IGINLA, LECAVALIER NAMED ALL-STAR CAPTAINS
Right wing Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and center Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning have been named team captains for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan. 27 at Philips Arena in Atlanta (6 pm ET) the National Hockey League announced today.
Iginla, making his fourth career All-Star game appearance, will lead the Western Conference. Lecavalier, skating in his third All-Star Game, will represent the East. Each player, on-pace to record a career-high scoring total this season, was voted to the starting lineups in All-Star fan balloting.
Iginla, 30, has played his entire 11-year NHL career with the Flames, serving as team captain since the start of the 2003-04 season. He became the franchise leader in career games with the club Nov. 29 with his 804th appearance, eclipsing the record set by Al MacInnis. Iginla has tallied 62 points in 2007-08 (32 goals, 30 assists), one point behind NHL leaders Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers (37-26--63), Lecavalier (28-35--63) and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-43--63). Iginla has captured the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer (2002, 2004), the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL’s MVP as voted by the players (2002), the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer (2002) and the King Clancy Award for leadership and community service (2004).
The 27-year-old Lecavalier, drafted first overall by the Lightning in 1998, has played all eight of his NHL seasons in Tampa Bay. Lecavalier tallied a Lightning-record 52 goals to capture his first career Maurice Richard Trophy in 2006-07 and has continued his hot pace this season: his eight-game multiple-point scoring streak from Nov. 3-19 was the longest in the NHL since Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr in 1996 (10 games). In October, Lecavalier announced a $3-million commitment to construction of the new All Children’s Hospital in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., specifically for a state-of-the art facility that will be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.
CHICAGO GIVES SHARP EXTENSION
Playing alongside standout NHL rookies Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews has boosted Patrick Sharp's point totals and on Thursday earned him a big pay raise.
The 26-year-old Chicago Blackhawks forward signed a four-year contract extension worth $15.6 million.
Sharp, who is earning $825,000 this season, would have become a restricted free agent July 1. His new deal will pay him an average $3.9 million annually, starting next season.
Sharp has already established career highs with 22 goals and 36 points this season. He had 20 goals and 35 points in 80 games last season.
CALGARY FINALIZES CUJO'S CONTRACT
Curtis Joseph is healthy and ready to make a playoff run with the Calgary Flames, as the club announced the signing of their new backup goalie to a one-year, $1.5-million contract Thursday.
Joseph agreed to the deal on Monday, but the Flames waited until the 17-year NHL veteran passed a medical and for the league to approve the contract before making it official.
Since a little more than half the season is gone he'll earn about $650,000 for the rest of the year.
The 40-year-old netminder led Canada to a Spengler Cup title last month, and his next NHL victory will tie him with Terry Sawchuck for forth on the all-time goalie career win list at 447.
In 913 regular-season NHL games with St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Phoenix, Cujo has complied a 446-341-95 record. Last year with Phoenix he went 18-31-2 with a 3.19 Goals Against Average, and became an unrestricted free agent last summer after not re-signing with the Coyotes.
Joseph will be Mikka Kiprusoff's backup, who has started 47 of the team's 48 games this season.
To Make room on the roster, the Flames sent rookie backup goalie Curtis McElhinney to the American Hockey League's Quad City Flames. In five game this season he was 0-2-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .902 save percentage.
ADAMS TRADED TO 'HAWKS
The Carolina Hurricanes traded forward Craig Adams to the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional draft pick.
Adams has posted two goals and three assists for five points in 40 games this season, and in seven NHL seasons with Hartford/Carolina has 33 goals and 77 points in 427 games. His best season was 2005-06, when Carolina won the Stanley Cup, in which he scored 10 goals and registered 21 points.
The ninth round (223rd overall) pick in the 1996 draft by the Hartford Whalers, trailed only Glen Wesley (696) and Rod Brind'Amour (522) in games played for the Hurricanes since they relocated to Raleigh, N.C., in 1997.
LEAFS LOSE BELL FOR 8 WEEKS
Mark Bell's first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs went from bad to worse as he had facial surgery Thursday that will sideline him for two months.
Bell sustained a broken orbital bone in a fight with Ryan Malone during the third period of a 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 3, and had to wait until the swelling subsided before it could be surgically repaired.
The 27-year-old forward has played just 26 games this season, posting two goals and five assists for seven points with 50 penalty minutes. He began the season serving a 15-game suspension from the NHL for his role in a drunk driving incident, and at season's end will serve six months in a California jail as part of a plea bargain.
Bell has compiled 85 goals and 179 points with 587 penalty minutes in 436 games over seven seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks and Maple Leafs, and was the eighth overall pick in the 1998 draft by Chicago.
RAMAGE SENTENCED TO 4 YEARS IN FATAL CRASH
Former NHL player Rob Ramage was sentenced Thursday in an Ontario court to four years in prison for his role in the death of ex-Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson.
Magnuson died instantly on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage, 48, veered into traffic and struck two vehicles near Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto.
Magnuson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 56.
Ramage will be prohibited from driving for five years after he serves his term.
Ramage's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said outside the courtroom that he would appeal both the conviction and sentence at the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Greenspan expects Ramage to be released so he can return to his family in St. Louis while awaiting the outcome of his appeal.
In October, Ramage was found guilty of five charges, including impaired driving causing death, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
The Crown requested a sentence of between three and five years.
Magnuson's family, which in November was awarded $9.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit, asked the judge at a December sentencing hearing to give Ramage to community service instead of jail time so he could speak at schools about drinking and driving.
Ramage, captain of the Leafs from 1989 to 1991, also played for the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens during his 15-year NHL career.
He was freed on bail while awaiting sentencing.
Magnuson was a rugged defenceman for the Blackhawks from 1969-80, and coached the team for 1½ seasons. He played in 589 games over 11 NHL seasons, all with Chicago.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Today in NHL History, Jan 18th
1927: Frank Frederickson scored 4 goals to lead the Bruins to a 7-3 win against the Rangers, in New York. Hal Winkler got the win in goal against the team that had sold him to Boston one day earlier.
1941: Dit Clapper became the first player in Boston Bruins history to score 200 goals. The milestone came in a 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs at Toronto. Frank Brimsek recorded his 18th career shutout.
1944: Lorne Carr scored three goals (his first hat trick with Toronto) and added an assist in the Maple Leafs' 7-2 win against the Bruins at Boston.
1945: 7,687 fans waited in their seats at the Detroit Olympia as weather made the NY Rangers three hours late for their game. The Red Wings beat the Rangers 7-3 in a game that began at 11:15 PM and ended at 12:56 AM.
1946: Former NHL goalie Fern Rivard born in Grand Mere, Que. Rivard played in the NHL 1968-69 through 1974-75 with Minnesota.
1958: New Brunswick native Willie O'Ree skated onto the ice at Montreal and became the first player of African descent to appear in an NHL game. He went scoreless as the Bruins beat the Canadiens 3-0. Harry Lumley recorded his first shutout with Boston and set an NHL record when that shutout gave him one (or more) shutouts in 14 straight seasons. He broke the record of 13 straight seasons set by John Roach (1922-23 thru 1934-35).
1961: NHL forward Mark Messier born in Edmonton, Alta. Messier has played in the NHL since 1979-80 with Edmonton, the New York Rangers and Vancouver.
1964: Detroit's Terry Sawchuk led the Red Wings to a 2-0 win against Montreal, to become the NHL's all time shutout leader, with 95. George Hainsworth had retired with 94 shutouts....Dean Prentice scored his 4th career hat trick and 3 assists, and Andy Hebenton had his 3rd career hat trick and an assist as the Bruins picked up their biggest shutout victory win, 11-0 over Toronto. Ed Johnston recorded his 4th career shutout.
1967: For the first time in NHL history the All-Star game was held at mid-season. The Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens beat the All Stars 3-0 at the Forum. John Ferguson scored twice for the Canadiens.
1970: Boston's Bobby Orr scored a goal and an assist, his 64th and 65th points of the season, to break his own NHL single season point mark for defensemen (set in 1968-69). Bruins beat Montreal, 6-3. The points gave Orr 200 in 216 career games.
1973: Islanders' Don Blackburn scored twice and added two assists as New York ended their team-record 20 game road winless streak (0-19-1) with a 9-7 win at Boston.
1975: St. Louis goalie Ed Johnston recorded his 200th NHL career victory as the Blues won 5-4 over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Johnston became the 16th goaltender in the NHL to get 200 wins.
1976: Chicago goaltender Tony Esposito recorded his 56th career shutout as the Black Hawks won 2-0 over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Dale Tallon had two assists.
1978: Montreal tied an NHL record with their 8th straight road victory, a 7-4 win over the Barons at Cleveland. Guy Lafleur scored two goals and two assists, and Jacques Lemaire added a goal and three assists.
1980: Detroit's Dale McCourt scored two goals and added two assists and Rogie Vachon made 21 saves for a 5-0 Red Wings' win against the Jets, at Winnipeg. It was Vachon's 48th career shutout.
1982: Rene Robert picked up four assists to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers.
1983: Bryan Trottier became the second player in franchise history to score 300 goals as a member of the Islanders. The milestone goal (along with two assists) came as New York won 8-1 over the Hartford Whalers.
1984: Toronto's Rick Vaive scored his fourth hat trick of the season (and the 7th of his career) in the Maple Leafs' 9-4 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars.....Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky scored his eighth hat trick of the season (and the 26th of his career) and added two assists as the Oilers won 7-5 over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.....Islanders' Mike Bossy and Bill Carroll each scored three goals and Butch Goring had a goal and three assists as New York won 9-1 at Chicago. It was the 29th hat trick of Bossy's NHL career and the first hat trick for Carroll.
1985: Edmonton's Paul Coffey picked up four assists as the Oilers tied 4-4 at Vancouver.
1986: Vancouver's Steve Tambellini set a Canucks' team record for fastest goal from the start of a period, when he scored at :06 of the second in a 4-4 tie at Los Angeles.
1987: Winnipeg's Dale Hawerchuk scored twice to give him 250 career NHL goals as the Jets won 5-3 over the visiting Minnesota North Stars.
1989: Phil Housley played in his 500th career NHL game as the Sabres tied 3-3 with the visiting Minnesota North Stars.....Rookie Tony Granato had his second hat trick in three games (and the third of his career) as the Rangers climbed into a tie for first place, with a 6-4 win over the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium. Granato also picked up an assist in the game.
1992: MVP Brett Hull scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Campbell Conference to a 10-6 win over the Wales Conference in the NHL All Star Game at Philadelphia. It was the first penalty free game in All Star history.
1993: Defenseman Phil Housley set a Jets' team record for defensemen, with five assists in an 8-7 Jets' win over the Whalers in Winnipeg. Zarley Zalapski scored a goal and four assists for Hartford.
1994: Toronto's Doug Gilmour picked up his 600th career NHL assist as the Maple Leafs tied 3-3 with the Mighty Ducks.
1995: Ottawa Senators obtained Don Beaupre in trade from Washington, in exchange for Ottawa's fifth round pick in the 1995 Entry Draft.....Dallas Stars obtained Kevin Hatcher from Washington, in exchange for Mark Tinordi and Rick Mrozik.
1997: Mark Recchi and Owen Nolan scored hat tricks as the East beat the West 11-7, in the All Star Game in San Jose. Adam Oates had 2 assists to set a career All-Star record with 12. Gretzky & Lemieux eached scored their 20th point, another record.
1998: MVP Teemu Selanne became the first European player to get an All Star Game hat trick, and Wayne Gretzky had two assists to become the highest scorer in All Star History, when Team North America beat the World All Stars 8-7, in Vancouver.
1999: Roger Neilson got his 400th coaching victory, and John Vanbiesbrouck recorded his 35th career shutout, in the Flyers 5-0 win at Ottawa. It was the Flyers' fifth shutout in six games. Neilson became the 11th coach to win 400 NHL games.....Dominik Hasek became the first goaltender to record 40 shutouts as a member of the Sabres, as Buffalo won 4-0 against the Panthers at Florida. It was Hasek's 8th shutout of the season.....Pittsburgh's Kevin Hatcher played in his 1,000th NHL game as the Penguins lost 5-3, at Anaheim. Martin Straka scored twice for the Penguins within a span of 1:34 during the final period.....Washington's Peter Bondra became just the second player in team history to score 300 goals in a Capitals uniform as the Caps tied 4-4, at Montreal
2000: Detroit's Steve Yzerman scored his 614th career goal, to become the highest goal scorer in NHL history among players who spent their entire careers with one team. He broke Mario Lemieux's record of 613 as the Red Wings lost 6-1 at Calgary.
2002: Detroit's Luc Robitaille scored his 611th career goal to become the #1 goal scoring left-wing in NHL history, passing Bobby Hull; the milestone came in a 3-1 win over the visiting Washington Capitals.....Dallas Stars coach Ken Hitchcock reached his 500th career NHL game, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Florida Panthers, which gave him a career record of 276-164-60.
2003: Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier scored his 100th career NHL goal, in a 3-2 loss at Philadelphia.
1941: Dit Clapper became the first player in Boston Bruins history to score 200 goals. The milestone came in a 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs at Toronto. Frank Brimsek recorded his 18th career shutout.
1944: Lorne Carr scored three goals (his first hat trick with Toronto) and added an assist in the Maple Leafs' 7-2 win against the Bruins at Boston.
1945: 7,687 fans waited in their seats at the Detroit Olympia as weather made the NY Rangers three hours late for their game. The Red Wings beat the Rangers 7-3 in a game that began at 11:15 PM and ended at 12:56 AM.
1946: Former NHL goalie Fern Rivard born in Grand Mere, Que. Rivard played in the NHL 1968-69 through 1974-75 with Minnesota.
1958: New Brunswick native Willie O'Ree skated onto the ice at Montreal and became the first player of African descent to appear in an NHL game. He went scoreless as the Bruins beat the Canadiens 3-0. Harry Lumley recorded his first shutout with Boston and set an NHL record when that shutout gave him one (or more) shutouts in 14 straight seasons. He broke the record of 13 straight seasons set by John Roach (1922-23 thru 1934-35).
1961: NHL forward Mark Messier born in Edmonton, Alta. Messier has played in the NHL since 1979-80 with Edmonton, the New York Rangers and Vancouver.
