RED WINGS SIGN VETERAN MAY TO 1-YEAR, $500K CONTRACT



The Detroit Red Wings have added some more veteran experience to their team as they have signed forward Brad May to a one-year deal worth $500,000.

The 37-year old May split time between the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs last season had one goal, six assists and 89 penalty minutes in 58 games.

In 1,001 career NHL games split between the Sabres, Canucks, Coyotes, Avalanche, Ducks and Maple Leafs, the Toronto native has 127 goals, 160 assists and 2,182 penalty minutes. He helped the Ducks capture the Stanley Cup in 2007.

www.tsn.ca

FLAMES ACQUIRE JOHNSON FROM HAWKS FOR GREENTREE



The Calgary Flames have added some more depth to an already stacked blueline Wednesday by acquiring Aaron Johnson from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Kyle Greentree.

In 184 career games split between the Blue Jackets, Islanders and Blackhawks, the 26-year old Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia native has 10 goals and 26 assists.

Meanwhile Greentree, who has played in two games this season, has yet to record a point in four career NHL games, however he had 39 goals and 37 assists in 79 games for Quad City of the AHL last season.

www.tsn.ca

FRANZEN SUFFERS TORN ACL; OUT FOR FOUR MONTHS


Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen is expected to miss at least four months with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee, the club announced Friday.

Franzen suffered the injury in the Red Wings' 3-2 win over Chicago on Thursday. He notched the game-winning goal in the second period as the defending Western Conference champions claimed their first victory of the season.

Selected by the Red Wings with the 97th overall pick of the 2004 draft, Franzen has 84 goals and 61 assists for 145 points in 295 regular-season NHL games. He posted 34 goals and 59 points in 71 games last season.

Quelle : tsn

MAYOR SPEAKS WITH BETTMAN ABOUT RETURN OF NHL TO QUEBEC CITY



The return of the Quebec Nordiques to the NHL may be one step closer to reality.

Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume confirmed Saturday that he met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman along with former Nordiques owner Marcel Aubut.

The mayor said the talks between him, Aubut and Bettman in New York on Friday were "fruitful."

"It was very welcoming, very profitable, very worthwhile," Labeaume told the media.

"But we'll get back to you in a few days -- we still have work to do."

Several Quebec City media outlets are also reporting that a new arena for the city will be announced next week.

Bettman said earlier this month he would consider Quebec City as a possible home to an NHL team if it went through with plans to build a cutting-edge arena and if a team were up for sale.

The Nordiques were sold in 1995 and moved to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche.

www.tsn.ca

CANUCKS' DANIEL SEDIN OUT 4-6 WEEKS WITH BROKEN FOOT



The Vancouver Canucks will be without top forward Daniel Sedin for four to six weeks because of a broken foot.

Sedin, who averaged more than 30 goals for the Canucks over the last three seasons, was hit in the foot by a shot from teammate Alex Edler in a 7-1 win over Montreal on Wednesday. He finished the game and recorded three assists, but X-rays on Friday revealed a fracture.

It's the first serious injury in his nine-year career.

"It's unfortunate, but I've been lucky so far, I played a lot of games over nine years so it was bound to happen," said Sedin, who was wearing a cast and on crutches Sunday. "I've been told four to six weeks so I'm shooting for three."

Sedin has averaged more than 30 goals over the last three seasons for the Canucks, and he and his twin, Henrik, tied for the team lead with 82 points last season.

www.tsn.ca

PENGUINS' GONCHAR BREAKS WRIST; TO MISS SIX WEEKS



The first wrench has been thrown into what has otherwise been a near-perfect start to the Pittsburgh Penguins' season.

Star defenceman Sergei Gonchar suffered a broken wrist during Tuesday's 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues and will miss about six weeks. The team announced that the injury will not require surgery.

The injury happened midway through the second period, when Gonchar landed awkwardly after taking a hit from David Backes. Gonchar immediately left the ice after the play.

