Month: May 2008

QUEBEC – Radim Vrbata and Ales Kotalik scored in shootout as the Czech Republic survived a scare from plucky Belarus to post a 3-2 victory on Saturday at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.

Movements in the world of hockey Friday:National Hockey LeagueCOLORADO AVALANCHE-Announced the contract of Joel Quenneville, coach, will not be renewed.

TORONTO – Toronto Marlies left winger Bates Battaglia scored late in the first overtime period to beat the visiting Syracuse Crunch 4-3 in second-round American Hockey League playoff action on Friday night.

PITTSBURGH – Unlike the Montreal Canadiens, the Pittsburgh Penguins polished off their scoring chances against the Philadelphia Flyers.Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist Friday night and the high-flying Penguins skated past the Flyers 4-2 in Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.

DALLAS – Swedish free agent Fabian Brunnstrom signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on Friday after being wooed by a handful of NHL teams.

PITTSBURGH – Kimmo Timonen wasn’t in the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup Friday night, sidelined by a blood clot on his left ankle that is all but certain to keep him out the rest of the playoffs.

DETROIT – Johan Franzen is on quite the scoring tear.The Detroit Red Wings winger has 27 goals in 27 games since March 2, including 12 in his team’s 11 playoff games.

WASHINGTON – When Olie Kolzig removed his nameplate from the Washington Capitals’ locker room after their last playoff game, then skipped a mandatory meeting the next morning, everyone figured his time with the team was over.

HALIFAX – During the weeks Robert Mueller laid in a hospital bed, he thought about little other than hockey.He had undergone surgery to remove a malignant brain tumour in November 2006 and was already planning his comeback.

QUEBEC – Vitali Koval is an unknown no more at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.The Belarusian netminder shed the “little-known” tag with a 52-save performance in which he nearly carried his upstart Belarus team to victory over a heavily favoured Russian squad before narrowly losing 4-3 in a shootout on Friday.

QUEBEC – The Russians defeated an upstart Belarus team 4-3 in a shootout at the IIHF World Hockey Championship on Friday.Alexei Morozov beat Belarusian netminder Vitaly Koval with a backhander for the shootout winner.

HALIFAX – The year was 1999 and Dany Heatley had a decision to make.He wasn’t invited to the evaluation camp for Canada’s world junior team when the German federation called and tried to convince him to join their program instead.

DETROIT – Watching the Detroit Red Wings play, it seems as if they’ve always got the puck.That was the case Thursday night when they defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 in the NHL’s Western Conference final, and it all started with faceoffs.

PITTSBURGH – Daniel Briere is making May hockey a habit. But what he’d really like is to finally play a series in June.The Philadelphia Flyers centre is playing in the NHL’s Eastern Conference final for a third straight season.

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to meet with former Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis next week, a source confirmed to The Canadian Press on Friday.

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche announced Friday that Joel Quenneville will not return to coach the team next season.”After meeting with Joel, we mutually agreed that the best decision for both parties involved is to go separate ways,” Avalanche GM Francois Giguere said in a statement.

NEW YORK – Toronto Maple Leafs winger Jason Blake, Edmonton Oilers winger Fernando Pisani and Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios were named finalists for the 2008 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Friday.

Movements in the world of hockey Thursday:National Hockey League:FLORIDA PANTHERS-Agreed to terms with D Keaton Ellerby.American Hockey LeaguePROVIDENCE BRUINS-Recalled D Kevin Schaeffer from Reading (ECHL).

DETROIT – Brenden Morrow says he felt the Joe Louis Arena ice tilt Thursday night.After playing the Detroit Red Wings even for six or seven minutes, the Dallas Stars were overwhelmed and dropped the opener of the NHL’s Western Conference final 4-1 Thursday night.

Scoring summary from Thursday’s NHL game:Stars 1 at Red Wings 4First Period1. Detroit, Rafalski 2 (Lidstrom, Holmstrom) 4:28 (pp)2. Detroit, Franzen 12 (Kronwall, Hudler) 15:34 (pp)Penalties – Kronwall Det (hooking) 1:11, Norstrom Dal (hooking) 3:45, Fistric Dal (roughing) 4:19, Holmstrom Det (interference) 7:52, Petersen Dal (holding) 13:56, Modano Dal (hooking) 18:30.