CZECHS CLINCH 5TH AT JUNIORS
The Czech Republic rallied in the second period to rout Finland 5-1 Thursday and finish fifth at the world junior hockey championship in Pardubice, Czech Rapublic.
The Czechs and the Finns had to settle for fifth and sixth places — the same positions as last year's championship in Sweden — after losing quarter-final matches a day earlier.
Harri Pesonen gave Finland an early lead 1:59 into the opening period. Daniel Bartek tied it 6:44 into the second and Michael Frolik put the Czechs up to stay just over a minute later. Tomas Kundratek added another goal late in the period.
Zbynek Hampl and Martin Latal added insurance goals in the third period.
In the relegation round, Switzerland defeated Denmark 5-2 to finish ninth in a game of the bottom teams that will be relegated and replaced by Germany and Latvia at next year's tournament in Ottawa. Kazakhstan beat Slovakia 8-0 in the other relegation game Thursday.
On the schedule today Sweden faces Russia, while the US plays Canada. The winners will play in the Gold Medal game and the losers the Bronze Medal game, both on Saturday.
TOEWS AVOIDS SURGERY
Rookie sensation Jonathan Toews won't require surgery on his injured left knee. The Chicago Blackhawks centre sprained his knee in the first period of Tuesdays game against the Los Angeles Kings, and will miss 3-4 weeks.
Toews leads all NHL rookies with 15 goals and his 32 points are second only to teammate Patrick Kane. The two friends are the odds-on favourites to capture the Calder Trophy as league rookie of the year.
Toews does join a crowded injury list in Chicago that includes forwards Martin Havlat (groin), Jason Williams (groin), Ben Eager (concussion), Kevyn Adams (knee) and Dave Bolland (broken finger), and defencemen Brent Sopel (broken finger) and James Wisniewski (knee).
With a 19-16-3 record, the Blackhawks are 11th in the 15-team Western Conference, four points behind Anaheim for the eighth and final playoff spot.
CAPTAIN CANADA OUT 2 MONTHS
An MRI revealed on Thursday that Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan Smyth has a fractured right ankle, and he will be out of action for eight weeks. Avalance head trainer Mathew Sokolowski expects Smyth to make a full recovery. Along with Joe Sakic (hernia), the Av's will be without two-thirds of their starting line for two months.
Colorado is currently 7th in the Western Conference with 45 points (21-16-3) and third in the Northwest division, three points behind the Minnesota Wild (23-15-2, 48 pts) and five behind first place Vancouver (23-14-4, 50 pts).
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Friday, January 4, 2008
Today in NHL History, Jan 4th
1930: Boston Bruins set an NHL record with their 12th consecutive win, a 4-2 victory over the Canadiens, in Montreal.
1934: Montreal Maroons beat NY Americans 5-4 in a penalty-free game played in New York. There were none called against either team for the entire game
1942: Boston Bruins purchased Harvey "Busher" Jackson from the New York Americans for $7,500.
1944: Bill Cowley picked up two assists to become the NHL's all time leader in career assists, in a 6-4 Bruins win over the Black Hawks, at Chicago Stadium. The two assists gave Cowley 258 in his career, two more than Frank Boucher.....Montreal and Toronto set an NHL record for fastest six goals by two teams (3:15). Canadiens scored four of the six and won the game, 6-3 over the Maple Leafs at the Forum. Toe Blake led the scoring with a goal and two assists.
1947: Playing their sixth game in eight days, the Rangers shut out the Maple Leafs, 2-0 at Toronto. Chuck Rayner recorded his 4th career shutout, and Bryan Hextall and Edgar Laprade each scored a goal and picked up an assist.
1951: Detroit's rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk got his 6th career shutout as the Red Wings beat the Black Hawks 1-0, at the Olympia in Detroit.
1961: Toronto's Johnny Bower recorded his 100th career NHL victory in the Maple Leafs' 6-4 win at Detroit. Frank Mahovlich led the scoring with a goal and four assists. Rookie Howie Glover scored the only hat trick of his NHL career for the Red Wings.
1969: Stan Mikita had four assists to lead the Black Hawks to a 6-3 win against the Canadiens at Montreal.....Toronto's Norm Ullman scored three times to give him 350 career NHL goals as the Maple Leafs won 5-3 over the visiting New York Rangers. Ullman became 8th player in NHL history to reach the 350 goal mark.
1973: Boston's Bobby Orr scored his 163rd career goal (in his 428th game), to break the NHL career record for goals by a defenseman, set by Red Kelly (in 846 games). Bruins lost 4-2, at St. Louis.
1974: Boston's Bobby Orr scored twice against Ranger goalie Peter McDuffe to reach the 200 goal mark in his regular season NHL career. Bruins won at New York, 4-2.
1975: Phil Esposito scored a goal and added four assists, and Ken Broderick recorded his only career NHL shutout as the Bruins beat the North Stars 8-0 at Minnesota. The Bruins set a team record with 7 power play goals in the game.....Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored his 5th career hat trick and added three assists, Guy Lapointe had a goal and four assists, and Bunny Larocque recorded his second career shutout in the Canadiens' 10-0 win against the Capitals, at the Forum.
1976: Buffalo Sabres beat touring Soviet Wings 12-6 at the Aud, making them the first team in NHL history to defeat a Soviet squad. Gerry Desjardins was the winning goalie for the Sabres.....Bobby Clarke scored two goals and an assist and Bill Barber had three assists as the Flyers began an NHL-record 20 game home winning streak a 5-3 win over the NY Islanders at the Spectrum.
1980: Vancouver's Dennis Kearns became the first Canucks' defenseman to register 300 career points, with an assist in a 4-2 win against the Rockies, at Colorado.
1984: Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky extended his NHL record consecutive game assist streak to 17 straight in the Oilers' 12-8 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Gretzy scored 38 assists during the 17 game streak. Also in that game, Mark Messier set an Oilers team record by picking up 4 assists in a 9:52 span in the second period and Jari Kurri had his 7th career hat trick.....Buffalo's Real Cloutier scored his 7th (and final) career hat trick and Gil Perreault had a goal and five assists as the Sabres began a team-record 10 game winning streak, with a 9-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets, in Buffalo.....Thomas Gradin earned his 408th career point, moving past Don Lever as the Canucks' all-time scoring leader. Vancouver tied 3-3, at Los Angeles.
1985: Buffalo's Gil Perreault had a goal and an assist to reach the 1,200th point of his NHL career as the Sabres won 7-2 over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.....Winnipeg's Dale Hawerchuk scored his eighth career hat trick, and added an assist as the Jets lost 7-4 at Edmonton.
1986: Wayne Gretzky became the first player in NHL history to get 100 points in a season for seven straight years. The milestone came when he picked up an assist in a 4-3 Oilers win against the Hartford Whalers.....Pittsburgh Penguins tied the visiting Russian Dynamo team, 3-3 before a sellout crowd in Pittsburgh.
1987: Hartford's Paul Lawless set a club record with two goals and four assists in an 8-3 Whalers' win over Toronto.
1988: Chicago Blackhawks obtained Dirk Graham from the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Curt Fraser.....Toronto defenseman Borje Salming became the first European trained player to appear in 1,000 career NHL games, in a 7-7 Maple Leafs' tie against Vancouver. Salming also became the 5th player to appear in 1,000 games with Toronto.
1989: New York Rangers took 54 shots, including 13 by rookie Brian Leetch (a record for defensemen) in a 3-3 tie with Washington. Leetch scored a goal and an assist in the game.....Detroit's Steve Yzerman extended his team-record point scoring streak to 28 straight games in the Red Wings 4-2 win over the visiting St. Louis Blues. Yzerman scored 29 goals, 36 assists for a total of 65 points during the 28 game streak.
1990: Mario Lemieux broke the Penguins' team record by extending his point scoring streak to 29 games with two assists, in leading the Penguins to a 4-3 win over Vancouver at the Civic Arena.
1992: Quebec Nordiques played in their 1,000th all time regular season game since entering the NHL in 1979-80. Quebec lost 5-2 at NY Islanders.....Guy Carbonneau scored a minute into overtime, and Patrick Roy made 25 saves to earn his 17th career shutout in the Canadiens' 1-0 win against the Sharks, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
1994: Wayne Gretzky picked up four assists to lead the Kings to a 5-1 win against the Quebec Nordiques at the Forum.....Canada beat Sweden 6-4 to win the 1994 World Junior Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
1997: Rangers' Wayne Gretzky tied a club record with four assists in the second period as New York won 6-4 over the visiting Ottawa Senators. It was Mike Richter's 11th straight win, and the Rangers' 2,000th franchise victory.....Mario Lemieux scored twice and added three assists and Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist to give him 600 career points, in the Penguins' 7-3 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.
2000: Luc Robitaille appeared in his 1,000th NHL game and scored a goal as the Kings tied the Blues 2-2 at St. Louis.
2001: Ottawa's Radek Bonk scored his first career hat trick and added 3 assists for a career-high 6 points in the Senators 8-3 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. Bonk's 6 points matched the Senators' record set by Dan Quinn in 1995.....Alexander Mogilny scored his 15th career hat trick as the Devils extended their unbeaten streak to 8 straight games (6-0-2) with a 4-2 win against the visiting New York Islanders.
2002: Mike Ricci picked up an assist to give him 500 points in his NHL career. The milestone came in a 5-3 win over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
2004: Brian Boucher recorded his third straight shutout (and the 10th of his career) and Jan Hrdina scored a goal and added two assists in the Coyotes 3-0 win against the Hurricanes at Carolina.
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1934: Montreal Maroons beat NY Americans 5-4 in a penalty-free game played in New York. There were none called against either team for the entire game
1942: Boston Bruins purchased Harvey "Busher" Jackson from the New York Americans for $7,500.
1944: Bill Cowley picked up two assists to become the NHL's all time leader in career assists, in a 6-4 Bruins win over the Black Hawks, at Chicago Stadium. The two assists gave Cowley 258 in his career, two more than Frank Boucher.....Montreal and Toronto set an NHL record for fastest six goals by two teams (3:15). Canadiens scored four of the six and won the game, 6-3 over the Maple Leafs at the Forum. Toe Blake led the scoring with a goal and two assists.
1947: Playing their sixth game in eight days, the Rangers shut out the Maple Leafs, 2-0 at Toronto. Chuck Rayner recorded his 4th career shutout, and Bryan Hextall and Edgar Laprade each scored a goal and picked up an assist.
1951: Detroit's rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk got his 6th career shutout as the Red Wings beat the Black Hawks 1-0, at the Olympia in Detroit.
1961: Toronto's Johnny Bower recorded his 100th career NHL victory in the Maple Leafs' 6-4 win at Detroit. Frank Mahovlich led the scoring with a goal and four assists. Rookie Howie Glover scored the only hat trick of his NHL career for the Red Wings.
1969: Stan Mikita had four assists to lead the Black Hawks to a 6-3 win against the Canadiens at Montreal.....Toronto's Norm Ullman scored three times to give him 350 career NHL goals as the Maple Leafs won 5-3 over the visiting New York Rangers. Ullman became 8th player in NHL history to reach the 350 goal mark.
1973: Boston's Bobby Orr scored his 163rd career goal (in his 428th game), to break the NHL career record for goals by a defenseman, set by Red Kelly (in 846 games). Bruins lost 4-2, at St. Louis.
1974: Boston's Bobby Orr scored twice against Ranger goalie Peter McDuffe to reach the 200 goal mark in his regular season NHL career. Bruins won at New York, 4-2.
1975: Phil Esposito scored a goal and added four assists, and Ken Broderick recorded his only career NHL shutout as the Bruins beat the North Stars 8-0 at Minnesota. The Bruins set a team record with 7 power play goals in the game.....Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored his 5th career hat trick and added three assists, Guy Lapointe had a goal and four assists, and Bunny Larocque recorded his second career shutout in the Canadiens' 10-0 win against the Capitals, at the Forum.
1976: Buffalo Sabres beat touring Soviet Wings 12-6 at the Aud, making them the first team in NHL history to defeat a Soviet squad. Gerry Desjardins was the winning goalie for the Sabres.....Bobby Clarke scored two goals and an assist and Bill Barber had three assists as the Flyers began an NHL-record 20 game home winning streak a 5-3 win over the NY Islanders at the Spectrum.
1980: Vancouver's Dennis Kearns became the first Canucks' defenseman to register 300 career points, with an assist in a 4-2 win against the Rockies, at Colorado.
1984: Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky extended his NHL record consecutive game assist streak to 17 straight in the Oilers' 12-8 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Gretzy scored 38 assists during the 17 game streak. Also in that game, Mark Messier set an Oilers team record by picking up 4 assists in a 9:52 span in the second period and Jari Kurri had his 7th career hat trick.....Buffalo's Real Cloutier scored his 7th (and final) career hat trick and Gil Perreault had a goal and five assists as the Sabres began a team-record 10 game winning streak, with a 9-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets, in Buffalo.....Thomas Gradin earned his 408th career point, moving past Don Lever as the Canucks' all-time scoring leader. Vancouver tied 3-3, at Los Angeles.
1985: Buffalo's Gil Perreault had a goal and an assist to reach the 1,200th point of his NHL career as the Sabres won 7-2 over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.....Winnipeg's Dale Hawerchuk scored his eighth career hat trick, and added an assist as the Jets lost 7-4 at Edmonton.
1986: Wayne Gretzky became the first player in NHL history to get 100 points in a season for seven straight years. The milestone came when he picked up an assist in a 4-3 Oilers win against the Hartford Whalers.....Pittsburgh Penguins tied the visiting Russian Dynamo team, 3-3 before a sellout crowd in Pittsburgh.
1987: Hartford's Paul Lawless set a club record with two goals and four assists in an 8-3 Whalers' win over Toronto.
1988: Chicago Blackhawks obtained Dirk Graham from the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Curt Fraser.....Toronto defenseman Borje Salming became the first European trained player to appear in 1,000 career NHL games, in a 7-7 Maple Leafs' tie against Vancouver. Salming also became the 5th player to appear in 1,000 games with Toronto.
