Hockey

The Penguins, Flyers and Stars were all members of the NHL’s “Second Six,” the expansion that saw the NHL grow to 12 teams. In the May issue of Impact!, NHL.com looks at the wild and wacky early days.

The Stars have surprised almost everyone by turning a potential sweep by Detroit in the Western Conference Finals into a 3-2 series. The Stars will try to become the first team in 33 years to go from 0-3 to 3-3 in a series when they host Game 6.

The Penguins, holding a 3-1 series lead, like their odds as the East Finals return to the Steel City for Sunday's Game 5 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS). They'd like it a lot more if Evgeni Malkin was at his best. | Parent finds groove

How did the Penguins go from the NHL's basement to its penthouse in such short order? Weekend Edition has the answer, as well as all of the other information you will need to enjoy this weekend's playoff action.

The MORE you buy the MORE you save as you support your favorite team in the 2008 NHL Playoffs. Whether you are a fan of the Penguins, Flyers, Stars or Red Wings, Shop.NHL.com is the place for Conference Finals gear.

Between Mike Ricci and Bryan Marchment, their career playing statistics look like this: 2,025 regular season appearances, 193 Stanley Cup Playoff games, 871 points, regular and postseason, and 3,460 minutes in penalties.

Evgeni Nabokov channeled perfection in Russia’s 4-0 win over Finland in the IIHF World Championship Semifinals on Friday, allowing Russia to advance to the Gold Medal Match this Sunday. Nabokov made 23 saves in his fifth-straight win.

Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray and Team Sweden were on the losing side of a 4-0 Bronze Medal Match against Team Finland in the IIHF World Championships on Saturday.

Marcel Goc checks in with his final blog of this season before he returns to Germany for the summer. Goc just got back from Halifax and Quebec for the 2008 World Championships as a member of Team Germany.

Please join President & CEO Greg Jamison, Executive Vice President & GM Doug Wilson and Right Wing Jonathan Cheechoo for an open forum regarding the “State of the Sharks” on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:00 PM at HP Pavilion.

Vancouver SunNash shines brightly with gold on lineToronto Star,  Canada - 5 hours agoPart, you see, of Nash's curious obscurity is owed to being buried in Columbus with an NHL team that has never qualified for post-season play. Canada and Russia to meet in dream final guardian.co.ukTHN at the World Championship: Canada, Russia advance to final The Hockey NewsNothing but respect among Canadians and Swedes ahead of semifinal The Canadian PressMost Valuable Network - Globe and Mailall 320 news articles

Hockey WorldVancouver Sun,  Canada - 6 hours agoToday he's a lawyer but he's looking into a job with some NHL team, maybe in hockey operations. "I didn't expect to break any bones in his face.

Selanne retires from international hockeyGlobe and Mail, Canada - 13 hours ago following the Stanley Cup victory by his Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League, but he returned to the NHL midway through the 2007-2008 season. Selanne retiring from international play; NHL future uncertain The Hockey NewsTHN at the World Championship: Kovalchuk to miss semifinal The Hockey NewsTHN at the World Championship: Second chances all around The Hockey Newsall 5 news articles

Vancouver SunTeemu Selanne retires from Team FinlandCBC.ca, Canada - 13 hours ago CITY — Teemu Selanne is calling it a career playing for Finland's national hockey team, but whether he returns to the NHL next season is up in the air. LIVE Sunday: Canada-Russia, for the World Championship New York TimesFinland nips US in OT The Gazette (Montreal)Switzerland, Norway look for upsets in world championship quarter The Canadian PressChicago Tribune - United Press Internationalall 150 news articles

Hockey.comThe rise of junior hockey's Sunbelt kidsGlobe and Mail, Canada - May 17, 2008Twelve years later, Wahl is the first-line centre with the Western Hockey League-champion Spokane Chiefs and a surefire NHL draft pick next month. Koper scores in overtime as Chiefs edge Bulls 5-4 at Memorial Cup The Canadian PressMartin signs long-term deal with the Panthers The ProvinceWhy Wings haven't signed Mike Babcock to an extension Detroit Free PressNational Post - Canoe.caall 125 news articles

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The Hurricanes have signed 2007 sixth-round draft choice Brett Bellemore to a three-year contract.  Bellemore, a defenseman, joined the Albany River Rats at the end of last season after completing his junior career with Plymouth of the OHL.

Despite a goal and an assist by Sweden's Niclas Wallin, Eric Staal, Cam Ward and Canada will advance to the gold medal game against Russia.  Russia earned their spot by beating out Tuomo Ruutu and Finland, who will play for bronze

In an effort to add value to your season ticket package and overall fan experience, the Carolina Hurricanes are introducing a gift incentive program to complement your 2008-09 season ticket investment.  Click here for pricing and gift options

The wives of the Carolina Hurricanes' coaches, players and ownership are proud to be "Honorary Chairpersons" for this year's Susan G. Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure.  Join the Canes team by signing up today and see our new incentives

The season-long 10th Anniversary Home and Prize giveaway came to a conclusion on Fan Appreciation night this past Friday. Barbara Leonard walked away with the grand prize of a new St. Lawrence home.

