For sports fans, there is nothing more frustrating than a lockout. This year, it is the NHL’s turn to disappoint fans across the globe, with the league’s management fighting with the player’s union on player safety and how to divide league earnings. Negotiators from both sides met on Wednesday for the first time since Friday, and are still far from an agreement. “We felt that over the last seven years we’ve built up a lot of momentum in the business, we’ve had a lot of …More

The NHL's summer free agent season begins on Sunday, July 1, and among those hitting the open market will be four Jewish players who competed in the NHL this year. Here's who could be moving this summer: Jeff Halpern: The Washington, DC native and Princeton University alum scored four goals and handed out 12 assists in 69 games for his hometown Washington Capitals in 2011-12, and played two games during the Caps' 14-game Stanley Cup playoff run, which ended in the second round at the hands of the New York …More

Washington Capitals center Jeff Halpern played in his second game of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday night as the Capitals battled the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for the DC native, it would also be his last. The Capitals dropped a 2-1 decision to the Rangers on Saturday night, and were eliminated from the playoffs. The loss brings an end to Washington's season, as the Rangers move on to face the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals. The lone Jewish player who …More

Washington Capitals forward Jeff Halpern made his first appearance in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night, replacing an injured Jay Beagle in the lineup in the sixth game of Washington's Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the New York Rangers. Playing his first game for the Capitals since March 23, Halpern did not register a point, but the game was eventful nonetheless. In the second period, with the Capitals leading 2-0, Halpern took a high-sticking penalty, which became a four-minute …More

The best year of Trevor Smith's professional hockey career keeps getting better. Smith, who posted a career high 69 points (26 goals, 43 assists) in 64 AHL games for the Norfolk Admirals during the regular season—and scored two goals and assisted on three more for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 16 NHL games—scored his third goal of the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs on Sunday, helping Norfolk to a 4-3 win over the Connecticut Whale. The Admirals now lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one, with Game 4 …More

The International Ice Hockey Federation begins its World Championship tournament this weekend in Helsinki and Stockholm, and the best known Jewish player in the tournament won't be suiting up for the United States or Canada. He'll be playing for Germany. Evan Kaufmann, a former star at the University of Minnesota who now plays for the DEG Metro Stars of the DEL (Germany's top pro hockey league), is a member of the German national team, which opens play on Friday against Italy. Kaufmann, who was born in …More

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to unfold, Billy Jaffe will be watching intently. Jaffe, 43, has had a long and varied career in hockey, from his playing days at the University of Michigan, to his work as an on-ice official for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, to his career covering the sport as a broadcaster. Since starting his broadcasting career in 1998—the year after he represented the US at the Maccabiah Games as the captain of the American hockey team—Jaffe has covered hockey at …More

The National Hockey League wrapped up its regular season on Saturday afternoon. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin on Wednesday, only one Jewish player will be chasing his sport's most cherished prize: Jeff Halpern of the Washington Capitals. Thirty-five year old Halpern is in his 12th season in the NHL, and his first with the Capitals since the 2005-06 campaign. Originally a free agent signee with his hometown Capitals following his college career at Princeton University, Halpern has also played for the …More