1989: New York Rangers took 54 shots, including 13 by rookie Brian Leetch (a record for defensemen) in a 3-3 tie with Washington. Leetch scored a goal and an assist in the game.....Detroit's Steve Yzerman extended his team-record point scoring streak to 28 straight games in the Red Wings 4-2 win over the visiting St. Louis Blues. Yzerman scored 29 goals, 36 assists for a total of 65 points during the 28 game streak.
1990: Mario Lemieux broke the Penguins' team record by extending his point scoring streak to 29 games with two assists, in leading the Penguins to a 4-3 win over Vancouver at the Civic Arena.
1992: Quebec Nordiques played in their 1,000th all time regular season game since entering the NHL in 1979-80. Quebec lost 5-2 at NY Islanders.....Guy Carbonneau scored a minute into overtime, and Patrick Roy made 25 saves to earn his 17th career shutout in the Canadiens' 1-0 win against the Sharks, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
1994: Wayne Gretzky picked up four assists to lead the Kings to a 5-1 win against the Quebec Nordiques at the Forum.....Canada beat Sweden 6-4 to win the 1994 World Junior Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
1997: Rangers' Wayne Gretzky tied a club record with four assists in the second period as New York won 6-4 over the visiting Ottawa Senators. It was Mike Richter's 11th straight win, and the Rangers' 2,000th franchise victory.....Mario Lemieux scored twice and added three assists and Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist to give him 600 career points, in the Penguins' 7-3 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.
2000: Luc Robitaille appeared in his 1,000th NHL game and scored a goal as the Kings tied the Blues 2-2 at St. Louis.
2001: Ottawa's Radek Bonk scored his first career hat trick and added 3 assists for a career-high 6 points in the Senators 8-3 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. Bonk's 6 points matched the Senators' record set by Dan Quinn in 1995.....Alexander Mogilny scored his 15th career hat trick as the Devils extended their unbeaten streak to 8 straight games (6-0-2) with a 4-2 win against the visiting New York Islanders.
2002: Mike Ricci picked up an assist to give him 500 points in his NHL career. The milestone came in a 5-3 win over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
2004: Brian Boucher recorded his third straight shutout (and the 10th of his career) and Jan Hrdina scored a goal and added two assists in the Coyotes 3-0 win against the Hurricanes at Carolina.
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Thursday, January 3, 2008
January 3rd
CANADA, RUSSIA WINNERS AT WORLD JUNIORS
Canada skated into the semi-finals at the World Juniors Championship in the Czech Republic after edging a persistent Finnish squad, 4-2, in Wednesday's quarterfinals.
it will be the 10th straight semi-final appearance for the Canadians, who have won medals at the last nine straight World Juniors. This was the first time since 2002 that Canada had to skate in the quarterfinal game, and Finns made sure that the defending champions had to play hard for the entire 60 minutes as Canada couldn’t shake Finland until the last minute when an empty netter sealed the win. It was the sixth straight time that Canada beat Finland at the U20 World Championship.
The Canadians will take on the United States in the semi-final on Friday.
Russia earned the final spot in the semi-finals after defeating host Czech Republic, 4-1, as the Russians will play Sweden in its semi-final game on Friday. It's the fourth straight appearance for Russia in the semi-finals. For the Czechs it's the third straight year of quarterfinal round frustration as the team has played in the 5th place game the last two years.
The Czech Republic and Finland will meet in the fifth-place game today.
BABCOCK, PADDOCK NAMED ALL-STAR COACHES
Head coaches Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and John Paddock of the Ottawa Senators will lead the Western and Eastern Conference All-Star Teams, respectively, at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan 27 at Phillips Arena in Atlanta.
Under the selection process for All-Star coaches, the head coach and assistant coach for the Western Conference All-Stars are the head coaches of the two teams with the top points percentages in the Western Conference through games of Friday, Jan. 4, the halfway point of the 2007-08 regular season. The head coach and assistant coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars are the head coaches of the two teams with the best points percentages in the Eastern Conference.
Babcock's Red Wings lead the Western Conference with a points percentage of .763, posting 61 points in 40 games (29-8-3) entering Wednesday's play, and are assured of having the Conference's top points percentage through Friday. Paddock's Senators lead the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .692, posting 54 points in 39 games (25-10-4), and are guaranteed of topping their Conference.
San Jose Sharks head coach Ron Wilson (22-12-5, .628), holds a slight lead over the Dallas Stars' Dave Tippett (23-13-4, .625) for the All-Star Game assistant coach position in the Western Conference. Tippett, however, can clinch the All-Star coaching berth if the Stars win their games at Detroit tonight and at Minnesota Thursday. The Stars earning fewer than maximum points would open the door for Wilson, whose Sharks host Calgary Thursday.
Brent Sutter, in his first season as the New Jersey Devils' head coach, brings a 21-14-3 (.592) record into Wednesday night's game against Florida and is the leading contender to join Paddock behind the Eastern Conference bench. Also in the crowded Eastern Conference field: the Montreal Canadiens' Guy Carbonneau (19-13-7, .577), the Philadelphia Flyers' John Stevens (19-14-4, .568) and the New York Rangers' Tom Renney (20-15-4, .564).
The starting lineups for the All-Star Game will be announced on Tuesday, Jan, 8.
SPEZZA, DATSYUK, NABOKOV DECEMBER'S THREE STARS
Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the month of December
FIRST STAR -- JASON SPEZZA, C, OTTAWA SENATORS
Spezza led all NHL scorers in December with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and recorded a +14 rating as the Senators went 9-3-2 and extended their lead in the Eastern Conference standings. Spezza recorded points in 13 of 14 games, including nine multiple-point performances. He recorded goals in eight contests, including game-winners against Pittsburgh Dec. 13 and Boston Dec. 18. He also notched a 10-game point streak from Dec. 12-29, tallying 20 points (9-11--20) in that span. Spezza ranks third on the Senators and 10th in overall NHL scoring with 49 points (14 goals, 35 assists) in 33 games
SECOND STAR -- PAVEL DATSYUK, C, DETROIT RED WINGS
Datsyuk ranked third among NHL scorers for the month with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and posted a +11 rating in 15 games. He recorded points in 11 of 14 games, including two goals and an assist against Montreal Dec. 4, three-assist games against Minnesota Dec. 7, Washington Dec. 17 and St. Louis Dec. 26 and the game-winning goal and two assists against Phoenix Dec. 29. Datsyuk is second in scoring on the Red Wings and ninth among all NHL players with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 40 games. The Red Wings went 12-2-1 in December, improving their NHL-best record to 29-8-3.
THRID STAR -- EVGENI NABOKOV, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS
Nabokov posted a 10-4-1 record, 1.96 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 15 games. He allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 15 games, including shutouts against Phoenix Dec. 7 and St. Louis Dec. 28. The only goaltender to start each of his club's games this season, Nabokov has posted a 22-12-5 record, 1.99 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 39 games. He leads all goaltenders in victories, ranks third in goals-against average and is tied for third in shutouts. His streak of 46 consecutive regular-season starts, which began March 24, 2007 at Carolina, is a franchise record.
OILERS' OWNERS TO REJECT TYCOON'S LATEST OFFER
The community-based investors group that owns the Edmonton Oilers is ready to reject a fourth bid by billionaire Daryl Katz to buy the NHL team.
The Edmonton Investors Group said Wednesday it will recommend that its shareholders turn down the $188-million offer made by Katz's Rexall Sports Corp. in December.
The EIG, a consortium of 34 local businessmen, sent Katz a list of questions on New Year's Eve about the bid: 1-Whether Katz will commit to keeping the Oilers in Edmonton. 2-What conditions might apply if Katz is prepared to spend $100 million on a new arena, including who would run it and where in Edmonton it would be built. 3-Clarifications on the purchase price offered to shareholders. 4-Verification of the payment structure and financial qualification of Rexall Sports Corp.
Bill Butler, who replaced Cal Nichols as board chairman last month, said it's important for the group to know if the team will remain in the city. He also said the EIG is considering other options, including buying out shareholders who want to sell.
An information meeting of EIG shareholders is scheduled for Jan. 21.
Katz's last offer, in August 2007, reportedly for more than $170 million US, was turned down. Previous offers of $145 million and $150 million were also rejected.
SMYTH OUT INDEFINITELY
The Colorado Avalanche's Ryan Smyth is sidelined indefinitely after spraining his ankle in the Av's 4-3 shootout loss to Phoenix. It was unclear how he injured his ankle, but did take a couple of big hits against the Desert Dogs. X-rays taken were negative.
Smyth is third in scoring on Colorado with 28 points, and doubtful for Saturday's home game versus the New York Islanders. He will join Av's captain Joe Sakic on the sidelines, as Sakic is out at least two months following hernia surgery last month.
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Canada skated into the semi-finals at the World Juniors Championship in the Czech Republic after edging a persistent Finnish squad, 4-2, in Wednesday's quarterfinals.
it will be the 10th straight semi-final appearance for the Canadians, who have won medals at the last nine straight World Juniors. This was the first time since 2002 that Canada had to skate in the quarterfinal game, and Finns made sure that the defending champions had to play hard for the entire 60 minutes as Canada couldn’t shake Finland until the last minute when an empty netter sealed the win. It was the sixth straight time that Canada beat Finland at the U20 World Championship.
The Canadians will take on the United States in the semi-final on Friday.
Russia earned the final spot in the semi-finals after defeating host Czech Republic, 4-1, as the Russians will play Sweden in its semi-final game on Friday. It's the fourth straight appearance for Russia in the semi-finals. For the Czechs it's the third straight year of quarterfinal round frustration as the team has played in the 5th place game the last two years.
The Czech Republic and Finland will meet in the fifth-place game today.
BABCOCK, PADDOCK NAMED ALL-STAR COACHES
Head coaches Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and John Paddock of the Ottawa Senators will lead the Western and Eastern Conference All-Star Teams, respectively, at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan 27 at Phillips Arena in Atlanta.
Under the selection process for All-Star coaches, the head coach and assistant coach for the Western Conference All-Stars are the head coaches of the two teams with the top points percentages in the Western Conference through games of Friday, Jan. 4, the halfway point of the 2007-08 regular season. The head coach and assistant coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars are the head coaches of the two teams with the best points percentages in the Eastern Conference.
Babcock's Red Wings lead the Western Conference with a points percentage of .763, posting 61 points in 40 games (29-8-3) entering Wednesday's play, and are assured of having the Conference's top points percentage through Friday. Paddock's Senators lead the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .692, posting 54 points in 39 games (25-10-4), and are guaranteed of topping their Conference.
San Jose Sharks head coach Ron Wilson (22-12-5, .628), holds a slight lead over the Dallas Stars' Dave Tippett (23-13-4, .625) for the All-Star Game assistant coach position in the Western Conference. Tippett, however, can clinch the All-Star coaching berth if the Stars win their games at Detroit tonight and at Minnesota Thursday. The Stars earning fewer than maximum points would open the door for Wilson, whose Sharks host Calgary Thursday.
Brent Sutter, in his first season as the New Jersey Devils' head coach, brings a 21-14-3 (.592) record into Wednesday night's game against Florida and is the leading contender to join Paddock behind the Eastern Conference bench. Also in the crowded Eastern Conference field: the Montreal Canadiens' Guy Carbonneau (19-13-7, .577), the Philadelphia Flyers' John Stevens (19-14-4, .568) and the New York Rangers' Tom Renney (20-15-4, .564).
The starting lineups for the All-Star Game will be announced on Tuesday, Jan, 8.
SPEZZA, DATSYUK, NABOKOV DECEMBER'S THREE STARS
Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the month of December
FIRST STAR -- JASON SPEZZA, C, OTTAWA SENATORS
Spezza led all NHL scorers in December with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and recorded a +14 rating as the Senators went 9-3-2 and extended their lead in the Eastern Conference standings. Spezza recorded points in 13 of 14 games, including nine multiple-point performances. He recorded goals in eight contests, including game-winners against Pittsburgh Dec. 13 and Boston Dec. 18. He also notched a 10-game point streak from Dec. 12-29, tallying 20 points (9-11--20) in that span. Spezza ranks third on the Senators and 10th in overall NHL scoring with 49 points (14 goals, 35 assists) in 33 games
SECOND STAR -- PAVEL DATSYUK, C, DETROIT RED WINGS
Datsyuk ranked third among NHL scorers for the month with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and posted a +11 rating in 15 games. He recorded points in 11 of 14 games, including two goals and an assist against Montreal Dec. 4, three-assist games against Minnesota Dec. 7, Washington Dec. 17 and St. Louis Dec. 26 and the game-winning goal and two assists against Phoenix Dec. 29. Datsyuk is second in scoring on the Red Wings and ninth among all NHL players with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 40 games. The Red Wings went 12-2-1 in December, improving their NHL-best record to 29-8-3.
THRID STAR -- EVGENI NABOKOV, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS
Nabokov posted a 10-4-1 record, 1.96 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 15 games. He allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 15 games, including shutouts against Phoenix Dec. 7 and St. Louis Dec. 28. The only goaltender to start each of his club's games this season, Nabokov has posted a 22-12-5 record, 1.99 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 39 games. He leads all goaltenders in victories, ranks third in goals-against average and is tied for third in shutouts. His streak of 46 consecutive regular-season starts, which began March 24, 2007 at Carolina, is a franchise record.
OILERS' OWNERS TO REJECT TYCOON'S LATEST OFFER
The community-based investors group that owns the Edmonton Oilers is ready to reject a fourth bid by billionaire Daryl Katz to buy the NHL team.
The Edmonton Investors Group said Wednesday it will recommend that its shareholders turn down the $188-million offer made by Katz's Rexall Sports Corp. in December.
The EIG, a consortium of 34 local businessmen, sent Katz a list of questions on New Year's Eve about the bid: 1-Whether Katz will commit to keeping the Oilers in Edmonton. 2-What conditions might apply if Katz is prepared to spend $100 million on a new arena, including who would run it and where in Edmonton it would be built. 3-Clarifications on the purchase price offered to shareholders. 4-Verification of the payment structure and financial qualification of Rexall Sports Corp.
