News

PHOENIX – The NHL is planning a showdown in court over the Phoenix Coyotes filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and the proposed sale of the team to BlackBerry boss Jim Balsillie

Winnipeg hockey fans, whose hearts were ripped out when their beloved Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes over a decade ago, are crossing their fingers in hopes the financially strapped NHL franchise could be returning to Canada

TORONTO – NHL players have picked the same three finalists for the Lester B. Pearson Award who are up for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player – Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk

TORONTO – Premier Dalton McGuinty says he’d love to see another NHL club in southern Ontario.McGuinty says he would cheer on any team that came to the province if Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie has his way

HAMILTON, Ont. – The possibility of a NHL franchise settling in the Steel City is very real, Hamilton’s mayor said Wednesday as Ontario’s premier called the prospect of another team in the province exciting and thousands of fans signed on to a web site to push for it to happen

BERN, Switzerland – Defending champion Russia has advanced to the semifinals at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.The Russians defeated Belarus 4-3 in the quarter-finals at the ice hockey world championship

BERN, Switzerland – It wasn’t the kind of wakeup call Shane Doan was expecting.The captain of the Phoenix Coyotes was sleeping in a Swiss hotel room when his cellphone was flooded with messages early Wednesday

NEW YORK – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is skeptical of Jim Balsillie’s offer to buy the Phoenix Coyotes, saying he isn’t sure the BlackBerry boss could gain approval of league owners

PITTSBURGH – Hundreds of Pittsburgh Penguins fans received text messages recently saying they had won four tickets to an upcoming playoff game, but were disappointed to learn the messages had been sent in error

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Count the prime minister among those backing another NHL team in southern Ontario.Stephen Harper says the region could support a second NHL club

Results Tuesday:AHL PlayoffsDivision Finals(Best-of-7)West DivisionHouston 3 Milwaukee 1(Houston leads series 2-1)ECHL PlayoffsDivision Finals(Best-of-7)South DivisionSouth Carolina 4 Florida 3 (OT)(South Carolina wins series 4-2)Pacific DivisionStockton 2 Las Vegas 1(Series tied 3-3)IHL PlayoffsTurner CupChampionship(Best-of-7)Fort Wayne 5 Muskegon 2(Fort Wayne leads series 3-0)Central PlayoffsRay Miron President’s Cup Championship(Best-of-7)Texas 6 Colorado 3(Texas leads series 3-1)QMJHL PlayoffsQMJHL Championship(Best-of-7)Drummondville 5 Shawinigan 4(Drummondville leads series 2-1)OHL PlayoffsNo Games Scheduled

Scoring summaries from Tuesday’s NHL playoff games:Canucks 3 at Blackhawks 1First Period1. Vancouver, Raymond 1 (Kesler, Bieksa) 15:34Penalties – Vaananen Vcr (roughing) 1:43, Byfuglien Chi (goaltender interference) 2:45, Pyatt Vcr (boarding) 12:00, Bolland Chi (delay of game) 16:45, Kane Chi (hooking) 19:20

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Casey Pierro-Zabotel to a three-year entry-level contract on Tuesday.Pierro-Zabotel will report to the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who are currently in the East Division final against Hershey

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Anaheim Ducks defenceman James Wisniewski left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital after being struck in the head by Detroit forward Tomas Holmstrom’s elbow

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Teemu Selanne scored in the first period, Scott Niedermayer added a goal in the second, and Jonas Hiller made 18 of his 45 saves in the third for the Anaheim Ducks, who held on for a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night and grabbed a 2-1 lead in Western Conference semifinal series

CHICAGO – Roberto Luongo made sure Vancouver’s early lead stood up instead of slipping away.The Canucks offset the Chicago Blackhawks’ speed with better puck control and tougher defence and quieted the raucous crowd at the United Center with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal

RALEIGH, N.C. – Chad LaRose tried to beat up six-foot-nine Boston defenceman Zdeno Chara a few months ago, but that didn’t quite work.So once the playoffs started, the 5-10 Carolina forward instead turned to his quickness to outfox the NHL’s tallest player, turning a hustling steal of the defenceman’s lazy pass into the kind of goal that can swing a series

TORONTO – BlackBerry boss Jim Balsillie is looking to buy the financially ailing Phoenix Coyotes and bring them to Southern Ontario.The co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion says his US$212

PITTSBURGH – Evgeni Malkin stepped into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice rink dressing room, spotted a large group of reporters forming a faceoff circle around his seat and quickly scooted into an adjacent off-limits area without taking any questions

BERN, Switzerland – Alexander Medvedev, the billionaire owner of Russia’s Continental Hockey League, is interested in buying an NHL franchise