News

TORONTO – Anyone who played in the NHL last season can expect to receive a nice little bonus by the end of the month.A source tells The Canadian Press that the players will be given back all of the money they paid into escrow last season.

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have no where to go but up in their home opener after a 6-0 thrashing by the Vancouver Canucks to start the season.

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Flyers’ pre-season was one extended celebration of their glory days.They held emotional tributes to their soon-to-be demolished former arena, the Spectrum.

NEWARK, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils’ home opener was set to go on as scheduled Friday night despite a construction code dispute that closed the Prudential Center down this summer.

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks signed defenceman Alex Edler to a four-year contract extension Friday.The deal will keep Edler under contract through the 2012-’13 season.

TORONTO – Thirteen-year-old Robert Fraser Burke is being hailed as a prodigy by many who’ve admired his “Sticks to the Ice” tune that beat out thousands to make it to the Top 2 in CBC-TV’s “Hockey Night in Canada” anthem challenge.

By Patrick Williams
One year prior, a long-serving hockey guy is contending with media hordes and high-pressure atmosphere that accompany a head-coaching job in a Canadian NHL city that plays host to a deep club coming off a Stanley Cup run.

OTTAWA – Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson was scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Friday.The NHL team said doctors will remove a bone chip that was dislodged from his right knee during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Sunday.

Results Thursday:AHL No Games Scheduled.QMJHLHalifax 4 Victoriaville 2OHLKitchener 5 Niagara 3 Peterborough 4 Erie 2 Windsor 5 Brampton 3WHLNo Games Scheduled.

VANCOUVER – Alex Burrows scored two goals and goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 25 shots for the shutout as the Vancouver Canucks opened their NHL season with a 6-0 win over the Calgary Flames Thursday night.

DENVER – David Krejci scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:36 remaining and added an assist, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche in the season opener for both teams Thursday night.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Jonathan Cheechoo scored two goals, Evgeni Nabokov took a shutout into the final minutes and Todd McLellan won his NHL head coaching debut in the San Jose Sharks’ 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

DENVER – Brian Leetch glided out to the ice in loafers, not skates.The former defenseman was wearing a blue suit and matching tie, instead of his familiar Rangers sweater.

VANCOUVER – Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr left the team before its season-opening game in Vancouver on Thursday night after his wife went into labour back in Calgary.

Movements in the world of hockey Thursday:National Hockey LeagueANAHEIM DUCKS-Assigned G David LeNeveu to Iowa (AHL).CALGARY FLAMES-Placed D Rhett Warrener on injured reserve.

DETROIT – A Toronto Maple Leafs season that isn’t expected to include many highlights has already produced a memorable moment.Nikolai Kulemin’s first NHL goal stood up as the winner Thursday as the Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on a night where the defending Stanley Cup champions raised another championship banner.

TORONTO – “Sticks To The Ice” by Robert Fraser Burke and “Canadian Gold” by Colin Oberst are the two finalists from over 14,000 entries in the search for a new Hockey Night in Canada anthem.

Don Cherry gave Toronto Maple Leafs management an earful Thursday night as the outspoken hockey commentator critiqued all six Canadian teams on CBC’s first Coach’s Corner segment of the season.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The New York Islanders have heard the negative talk and seen the gloomy predictions for their season.Whether it’s bravado, competitive spirit, or sheer denial, captain Bill Guerin and his teammates are fully prepared to prove people wrong.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Perhaps the biggest reason for the Carolina Hurricanes’ latest late-season collapse was that Rod Brind’Amour was relegated to being an observer.