The Penguins are off to an outstanding 8-1-0 start this season, tops in the NHL. Gonchar has been a big contributor to the club's success with eight points in nine games (2G, 6A). He is tied for second in team scoring with Sidney Crosby, and leads the team with an average of more than 24 minutes of ice time per game.

Gonchar also missed a significant amount of time last season. The blueliner was out 56 games after suffering a dislocated shoulder on a bodycheck during the preseason. Gonchar was a big spark when he returned to the team in second half of the campaign, as the team went 17-4-4 and eventually captured the Stanley Cup.

Martin Skoula will take Gonchar's spot in the line-up when the Penguins play their next game on Friday against Florida.

Quelle : tsn

OVECHKIN APPEARS SET TO RETURN TO CAPITALS LINEUP TUESDAY



Two-time reigning league MVP Alex Ovechkin appears set to return from his injury layoff when the Washington Capitals visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Asked after Monday morning's practice whether Ovechkin would be back in the lineup, coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters: "As of today, he is."

Ovechkin sustained an upper-body injury against Columbus on Nov. 1. The Southeast Division-leading Capitals have won four of six games since he was hurt.

Ovechkin has 14 goals and nine assists this season. He says he's ready to go, but would wait to see how he's feeling Tuesday.

www.tsn.ca

CAPITALS' KNUBLE BREAKS FINGER, OUT 3-4 WEEKS



Washington Capitals right wing Mike Knuble has a broken finger and will be sidelined three to four weeks.

Knuble was injured on a power play in the first period of Friday night's 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. He crashed into the net when defenceman Marek Zidlicky sent him hurdling over goaltender Josh Harding.

The Capitals said Knuble will have surgery. The team did not say which finger was broken.

Knuble has five goals and 10 assists for the Capitals this season. He was one of Washington's major off-season acquisitions, signing a US$5.6-million, two-year deal on the first day of NHL free agency in July.

www.tsn.ca

SHANAHAN ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT



Brendan Shanahan officially announced his retirement today, ending his 21-year career in the NHL.

The eight-time all star, who almost returned with the Devils but parted ways with the team before the start of the season, ends his career 11th on the NHL's all time goals scored list.

"I would like to thank my family and all of the friends who have helped me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League", Shanahan said in a news release. "I am enormously grateful to all of my coaches and teammates I've had the privilege of learning from and playing along side of, throughout my career. While I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, I can't honestly say that I would have ever imagined that I'd be this fortunate and blessed. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me fulfill this dream."

The eight-time All-Star scored at least 40 goals in six seasons, and won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. In 2002, Shanahan then became only the third player in NHL history to win an Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup championship in the same year.

The native of Mimico, Ontario was originally The New Jersey's first round selection, second overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He amassed 656 goals, 698 assists for 1,354 points in 1,524 NHL matches with New Jersey, St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit, and New York.

Quelle : tsn.ca

Upper body injury to sideline Smyth



The Los Angeles Kings have been dealt their first big dose of adversity, learning Wednesday that they will be without first-line winger Ryan Smyth for up to a month.

Smyth, off to a sensational start this season, suffered an upper body injury during Monday night's game at Florida.

"It'll be a test for us, no doubt," Kings head coach Terry Murray told ESPN.com. "He's been an important player for us since the beginning. And with the way that line was playing with great chemistry and great things happening, it'll be a challenge for sure."

The 33-year-old Canadian Olympic hopeful had 23 points (9-14) in 22 games in his first year with the Kings while playing on the top line with NHL leading scorer Anze Kopitar and right-winger Justin Williams.

"Every team goes through it, especially this year," said Murray. "All these injuries that are happening to key players around the league, everyone is going through it and nobody is going to feel sorry for you.

"You just realize that there will be an opportunity for somebody else."

Alexander Frolov will replace Smyth on the top line.

Frolov went scoreless in 21 minutes of play against Philadelphia, managing just one shot. He hasn't scored a goal in 10 games, and has just four this season while getting bumped to the checking line.

