Articles by Doug Stolhand

HALIFAX – It took almost 32 years for someone to honour the team that won the 1976 Canada Cup but Bobby Hull never doubted that it was remembered fondly.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Forward Nathan Gerbe has signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres, electing to forgo his senior year at Boston College.

QUEBEC – Jannik Hansen was quick to see the positive side of Denmark’s 4-1 loss to powerhouse Russia at the IIHF World Hockey Championship on Tuesday.

Picture mid-March in Dallas, the Stars struggling to find their game, and someone approaches head coach Dave Tippett with a scary proposition.

QUEBEC – Denmark was no match for Russia and its potent offence at the IIHF World Hockey Championship on Tuesday.The Russians dominated the Danes in a 4-1 victory to improve to 3-0 in the preliminary round.

MONTREAL – Finding help at forward and signing potential free agents are the top jobs for Montreal Canadiens management in the off-season, general manager Bob Gainey said Tuesday.

Movements in the world of hockey Monday:National Hockey LeagueCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Agreed to terms with G Antti Niemi.FLORIDA PANTHERS-Agreed to terms with C Kamil Kreps and RW Wade Belak on two-year contracts.

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings earned a long weekend off after sweeping Colorado, making at least one child very happy.”My eight-year-old daughter, Kennedi, told me we had to win Game 4 so that I could go to her figure-skating performances because I rarely can go,” forward Kris Draper said Monday.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – While the NHL’s top four teams began preparations for the conference finals Monday, the San Jose Sharks had the day off to get ready for one more summer they’ll spend feeling like hockey’s fifth wheel.

DALLAS – As the third overtime turned to a fourth, more than an hour after Sunday night became Monday morning, Stars goaltender Marty Turco could think back to the other two NHL playoff marathons he played and what it was like afterward.

QUEBEC – Even though Belarus added a dose of NHL-talent to their roster, the final product lacked offensive zing.Julien Sprunger scored two power-play goals to lead Switzerland to a 2-1 win over Belarus at the IIHF World Hockey Championship on Monday.

QUEBEC – No general manager at the IIHF World Hockey Championship has had as much bad luck as Sweden’s Mats Naslund.The former Montreal Canadiens star watched in disbelief as one-by-one, Sweden’s star players began to fall by the wayside leading up to the tournament.

SCRANTON, Pa. – The captain of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team was ordered to stand trial following his streaking arrest.Nathan Smith didn’t show for his preliminary hearing Monday.

MONTREAL – Carey Price is looking for peace and quiet after a pressure-packed rookie season in the Montreal Canadiens net.”It seems like I’ve been playing for two years straight,” the 20-year-old said Monday as the Canadiens got together for a last team meeting before going their separate ways for the summer.

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.