Month: October 2008

DENVER – Brian Leetch glided out to the ice in loafers, not skates.The former defenseman was wearing a blue suit and matching tie, instead of his familiar Rangers sweater.

Movements in the world of hockey Thursday:National Hockey LeagueANAHEIM DUCKS-Assigned G David LeNeveu to Iowa (AHL).CALGARY FLAMES-Placed D Rhett Warrener on injured reserve.

DETROIT – A Toronto Maple Leafs season that isn’t expected to include many highlights has already produced a memorable moment.Nikolai Kulemin’s first NHL goal stood up as the winner Thursday as the Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on a night where the defending Stanley Cup champions raised another championship banner.

TORONTO – “Sticks To The Ice” by Robert Fraser Burke and “Canadian Gold” by Colin Oberst are the two finalists from over 14,000 entries in the search for a new Hockey Night in Canada anthem.

Don Cherry gave Toronto Maple Leafs management an earful Thursday night as the outspoken hockey commentator critiqued all six Canadian teams on CBC’s first Coach’s Corner segment of the season.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The New York Islanders have heard the negative talk and seen the gloomy predictions for their season.Whether it’s bravado, competitive spirit, or sheer denial, captain Bill Guerin and his teammates are fully prepared to prove people wrong.

DETROIT – An 11th Stanley Cup banner has found a home at Joe Louis Arena.The Detroit Red Wings celebrated their 2008 championship on Thursday night with a banner-raising ceremony that paid tribute to the rich history of the franchise.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Perhaps the biggest reason for the Carolina Hurricanes’ latest late-season collapse was that Rod Brind’Amour was relegated to being an observer.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Phoenix Coyotes traded centre Mike Zigomanis to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday for future considerations.The 27-year-old Zigomanis had 14 goals and nine assists in 75 games for the Coyotes in 2006-07, but had just two goals and one assist in 33 games last season.

MINDEN, Nev. – Clint Malarchuk, the former NHL goalie best known for having his jugular vein slashed by a skate in a 1989 game with Buffalo, is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the chin with a rifle.

MONTREAL – Two old friends will be wearing the captain’s “C” when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL season opener for both clubs on Friday night at the HSBC Arena.

OTTAWA – A tough October schedule is giving the Ottawa Senators an early chance to see what an off-season of retooling has done for them.After opening the year with back-to-back games against the Stanley Cup finalist Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm last weekend, the Senators returned to Ottawa this week to catch their collective breath before playing host to the defending champion Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Shortly after Teppo Numminen’s pre-season debut last month, the veteran Buffalo Sabres defenceman was in a rush to leave the locker-room to keep an important commitment.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed centre Manny Malhotra on injured reserve and recalled right wing Derek Dorsett from their American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse.

VANCOUVER – The large photograph on the wall at GM Place shows a smiling Luc Bourdon holding up the puck from his first NHL goal.The young defenceman with the big grin and bright future is gone but his memory remains.

DETROIT – It was the summer of 2002 and Curtis Joseph was intent on finally getting the chance to lift the Stanley Cup. So one of the NHL’s most high-profile free agents decided to join the reigning Cup champions by signing a contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks released Jeff Friesen from a tryout contract Thursday, ending the veteran forward’s comeback bid a few hours before the club’s season opener against Anaheim.

TORONTO – A trip to the conference final last year merely raised the Toronto Marlies’ expectations for this season.The Marlies, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, won their division for the first time last year with a 50-21-9 record and captured their first two playoff rounds.

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames shuffled players prior to their season-opener Thursday in Vancouver by putting veteran defenceman Rhett Warrener on long-term injury status and recalling Dustin Boyd from the American Hockey League’s Quad City Flames.

The four inductees into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame this year will be introduced and saluted Thursday night when the Colorado Avalanche host the Boston Bruins.