"Frolov will get a chance, I like the way he's been playing recently," said Murray. "He ended up on that line the other night in Florida after the injury (to Smyth) and he played well with Kopy and Willy. So I'm hoping real good things happen for the line and I'm hoping Fro jumps on that opportunity."

Quelle : ESPN

Red Wings’ Kronwall out 4-8 weeks with knee injury


DETROIT (AP)—The banged-up Detroit Red Wings have lost defenseman Niklas Kronwall(notes) for at least a month with a sprained ligament in his left knee.

The team announced Sunday that Kronwall will be out four to eight weeks.

Kronwall had a leg-on-leg, open-ice collision with Montreal enforcer Georges Laraque(notes) on Saturday.

Laraque, who was called for tripping, said it was an accident. The Red Wings called it a dirty play.

Detroit has been without forwards Johan Franzen(notes), Valtteri Filppula(notes) and Jason Williams(notes) because of injuries.


sports.yahoo.com

HEMSKY TO HAVE SHOULDER SURGERY; DONE FOR THE SEASON




EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers will have to make do without star winger Ales Hemsky for the rest of the season.

Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini announced shortly before Friday's 5-4 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks that Hemsky will require surgery on his left shoulder and will be sidelined for up to six months.

The news comes as a huge blow to the Oilers, who after Friday lead the NHL with a 154 man games lost to injury.

"Obviously when you lose a player with the stature of Ales Hemsky it's difficult, but there is nothing we can do," said Tambellini.

"This has been a hard month on our players. They've had to battle with the flu virus, concussions and now this with Ales. But this is what we've been dealt and we'll have to find a way to get through it."

Hemsky was disappointed with the timing of the injury.

"It's frustrating because it's a big year for a lot of players," Hemsky said. "Especially considering it's an Olympic year, but there is nothing I can do. It's no fun playing with an injury like that. I tried, but it just didn't work out."

Hemsky had already been having trouble with the shoulder when he was drilled into the boards from behind Wednesday by Los Angeles Kings forward Michal Handzus.

"The hit hurt him but the problem was already there," added Tambellini. "There was already some instability in his shoulder before that happened.

"The good thing is (the medical staff) feel that it will heal very well once the surgery is completed."

In 22 games this season, the 26-year-old Hemsky has seven goals and 15 assists.

"I had it for a while, probably a month or something," said Hemsky said. "I tried to deal with it for a little while. It wasn't the hit, that was just the last straw for me."

Hemsky has played his entire career with the Oilers, skating in 443 games and collecting 353 points, including his 100th career goal Monday against Phoenix.

Quelle : tsn.ca

Übel.... schwerer Verlust für die Oilers....

DEVILS LOSE CLARKSON 4-6 WEEKS WITH ANKLE FRACTURE



New Jersey Devils right wing David Clarkson will miss the next 4-to-6 weeks with a non-displaced fracture of the bone above his right ankle, the club announced Saturday.

The injury occurred when Clarkson blocked a shot from towering Boston captain Zdeno Chara in the first period of Friday's road win. Although surgery was not needed, Clarkson did receive stitches to repair a laceration and stayed overnight in a Boston hospital.

In 23 games this season, Clarkson has registered seven goals and eight assists.

www.tsn.ca

Flyers replace Stevens with Laviolette

nhl.com - Flyers replace Stevens with Laiolette

DEVILS DEFENCEMAN MARTIN HAS SETBACK, OUT ANOTHER 4 WEEKS



New Jersey Devils defenceman Paul Martin will be sidelined another month after having a setback in his recovery from a broken left forearm.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Wednesday that Martin had minor arm surgery on Tuesday. The Devils executive said the outside of the fracture was healing but the inside was not healing at the rate the doctors wanted.

Martin broke his arm on Oct. 24 when he was hit by a Bill Guerin shot in a game at Pittsburgh.