Western Conference final (1) Detroit v. (5) Dallas Red Wings lead series 3-2 Marty Turco, winless in Joe Louis Arena in his NHL career and with Dallas facing elimination in the Western Conference final, kept the Stars alive Saturday. "There wasn't any better time than now," Turco said after his team's 2-1 triumph and his first goaltending win in Detroit in his 12th try in seven years in the

Here's my look from Friday's paper at the incredible success of the Kitchener Rangers and at four players to watch in the Memorial Cup, which got underway last night. The Rangers held on yesterday to beat the QMJHL champion Gatineau Olympiques in overtime, 6-5, despite the fact they're still rolling with backup goaltender Josh Unice. The Spokane Chiefs and Belleville Bulls kick their tournament

These Sunbelt kids are part of a new wave, rising up from the bottom left corner of the continental United States, and infiltrating major junior hockey west of Ontario. They are taking a traditionally Canadian route to the NHL, skating beside tractor-strong Prairie boys and riding buses through the B.C. Interior. The number of U.S. players in the WHL has doubled over the past five years, and the

Know this: NBC's hockey coverage will end at 3:30 p.m. even if the game is in overtime. Coverage would then move to Versus. It will also be streamed online at NBCsports.com and NHL.com. Preakness prerace coverage takes precedence even though post time is 5:15 p.m. NBC believes its three-hour window for the Stars-Red Wings allows for one overtime, if necessary. — Barry Horn, The Dallas Morning

Two weeks on, the world championship tournament begins to get interesting. Canada won its first elimination game over Norway on Wednesday, advancing to a semi-final game against Sweden that gets going about an hour from now. Russia blanked Finland 4-0 in the other semi earlier today, and will face the Canada-Sweden winner on Sunday afternoon. The big problem with the event (and I've pointed

“Macho man and provocateur Sean Avery -- by some accounts the most hated player in the National Hockey League -- will be joining the estrogen-infused world of fashion as an unpaid intern at Vogue magazine.” – ABC News, April 24, 2008 Say what you want about Sean Avery, but this time he’s a great role model for all you little NHL fans out there. First, if you read that ABC News sentence again, you’ll see that “the most hated player” “will be joining the estrogen-infused world.” In short, Avery wants to get in touch with his feminine side, which is great. Second, Sean Avery is…

My first sweater, first real sweater that was all mine to take care of, and keep in my hockey bag, with a number that I would always wear, was maroon, and it had an orange No. 17 on the back. I had worn other numbers before, but on my first team, the coach always just threw the sweaters to us, and we got whatever we got. But the maroon sweater, that was mine. I was the shortest kid on the team, so my mother had to make the sweater shorter to keep me from falling on it when I skated. Now, if Phyllis Gretzky had done that, we’d never have seen the Gretzky trademark, his jersey tucked into his…

My fellow blogger, and the hardest working man in the business, Paul Kukla, did a cool thing a few weeks ago. He invited us all to call him and talk hockey. While I missed the call myself, I did listen to them on his website, and thought it was truly great idea. So good, in fact, that it was worth stealing. After thinking about it some more, I decided to take it one step further – the stealing, that is – and even stole his blog entry, and modified it a bit. So … here goes: The majority of my time during the NHL season is spent talking hockey. So I thought to myself, why not talk hockey…

I may be too old to have any idols, or at least too old to admit it. That said, I’ve been too old for that stuff for about thirty years. See, it was OK to have a cool poster on the wall of your room – and I sure did have those – but quite another thing, not as cool, to carry a photo of your idol with you. There were two ways around the uncoolness, though. One was to have a wallet, because being 13 and having your own wallet was cool. Add some money, and you were the king of the schoolyard. Buy a Coke on the break, or play it all on the pinball machine at the gas station across the…

First, there were none. Then there were a few pioneers. Then the Iron Curtain fell, and all of a sudden, everybody was going to the NHL. Now today, kids in Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and probably even Russia, play road hockey and pretend they’re playing at the Air Canada Centre or Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden, dreaming of taking the shot with seconds remaining that beats the goalie and wins the Stanley Cup for the team that they dreamt to be drafted by. It used to be that those kids pretended to be their countrymen playing for their national teams and winning the World…

After falling into an 0-3 hole against the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL’s Rogers Conference Championship Series, Nigel Williams and the Belleville Bulls won three straight to even the series before dropping Game 7 on Monday

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced Tuesday that it has signed forward T.J. Galiardi to an entry-level contract. Galiardi spent this past season with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League

Jordan Leopold (United States) and Jaroslav Hlinka (Czech Republic) both saw their respective squads eliminated from the 2008 IIHF Men's World Championship during Wednesday's quarterfinal round

Avalanche forward Ian Laperriere is one of four fathers that will be recognized by the American Diabetes Association and the Denver Father’s Day Council at their 2008 Father of the Year Awards

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced Friday that Joel Quenneville will not return to coach the team next season.

