National Hockey League

It is a wonderful fan-friendly gesture in the NHL. The "three stars" of the game are announced to the crowd and those stars often skate over and hand their hockey sticks over the glass to lucky fans. That is what the Ducks' Scott Niedermayer did after Thursday night's overtime win.  

Legendary Montreal Canadiens player Henri Richard won 11 Stanley Cup titles, more than any other player in National Hockey League history. Richard, along with former teammates Yvon Lambert and Charlie Hodge, will be honoured prior to Saturday's Western Hockey League game between the Vancouver Giants and Portland Winter Hawks as part of the annual 'Legends Night' at the Pacific Coliseum. The 73-year-old played Take 5 with Canwest reporter Ian Walker, as he discussed five questions about his own career and having an even more famous brother.  

Kleinendorst, in his first season as coach of the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 Team, not only spent the last three seasons as coach for the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate in Lowell, but as New Jersey's assistant coach in 2000-01. It's no wonder five of the top seven players on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary ranking for United States Hockey League players happen to be defensemen playing for Kleinendorst -- No. 1 Derek Forbort, No. 3 Stephen Johns, No. 4 Justin Faulk, ...

Faulk might be the most NHL-ready defenseman on the team   -Jack Barzee

 

Twenty-one games is just a glimpse of what the Stars are and where they want to go, Joe Nieuwendyk said. "I see more positive than I do negative," said the first-year general manager. "I think we have skill and talent, I think we have the ability to play the game with pace, and I think we're a better team than many people probably give us credit for.  

That's because the Dutch will be out in force to cheer on their own in speed skating—the favourite sport of the Netherlands. But Jean Dupré, Speed Skating Canada's director general, is encouraging locals to blanket the orange with a sea of red as part of the Canadian Olympic Committee's Paint The Town Red campaign. Locally, that campaign has been spearheaded by Ed Gavsie and his Richmond Spirit of B.C. committee.

People are already showing support by wearing Canada clothing all over them and they’re being respected for it   -Jean Dupre

 

Some of Canada's most excruciating Olympic hockey losses are forever linked to the enemy Michelin Man — international goaltenders. A painful reflection: • At the Lillehammer Olympics of 1994, Sweden's Tommy Salo made four shootout stops, the last one on Paul Kariya, to secure a gold medal for Sweden.  

The Gophers men's hockey team announced it has signed five student-athletes to national letters of intent. Among the signees, three currently play in the United States Hockey League, while the other two are playing for Minnesota high school teams. Three of the signees are forwards and the other two are defensemen.  

Canada's top female biathlete wanted vaccination for the swine flu before she boarded an airplane this weekend, but Zina Kocher couldn't get it. "I leave for Europe on Saturday, so it's doubtful I will get it," the 26-year-old from Red Deer, Alta., said this week. "I may be in Europe until right before the (Olympic) Games."

I believe when the Flames did get it, it was available to the public   -Melody Davidson

 

The National Hockey League on Friday suspended Dallas Stars forward James Neal two games for a hit from behind. The incident occurred during Thursday's game in Columbus, when Neal appeared to leave his feet to check Blue Jackets defenseman Marc Methot along the boards. He missed and connected instead with Jackets forward Derek Dorsett, and the force of the contact drove Dorsett's face into the glass.