ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The shortest summer in Anaheim Ducks history ended Tuesday when the defending Stanley Cup champions opened training camp without captain Scott Niedermayer and unrestricted free agent Teemu Selanne.
Ducks general manager Brian Burke had no other recourse but to suspend Niedermayer, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs and has been contemplating retirement.
Anaheim Ducks new forward Todd Bertuzzi, right, collides with Bobby Ryan during a scrimmage as the Ducks open training camp at Anaheim Ice Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, in Anaheim, Calif. Bertuzzi was acquired from the Florida Panthers.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
The 34-year-old defenseman hasn't decided whether to return for a 14th NHL season. The 2004 Norris Trophy winner had a career-high 69 points last season en route to his fourth Stanley Cup title.
"I spoke to him, and obviously he knew it was coming," Burke said of the suspension. "It wasn't a fun phone call, but he expected it. He's a professional.
"The only option the club has is to wait. I mean, this is a player who's earned the right to make this call."
Selanne, the franchise's career leading goal scorer, also is considering retirement. Last season, his 13th in the league, he accomplished his goal of winning an NHL championship.
He wasn't suspended because his is a free agent. Niedermayer has two years and $13.5 million left on a four-year contract. As of now, the team's facilities are off limits to him.
Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf hits a slap shot as the Ducks open training camp at Anaheim Ice Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, in Anaheim, Calif. The Ducks are training to defend their Stanley Cup title.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
"I want our fans to understand that we didn't have a choice but to suspend Scotty," Burke said. "I think for some of our fans, that might seem like a harsh step. And it's not. That's what we have to do.
"There also seems to be a notion on the Web sites in Canada that these players are inconveniencing us in some way, or that this is working to the detriment of the hockey club. And nothing could be further from the truth."
Selanne, 37, was third in the league with 48 goals last season, becoming the first NHL player with consecutive 40-goal seasons after age 35.
"I met with Teemu this morning and there's no change. He's not prepared to come in," Burke said. "We talked about a few other things, but I'll keep that between us. He's unrestricted, so he didn't even have to come in and talk to me if he didn't want to.
"But we feel that we've plugged in a couple of players who should replace the two players who might not be back and we'll go from there."
Ducks forward Rob Niedermayer doesn't have any more insight into his brother's plans than the front office.
"That's his decision, and I can't predict anything," the younger Niedermayer said. "He's going to make that decision when he feels comfortable, and everyone in this dressing room is comfortable with that. I'm sure I'll be one of the first ones to know, but his family is something that's come first for him."
The Ducks, who begin defense of their title with two regular-season games in London against the rival Los Angeles Kings, leave for England on Sept. 24. Before that, they will play seven preseason games in 11 days, starting with a matchup with the Kings on Thursday night.
"You can only start with the people that are here," said coach Randy Carlyle, rewarded with a one-year contract extension during the offseason. "As a coach, you live in the real world. Our training started here this morning, and we're going forward with this group. If the others at some point decide they want to join us, we will welcome it."
Two other key veterans also weren't on the ice Tuesday -- goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and forward Samuel Pahlsson, each of whom underwent surgery a month apart to repair sports hernias. Giguere, who became an unrestricted free agent after the season, signed a 4-year, $24 million contract two weeks after the Cup clincher.
Left wing Dustin Penner, a restricted free agent, went to Edmonton after the Ducks chose not to match the Oilers' five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet.
One of the newest Ducks is defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who signed a two-year, $11.25 million deal as insurance is case Scott Niedermayer doesn't return. Another newcomer is rugged right wing Todd Bertuzzi, whom Burke signed to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Sportswriters in Canada don't see a repeat champion this year, but that doesn't mean the Stanley Cup is leaving California.
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Not only will the Stanley Cup not be returning to Canada this season, it's probably staying in California.
At least that's what a group of sportswriters for The Canadian Press concluded in their annual predictions ahead of the 2007-08 NHL season.
Bill Beacon, Robin Brownlee, Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun, Neil Stevens, Gregory Strong and Chris Yzerman answered a variety of questions about the upcoming year and the majority think the Cup will remain in the Golden State for another summer.
Four of us believe the San Jose Sharks will finally break through and win a championship while a fifth thinks the Anaheim Ducks will repeat. Detroit and the New York Rangers also earned one vote apiece.
"San Jose has been knocking on the door for a couple of years and looks ready to continue the string of sunbelt champions," one writer said of his choice to win it all.