Joel Lundqvist scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second period to help the Stars pull to 3-2 in the suddenly tight series.  Game 5 highlights ...

Q:  Who has the greater amount of pressure tomorrow, you or them? DANNY BRIERE:  I think both teams have a lot of pressure on them.  They're trying to move to the next step.  We're trying to move to the next game.  So at...

Prior to this season, Evgeni Malkin had never played in over 69 games, but he tallied 106 points in 82 regular season games, and has added another 18 points in 13 postseason contest...

Detroit played their fourth straight game without Johan Franzen, who is sidelined with concussion-like symptoms. Franzen's 12 postseason tallies are over 23% of Detroit's 51 goals i...

Thanks to numerous missed opportunities in Game 5, particulalry in the second period, the Detroit Red Wings will now have to travel back to Dallas to once again attempt to eliminate...

Okay, So I screwed up on Round 2 when posting my predictions. I got the matchups wrong. I wrote it in a hurry in a wifi-cafe when they were about to close. I went 1 for 4 on the last prediction section. Oops. Well, I have a 50-50 chance this round. Western Conference Detroit v. Dallas Dallas really surprised me to have lasted this long. The second line with Richards is the real key to their

When I created the Battle of Pennsylvania @ Blogspot way back in 2005 as a response to the Battle of Ontario and Battle of Alberta blogs, I made it a mission to promote the Pens and Flyers rivalry to the rest of the hockey fandom world. It has been a daunting task, but certainly something that this blogger is up for. But I think that the key to appreciating this is actually having lived in

Sometimes, I get too focused on the local NHL scene here, but now and again I will check out the leagues and games going on in other places... because this is one of the basic rules of this blog. Hockey is a global game now. I hope to reflect some of that here. Having grown up exposed to my family's Slovak heritage, I have rooting interests where my families came from, Bratislava and Košice.

Sean Avery, the poster boy of hockey villainy, was admitted to a New York City hospital at 3 AM Wednesday morning. It is reported that he had undergone cardiac arrest. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review has reported back to ESPN 1250 that he is unconscious on a respirator. TSN has conflicting reports saying that Avery has a ruptured spleen. No further speculation or reporting on this

Russian Hockey Sniper Evgeni Malkin is one of the three finalists for NHL's Hart Trophy (Season MVP). Fans, reporters and other players took notice when Malkin took over the scoring race in Crosby's absence. This news is great for Malkin to perhaps give him some added motivation while playing in MSG tonight against the Rangers in Round 2 Game 3. Alex Ovechkin and Jerome Iginla are the other two

Winger Kris Versteeg scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, but it wasn't enough as the Rockford IceHogs dropped Game 7 of the West Division Final 4-1 to the Chicago Wolves.

Canada beat Norway 8-2 Wednesday at the World Championship and will face Sweden in the semifinals. Jonathan Toews had a goal and 2 assists. Team USA fell to Finland 3-2 to finish 5th in the tourney. Adam Burish had an assist in the loss.

The Sharp family (above) has renewed their season tickets for 2008-09. Have you? Send us a shot that shows off your Blackhawks pride and it may be featured here on chicagoblackhawks.com! Photo Gallery |

Blackhawks full season ticket packages for the 2008-2009 season are on sale now with pricing that includes seats as affordable as $15 per game. Experience the new era of Blackhawks hockey! Full Season Ticket Information | Buy Online Now

GM Dale Tallon discusses the June draft, free agency and more. Plus, Hawks Insider with Stan Bowman, the latest Hawks news, and what every Hawk fan should know about getting season tickets, on sale now. Listen

The Penguins, Flyers and Stars were all members of the NHL’s “Second Six,” the expansion that saw the NHL grow to 12 teams. In the May issue of Impact!, NHL.com looks at the wild and wacky early days.

The Stars have surprised almost everyone by turning a potential sweep by Detroit in the Western Conference Finals into a 3-2 series. The Stars will try to become the first team in 33 years to go from 0-3 to 3-3 in a series when they host Game 6.

The Penguins, holding a 3-1 series lead, like their odds as the East Finals return to the Steel City for Sunday's Game 5 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS). They'd like it a lot more if Evgeni Malkin was at his best. | Parent finds groove

How did the Penguins go from the NHL's basement to its penthouse in such short order? Weekend Edition has the answer, as well as all of the other information you will need to enjoy this weekend's playoff action.