1964: Detroit's Terry Sawchuk led the Red Wings to a 2-0 win against Montreal, to become the NHL's all time shutout leader, with 95. George Hainsworth had retired with 94 shutouts....Dean Prentice scored his 4th career hat trick and 3 assists, and Andy Hebenton had his 3rd career hat trick and an assist as the Bruins picked up their biggest shutout victory win, 11-0 over Toronto. Ed Johnston recorded his 4th career shutout.
1967: For the first time in NHL history the All-Star game was held at mid-season. The Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens beat the All Stars 3-0 at the Forum. John Ferguson scored twice for the Canadiens.
1970: Boston's Bobby Orr scored a goal and an assist, his 64th and 65th points of the season, to break his own NHL single season point mark for defensemen (set in 1968-69). Bruins beat Montreal, 6-3. The points gave Orr 200 in 216 career games.
1973: Islanders' Don Blackburn scored twice and added two assists as New York ended their team-record 20 game road winless streak (0-19-1) with a 9-7 win at Boston.
1975: St. Louis goalie Ed Johnston recorded his 200th NHL career victory as the Blues won 5-4 over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Johnston became the 16th goaltender in the NHL to get 200 wins.
1976: Chicago goaltender Tony Esposito recorded his 56th career shutout as the Black Hawks won 2-0 over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Dale Tallon had two assists.
1978: Montreal tied an NHL record with their 8th straight road victory, a 7-4 win over the Barons at Cleveland. Guy Lafleur scored two goals and two assists, and Jacques Lemaire added a goal and three assists.
1980: Detroit's Dale McCourt scored two goals and added two assists and Rogie Vachon made 21 saves for a 5-0 Red Wings' win against the Jets, at Winnipeg. It was Vachon's 48th career shutout.
1982: Rene Robert picked up four assists to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers.
1983: Bryan Trottier became the second player in franchise history to score 300 goals as a member of the Islanders. The milestone goal (along with two assists) came as New York won 8-1 over the Hartford Whalers.
1984: Toronto's Rick Vaive scored his fourth hat trick of the season (and the 7th of his career) in the Maple Leafs' 9-4 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars.....Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky scored his eighth hat trick of the season (and the 26th of his career) and added two assists as the Oilers won 7-5 over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.....Islanders' Mike Bossy and Bill Carroll each scored three goals and Butch Goring had a goal and three assists as New York won 9-1 at Chicago. It was the 29th hat trick of Bossy's NHL career and the first hat trick for Carroll.
1985: Edmonton's Paul Coffey picked up four assists as the Oilers tied 4-4 at Vancouver.
1986: Vancouver's Steve Tambellini set a Canucks' team record for fastest goal from the start of a period, when he scored at :06 of the second in a 4-4 tie at Los Angeles.
1987: Winnipeg's Dale Hawerchuk scored twice to give him 250 career NHL goals as the Jets won 5-3 over the visiting Minnesota North Stars.
1989: Phil Housley played in his 500th career NHL game as the Sabres tied 3-3 with the visiting Minnesota North Stars.....Rookie Tony Granato had his second hat trick in three games (and the third of his career) as the Rangers climbed into a tie for first place, with a 6-4 win over the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium. Granato also picked up an assist in the game.
1992: MVP Brett Hull scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Campbell Conference to a 10-6 win over the Wales Conference in the NHL All Star Game at Philadelphia. It was the first penalty free game in All Star history.
1993: Defenseman Phil Housley set a Jets' team record for defensemen, with five assists in an 8-7 Jets' win over the Whalers in Winnipeg. Zarley Zalapski scored a goal and four assists for Hartford.
1994: Toronto's Doug Gilmour picked up his 600th career NHL assist as the Maple Leafs tied 3-3 with the Mighty Ducks.
1995: Ottawa Senators obtained Don Beaupre in trade from Washington, in exchange for Ottawa's fifth round pick in the 1995 Entry Draft.....Dallas Stars obtained Kevin Hatcher from Washington, in exchange for Mark Tinordi and Rick Mrozik.
1997: Mark Recchi and Owen Nolan scored hat tricks as the East beat the West 11-7, in the All Star Game in San Jose. Adam Oates had 2 assists to set a career All-Star record with 12. Gretzky & Lemieux eached scored their 20th point, another record.
1998: MVP Teemu Selanne became the first European player to get an All Star Game hat trick, and Wayne Gretzky had two assists to become the highest scorer in All Star History, when Team North America beat the World All Stars 8-7, in Vancouver.
1999: Roger Neilson got his 400th coaching victory, and John Vanbiesbrouck recorded his 35th career shutout, in the Flyers 5-0 win at Ottawa. It was the Flyers' fifth shutout in six games. Neilson became the 11th coach to win 400 NHL games.....Dominik Hasek became the first goaltender to record 40 shutouts as a member of the Sabres, as Buffalo won 4-0 against the Panthers at Florida. It was Hasek's 8th shutout of the season.....Pittsburgh's Kevin Hatcher played in his 1,000th NHL game as the Penguins lost 5-3, at Anaheim. Martin Straka scored twice for the Penguins within a span of 1:34 during the final period.....Washington's Peter Bondra became just the second player in team history to score 300 goals in a Capitals uniform as the Caps tied 4-4, at Montreal
2000: Detroit's Steve Yzerman scored his 614th career goal, to become the highest goal scorer in NHL history among players who spent their entire careers with one team. He broke Mario Lemieux's record of 613 as the Red Wings lost 6-1 at Calgary.
2002: Detroit's Luc Robitaille scored his 611th career goal to become the #1 goal scoring left-wing in NHL history, passing Bobby Hull; the milestone came in a 3-1 win over the visiting Washington Capitals.....Dallas Stars coach Ken Hitchcock reached his 500th career NHL game, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Florida Panthers, which gave him a career record of 276-164-60.
2003: Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier scored his 100th career NHL goal, in a 3-2 loss at Philadelphia.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
January 17th
IIHF, NHL REACH DEAL ON JUNIOR EUROPEANS
The NHL and representatives of the IIHF have agreed to additional restrictions when it comes to young European players coming over to play in the NHL.
Following the five hour meeting with representatives of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden, both sides agreed that a player who is still under contract with an IIHF team and has not reached his 20th birthday must be first offered back to his team in Europe. The new proposal sees the age limit increased by two years.
This provision does not affect players who where selected in the first round of the NHL draft.
"It was a very good and constructive meeting," said IIHF President Rene Fasel. "We were satisfied that both the league and the player's association share the same concern with too many young European players coming over to North America before they are NHL ready."
Out of the 59 European players who were signed by NHL clubs prior to the 2007-2008 season, six are on NHL rosters, 46 were assigned to the minor leagues and seven returned to their European clubs.
The IIHF and NHL are considering a possible short-term interim framework agreement for the 2008-2009 season which, if approved, would regulate transfers of European players who sign NHL-contracts for the 2008-2009 season.
"This way we are buying ourselves some time to be able to fully evaluate the effects on the movement of players from Europe to North America and to use those results when trying to reach a new long-term agreement for 2009 and beyond," said Fasel.
LEAFS ASK PERMISSION TO TALK TO FLETCHER
The Toronto Maple Leafs' front office called the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday to formally ask permission to speak to Cliff Fletcher because they were informed that technically, their call to the former Leafs GM earlier in the week constituted tampering. Fletcher no longer works for the Coyotes, although he is still being paid by the team.
TSN.ca has reported that Toronto has contacted a number of hockey management types to gauge their interest in the Leafs GM position, currently held by John Ferguson, and asked Fletcher if he was interested in taking over as interim General Manager of the NHL club.
Fletcher, a Hockey Hall of Famer, was GM of the Leafs from 1991 until he was fired in '97. He was also GM of the Calgary Flames during the organization's first 19 years in the NHL and built the Flames one and only Stanley Cup champion in 1989.
RAMAGE AWAITS SENTENCING
Former NHL player Rob Ramage is to be sentenced Today in a Newmarket, Ont., court for his role in the death of former Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson.
Magnuson, 56, died instantly on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage, 48, veered into traffic and struck two vehicles near Vaughn, Ont., just north of Toronto. Magnuson was pronounced dead at the scene.
In October, Ramage was found guilty of five charges, including impaired driving causing death, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The Crown has asked for a sentence between three and five years.
Magnuson's family, which in November was awarded $9.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit, asked the judge at a December sentencing hearing to sentence Ramage to community service instead of jail time so he can speak at schools about drinking and driving.
Ramage, who was captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1989 to 1991, and also played for the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens during his 15-year NHL career, has been free on bail while awaiting sentencing.
Magnuson was a rugged defenceman for the Blackhawks from 1969-80 and coached the team for 1½ seasons. He played in 589 games over 11 seasons, all with Chicago.
The NHL and representatives of the IIHF have agreed to additional restrictions when it comes to young European players coming over to play in the NHL.
Following the five hour meeting with representatives of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden, both sides agreed that a player who is still under contract with an IIHF team and has not reached his 20th birthday must be first offered back to his team in Europe. The new proposal sees the age limit increased by two years.
This provision does not affect players who where selected in the first round of the NHL draft.
"It was a very good and constructive meeting," said IIHF President Rene Fasel. "We were satisfied that both the league and the player's association share the same concern with too many young European players coming over to North America before they are NHL ready."
Out of the 59 European players who were signed by NHL clubs prior to the 2007-2008 season, six are on NHL rosters, 46 were assigned to the minor leagues and seven returned to their European clubs.
The IIHF and NHL are considering a possible short-term interim framework agreement for the 2008-2009 season which, if approved, would regulate transfers of European players who sign NHL-contracts for the 2008-2009 season.
"This way we are buying ourselves some time to be able to fully evaluate the effects on the movement of players from Europe to North America and to use those results when trying to reach a new long-term agreement for 2009 and beyond," said Fasel.
LEAFS ASK PERMISSION TO TALK TO FLETCHER
The Toronto Maple Leafs' front office called the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday to formally ask permission to speak to Cliff Fletcher because they were informed that technically, their call to the former Leafs GM earlier in the week constituted tampering. Fletcher no longer works for the Coyotes, although he is still being paid by the team.
TSN.ca has reported that Toronto has contacted a number of hockey management types to gauge their interest in the Leafs GM position, currently held by John Ferguson, and asked Fletcher if he was interested in taking over as interim General Manager of the NHL club.
Fletcher, a Hockey Hall of Famer, was GM of the Leafs from 1991 until he was fired in '97. He was also GM of the Calgary Flames during the organization's first 19 years in the NHL and built the Flames one and only Stanley Cup champion in 1989.
RAMAGE AWAITS SENTENCING
Former NHL player Rob Ramage is to be sentenced Today in a Newmarket, Ont., court for his role in the death of former Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson.
Magnuson, 56, died instantly on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage, 48, veered into traffic and struck two vehicles near Vaughn, Ont., just north of Toronto. Magnuson was pronounced dead at the scene.
In October, Ramage was found guilty of five charges, including impaired driving causing death, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The Crown has asked for a sentence between three and five years.
Magnuson's family, which in November was awarded $9.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit, asked the judge at a December sentencing hearing to sentence Ramage to community service instead of jail time so he can speak at schools about drinking and driving.
Ramage, who was captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1989 to 1991, and also played for the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens during his 15-year NHL career, has been free on bail while awaiting sentencing.
Magnuson was a rugged defenceman for the Blackhawks from 1969-80 and coached the team for 1½ seasons. He played in 589 games over 11 seasons, all with Chicago.
Today in NHL History, Jan 17th
1927: Boston Bruins purchased goaltender Hal Winkler from the New York Rangers for $5,000.
1929: New York Americans' goalie Roy Worters and Maroons' rookie Jim Walsh dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Montreal. It was the 29th career shutout for Worters and the 4th for Walsh (and his first with the Maroons).....Hall of Famer Jacques Plante born in Mont Carmel, Quebec. Plante played in the NHL 1952-53 through 1972-73 with Montreal, the New York Rangers, St. Louis, Toronto and Boston.
1932: Americans' Roy Worters became the fifth goaltender in NHL history to record 50 career shutouts, as New York won 4-0 over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs..
1933: Joe Lamb scored a hat trick and added an assist as the Bruins won 6-2 over the Montreal Maroons, at Boston Garden.
1937: Boston's Cecil "Tiny" Thompson recorded his 65th career shutout to lead the Bruins to a 3-0 win against the Americans, at New York.
1943: Trailing 2-0 with two minutes to play and 15,000 Chicago fans filing out, the Red Wings scored twice, with Sid Abel getting the tying goal with :01 remaining in the game, as the Wings and Black Hawks settled for a 2-2 tie.
1951: Gordie Howe scored his third career hat trick in the Red Wings' 4-2 win against the Black Hawks, at Chicago.
1959: Detroit's Gordie Howe saw action as a defenseman in game at Toronto because of injuries to other Wings defensemen. Howe also played at right wing in the game, a 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.
1962: Chicago Black Hawks' goaltender Glenn Hall played in his 500th consecutive game (including the playoffs), and received a station wagon and other gifts from team management. But the Black Hawks lost the game, 7-3 to Montreal.
1963: Gilles Tremblay scored the 4,000th goal in Montreal Canadiens history, and Jean Beliveau picked up three assists as the Canadiens won 6-4 over Toronto, at the Forum.
1965: Rangers' Camille Henry scored his 6th career hat trick as New York won 4-2, at Detroit.
1969: New York Rangers General Manager Emile Francis took over as coach of the team, replacing Bernie Geoffrion, who had resigned. Francis led the Rangers to a 3-1 win against the Seals at Oakland, as Phil Goyette scored a goal and added two assists.
1970: Rookie goaltender Tony Esposito recorded his 10th shutout of the season (and the 12th of his career) in the Black Hawks' 1-0 win over the Bruins at Boston. Esposito finished the 1969-70 season with 15 shutouts, an NHL record for rookies.
1971: Goaltender Cesare Maniago recorded his 14th career shutout in the Minnesota North Stars' 2-0 win over the Red Wings at Detroit. Tom Williams scored a goal and an assist, and Murray Oliver had two assists.
1976: Orest Kindrachuk scored a goal and three assists to lead the Flyers to a 7-1 win over the Scouts, at Kansas City.
1979: Chicago's Tony Esposito became the first goaltender to record 300 wins as a member of the Black Hawks. The milestone came in a 2-1 win against the visiting Colorado Rockies. Ted Bulley scored both goals for Chicago.