Martin is a candidate for the U.S. Olympic team. Lamoriello thinks there still is a chance he can play when hockey action at the Games gets underway on Feb. 16.

www.tsn.ca

BRUINS SIGN MIROSLAV SATAN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON



The Boston Bruins have added some forward depth with the signing of 35-year old forward Miroslav Satan.

Satan, who played with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins last season, has signed a deal for the remainder of the season. The deal includes a no movement clause.

It is a one-year deal for $700,000, meaning he will make a prorated portion for the remainder of the season.

In 65-games played with the Penguins last season, Satan recorded 17 goals and 19 assists.

Satan, who was recently named to the Slovakian Olympic men's hockey team, has recorded 354 goals and 367 assists in 1012 career NHL games.

www.tsn.ca

BLUES FIRE ANDY MURRAY, NAME DAVIS PAYNE INTERIM COACH



With only 40 points in 40 games, and sitting nine points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the St. Louis Blues have made a coaching change.

The club announced on Saturday that they have fired Andy Murray, and have named Davis Payne as the interim head coach.

"We feel he's our coach and he might be our coach long term," Blues president John Davidson said during a news conference. "It's a whirlwind for him, but we feel confident about him."

The 39-year old Payne was named the head coach of the Blues AHL affiliate the Peoria Rivermen in July of 2008. The club has a combined 62-44-3-6 record in one and a half seasons with Payne behind the bench.

The 2006-07 ECHL Coach of the Year, Payne led the Aces to the 2006 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship and also guided the club to three consecutive trips to the Conference Finals.

www.tsn.ca

FLAMES TRADE D PHANEUF TO MAPLE LEAFS IN SEVEN-PLAYER DEAL



Two teams in dire need of a shakeup have done just that.

The Calgary Flames have traded defenceman Dion Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostrom, and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.

The Maple Leafs and Flames have been working on the components of this blockbuster for a week to ten days, but sources say the details of the deal didn't fall into place until late last night.

"[Phaneuf] is a warrior. He's got a cannon for a shot," explained Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke on Sunday. "He plays the game hard and I want players who play the game hard because they're hard to play against."

Phaneuf has two goals over his last three games and is signed through the 2013-14 season ($6.5 million per). He had 18:49 TOI last night, only the third time this month he's been under 20 minutes in a game. The big defenceman has 10 goals and 12 assists to go with a minus-3 rating over his 55 games.

Sjostrom has played 46 games with one goal and five assists for Calgary this season. Aulie was drafted in the fourth round, 116th overall of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot-six defenceman had spent this season with the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL.

Hagman has 20 goals and 13 assists, while Stajan has 16 goals and 25 assists, each over 55 games this season. Both players have a minus-3 rating. Mayers had expressed interest in being traded earlier in January. He had two goals, six assists and 78 penalty minutes over his 44 games with the Maple Leafs this season. White had nine goals, 17 assists and a plus-1 rating over his 56 games.

Burke admitted the loss of Stajan and Hagman would leave a hole in the Maple Leaf attack, but explained acquiring Phaneuf was too good to pass up.

"It takes some offence out of our lineup and that's the next question ... who replaces that offence we lost today, but it puts a major weapon on the blueline and makes us much more difficult to play."

Since he entered the NHL in the 2005-06 season Phaneuf is tops among defenceman with 75 goals (2nd Sheldon Souray - 68), power-play goals with 48 (2nd Zdeno Chara - 41), game-winning goals with 21 (2nd Dan Boyle - 15) and shots at 1,150 (2nd Chara - 992) over that span.

In addition, Phaneuf (48) ranks second to Paul Coffey (50) in power-play goals by a defenceman over the first five seasons of their career and he is tied with Denis Potvin for game winning goals (21) over the same span.

The Flames were mired in its worst slump (0-6-3) since an 11-game losing streak in 1986 before getting on the winning side of the tracks on Saturday night with a 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the Battle of Alberta.