The MORE you buy the MORE you save as you support your favorite team in the 2008 NHL Playoffs. Whether you are a fan of the Penguins, Flyers, Stars or Red Wings, Shop.NHL.com is the place for Conference Finals gear.

Earlier this evening during the public memorial to celebrate the life and legacy of John H. McConnell, Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash announced the establishment of the John H. McConnell Scholarship Fund.

Join Mark Wyant and Jeff Rimer this Sunday for Breakfast with the Blue Jackets presented by Rise & Dine from 10-11 a.m. on 1460 The Fan. The show will be held at the restaurant downtown and feature Mike Peca, Scotty Bowman, and

2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), May 15 announced that Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for this year’s highly

Camrose Kodiaks goaltender Allen York won the Top Goaltender Award at the 2008 Royal Bank Cup, Canada's 38th National Jr. A Championship, for the second consecutive year after leading his club to a runner-up finish

Dany Heatley and Rick Nash have led the way for Team Canada. The next challenge is Team Sweden today for the right to play for a Gold Medal on home ice. Pascal Leclaire will be in net for the Canadians in Quebec City. Read

On Monday evening, The Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center celebrated the opening and dedication of The Neely Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Gallery |

Chuck Kobasew always chooses his words carefully, but during Wednesday's conference call, when the B's formally reintroduced their winger and announced they had signed Kobasew to a three-year deal, Chuck was downright chatty

"We've had…discussions with Dennis Wideman's representative, Aaron Ward's and Glen Metropolit's agent, and preliminary discussions with Mark Stuart," explained Peter Chiarelli. "And we are going to get to Petteri Nokelainen, shortly."

General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced Tuesday that the club has signed forward Chuck Kobasew to a multi-year contract extension. Kobasew enjoyed a career year in 2007-2008 and his 22 goals placed him second on the team

Peter Chiarelli announced Friday that the Bruins will hold their second annual Development Camp at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington from Tues., July 8 through Sat., July 12. Last year, B's draft pick Milan Lucic attended the camp

Bobby Ryan scored two goals as the Ducks AHL affiliate Portland Pirates took Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to tie the series at one game apiece.

After a 5-4 defeat of Sweden in the Semifinals, Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz and undefeated Team Canada will battle Russia on Sunday in the Finals of the IIHF World Hockey Championships. Teemu Selanne and Finland Play for Bronze

The latest segment of The Element covers Sean O'Donnell's first stint on The Loose Cannons show on KLAC 570.

In his first season as the Ducks' captain in 2007-08, Chris Pronger ranked sixth in the NHL in average time on ice and tied for 14th among defensemen in points. The six-time All-Star is featured in our latest photo gallery.

Ryan Getzlaf speaks with Adam Brady on the phone from Halifax (where he is playing for Team Canada in the World Championship) on the first offseason edition of Duck Cast .

Decorate your computer with one of our 25 exclusive Calgary Flames player wallpapers. They are easy to download and will be the talk of the office!

Calgary Flames Hockey School, presented by the Okanagan Hockey School, is back for a sixth season The school will run from July 13 to August 9 and features visits from Flames players such as Craig Conroy.

The Calgary Flames announced Monday  that they will play a pre-season game against the Phoenix Coyotes at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Wednesday, September 24, 2008.

Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter announced Friday the signing of Calgary’s first round draft choice from the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Mikael Backlund.

GM Darryl Sutter and head coach Mike Keenan talk about the season, the playoffs and the future on Flames TV. Mike Keenan | Darryl Sutter |

BARRY MELROSE WITH HURRICANE FANS IN 2006 - FLICKR PHOTO AKULAWOLF Former Los Angeles Kings coach and current ESPN analyst Barry Melrose said in a short telephone interview today that he is still interested in a head coaching position. "Once you are a head coach, you are always a coach" Melrose said. He believes the position in San Jose is the most desirable opportunity on the market because in his opinion the Sharks could compete for a Stanley Cup next season. Asked about the feelings of disappointment by players and staff after a second round exit to Dallas in the Western Conference…

FORMER COLORADO HEAD COACH JOEL QUENNEVILLE - PHOTO JON SWENSON FORMER TORONTO HEAD COACH PAUL MAURICE - PHOTO JON SWENSON - The speculation about a new head coach in San Jose took less than a day to start, but Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that General Manager Doug Wilson will take time to assess the situation and evaluate possible candidates inside and outside the organization. Jeremy Roenick mentioned the need for a new coach to be confident and diplomatic, but he also complimented the outgoing Ron Wilson on his preperation. In a sidebar, Pollak highlighted three…

The 46th NHL Entry Draft will be held this year in Ottawa on June 20–21th, 2008. Ottawa was originally scheduled to host the 2005 draft, but instead they held a smaller version at a local hotel with plans to return for a full event as soon as possible. The league recently set up an online 2008 NHL Entry Draft website, and published the final Central Scouting Bureau draft rankings for top North American skaters, top European skaters, top North American goalies, and top European goalies to give fans and media backround information. The San Jose Sharks 26th overall selection in the first round…