We're split down the middle on who will lose in the final. Two votes each went to the Rangers, Pittsburgh and Ottawa. The other went to Detroit.
Things are a little more clear-cut when it comes to the Canadian teams. Ottawa received four votes as the best in the country while Calgary was given two and Vancouver one.
All but one of us believes Edmonton will finish lowest among the six teams that play north of the border.
"Dustin Penner is not the answer," said one writer.
We found more consensus when it came to the NHL's scoring champion. Five of us believe Sidney Crosby will be at the top for a second straight year - with a point total ranging from 120 to 168 - and if that's the case, he may well take home a second Hart Trophy as league MVP.
And why not? Wayne Gretzky once won eight of those in a row.
The other votes for the NHL's scoring leader went to Jaromir Jagr (at 145 points) and Alexander Ovechkin (127 points).
Every team in the league made off-season moves in an effort to bolster their lineup, but only some will end up liking what they got.
The majority of our panel thinks the Philadelphia Flyers hit a home run by signing centre Daniel Briere and that the Florida Panthers were wise to acquire goaltender Tomas Vokoun via trade. We believe those players will be the most effective at their position among major off-season acquisitions.
We'll also be keeping our eyes on a number of other players. Nathan Horton in Florida, Alex Radulov in Nashville, Guillaume Latendresse in Montreal, Alexander Semin in Washington, Ryan Getzlaf in Anaheim and Jordan Staal in Pittsburgh are among the guys we expect to have breakout seasons.
On the flip side, we know some players will disappoint and it becomes pretty evident here why we are so low on the Edmonton Oilers. Penner and new teammates Joni Pitkanen and Sheldon Souray each were nominated in the category of players on the verge of a disappointing season.
Others included in this dubious category were Owen Nolan in Calgary, Martin St. Louis in Tampa, Bill Guerin in Long Island and Ladislav Nagy in Los Angeles.
There will be no disappointment in Detroit this year. Our panel unanimously picked the Red Wings to take advantage of all those games against weaker Central Division opponents and win the Presidents' Trophy as the best regular-season team.
Six of our seven voters think Phoenix will finish dead last in the league.
"They stink," said one writer.
Of course, the playoffs are what every team is gunning for. We don't envision much change in the Western Conference power structure - the majority of our panel believes that Nashville will be the only team to miss the playoffs after making them a year ago. We have the Colorado Avalanche replacing the Predators.
There should be more of a shakeup in the East. Our writers believe that the Islanders, Atlanta and possibly Tampa Bay (we were split) will be knocked out. We think that Washington, Toronto and Philadelphia will be on the rise.
A disappointing start to the season will no doubt cost at least one coach his job. With seven votes we came up with six different names for the first to be let go: Marc Crawford (Los Angeles), Wayne Gretzky (Phoenix), Bob Hartley (Atlanta), Mike Keenan (Calgary), Jacques Lemaire (Minnesota) and Craig MacTavish (Edmonton).
While it seems unlikely that Gretzky would ever be fired or that Keenan could be let go just months after taking over the Flames, keep in mind that few would have predicted Ken Hitchcock would be the first shown the door last year. And Philadelphia fired him just three weeks into the season.
It can be a tough business.
Fortunately, it's not all bad news. Only two of our writers think there will even be one failed drug test in the league this season and we all expect to see at least five players score 50 goals. Only two hit that mark last season.
If early ticket sales are a barometer, the outdoor game in Buffalo between the Sabres and Penguins will be a success. Our writers think it'll be plenty cold enough, too - only one of us believes the temperature will be above freezing.
Five of us think it will be minus-15 or colder. If that is indeed the case, all those fans best bring their tuques.
London was the stage for Jonathan Bernier's NHL debut, and the 19-year-old Kings goalie was big in a 4-1 win over Anaheim.
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LONDON (AP) -- The NHL opened its season on the banks of the River Thames, and as far as the Los Angeles Kings were concerned, this was hockey country.
"I love London," said Kings center Mike Cammalleri, who scored two power-play goals Saturday in a 4-1 victory over the defending champion Anaheim Ducks. "It was good to us tonight."
This was the fourth time the NHL has begun its season outside North America, with the other three in Japan (1997, 1998 and 2000). The two California teams will play the second game of their series Sunday.
"It felt like a North American hockey crowd," Cammalleri said. "There wasn't much difference -- a couple of waves, like soccer, which was fun to watch."