1980: Reggie Leach scored his 30th goal of the season (in his 43rd game) as the Philadelphia Flyers extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 24 straight games (18-0-6), with a 5-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
1981: Bobby Smith scored his second career hat trick and added an assist to lead the North Stars to a 7-1 win against the Quebec Nordiques, in Minnesota.
1982: Buffalo's Yvon Lambert scored his 200th career NHL goal as the Sabres won 7-1 over the Hartford Whalers, at the Aud, to extend their winning streak to 7 straight games.....Quebec Nordiques rookie Marian Stastny scored a goal and added four assists, and his brother Peter had a goal and three assists in a 7-5 win against the Jets, at Winnipeg. Winnipeg's Paul MacLean scored twice in a span of :12 in the first period.
1983: Boston's Pete Peeters recorded his 100th career NHL victory in the Bruins' 4-3 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Tom Fergus scored the game winner at 19:46 of the third period, after picking up two assists earlier in the game.
1985: Tim Kerr scored four goals, including three on a natural hat trick as the Flyers beat Detroit, 7-5, at the Spectrum. It was Kerr's 5th career hat trick.
1986: L.A.'s Bernie Nicholls picked up four assists for the second time in his NHL career, when the Kings won, 9-7 at Vancouver.
1987: Quebec Nordiques traded Brent Ashton, Gilbert Delorme, and Mark Kumpel to Detroit in exchange for the Red Wings' John Ogrodnick, Basil McRae, and Doug Shedden.
1988: Washington's Mike Gartner scored twice to give him 350 NHL goals and 700 career points, in a 5-4 loss at Chicago. Gartner became the first player to score 350 goals as a member of the Washington Capitals.
1989: New York Islanders' 5-2 win over Pittsburgh was Coach Al Arbour's 600th career victory behind the bench. Only two other coaches in NHL history, Scotty Bowman and Dick Irvin, had ever achieved 600 wins.
1991: Edmonton's Glenn Anderson scored a goal and three assists as the Oilers won 6-1 over the Islanders at Long Island.
1993: Steve Yzerman scored a goal and added four assists to lead the Red Wings to a 7-4 win against the Flyers at Philadelphia.
1994: Panthers' coach Roger Neilson appeared in his 750th career game behind the bench, as Florida won 2-1 over the New York Islanders.
1996: Montreal goalie Jocelyn Thibault stopped 26 shots for his second shutout of the season when the Canadiens won 3-0 at Ottawa. It was the first game ever played in Ottawa's new arena, the Palladium.....Detroit's Steve Yzerman became the 22nd player in NHL history to score 500 career goals as the Red Wings won 3-2 over the Avalanche, at Joe Louis Arena. Yzerman also joined Gordie Howe as the only players to score 500 goals with Detroit.
1998: Philadelphia Flyers acquired Alexandre Daigle from Ottawa, in exchange for Vaclav Prospal, Pat Falloon and a 1998 draft pick.
1999: Florida Panthers acquired Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a conditional third-round draft pick from the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for Dave Gagner, Ed Jovanovski, Mike Brown, goaltender Kevin Weekes and a first-round draft pick.
2001: Brett Hull scored in overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 win over the visiting Nashville Predators. It was Hull's 25th goal of the year -- for the 13th time in his 14 year NHL career.
2002: Aleksey Morozov scored his second career hat trick, and Mario Lemieux had a goal and three assists in the Penguins 6-4 win over the Flames at Calgary.
2003: Marc Crawford became the winningest coach in Vancouver Canucks history, when he led the team to a 4-2 win at Chicago. Crawford's 143rd victory with Vancouver moved him one ahead of Harry Neale.....Toronto's Mats Sundin scored (in a 4-1 win over the Capitals in Washington) to give him 20 or-more goals in each of his 13 NHL seasons. Sundin became just the 12th player in league history to get 20+ goals in each of his first 13 seasons.....Joe Nieuwendyk scored the 500th goal of his career (becoming the 32nd NHL player to do so) in the Devils 2-1 win over the Hurricanes at Carolina.....Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Michel Therrien and named Claude Julien as his replacement.....Ottawa Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson was appointed to the Order of Canada.
2004: Patrik Elias scored twice, and tied an NHL record with his 4th overtime goal of the season, as the Devils beat the visiting Washington Capitals 2-1.....Robert Esche recorded his 7th career shutout, and Michal Handzus scored twice in the 2nd period to lead the Flyers to a 4-0 win at Toronto. Leafs' Tie Domi picked up his 100th penalty minute of the season for the 14th time in his NHL career.
1929: New York Americans' goalie Roy Worters and Maroons' rookie Jim Walsh dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Montreal. It was the 29th career shutout for Worters and the 4th for Walsh (and his first with the Maroons).....Hall of Famer Jacques Plante born in Mont Carmel, Quebec. Plante played in the NHL 1952-53 through 1972-73 with Montreal, the New York Rangers, St. Louis, Toronto and Boston.
1932: Americans' Roy Worters became the fifth goaltender in NHL history to record 50 career shutouts, as New York won 4-0 over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs..
1933: Joe Lamb scored a hat trick and added an assist as the Bruins won 6-2 over the Montreal Maroons, at Boston Garden.
1937: Boston's Cecil "Tiny" Thompson recorded his 65th career shutout to lead the Bruins to a 3-0 win against the Americans, at New York.
1943: Trailing 2-0 with two minutes to play and 15,000 Chicago fans filing out, the Red Wings scored twice, with Sid Abel getting the tying goal with :01 remaining in the game, as the Wings and Black Hawks settled for a 2-2 tie.
1951: Gordie Howe scored his third career hat trick in the Red Wings' 4-2 win against the Black Hawks, at Chicago.
1959: Detroit's Gordie Howe saw action as a defenseman in game at Toronto because of injuries to other Wings defensemen. Howe also played at right wing in the game, a 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.
1962: Chicago Black Hawks' goaltender Glenn Hall played in his 500th consecutive game (including the playoffs), and received a station wagon and other gifts from team management. But the Black Hawks lost the game, 7-3 to Montreal.
1963: Gilles Tremblay scored the 4,000th goal in Montreal Canadiens history, and Jean Beliveau picked up three assists as the Canadiens won 6-4 over Toronto, at the Forum.
1965: Rangers' Camille Henry scored his 6th career hat trick as New York won 4-2, at Detroit.
1969: New York Rangers General Manager Emile Francis took over as coach of the team, replacing Bernie Geoffrion, who had resigned. Francis led the Rangers to a 3-1 win against the Seals at Oakland, as Phil Goyette scored a goal and added two assists.
1970: Rookie goaltender Tony Esposito recorded his 10th shutout of the season (and the 12th of his career) in the Black Hawks' 1-0 win over the Bruins at Boston. Esposito finished the 1969-70 season with 15 shutouts, an NHL record for rookies.
1971: Goaltender Cesare Maniago recorded his 14th career shutout in the Minnesota North Stars' 2-0 win over the Red Wings at Detroit. Tom Williams scored a goal and an assist, and Murray Oliver had two assists.
1976: Orest Kindrachuk scored a goal and three assists to lead the Flyers to a 7-1 win over the Scouts, at Kansas City.
1979: Chicago's Tony Esposito became the first goaltender to record 300 wins as a member of the Black Hawks. The milestone came in a 2-1 win against the visiting Colorado Rockies. Ted Bulley scored both goals for Chicago.
1980: Reggie Leach scored his 30th goal of the season (in his 43rd game) as the Philadelphia Flyers extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 24 straight games (18-0-6), with a 5-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
1981: Bobby Smith scored his second career hat trick and added an assist to lead the North Stars to a 7-1 win against the Quebec Nordiques, in Minnesota.
1982: Buffalo's Yvon Lambert scored his 200th career NHL goal as the Sabres won 7-1 over the Hartford Whalers, at the Aud, to extend their winning streak to 7 straight games.....Quebec Nordiques rookie Marian Stastny scored a goal and added four assists, and his brother Peter had a goal and three assists in a 7-5 win against the Jets, at Winnipeg. Winnipeg's Paul MacLean scored twice in a span of :12 in the first period.
1983: Boston's Pete Peeters recorded his 100th career NHL victory in the Bruins' 4-3 win over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Tom Fergus scored the game winner at 19:46 of the third period, after picking up two assists earlier in the game.
1985: Tim Kerr scored four goals, including three on a natural hat trick as the Flyers beat Detroit, 7-5, at the Spectrum. It was Kerr's 5th career hat trick.
1986: L.A.'s Bernie Nicholls picked up four assists for the second time in his NHL career, when the Kings won, 9-7 at Vancouver.
1987: Quebec Nordiques traded Brent Ashton, Gilbert Delorme, and Mark Kumpel to Detroit in exchange for the Red Wings' John Ogrodnick, Basil McRae, and Doug Shedden.
1988: Washington's Mike Gartner scored twice to give him 350 NHL goals and 700 career points, in a 5-4 loss at Chicago. Gartner became the first player to score 350 goals as a member of the Washington Capitals.
1989: New York Islanders' 5-2 win over Pittsburgh was Coach Al Arbour's 600th career victory behind the bench. Only two other coaches in NHL history, Scotty Bowman and Dick Irvin, had ever achieved 600 wins.
1991: Edmonton's Glenn Anderson scored a goal and three assists as the Oilers won 6-1 over the Islanders at Long Island.
1993: Steve Yzerman scored a goal and added four assists to lead the Red Wings to a 7-4 win against the Flyers at Philadelphia.
1994: Panthers' coach Roger Neilson appeared in his 750th career game behind the bench, as Florida won 2-1 over the New York Islanders.
1996: Montreal goalie Jocelyn Thibault stopped 26 shots for his second shutout of the season when the Canadiens won 3-0 at Ottawa. It was the first game ever played in Ottawa's new arena, the Palladium.....Detroit's Steve Yzerman became the 22nd player in NHL history to score 500 career goals as the Red Wings won 3-2 over the Avalanche, at Joe Louis Arena. Yzerman also joined Gordie Howe as the only players to score 500 goals with Detroit.
1998: Philadelphia Flyers acquired Alexandre Daigle from Ottawa, in exchange for Vaclav Prospal, Pat Falloon and a 1998 draft pick.
1999: Florida Panthers acquired Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a conditional third-round draft pick from the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for Dave Gagner, Ed Jovanovski, Mike Brown, goaltender Kevin Weekes and a first-round draft pick.
2001: Brett Hull scored in overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 win over the visiting Nashville Predators. It was Hull's 25th goal of the year -- for the 13th time in his 14 year NHL career.
2002: Aleksey Morozov scored his second career hat trick, and Mario Lemieux had a goal and three assists in the Penguins 6-4 win over the Flames at Calgary.
2003: Marc Crawford became the winningest coach in Vancouver Canucks history, when he led the team to a 4-2 win at Chicago. Crawford's 143rd victory with Vancouver moved him one ahead of Harry Neale.....Toronto's Mats Sundin scored (in a 4-1 win over the Capitals in Washington) to give him 20 or-more goals in each of his 13 NHL seasons. Sundin became just the 12th player in league history to get 20+ goals in each of his first 13 seasons.....Joe Nieuwendyk scored the 500th goal of his career (becoming the 32nd NHL player to do so) in the Devils 2-1 win over the Hurricanes at Carolina.....Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Michel Therrien and named Claude Julien as his replacement.....Ottawa Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson was appointed to the Order of Canada.
2004: Patrik Elias scored twice, and tied an NHL record with his 4th overtime goal of the season, as the Devils beat the visiting Washington Capitals 2-1.....Robert Esche recorded his 7th career shutout, and Michal Handzus scored twice in the 2nd period to lead the Flyers to a 4-0 win at Toronto. Leafs' Tie Domi picked up his 100th penalty minute of the season for the 14th time in his NHL career.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
January 16th
KANE & ENSTROM AMONG TOP ROOKIES SELECTED TO NHL YOUNGSTARS TEAMS
Rookie scoring leader Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and first-year defenseman Tobias Enstrom of the All-Star host Atlanta Thrashers headline the 16 'NHL YoungStars' invited to the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend.
Comprising the best of the League's stellar rookie class in 2007-08, the eight-player Eastern and Western Conference YoungStar teams will face off in a new three-on-three event as part of the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills competition on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Philips Arena in Atlanta (7 p.m. ET). The YoungStars will be shooting against goaltenders named to participate in the NHL All-Star Game the following day.
Kane was the first overall selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft after leading all Canadian Major Junior players in 2006-07 with 145 points (62 goals, 83 assists) in 58 games with the OHL London Knights. He produced one of the finest NHL debuts in recent years, capturing the League's Rookie of the Month award for October after tallying 16 points -- the most by an NHL rookie in October since 1992-93. The Buffalo, N.Y. native continues to lead the League rookie scoring race with 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists) in 45 games.
Joining Kane among Western Conference forwards are Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Mueller of the Phoenix Coyotes and David Perron of the St. Louis Blues. The defensemen are the Vancouver Canucks' Alexander Edler, the Blues' Erik Johnson, the Los Angeles Kings' Jack Johnson and the Dallas Stars' Matt Niskanen.
A late-round steal in the 2003 Entry Draft, Enstrom was selected by the Thrashers in the eighth round and 239th overall after capturing the 2002-03 Swedish Elite League's Rookie of the Year award with MoDo. The Nordingra, Sweden native leads all NHL rookies in average ice time per game (24:04), is tied for second in assists (23) and ranks fourth in points (26). He was named the League's top rookie for November.
Enstrom is joined on the Eastern Conference blueline by Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Lundin of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Marc Staal of the New York Rangers. The forwards are the Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom, the Rangers' Brandon Dubinsky, the Penguins' Tyler Kennedy and the Boston Bruins' Milan Lucic.
YoungStars players were selected by the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department, in consultation with League General Managers.
CAPS NYLANDER OUT 3-6 MONTHS
Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander learned Tuesday that he requires shoulder surgery and be sidelined three to six months.
Nylander suffered a torn rotator cuff in a 2-1 win over the Flordia Panthers Dec. 1 and rested for two weeks before returning to the lineup. He did score his 200th NHL goal on Sunday.
Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau gave him full marks for having the courage to play the last three weeks until he couldn't play any more, especially since he couldn't lift his arm over his head or sideways, but added it's best to get the surgery done now.
The 35-year-old signed a four-year, $19.5-million contract with Washington this past July, and in 40 games this season has posted 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points.
