News

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Daniel Alfredsson has spent the last few days enjoying the spotlight in his native Sweden, but now the Ottawa Senators captain is ready to get down to business.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos never imagined his first NHL game would be in Europe.He believes that’s taken the edge off his nerves heading into Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers in Prague, Czech Republic (noon ET).

ST. LOUIS – Former St. Louis Blues owner Michael Shanahan Sr. was ordered on Friday to pay nearly US$8 million in restitution and serve three years of probation for his role in backdating stock options.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Top Sabres prospects Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy were among the six players Buffalo assigned to Portland of the American Hockey League on Friday.

ST-JOVITE, Que. – The Montreal Canadiens have given head coach Guy Carbonneau a multi-year contract extension, the NHL club announced Friday.

The Stanley Cup is staying put in Hockeytown, according to a simulation of the 2009-08 season by Electronic Arts using its “NHL 09 video” game.

VANCOUVER – Henrik Sedin’s goal 39 seconds into the third period gave the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks in NHL pre-season action Thursday night.

DALLAS – Andrew Ladd scored in the second round for the only goal of the shootout, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 pre-season victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.

Movements in the world of hockey Thursday:National Hockey LeagueANAHEIM DUCKS-Assigned F Troy Bodie, D Brennan Evans, F Josh Green, G David LeNeveu, F Joakim Lindstrom, F Drew Miller and F T.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eric Staal scored two goals and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Nashville Predators 4-2 Thursday night in a pre-season game.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jochen Hecht and Ales Kotalik had a goal and an assist each to lead the Buffalo Sabres past the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 in a pre-season game Thursday night.

The NHL’s most famous mouthpiece is at is again, this time taking shots at the league and commissioner Gary Bettman over the marketing of hockey.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The New York Islanders signed first-round draft pick Josh Bailey to a three-year, entry-level contract Thursday.Bailey, chosen with the ninth overall pick this year, has been attending training camp with the Islanders but has played in only one of New York’s four pre-season games due to an undisclosed injury.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – The NHL is giving two more countries a first look at regular-season games this weekend, and it’s a sight Europeans should be getting used to.

TORONTO – Canadian country-folk legend Stompin’ Tom Connors has re-recorded his beloved sports anthem, “The Hockey Song”.The toe-tapping hockey fan says he finds the original, recorded in the early ’70s, “a little thin.

DETROIT – The Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings have a good shot at being the first team to repeat since they pulled off the feat in 1998.

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames hope beefing up their supporting cast will extend their post-season run all the way the Stanley Cup.Captain Jarome Iginla, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and defencemen Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr are among the best in the business at their positions, but depth is required to win the ultra-competitive Northwest Division.

The NHL doesn’t want to rely on anyone else to convey a message to its fans.The league’s marketers are constantly trying to directly engage the 53 million people that research shows are supporters of the NHL.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Sergei Fedorov has scored 472 regular-season goals, earned an MVP award and won three Stanley Cups as an NHL forward. Yet there he was at the Washington Capitals’ practice Thursday, putting in work as a defenceman.

GOTEBORG, Sweden – Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson scored one goal and set up another against his former team Thursday as the Senators beat the Frolunda Indians 4-1 in a pre-season game.