Month: September 2009

TERRACE, B.C. – Almost everywhere you go in this northwest B.C. community, the message is clear: Terrace is Hockeyville.The community in the Skeena River Valley was named the winner of the yearly Kraft Hockeyville competition in March, but until this weekend it was just a title

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings returned to the ice Sunday, hoping a renewed emphasis on defence and an infusion of youthful energy will provide another shot at the Stanley Cup that narrowly eluded them last season

VANCOUVER, B.C. – They are two goaltenders at the opposite ends of their careers, fighting for the same job with the Vancouver Canucks.The future lies ahead for Cory Schneider while veteran Andrew Raycroft may be down to his last chance in the NHL as the two battle for the backup position behind Roberto Luongo

ARLINGTON, Va. – Washington Capitals forward Tomas Fleischmann will miss the start of the regular season with a blood clot in his leg.The team thinks the clot might have formed during Fleischmann’s long flight home to the Czech Republic at the end of last season

CALGARY – Brent Sutter wanted his first messages to the Calgary Flames to be crystal clear.The new head coach spoke to the club’s veterans before they stepped on the ice Sunday about his expectations

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators were anything but sad to take to the ice Sunday without Dany Heatley, the best goal-scorer in their history.It was nothing personal against the disgruntled left-winger, who had his trade request finally granted after a deal was struck Saturday with the San Jose Sharks

BROSSARD, Que. – Jacques Martin has coached over 1,000 games in the NHL, but no level of experience could have prepared him for the challenge he faces in his new job with the Montreal Canadiens

TORONTO – Jason Allison feathered a pass to Robert Slaney and the first-year pro fired the puck into the back of the net.Allison has certainly done this before, but not for a while

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Buffalo Sabres signed restricted free-agent forward Drew Stafford to a two-year deal Sunday.Stafford, 23, emerged as a scoring threat last season when he set career highs in goals and points in 79 games

EDMONTON – The spot in the lineup Dany Heatley didn’t want is probably the one that will be most hotly contested by the time the Edmonton Oilers break training camp

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Head coach Wayne Gretzky was absent from Phoenix Coyotes training camp for the second straight day.Associate coach Ulf Samuelsson, running the camp on an interim basis, put players through drills Sunday morning as they took the ice together at Jobing

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings open training camp Sunday, hoping for another shot at winning the Stanley Cup that narrowly eluded them last season

FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Stars and new head coach Marc Crawford each feel they have something to prove this year.Each took the first step Saturday when the club opened 2009-10 training camp at their suburban practice facility with a full slate of meetings, fitness testing and other administrative issues, as well as an informal practice session

PITTSBURGH – Three months to the day after they won the NHL championship, the Pittsburgh Penguins reunited Saturday for the start of training camp

CALGARY – The stars of the Calgary Flames walked through the Pengrowth Saddledome doors for the first day of training camp Saturday, yet it was a short forward with lines around his eyes who was the centre of attention

EDMONTON – Pat Quinn admits his first day of training camp as coach of the Edmonton Oilers won’t be as much about assessing players as getting to know names

DENVER – Joe Sakic’s nameplate above his locker has been taken down, his captain’s role handed over to Adam Foote.Although Sakic retired in July, it is just now sinking in that No

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Right wing Derek Dorsett has signed a two-year contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets that runs through the 2011-12 season

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks opened their training camp Saturday with coach Alain Vigneault excited about the signing of a pair of free agents over the summer who have won Stanley Cups

BROSSARD, Que. – When Bob Gainey finished his free-agent shopping on Canada Day, a common criticism of the Montreal Canadiens GM’s moves was that a small team got even smaller