The fourth round, 59th overall pick, by Hartford in the 1991 draft has amassed 200 goals and 646 points in 848 games over 14 NHL season with the Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Capitals.
CAMPBELL PUTS OFF CONTRACT TALKS
According to the Buffalo News, Buffalo Sabers All-Star defenceman Brian Campbell announced that he is done negotiating a new contract with the club until the end of the season.
Campbell told the paper, "I'm done talking about it with the team until the end of the year. There's more important things right now than just me. We've got to win, I think it's for the best."
The Sabres were in a similar situation last season with forwards Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. They failed to lock either player up during the season, and they both left via free agency.
The 28-year-old has four goals and 25 assists this season and is averaging 25:38 minutes per game, and is making $1.75-million this season.
LEAFS ASK FLETCHER ABOUT INTERIM GM JOB
According to TSN, the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking steps to try to replace General Manager John Ferguson and have contacted a number of hockey management types to gauge their interest in the job, and asked former Leaf GM Cliff Fletcher if he was interested in taking over as interim GM.
Fletcher is currently under contract to the Phoenix Coyotes, even though he is no longer working for the organization.
Reportedly, the Leafs plan to launch a full-scale job search this summer for a fulltime GM, but in the meantime are exploring their options to replace Ferguson with an interim GM who would oversee Leaf operations for the balance of the season and beyond, until a new fulltime GM can be hired.
TSN also reported, when asked to comment if Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) has contacted Cliff Fletcher to see if he has interest in the role of interim GM, MLSE president and CEO Richard Peddie responded, "As I have said to everyone I am not talking about management changes. If and when they happen I will talk to the media then.", and that Fletcher couldn't be reached for comment.
Rookie scoring leader Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and first-year defenseman Tobias Enstrom of the All-Star host Atlanta Thrashers headline the 16 'NHL YoungStars' invited to the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend.
Comprising the best of the League's stellar rookie class in 2007-08, the eight-player Eastern and Western Conference YoungStar teams will face off in a new three-on-three event as part of the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills competition on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Philips Arena in Atlanta (7 p.m. ET). The YoungStars will be shooting against goaltenders named to participate in the NHL All-Star Game the following day.
Kane was the first overall selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft after leading all Canadian Major Junior players in 2006-07 with 145 points (62 goals, 83 assists) in 58 games with the OHL London Knights. He produced one of the finest NHL debuts in recent years, capturing the League's Rookie of the Month award for October after tallying 16 points -- the most by an NHL rookie in October since 1992-93. The Buffalo, N.Y. native continues to lead the League rookie scoring race with 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists) in 45 games.
Joining Kane among Western Conference forwards are Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Mueller of the Phoenix Coyotes and David Perron of the St. Louis Blues. The defensemen are the Vancouver Canucks' Alexander Edler, the Blues' Erik Johnson, the Los Angeles Kings' Jack Johnson and the Dallas Stars' Matt Niskanen.
A late-round steal in the 2003 Entry Draft, Enstrom was selected by the Thrashers in the eighth round and 239th overall after capturing the 2002-03 Swedish Elite League's Rookie of the Year award with MoDo. The Nordingra, Sweden native leads all NHL rookies in average ice time per game (24:04), is tied for second in assists (23) and ranks fourth in points (26). He was named the League's top rookie for November.
Enstrom is joined on the Eastern Conference blueline by Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Lundin of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Marc Staal of the New York Rangers. The forwards are the Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom, the Rangers' Brandon Dubinsky, the Penguins' Tyler Kennedy and the Boston Bruins' Milan Lucic.
YoungStars players were selected by the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department, in consultation with League General Managers.
CAPS NYLANDER OUT 3-6 MONTHS
Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander learned Tuesday that he requires shoulder surgery and be sidelined three to six months.
Nylander suffered a torn rotator cuff in a 2-1 win over the Flordia Panthers Dec. 1 and rested for two weeks before returning to the lineup. He did score his 200th NHL goal on Sunday.
Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau gave him full marks for having the courage to play the last three weeks until he couldn't play any more, especially since he couldn't lift his arm over his head or sideways, but added it's best to get the surgery done now.
The 35-year-old signed a four-year, $19.5-million contract with Washington this past July, and in 40 games this season has posted 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points.
The fourth round, 59th overall pick, by Hartford in the 1991 draft has amassed 200 goals and 646 points in 848 games over 14 NHL season with the Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Capitals.
CAMPBELL PUTS OFF CONTRACT TALKS
According to the Buffalo News, Buffalo Sabers All-Star defenceman Brian Campbell announced that he is done negotiating a new contract with the club until the end of the season.
Campbell told the paper, "I'm done talking about it with the team until the end of the year. There's more important things right now than just me. We've got to win, I think it's for the best."
The Sabres were in a similar situation last season with forwards Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. They failed to lock either player up during the season, and they both left via free agency.
The 28-year-old has four goals and 25 assists this season and is averaging 25:38 minutes per game, and is making $1.75-million this season.
LEAFS ASK FLETCHER ABOUT INTERIM GM JOB
According to TSN, the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking steps to try to replace General Manager John Ferguson and have contacted a number of hockey management types to gauge their interest in the job, and asked former Leaf GM Cliff Fletcher if he was interested in taking over as interim GM.
Fletcher is currently under contract to the Phoenix Coyotes, even though he is no longer working for the organization.
Reportedly, the Leafs plan to launch a full-scale job search this summer for a fulltime GM, but in the meantime are exploring their options to replace Ferguson with an interim GM who would oversee Leaf operations for the balance of the season and beyond, until a new fulltime GM can be hired.
TSN also reported, when asked to comment if Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) has contacted Cliff Fletcher to see if he has interest in the role of interim GM, MLSE president and CEO Richard Peddie responded, "As I have said to everyone I am not talking about management changes. If and when they happen I will talk to the media then.", and that Fletcher couldn't be reached for comment.
Today in NHL History, Jan 16th
1905: "One-eyed" Frank McGee netted an all-time Stanley Cup record 14 goals in the Ottawa Silver Seven's 23-2 victory over the Dawson City Nuggets, who had travelled more than 4,000 miles by dogsled, boat and train to challenge for Cup.
1926: Clint Benedict became the first goaltender to record 25 career NHL shutouts, when he led the Montreal Maroons to a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
1934: Ken Doraty scored the only hat trick in NHL overtime history as Toronto defeated the Senators, 7-4 at Ottawa. Overtime was a 10 minute mandatory period those days, not sudden death.
1936: Bert Connoly scored the first penalty shot goal in New York Rangers history, and Dave Kerr recorded his 20th career shutout to give the Rangers a 1-0 win at Toronto.
1938: Tiny Thompson made 24 saves for his 70th career shutout in a 1-0 Bruins' win over the Montreal Canadiens, at Boston Garden.....Former NHL center Lou Angotti born in Toronto, Ont. Angotti played in the NHL 1964-65 through 1973-74 with the New York Rangers, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. After retiring he coached Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
1943: Bruins' Bill Cowley scored a hat trick and added three assists in a 7-5 win against the NY Rangers, at Boston Garden.
1945: Boston's Herb Cain scored four goals to lead the Bruins to a 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs in Boston. The win ended a six game Bruins' losing streak.
1955: Detroit goalie Terry Sawchuk got his 54th career shutout as the Red Wings won 3-0 over the visiting New York Rangers.....Goaltender John Henderson recorded the 4th shutout of his rookie season and Doug Mohns had three assists, to lead the Bruins to a 6-0 win over the Canadiens, in Boston.
1958: Montreal's Dickie Moore scored twice to reach the 100th goal of his NHL career, and added an assist as the Canadiens won 5-2 over Toronto, at the Forum.
1960: Gordie Howe scored a goal and an assist in his 888th career game to become the NHL's all time leading scorer, with 947 points. He passed Montreal's Maurice Richard as the Red Wings beat Chicago 3-1 in Detroit.....Canadiens' Phil Goyette scored his first career hat trick as Montreal won 8-2 against Boston, at the Forum. Also in that game, Boston's Bronco Horvath extended his consecutive point scoring streak to 10 straight games, with a goal.
1964: Chicago's rookie center Phil Esposito played in his first career NHL game, a 1-0 Black Hawks' loss in Monreal.
1965: Toronto's Red Kelly scored his 250th NHL goal to climb into 14th place among hockey's all-time goal scorers when the Maple Leafs lost 4-2 to the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1966: Chicago's Bobby Hull scored four times (his 17th career hat trick) to become the first player in team history to score 300 goals. The milestone came in a 6-5 loss to the visiting NY Rangers. It was Hull's second four-goal game of the season.
1970: The new Buffalo team (still without a team) named George "Punch" Imlach as the first General Manager and first Coach of their new franchise. The announcement came nine months before the team's first NHL game.
1971: Don Marshall scored the 250th goal of his NHL career, in a 4-3 Sabres' victory over the North Stars. It was the Sabres' first win in team history at Minnesota.....Penguins ended a team-record 18 game road winless streak (0-11-7), with a 4-3 win in Vancouver.
1972: Derek Sanderson scored his third career hat trick and added two assists, and Mike Walton & Ed Westfall each had a goal and four assists in a 9-2 Bruins win over Detroit, at Boston Garden. The win extended the Bruins' unbeaten streak to 12-0-2.
1973: Andre Boudrias scored his second career hat trick, and Dennis Kearns became the first Canucks' defenseman to get four assists in a game, as Vancouver beat Toronto 6-4.....Goaltender Gilles Gilbert recorded his second career shutout to lead the Minnesota North Stars to a 1-0 win over the Islanders at New York.
1975: Los Angeles Kings tied an NHL record with their eighth straight win on the road, 4-1 over the Bruins, at Boston.
1977: Gerry Desjardins recorded the 12th (and final) shutout of his NHL career, as the Sabres beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0 at Memorial Auditorium.
1979: Pittsburgh's rookie goaltender Greg Millen made 25 saves to earn his second career shutout, as the Penguins beat the Minnesota North Stars, 5-0, at the Civic Arena.....Atlanta Flames acquired defenseman Bob Murdoch from the L.A. Kings in exchange for defenseman Richard Mulhern.....Denis Potvin scored his fourth career hat trick as the New York Islanders extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 22 straight games (18-0-4), with a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
1980: Toronto's Darryl Sittler scored his 11th career hat trick as the Maple Leafs lost 6-4 to the Penguins at Pittsburgh.
1982: Blues rookie defenseman Rik Wilson tied a team record with four assists in one period (the second) during an 8-6 St. Louis' win against Chicago.
1984: Pierre Larouche scored twice, including his 300th career NHL goal and added three assists, and rookie Peter Sundstrom had his first career hat trick along with an assist as the Rangers beat Detroit 8-5 at MSG.
1985: Black Hawks' Rick Paterson set a team record by scoring two shorthanded goals within a span of 2:30 late in first period, during a 6-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets, at Chicago Stadium....Los Angeles' Dave Taylor scored twice to become the third player in franchise history to score 250 goals as a member of the Kings. The milestone goals (along with an assist) came in a 4-3 loss to Toronto, at the Forum.
1986: Buffalo Sabres' General Manager Scotty Bowman announced that he had dismissed coach Jim Schoenfeld, who had led the team to a 19-19-5 record, and would return behind Sabres' the bench himself.
1988: Pittsburgh's rookie goalie Frank Pietrangelo earned his first NHL victory on the same day he was recalled from Muskegon, as the Penguins won 4-3 at Toronto.....Cam Neely scored his second career hat trick as the Bruins won 5-1 over the Sabres, at Boston Garden.
1989: Blackhawks' Denis Savard picked up his 600th career NHL assist as Chicago tied 2-2 with the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Savard became only the second Chicago-player to score 600 assists. (Stan Mikita set the club record with 926).
1990: Penguins' Paul Coffey had two assists to become the fourth defenseman in NHL history to score 900 career points, in a 4-3 win over the Flyers, in Pittsburgh.....Goaltender Glenn Healy made 51 saves to record his second career shutout (and his first as an Islander) as New York won 3-0 over the Vancouver Canucks, in Long Island.
1991: In a game against the Whalers at Hartford, Dave Taylor played in his 922nd NHL game, most of any player in Kings' uniform. He broke the old mark of 921 set by Marcel Dionne.
1993: Chicago's Steve Larmer became the third player in franchise history to score 400 goals, a shorthanded empty netter to clinch a 5-3 Blackhawks' win at Toronto. Larmer became the 41st player in the NHL to reach the 400 goal mark.
1996: Colorado's Claude Lemieux scored his 6th career hat trick and had an assist as the Avalanche won 5-2 at Pittsburgh. Also in that game, Mario Lemieux scored his 40th goal of the year to reach the 100 point mark for the ninth time in his NHL career (second to Wayne Gretzky's 14 100-point seasons).....Calgary's German Titov scored a goal and added four assists, and Theoren Fleury recorded his 10th career hat trick along with an assist as the Flames tied 5-5 at Los Angeles.
1999: Dino Ciccarelli scored a goal for his 1,200th career NHL point, and Sean Burke recorded his first shutout of the season (and the 17th of his career) in the Panthers' 1-0 win against the visiting New York Islanders.....Owen Nolan scored his 200th career NHL goal in a 3-3 Sharks tie against the visiting Calgary Flames.
2002: Marc Denis recorded his 4th career shutout (and his first with Columbus), and Grant Marshall scored a goal and added an assist in the Blue Jackets 2-0 win against the visiting New York Rangers.....Carolina Hurricanes traded defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh and top minor-league prospect Byron Ritchie to the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Bret Hedican, center Kevyn Adams and minor-league prospect Tomas Malec.
2003: Dallas Stars acquired veteran Claude Lemieux from the Phoenix Coyotes, in exchange for Scott Pellerin and a conditional 2004 NHL Draft Pick.
2004: Detroit's Steve Yzerman picked up an assist to become the 7th NHL player to reach 1,700 career points, in a 3-3 tie against the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
1926: Clint Benedict became the first goaltender to record 25 career NHL shutouts, when he led the Montreal Maroons to a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
1934: Ken Doraty scored the only hat trick in NHL overtime history as Toronto defeated the Senators, 7-4 at Ottawa. Overtime was a 10 minute mandatory period those days, not sudden death.
1936: Bert Connoly scored the first penalty shot goal in New York Rangers history, and Dave Kerr recorded his 20th career shutout to give the Rangers a 1-0 win at Toronto.
