News

SAN JOSE, Calif. – California’s hockey fans – yes, they exist, and yes, they know which end of a Zamboni is up – haven’t seen a playoff series between two native teams since 1969

WASHINGTON – Rangers captain Chris Drury is sitting out Game 1 of New York’s first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals.Drury is New York’s only scratch for Wednesday night’s opener

As the NHL playoffs start, Canadians may be hoping the Stanley Cup will return north of the border this year, but a new poll suggests they’re not overly optimistic that it will actually turn out that way

EDMONTON – After the Edmonton Oilers missed the NHL playoffs for the third straight year, head coach Craig MacTavish became the first man out the door Wednesday

DETROIT – Chris Osgood would rather just play, take off his gear, get stretched out and enjoy some grub.However, as the No. 1 goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings, doing anything quietly isn’t an option

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames hope to put some power back in their power play ahead of the playoffs.The Flames suffered through a miserable 0-for-43 skid with the man advantage to end the regular season

BROSSARD, Que. – The Montreal Canadiens hope the past is on their side but aren’t counting on history books to beat the heavily favoured Boston Bruins

Jason LaBarbera has pretty much maxed out on new experiences.The first, was being involved in an NHL trade – from the Los Angeles Kings to the Vancouver Canucks – just prior to Christmas

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings forward Dan Cleary says he will be healthy enough to play in Game 1 of his club’s NHL playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets

EDMONTON – As the NHL playoffs kick off, the Edmonton Oilers are once again on the sidelines, and head coach Craig MacTavish is paying the price for that

BOSTON – The home arena of the NHL’s Boston Bruins and NBA’s Boston Celtics is getting a shorter name.Delaware North, owner and operator of the facility now known as the TD Banknorth Garden, said in a statement Wednesday the arena will be known as the TD Garden starting in July

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings added some depth for what they hope will be a run toward another Stanley Cup.Detroit recalled forward Ville Leino from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday, a day before hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their first-round series

Results Tuesday:ECHL PlayoffsDivision Semifinals(Best-of-7)South Carolina 4 Charlotte 2(Charlotte leads series 2-1)Central PlayoffsConference Finals(Best-of-7)Texas 3 Odessa 0(Texas leads series 2-1)QMJHL PlayoffsQuarter-finals(Best-of-7)Quebec 3 Cape Breton 0(Quebec wins series 4-3)WHL PlayoffsConference Semifinals(Best-of-7)Vancouver 1 Spokane 0 (OT)(Vanocuver wins series 4-3)Maritime Jr

Movements in the world of hockey Tuesday:National Hockey LeagueCALGARY FLAMES-Recalled D Anders Eriksson from Quad City (AHL).NASHVILLE PREDATORS-Signed F Hugh Jessiman to a one-year contract

NEW YORK – The New York Islanders get to choose between John Tavares and Victor Hedman.They won the NHL’s draft lottery on Tuesday night and now control the No

CALGARY – After playing 799 regular season games, Olli Jokinen will finally take part in his first-ever National Hockey League playoff game on Thursday

CHICAGO – Nikolai Khabibulin brings playoff experience to the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks, who are searching to add some of their own.Not only that, the Blackhawks’ No

NEWARK, N.J. – The Carolina Hurricanes finished the regular season as one of the NHL’s hottest teams, so there seems little doubt what to expect from them in the opening round of the playoffs

Imagine a Canadian Olympic hockey team without Rob Blake, Scott Niedermayer, Ed Jovanovski or Wade Redden.All four were named to Canada’s team in 2006, although Niedermayer and Jovanovski were injured and couldn’t play

PITTSBURGH – This ought to be good.It’s common for playoff opponents to talk about not liking each other, but the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins truly don’t