China’s Hockey Team Avoids Being Cut From Beijing Olympics

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Ending months of debate, the Chinese team, whose proxy team lost two evaluation games last month, will compete in the Beijing Games.https://nyti.ms/3drpYsf

5 Games to Watch This Weekend

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports Finals in the N.W.S.L. and collegiate field hockey, Mikaela Shiffrin in World Cup skiing and an intriguing N.F.L. matchup.https://nyti.ms/3kPkP1c

An Arena Where the Goal Is ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emissions, Even From Fans

By BY KEN BELSON AND LINDSEY WASSON from NYT Sports The operators of Climate Pledge Arena, home to the N.H.L.’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, plan to reduce and offset its entire planet-warming footprint. They still have a lot to prove.https://nyti.ms/3moHCSQ

The N.H.L. suspends Evander Kane for violating its Covid protocol.

By BY DERRICK BRYSON TAYLOR AND GWEN KNAPP from NYT Sports The San Jose Sharks forward, who was reported to be under investigation for using a fake Covid-19 vaccination card, said he had “made a mistake.”https://nyti.ms/2Z2XCBk

N.H.L. Players Are Set to Return to the Olympics

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports After missing the 2018 Winter Games, the best hockey players in the world will be able to participate in 2022 in Beijing.https://nyti.ms/3jHRs0X

A Lifeline to Let College Teams Play On

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The University of Alaska Anchorage set specific goals for targeted teams to survive. Millions of dollars poured in, suggesting a template for schools hoping to keep programs afloat.https://nyti.ms/3xsQ71y

To prepare for Tokyo’s weather, Belgium’s field hockey team trained in a heat chamber.

By BY JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports The second-ranked team, which faces Australia in the final on Thursday, created “heat-acclimation plans” for its athletes based on their risks of fatigue, illness or injury.https://nyti.ms/2VhhKxJ

India’s golden hockey era has been reawakened.

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/3yy6vyY

A Prospect Is the First N.H.L. Player to Announce He’s Gay

By BY JERÉ LONGMAN from NYT Sports Luke Prokop, who is under contract with the Nashville Predators, said he was “no longer scared to hide who I am.”https://nyti.ms/2UqV9ya

A Prospect Is the First N.H.L. Player to Announce He’s Gay

By BY JERÉ LONGMAN from NYT Sports Luke Prokop, who is under contract with the Nashville Predators, said he was “no longer scared to hide who I am.”https://nyti.ms/3ipmiJK

Montreal Canadiens Win in Overtime to Force Game 5 in Tampa Bay

By BY BEN SHPIGEL from NYT Sports The Lightning scored late in the third period to tie the game at 2-2 but Montreal forward Josh Anderson ended the game with a goal that postponed Tampa’s Stanley Cup celebration.https://nyti.ms/2TyohTS

Every Shot, and Second, Counts for Tampa Bay

By BY BEN SHPIGEL from NYT Sports The Lightning’s Blake Coleman dived to tip in the winning goal in the final seconds of the second period to help Tampa Bay triumph despite being heavily outshot.https://nyti.ms/3jxOZpV

Rangers Fire Coach David Quinn After Three Seasons

By BY ALLAN KREDA from NYT Sports The search for a new coach is underway, and possible candidates include John Tortorella, Gerard Gallant, Mike Babcock and Mark Messier.https://nyti.ms/3tCaHL7

Minnesota Sports Teams Postpone Games After Shooting

By BY TYLER KEPNER AND SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports With the Minneapolis area on edge, M.L.B., N.B.A. and N.H.L. teams decided they could not play on Monday following the shooting of Daunte Wright.https://nyti.ms/3wMNV5U

Was Connor McDavid’s Big Hit a Dirty Play?

By BY SHAWNA RICHER from NYT Sports After the Oilers captain elbowed Montreal’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi on Tuesday, there were calls for a suspension, or at least a fine. But McDavid had his defenders, too.https://nyti.ms/2PLgz6w

N.H.L. Hopes to Extend Its Reach to Latino Audiences

By BY ANDREW KNOLL from NYT Sports The league’s recent agreement with ESPN grants the network media rights in Latin America, and some teams already regularly broadcast games on the radio in Spanish.https://nyti.ms/3d1Umc2

A Love Story Heating Up: Justin Bieber + Maple Leafs

By BY SHAWNA RICHER from NYT Sports Even the top team in the N.H.L. can benefit from the unabashed adoration of a pop superstar, with the league having much to gain.https://nyti.ms/2Q0xz8T

N.H.L. Returns to ESPN in a 7-Year Deal With an Emphasis on Streaming

By BY KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports The agreement assures hockey a higher profile on SportsCenter and gives ESPN the perfect sport for its streaming ambitionshttps://https://nyti.ms/2PRCTvg

That Strange Feeling Going Around Is Optimism

By BY DAVID WALDSTEIN from NYT Sports After two decades of frustration and incompetence broken up by an occasional championship (thanks, Giants), the region’s sports teams all appear headed in the right direction.https://nyti.ms/3dFxb9p

Could Tampa Bay Be the New Titletown?

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The success of the Buccaneers, Lightning and Rays — pro sports punch lines turned finals contestants — is a run that rivals past glory years in Boston, New York or Los Angeles.https://nyti.ms/3sVLSKN