Bill Butler, who replaced Cal Nichols as board chairman last month, said it's important for the group to know if the team will remain in the city. He also said the EIG is considering other options, including buying out shareholders who want to sell.
An information meeting of EIG shareholders is scheduled for Jan. 21.
Katz's last offer, in August 2007, reportedly for more than $170 million US, was turned down. Previous offers of $145 million and $150 million were also rejected.
SMYTH OUT INDEFINITELY
The Colorado Avalanche's Ryan Smyth is sidelined indefinitely after spraining his ankle in the Av's 4-3 shootout loss to Phoenix. It was unclear how he injured his ankle, but did take a couple of big hits against the Desert Dogs. X-rays taken were negative.
Smyth is third in scoring on Colorado with 28 points, and doubtful for Saturday's home game versus the New York Islanders. He will join Av's captain Joe Sakic on the sidelines, as Sakic is out at least two months following hernia surgery last month.
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Today in NHL History, Jan 3rd
1923: Odie Cleghorn scored twice and had an assist in the Canadiens' 4-1 win at Hamilton.
1925: Ottawa goalie Alex Connell recorded the second shutout of his rookie season and Cy Denneny scored twice in the Senators 2-0 win against the visiting Hamilton Tigers.....Montreal Maroons acquired Alf Skinner from Boston, in exchange for Bernie Morris and Bobby Benson.
1928: Pittsburgh goalie Roy Worters and Bruins' Hal Winkler dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Boston. It was the first of two straight scoreless ties for Worters.
1929: Boston's legendary defenseman Eddie Shore drove through a blizzard to get from Boston to Montreal. He then scored the only goal of the game, as the Bruins beat the Maroons 1-0. Rookie Tiny Thompson recorded his 5th career shutout.
1931: Montreal Maroons' forward Nels Stewart scored two goals four seconds apart in the third period (8:24 and 8:28), to set an NHL record for fastest two goals by one player. Stewart led his team to a 5-3 victory over the Bruins.
1932: Boston goalie Tiny Thompson and Americans' Roy Worters dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at New York. It was the 46th career shutout for Worters and the 22nd for Thompson.
1939: Chicago Black Hawks fired coach Bill Stewart. Paul Thompson was named as his replacement. Stewart had led the Black Hawks to the Stanley Cup the previous spring.....Hall of Famer Bobby Hull born in Point Anne, Ont. Hull played in the NHL 1957-58 through 1979-80 with Chicago, Winnipeg and Hartford.
1943: Chicago's Reg Bentley scored a goal, with assists from brothers Max and Doug, in a 3-3 Black Hawks tie at New York. It was the first goal in NHL history with three points from the same family!
1946: Red Wings' Ed Bruneteau scored twice within a span of ten seconds, as the Red Wings and Rangers tied, 3-3.
1954: Red Wings' goalie Terry Sawchuk and Toronto's Harry Lumley battled to a 0-0 tie, at the Olympia in Detroit. It was the 39th shutout of Sawchuk's NHL career and the 48th for Lumley.
1968: New York's Ron Stewart became the 11th player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 regular season games, when the Rangers tied the Bruins 5-5 in New York.
1970: Detroit's Gordie Howe and Toronto's George Armstrong became the first two players to appear in the NHL in four different decades when they played in their first games of the new year. Wings beat Flyers 6-1 & Leafs beat Hawks 6-2.....Detroit's Alex Delvecchio scored his third (and final) career hat trick along with an assist, Frank Mahovlich had a goal and three assists and Gordie Howe added four assists in the Red Wings' 6-1 win against the Flyers, at Philadelphia....Boston's Ken Hodge scored twice to give him 100 career NHL goals as the Bruins won 6-2 at Los Angeles.
1973: Eddie Giacomin became the NY Rangers' all time leader in career shutouts, when he beat the Kings 3-0, for his 41st career shutout. He broke the team record of 40 set by Dave Kerr.....Pete Laframboise scored four goals (his first career hat trick) in the Oakland Seals' 11-3 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
1974: Philadelphia's Dave Schultz scored his first NHL hat trick to lead the Flyers past the Rangers, 4-2 at the Spectrum.
1976: Detroit goaltender Jim Rutherford recorded his second of three straight shutouts, in a 1-0 win at Toronto.....Goaltender Ken Dryden recorded his 24th career shutout, and Doug Risebrough picked up three assists in the Canadiens' 7-0 win against the Capitals, at the Forum.
1980: Buffalo Sabres beat the Soviet Union's Red Army team 6-1 in an exhibition game at the Aud. Sabres goaltender Don Edwards was named the game's MVP.....Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 to move into first place in the Norris Division for the first time in club history. With the win, goalie Greg Millen extended his unbeaten streak to 12 straight games (7-0-5).
1981: Defenseman Reed Larson scored his first career hat trick and added an assist as the Red Wings lost to the Penguins, 6-4, at Pittsburgh. Larson became the first Detroit defenseman since Flash Hollett in 1944, to score three goals in one game.
1982: Bruins' Tom Fergus picked up four assists as Boston won 8-5 against the Jets, at Winnipeg.
1984: Michel Goulet scored a goal and added five assists in a 9-5 Nordiques' win over the Canadiens, in Quebec City. It was the Nordiques' 8th straight home win, a team record.
1985: Joe Mullen scored his 100th career NHL goal and an assist in the first period as the Blues tied 2-2 with the Canadiens in St. Louis.
1987: Mike Bossy became just the second player in NHL history to get 25 goals in each of his first 10 seasons, when he scored twice for the Islanders in a 5-4 loss against the visiting Boston Bruins.....Defenseman Rob Ramage picked up four assists to lead the Blues to a 7-4 win against the Flames in St. Louis.....Rangers' Don Maloney picked up five assists as New York won 5-2 against the Nordiques, at Quebec.
1988: Steve Yzerman scored his third career hat trick in the second period, and added an assist as the Red Wings tied 4-4 with the Jets, at Winnipeg.
1991: Wayne Gretzky became just the fourth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals, then added two more (for his 47th career hat trick) in a 6-3 Kings win over the Islanders, at Long Island.
1992: Alexander Mogilny scored his second career hat trick within a span of 4:42 in the third period, and added an assist in a 5-3 Sabres' win over the Islanders, at the Aud.
1994: Pittsburgh goaltender Roberto Romano played his first NHL game in seven years (his previous game had been for Boston in 1987), and led the Penguins to a 4-1 win against the Senators at Ottawa.
1996: Rangers' Ray Ferraro scored three goals and added an assist as New York won 7-4 over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Also in that game, Mark Messier scored two goals and added an assist to move past Bryan Trottier into 6th place on the NHL's career-scoring list with 1,427 points
1997: Detroit's Igor Larionov scored his 100th career NHL goal as the Red Wings lost 2-1 to the visiting Dallas Stars.....Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig recorded his first career NHL shutout in the Capitals' 3-0 win over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
2002: Pat Quinn became just the fourth coach in franchise history to win 150 games with Toronto, when the Maple Leafs beat the Bruins 2-1 in Boston.....Buffalo's Rob Ray became the 7th player in NHL history to get 3,000 career penalty minutes (and the first ever to get 3,000 PIM with one team) when his minor, major, and two misconducts pushed him to 3,019 career PIM, in a 3-1 loss at Calgary.
2003: Calle Johansson became the Washington Capitals all-time leader in games played, when he skated in his 941st game with the club, a 2-2 tie against Columbus. He broke the mark of 940 held by Kelly Miller.
2004: Florida's Roberto Luongo made 42 saves to record his 19th career shutout in the Panthers 1-0 win against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.....Tomas Vokoun became the winningest goaltender in Nashville Predators history, in a 3-2 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils. Vokoun broke the franchise record of 81 wins set by Mike Dunham.....Markus Naslund became the fifth player in team history to score 250 goals as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, in a 3-1 victory against the Flames at Calgary.
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1925: Ottawa goalie Alex Connell recorded the second shutout of his rookie season and Cy Denneny scored twice in the Senators 2-0 win against the visiting Hamilton Tigers.....Montreal Maroons acquired Alf Skinner from Boston, in exchange for Bernie Morris and Bobby Benson.
1928: Pittsburgh goalie Roy Worters and Bruins' Hal Winkler dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Boston. It was the first of two straight scoreless ties for Worters.
1929: Boston's legendary defenseman Eddie Shore drove through a blizzard to get from Boston to Montreal. He then scored the only goal of the game, as the Bruins beat the Maroons 1-0. Rookie Tiny Thompson recorded his 5th career shutout.
1931: Montreal Maroons' forward Nels Stewart scored two goals four seconds apart in the third period (8:24 and 8:28), to set an NHL record for fastest two goals by one player. Stewart led his team to a 5-3 victory over the Bruins.
1932: Boston goalie Tiny Thompson and Americans' Roy Worters dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at New York. It was the 46th career shutout for Worters and the 22nd for Thompson.
1939: Chicago Black Hawks fired coach Bill Stewart. Paul Thompson was named as his replacement. Stewart had led the Black Hawks to the Stanley Cup the previous spring.....Hall of Famer Bobby Hull born in Point Anne, Ont. Hull played in the NHL 1957-58 through 1979-80 with Chicago, Winnipeg and Hartford.
1943: Chicago's Reg Bentley scored a goal, with assists from brothers Max and Doug, in a 3-3 Black Hawks tie at New York. It was the first goal in NHL history with three points from the same family!
1946: Red Wings' Ed Bruneteau scored twice within a span of ten seconds, as the Red Wings and Rangers tied, 3-3.
1954: Red Wings' goalie Terry Sawchuk and Toronto's Harry Lumley battled to a 0-0 tie, at the Olympia in Detroit. It was the 39th shutout of Sawchuk's NHL career and the 48th for Lumley.
1968: New York's Ron Stewart became the 11th player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 regular season games, when the Rangers tied the Bruins 5-5 in New York.
1970: Detroit's Gordie Howe and Toronto's George Armstrong became the first two players to appear in the NHL in four different decades when they played in their first games of the new year. Wings beat Flyers 6-1 & Leafs beat Hawks 6-2.....Detroit's Alex Delvecchio scored his third (and final) career hat trick along with an assist, Frank Mahovlich had a goal and three assists and Gordie Howe added four assists in the Red Wings' 6-1 win against the Flyers, at Philadelphia....Boston's Ken Hodge scored twice to give him 100 career NHL goals as the Bruins won 6-2 at Los Angeles.
1973: Eddie Giacomin became the NY Rangers' all time leader in career shutouts, when he beat the Kings 3-0, for his 41st career shutout. He broke the team record of 40 set by Dave Kerr.....Pete Laframboise scored four goals (his first career hat trick) in the Oakland Seals' 11-3 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
1974: Philadelphia's Dave Schultz scored his first NHL hat trick to lead the Flyers past the Rangers, 4-2 at the Spectrum.
1976: Detroit goaltender Jim Rutherford recorded his second of three straight shutouts, in a 1-0 win at Toronto.....Goaltender Ken Dryden recorded his 24th career shutout, and Doug Risebrough picked up three assists in the Canadiens' 7-0 win against the Capitals, at the Forum.
1980: Buffalo Sabres beat the Soviet Union's Red Army team 6-1 in an exhibition game at the Aud. Sabres goaltender Don Edwards was named the game's MVP.....Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 to move into first place in the Norris Division for the first time in club history. With the win, goalie Greg Millen extended his unbeaten streak to 12 straight games (7-0-5).
1981: Defenseman Reed Larson scored his first career hat trick and added an assist as the Red Wings lost to the Penguins, 6-4, at Pittsburgh. Larson became the first Detroit defenseman since Flash Hollett in 1944, to score three goals in one game.
1982: Bruins' Tom Fergus picked up four assists as Boston won 8-5 against the Jets, at Winnipeg.
1984: Michel Goulet scored a goal and added five assists in a 9-5 Nordiques' win over the Canadiens, in Quebec City. It was the Nordiques' 8th straight home win, a team record.
1985: Joe Mullen scored his 100th career NHL goal and an assist in the first period as the Blues tied 2-2 with the Canadiens in St. Louis.
1987: Mike Bossy became just the second player in NHL history to get 25 goals in each of his first 10 seasons, when he scored twice for the Islanders in a 5-4 loss against the visiting Boston Bruins.....Defenseman Rob Ramage picked up four assists to lead the Blues to a 7-4 win against the Flames in St. Louis.....Rangers' Don Maloney picked up five assists as New York won 5-2 against the Nordiques, at Quebec.
1988: Steve Yzerman scored his third career hat trick in the second period, and added an assist as the Red Wings tied 4-4 with the Jets, at Winnipeg.
1991: Wayne Gretzky became just the fourth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals, then added two more (for his 47th career hat trick) in a 6-3 Kings win over the Islanders, at Long Island.
1992: Alexander Mogilny scored his second career hat trick within a span of 4:42 in the third period, and added an assist in a 5-3 Sabres' win over the Islanders, at the Aud.
1994: Pittsburgh goaltender Roberto Romano played his first NHL game in seven years (his previous game had been for Boston in 1987), and led the Penguins to a 4-1 win against the Senators at Ottawa.
1996: Rangers' Ray Ferraro scored three goals and added an assist as New York won 7-4 over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Also in that game, Mark Messier scored two goals and added an assist to move past Bryan Trottier into 6th place on the NHL's career-scoring list with 1,427 points
1997: Detroit's Igor Larionov scored his 100th career NHL goal as the Red Wings lost 2-1 to the visiting Dallas Stars.....Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig recorded his first career NHL shutout in the Capitals' 3-0 win over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
2002: Pat Quinn became just the fourth coach in franchise history to win 150 games with Toronto, when the Maple Leafs beat the Bruins 2-1 in Boston.....Buffalo's Rob Ray became the 7th player in NHL history to get 3,000 career penalty minutes (and the first ever to get 3,000 PIM with one team) when his minor, major, and two misconducts pushed him to 3,019 career PIM, in a 3-1 loss at Calgary.
