It shouldn't have come to this. Dallas's Kari Lehtonen should never have had to make this spinning, behind-the-back swipe that kept the Stars-Blue Jackets game scoreless. Even screened by Nick Foligno, Lehtonen will probably be the first to tell you he should have gloved the puck, or knocked it down, instead of…

Life sucks when your favorite sport is locked out. If Gary Bettman was putting on hockey games instead of spit-shining what's left of his public image, the Columbus Blue Jackets would have played the Vancouver Canucks last night. Instead, solitude and desolation for hockey fans in Ohio.

These are dark days for ESPN, with NBC stealing the nation's collective sports eyes and talent evacuating Bristol like a Chris Berman barbecue dinner. Desperate to reclaim public attention, the WWL is going after that untapped market of Columbus Blue Jackets fans, albeit in a strange way. By randomly popping up…

On trade deadline day, Columbus's demands for Rick Nash were reportedly Brandon Dubinsky, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh OR Michael Del Zotto, Derek Stepan OR Carl Hagelin, and a first-round draft pick. Well, Nash is officially a Ranger today, and Scott Howson did manage to get two of the items on his wish list—the two…

The Blue Jackets, despite the worst record in the NHL, missed out on the first overall pick (It was very sad) and can't miss winger Nail Yakupov. But there was a silver lining at No. 2: can't miss defenseman Ryan Murray. People love Ryan Murray, and think he might be NHL-ready now. If you're going to rebuild, you could …

Nail Yakupov is the consensus best player in the 2012 NHL draft, but beyond that? Your guess is as good as Scott Howson's.

Shawn Hunwick's college hockey career ended in heartbreak, as the goaltender's Michigan squad fell to the Union Dutchmen Cornell Big Red in the NCAA tournament five days ago. His NHL career, meanwhile, came as a whirlwind.

ESPN's rumor section is a place to find some of the more out-there trade possibilities, so we don't go in expecting everything prophesied to come true. We just kind of hope that when a blockbuster trade possibility is floated, the source is a real person.

The Chicago Blackhawks were in the middle of skating out the final 15 minutes of a 6-1 thumping of the Columbus Blue Jackets when one of the most absurd-looking fights ever broke out. You may have thought it was a child playfully climbing on an adult, but it was actually two professional hockey players fighting. Or, …

The Los Angeles Kings' explanation (via GM Dean Lombardi) for last night's clock disaster that gave them a win over Columbus is ludicrous for two reasons. The first, and again quoting Lombardi in the Los Angeles Times: