Bettman named to US Hockey Hall of Fame

Russia’s Yandex inks deal to stream NHL games

WASHINGTON, Sept 5, (RTRS): NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Tim Thomas, Brian Gionta, Neal Henderson and Krissy Wendell comprise the 2019 class of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, USA Hockey announced on Wednesday.

The quintet will be honored at the 2019 US Hockey Hall of Fame induction celebration on Dec 12 in Washington.

“It’s truly a remarkable class,” said Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey. to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the postseason in 2011 when he led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup title.

Gionta highlighted his 16-season NHL career by winning a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003. The forward also represented the United States in both the 2006 and 2018 Olympics.

Henderson co-founded the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the oldest minority hockey club in North America.

Wendell helped Minnesota win back-to-back NCAA women’s national championships (2004, 2005) and captured the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2005 as the best female college hockey player. She also claimed a bronze medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics, where she served as captain for the United States.

Meanwhile, Russian internet firm Yandex and the National Hockey League (NHL) have reached a multiyear agreement for the streaming of

Bettman

all NHL games in Russia, they said on Thursday.

Several prominent Russian national team players, including Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Evgeny Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are highly popular in their native country.

The terms of the deal, which will begin with the 2019-2020 season, were not disclosed. It includes the broadcast of both regular season games and the Stanley Cup playoffs on Yandex’s streaming platform.

Leonid Savkov, chief commercial officer of Yandex, said in a statement that the agreement would give Russians a “more accessible and innovative way to watch games for free” on its streaming platform.

David Proper, NHL Executive Vice President of International and Media Strategy, said the deal was meant to “reach an even broader audience.”

In recent years the NHL has boosted its international presence, with occasional games played in Europe and promotional campaigns in China.

The NHL’s regular season, which starts next month and ends in April 2020, includes 1,271 games. The league has 31 teams split between Canada and the United States.