SHARKS COACH RON WILSON AFTER WCQF GAME 7 WIN AGAINST CALGARY RON WILSON ON BENCH AGAINST EDMONTON, 2006 WCSF Sharks EVP and General Manager Doug Wilson announced late this afternoon that Ron Wilson was fired after four and a half years behind the bench in San Jose. Ron Wilson was hired as the sixth San Jose Sharks head coach on December 4th 2002, recording a 206-134-45 record, .535 winning percentage, and two Pacific Division Championships (2004, 2008) in 385 regular season games. Wilson served as an assistant coach to Detroit's Mike Babcock at the 2008 NHL Allstar Game in Atlanta on January…

Incredible game. A few notes prior to the start of the third overtime: Milan Michalek is out after a hard hit by Stars captain Brenden Morrow checked him to the ice on the last play of the third period, Curtis Brown was not on the ice for the second overtime and possibly not on the ice for much of the first overtime, Sharks playing with 10 forwards, Time on Ice shift chart for the game in progress, NHL real-time game summary. Evgeni Nabokov's 1st OT glove save on Brad Richards is yet another example that he is big game playoff goaltender, Nabokov 42 saves on 43 shots after 5 periods, Marty…

Daryl Evans heads up an All-Star cast of instructors led by Jim Fox, as well as fellow Kings Alumnus Ian Turnbull and other current and former Kings players in this annual week-long youth hockey camp.

How well do you know your 2007-08 Los Angeles Kings?  Check out this 30-question test to find out your level of Kings fandom!

Not sure if you guys have heard the news, but Derek Armstrong is going to be be throwing out the honorary first pitch when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies.

Daryl Evans appeared on There It Is with host Jake Stevens on May 14. Check out the audio from the interview. Evans played with the Kings from 1981-85 and has been the Kings radio commentator for the past nine seasons.

The Los Angeles Kings are now accepting deposits for the 2008-09 season.

On May 24 and 25, Downtown Edmonton’s Churchill Square will be buzzing with excitement with Hockey Night in Canada presents Play On! Edmonton – The Official Canadian Street Hockey Tournament.

The Edmonton Oilers Guitar Hero tour continues this weekend where it will be at Movies on the Square at Sir Winston Churchill Square Friday, Saturday and Sunday night beginning at 8:00 p.m. each night.

In the latest installment of Dan Tencer's Blog, Dan speaks with Oilers VP of Hockey Operations Kevin Prendergast about the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and the possibility of the Oilers going with three goaltenders to start next season.

On Friday, Canada and Russia advanced to the Gold Medal Game of the IIHF World Championships in Quebec City (Sunday at 11:00 a.m. MST). Robert Nilsson and Sweden go for Bronze today against Finland at 1:00 p.m. MST.

Susannah Staios, wife of Oilers defenceman Steve Staios, volunteered her time last week at a local Second Cup for their annual Cup of Compassion Day. Follow the link for a photo gallery.

A little hope. That’s all Mike Duco wanted last summer. Who could blame him? The kid from Scarborough, Ontario, hadn’t been invited to any NHL rookie camps. He had no NHL aspirations for the coming year. Undrafted, unwanted…

It all comes down to this. One game. 60 minutes. And nothing but gold will do. There are two teams left playing for gold at the World Championships in Canada as the host nation will take on Russia on Sunday for first place. | Watch The Games |

What an opening game to the Memorial Cup round-robin. Back and forth the Kitchener Rangers and Gatineau Olympiques went on Friday. It was only fitting that the game would be decided in an extra session to decide it.

Panther GM Jacques Martin, who signed an agreement to remain with the team through 2011-12, said Friday morning he is starting to put together a list of candidates for the vacant coaching position. | Panthers & Martin Agree To Deal |

Panthers prospect David Shantz has come a long way to make it to the pros since changing his position as a kid. Shantz, with the help from his father, was able to get better each year as a minor, eventually get drafted and then turn pro.

All Jiri Hudler really needed was a chance. He has all the traits you look for in a player. He is fearless. He possesses deceptive quickness, which helps him get to the right place at the right time. Simply, he has a hockey sense that ...

The Western Conference finals are here! The Red Wings are selling single-game Round 3 tickets to the general public. Times now set for conference final games. Buy Round 3 tickets! | Get Versus ...

The Wings were unable to hold off the Stars in a 2-1 loss Saturday at Joe Louis Arena in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.  Jiri Hudler scored for Detroit on a power play in the first period. Photos | Lidstrom | Hudler | Babcock | Interviews  

Dallas goalie Marty Turco did all he could to finally shake his Hockeytown curse. Heading into Saturday’s Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena, Turco, who played college hockey at Michigan, had an 11-game pro winless streak. ...

