News

RIMOUSKI, Que. – Top draft prospect John Tavares had no problem seeing his national junior teammate Cody Hodgson named player of the year in Canadian junior hockey

CHICAGO – A jarring hit from Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall, one that flattened Chicago’s Martin Havlat, has put a new spin on the Western Conference finals

NEW YORK – New Jersey Devils forward Bobby Holik is set to retire after 18 NHL seasons, the New York Post reported Saturday.Holik, 38, rejoined the Devils this past season after leaving New Jersey in 2002

RALEIGH, N.C. – Carolina Hurricanes forward Tuomo Ruutu has tested himself in a pre-game skate but remains uncertain for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against Pittsburgh

Memorial CupCanadian Major Junior Hockey Championship At Rimouski, Que.SemifinalWindsor 3 Drummondville 2 (OT)AHL PlayoffsConference Finals(

Scoring summary from Friday’s NHL playoff game: Red Wings 3 at Blackhawks 4 (OT)CHICAGO – NHL Friday night:First Period1. Chicago, Sharp 6 (Seabrook, Bolland) 8:45 (pp)2

HOUSTON – Tony Hrkac scored his second goal of the night 4:19 into the second overtime period as the Houston Aeros beat the Manitoba Moose 4-3 to avoid elimination in the American Hockey League Western Conference final for the second straight game Friday

Movements in the world of hockey Friday:National Hockey LeagueCALGARY FLAMES-Fired Mike Keenan coach.

CHICAGO – Patrick Sharp and Cristobal Huet rescued the Chicago Blackhawks after a 3-0 lead evaporated against the defending Stanley Cup champions

RIMOUSKI, Que. – Adam Henrique banged in a rebound 4:31 into overtime to lift the Windsor Spitfires to a 3-2 victory over the Drummondville Volitgeurs in the semifinal of the MasterCard Memorial Cup on Friday night

ST. PAUL, Minn. – New Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher plans to keep assistant general manager Tom Lynn in place.Fletcher said Friday at his introductory news conference he would meet with the existing front office and hockey operations staff before making any changes

CHICAGO – Chicago right wing Martin Havlat left Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Detroit on Friday night after taking a crushing hit from Niklas Kronwall

CALGARY – Another first-round playoff exit has cost Mike Keenan his job.Keenan has been fired after just two seasons as head coach of the Calgary Flames

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild started a new era on Friday with the introduction of Chuck Fletcher as the second general manager in franchise history

RALEIGH, N.C. – Playoff comebacks have been commonplace for Carolina, and for the Hurricanes to make the Eastern Conference final a series again, they’ll need their biggest one yet

RIMOUSKI, Que. – Coach Ryan Huska wanted the Kelowna Rockets to soak up some Quebec culture during their five-day break at the MasterCard Memorial Cup, and what better place to start than a stop at a roadside diner for poutine?

So on their way to a zip-lining outing, the Rockets got to feast on hamburgers and the typically Quebec side dish of poutine _ a mix of french fries in gravy and cheese curd

COLOGNE, Germany – Robert Mueller, a goaltender who played in two Olympics for Germany, has died from an incurable brain tumour. He was 28.

Mueller died Thursday, his German club Cologne Sharks said Friday

MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre and defenceman Mathieu Schneider are expected to be ready for training camp in September after undergoing off-season surgeries, the team announced Friday

CHICAGO – Detroit star Pavel Datsyuk’s status for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks was still unclear after the Red Wings’ morning skate

By Callum McCarthy

Establishing hockey as a mainstay in a country that has less ice than a fast-food soft drink was never going to be easy