Month: October 2009

CALGARY – Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made 39 saves as the Flames opened their NHL season with a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday

TORONTO – Mike Cammalleri is ready to put any talk about a Montreal Canadiens makeover to rest.”I don’t even want to talk about new Habs any more, we’re all Habs now, we’ve passed through training camp, this is our team,” said Cammalleri after his Canadiens kicked off the season with a 4-3 overtime win versus the Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Mike Komisarek’s frequent trips to the penalty box Thursday night may have lost the Toronto Maple Leafs the game – but his style of play won over head coach Ron Wilson

TORONTO – Even though a few of the newest Montreal Canadiens provided some optimism on opening night, it was a standout performance by a much-maligned holdover that had everyone raving

FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Stars have signed defenceman Stephane Robidas to a US$13.2-million, four-year contract extension, through the 2013-14 season

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Phoenix Coyotes are sending forward Kevin Porter to the AHL after signing centre Colin Long.The 23-year-old Porter had five goals and five assists in 34 games for the Coyotes as a rookie last season

BOSTON – Alex Ovechkin is off to a fast start, and so are the Washington Capitals.The two-time defending NHL Most Valuable Player had two goals and an assist, and Jose Theodore stopped 19 shots to lead Washington to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in the season-opener on Thursday night

DENVER – Joe Sakic would typically rather retreat from the spotlight than bask in it.Always a humble and reserved player, the longtime Colorado Avalanche captain doesn’t like a fuss to be made over him

PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby is still speaking softly, only now he’s carrying a different stick.The Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins captain plans to use a one-piece synthetic hockey stick for the first time during the season-opener Friday night against the New York Rangers

NEW YORK – The sting from last season’s playoff collapse lasted a little longer for the stunned New York Rangers.After all, they bounced back from a slump that cost coach Tom Renney his job and nearly derailed New York’s post-season hopes altogether

PITTSBURGH – Dan Bylsma will stand behind the Pittsburgh Penguins’ bench in an NHL season opener for the first time Friday night against the New York Rangers, and he knows it will be impossible not to be excited

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Peter Forsberg is heading to Denver to honour former Colorado Avalanche teammate Joe Sakic next week.Forsberg, who won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche and was the NHL’s MVP in 2003, will stay in North America for two weeks before returning to his native Sweden

CALGARY – Nigel Dawes was pencilled in among the Calgary Flames’ top six forwards to open the NHL season.It’s up to the 24-year-old from Winnipeg to make his name a more permanent fixture there

The Pittsburgh Penguins will repeat as NHL Stanley Cup champions, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in six games, according to an EA sports video game simulation

HELSINKI, Finland – It will be another first for the NHL.When the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers square off Friday and Saturday at Hartwall Arena to open their regular seasons, it will mark the first time the NHL has held games that count in Finland

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – More than a few players will feel right at home when the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues open their NHL seasons with a home-and-home series Friday and Saturday

WASHINGTON – The Washington Capitals are opening the NHL season with a new sponsor that has some environmentalists seeing red instead of green

Veteran forward Brendan Shanahan left the New Jersey Devils on Thursday after being told he would not be a part of their top three lines this season

DALLAS – Marc Crawford wants to show that his last coaching stop was an aberration.That happens to be the same goal for the Dallas Stars after last season, when they didn’t even make the playoffs a year after reaching the Western Conference finals