Your Red Wings are in a Western Conference championship showdown with the Dallas Stars and the winner is headed to the Stanley Cup finals! This is your chance to enjoy all the thrills and chills of playoff action at the Joe ...

The United States enjoyed a big high, then suffered an even bigger low. Sami Lepisto's goal at 3:59 of overtime gave Finland a 3-2 win over the Americans in quarter-final action at the IIHF World Hockey Championship Wednesday.

Relive your favorite moments from last season with Sabres.com's "Best Photos of 2007-08."  This week's gallery is focused on center Derek Roy.

Kevin Sylvester: "I am taking a risk in writing this blog before the Stanley Cup Final match up is set, but it’s a safe bet that Detroit and Pittsburgh will face off for the Holy Grail of professional sports."

Buffalo Sabres centerman Derek Roy recorded a four-point effort, including a hat trick, in Canada's 8-2 victory against Norway in the World Championship Quarterfinals. Canda moves on to play Sweden in the Semifinals on May 16 in Quebec City.

This season's Calder Trophy race features three offensively gifted rookies:  Washington's Nicklas Backstrom; and Chicago's Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.  Read who an NHL rookie defenseman, pro scout and fan think will win.

There’s no doubt the Detroit Red Wings are still in prime position, taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Final back to their building, last having lost a playoff game there 360 days ago against Anaheim. But it’s probably safe to say

Joel Lundqvist's second-period tally held up as the game-winner, and Marty Turco made 38 saves, as the Stars downed the Red Wings, 2-1, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, forcing a Game 6 Monday in Dallas. Photos | 700K |

Marty Turco almost single-handedly led the Dallas Stars to victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals Saturday afternoon. Usually when a goaltender is deemed to have been directly responsible for a win, it’s because of his ability to

Marty Turco placed an X in one box on his personal checklist when he was the No. 1 star in Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory over the Red Wings, Turco’s first playoff win over Detroit. Turco can exorcize another demon on Saturday in Game 5...

I can’t swear this was anything more than delaying the inevitable, but I was certainly happy to see the way-too-many Red Wings fans hang their head and wander out into the night.  No offense, Detroit fans, because we all recognize you

Bryan Little and Boris Valabik both got a taste of the NHL this season with the Atlanta Thrashers. Now they are taking what they learned with the top club to the AHL Playoffs.

Thrashers prospects will gain even more valuable playoff experience this weekend when the Chicago Wolves take on the Toronto Marlies in the AHL Western Conference Finals. The Wolves advanced by beating Rockford in 7 games.

8 Thrashers made their NHL debuts this season and Atlanta's stockpile of prospects has never looked so good. Thrashers Director of Amateur Scouting and Player Development Dan Marr talks about the team's prospects and draft strategy.

Ilya Kovalchuk  will play for gold at the IIHF World Championship on Sunday when Russia faces either Canada or Sweden. russia advanced to the final by virute of a 4-0 win over Finland on Friday afternoon. Check the IIHF site for details.

The Thrashers would like to thank their fans for all of their support through a challenging season. Relive the highlights of the 2007-08 season by viewing the 2007-08 Fan Appreciation video.

Brent Burns, Niklas Backstrom and Mikko Koivu are underway at the IIHF Men's World Championship, which began May 2 in Halifax and Quebec City. Burns is playing for Canada, while Backstrom and Koivu are suiting up for Finland

Saying, "I am reassured of my work," head coach Jacques Lemaire announced last Saturday that he will continue to coach the Wild. Lemaire, a foundation and icon of the franchise's stability, is the only head coach the Wild has known

The Minnesota Wild announced on Friday that it will visit 18 Minnesota cities over the course of three fun-filled days across the State of Hockey. The 2008 Wells Fargo Wild Road Tour, likely coming to a city near you, will include Wild celebs and players

Though the Wild's season has come to a close, Wild.com will continue to serve as a resource for checking in on the Stanley Cup Playoffs series, while also providing coverage of any Wild news and or features

A limited number of the above signed image (8 x 12 glossy) have been made available to fans while supplies last. All proceeds benefit the MSE Community Giving Fund, and Wild Community Relations will accept payment by check

An unknown commodity upon his arrival to the NHL, Mark Streit has since put not only himself but also his native Switzerland on the hockey map. Here's a numerical look back at the breakout season that was for the versatile defenseman.

Follow the performances of Canadiens prospects P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber at the 2008 Memorial Cup.

Here's a numerical look back at the season that was for Michael Ryder.

At 6-foot-4 and over 240 pounds, Mike Komisarek is tough to miss, and the hard-hitting defenseman didn’t miss very often in 2007-08. Here's a numerical look back at the season that was for the hulking blue-liner.

Be a part of Habs history with your very own personalized brick in the Canadiens' upcoming Centennial Plaza.