2003: Calle Johansson became the Washington Capitals all-time leader in games played, when he skated in his 941st game with the club, a 2-2 tie against Columbus. He broke the mark of 940 held by Kelly Miller.
2004: Florida's Roberto Luongo made 42 saves to record his 19th career shutout in the Panthers 1-0 win against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.....Tomas Vokoun became the winningest goaltender in Nashville Predators history, in a 3-2 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils. Vokoun broke the franchise record of 81 wins set by Mike Dunham.....Markus Naslund became the fifth player in team history to score 250 goals as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, in a 3-1 victory against the Flames at Calgary.
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Wednesday, January 2, 2008
January 2nd
WORLD JUNIORS
After a "new year's break" the World Juniors round robin relegation round starts today with four games on the schedule, which are listed below.
The United States has the day off but will play the winner of Canada/Finland.
Canada vs Finland
Russia vs Czech Republic
Slovakia vs Switzerland
Kazakhstan vs Denmark
McCRIMMON ELEVATED TO ASSOCIATE COACH
Former Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Brad McCrimmon might be one step closer to his first NHL head-coaching job. He was promoted to associate coach by the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday in a move that might pave the way for him to take over for interim coach Don Waddell.
Waddell, also the Thrashers' general manager, moved to the bench after firing former head coach Bob Hartley when the team opened the season with six consecutive losses.
McCrimmon, 48, is in his fourth season in Atlanta as an assistant, and previously was an assistant with the Calgary Flames (2000-02) and New York Islanders (1997-98), and also coached the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades for two years.
McCrimmon played in 1,222 games over 18 NHL seasons from 1979 to 1997 with Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix.
'CANES PUT HEDICAN ON IR
The Carolina Hurricanes placed defenceman Bret Hedican on injured reserve because of a sprained right knee on Tuesday and recalled defenceman Casey Borer from Albany.
Hedican, who has two goals and seven assists, hurt his knee in a win over the Bruins on Dec. 28. He hasn't played since. The 22-year-old is in his first full professional season after completing a four-year career at St. Cloud State of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He currently leads Albany defencemen in goals (five), points (14) and power-play goals (four).
He was Carolina's third selection (3rd round, 69th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
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After a "new year's break" the World Juniors round robin relegation round starts today with four games on the schedule, which are listed below.
The United States has the day off but will play the winner of Canada/Finland.
Canada vs Finland
Russia vs Czech Republic
Slovakia vs Switzerland
Kazakhstan vs Denmark
McCRIMMON ELEVATED TO ASSOCIATE COACH
Former Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Brad McCrimmon might be one step closer to his first NHL head-coaching job. He was promoted to associate coach by the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday in a move that might pave the way for him to take over for interim coach Don Waddell.
Waddell, also the Thrashers' general manager, moved to the bench after firing former head coach Bob Hartley when the team opened the season with six consecutive losses.
McCrimmon, 48, is in his fourth season in Atlanta as an assistant, and previously was an assistant with the Calgary Flames (2000-02) and New York Islanders (1997-98), and also coached the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades for two years.
McCrimmon played in 1,222 games over 18 NHL seasons from 1979 to 1997 with Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix.
'CANES PUT HEDICAN ON IR
The Carolina Hurricanes placed defenceman Bret Hedican on injured reserve because of a sprained right knee on Tuesday and recalled defenceman Casey Borer from Albany.
Hedican, who has two goals and seven assists, hurt his knee in a win over the Bruins on Dec. 28. He hasn't played since. The 22-year-old is in his first full professional season after completing a four-year career at St. Cloud State of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He currently leads Albany defencemen in goals (five), points (14) and power-play goals (four).
He was Carolina's third selection (3rd round, 69th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
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Today in NHL History, Jan 2nd
1889: Hall of Famer Harry Hyland born in Montreal, Que. Hyland played in the NHL 1917-18 with Montreal and Ottawa.
1924: Hamilton's Jake Forbes recorded his first career shutout, in a 4-0 Tigers' win against the Montreal Canadiens.
1930: Detroit goalie Bill Beveridge recorded the first shutout of his rookie season in the Cougars' 4-0 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
1934: Montreal Canadiens loaned goalie Wilf Cude to Detroit, for the remainder of the 1933-34 season for cash. He went on to compile a 1.62 GAA in 29 games with Detroit.
1936: Dave "Sweeney" Schriner scored a goal and added three assists in the Americans' 6-2 win against the Rangers.
1937: Montreal Maroons' goalie Alex Connell and Maple Leafs' rookie Turk Broda dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Toronto. It was the 81st (and final) shutout of Connell's NHL career and the first for Broda.
1938: Canadiens' Hector "Toe" Blake scored his first career hat trick as Montreal won 4-2, at Chicago.
1944: Boston Bruins scored the biggest road win in team history (up to that time) 13-3 over the Rangers, in New York. Herb Cain led the scoring with three goals and two assists.
1954: Harry Lumley recorded his 47th career shutout as the Toronto Maple Leafs extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 14 straight games (12-0-2) with a 4-0 win against the Chicago Black Hawks.
1956: Former NHL right winger Peter Lee born in Ellesmere, England. Lee played in the NHL 1977-78 through 1982-83 with Pittsburgh.
1958: Detroit Red Wings named Sid Abel as their new coach, replacing Jimmy Skinner. Abel went on to coach the Red Wings for the next 10 years.
1971: Jacques Plante and Bruce Gamble shared the shutout, Paul Henderson and Norm Ullman each scored twice and added two assists, and the Leafs set a team record by scoring 4 goals within a span of 2:2 in a 13-0 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1972: Pit Martin scored a goal and added four assists to lead the Black Hawks to a 6-2 win against the Flyers at Chicago Stadium.....Rangers' Pete Stemkowski scored his 100th NHL goal in a 4-1 Rangers' loss to Boston, at MSG.
1978: Detroit beat the Czechoslovakian team Pardubices 5-4 in an exhibition game at the Olympia in Detroit. Red Wings' center Vaclav Nedomansky scored a goal and added an assist against his former countrymen.
1979: Glenn Resch recorded his 18th career shutout, Mike Bossy scored his 4th career hat trick and Bryan Trottier had 4 assists as the Islanders extended their team-record home unbeaten streak to 19 straight games (15-0-4) with a 9-0 win over Vancouver.....Bobby Clarke scored twice and had an assist to lead the Flyers to a 4-4 tie with the Soviet Wings, in an exhibition game at the Spectrum.
1980: Gordie Howe became the first player in league history to appear in an NHL game in five different decades, when he played for the Hartford Whalers in a 3-3 tie against the Oilers, in Edmonton.....Islanders' Mike Bossy began a team-record 18 game point scoring streak as New York won 3-1 at Toronto.
1981: Kent Nilsson picked up four assists as the Flames won 7-6 over the visiting Los Angeles Kings.
1982: Buffalo Sabres' Dale McCourt scored just four seconds after Quebec's rookie Marian Stastny, to tie the NHL record for fastest two goals. They came at 15:46 and 15:50 of the second period in a 6-3 Nordiques' win at Quebec City.
1983: Craig Ramsay and John Van Boxmeer each had three assists to lead the Sabres to an 8-4 win against the Hartford Whalers in Buffalo.....Calgary Flames beat the touring Soviet National Team 3-2 at the Corral in Calgary.....Rick Vaive scored four goals (including his third career hat trick), and Dan Daoust tied a team rookie record with four assists as the Maple Leafs beat Detroit, 6-3 in Toronto.
1986: Mike Bossy became the 11th NHL player to score 500 goals (and first to score 500 with Isles). He scored 500 in fewer games (647) than anyone in history at that time. Gretzky later did it in only 575 games. Goal #500 came in a 7-5 win over Boston.....Flyers' Brian Propp had a goal and four assists as Philadelphia defeated the Kings 7-4 at Los Angeles. Rookie center Pelle Eklund added four assists for Philadelphia.
1988: Hartford goalie Mike Liut played in his 500th career NHL game as the Whalers tied 1-1 with the visiting New Jersey Devils.
1990: Mario Lemieux tied team record he had set four years earlier, when a goal and an assist increased his point scoring streak to 28 straight games, 4th longest in NHL history, as the Penguins lost 5-2 to Boston.....Jacques Demers coached his 600th career NHL game, a 4-1 Detroit win against Vancouver. Steve Yzerman led the scoring with two goals and an assist.....Edmonton's Jari Kurri scored a goal and two assists to give him 1,000 career points, in the Oilers' 6-4 win at St. Louis. Kurri became the 25th player (and second European trained) in NHL history to score 1,000 career points.
1992: In the largest trade in NHL history, Calgary sent Doug Gilmour, Ric Nattress, Jamie Macoun, Rick Wamsley, and Kent Manderville to Toronto, in exchange for Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Craig Berube, Jeff Reese, and Alexander Godynyuk.....Edmonton Oilers played in their 1,000th regular season NHL game, a 5-3 loss to the Kings. The loss gave the Oilers a record of 536-334-130 in their first 1,000 NHL games.....Ed Belfour started his 25th consecutive game for the Blackhawks, a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, at Chicago Stadium.....Philadelphia Flyers acquired Garry Galley and Wes Walz from the Boston Bruins, in exchange for Gord Murphy and Brian Dobbin.
1994: Brett Hull's 24th goal of the season gave him 353 career goals with the Blues, a new team record for goals -- breaking the mark held by Bernie Federko. It came in a 4-3 win against the Flames in St. Louis. It was also Hull's 600th NHL point.....Cam Neely scored three power play goals for his 10th career hat trick and picked up an assist, and Ray Bourque had assists on five consecutive goals, to lead the Bruins to an 8-2 win against the Capitals in Boston.
1996: Theoren Fleury scored his 9th career hat trick to become the second player in Flames' history to score 250 goals. The milestone goal (and an assist) came as Calgary won 10-0 over the visiting Lightning. Trevor Kidd recorded the shutout.
1997: Mark Messier scored twice to move past Guy Lafleur into 11th place on the NHL All Time goal-scoring list (with 561 goals), and added an assist, as the Rangers won 4-3 over the Islanders, at MSG.....Mario Lemieux had four assists in the Penguins' 6-1 win at New Jersey. Rookie goalie Patrick Lalime improved his record to 8-0-1 on the season.....oe Sakic picked up two assists to give him 500 career assists and 800 NHL points, when the Avalanche won 3-2 over the visiting Calgary Flames.
1999: Damian Rhodes became the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal and get a shutout in the same game, in the Senators 6-0 win against the visiting New Jersey Devils.....Washington's Brian Bellows had a goal and an assist for his 1,000th career NHL point in the Capitals' 5-2 win at Toronto.
2000: Scotty Bowman became the first coach in NHL history to coach in five different decades, when his Detroit Red Wings lost to Pittsburgh 4-3.
2001: Montreal's Jose Theodore became the second goaltender in NHL history to score a goal while recording a shutout, as the Canadiens won 3-0 against the Islanders in Long Island.
2002: Dwayne Roloson recorded his 5th career shutout as the Minnesota Wild won 2-0 against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.....Ron Francis played in his 1,000th game with the Carolina franchise, & scored his 500th NHL goal to join Gretzky, Howe, Messier and Dionne as the only players in the 500-goal, 1,000-assist club, in the Hurricanes 6-3 loss to the visiting Bruins.....Veteran defenseman Gary Suter's 200th career NHL goal proved to be the game winner as the Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 in San Jose. Suter became just the 15th defenseman in NHL history to get 200 goals.....Owen Nolan had a goal and two assists, to become the San Jose Sharks all-time leader in career assists, in a 5-2 win over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Nolan picked up his 202nd assist with San Jose, one more than Jeff Friesen.
2003: Marian Hossa had a team-record 4 goals (including 3 straight in the first period) in the Senators 8-1 win over the visiting Thrashers. Hossa (who also had an assist in the game) became the 1st player to get 3 hat tricks in one season with Ottawa.
2004: Brian Boucher recorded his second consecutive shutout (and the 9th of his career) in the Coyotes 6-0 win over the Stars at Dallas.
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1924: Hamilton's Jake Forbes recorded his first career shutout, in a 4-0 Tigers' win against the Montreal Canadiens.
1930: Detroit goalie Bill Beveridge recorded the first shutout of his rookie season in the Cougars' 4-0 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
1934: Montreal Canadiens loaned goalie Wilf Cude to Detroit, for the remainder of the 1933-34 season for cash. He went on to compile a 1.62 GAA in 29 games with Detroit.
1936: Dave "Sweeney" Schriner scored a goal and added three assists in the Americans' 6-2 win against the Rangers.
1937: Montreal Maroons' goalie Alex Connell and Maple Leafs' rookie Turk Broda dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Toronto. It was the 81st (and final) shutout of Connell's NHL career and the first for Broda.
1938: Canadiens' Hector "Toe" Blake scored his first career hat trick as Montreal won 4-2, at Chicago.
1944: Boston Bruins scored the biggest road win in team history (up to that time) 13-3 over the Rangers, in New York. Herb Cain led the scoring with three goals and two assists.
1954: Harry Lumley recorded his 47th career shutout as the Toronto Maple Leafs extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 14 straight games (12-0-2) with a 4-0 win against the Chicago Black Hawks.
1956: Former NHL right winger Peter Lee born in Ellesmere, England. Lee played in the NHL 1977-78 through 1982-83 with Pittsburgh.
1958: Detroit Red Wings named Sid Abel as their new coach, replacing Jimmy Skinner. Abel went on to coach the Red Wings for the next 10 years.
1971: Jacques Plante and Bruce Gamble shared the shutout, Paul Henderson and Norm Ullman each scored twice and added two assists, and the Leafs set a team record by scoring 4 goals within a span of 2:2 in a 13-0 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1972: Pit Martin scored a goal and added four assists to lead the Black Hawks to a 6-2 win against the Flyers at Chicago Stadium.....Rangers' Pete Stemkowski scored his 100th NHL goal in a 4-1 Rangers' loss to Boston, at MSG.