1938: Tiny Thompson made 24 saves for his 70th career shutout in a 1-0 Bruins' win over the Montreal Canadiens, at Boston Garden.....Former NHL center Lou Angotti born in Toronto, Ont. Angotti played in the NHL 1964-65 through 1973-74 with the New York Rangers, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. After retiring he coached Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
1943: Bruins' Bill Cowley scored a hat trick and added three assists in a 7-5 win against the NY Rangers, at Boston Garden.
1945: Boston's Herb Cain scored four goals to lead the Bruins to a 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs in Boston. The win ended a six game Bruins' losing streak.
1955: Detroit goalie Terry Sawchuk got his 54th career shutout as the Red Wings won 3-0 over the visiting New York Rangers.....Goaltender John Henderson recorded the 4th shutout of his rookie season and Doug Mohns had three assists, to lead the Bruins to a 6-0 win over the Canadiens, in Boston.
1958: Montreal's Dickie Moore scored twice to reach the 100th goal of his NHL career, and added an assist as the Canadiens won 5-2 over Toronto, at the Forum.
1960: Gordie Howe scored a goal and an assist in his 888th career game to become the NHL's all time leading scorer, with 947 points. He passed Montreal's Maurice Richard as the Red Wings beat Chicago 3-1 in Detroit.....Canadiens' Phil Goyette scored his first career hat trick as Montreal won 8-2 against Boston, at the Forum. Also in that game, Boston's Bronco Horvath extended his consecutive point scoring streak to 10 straight games, with a goal.
1964: Chicago's rookie center Phil Esposito played in his first career NHL game, a 1-0 Black Hawks' loss in Monreal.
1965: Toronto's Red Kelly scored his 250th NHL goal to climb into 14th place among hockey's all-time goal scorers when the Maple Leafs lost 4-2 to the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1966: Chicago's Bobby Hull scored four times (his 17th career hat trick) to become the first player in team history to score 300 goals. The milestone came in a 6-5 loss to the visiting NY Rangers. It was Hull's second four-goal game of the season.
1970: The new Buffalo team (still without a team) named George "Punch" Imlach as the first General Manager and first Coach of their new franchise. The announcement came nine months before the team's first NHL game.
1971: Don Marshall scored the 250th goal of his NHL career, in a 4-3 Sabres' victory over the North Stars. It was the Sabres' first win in team history at Minnesota.....Penguins ended a team-record 18 game road winless streak (0-11-7), with a 4-3 win in Vancouver.
1972: Derek Sanderson scored his third career hat trick and added two assists, and Mike Walton & Ed Westfall each had a goal and four assists in a 9-2 Bruins win over Detroit, at Boston Garden. The win extended the Bruins' unbeaten streak to 12-0-2.
1973: Andre Boudrias scored his second career hat trick, and Dennis Kearns became the first Canucks' defenseman to get four assists in a game, as Vancouver beat Toronto 6-4.....Goaltender Gilles Gilbert recorded his second career shutout to lead the Minnesota North Stars to a 1-0 win over the Islanders at New York.
1975: Los Angeles Kings tied an NHL record with their eighth straight win on the road, 4-1 over the Bruins, at Boston.
1977: Gerry Desjardins recorded the 12th (and final) shutout of his NHL career, as the Sabres beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0 at Memorial Auditorium.
1979: Pittsburgh's rookie goaltender Greg Millen made 25 saves to earn his second career shutout, as the Penguins beat the Minnesota North Stars, 5-0, at the Civic Arena.....Atlanta Flames acquired defenseman Bob Murdoch from the L.A. Kings in exchange for defenseman Richard Mulhern.....Denis Potvin scored his fourth career hat trick as the New York Islanders extended their team-record home undefeated streak to 22 straight games (18-0-4), with a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
1980: Toronto's Darryl Sittler scored his 11th career hat trick as the Maple Leafs lost 6-4 to the Penguins at Pittsburgh.
1982: Blues rookie defenseman Rik Wilson tied a team record with four assists in one period (the second) during an 8-6 St. Louis' win against Chicago.
1984: Pierre Larouche scored twice, including his 300th career NHL goal and added three assists, and rookie Peter Sundstrom had his first career hat trick along with an assist as the Rangers beat Detroit 8-5 at MSG.
1985: Black Hawks' Rick Paterson set a team record by scoring two shorthanded goals within a span of 2:30 late in first period, during a 6-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets, at Chicago Stadium....Los Angeles' Dave Taylor scored twice to become the third player in franchise history to score 250 goals as a member of the Kings. The milestone goals (along with an assist) came in a 4-3 loss to Toronto, at the Forum.
1986: Buffalo Sabres' General Manager Scotty Bowman announced that he had dismissed coach Jim Schoenfeld, who had led the team to a 19-19-5 record, and would return behind Sabres' the bench himself.
1988: Pittsburgh's rookie goalie Frank Pietrangelo earned his first NHL victory on the same day he was recalled from Muskegon, as the Penguins won 4-3 at Toronto.....Cam Neely scored his second career hat trick as the Bruins won 5-1 over the Sabres, at Boston Garden.
1989: Blackhawks' Denis Savard picked up his 600th career NHL assist as Chicago tied 2-2 with the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Savard became only the second Chicago-player to score 600 assists. (Stan Mikita set the club record with 926).
1990: Penguins' Paul Coffey had two assists to become the fourth defenseman in NHL history to score 900 career points, in a 4-3 win over the Flyers, in Pittsburgh.....Goaltender Glenn Healy made 51 saves to record his second career shutout (and his first as an Islander) as New York won 3-0 over the Vancouver Canucks, in Long Island.
1991: In a game against the Whalers at Hartford, Dave Taylor played in his 922nd NHL game, most of any player in Kings' uniform. He broke the old mark of 921 set by Marcel Dionne.
1993: Chicago's Steve Larmer became the third player in franchise history to score 400 goals, a shorthanded empty netter to clinch a 5-3 Blackhawks' win at Toronto. Larmer became the 41st player in the NHL to reach the 400 goal mark.
1996: Colorado's Claude Lemieux scored his 6th career hat trick and had an assist as the Avalanche won 5-2 at Pittsburgh. Also in that game, Mario Lemieux scored his 40th goal of the year to reach the 100 point mark for the ninth time in his NHL career (second to Wayne Gretzky's 14 100-point seasons).....Calgary's German Titov scored a goal and added four assists, and Theoren Fleury recorded his 10th career hat trick along with an assist as the Flames tied 5-5 at Los Angeles.
1999: Dino Ciccarelli scored a goal for his 1,200th career NHL point, and Sean Burke recorded his first shutout of the season (and the 17th of his career) in the Panthers' 1-0 win against the visiting New York Islanders.....Owen Nolan scored his 200th career NHL goal in a 3-3 Sharks tie against the visiting Calgary Flames.
2002: Marc Denis recorded his 4th career shutout (and his first with Columbus), and Grant Marshall scored a goal and added an assist in the Blue Jackets 2-0 win against the visiting New York Rangers.....Carolina Hurricanes traded defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh and top minor-league prospect Byron Ritchie to the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Bret Hedican, center Kevyn Adams and minor-league prospect Tomas Malec.
2003: Dallas Stars acquired veteran Claude Lemieux from the Phoenix Coyotes, in exchange for Scott Pellerin and a conditional 2004 NHL Draft Pick.
2004: Detroit's Steve Yzerman picked up an assist to become the 7th NHL player to reach 1,700 career points, in a 3-3 tie against the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
January 15th
GABORIK, GARON, & HARTNELL NHL'S THREE STARS
Minnesota Wild right wing Marian Gaborik, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mathieu Garon and Philadelphia Flyers left wing Scott Hartnell have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending January 13.
FIRST STAR -- MARIAN GABORIK, RW, MINNESOTA WILD
Gaborik scored eight points (four goals, four assists) and posted a +9 rating as the Wild captured three of four games for the week. He recorded points in each game, including three multiple-point performances. After tallying an assist in a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars Jan. 7, Gaborik recorded a goal and two assists in regulation time and the game-winning shootout goal in a 6-5 victory over the League-leading Detroit Red Wings Jan. 10. The Wild improved to 22-0-2 all-time when Gaborik tallies three or more points, including 13 consecutive victories. He notched two goals in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Jan. 11 and closed the week with one goal and one assist in a 4-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes Jan. 13. Gaborik leads the Wild and ranks 18th in League scoring with 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 40 games.
SECOND STAR -- MATHIEU GARON, G, EDMONTON OILERS
Garon posted a 3-0-0 record, 1.01 goals-against average and .968 save percentage as the Oilers (21-21-4, 46 points) posted three consecutive victories. Garon turned aside all 35 shots in notching his third shutout of the season as the Oilers defeated the New York Islanders 4-0 Jan. 7. He made 29 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes Jan. 10 and stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Jan. 13. Garon has posted a 14-9-1 record with a 2.34 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and three shutouts in 26 appearances this season.
THIRD STAR -- SCOTT HARTNELL, LW, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Hartnell posted eight points (five goals, three assists) in four games, beginning with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers Jan. 8. He notched his second career hat trick in a 6-2 victory over the New York Rangers Jan. 10, scored one goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins Jan. 12 and finished the week by registering one assist in a 6-4 victory over the Washington Capitals Jan. 13. Hartnell has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 41 games for the Flyers (23-15-5, 51 points), who improved to sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.
WILD PUT HILL ON IR
The Minnesota Wild placed Sean Hill on Injured reserve after the defenceman sprained his ankle in Fridays game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 37-year-old has two assists and is a minus-seven in 21 games this season.
CUJO SIGNS WITH FLAMES
The Calgary Flames spiced up the Battle of Alberta by signing former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one year, $1.5-million contract.
Joseph spent the last two season in the desert with the Phoenix Coyotes, and in December backstopped Canada to a gold medal at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
The 40-year-old became an unrestricted free agent last summer after not re-signing with the Coyotes after posting a 18-31-2 record and 3.91 Goals Against Average.
Cujo will be reunited with Mike Keenan, who coached him in St. Louis during the 1994-95 season, but later traded him to Edmonton in 1995.
Joseph will backup Mikka Kiprusoff, who has appeared in 45 of Calgary's 46 games this season. Curtis McElhinney has played behind Kiprusoff for most of the season, but only has 131 minutes of NHL experience, and the Flames were looking for a veteran backup.
Joseph is just one victory shy of tying Terry Sawchuck for fourth on the all-time goalie career win list at 447, and over his career with St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Phoenix has 47 shutouts and a 2.76 GAA.
FORSBERG TO START SKATING IN 2-3 WEEKS
In an interview with Sweden's SVT, Peter Forsberg said he plans to begin all-out skating to test his right foot within the next two-to-three weeks.
The 13-year NHL veteran said he is optimistic that things will work out for a comeback, but acknowledged that time is beginning to run out. Back in November he took a turn for the worst when his surgically repaired ankle wasn't holding up.
Forsberg had hoped to play in the Karjala Cup - a four-team international tournament - and was going to use the event as a measuring stick to see of his ankle would be able to withstand the rigors of an NHL season, but also said in the interview that he could also elect to finish the season with the Swedish team Modo instead.
In the last three season's, Forsberg has missed 90 regular season games due to injurys.
In his NHL career Forsberg has appeared in 697 games, scored 248 goals and registered 871 points, along with winning two Stanley Cup with Colorado (1996, 2000), the Hart (MVP) and Art Ross (Leading Scorer) Trophy's in 2003, and the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) in 1995. He also lead Team Sweden to two Gold Medals at the 1994 and 2006 Olympics.
Minnesota Wild right wing Marian Gaborik, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mathieu Garon and Philadelphia Flyers left wing Scott Hartnell have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending January 13.
FIRST STAR -- MARIAN GABORIK, RW, MINNESOTA WILD
Gaborik scored eight points (four goals, four assists) and posted a +9 rating as the Wild captured three of four games for the week. He recorded points in each game, including three multiple-point performances. After tallying an assist in a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars Jan. 7, Gaborik recorded a goal and two assists in regulation time and the game-winning shootout goal in a 6-5 victory over the League-leading Detroit Red Wings Jan. 10. The Wild improved to 22-0-2 all-time when Gaborik tallies three or more points, including 13 consecutive victories. He notched two goals in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Jan. 11 and closed the week with one goal and one assist in a 4-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes Jan. 13. Gaborik leads the Wild and ranks 18th in League scoring with 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 40 games.
SECOND STAR -- MATHIEU GARON, G, EDMONTON OILERS
Garon posted a 3-0-0 record, 1.01 goals-against average and .968 save percentage as the Oilers (21-21-4, 46 points) posted three consecutive victories. Garon turned aside all 35 shots in notching his third shutout of the season as the Oilers defeated the New York Islanders 4-0 Jan. 7. He made 29 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes Jan. 10 and stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Jan. 13. Garon has posted a 14-9-1 record with a 2.34 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and three shutouts in 26 appearances this season.
THIRD STAR -- SCOTT HARTNELL, LW, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Hartnell posted eight points (five goals, three assists) in four games, beginning with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers Jan. 8. He notched his second career hat trick in a 6-2 victory over the New York Rangers Jan. 10, scored one goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins Jan. 12 and finished the week by registering one assist in a 6-4 victory over the Washington Capitals Jan. 13. Hartnell has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 41 games for the Flyers (23-15-5, 51 points), who improved to sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.
WILD PUT HILL ON IR
The Minnesota Wild placed Sean Hill on Injured reserve after the defenceman sprained his ankle in Fridays game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 37-year-old has two assists and is a minus-seven in 21 games this season.
CUJO SIGNS WITH FLAMES
The Calgary Flames spiced up the Battle of Alberta by signing former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Curtis Joseph to a one year, $1.5-million contract.
Joseph spent the last two season in the desert with the Phoenix Coyotes, and in December backstopped Canada to a gold medal at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
The 40-year-old became an unrestricted free agent last summer after not re-signing with the Coyotes after posting a 18-31-2 record and 3.91 Goals Against Average.
Cujo will be reunited with Mike Keenan, who coached him in St. Louis during the 1994-95 season, but later traded him to Edmonton in 1995.
Joseph will backup Mikka Kiprusoff, who has appeared in 45 of Calgary's 46 games this season. Curtis McElhinney has played behind Kiprusoff for most of the season, but only has 131 minutes of NHL experience, and the Flames were looking for a veteran backup.