Nick Boynton remembers exactly how diabetes became part of his life back in 1999, when he was a 20-year-old working on his family's farm in Canada a few weeks before his first NHL training camp.

As Team USA was getting ready for their next showdown in Halifax with Finland on Wednesday, we caught up with the “Master of the Hip-Check” to get an update on his experiences at this prestigious tournament.

Canada and Sweden have had some memorable battles during international play and Friday’s semifinal showdown at the 2008 IIHF World Championship was no different.

Over the last two seasons with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, Brett MacLean has been a scoring machine with 108 goals in 129 games. This 2007 2nd round draft pick is clearly on a mission to prove that he is ready to make an impact in the NHL.

Greg Ireland has people in San Antonio talking about more than just the Spurs and The Alamo! In his first season as Head Coach of the San Antonio Rampage, Ireland led the Phoenix Coyotes AHL affiliate to a franchise record of 94 points.

Travis Zajac recently met up with the Devils Fan Club to take questions from the club's members before heading home for the summer. The Devils center, who turned 23 on Tuesday, spoke about realizing his dream to play in the NHL.

Have a room in the house that you've devoted to the New Jersey Devils? Then share it with Devils Legion by emailing your pics today!

Take a look back at Jamie Langenbrunner's first season as the Devils' captain

The United States enjoyed a big high, then suffered an even bigger low. Sami Lepisto's goal at 3:59 of overtime gave Finland a 3-2 win over the Americans in quarter-final action at the IIHF World Hockey Championship Wednesday.

Rugged defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski was a physical force for the Devils in 2007-08. NJD TV takes a look back at some his best hits of the past campaign.

The National Hockey League will be recognizing some of its’ most valuable players on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Ontario Canada (win two tickets by clicking the image!).  I love the annual NHL Awards show because not only is it exciting to see who will win, but also, isn’t it great to see the players with all (or most) of their teeth, looking clean and all dressed up? The Awards show will be broadcast in Canada on CBC starting at 8:00 p.m. local time and on Versus in the United States.  Here are the nominees: HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most…

  Well, well, well… the similarities between the Eastern and Western Conference finals continue.  The Dallas Stars raged back to force the Detroit Red Wings to go to Game 5 and now so have the Philadelphia Flyers.  Before their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, I was wondering if this would be the outcome.  Just like the Stars, the Flyers were one game away from being swept and, all of a sudden, they turned on the magic. In fact, for the first two periods, this game was all about Philly.  It looked like they totally took the Pens by surprise which…

In the nick of time, the Dallas Stars woke up and decided to actually play hockey during last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.  I can’t blame the Wings for being stunned (or so it looked to me) to actually have to skate because I had all but prepared myself for a sweep.  The 2008 Western Conference title is still up for grabs and I’m pretty happy about it. It was a wild game - Tomas Holmstrom was deemed to be in the crease (there is NO WAY he was!) and the first goal of the night, scored by the Detroit Red Wings, was disallowed.  Twelve minutes…

Oh. My. Gawd.  This is absolutely insane.  The Dallas Stars and now the Philadelphia Flyers are each one game away from being swept in the 2008 Western and Eastern Conference Finals, respectively.  I cannot even believe this. Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins VISITED the Philadelphia Flyers and dominated the game.  I was hoping that home ice advantage would work in the Flyers’ favor and make this a more exciting series but, instead, it was almost like it made the Pens stronger.  While Pittsburgh scored twice in the first and third (each), Philly scored once,…

Have you guys been enjoying Versus this season?  I think it’s great that they have been televising the games.  Being here in Canada, I’ve really taken for granted being able to watch hockey whenever I want, basically, but on a recent trip to the States, Versus became my best friend, lol.  Here’s a great promo video: Technorati Tags: 2008 stanley cup playoffs,stanley cup,versus,nhl on versus,versus schedule

Gatineau Olympiques forward Claude Giroux received the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs, leading his team to a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament.

The Philadelphia Flyers will host a viewing party for fans for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Doors to the AT&T Pavilion will open at 2:00 p.m. with the game  start time at 3:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all fans.

It appears that the Flyers could have two of their key blueliners back in time for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon (3:00 p.m., NBC). Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn both skated on Saturday morning.

Patrick Thoresen should be getting used to being one of a kind. After all, he's the only Norwegian playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Flyers continue their Eastern Conference Final series with Pittsburgh.

There is no better time to purchase Philadelphia Flyers season tickets than right now!  Click here for more information or call (215) 218-PUCK (7825).