1978: Detroit beat the Czechoslovakian team Pardubices 5-4 in an exhibition game at the Olympia in Detroit. Red Wings' center Vaclav Nedomansky scored a goal and added an assist against his former countrymen.
1979: Glenn Resch recorded his 18th career shutout, Mike Bossy scored his 4th career hat trick and Bryan Trottier had 4 assists as the Islanders extended their team-record home unbeaten streak to 19 straight games (15-0-4) with a 9-0 win over Vancouver.....Bobby Clarke scored twice and had an assist to lead the Flyers to a 4-4 tie with the Soviet Wings, in an exhibition game at the Spectrum.
1980: Gordie Howe became the first player in league history to appear in an NHL game in five different decades, when he played for the Hartford Whalers in a 3-3 tie against the Oilers, in Edmonton.....Islanders' Mike Bossy began a team-record 18 game point scoring streak as New York won 3-1 at Toronto.
1981: Kent Nilsson picked up four assists as the Flames won 7-6 over the visiting Los Angeles Kings.
1982: Buffalo Sabres' Dale McCourt scored just four seconds after Quebec's rookie Marian Stastny, to tie the NHL record for fastest two goals. They came at 15:46 and 15:50 of the second period in a 6-3 Nordiques' win at Quebec City.
1983: Craig Ramsay and John Van Boxmeer each had three assists to lead the Sabres to an 8-4 win against the Hartford Whalers in Buffalo.....Calgary Flames beat the touring Soviet National Team 3-2 at the Corral in Calgary.....Rick Vaive scored four goals (including his third career hat trick), and Dan Daoust tied a team rookie record with four assists as the Maple Leafs beat Detroit, 6-3 in Toronto.
1986: Mike Bossy became the 11th NHL player to score 500 goals (and first to score 500 with Isles). He scored 500 in fewer games (647) than anyone in history at that time. Gretzky later did it in only 575 games. Goal #500 came in a 7-5 win over Boston.....Flyers' Brian Propp had a goal and four assists as Philadelphia defeated the Kings 7-4 at Los Angeles. Rookie center Pelle Eklund added four assists for Philadelphia.
1988: Hartford goalie Mike Liut played in his 500th career NHL game as the Whalers tied 1-1 with the visiting New Jersey Devils.
1990: Mario Lemieux tied team record he had set four years earlier, when a goal and an assist increased his point scoring streak to 28 straight games, 4th longest in NHL history, as the Penguins lost 5-2 to Boston.....Jacques Demers coached his 600th career NHL game, a 4-1 Detroit win against Vancouver. Steve Yzerman led the scoring with two goals and an assist.....Edmonton's Jari Kurri scored a goal and two assists to give him 1,000 career points, in the Oilers' 6-4 win at St. Louis. Kurri became the 25th player (and second European trained) in NHL history to score 1,000 career points.
1992: In the largest trade in NHL history, Calgary sent Doug Gilmour, Ric Nattress, Jamie Macoun, Rick Wamsley, and Kent Manderville to Toronto, in exchange for Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Craig Berube, Jeff Reese, and Alexander Godynyuk.....Edmonton Oilers played in their 1,000th regular season NHL game, a 5-3 loss to the Kings. The loss gave the Oilers a record of 536-334-130 in their first 1,000 NHL games.....Ed Belfour started his 25th consecutive game for the Blackhawks, a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, at Chicago Stadium.....Philadelphia Flyers acquired Garry Galley and Wes Walz from the Boston Bruins, in exchange for Gord Murphy and Brian Dobbin.
1994: Brett Hull's 24th goal of the season gave him 353 career goals with the Blues, a new team record for goals -- breaking the mark held by Bernie Federko. It came in a 4-3 win against the Flames in St. Louis. It was also Hull's 600th NHL point.....Cam Neely scored three power play goals for his 10th career hat trick and picked up an assist, and Ray Bourque had assists on five consecutive goals, to lead the Bruins to an 8-2 win against the Capitals in Boston.
1996: Theoren Fleury scored his 9th career hat trick to become the second player in Flames' history to score 250 goals. The milestone goal (and an assist) came as Calgary won 10-0 over the visiting Lightning. Trevor Kidd recorded the shutout.
1997: Mark Messier scored twice to move past Guy Lafleur into 11th place on the NHL All Time goal-scoring list (with 561 goals), and added an assist, as the Rangers won 4-3 over the Islanders, at MSG.....Mario Lemieux had four assists in the Penguins' 6-1 win at New Jersey. Rookie goalie Patrick Lalime improved his record to 8-0-1 on the season.....oe Sakic picked up two assists to give him 500 career assists and 800 NHL points, when the Avalanche won 3-2 over the visiting Calgary Flames.
1999: Damian Rhodes became the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal and get a shutout in the same game, in the Senators 6-0 win against the visiting New Jersey Devils.....Washington's Brian Bellows had a goal and an assist for his 1,000th career NHL point in the Capitals' 5-2 win at Toronto.
2000: Scotty Bowman became the first coach in NHL history to coach in five different decades, when his Detroit Red Wings lost to Pittsburgh 4-3.
2001: Montreal's Jose Theodore became the second goaltender in NHL history to score a goal while recording a shutout, as the Canadiens won 3-0 against the Islanders in Long Island.
2002: Dwayne Roloson recorded his 5th career shutout as the Minnesota Wild won 2-0 against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.....Ron Francis played in his 1,000th game with the Carolina franchise, & scored his 500th NHL goal to join Gretzky, Howe, Messier and Dionne as the only players in the 500-goal, 1,000-assist club, in the Hurricanes 6-3 loss to the visiting Bruins.....Veteran defenseman Gary Suter's 200th career NHL goal proved to be the game winner as the Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 in San Jose. Suter became just the 15th defenseman in NHL history to get 200 goals.....Owen Nolan had a goal and two assists, to become the San Jose Sharks all-time leader in career assists, in a 5-2 win over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Nolan picked up his 202nd assist with San Jose, one more than Jeff Friesen.
2003: Marian Hossa had a team-record 4 goals (including 3 straight in the first period) in the Senators 8-1 win over the visiting Thrashers. Hossa (who also had an assist in the game) became the 1st player to get 3 hat tricks in one season with Ottawa.
2004: Brian Boucher recorded his second consecutive shutout (and the 9th of his career) in the Coyotes 6-0 win over the Stars at Dallas.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
January 1st
US & CANADA WIN, CLOSE PRELIMINARY ROUND WITH WINS
Canada and the United States closed out their respective preliminary round groups with victories at the World Juniors. Neither team was really challenged in their New Year’s Eve games as Canada cruised against Denmark 4-1, while the U.S. downed Finland, 5-3.
Before the puck was dropped, the entire medal round and relegation round were already set, making the outcome of both contests only academic. The U.S. and Finland game was a potential semi-final round preview as the Americans will face the winner of the Canada-Finland quarterfinal.
All teams have January 1st off as many will switch venues. The relegation round will be held in Liberec, while all medal round games will be played in Pardubice, Czech Republic.
Final Group A Ranking:
1. Sweden, 12 points
2. Canada, 9 points
3. Czech Republic, 6 points
4. Slovakia, 3 points
5. Denmark, 0 points
Final Group B Ranking:
1. USA, 12 points
2. Russia, 9 points
3. Finland, 5 points
4. Kazakhstan, 3 points
5. Switzerland, 1 point
Quarterfinal Games:
Canada – Finland, 4pm (local time) Tuesday
Russia – Czech Republic, 8pm (local time) Tuesday
OVECHKIN, JAGR, NABOKOV NHL'S THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin, New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr and San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending December 30.
FIRST STAR – ALEXANDER OVECHKIN, F, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Ovechkin tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (5-2--7) as the Capitals won two of three games. On Dec. 26 he notched one assist in a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Dec. 27 he notched one goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished the week by recording four goals and one assist in an 8-6 win over the Ottawa Senators. Ovechkin leads the Capitals and is 10th in overall NHL scoring with 48 points (30-18--48) in 39 games. His 30 goals place him second in the League behind Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk (32).
SECOND STAR – JAROMIR JAGR, F, NEW YORK RANGERS
Jagr tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (4-3--7) in three games. On Dec. 26 he recorded two goals in a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He notched one goal and three assists in a 6-1 victory over Toronto Maple Leafs Dec. 29 and recorded one goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 30. For the season Jagr is second on the Rangers with 34 points (11-23--34) in 39 games.
THIRD STAR – EVGENI NABOKOV, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS
Nabokov posted a record of 3-0-0, a 1.34 goals-against average and .949 save percentage and one shutout as San Jose (21-12-5, 47 points) recorded three road victories. On Dec. 26 he recorded 34 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. On Dec. 28 he made 26 saves in recording his fifth shutout of the season, a 1-0 win over the St Louis Blues. He finished the week recording 21 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Nabokov has appeared in all 38 Sharks games, posting a 21-12-5 record with a 1.99 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts.
CANADA WINS SPENGLER CUP
Canada skated to a 2-1 win over Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa on Monday in the final of the Spengler Cup hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland.
Kirby Law and Ryan Keller scored in the second period for Canada, which won the competition for the first time in four years after posting a perfect 4-0 record in the round robin.
Alexander Perezhogin scored the lone goal for the Russians against veteran Canadian goalie Curtis Joseph.
Canada has appeared in seven of the last eight championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002 and 2003.
Canada's Spengler Cup roster consisted mainly of Canadian-born players currently playing in Europe and NHL prospects.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
Be sure to log onto WWW.THESTITCH.US, and I hope you have a Happy New Year.
Canada and the United States closed out their respective preliminary round groups with victories at the World Juniors. Neither team was really challenged in their New Year’s Eve games as Canada cruised against Denmark 4-1, while the U.S. downed Finland, 5-3.
Before the puck was dropped, the entire medal round and relegation round were already set, making the outcome of both contests only academic. The U.S. and Finland game was a potential semi-final round preview as the Americans will face the winner of the Canada-Finland quarterfinal.
All teams have January 1st off as many will switch venues. The relegation round will be held in Liberec, while all medal round games will be played in Pardubice, Czech Republic.
Final Group A Ranking:
1. Sweden, 12 points
2. Canada, 9 points
3. Czech Republic, 6 points
4. Slovakia, 3 points
5. Denmark, 0 points
Final Group B Ranking:
1. USA, 12 points
2. Russia, 9 points
3. Finland, 5 points
4. Kazakhstan, 3 points
5. Switzerland, 1 point
Quarterfinal Games:
Canada – Finland, 4pm (local time) Tuesday
Russia – Czech Republic, 8pm (local time) Tuesday
OVECHKIN, JAGR, NABOKOV NHL'S THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin, New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr and San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending December 30.
FIRST STAR – ALEXANDER OVECHKIN, F, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Ovechkin tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (5-2--7) as the Capitals won two of three games. On Dec. 26 he notched one assist in a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Dec. 27 he notched one goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished the week by recording four goals and one assist in an 8-6 win over the Ottawa Senators. Ovechkin leads the Capitals and is 10th in overall NHL scoring with 48 points (30-18--48) in 39 games. His 30 goals place him second in the League behind Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk (32).
SECOND STAR – JAROMIR JAGR, F, NEW YORK RANGERS
Jagr tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (4-3--7) in three games. On Dec. 26 he recorded two goals in a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He notched one goal and three assists in a 6-1 victory over Toronto Maple Leafs Dec. 29 and recorded one goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 30. For the season Jagr is second on the Rangers with 34 points (11-23--34) in 39 games.
THIRD STAR – EVGENI NABOKOV, G, SAN JOSE SHARKS
Nabokov posted a record of 3-0-0, a 1.34 goals-against average and .949 save percentage and one shutout as San Jose (21-12-5, 47 points) recorded three road victories. On Dec. 26 he recorded 34 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. On Dec. 28 he made 26 saves in recording his fifth shutout of the season, a 1-0 win over the St Louis Blues. He finished the week recording 21 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Nabokov has appeared in all 38 Sharks games, posting a 21-12-5 record with a 1.99 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts.
CANADA WINS SPENGLER CUP
Canada skated to a 2-1 win over Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa on Monday in the final of the Spengler Cup hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland.
Kirby Law and Ryan Keller scored in the second period for Canada, which won the competition for the first time in four years after posting a perfect 4-0 record in the round robin.
Alexander Perezhogin scored the lone goal for the Russians against veteran Canadian goalie Curtis Joseph.
Canada has appeared in seven of the last eight championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002 and 2003.
Canada's Spengler Cup roster consisted mainly of Canadian-born players currently playing in Europe and NHL prospects.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
Be sure to log onto WWW.THESTITCH.US, and I hope you have a Happy New Year.
Today in NHL History, Jan 1st
1909: Former NHL forward Doc Romnes born in White Bear, Minnesota. Romnes played in the NHL 1930-31 through 1939-40 with Chicago, Toronto and the New York Americans.
1926: Montreal Canadiens beat the Pirates 2-1 in a penalty-free game played at Pittsburgh. There were none called against either team for the entire game. It was just the third penalty free game in NHL history.
1927: Goaltender Lorne Chabot recorded the third shutout of his rookie season to lead the Rangers to a 4-0 win at Chicago.....Montreal Maroons' goalie Clint Benedict recorded his 33rd career shutout in a 3-0 victory over the St. Pats at Toronto.
1929: Boston goalie Cecil "Tiny" Thompson recorded the 4th shutout of his rookie season as the Bruins won 3-0 over the visiting Ottawa Senators.
1930: Boston Bruins tied an NHL record with their 11th straight win, 5-2 over the NY Americans, at Boston Garden.
1931: Frank Ingram scored four goals, including the only hat trick of his NHL career in the Black Hawks' 10-3 win against the visiting Philadelphia Quakers.....Goaltender Lorne Chabot recorded his 44th career shutout and Joe Primeau picked up two assists in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 win over the visiting New York Americans.....New York Rangers purchased Cecil Dillon from Springfield (CAHL).
1932: John Roach became the first goaltender to record 25 career shutouts as a member of the New York Rangers, with a 3-0 win against the visiting Detroit Falcons.
