February 7th

FLAMES SIGN PHANEUF TO 6 YEAR EXTENSION

The Calgary Flames locked up one of their cornerstone players, signing defenceman Dion Phaneuf to a six-year contract extension. Financial terms were not disclosed, but it's believed the total value of the deal is worth $39 million.

Phaneuf, 22, is in the final season of his entry-level contract and is earning just over $940,000. He will earn an average of $6.5 million per season during his new deal.

The third-year defenceman has 35 points in 53 games this season and was voted to the Western Conference's starting lineup for last month's NHL all-star game in Atlanta.

Calgary's first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2003 NHL draft, Phaneuf is considered one of the best young blue-liners in the NHL, noted for his physical style of play and ability to move the puck up the ice quickly, and is also a workhorse averaging about 27 minutes of ice time per game.

Phaneuf joins captain Jarome Iginla, goalie Miika Kiprusof and defenceman Robyn Regehr to have signed long-term deals with Calgary.


STARS PLACE ZUBOV ON IR

The Dallas Stars placed defenceman Sergei Zubov on the injured reserve list Thursday with a groin injury.

The move is retroactive to Jan. 17.

Zubov, 37, has missed the last seven games, including last month's NHL all-star game in Atlanta, with the injury.

The veteran Russian defenceman has four goals and 35 points in 46 games for Dallas this season. He also leads the club in assists (31) and average ice time (25:41).

Also on Thursday, Dallas recalled goaltender Tobias Stephan from the Iowa Stars, their American Hockey League affiliate.
Stephan, 24, was slated to join the Stars in Minnesota for Thursday night's game against the Wild. He is slated to back up Mike Smith, as regular starting netminder Marty Turco did not make the trip to Minnesota because of a sore neck.

Stephan, a native of Switzerland, made his NHL debut on Oct. 13 at Chicago and stopped 38 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss.


MASON RECALLED BY JACKETS (AGAIN)

Steve Mason is on his way back to the NHL.

The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled the 19-year-old goaltender from the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers on Wednesday.

It marks the third time this season that Mason, who led Canada to a gold medal at last month's world junior hockey championship in the Czech Republic, has been called up by the Blue Jackets.

He will replace Pascal Leclaire, who suffered a neck injury during Tuesday's game with the Washington Capitals and is expected to be out of the lineup until next week.

Selected 69th overall by Columbus in the 2006 draft, Mason had gone 1-2-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average in three pre-season games with Columbus, but was sent back to the OHL's London Knights on Oct. 9, and has yet to play in a regular-season NHL game.

Mason was recalled by Columbus Jan. 7, but did not see any playing time during his five days with the club before he was sent back down to his OHL club.

At the recent world junior hockey championship, Mason was named the tournament's MVP and top netminder after finishing with a 5-0-0 record, 1.19 goals-against average and .951 save percentage in five games.

Also, the Blue Jackets signed left-winger Jason Chimera to a four-year contract extension through the 2011-12 season.


LAFLEUR PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO MISLEADING COURT

NHL Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur has pleaded not guilty to a charge of misleading the court, with his lawyer entering the plea Thursday during a hearing in Montreal.

Lafleu's lawyer, Jean-Pierre Rancourt, said he did not intentionally mislead the court.

Police had issued an arrest warrant on Jan. 30 for Lafleur, alleging he provided contradictory evidence on the witness stand at his son Mark's bail hearings. The former player turned himself in to Montreal police a day later.

He wasn't at Thursday's hearing.

Lafleur, 56, testified last September that his son was abiding by a court-imposed curfew as he stayed with his parents in their Ile Bizard, Que., home.

However, Lafleur testified a month later before Superior Court Justice Carol Cohen that he was aware of the 12:30 a.m. curfew, yet when Mark was on weekend leave from the Maison Exode halfway house, he drove his son on two occasions to hotels to give him privacy with his teenage girlfriend.

Mark Lafleur, 23, faces more than 20 criminal charges, including sexually assaulting a minor, armed assault, uttering threats and forcible confinement between 2004 and 2007.

He remains in jail pending a trial.

The case involving Guy Lafleur will continue in court next month.
Drafted first overall by Montreal in 1971, Lafleur compiled 560 goals and 1,353 points in 1,127 NHL games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.