, Aldrich was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaulting a high school student. Loggans also represents the person in that case in a lawsuit against the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks initially denied that Beach's lawsuit had merit, but an independent report by Jenner & Block LLP determined the organization mishandled the situation.

The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million with commissioner Gary Bettman saying it was due to the "inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters."

The team's president of hockey operations and general manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac stepped down, while former Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers.

"We could not be more sorry for the trauma that Kyle has had to endure," Bettman said in a press conference Monday.

"It is clear now that our organization did not do the right thing," the Blackhawks said in a statement.

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was an assistant GM for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, the year in which former player Kyle Beach said then-video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him.

As part of a press conference with Jets executive chairman and governor Mark Chipman, Cheveldayoff gave his first public comments since Beach identified himself as the "John Doe" in a lawsuit against the Blackhawks.

"Kyle was failed by a system that should have helped him," Cheveldayoff said. "I'm sorry that my assumptions about that system were clearly not good enough."

Chipman said Cheveldayoff did not have a large role in the May 23 meeting when Chicago's top executives discussed the allegations and that he believes Cheveldayoff would have taken more action if he was fully aware of the scope.

"I commit to you today that I will use my influence within the National Hockey League to acknowledge that there are systemic problems that require systemic solutions," Chipman added.

He also expressed empathy and pointed to Beach's courage:

As for Cheveldayoff, he addressed his role in Chicago and some of the aftermath:

CBC noted that the Jets general manager held a meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday. The league determined Cheveldayoff was "not responsible for improper decisions" made by Chicago executives at the time even though the team did not take action until following the Stanley Cup playoff, which was weeks after the May 23 meeting.

The NHL called Cheveldayoff's participation at the meeting "extremely limited in scope and substance."

The league announced it fined Chicago $2 million following an investigation. General manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac both resigned.

Beach released a statement that thanked those who supported him but pointed out that "although the results of the private investigation have been released, and the Blackhawks have apologized, my battle is really just beginning as the Blackhawks continue to attempt to destroy my case in court."