1940: Chicago goaltender Paul Goodman recorded the first shutout of his rookie season in the Black Hawks' 1-0 win against the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1943: Chicago defeated the Rangers 6-5 as the Black Hawks introduced a new brother act. Max and Doug were joined by Reggie, to make a trio of Bentleys, the first three brother combo on the same team in NHL history.
1944: Buddy O'Connor had three assists and rookie goaltender Bill Durnan recorded his second career shutout as the Canadiens beat the Black Hawks 4-0, in Chicago.
1946: Bruin goaltender Paul Bibeault picked up a 4-0 victory over the Red Wings (his 9th career shutout) at Boston Garden. It was the Bruins' first win against Detroit in 22 games, dating back to December 28, 1943.
1952: Maurice Richard scored a penalty shot goal 12 seconds into the game, and goaltender Gerry McNeil recorded his 8th career shutout as the Canadiens won 3-0 over the Black Hawks at Chicago.
1957: Montreal's Jean Beliveau scored three goals and added an assist as the Canadiens won 6-2 at Chicago.
1961; Boston rookie Willie O'Ree, the first black player in NHL history, scored his first career goal (the game winner) as the Bruins beat Montreal, 3-2 in Boston.....Goaltender Glenn Hall recorded his 37th career shutout (the second in two days) as the Black Hawks won 3-0 over the Red Wings, in Chicago.
1969: L.A.'s rookie goalie Gerry Desjardins and Blues' veteran Jacques Plante got shutouts as the Kings and St. Louis battled to a scoreless tie, at the Forum. It was the 68th career shutout for Plante and the second of Desjardins' career.....Toronto's Ron Ellis scored his 100th career NHL goal and added an assist as the Maple Leafs won 7-3 over the visiting Oakland Seals.
1971: Boston's Fred Stanfield scored two goals and added three assists, and John Bucyk picked up four assists as the Bruins won 9-4, at Buffalo.
1973: Boston's Bobby Orr tied an NHL record for defensemen with six assists in an 8-2 Bruins win at Vancouver. Orr tied the record set by Babe Pratt in 1944 and tied by Pat Stapleton in 1969.....Boston's John Bucyk became the first player in franchise history to score 400 goals as a member of the Bruins. The milestone came in an 8-2 win at Vancouver.
1983: Rangers' Robbie Ftorek picked up four assists when New York won 7-2 at Washington.
1987: Mike Gartner scored two goals, including the winner at 1:30 of overtime, and added an assist to lead the Capitals to a 4-3 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
1989: Montreal's Bob Gainey scored a goal to give him 500 career NHL points, as the Canadiens won 4-0, at Vancouver. Patrick Roy recorded his 8th career shutout.....Calgary's Joe Nieuwendyk scored five goals in a 7-1 Flames win over Los Angeles.
1992: Islanders' Pierre Turgeon had two goals and three assists and Derek King scored his 4th career hat trick as New York lost 8-5 to the Capitals at Washington.
1994: Bernie Nicholls scored his 15th career hat trick (and his only one with New Jersey) in the Devils' 7-1 win at Ottawa.
1997: Anaheim's Guy Hebert recorded his 13th career shutout and Brian Bellows scored his 450th NHL career goal in the Mighty Ducks' 3-0 win at Florida.....The Senators beat Boston 3-2, in Ottawa, for their first win over the Bruins since entering the NHL in 1992. The Senators had been 0-20-2 against the Bruins, the final remaining NHL team that the Senators had never defeated.
1999: Teemu Selanne scored his 15th career hat trick and added two assists, Steve Rucchin had two goals and two assists and Fredrik Olausson tied his career high with four assists in the Mighty Ducks' 7-2 win at Buffalo.
2000: Pavel Bure scored four goals (his 14th career hat trick) and goalie Mike Vernon made a victorius Florida debut as the Panthers won 7-5 against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers set or tied 7 different team records in the game.
2001: Joel Quenneville became the St. Louis Blues all-time leader in games coached, when he went behind the bench for his 321st game with the team (a 5-2 win over the visiting Oilers). Quenneville passed Brian Sutter, who had coached 320 games.
2003: Peter Forsberg scored and goal and added five assists, and Milan Hejduk had two goals and three assists as the Avalanche won 7-3 over the Predators at Nashville.
2004; Joel Quenneville became the first coach to win 300 games with the St. Louis Blues, in a 5-4 win against the visiting New York Rangers.....Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Doug MacLean announed that he was relinquishing head coaching duties for the club and named Gerard Gallant as the interim head coach.
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1926: Montreal Canadiens beat the Pirates 2-1 in a penalty-free game played at Pittsburgh. There were none called against either team for the entire game. It was just the third penalty free game in NHL history.
1927: Goaltender Lorne Chabot recorded the third shutout of his rookie season to lead the Rangers to a 4-0 win at Chicago.....Montreal Maroons' goalie Clint Benedict recorded his 33rd career shutout in a 3-0 victory over the St. Pats at Toronto.
1929: Boston goalie Cecil "Tiny" Thompson recorded the 4th shutout of his rookie season as the Bruins won 3-0 over the visiting Ottawa Senators.
1930: Boston Bruins tied an NHL record with their 11th straight win, 5-2 over the NY Americans, at Boston Garden.
1931: Frank Ingram scored four goals, including the only hat trick of his NHL career in the Black Hawks' 10-3 win against the visiting Philadelphia Quakers.....Goaltender Lorne Chabot recorded his 44th career shutout and Joe Primeau picked up two assists in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 win over the visiting New York Americans.....New York Rangers purchased Cecil Dillon from Springfield (CAHL).
1932: John Roach became the first goaltender to record 25 career shutouts as a member of the New York Rangers, with a 3-0 win against the visiting Detroit Falcons.
1940: Chicago goaltender Paul Goodman recorded the first shutout of his rookie season in the Black Hawks' 1-0 win against the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1943: Chicago defeated the Rangers 6-5 as the Black Hawks introduced a new brother act. Max and Doug were joined by Reggie, to make a trio of Bentleys, the first three brother combo on the same team in NHL history.
1944: Buddy O'Connor had three assists and rookie goaltender Bill Durnan recorded his second career shutout as the Canadiens beat the Black Hawks 4-0, in Chicago.
1946: Bruin goaltender Paul Bibeault picked up a 4-0 victory over the Red Wings (his 9th career shutout) at Boston Garden. It was the Bruins' first win against Detroit in 22 games, dating back to December 28, 1943.
1952: Maurice Richard scored a penalty shot goal 12 seconds into the game, and goaltender Gerry McNeil recorded his 8th career shutout as the Canadiens won 3-0 over the Black Hawks at Chicago.
1957: Montreal's Jean Beliveau scored three goals and added an assist as the Canadiens won 6-2 at Chicago.
1961; Boston rookie Willie O'Ree, the first black player in NHL history, scored his first career goal (the game winner) as the Bruins beat Montreal, 3-2 in Boston.....Goaltender Glenn Hall recorded his 37th career shutout (the second in two days) as the Black Hawks won 3-0 over the Red Wings, in Chicago.
1969: L.A.'s rookie goalie Gerry Desjardins and Blues' veteran Jacques Plante got shutouts as the Kings and St. Louis battled to a scoreless tie, at the Forum. It was the 68th career shutout for Plante and the second of Desjardins' career.....Toronto's Ron Ellis scored his 100th career NHL goal and added an assist as the Maple Leafs won 7-3 over the visiting Oakland Seals.
1971: Boston's Fred Stanfield scored two goals and added three assists, and John Bucyk picked up four assists as the Bruins won 9-4, at Buffalo.
1973: Boston's Bobby Orr tied an NHL record for defensemen with six assists in an 8-2 Bruins win at Vancouver. Orr tied the record set by Babe Pratt in 1944 and tied by Pat Stapleton in 1969.....Boston's John Bucyk became the first player in franchise history to score 400 goals as a member of the Bruins. The milestone came in an 8-2 win at Vancouver.
1983: Rangers' Robbie Ftorek picked up four assists when New York won 7-2 at Washington.
1987: Mike Gartner scored two goals, including the winner at 1:30 of overtime, and added an assist to lead the Capitals to a 4-3 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
1989: Montreal's Bob Gainey scored a goal to give him 500 career NHL points, as the Canadiens won 4-0, at Vancouver. Patrick Roy recorded his 8th career shutout.....Calgary's Joe Nieuwendyk scored five goals in a 7-1 Flames win over Los Angeles.
1992: Islanders' Pierre Turgeon had two goals and three assists and Derek King scored his 4th career hat trick as New York lost 8-5 to the Capitals at Washington.
1994: Bernie Nicholls scored his 15th career hat trick (and his only one with New Jersey) in the Devils' 7-1 win at Ottawa.
1997: Anaheim's Guy Hebert recorded his 13th career shutout and Brian Bellows scored his 450th NHL career goal in the Mighty Ducks' 3-0 win at Florida.....The Senators beat Boston 3-2, in Ottawa, for their first win over the Bruins since entering the NHL in 1992. The Senators had been 0-20-2 against the Bruins, the final remaining NHL team that the Senators had never defeated.
1999: Teemu Selanne scored his 15th career hat trick and added two assists, Steve Rucchin had two goals and two assists and Fredrik Olausson tied his career high with four assists in the Mighty Ducks' 7-2 win at Buffalo.
2000: Pavel Bure scored four goals (his 14th career hat trick) and goalie Mike Vernon made a victorius Florida debut as the Panthers won 7-5 against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers set or tied 7 different team records in the game.
2001: Joel Quenneville became the St. Louis Blues all-time leader in games coached, when he went behind the bench for his 321st game with the team (a 5-2 win over the visiting Oilers). Quenneville passed Brian Sutter, who had coached 320 games.
2003: Peter Forsberg scored and goal and added five assists, and Milan Hejduk had two goals and three assists as the Avalanche won 7-3 over the Predators at Nashville.
2004; Joel Quenneville became the first coach to win 300 games with the St. Louis Blues, in a 5-4 win against the visiting New York Rangers.....Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Doug MacLean announed that he was relinquishing head coaching duties for the club and named Gerard Gallant as the interim head coach.
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December 31st
CANADA'S STREAK SNAPPED, USA 3-0
Sweden ended Canada's winning streak in the world junior hockey championship at 20 on Saturday, beating the three-time defending champions 4-3 on Tobias Forsberg' goal with 7 seconds left.
Also Saturday in Liberec, Tyler Ruegsegger, James vanRiemsdyk and Mike Carman scored to help the United States improve to 3-0 in Group B with a 3-2 victory over Russia.
Eric Moe, Tony Lagerstrom and Moller added goals for Sweden, the Group A leader at 3-0. Claude Giroux, Brad Marchand and Shawn Matthias scored for Canada (2-1).
In the other Group A game, the Czech Republic beat Slovakia 5-2. In Group B, Finland routed Kazakhstan 5-0.
The schedule Monday has Russia playing Switzerland at 8am Central Time, followed by USA vs Finland and Canada vs Denmark at Noon.
MCCARTY BEGINS COMEBACK WITH FLINT GENERALS
Former NHL forward Darren McCarty, whose hard-working and physical style of play made him a fan favourite in Detroit and Calgary, plans to begin a comeback attempt with the Flint Generals.
The 35-year-old plans to practice with the International Hockey League team on Monday but must be cleared by the NHL before playing, the Generals announced Saturday.
The Red Wings bought out McCarty's contract in 2005 following a lockout that forced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 NHL season.
He was on Detroit's 1997, 1998 and 2002 Stanley Cup championship teams and he went on to play for the Flames, but he missed most of 2006-2007 recuperating from a hernia injury, and was not re-signed and became a free agent.
CANADA REMAINS UNDEFEATED AT SPENGLER CUP
Canada posted a 4-2 win over Adler Mannheim of Germany on Sunday at the Spengler Cup hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland.
With the score 2-2 in the third period, Dale McTavish and Simon Gamache each scored for Canada, which finished the round-robin with a perfect 4-0 record.
Ryan Keller and Andre Benoit also scored for Canada, and Sebastien Caron, replacing NHL veteran Curtis Joseph, started in goal for the Canadians.
Canada plays Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the tournament's championship game on Monday. Canada defeated the Russian club 3-2 earlier in the competition.
Canada has appeared in six of the previous seven championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002 and 2003.
Overall, Canada has won the Spengler Cup 10 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003) since first taking part in the tournament in 1984.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
DENIS CLEARS WAIVERS, SENT TO AHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning sent Marc Denis to AHL Norfolk over the weekend after the goaltender cleared NHL waivers. The 30-year-old Denis was 1-5-0 with a 4.05 goals-against average and .859 save percentage in 10 games with the Lightning this season. He became the odd man out after Tampa recalled rookie netminder Karri Ramo. Johan Holmqvist is the other goalie for the Lightning.
Denis is earning $2.8-million this season and will make $3-million next season, the final year of his deal.
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Sweden ended Canada's winning streak in the world junior hockey championship at 20 on Saturday, beating the three-time defending champions 4-3 on Tobias Forsberg' goal with 7 seconds left.
Also Saturday in Liberec, Tyler Ruegsegger, James vanRiemsdyk and Mike Carman scored to help the United States improve to 3-0 in Group B with a 3-2 victory over Russia.
Eric Moe, Tony Lagerstrom and Moller added goals for Sweden, the Group A leader at 3-0. Claude Giroux, Brad Marchand and Shawn Matthias scored for Canada (2-1).
In the other Group A game, the Czech Republic beat Slovakia 5-2. In Group B, Finland routed Kazakhstan 5-0.
The schedule Monday has Russia playing Switzerland at 8am Central Time, followed by USA vs Finland and Canada vs Denmark at Noon.
MCCARTY BEGINS COMEBACK WITH FLINT GENERALS
Former NHL forward Darren McCarty, whose hard-working and physical style of play made him a fan favourite in Detroit and Calgary, plans to begin a comeback attempt with the Flint Generals.
The 35-year-old plans to practice with the International Hockey League team on Monday but must be cleared by the NHL before playing, the Generals announced Saturday.