The Islanders Community Events (I.C.E.) Tour makes its way to Suffolk Community College's Brentwood Campus on Thursday, May 22 to help businesses and individuals network; Great Islanders prizes to be given away

The Islanders' GM told Booster Club members of his free agency and draft plans; renovated Coliseum plans revealed

Visit the Town of Hempstead Town Hall on May 22 at 10 am or May 27 at 7 pm to be a part of this history making project

A look at the top prospects in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft

Join the powerhouse Islanders Business Club - including two season tickets; IBC executive director Mike Bossy announces a cap of just 1,000 members for the 2008-09 season; join now...

The Pittsburgh Penguins today quickly sold out all remaining tickets for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

(Playoff Coverage Homepage) The Penguins are coming back strong. The team will return to Mellon Arena on Sunday in an attempt to close out its Eastern Conference Finals series against the Flyers.

PensTV was in the locker room and at Coach Therrien's press conference on Saturday afternoon Locker Room 5/17Therrien Presser 5/17

(Playoff Coverage Homepage) Many observers marvel at Penguins young stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, Jordan Staal is proving he’s a pretty tremendous talent as well.

Commemorate the Penguins playoff run in a BIG way with these Stanley Cup Playoff Penguins banners, courtesy of Dick's Sporting Goods. The banners have been on display in Pittsburgh area Dick's Sporting Goods stores

Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed restricted free agent forward Martin Erat to a seven-year, $31.5 million contract.

Alexander Radulov and Russia shutout Finland 4-0 in the first Semifinal, while Dan Hamhuis and Canada edged Sweden 5-4 in the late game to set up a Canada/Russia match-up for the Gold Medal at the 2008 World Championships.

Antti Pihlstrom (above) scored two goals and Janne Niskala tallied one goal as Team Finland shut out Team Sweden 4-0 to win the Bronze Medal at the 2008 World Championships. Hamhuis and Radulov meet Sunday in the Gold Medal Game.

Antti Pihlstrom set low expectations for his North American debut, but the 23-year old acquitted himself quite nicely, including earning a spot on Team Finland at the Worlds and is in place to seriously challenge for an NHL roster spot with this fall.

The Predators' "Get Out And Learn!" (G.O.A.L!) free youth hockey program, presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee, will wrap up its four-week session this month at Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville.

31 Games. 10 Teams. 1 City. Share your time with the world!

"The Swedes have the best team game going of the four teams left as far as I'm concerned," said Canadian coach Ken Hitchcock in previewing today's semifinal against Sweden.

Canada celebrates a goal and Dany Heatley continues his scoring pace with one of his own in Canada's 5-4 semifinal win over Sweden on Friday. The Canadians and Russians meet in the World Championship final Sunday in Quebec City

Are you a Sens Insider? Sign up today for exclusive pre-buy opportunities, including playoffs, and more!

The 2008 NHL Draft is coming to Ottawa and so is the first Scotiabank Dinner Behind the Bench. Tables are selling quickly.  Get yours today!

Rangers head coach Tom Renney sat down with the media last week at the MSG Training Center to take questions about the Rangers' latest season and to discuss the roster picture for next season. Watch his remarks on Rangers on Demand.

Scott Gomez won over Rangers fans with a dynamic, 70-point effort in his first year with the Blueshirts. Find out what Gomez will be doing between now and training camp in the latest installment of Rangers on Demand's  "summer plans" interviews.

One Ranger will be playing for gold at the World Championships on Sunday, but it won't be Henrik Lundqvist. Canada beat Lundqvist and Team Sweden 5-4 in Friday's semis. Meanwhile, Fedor Tyutin and Russia advanced to Sunday's title game.

On the day before he left to join Team Sweden at the 2008 World Championships, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist told Rangers on Demand about his summer plans beyond the tournament and looked back on the high points of this pat season.

Everybody knows the Garden Faithful are among the world's most passionate sports fans. Now, we invite you to connect with each other in by sharing your photos, videos, shout-outs and more. Say it loud, say it proud, say it online: "I am a Ranger!"

With USA Hockey eliminated from the World Championships tournament, David Backes and Lee Stempniak are done, but Jamal Mayers is still going strong for Canada. Keep track of his progress right here at stlouisblues.com.

Blues prospects Lars Eller (left) and T.J. Oshie (center) met with the St. Louis media on Wednesday, then attended a baseball game on Thursday. Watch video of both right here.  Press Conference |  Baseball Game |

Tickets for the first-annual HockeyFest go on sale Monday, May 19 at 10 a.m. Don't miss out on a full weekend of memorabilia shows, a draft party, and an All-Star hockey game featuring Blues players, alumni and Hollywood celebrities.

After three consecutive Frozen Four appearances for the University of North Dakota, T.J. Oshie is ready for the next challenge: finding success at the NHL level. Oshie took that step by signing his first pro contract on Tuesday. Eller Signs, Too |

Season tickets for next year are available now. Get lower bowl seats as low as $28, or all-inclusive food and beverage with Glass or Club Seats. Half season plans are also on sale. Guarantee your seats by calling 314.622.BLUE.