Articles by Doug Stolhand

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild have signed defenceman Jamie Fraser and Jaime Sifers to one-year deals.The 23-year-old Fraser appeared in one game for the New York Islanders last season

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Playing in Montreal wasn’t always easy but Saku Koivu says he enjoyed every minute of being a Canadien.Still, hockey is a business and when it became clear the Canadiens were not going to offer him a new contract this season he had no option but to sign a one-year deal worth US$3

CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with winger Kris Versteeg on a three-year deal, the club announced Wednesday.

The 23-year-old had an impressive rookie campaign, leading all first-year pros with 31 assists while ranking second with 53 points

SAN JOSE – Claude Lemieux has announced his retirement for the second time in his hockey career.The 44-year-old forward from Buckingham, Que

Movements in the world of hockey Tuesday:National Hockey LeagueANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS-Signed C Todd Marchant to a two-year contract.ATLANTA THRASHERS-Re-signed F Joey Crabb and D Nathan Oystrick

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Goaltender Cory Schneider will be given a chance to make the Vancouver Canucks this fall, which could result in recent signing Andrew Raycroft playing for the AHL Manitoba Moose, general manager Mike Gillis said Tuesday

DALLAS – The Dallas Stars announced that they have signed free-agent defenceman Jeff Woywitka to a two-year deal.A statement released by the Stars on Tuesday says the deal is worth US$600,000 next season and $700,000 for the 2010-11 season

TAMPA, Fla. – Free agent forward Stephane Veilleux has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning.The team announced the deal on Tuesday.A third-round pick in the 2001 draft, Veilleux has spent his entire career with the Minnesota Wild, playing in 361 games

PHILADELPHIA – Chris Pronger and the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to a US$34.9-million, seven-year contract extension on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the 2000 NHL MVP joined his new team

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Free agent centre Todd Marchant is staying with the Anaheim Ducks after signing a two-year deal Tuesday that goes through the 2010-11 season

DENVER – Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche’s longtime captain who led the team to two Stanley Cup titles, is retiring after a 20-year NHL career, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday

OTTAWA – Alex Kovalev admits he was “disappointed” to leave Montreal, but feels he can be a missing piece of the puzzle in helping the Ottawa Senators rebound from their own disappointing times

TORONTO – Jonas Gustavsson signed a US$900,000, one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, but GM Brian Burke isn’t about to hand the coveted free-agent goaltender a starting job

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames re-signed centre Jamie Lundmark and picked up winger Jason Jaffray on Tuesday.Lundmark scored eight goals with eights assists in 27 games with the Flames last season and added 15 goals and 37 assists in 54 games with the team’s AHL affiliate in Quad City

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Penguins forward Maxime Talbot underwent surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder Tuesday, and his recovery is expected to take four to five months

Movements in the world of hockey Monday:National Hockey LeagueATLANTA THRASHERS-Signed D Joel Kwiatkowski, F Jason Krog, G Drew MacIntyre and G Peter Mannino

CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks resolved some of the administrative problems surrounding their restricted free agents by signing five of those players on Monday

TORONTO – Francois Beauchemin has seen what Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has been able to accomplish so far this summer and feels confident about one thing

ATLANTA – Defenceman Joel Kwiatkowski and forward Jason Krog have signed deals to return to the Atlanta Thrashers.Kwiatkowski, 32, recorded five assists in 18 games with Atlanta during the 2007-08 season and has played in 282 career NHL games with five teams

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues have re-signed forward B.J. Crombeen.The 25-year-old Crombeen was claimed off waivers from Dallas on Nov. 18, 2008, and made his Blues debut three days later