The Red Wings bought out McCarty's contract in 2005 following a lockout that forced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 NHL season.
He was on Detroit's 1997, 1998 and 2002 Stanley Cup championship teams and he went on to play for the Flames, but he missed most of 2006-2007 recuperating from a hernia injury, and was not re-signed and became a free agent.
CANADA REMAINS UNDEFEATED AT SPENGLER CUP
Canada posted a 4-2 win over Adler Mannheim of Germany on Sunday at the Spengler Cup hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland.
With the score 2-2 in the third period, Dale McTavish and Simon Gamache each scored for Canada, which finished the round-robin with a perfect 4-0 record.
Ryan Keller and Andre Benoit also scored for Canada, and Sebastien Caron, replacing NHL veteran Curtis Joseph, started in goal for the Canadians.
Canada plays Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the tournament's championship game on Monday. Canada defeated the Russian club 3-2 earlier in the competition.
Canada has appeared in six of the previous seven championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002 and 2003.
Overall, Canada has won the Spengler Cup 10 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003) since first taking part in the tournament in 1984.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
DENIS CLEARS WAIVERS, SENT TO AHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning sent Marc Denis to AHL Norfolk over the weekend after the goaltender cleared NHL waivers. The 30-year-old Denis was 1-5-0 with a 4.05 goals-against average and .859 save percentage in 10 games with the Lightning this season. He became the odd man out after Tampa recalled rookie netminder Karri Ramo. Johan Holmqvist is the other goalie for the Lightning.
Denis is earning $2.8-million this season and will make $3-million next season, the final year of his deal.
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Today in NHL History, Dec 31st
1910: Montreal Canadiens goalie Georges Vezina played the first of 367 consecutive regular season and playoff games, when Montreal lost their NHA season opener, 5-3 to the visiting Ottawa Senators. Vezina played every game for Montreal for 15 seasons.
1927: Goaltender George Hainsworth recorded his 19th career shutout and Howie Morenz scored the game's only goal in the Canadiens' 1-0 win over the visiting New York Rangers.
1947: Harry Lumley's second straight shutout (the 9th of his career) led the Red Wings to a 4-0 win over the Black Hawks in Detroit. The game marked the coaching debut of Charlie Conacher for the Black Hawks, replacing Johnny Gottselig.
1951: Elmer Lach scored twice and had an assist in the Canadiens 5-3 win at Detroit. Gordie Howe scored his 6th career hat trick for the Red Wings.
1952: Toronto's Sid Smith scored his 100th career NHL goal in a 3-3 tie against the Rangers, at MSG.....Montreal goaltender Gerry McNeil recorded a shutout to lead the Canadiens to a 2-0 win over the Red Wings at Detroit. It was the 17th career shutout for McNeil.
1955: Wally Hergesheimer picked up three assists as the Rangers won 6-2 over the Bruins, in New York.
1961: Gordie Howe scored three goals (including one on a penalty shot for his 13th career hat trick) when Detroit beat Toronto 4-2, at the Olympia.
1967: Goaltender Denis DeJordy recorded a shutout to lead the Black Hawks to a 3-0 win over the Oakland Seals in Chicago. It was the 10th shutout of DeJordy's NHL career.....Goaltender Ed Giacomin recorded his 12th career shutout in the Rangers' 4-0 win over Toronto, at MSG. Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield each scored a goal and added two assists.
1968: Frank Mahovlich scored his 8th career hat trick and Alex Delvecchio had a goal and four assists as the Red Wings beat the Minnesota North Stars, 6-3 at the Olympia in Detroit.
1969: Alex Delvecchio ended his 31-game scoring slump with his first goal of the season, then added a second in the Wings' 5-1 win over Boston. Delvecchio went on to finish with 21 goals on the year.
1971: Detroit rookie Marcel Dionne had three assists to lead the Red Wings to a 6-3 win over the Oakland Seals, at the Olympia.
1973: Buffalo's Jim Lorentz scored his first career hat trick as the Sabres beat the Red Wings, 6-5 at Detroit.
1974: Red Wings' Danny Grant scored the 200th goal of his NHL career, in Detroit's 4-3 win over the visiting Oakland Seals.
1975: Don Marcotte scored his second career hat trick to lead the Bruins to a 6-1 win over the North Stars at Minnesota.....Detroit goaltender Jim Rutherford recorded his first of three straight shutouts, when the Red Wings beat the visiting Washington Capitals, 4-0.....Detroit G.M. Alex Delvecchio named Billy Dea as interim coach of the Red Wings, replacing Doug Barkley. Delvecchio still held the title of "head coach", but Barkley worked behind the bench for the remainder of the season (and half of 1976-77).....Montreal Canadiens battled the Soviet Red Army team to a 3-3 tie New Year's Eve at the Forum. Ken Dryden and Vladislav Tretiak starred in goal for the teams. Tretiak made 38 saves, including 16 in the final period
1977: Wayne Bianchin scored the only hat trick of his NHL career in the Penguins' 6-3 win against the Cleveland Barons, at the Civic Arena.
1978: Pittsburgh trailed Detroit 4-0, at the 15:11 mark of the second period, but the Penguins came back to win 5-4 over the Red Wings. Randy Carlyle scored the game-winner with seven seconds remaining in the final period.
1985: Mario Lemieux scored four goals (his first career hat trick) and added two assists (for his first NHL six point game) in an 8-4 Penguins' win at St. Louis. Also in that game, Pittsburgh's Mike Bullard scored his 4th career hat trick and added an assist.
1986: Tomas Sandstrom scored his first NHL hat trick, including the winning goal at 4:37 of overtime in a 4-3 Rangers' win over the Islanders, at MSG.
1987: Bob Probert scored his first career hat trick and added an assist, and Steve Yzerman had a goal and three assists as the Red Wings won 7-2 against the visiting St. Louis Blues.....Goaltender Rejean Lemelin recorded his 8th career shutout, and Cam Neely scored a goal and added an assist in the first period to lead the Bruins to a 2-0 win at Buffalo.
1988: Rangers' rookie Brian Leetch picked up three assists in the second period as New York won 4-1 over Chicago, at MSG.
1989: Islanders' Pat LaFontaine scored a goal in each period (for his 5th career hat trick) as New York won 4-2 at Buffalo.
1990: Rookie goalie Ed Belfour stopped 22 shots for his second career shutout, and the Blackhawks picked up their first road shutout in more than six years, with a 4-0 win at Detroit.....Goaltender Tom Barrasso tied a Pittsburgh team record with his seventh consecutive victory, as the Penguins won 4-3 over the Blues, in Pittsburgh.
1991: Brian Bellows scored four goals (for his 7th career hat trick) in the Minnesota North Stars' 6-2 win against Chicago.....Brian Leetch set a Rangers' team record with a point in his 17th consecutive game in a 5-2 win against the Jets at Winnipeg. Leetch had 5 goals, 27 assists during the 17 game streak, and broke the old team record of 16 set by Mike Rogers in 1982. That game also marked the 1,000th regular season one for the Winnipeg Jets since entering the NHL in 1979-80.....Dave Christian played in his 900th career NHL game as the Blues lost 4-3 at Buffalo.
1992: Vancouver extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 15 straight games (13-0-2) with a 4-0 win over the Kings. Kirk McLean recorded his 12th shutout with Vancouver, a new team record (Gary Smith had 11 career shutout with the Canucks).....Mario Lemieux scored a goal and added an assist to reach 100 points in his 38th game of the season (the second-fastest pace of his career, and the fourth fastest pace in NHL history). Penguins tied 3-3 with the Maple Leafs at the Civic Arena.
1993: Goaltender Dominik Hasek turned back 39 shots (including 21 shots in the second period) to lead the Sabres to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers in Buffalo.
1995: Chicago goalie Jeff Hackett made 29 saves for his eighth consecutive victory (tying Tony Esposito's team record) as the Blackhawks won 5-0 over the Devils, at the United Center.....Goaltender Daren Puppa recorded a shutout as Tampa Bay won 3-0 at Ottawa. It was the 14th shutout of Puppa's NHL career.
1997: Theo Fleury picked up his 400th career NHL assist, in a 3-2 Flames' loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.....Dominik Hasek stopped 36 shots for his 27th career shutout, in a 3-0 Sabres' win over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Hasek became the first NHL goaltender since George Hainsworth in 1928-29 to record six shutouts in one month.....Detroit's Brad Marsh became the 72nd player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 career games. It came in a Red Wings' 5-3 loss to Boston.
1998: Dallas Stars extended their unbeaten streak to a franchise-record 13 straight games (10-0-3) with a 6-1 win against the visiting Boston Bruins. The Stars' previous club record was 12 games (9-0-3) in 1982 when the franchise was in Minnesota.....John LeClair became the 11th player in team history to score 200 goals as a member of the Flyers, and added two assists as Philadelphia won 6-2 at Vancouver.
1999: Dallas' Brett Hull scored two goals, including the 600th of his NHL career (in his 900th game) and added an assist as the Stars won 5-4 against the visiting Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Also in that game, Guy Carbonneau picked up his 400th career NHL assist, and Sergei Zubov added two assists playing in his 500 career NHL game.
2001: Eric Daze capped his 4th career hat trick, by scoring with 5.4 seconds remaining in overtime as the Blackhawks won 5-4 against the Senators at Ottawa.
2002: Mike Dunham recorded his 12th career shutout (and his first with the Rangers) as New York won 2-0 over the Hurricanes at Carolina.
2003: Buffalo's Maxim Afinogenov scored his first career hat trick, and Miroslav Satan scored his 5th career hat trick in a 7-1 win against the visiting Washington Capitals. It was the first double hat trick for the Sabres in 11 years.
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1927: Goaltender George Hainsworth recorded his 19th career shutout and Howie Morenz scored the game's only goal in the Canadiens' 1-0 win over the visiting New York Rangers.
1947: Harry Lumley's second straight shutout (the 9th of his career) led the Red Wings to a 4-0 win over the Black Hawks in Detroit. The game marked the coaching debut of Charlie Conacher for the Black Hawks, replacing Johnny Gottselig.
1951: Elmer Lach scored twice and had an assist in the Canadiens 5-3 win at Detroit. Gordie Howe scored his 6th career hat trick for the Red Wings.
1952: Toronto's Sid Smith scored his 100th career NHL goal in a 3-3 tie against the Rangers, at MSG.....Montreal goaltender Gerry McNeil recorded a shutout to lead the Canadiens to a 2-0 win over the Red Wings at Detroit. It was the 17th career shutout for McNeil.
1955: Wally Hergesheimer picked up three assists as the Rangers won 6-2 over the Bruins, in New York.
1961: Gordie Howe scored three goals (including one on a penalty shot for his 13th career hat trick) when Detroit beat Toronto 4-2, at the Olympia.
1967: Goaltender Denis DeJordy recorded a shutout to lead the Black Hawks to a 3-0 win over the Oakland Seals in Chicago. It was the 10th shutout of DeJordy's NHL career.....Goaltender Ed Giacomin recorded his 12th career shutout in the Rangers' 4-0 win over Toronto, at MSG. Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield each scored a goal and added two assists.
1968: Frank Mahovlich scored his 8th career hat trick and Alex Delvecchio had a goal and four assists as the Red Wings beat the Minnesota North Stars, 6-3 at the Olympia in Detroit.
1969: Alex Delvecchio ended his 31-game scoring slump with his first goal of the season, then added a second in the Wings' 5-1 win over Boston. Delvecchio went on to finish with 21 goals on the year.
1971: Detroit rookie Marcel Dionne had three assists to lead the Red Wings to a 6-3 win over the Oakland Seals, at the Olympia.
1973: Buffalo's Jim Lorentz scored his first career hat trick as the Sabres beat the Red Wings, 6-5 at Detroit.
1974: Red Wings' Danny Grant scored the 200th goal of his NHL career, in Detroit's 4-3 win over the visiting Oakland Seals.
1975: Don Marcotte scored his second career hat trick to lead the Bruins to a 6-1 win over the North Stars at Minnesota.....Detroit goaltender Jim Rutherford recorded his first of three straight shutouts, when the Red Wings beat the visiting Washington Capitals, 4-0.....Detroit G.M. Alex Delvecchio named Billy Dea as interim coach of the Red Wings, replacing Doug Barkley. Delvecchio still held the title of "head coach", but Barkley worked behind the bench for the remainder of the season (and half of 1976-77).....Montreal Canadiens battled the Soviet Red Army team to a 3-3 tie New Year's Eve at the Forum. Ken Dryden and Vladislav Tretiak starred in goal for the teams. Tretiak made 38 saves, including 16 in the final period
1977: Wayne Bianchin scored the only hat trick of his NHL career in the Penguins' 6-3 win against the Cleveland Barons, at the Civic Arena.
1978: Pittsburgh trailed Detroit 4-0, at the 15:11 mark of the second period, but the Penguins came back to win 5-4 over the Red Wings. Randy Carlyle scored the game-winner with seven seconds remaining in the final period.
1985: Mario Lemieux scored four goals (his first career hat trick) and added two assists (for his first NHL six point game) in an 8-4 Penguins' win at St. Louis. Also in that game, Pittsburgh's Mike Bullard scored his 4th career hat trick and added an assist.
1986: Tomas Sandstrom scored his first NHL hat trick, including the winning goal at 4:37 of overtime in a 4-3 Rangers' win over the Islanders, at MSG.
1987: Bob Probert scored his first career hat trick and added an assist, and Steve Yzerman had a goal and three assists as the Red Wings won 7-2 against the visiting St. Louis Blues.....Goaltender Rejean Lemelin recorded his 8th career shutout, and Cam Neely scored a goal and added an assist in the first period to lead the Bruins to a 2-0 win at Buffalo.
1988: Rangers' rookie Brian Leetch picked up three assists in the second period as New York won 4-1 over Chicago, at MSG.
1989: Islanders' Pat LaFontaine scored a goal in each period (for his 5th career hat trick) as New York won 4-2 at Buffalo.