Joseph is just one victory shy of tying Terry Sawchuck for fourth on the all-time goalie career win list at 447, and over his career with St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Phoenix has 47 shutouts and a 2.76 GAA.
FORSBERG TO START SKATING IN 2-3 WEEKS
In an interview with Sweden's SVT, Peter Forsberg said he plans to begin all-out skating to test his right foot within the next two-to-three weeks.
The 13-year NHL veteran said he is optimistic that things will work out for a comeback, but acknowledged that time is beginning to run out. Back in November he took a turn for the worst when his surgically repaired ankle wasn't holding up.
Forsberg had hoped to play in the Karjala Cup - a four-team international tournament - and was going to use the event as a measuring stick to see of his ankle would be able to withstand the rigors of an NHL season, but also said in the interview that he could also elect to finish the season with the Swedish team Modo instead.
In the last three season's, Forsberg has missed 90 regular season games due to injurys.
In his NHL career Forsberg has appeared in 697 games, scored 248 goals and registered 871 points, along with winning two Stanley Cup with Colorado (1996, 2000), the Hart (MVP) and Art Ross (Leading Scorer) Trophy's in 2003, and the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) in 1995. He also lead Team Sweden to two Gold Medals at the 1994 and 2006 Olympics.
Today in NHL History, Jan 15th
1927: Goaltender George Hainsworth recorded the 5th shutout of his rookie season and Aurel Joliat scored the only goal of the game, in the Canadiens' 1-0 win against the Montreal Maroons.
1931: Chuck Gardiner of the Black Hawks beat the Bruins 2-0 in Chicago, for a team-record fourth straight shutout. It was Gardiner's 20th career shutout.
1936: Boston Bruins purchased Bill "Flash" Hollett from Toronto for $16,000.....Chicago Black Hawks acquired All-Star Earl Seibert from the Rangers, in exchange for Art Coulter.
1944: Herb Cain scored twice and added three assists, and Art Jackson got a hat trick as the Bruins won 7-5 over the NY Rangers, at Boston Garden.
1949: Canadiens' Maurice Richard scored his 15th career hat trick to become the 4th player in franchise history to score 200 goals. The milestone came as Montreal won 7-1 against the Black Hawks, at the Forum.
1950: Red Wings' rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk recorded his first career NHL shutout as Detroit beat the Rangers 1-0. Sawchuk retired with 103 career shutouts, an NHL record.
1953: Goaltender Terry Sawchuk recorded his 29th career shutout in the Red Wings' 4-0 win over the Bruins at Boston. Gordie Howe scored twice.
1955: Maurice Richard played in his milestone 700th career NHL game, and scored two goals in a 4-3 Canadiens' loss to the Red Wings. Also in that game the Red Wings Red Kelly picked up three assists....Ted Kennedy picked up three assists as the Maple Leafs won 4-2 over the Bruins, in Toronto.
1956: Rookie goaltender Glenn Hall recorded his 10th career shutout, and Earl Reibel scored twice in the third period to lead the Red Wings to a 2-0 win over the Canadiens, in Detroit. Red Kelly picked up both assists for the Red Wings.....Goaltender Gump Worsley recorded his 10th career shutout to lead the New York Rangers to a 2-0 win at Chicago.
1966: Detroit's Gordie Howe recorded his 1,400th NHL career point, an assist, in his 1,295th game. Red Wings and Rangers tied, 4-4, in Detroit.
1967: Goaltender Denis DeJordy recorded his 4th career shutout, and Phil Esposito picked up three assists in the Black Hawks' 4-0 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.
1968: Minnesota North Stars forward Bill Masterton died two days after suffering a head injury in a game against the Oakland Seals. It was the only death as a result of a game injury in the history of the National Hockey League.
1969: Tim Horton became the first defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs history to score 100 career goals; the milestone came in a 5-5 tie against the visiting Boston Bruins.
1970: Boston's Bobby Orr recorded two assists to set a new NHL single season assist record (51) for defensemen. It came in a 6-3 win over the Kings, and broke the mark of 50 set by Chicago's Pat Stapleton in 1968-69.....Rookie goalie Ernie Wakely recorded his third career shutout to lead the Blues to a 2-0 win over Toronto in St. Louis.
1972: Pittsburgh's low scoring defenseman Tim Horton had four assists to lead the Penguins to a 4-2 win against the Flyers at the Civic Arena. The victory ended the Penguins' 8 game winless streak (0-5-3).....Bobby Hull became the first player to appear in 1,000 games as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The milestone came in a 4-2 loss at Boston.
1979: Tim Young scored five goals (including his first career hat trick) and added an assist to lead the Minnesota North Stars to an 8-1 win against the Rangers, at New York.
1981: Calgary's rookie goalie Reggie Lemelin recorded his second career shutout, and Kent Nilsson scored his second career hat trick and added three assists as the Flames won 10-0 over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1982: Murray Oliver took over as the Minnesota North Stars' head coach, replacing Glen Sonmor.
1983: Wayne Gretzky scored a goal and added five assists as the Edmonton Oilers extended their team-record road undefeated streak to 8 straight games (7-0-1), with a 10-4 win over the North Stars, at Minnesota.
1984: Vancouver's Frank Caprice earned his only NHL shutout in a 5-0 win over the Hartford Whalers. Tony Tanti recorded his first NHL hat trick in the game.
1986: Edmonton goaltender Andy Moog ran his unbeaten streak to 17 games (14-0-3), when the Oilers beat the Whalers, 4-1 in Hartford. Wayne Gretzky led the scoring with two goals and an assist.....Mario Lemieux began a team-record 14 game assist streak in the Penguins' 6-3 win over the visiting New York Islanders.....Montreal's rookie goaltender Patrick Roy recorded his first career NHL shutout, a 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets, at the Forum.
1987: Philadelphia Flyers picked up the 800th all-time victory in team history in a 6-3 victory over the Canadiens at the Spectrum. The win gave the Flyers an all time record of 800-481-261.....Bruins' Ray Bourque picked up his 400th career assist, in a 6-4 win against the Hartford Whalers. Also in that game, Boston's Rick Middleton became the 35th player in NHL history to get career 500 assists.
1988: Edmonton's Mark Messier notched his 700th NHL career assist and Grant Fuhr played in his 300th career game in the Oilers' 4-4 tie against the Winnipeg Jets.
1989: Detroit's Steve Yzerman scored a goal and added three assists to give him 206 goals and 297 assists for 503 NHL career points in 400 games. Red Wings won 8-4 win at Philadelphia.
1990: Washington Capitals fired coach Brian Murray (who had been their head coach since Nov. 1981) and replaced him with his brother Terry, who had been coaching in the minors.
1991: Paul Coffey scored a goal to become the Penguins all-time scoring leader among defensemen, with his 344th point, passing Ron Stackhouse, in Pittsburgh's 5-4 loss to the Flyers at Philadelphia.
1992: Buffalo's Dave Andreychuk became the third player in franchise history to score 300 goals. The milestone goal (along with five assists) came as the Sabres tied 8-8 against the Devils, at New Jersey.
1994: Washington goaltender Don Beaupre recorded his 14th career shutout in the Capitals' 4-0 win over the Nordiques in Quebec City.....Al MacInnis became the first defenseman in franchise history to score 200 goals as a member of the Flames. The milestone goal (along with two assists) came as Calgary won 10-0 against the visiting Ottawa Senators.....Igor Larionov scored his third career hat trick (and his first with San Jose) in the Sharks' 8-2 win against the visiting Hartford Whalers. Arturs Irbe set a team record in the game with his 12th win of the season.
1996: Flyers' Eric Lindros scored a goal and had two assists to reach 300 career NHL points, and John LeClair scored his 100th career NHL goal as Philadelphia won 6-1 over the visiting Dallas Stars.
1998: Florida Panthers acquired Dino Ciccarelli and Jeff Norton from Tampa Bay, in exchange for Jody Hull and Mark Fitzpatrick.
2000: NHL announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators would open the 2000-01 NHL season with a two-game series in Japan.....Rick Tocchet scored a goal for his 900th career NHL point to lead the Coyotes to a 4-2 win over the visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
2002: Herb Brooks, Larry Pleau and the 1960 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team were honored with the Lester Patrick Award, at a luncheon held in St. Paul, Minnesota.....Teemu Selanne scored with three seconds remaining in overtime, and Evgeni Nabokov recorded his 12th career shutout in the Sharks 1-0 win against the Avalanche at Colorado.....Felix Potvin recorded his 21st career shutout in the Kings 2-0 win over the visiting Nashville Predators. In a pre-game ceremony, Kelly Buchberger was honored for playing in his 1,000th career game on Jan. 7 in New Jersey.
2003: Rookie Sebastien Caron recorded his first career shutout in his third NHL game as the Penguins won 2-0 over the Hurricanes at Carolina.....Scott Niedermayer had an assist to become just the second defenseman in New Jersey Devils history to get 400 career points, and Martin Brodeur recorded his 60th career shutout in a 5-0 win over the visiting New York Islanders.
2004: Martin St. Louis scored three goals in the first period (in a span of 9:43) and Dave Andreychuk became the 25th NHL player to score 1,300 career points, as the Lightning won 5-4 over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes.....Edmonton's Adam Oates played in his 1,300th career NHL game, and Tommy Salo recorded his 36th career shutout in a 1-0 win over the visiting Anaheim. It was the Oiler's 9th straight home win over the Mighty Ducks (Dating back to February, 1999).....Veteran NHL broadcasters John Davidson and Mike Emrick, and long-time executive Ray Miron were named recipients of the 2004 Lester Patrick Award, for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.
1931: Chuck Gardiner of the Black Hawks beat the Bruins 2-0 in Chicago, for a team-record fourth straight shutout. It was Gardiner's 20th career shutout.
1936: Boston Bruins purchased Bill "Flash" Hollett from Toronto for $16,000.....Chicago Black Hawks acquired All-Star Earl Seibert from the Rangers, in exchange for Art Coulter.
1944: Herb Cain scored twice and added three assists, and Art Jackson got a hat trick as the Bruins won 7-5 over the NY Rangers, at Boston Garden.
1949: Canadiens' Maurice Richard scored his 15th career hat trick to become the 4th player in franchise history to score 200 goals. The milestone came as Montreal won 7-1 against the Black Hawks, at the Forum.
1950: Red Wings' rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk recorded his first career NHL shutout as Detroit beat the Rangers 1-0. Sawchuk retired with 103 career shutouts, an NHL record.
1953: Goaltender Terry Sawchuk recorded his 29th career shutout in the Red Wings' 4-0 win over the Bruins at Boston. Gordie Howe scored twice.
1955: Maurice Richard played in his milestone 700th career NHL game, and scored two goals in a 4-3 Canadiens' loss to the Red Wings. Also in that game the Red Wings Red Kelly picked up three assists....Ted Kennedy picked up three assists as the Maple Leafs won 4-2 over the Bruins, in Toronto.
1956: Rookie goaltender Glenn Hall recorded his 10th career shutout, and Earl Reibel scored twice in the third period to lead the Red Wings to a 2-0 win over the Canadiens, in Detroit. Red Kelly picked up both assists for the Red Wings.....Goaltender Gump Worsley recorded his 10th career shutout to lead the New York Rangers to a 2-0 win at Chicago.
1966: Detroit's Gordie Howe recorded his 1,400th NHL career point, an assist, in his 1,295th game. Red Wings and Rangers tied, 4-4, in Detroit.
1967: Goaltender Denis DeJordy recorded his 4th career shutout, and Phil Esposito picked up three assists in the Black Hawks' 4-0 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.
1968: Minnesota North Stars forward Bill Masterton died two days after suffering a head injury in a game against the Oakland Seals. It was the only death as a result of a game injury in the history of the National Hockey League.
1969: Tim Horton became the first defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs history to score 100 career goals; the milestone came in a 5-5 tie against the visiting Boston Bruins.
1970: Boston's Bobby Orr recorded two assists to set a new NHL single season assist record (51) for defensemen. It came in a 6-3 win over the Kings, and broke the mark of 50 set by Chicago's Pat Stapleton in 1968-69.....Rookie goalie Ernie Wakely recorded his third career shutout to lead the Blues to a 2-0 win over Toronto in St. Louis.
1972: Pittsburgh's low scoring defenseman Tim Horton had four assists to lead the Penguins to a 4-2 win against the Flyers at the Civic Arena. The victory ended the Penguins' 8 game winless streak (0-5-3).....Bobby Hull became the first player to appear in 1,000 games as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The milestone came in a 4-2 loss at Boston.
1979: Tim Young scored five goals (including his first career hat trick) and added an assist to lead the Minnesota North Stars to an 8-1 win against the Rangers, at New York.
1981: Calgary's rookie goalie Reggie Lemelin recorded his second career shutout, and Kent Nilsson scored his second career hat trick and added three assists as the Flames won 10-0 over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
1982: Murray Oliver took over as the Minnesota North Stars' head coach, replacing Glen Sonmor.
1983: Wayne Gretzky scored a goal and added five assists as the Edmonton Oilers extended their team-record road undefeated streak to 8 straight games (7-0-1), with a 10-4 win over the North Stars, at Minnesota.
1984: Vancouver's Frank Caprice earned his only NHL shutout in a 5-0 win over the Hartford Whalers. Tony Tanti recorded his first NHL hat trick in the game.
1986: Edmonton goaltender Andy Moog ran his unbeaten streak to 17 games (14-0-3), when the Oilers beat the Whalers, 4-1 in Hartford. Wayne Gretzky led the scoring with two goals and an assist.....Mario Lemieux began a team-record 14 game assist streak in the Penguins' 6-3 win over the visiting New York Islanders.....Montreal's rookie goaltender Patrick Roy recorded his first career NHL shutout, a 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets, at the Forum.
1987: Philadelphia Flyers picked up the 800th all-time victory in team history in a 6-3 victory over the Canadiens at the Spectrum. The win gave the Flyers an all time record of 800-481-261.....Bruins' Ray Bourque picked up his 400th career assist, in a 6-4 win against the Hartford Whalers. Also in that game, Boston's Rick Middleton became the 35th player in NHL history to get career 500 assists.