The Maple Leafs are coming off a dramatic loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday evening, giving up a three-goal first period lead before falling 5-3. With the loss, coupled with Carolina's 4-2 victory over Chicago, Toronto now sits 29th in the NHL standings. The Hurricanes and Leafs are tied in points with 45 but Carolina is ahead because of more wins.

The Maple Leafs also acquired veteran goaltender Jean-Sebastien from the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. In exchange, the Maple Leafs shipped netminder Vesa Toskala and veteran forward Jason Blake to the Ducks.

Quelle : TSN

FLAMES SEND JOKINEN, PRUST TO RANGERS FOR HIGGINS, KOTALIK




While it took some time, in the end the Calgary Flames finally got their men as the 'on again, off again' trade between the Flames and New York Rangers is official after a trade call was made following Calgary's loss to the Flyers on Monday.

The deal, which sees Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust heading to Manhattan in exchange for Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik, was reportedly held up because the Flames wanted Jokinen in the lineup for Monday night's game against Philadelphia. Jokinen played just over 15 minutes, took three shots on net and finished at a minus-one. Prust skated just over seven minutes.

With rumours of the trade circulating for more than 24 hours, the team on the ice appeared lethargic as they were soundly beaten by the Flyers on Monday. Jokinen said that he did not want to use the speculation as an excuse.

"You've got to play hard every time you go on the ice no matter what kind of distractions that you have going on," said Jokinen. "You play for that sweater, that logo. Until they tell you you're not part of the team, and I just got the news that II'm not part of the team so I've got to turn the page."

Jokinen realized his high salary mixed with low production was likely a big factor in his exit from Calgary.

"It comes with the salary, you make $5 million, 11 goals isnot going to cut it," said a visibly shaken Jokinen. "It's definitely a slap in the face to get traded."

Jokinen did see an upside in heading back to the Eastern Conference.

"I get a chance to play with one of the better players in the league in (Marian) Gaborik."

Although he was aware that a deal was likely, Prust also found it difficult to prepare for.

"You're waiting to hear confirmation, pacing around for hours," Prust admitted. "I definitely didn't sleep too well"

Both Jokinen and Prust will join the Rangers in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning while Higgins is currently in Los Angeles. Kotalik remains in New York after being sent home by the Rangers on Sunday after being told by the team that he would be traded. The Flames pushed back their practice on Tuesday in hopes that both players will be able to skate with their new teammates.

There had also been several reports that Kotalik was not prepared to waive his no-trade clause to go to Calgary; however earlier in the day he reportedly changed his stance to accept the move.

Both Jokinen and Higgins are set to become unrestricted free agent at season's end, while Prust will become a restricted free agent. Kotalik has two-years and $6 million remaining on a three-year deal he signed prior to the season with New York.

Jokinen was originally acquired by Calgary from the Phoenix Coyotes at last year's trade deadline. The 31-year old veteran has 11 goals and 24 assists in 56 games with the Flames this season. Jokinen is set to represent Finland at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. It will be his third Olympic appearance. He helped lead Finland to the silver medal at the 2006 games in Torino. The Kuopio, Finland native was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings with the third overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

The 25-year old Prust was drafted by the Flames in the third round of the 2004 draft, and was traded to Phoenix at last year's trade deadline in the deal that brought Jokinen to Calgary. Prust was then traded back to the Flames last summer for Jim Vandermeer. The native of London, Ontario has one goal and four assists in 43 games this season in Calgary. He ranks second in the NHL in fighting majors with 18.

"I'm looking forward to going to the big city and playing in Madison Square Garden so I'm looking forward to it, but I'm sad to leave again," said Prust.

Kotalik, 31, has been made a healthy scratch by head coach John Tortorella in eight of the club's last nine games. In 45 games, Kotalik has eight goals and 14 assists, with a plus/minus of -18. His best offensive season was with the Buffalo Sabres in 2005-06, when he scored 25 goals and added 37 assists.

Higgins, 26, is in his first season with the Rangers after he signed with New York last summer. Originally, the Montreal Canadiens had traded his rights to the Rangers prior to the July 1 free agent signing period.