1990: Rookie goalie Ed Belfour stopped 22 shots for his second career shutout, and the Blackhawks picked up their first road shutout in more than six years, with a 4-0 win at Detroit.....Goaltender Tom Barrasso tied a Pittsburgh team record with his seventh consecutive victory, as the Penguins won 4-3 over the Blues, in Pittsburgh.
1991: Brian Bellows scored four goals (for his 7th career hat trick) in the Minnesota North Stars' 6-2 win against Chicago.....Brian Leetch set a Rangers' team record with a point in his 17th consecutive game in a 5-2 win against the Jets at Winnipeg. Leetch had 5 goals, 27 assists during the 17 game streak, and broke the old team record of 16 set by Mike Rogers in 1982. That game also marked the 1,000th regular season one for the Winnipeg Jets since entering the NHL in 1979-80.....Dave Christian played in his 900th career NHL game as the Blues lost 4-3 at Buffalo.
1992: Vancouver extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 15 straight games (13-0-2) with a 4-0 win over the Kings. Kirk McLean recorded his 12th shutout with Vancouver, a new team record (Gary Smith had 11 career shutout with the Canucks).....Mario Lemieux scored a goal and added an assist to reach 100 points in his 38th game of the season (the second-fastest pace of his career, and the fourth fastest pace in NHL history). Penguins tied 3-3 with the Maple Leafs at the Civic Arena.
1993: Goaltender Dominik Hasek turned back 39 shots (including 21 shots in the second period) to lead the Sabres to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers in Buffalo.
1995: Chicago goalie Jeff Hackett made 29 saves for his eighth consecutive victory (tying Tony Esposito's team record) as the Blackhawks won 5-0 over the Devils, at the United Center.....Goaltender Daren Puppa recorded a shutout as Tampa Bay won 3-0 at Ottawa. It was the 14th shutout of Puppa's NHL career.
1997: Theo Fleury picked up his 400th career NHL assist, in a 3-2 Flames' loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.....Dominik Hasek stopped 36 shots for his 27th career shutout, in a 3-0 Sabres' win over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Hasek became the first NHL goaltender since George Hainsworth in 1928-29 to record six shutouts in one month.....Detroit's Brad Marsh became the 72nd player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 career games. It came in a Red Wings' 5-3 loss to Boston.
1998: Dallas Stars extended their unbeaten streak to a franchise-record 13 straight games (10-0-3) with a 6-1 win against the visiting Boston Bruins. The Stars' previous club record was 12 games (9-0-3) in 1982 when the franchise was in Minnesota.....John LeClair became the 11th player in team history to score 200 goals as a member of the Flyers, and added two assists as Philadelphia won 6-2 at Vancouver.
1999: Dallas' Brett Hull scored two goals, including the 600th of his NHL career (in his 900th game) and added an assist as the Stars won 5-4 against the visiting Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Also in that game, Guy Carbonneau picked up his 400th career NHL assist, and Sergei Zubov added two assists playing in his 500 career NHL game.
2001: Eric Daze capped his 4th career hat trick, by scoring with 5.4 seconds remaining in overtime as the Blackhawks won 5-4 against the Senators at Ottawa.
2002: Mike Dunham recorded his 12th career shutout (and his first with the Rangers) as New York won 2-0 over the Hurricanes at Carolina.
2003: Buffalo's Maxim Afinogenov scored his first career hat trick, and Miroslav Satan scored his 5th career hat trick in a 7-1 win against the visiting Washington Capitals. It was the first double hat trick for the Sabres in 11 years.
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Sunday, December 30, 2007
Today in NHL History, Dec 30th
1883: Hall of Famer Lester Patrick born in Drummondville, Que. Patrick played and coached in the NHL during his famous career.
1896: Ernie McLea scored the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup history as the Montreal Victorias regained possession of the Stanley Cup, with a 6-5 win over the defending champion Winnipeg Victorias.
1904: In the first game of a best-of-three challenge between Winnipeg and Ottawa, a red line was drawn between each set of goalposts to aid the referee in awarding goals. These became the first known goal lines in hockey history.
1925: Howie Morenz scored a hat trick in the Canadiens' 7-4 win over the Montreal Maroons.
1934: Boston's Tiny Thompson and Rangers' Dave Kerr dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in New York. It was the first of a Bruins' 37 game consecutive overtime undefeated streak (10-0-27) over the next four years, the longest such streak in NHL history.
1943: Montreal's Maurice Richard scored his first career hat trick and added two assists, and Elmer Lach had two goals and four assists in the Canadiens 8-3 win against the visiting Red Wings. It was the Hab's 11th straight home win, a team record.
1944: Toronto's goalie Frank McCool recorded the second shutout of his rookie season in the Maple Leafs' 4-0 win over the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.
1967: Goaltender Gump Worsley recorded his 33rd career shutout to lead the Canadiens to a 2-0 win over the Oakland Seals in Montreal. Jean Beliveau led the scoring with a goal and an assist.....Rookie goalie Doug Favell led the Flyers to a 2-0 shutout over the Kings, in the first NHL game played at the Forum in Los Angeles. It was the third career shutout for Favell, and Ed Hoekstra scored a goal and an assist to lead the scoring.
1969: Gerry Desjardins and Fern Rivard traded shutouts as the Kings and Minnesota battled to a 0-0 tie at the Forum in the first game for North Stars' coach Charlie Burns.
1970: Bruins' Bobby Orr scored a goal and added three assists as Boston beat the North Stars 6-2, at Minnesota
1978: Hall of Fame referee Frank Udvari came out of a 12 year retirement to work the Islanders' 4-2 win over the Atlanta Flames in New York. Udvari, age 55 and an NHL Superviser of Officials, came out of the stands to replace injured Dave Newell.
1980: Montreal's rookie goaltender Rick Wamsley recorded his first career NHL shutout in the Canadiens' 4-0 win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Wamsley became the third Canadiens goalie to get a shutout in the 1980-81 season.
1981: Wayne Gretzky scored five goals (for his 11th career hat trick) and added an assist in the Oilers 7-5 win over the Flyers. The five goals gave Gretzky 50 for the season in just 39 games, breaking Maurice Richard's record of 50 in 50 games.....Defenseman Paul Baxter had three assists to lead the Penguins to a 6-2 win over the Capitals in Pittsburgh.....Calgary's rookie defenseman Al MacInnis played in his first career NHL game, a 4-2 Flames loss vs Boston.....Quebec Nordiques traded Robbie Ftorek to the NY Rangers, in exchange for Jere Gillis and Dean Talafous (later changed to Pat Hickey - trade on 3/8/82 - when Talafous decided to retire).
1984: Thomas Gradin became first Canucks' player to register 300 career assists, as Vancouver scored four third period goals to tie the Edmonton Oilers, 7-7. Moe Lemay led the scoring with three assists
1987: Minnesota's Dennis Maruk scored his 350th NHL career goal, and had an assist as the North Stars won 6-4, at Chicago.
1988: St. Louis Blues retired uniform #11 previously worn by head coach Brian Sutter in a ceremony before a game against Minnesota. Blues later scored twice in the final 18 seconds of regulation to earn a 5-5 tie with North Stars. ....Vancouver improved its all time record against touring Soviet hockey teams to 3-0, with a 6-1 win over Dynamo Riga during the NHL's "Super Series 88-89". Brian Bradley paced the Canucks with two goals and an assist.
1992: Washington defenseman Al Iafrate became the first player in NHL history to have his shot officially break the 100 miles-per-hour barrier, when he had one clocked at 101.4 MPH during the Caps' NHL Superskills Competition at the Capital Centre.....Peter Forsberg set a World Junior Championship record with 10 points in Sweden's 20-1 win over Japan. Forsberg ended the tournament with a record 31 points in seven games.
1995: Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux scored his 35th career hat trick as the Penguins won 6-5 over Florida, at the Civic Arena.
1997: Anaheim's Tomas Sandstrom picked up an assist to become the highest scoring Swedish player in NHL history. His 818th career NHL point moved him ahead of Thomas Steen. Sandstrom's milestone came in a 2-1 Mighty Ducks loss in Carolina.
1998: Carolina's Arturs Irbe recorded his 100th career NHL victory, when the Hurricanes beat the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3.
1999: Luc Robitaille led the scoring a goal and four assists as the Kings earned the 1,000th victory in franchise history with an 8-2 win against the visiting Edmonton Oilers..... Jaromir Jagr scored a career-high seven points, including his 6th career hat trick and four assists as the Penguins won 9-3 against the visiting New York Islanders.
2000: Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi scored three power play goals for his first career hat trick in the Canucks 6-3 win against the Sharks at San Jose.
2002: San Jose's Teemu Selanne scored to give him 20 or more goals in each of his 11 NHL seasons; the milestone came in a 2-1 win against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.....Playing in his 500th career NHL game, Daymond Langkow scored twice (including the winner in overtime) to give him 100 career NHL goals, as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Capitals 2-1 in Washington.
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1896: Ernie McLea scored the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup history as the Montreal Victorias regained possession of the Stanley Cup, with a 6-5 win over the defending champion Winnipeg Victorias.
1904: In the first game of a best-of-three challenge between Winnipeg and Ottawa, a red line was drawn between each set of goalposts to aid the referee in awarding goals. These became the first known goal lines in hockey history.
1925: Howie Morenz scored a hat trick in the Canadiens' 7-4 win over the Montreal Maroons.
1934: Boston's Tiny Thompson and Rangers' Dave Kerr dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in New York. It was the first of a Bruins' 37 game consecutive overtime undefeated streak (10-0-27) over the next four years, the longest such streak in NHL history.
1943: Montreal's Maurice Richard scored his first career hat trick and added two assists, and Elmer Lach had two goals and four assists in the Canadiens 8-3 win against the visiting Red Wings. It was the Hab's 11th straight home win, a team record.
1944: Toronto's goalie Frank McCool recorded the second shutout of his rookie season in the Maple Leafs' 4-0 win over the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.
1967: Goaltender Gump Worsley recorded his 33rd career shutout to lead the Canadiens to a 2-0 win over the Oakland Seals in Montreal. Jean Beliveau led the scoring with a goal and an assist.....Rookie goalie Doug Favell led the Flyers to a 2-0 shutout over the Kings, in the first NHL game played at the Forum in Los Angeles. It was the third career shutout for Favell, and Ed Hoekstra scored a goal and an assist to lead the scoring.
1969: Gerry Desjardins and Fern Rivard traded shutouts as the Kings and Minnesota battled to a 0-0 tie at the Forum in the first game for North Stars' coach Charlie Burns.
1970: Bruins' Bobby Orr scored a goal and added three assists as Boston beat the North Stars 6-2, at Minnesota
1978: Hall of Fame referee Frank Udvari came out of a 12 year retirement to work the Islanders' 4-2 win over the Atlanta Flames in New York. Udvari, age 55 and an NHL Superviser of Officials, came out of the stands to replace injured Dave Newell.
1980: Montreal's rookie goaltender Rick Wamsley recorded his first career NHL shutout in the Canadiens' 4-0 win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Wamsley became the third Canadiens goalie to get a shutout in the 1980-81 season.
1981: Wayne Gretzky scored five goals (for his 11th career hat trick) and added an assist in the Oilers 7-5 win over the Flyers. The five goals gave Gretzky 50 for the season in just 39 games, breaking Maurice Richard's record of 50 in 50 games.....Defenseman Paul Baxter had three assists to lead the Penguins to a 6-2 win over the Capitals in Pittsburgh.....Calgary's rookie defenseman Al MacInnis played in his first career NHL game, a 4-2 Flames loss vs Boston.....Quebec Nordiques traded Robbie Ftorek to the NY Rangers, in exchange for Jere Gillis and Dean Talafous (later changed to Pat Hickey - trade on 3/8/82 - when Talafous decided to retire).
1984: Thomas Gradin became first Canucks' player to register 300 career assists, as Vancouver scored four third period goals to tie the Edmonton Oilers, 7-7. Moe Lemay led the scoring with three assists
1987: Minnesota's Dennis Maruk scored his 350th NHL career goal, and had an assist as the North Stars won 6-4, at Chicago.
1988: St. Louis Blues retired uniform #11 previously worn by head coach Brian Sutter in a ceremony before a game against Minnesota. Blues later scored twice in the final 18 seconds of regulation to earn a 5-5 tie with North Stars. ....Vancouver improved its all time record against touring Soviet hockey teams to 3-0, with a 6-1 win over Dynamo Riga during the NHL's "Super Series 88-89". Brian Bradley paced the Canucks with two goals and an assist.
1992: Washington defenseman Al Iafrate became the first player in NHL history to have his shot officially break the 100 miles-per-hour barrier, when he had one clocked at 101.4 MPH during the Caps' NHL Superskills Competition at the Capital Centre.....Peter Forsberg set a World Junior Championship record with 10 points in Sweden's 20-1 win over Japan. Forsberg ended the tournament with a record 31 points in seven games.
1995: Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux scored his 35th career hat trick as the Penguins won 6-5 over Florida, at the Civic Arena.
1997: Anaheim's Tomas Sandstrom picked up an assist to become the highest scoring Swedish player in NHL history. His 818th career NHL point moved him ahead of Thomas Steen. Sandstrom's milestone came in a 2-1 Mighty Ducks loss in Carolina.
1998: Carolina's Arturs Irbe recorded his 100th career NHL victory, when the Hurricanes beat the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3.
1999: Luc Robitaille led the scoring a goal and four assists as the Kings earned the 1,000th victory in franchise history with an 8-2 win against the visiting Edmonton Oilers..... Jaromir Jagr scored a career-high seven points, including his 6th career hat trick and four assists as the Penguins won 9-3 against the visiting New York Islanders.
2000: Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi scored three power play goals for his first career hat trick in the Canucks 6-3 win against the Sharks at San Jose.
2002: San Jose's Teemu Selanne scored to give him 20 or more goals in each of his 11 NHL seasons; the milestone came in a 2-1 win against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.....Playing in his 500th career NHL game, Daymond Langkow scored twice (including the winner in overtime) to give him 100 career NHL goals, as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Capitals 2-1 in Washington.
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