Month: May 2008

VOORHEES, N.J. – R.J. Umberger was a Pittsburgh Penguin at heart.He rooted for his hometown Penguins, was thrilled when he nabbed an errant puck off Paul Coffey’s stick, and sat heartbroken in the stands when Keith Primeau and the Flyers used five overtime periods to beat Pittsburgh in the 2000 playoffs.

The Anaheim Ducks didn’t make a notable move at the trade deadline last season but still captured the Stanley Cup.It made many ponder whether the trade deadline was more hype than actually about helping teams get better.

PITTSBURGH – Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Russian-born star, remains a man of few words as he learns English and its tricky nuances.

NEW YORK – Once the New York Rangers figure out if captain Jaromir Jagr is in their plans, they will either regroup or reload.Jagr will be a key figure in the coming weeks as the Rangers head into an uncertain future following a disappointing second-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers agreed to terms on a two-year contract with tough guy Wade Belak on Monday.The veteran winger was acquired by Florida from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb.

DALLAS – The Dallas Stars have finally made it back to the Western Conference finals. It took the eighth longest game in NHL history to do it.

DALLAS – The Dallas Stars have finally made it back to the Western Conference finals. It took the eighth longest game in NHL history to do it.

PITTSBURGH – Maybe it was Jaromir Jagr’s last game with the New York Rangers. It almost certainly wasn’t Jagr’s last hockey game.Jagr, a five-time NHL scoring champion, is facing an uncertain future following the Rangers’ season-ending 3-2 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series.

PHILADELPHIA – In three weeks, Philadelphia will mark 25 empty years without a championship.That’s a demoralizing 0-for-Flyers, Phillies, Eagles and 76ers.

PITTSBURGH – Marian Hossa scored his second goal of the game 7:10 into overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied after giving up a two-goal lead to beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Sunday and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in seven years.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins have advanced to the Eastern Conference final.Marian Hossa scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins over New York 3-2 on Sunday, eliminating the Rangers in Game 5 of their second-round series.

QUEBEC – Alexei Morozov bailed Ilya Kovalchuk out Sunday.Morozov scored twice, including the overtime-winner, as Russia edged the Czech Republic 5-4 at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in action.

QUEBEC – Alexei Morozov scored twice, including the overtime-winner, as Russia edged the Czech Republic 5-4 at the IIHF World Hockey tournament.

MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens may have been booted from the second round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Habs’ surprising season lasted long enough to leave a mark on the city.

MONTREAL – A wild ride of a season is over for the Montreal Canadiens and to a man they believe their regular season success and playoff disappointment will make them stronger.

The Stanley Cup will be staying south of the border for yet another year.Canada’s last hope at reclaiming the NHL championship trophy went down in flames Saturday night when the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-4, winning the second-round series in five games.

MONTREAL – A lot of the young, budding stars on the Philadelphia Flyers probably couldn’t see the benefit of going through the experience of finishing dead last in the NHL while it was happening last year.

MONTREAL – Scottie Upshall scored with 3:04 left in the third period as the Philadelphia Flyers completed an upset of the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens with a 6-4 victory on Saturday night to advance to the NHL Eastern Conference finals.

QUEBEC – Outside of the Philadelphia Flyers and their fans, no one is hoping for a Montreal Canadiens playoff exit more than Belarus head coach Curt Fraser.