1988: Edmonton's Mark Messier notched his 700th NHL career assist and Grant Fuhr played in his 300th career game in the Oilers' 4-4 tie against the Winnipeg Jets.
1989: Detroit's Steve Yzerman scored a goal and added three assists to give him 206 goals and 297 assists for 503 NHL career points in 400 games. Red Wings won 8-4 win at Philadelphia.
1990: Washington Capitals fired coach Brian Murray (who had been their head coach since Nov. 1981) and replaced him with his brother Terry, who had been coaching in the minors.
1991: Paul Coffey scored a goal to become the Penguins all-time scoring leader among defensemen, with his 344th point, passing Ron Stackhouse, in Pittsburgh's 5-4 loss to the Flyers at Philadelphia.
1992: Buffalo's Dave Andreychuk became the third player in franchise history to score 300 goals. The milestone goal (along with five assists) came as the Sabres tied 8-8 against the Devils, at New Jersey.
1994: Washington goaltender Don Beaupre recorded his 14th career shutout in the Capitals' 4-0 win over the Nordiques in Quebec City.....Al MacInnis became the first defenseman in franchise history to score 200 goals as a member of the Flames. The milestone goal (along with two assists) came as Calgary won 10-0 against the visiting Ottawa Senators.....Igor Larionov scored his third career hat trick (and his first with San Jose) in the Sharks' 8-2 win against the visiting Hartford Whalers. Arturs Irbe set a team record in the game with his 12th win of the season.
1996: Flyers' Eric Lindros scored a goal and had two assists to reach 300 career NHL points, and John LeClair scored his 100th career NHL goal as Philadelphia won 6-1 over the visiting Dallas Stars.
1998: Florida Panthers acquired Dino Ciccarelli and Jeff Norton from Tampa Bay, in exchange for Jody Hull and Mark Fitzpatrick.
2000: NHL announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators would open the 2000-01 NHL season with a two-game series in Japan.....Rick Tocchet scored a goal for his 900th career NHL point to lead the Coyotes to a 4-2 win over the visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
2002: Herb Brooks, Larry Pleau and the 1960 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team were honored with the Lester Patrick Award, at a luncheon held in St. Paul, Minnesota.....Teemu Selanne scored with three seconds remaining in overtime, and Evgeni Nabokov recorded his 12th career shutout in the Sharks 1-0 win against the Avalanche at Colorado.....Felix Potvin recorded his 21st career shutout in the Kings 2-0 win over the visiting Nashville Predators. In a pre-game ceremony, Kelly Buchberger was honored for playing in his 1,000th career game on Jan. 7 in New Jersey.
2003: Rookie Sebastien Caron recorded his first career shutout in his third NHL game as the Penguins won 2-0 over the Hurricanes at Carolina.....Scott Niedermayer had an assist to become just the second defenseman in New Jersey Devils history to get 400 career points, and Martin Brodeur recorded his 60th career shutout in a 5-0 win over the visiting New York Islanders.
2004: Martin St. Louis scored three goals in the first period (in a span of 9:43) and Dave Andreychuk became the 25th NHL player to score 1,300 career points, as the Lightning won 5-4 over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes.....Edmonton's Adam Oates played in his 1,300th career NHL game, and Tommy Salo recorded his 36th career shutout in a 1-0 win over the visiting Anaheim. It was the Oiler's 9th straight home win over the Mighty Ducks (Dating back to February, 1999).....Veteran NHL broadcasters John Davidson and Mike Emrick, and long-time executive Ray Miron were named recipients of the 2004 Lester Patrick Award, for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.
Monday, January 14, 2008
January 14th, Part II
CUJO WATCH TO END TODAY
Curtis Joseph is expected to make a decision today on where he intends to resume his NHL career.
Reported sources from TSN.ca say the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames have emerged from the weekend as the top two contending teams, with the Toronto Maple Leafs continuing to show interest as a long shot.
Calgary appears to be the likely destination, but discussions with the Rangers are still taking place.
San Jose and Calgary were believed to have the inside track before the story broke last week that the Flames were the primary targets.
Late interest from the Rangers and Maple Leafs have slowed the process as Cujo and his family are awaiting and considering their options.
In 17 seasons with St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Phoenix, Joseph has appeared in 915 games, and posted a 446-341-90 record with a 2.78 Goals Against Average.
SAVARD REPLACES INJURED HEATLEY
Center Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins has been added to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan. 27 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, the National Hockey League announced today.
Savard replaces Ottawa Senators forward Dany Heatley, who suffered a separated shoulder during Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and will be sidelined for six weeks.
Playing in his 10th NHL season, Savard will be making his first career All-Star Game appearance. He leads the Bruins in scoring with 47 points (11 goals, 36 assists) in 43 games and is on pace for an 89-point season. He cracked the top 10 in League scoring for the second consecutive campaign in 2006-07, finishing ninth with 96 points (22 goals, 74 assists) in 82 games with Bruins. Savard has recorded 179 assists since the start of the 2005-06 season, third among all NHL players to San Jose's Joe Thornton (228) and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (188).
Curtis Joseph is expected to make a decision today on where he intends to resume his NHL career.
Reported sources from TSN.ca say the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames have emerged from the weekend as the top two contending teams, with the Toronto Maple Leafs continuing to show interest as a long shot.
Calgary appears to be the likely destination, but discussions with the Rangers are still taking place.
San Jose and Calgary were believed to have the inside track before the story broke last week that the Flames were the primary targets.
Late interest from the Rangers and Maple Leafs have slowed the process as Cujo and his family are awaiting and considering their options.
In 17 seasons with St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Phoenix, Joseph has appeared in 915 games, and posted a 446-341-90 record with a 2.78 Goals Against Average.
SAVARD REPLACES INJURED HEATLEY
Center Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins has been added to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Sunday, Jan. 27 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, the National Hockey League announced today.
Savard replaces Ottawa Senators forward Dany Heatley, who suffered a separated shoulder during Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and will be sidelined for six weeks.
Playing in his 10th NHL season, Savard will be making his first career All-Star Game appearance. He leads the Bruins in scoring with 47 points (11 goals, 36 assists) in 43 games and is on pace for an 89-point season. He cracked the top 10 in League scoring for the second consecutive campaign in 2006-07, finishing ninth with 96 points (22 goals, 74 assists) in 82 games with Bruins. Savard has recorded 179 assists since the start of the 2005-06 season, third among all NHL players to San Jose's Joe Thornton (228) and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (188).
January 14th
SPEZZA HURT IN SENS LOSS
Not only did the Ottawa Senators lose to the New York Islanders 3-1 Sunday, but they also lost forward Jason Spezza, who left in the first period after absorbing an open-ice hit from the Isles Freddy Meyer.
Spezza has 53 points on the season, third behind Daniel Alfredsson, and Dany Heatley who is out for up to six weeks after he dislocated his shoulder in Saturdays 3-2 win over Detroit.
Spezza did return for his next shifts in the first period, but didn't come out for the second, and a team spokesman said he was held out for "precautionary measures", though there was no indication of the nature of his injury
U.S WINS INAUGURAL WOMEN'S U-18 HOCKEY TITLE
Alyssa Grogan stopped 26 of 28 shots, while Brooke Ammerman, Meagan Mangene, Kendall Koyne, Brianna Decker and Amanda Kessel each scored for the U.S., as the Americans beat the Canadiens 5-2 in the first womens world under-18 hockey championship Saturday in Calgary.
Grogan was named the tournaments top goaltender, Canadian captain Lauriane Rougeau was chosen the best defencewoman, and Marie-Phillip of Canada was given the nod as the top forward.
The Czech Republic beat Sweden 4-2 in the bronze medal game.
Attendance over the 18 games played was about 10,000 at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, which holds about 2,000 people,and the adjacent Norma Bush Arena, which holds about 300.
BLUES JOHNSON OUT FOR SEASON
St. Louis Blues veteran forward Mike Johnson will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder this week to repair a torn labrum.
The 33-year-old right wing, signed as a free agent on Oct. 4, hasn't played since hurting his shoulder in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 2.
Johnson has two goal and three assists in 21 games this season, and in 661 career-regular season games with the Blues, Montreal, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Toronto has 129 goals and 375 points.
BOWMAN SAYS LEAFS TURNED HIM DOWN
In an interview Saturday with CBC's Hockey Night in Canada's Ron MacLean, legendary coach Scotty Bowman said he discussed a possible senior adviser's job with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie called off the talks in September, not the other way around.
The Leafs made the unusual announcement in the offseason that they were seeking someone to oversee embattled general manager John Ferguson. Speculation was that Bowman, a paid consultant to the Detroit Red Wings, was the team's first choice. But the talks never progressed to the point of a formal offer, and Bowman said he wished to return to the Red Wings, making it appear to some as if he'd walked away from the Leafs.
Bowman told MacLean in the interview that he wasn't sure why the Leafs decided not to hire him, but admitted that he asked for a degree of control over the team similar to that enjoyed by Bryan Colangelo, the president and GM of the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment owned Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Bowman went on to say that Leafs might have been concerned about how much time he was going to be able to spend on the Job, and that he currently speaks with Red Wings coach Mike Babcock and GM Ken Holland Daily.
Current Leafs GM John Ferguson was rumoured to be close to getting his pink slip in late November, when Richard Peddie said in a published report that he'd made 'a mistake' in hiring the first-time GM. Toronto, though, has briefly turned its fortunes around and no changes were made. Recently the Leafs have won just one of their last nine games and are in danger of altogether falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, and if that trend contuines there is the possibility that the Leafs brain trust could make changes before the season ends.
Scotty Bowman, a winner of a record nine Stanley Cups as a head coach with Montreal (1973, '76, '77, '78, '79), Pittsburgh (1992) and Detroit (1997, 98, & 2000) and was noncommittal when asked if he'd still be interested if the Leafs came calling again, saying it's a pretty tough question to answer and it'd be awfully tough to leave Detroit, and we'll cross that bridge if it ever comes to that.
Not only did the Ottawa Senators lose to the New York Islanders 3-1 Sunday, but they also lost forward Jason Spezza, who left in the first period after absorbing an open-ice hit from the Isles Freddy Meyer.
Spezza has 53 points on the season, third behind Daniel Alfredsson, and Dany Heatley who is out for up to six weeks after he dislocated his shoulder in Saturdays 3-2 win over Detroit.
Spezza did return for his next shifts in the first period, but didn't come out for the second, and a team spokesman said he was held out for "precautionary measures", though there was no indication of the nature of his injury
U.S WINS INAUGURAL WOMEN'S U-18 HOCKEY TITLE
Alyssa Grogan stopped 26 of 28 shots, while Brooke Ammerman, Meagan Mangene, Kendall Koyne, Brianna Decker and Amanda Kessel each scored for the U.S., as the Americans beat the Canadiens 5-2 in the first womens world under-18 hockey championship Saturday in Calgary.
Grogan was named the tournaments top goaltender, Canadian captain Lauriane Rougeau was chosen the best defencewoman, and Marie-Phillip of Canada was given the nod as the top forward.
The Czech Republic beat Sweden 4-2 in the bronze medal game.
Attendance over the 18 games played was about 10,000 at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, which holds about 2,000 people,and the adjacent Norma Bush Arena, which holds about 300.
BLUES JOHNSON OUT FOR SEASON
St. Louis Blues veteran forward Mike Johnson will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder this week to repair a torn labrum.
The 33-year-old right wing, signed as a free agent on Oct. 4, hasn't played since hurting his shoulder in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 2.
Johnson has two goal and three assists in 21 games this season, and in 661 career-regular season games with the Blues, Montreal, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Toronto has 129 goals and 375 points.
BOWMAN SAYS LEAFS TURNED HIM DOWN
In an interview Saturday with CBC's Hockey Night in Canada's Ron MacLean, legendary coach Scotty Bowman said he discussed a possible senior adviser's job with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie called off the talks in September, not the other way around.
The Leafs made the unusual announcement in the offseason that they were seeking someone to oversee embattled general manager John Ferguson. Speculation was that Bowman, a paid consultant to the Detroit Red Wings, was the team's first choice. But the talks never progressed to the point of a formal offer, and Bowman said he wished to return to the Red Wings, making it appear to some as if he'd walked away from the Leafs.
Bowman told MacLean in the interview that he wasn't sure why the Leafs decided not to hire him, but admitted that he asked for a degree of control over the team similar to that enjoyed by Bryan Colangelo, the president and GM of the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment owned Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Bowman went on to say that Leafs might have been concerned about how much time he was going to be able to spend on the Job, and that he currently speaks with Red Wings coach Mike Babcock and GM Ken Holland Daily.
Current Leafs GM John Ferguson was rumoured to be close to getting his pink slip in late November, when Richard Peddie said in a published report that he'd made 'a mistake' in hiring the first-time GM. Toronto, though, has briefly turned its fortunes around and no changes were made. Recently the Leafs have won just one of their last nine games and are in danger of altogether falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, and if that trend contuines there is the possibility that the Leafs brain trust could make changes before the season ends.
Scotty Bowman, a winner of a record nine Stanley Cups as a head coach with Montreal (1973, '76, '77, '78, '79), Pittsburgh (1992) and Detroit (1997, 98, & 2000) and was noncommittal when asked if he'd still be interested if the Leafs came calling again, saying it's a pretty tough question to answer and it'd be awfully tough to leave Detroit, and we'll cross that bridge if it ever comes to that.
Today in NHL History, Jan 14th
1904: Hall of Famer Albert "Babe" Siebert born in Plattsville, Ont. Siebert played in the NHL 1925-26 through 1938-39 with the Canadiens, the Montreal Maroons, the New York Rangers, and Boston.
1928: Hap Day scored his first career hat trick (and the first by any player in a "Maple Leafs" uniform) as Toronto beat the visiting NY Rangers, 6-1.
1932: Alex Connell recorded his 66th career shutout (to tie George Hainsworth as the NHL's all-time leader), as the Detroit Falcons won 2-0 over the visiting Black Hawks. The win extended the Wings' home unbeaten streak to 10 straight games (7-0-3).
1933: Chicago named Tom Gorman as the Black Hawks' new coach, replacing Emil Iverson. Gorman became the tenth coach in Chicago's seven year history. The Hawks missed the playoffs in 1932-33, but Gorman led them to their first Stanley Cup in 1934.
1937: Goaltender Alex Connell recorded his 199th (and final) NHL victory when the Montreal Maroons won 7-3 over the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.