Starting in 2005-06, Higgins had three straight seasons in which he scored 20 or more goals with Montreal, but his production dropped to 12 last year in an injured-shortened season. This season he has six goals and eight assists in 54 games.

This is the second major deal that the Flames have pulled off in as many days after shipping Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect Keith Aulie to the Maple Leafs on Sunday in exchange for Matt Stajan, Ian White, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers.

The two trades leave the Flames with a surplus of wing players, 13 in all, possibly setting up additional deals prior to the NHL's trade deadline on March 3rd.

Quelle : TSN

THRASHERS SHIP KOVALCHUK TO DEVILS FOR PLAYERS, 1ST ROUNDER



The Atlanta Thrashers look to have parted ways with the most celebrated player in franchise history, trading star winger Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils.

The Thrashers acquired defenceman John Oduya, forwards Niclas Bergfors and Patrice Cormier and a first round pick.

Kovalchuk, 26, became the subject of trade rumours recently after reports surfaced that he could not come to terms on a multi-year contract with general manager Don Waddell. The Russian sniper is in the final year of his current contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The high-scoring winger has 31 goals and 27 assists with a plus-1 rating.

A seven-year NHL veteran, Kovalchuk was selected first overall by the Thrashers in the 2001 NHL Draft. In 594 career NHL games with Atlanta, he has amassed 328 goals and 278 points.

Kovalchuk scored a career-high 52 goals with the Thrashers in 2007-08 and was co-recipient of the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2003-04 with a league-leading 41 goals.

The team had been trying to work out a long-term deal with the star forward, but in the end could reach an agreement. General manager Don Waddell explained the negotiations in a release on Thursday.

"Our goal from the start of this negotiating process was to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract," said Waddell in the statement. "During the process, Kovy affirmed his desire to be a Thrasher for life. We've spent several months exploring scenarios with Kovy and his agent to reach a mutually beneficial agreement, and offered many lucrative packages in an attempt to meet his financial objectives. Unfortunately, we've reached an impasse and at this point he has declined all of our proposals and we can't reasonably go any higher.

"Ultimately, we offered Kovy more than $101 million over 12 years, which would have been the highest contract signed by an impending unrestricted free agent in the history of the league. If accepted, this contract would have been the second highest offer ever to any NHL player. We also met his desire to be the highest paid player based on average annual salary with a separate offer of 7 years at $10M per year ($70M). This offer is $0.5M higher per year than any other player.

"If we went beyond these offers, we would not be able to retain the young players on our roster when it came time to sign them, or invest in other top tier players needed to assemble a truly competitive team. Therefore, we are aggressively exploring all of our options as we move forward."

Quelle :tsn

Alter Russe, das is ja mal der Hammer!!!!!!!!!!

Sympathisiere zwar durchaus mit den Thrashers, aber die besten Leute bei den besten Clubs und somit in den Playoffs zu sehen rockt natürlich auch.

Frag mich nur, ob Oduya auch so happy is wie Ilya.

Egal, ich finds geil

NHL to open '10-11 in Helsinki, Stockholm, Prague



The NHL is expanding its foray overseas for the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere games.

What started as an experiment with the Kings and Ducks going to London to start the 2007-08 season has turned into three major events on the NHL schedule to start the 2010-11 season.

"The Premiere Games are a highly anticipated part of our season launch, and we are extremely pleased that six teams -- more than ever -- will open their season in Europe," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "With these games, nearly half of our Clubs will have participated in Premiere -- a testament to how excited our teams are to be playing before our outstanding fans in Europe."

A record six teams will be opening next season in three different European cities.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild will play two regular-season games against each other at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, on Thursday, Oct. 7 and Friday, Oct. 8.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks will square off for two games at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on Friday, Oct. 8 and Saturday, Oct. 9.

The Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes will play each other at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10.

www.nhl.com

Seidenberg wird Sturms Kollege

Beim olympischen Eishockey-Turnier von Vancouver spielten sie bereits Seite an Seite, nun werden Dennis Seidenberg und Marco Sturm auch in der NHL Teamkollegen. Am letzten Tag der Wechselperiode haben sich die Boston Bruins Seidenbergs Dienste gesichert. Das gab sein bisheriger Verein, die Florida Panthers, am Mittwoch bekannt.

BACKSTROM SIGNS 10-YEAR, $67 MILLION CONTRACT WITH CAPITALS



ARLINGTON, Va. - First Alex Ovechkin, now Nicklas Backstrom. The Washington Capitals have their two best players locked into big money contracts for a decade.

So, who buys lunch?

"Maybe we'll have to do rock, paper, scissors," Backstrom with a smile.

The 22-year-old Swede signed a 10-year, US$67-million deal Monday, a major investment in a player who has rapidly developed into one of the best centres in the NHL. He and two-time league MVP Ovechkin have developed a partnership that accounted for 210 points this season, making them the top scoring teammate duo in the league.

"We now have two of maybe the top five players in the world playing on our team for many years to come," coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Ovechkin is about to enter the third year of a US$124-million, 13-year deal. Knowing that Ovechkin isn't going anywhere played a part in Backstrom's desire to commit to Washington for the long haul.

"I was thinking that I wanted to play with him," Backstrom said. "Hopefully he'll want to play with me, too. I wanted 10 years; I wanted long term. I think it's good that we're together."

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2006 draft, Backstrom set career-highs with 33 goals and 68 assists this season, and his 101 points ranked fourth in the league. He has yet to miss a game over three NHL seasons.

Backstrom's contract pays him $6 million for the next four seasons, with the amount gradually increasing to $8 million by decade's end. He had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent in July.

General manager George McPhee expressed no qualms about having so much time and money tied up in just two players.

"The risks are that the player doesn't meet expectation with the contract, but I never for one minute with Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom think that they won't compete all the way through," McPhee said. "It sends the right message to our fans and to this franchise that we have outstanding young players who are ready to commit for the rest of their career. You win championship with these kinds of players."

Not yet, though. The Capitals flamed out in the first round of the playoffs this year despite having the NHL's best record. Asked if the contract puts more pressure on him to perform, Backstrom said it's no different than the pressure to win the Stanley Cup.

"I don't think it is going to be anything different," Backstrom said. "We want to win the Cup."

Backstrom wasn't the only Swede putting his name to a contract Monday. The Capitals also signed 2009 first-round draft pick Marcus Johansson to a three-year entry level deal for $2.7 million. McPhee said the 19-year-old centre will be ready to compete for a roster spot next season, with Backstrom as a mentor.

"Our two Vikings," McPhee said. "It's always good to have Vikings."

Quelle : tsn.ca

Sturm wechselt zu den Kings

Marco Sturm ist innerhalb der NHL von den Boston Bruins zu den Los Angeles Kings gewechselt. Dies gaben die Neuengländer bekannt.

Der deutsche Nationalspieler, der nach einem Kreuzbandriss am 1. Mai noch kein Saisonspiel absolvierte hatte, sollte bereits am 2. Dezember von der Ost- an die Westküste wechseln. Der Transfer scheiterte jedoch am mangelhaften Fitnesszustand Sturms nach seiner Verletzung.

Nachdem Sturm wieder ins volle Mannschaftstraining einstieg, wurden die letzten Formalitäten geklärt und der Wechsel vollzogen.

Der 32-Jährige wurde abgegeben, weil Boston derzeit um 3,2 Millionen Dollar über der von der Liga vorgegebenen Gehaltsobergrenze von 59,4 Millionen Dollar liegt. Sturms Jahresgehalt liegt bei 3,5 Millionen Dollar.

Der gebürtige Dingolfinger ging 2005 von den San Jose Sharks nach Boston. Seitdem schoss Sturm in 316 Partien 108 Tore und wurde in drei Spielzeiten bester Goalgetter.

sport1.de