December 13th

Girls Hockey on THESTITCH

Be sure to log onto WWW.THESTITCH.US the next two mornings, as we'll have a few girls hockey games from the night before posted for your listening pleasure.

I'll be at the Rec Center tonight to broadcast the Kennedy vs St. Louis Park girls, which will be available by 10am Friday morning to listen to.

On Friday night I'll be back at the Rec Center to broadcast the battle of SLP when Benilde St. Margarets takes on St. Louis Park, and that game will be available Saturday morning at about 10am (possibly late Friday night).

I'm also penciled in to broadcast the Stillwater @ Edina game on Sat Dec 22nd.

Be sure to stay tuned as THESTITCH will have girls hockey games throughout the season.



Manny Done for the Season

Boston Bruins goaltender Manny Fernandez will be sidelined the rest of the season following knee surgery on Wednesday. He hasn't played since hurting his left knee at practice on Oct. 30. It is the same knee he injured last Jan. 25, ending that season with the Minnesota Wild.

The 33-year-old posted a 2-2 record with a 3.93 goals-against average in four starts for the Bruins, who acquired him from the Wild for Petr Kalus and a fourth-round draft pick on July 1.

Fernandez, a two-time winner of the William Jennings Trophy as stingiest netminder, is 127-115 overall with a 2.49 GAA and 14 shutouts in 297 games over 12 NHL seasons with the Dallas Stars, Wild and Bruins. He was selected in the third round (52nd overall) of the 1992 NHL draft by the Quebec Nordiques, who dealt him to the Dallas Stars for Tommy Sjodin and a third-round pick on Feb 13, 1994.


Fleury Out 6-8 Weeks

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, unbeaten the last three weeks, has a sprained ankle that will keep him out of the Penguins lineup for up to two months. Forward Maxime Talbot has a similar injury and may be out a month. Both were examined Wednesday by a team doctor after Pittsburgh returned from an eight-day road trip.

Fleury and Talbot have a severe sprain that occurs in the ligaments of the upper ankle and takes longer to heal. The team said the minimum Fleury will be out is six weeks, or until late January. Losing both Fleury and Talbot for an extended stretch is a major setback for the Penguins, who made the playoffs for the first time in six years last season but have hovered around the .500 mark this season. They take a 15-13-2 record into Thursday night's home game against Ottawa. Head Coach Michel Therrien says he'll go with Dany Sabourin as their starter, and Ty Conklin, recalled last week from the AHL, will be the backup.

The injuries occurred during one of the busiest stretches of the season, with Thursday's game being the Penguins' sixth in 11 days. Even if Fleury can return in late January, he would miss 19 games - or nearly one-quarter of the schedule.


Hannigan Passes Away

Pat Hannigan, who played his first NHL game for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1959-60 season and then went onto a second career broadcasting Buffalo Sabres games died at the age of 71 Wednesday night. Hannigan is probably better known for his social justice efforts in Fort Erie for helping refugees new to Canada through Casa el Norte, a safe house for newcomers. He and his wife, Lynn, were one of five core families instrumental in helping to start Case el Norte.


Stanley Cup featured in Rose Parade

The Stanley Cup will hitch a ride on the city of Anaheim's float in the 2008 Rose Parade, on January 1st. It's the first time the trophy will appear in the parade's 119-year history, coinciding with the Anaheim Ducks becoming the first California hockey team to win the Cup.

The float, which will be adorned with flowers, will also include several cars and buses with moving wheels and a helicopter with spinning rotors to depict its theme of all roads lead to Anaheim. Also depicted will be Honda Center, home of the Ducks, and Disneyland.

Last year's Anaheim entry won the mayor's trophy for best city entry.


Be sure to log onto WWW.THESTITCH.US