1943: Montreal's Alex Smart became the first NHL rookie to score a hat trick in his first NHL game. His three goals (and an assist) led the Canadiens to a 5-1 win over Chicago. Smart went on to play just eight games in his NHL career.
1945: Detroit's rookie goalie Harry Lumley recorded the first shutout of his NHL career in the Red Wings 3-0 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.
1950: After losing his first two starts Detroit rookie Terry Sawchuk picked up the first victory of his NHL career, when the Red wings beat the visiting New York Rangers 4-2.....Goaltender Bill Durnan recorded his sixth shutout of the season (and the 32nd of his career) to lead the Canadiens to a 3-0 win over the Black Hawks in Montreal.
1960: Maurice Richard regained the NHL's All-Time scoring lead, when his assist in a 3-1 win over Toronto gave him 946 career points (one more than Gordie Howe). Two nights later Howe scored two points and took the lead, which he held until 1989.
1962: Terry Sawchuk became the first goaltender in Detroit team history to win 300 games with the Red Wings. The milestone came in a 2-1 penalty-free Red Wings win over the visiting New York Rangers.
1970: Rookie goalie Tony Esposito recorded his ninth shutout of the season to lead the Black Hawks to a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh at Chicago Stadium. Esposito finished the 1969-70 season with 15 shutouts, an NHL record for rookies.....Bruins' Phil Esposito scored four goals (including two shorthanded) and added an assist, and Ed Johnston made 20 saves for his 26th career shutout in a 6-0 win over Buffalo, at Boston Garden. It was the 18th hat trick of Esposito's NHL career.
1971: Bruins' Phil Esposito scored three goals and three assists, and set a modern NHL record with his 5th hat trick of the season in a 9-5 win over the Kings. It was the 10th hat trick of Esposito's NHL career, and the Bruins' 12th straight home win.
1972: Buffalo Sabres obtained Jim Lorentz from the NY Rangers, in exchange for Buffalo's second round choice in the upcoming 1972 draft. The Rangers later used the pick to select Larry Sacharuk.
1973: Montreal's Wayne Thomas became the 12th goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in his first career game when the Canadiens won 3-0 at Vancouver.
1974: Phil Maloney replaced Bill McCreary as Vancouver Canucks' head coach, and became the fourth coach in team history. McCreary had coached the Canucks to a 9-25-7 record in 41 games.
1978: Kings' Butch Goring became the first player in franchise history to score 200 goals. The milestone came as Los Angeles beat the Flames, 8-4 at Atlanta. Also in that game, Rookie Dave Taylor scored his first NHL hat trick and Danny Grant picked up 5 assists.
1980: Doug Sulliman, Eddie Johnstone and Warren Miller set a Rangers' team record for fastest three goals, scoring 28 seconds apart in the first period of 6-6 tie against the Colorado Rockies.
1984: Islanders' Mike Bossy scored his 400th NHL goal (and the first Islander to do so) -- in just his 506th career game, a 4-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers. Bossy also had two assists, to become the fastest player to score 400 NHL goals.....Greg Terrion scored on a penalty shot against Chicago's Murray Bannerman, and added an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs tied 2-2 with the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.
1986: Calgary Flames ended their team-record 9 game road losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Capitals, at Washington.....Denis Potvin became the first defenseman in NHL history (and the 66th player overall) to score 300 career goals, when he scored in the Islanders' 8-5 win over the visiting Quebec Nordiques.
1987: Roland Melanson got his first shutout with Los Angeles (the second of his career) as the Kings beat Vancouver, 4-0 at the Forum. It was Mike Murphy's first win as coach of the Kings, since replacing Pat Quinn.
1989: John Tonelli scored two goals and added two assists for his 700th NHL point as the Kings won 9-6 over the Hartford Whalers.
1990: New York Rangers beat the Flyers 4-3 in overtime to win their 1,000th home game. The victory gave them a lifetime record of 1,000-715-373 at Madison Square Garden.....Brian MacLellan scored four goals for his 4th career hat trick in the Flames' 6-5 win against the Blackhawks at Chicago.
1991: Buffalo's Pierre Turgeon and Alexander Mogilny each scored twice and added three assists in a 9-3 win at Toronto.
1992: Vancouver rookie Pavel Bure picked up three assists as the Canucks began a team-record 5 game road winning streak, with a 4-2 win over the Jets, at Winnipeg.
1993: Don Beaupre became the first goaltender to record 10 shutouts in a Washington Capitals' uniform, in a 3-0 win against the Islanders at Long Island.
1994: Paul Coffey picked up four assists, including the 900th of his career as the Red Wings won 9-3 over Dallas in Detroit. Coffey became only the sixth player in NHL history and the first defenseman to reach the 900 assist level.
1996: Brett Hull scored his 800th career NHL point, with a first period assist in the Blues' 3-3 tie against the Rangers, in New York.
1997: Patrick Lalime ran his rookie record to 12-0-2 in the Penguins' 3-1 win over the visiting Dallas Stars. Only Montreal's Bill Durnan, Ken Dryden, and Boston's Ross Brooks had matched 14-game unbeaten marks as rookies.....Martin Brodeur became the second goalie in Devils' franchise history to record 100 victories. The milestone came in a 4-2 win over Boston. It was the start of a 14 game unbeaten streak (8-0-6) for Brodeur.....Ron Hextall became the second goalie in franchise history to record 200 wins as a member of the Flyers. The milestone came in a 3-2 win over Montreal. Coach Terry Murray picked up his 100th victory with Philadelphia.
1998: Panthers' veteran Kirk Muller played in the 1,000th game of his NHL career, and picked up an assist in a 3-2 loss at Phoenix.....Jeremy Roenick scored a goal for his 700th career NHL point in the Coyotes' 3-2 win over the visiting Florida Panthers.....San Jose's Jeff Friesen scored twice (in a 4-2 loss to the visiting L.A. Kings) to become the Sharks' all-time leader in career points. His 163rd point as a Shark moved him one ahead of Pat Falloon.
2001: Adam Graves scored his 300th career NHL goal as the Rangers ended a nine-game winless streak (0-7-1-1) with a 4-2 win against the visiting Minnesota Wild.....Carolina's Ron Francis scored twice to record his 1,592nd career points, to pass Phil Esposito for 5th place in all-time scoring as the Hurricanes won 4-0 against the visiting Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Arturs Irbe recorded his 28th career shutout.
2002: Dainius Zubrus scored 13 seconds into overtime, Adam Oates become the 8th player in NHL history to pick up 1,000 career assists, and Olaf Kolzig recorded his second consecutive shutout (and the 24th of his career) in the Capitals 1-0 win against the visiting Boston Bruins.
2003: Ottawa's Patrick Lalime recorded his third consecutive shutout to give him 25 shutouts in his 236 game NHL career - the fastest 25 shutouts in NHL history. The milestone came in a 7-0 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.
1928: Hap Day scored his first career hat trick (and the first by any player in a "Maple Leafs" uniform) as Toronto beat the visiting NY Rangers, 6-1.
1932: Alex Connell recorded his 66th career shutout (to tie George Hainsworth as the NHL's all-time leader), as the Detroit Falcons won 2-0 over the visiting Black Hawks. The win extended the Wings' home unbeaten streak to 10 straight games (7-0-3).
1933: Chicago named Tom Gorman as the Black Hawks' new coach, replacing Emil Iverson. Gorman became the tenth coach in Chicago's seven year history. The Hawks missed the playoffs in 1932-33, but Gorman led them to their first Stanley Cup in 1934.
1937: Goaltender Alex Connell recorded his 199th (and final) NHL victory when the Montreal Maroons won 7-3 over the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.
1943: Montreal's Alex Smart became the first NHL rookie to score a hat trick in his first NHL game. His three goals (and an assist) led the Canadiens to a 5-1 win over Chicago. Smart went on to play just eight games in his NHL career.
1945: Detroit's rookie goalie Harry Lumley recorded the first shutout of his NHL career in the Red Wings 3-0 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.
1950: After losing his first two starts Detroit rookie Terry Sawchuk picked up the first victory of his NHL career, when the Red wings beat the visiting New York Rangers 4-2.....Goaltender Bill Durnan recorded his sixth shutout of the season (and the 32nd of his career) to lead the Canadiens to a 3-0 win over the Black Hawks in Montreal.
1960: Maurice Richard regained the NHL's All-Time scoring lead, when his assist in a 3-1 win over Toronto gave him 946 career points (one more than Gordie Howe). Two nights later Howe scored two points and took the lead, which he held until 1989.
1962: Terry Sawchuk became the first goaltender in Detroit team history to win 300 games with the Red Wings. The milestone came in a 2-1 penalty-free Red Wings win over the visiting New York Rangers.
1970: Rookie goalie Tony Esposito recorded his ninth shutout of the season to lead the Black Hawks to a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh at Chicago Stadium. Esposito finished the 1969-70 season with 15 shutouts, an NHL record for rookies.....Bruins' Phil Esposito scored four goals (including two shorthanded) and added an assist, and Ed Johnston made 20 saves for his 26th career shutout in a 6-0 win over Buffalo, at Boston Garden. It was the 18th hat trick of Esposito's NHL career.
1971: Bruins' Phil Esposito scored three goals and three assists, and set a modern NHL record with his 5th hat trick of the season in a 9-5 win over the Kings. It was the 10th hat trick of Esposito's NHL career, and the Bruins' 12th straight home win.
1972: Buffalo Sabres obtained Jim Lorentz from the NY Rangers, in exchange for Buffalo's second round choice in the upcoming 1972 draft. The Rangers later used the pick to select Larry Sacharuk.
1973: Montreal's Wayne Thomas became the 12th goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in his first career game when the Canadiens won 3-0 at Vancouver.
1974: Phil Maloney replaced Bill McCreary as Vancouver Canucks' head coach, and became the fourth coach in team history. McCreary had coached the Canucks to a 9-25-7 record in 41 games.
1978: Kings' Butch Goring became the first player in franchise history to score 200 goals. The milestone came as Los Angeles beat the Flames, 8-4 at Atlanta. Also in that game, Rookie Dave Taylor scored his first NHL hat trick and Danny Grant picked up 5 assists.
1980: Doug Sulliman, Eddie Johnstone and Warren Miller set a Rangers' team record for fastest three goals, scoring 28 seconds apart in the first period of 6-6 tie against the Colorado Rockies.
1984: Islanders' Mike Bossy scored his 400th NHL goal (and the first Islander to do so) -- in just his 506th career game, a 4-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers. Bossy also had two assists, to become the fastest player to score 400 NHL goals.....Greg Terrion scored on a penalty shot against Chicago's Murray Bannerman, and added an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs tied 2-2 with the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.
1986: Calgary Flames ended their team-record 9 game road losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Capitals, at Washington.....Denis Potvin became the first defenseman in NHL history (and the 66th player overall) to score 300 career goals, when he scored in the Islanders' 8-5 win over the visiting Quebec Nordiques.
1987: Roland Melanson got his first shutout with Los Angeles (the second of his career) as the Kings beat Vancouver, 4-0 at the Forum. It was Mike Murphy's first win as coach of the Kings, since replacing Pat Quinn.
1989: John Tonelli scored two goals and added two assists for his 700th NHL point as the Kings won 9-6 over the Hartford Whalers.
1990: New York Rangers beat the Flyers 4-3 in overtime to win their 1,000th home game. The victory gave them a lifetime record of 1,000-715-373 at Madison Square Garden.....Brian MacLellan scored four goals for his 4th career hat trick in the Flames' 6-5 win against the Blackhawks at Chicago.
1991: Buffalo's Pierre Turgeon and Alexander Mogilny each scored twice and added three assists in a 9-3 win at Toronto.
1992: Vancouver rookie Pavel Bure picked up three assists as the Canucks began a team-record 5 game road winning streak, with a 4-2 win over the Jets, at Winnipeg.
1993: Don Beaupre became the first goaltender to record 10 shutouts in a Washington Capitals' uniform, in a 3-0 win against the Islanders at Long Island.
1994: Paul Coffey picked up four assists, including the 900th of his career as the Red Wings won 9-3 over Dallas in Detroit. Coffey became only the sixth player in NHL history and the first defenseman to reach the 900 assist level.
1996: Brett Hull scored his 800th career NHL point, with a first period assist in the Blues' 3-3 tie against the Rangers, in New York.
1997: Patrick Lalime ran his rookie record to 12-0-2 in the Penguins' 3-1 win over the visiting Dallas Stars. Only Montreal's Bill Durnan, Ken Dryden, and Boston's Ross Brooks had matched 14-game unbeaten marks as rookies.....Martin Brodeur became the second goalie in Devils' franchise history to record 100 victories. The milestone came in a 4-2 win over Boston. It was the start of a 14 game unbeaten streak (8-0-6) for Brodeur.....Ron Hextall became the second goalie in franchise history to record 200 wins as a member of the Flyers. The milestone came in a 3-2 win over Montreal. Coach Terry Murray picked up his 100th victory with Philadelphia.
1998: Panthers' veteran Kirk Muller played in the 1,000th game of his NHL career, and picked up an assist in a 3-2 loss at Phoenix.....Jeremy Roenick scored a goal for his 700th career NHL point in the Coyotes' 3-2 win over the visiting Florida Panthers.....San Jose's Jeff Friesen scored twice (in a 4-2 loss to the visiting L.A. Kings) to become the Sharks' all-time leader in career points. His 163rd point as a Shark moved him one ahead of Pat Falloon.
2001: Adam Graves scored his 300th career NHL goal as the Rangers ended a nine-game winless streak (0-7-1-1) with a 4-2 win against the visiting Minnesota Wild.....Carolina's Ron Francis scored twice to record his 1,592nd career points, to pass Phil Esposito for 5th place in all-time scoring as the Hurricanes won 4-0 against the visiting Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Arturs Irbe recorded his 28th career shutout.
2002: Dainius Zubrus scored 13 seconds into overtime, Adam Oates become the 8th player in NHL history to pick up 1,000 career assists, and Olaf Kolzig recorded his second consecutive shutout (and the 24th of his career) in the Capitals 1-0 win against the visiting Boston Bruins.
2003: Ottawa's Patrick Lalime recorded his third consecutive shutout to give him 25 shutouts in his 236 game NHL career - the fastest 25 shutouts in NHL history. The milestone came in a 7-0 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.
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