The trip to the O2 Arena, however, was a little different from the usual drive along the congested freeways of Southern California.
"I don't remember taking a boat up a river to get to the game very often," said Kings defenseman Rob Blake, another goalscorer. "But that was our format tonight."
With the Union Jack hanging from the rafters nears the Stars and Stripes, the game at O2 Arena did not get off to the smoothest start. After the U.S. and British national anthems, the lights failed to come on. The players skated around, but were told to go to the locker rooms. The lights slowly returned, and the players did as well after 10 minutes.
"I think we had a lot of time to look around right at the start when they were trying to get the lights back on," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "I tried to soak it all in, all the different jerseys in the crowd."
Anaheim Mighty Ducks' Joe DiPenta, right, checks Los Angeles Kings' Slovakian player Ladislav Nagy into the boards by in the first period of their NHL hockey game in London, Saturday Sept. 29, 2007. This is the National Hockey League's first regular-season game in Europe.
(AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)
Cammalleri gave the "home team" the lead by scoring with a one-timer from the slot at 8:35 of the first period, with the Kings on a two-man advantage. He added another at 1:10 of the third, tipping in a slap shot from Tom Preissing.
Blake, who played 12 seasons for the Kings before returning to the team last season, made it 2-0 at 10:15 of the second by tapping in a loose puck. Michal Handzus scored short-handed into an empty net at 19:34 of the third.
Bobby Ryan scored for the Ducks on a power play at 13:09 of the final period, knocking in a rebound to beat Kings rookie goaltender Jonathan Bernier. Bernier made 26 saves.
"I don't think you could've expected a better game from a 19-year-old goaltender," Crawford said. "There was a lot of pressure tonight, and he looked like a really solid, solid goaltender. Not very many pucks bounced off of him, and he made a couple of great saves."
The Kings killed a two-man power play early in the first period, then converted when they had the same advantage. With his teammates attacking the net, Cammalleri was left alone in the slot and his shot beat goalie Ilja Bryzgalov. Lubomir Visnovsky and Alexander Frolov got the assists.
Anaheim Mighty Ducks' Chris Kunitz, right, tries to get past Los Angeles Kings' Brad Stuart in the first period of their NHL hockey game in London, Saturday Sept. 29, 2007. This is the National Hockey League's first regular-season game in Europe.
(AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)
Blake added the second goal midway through the second period.
On another power play, Anze Kopitar nearly scored for the Kings after a shot from Cammalleri went across the front of goal.
Bryzgalov then stopped a shot, but the puck slipped loose and got behind him. Blake, standing in front of goal, scooped it into the net. Preissing's slap shot from the point was tipped toward goal by Cammalleri, and the puck went in off the crossbar.
Many fans came hoping to see a fight, and they finally got one in the second period. After several minor scuffles, Kings defenseman Jack Johnson and Ducks center Rob Niedermayer went at it and drew matching roughing penalties. Two smaller skirmishes came late in the third.
The Ducks, who won their first Stanley Cup last year, were playing without usual starting goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere, checking forward Samuel Pahlsson and defenseman Mathieu Schneider because of injuries.
Giguere, who had a sports hernia operation in the offseason, said he hoped to be ready to play when Ducks go to the United States for three road games -- at Detroit on Wednesday, at Columbus on Friday and at Pittsburgh next Saturday. If he doesn't make the road trip, he could play in the Ducks' home opener Oct. 10 against Boston.
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle hinted earlier this week he wasn't exactly thrilled with playing his first two games of the season in London.
"We made a decision last November, December to participate in this," Carlyle said after the game. "The players voted and the managers had their chance to say yea or nay and we're living by that decision."
The Kings warmed up for the series in London by winning both games in an exhibition tournament in Austria. They have almost a week off after Sunday's game before hosting St. Louis next Saturday.
The NHL decided to open in Europe to increase its overseas market. The NFL is doing something similar, with the Miami Dolphins playing the New York Giants in a regular-season game Oct. 28 at rebuilt Wembley Stadium. In the NBA preseason, the Boston Celtics play the Minnesota Timberwolves Oct. 12, also at the O2. ^Notes: This was the first NHL game in London since the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs played a preseason exhibition in 1993. ... Kings owner Philip Anschutz owns O2 Arena. ... The Kings were 4-4-2 against the Ducks last season. ... The Stanley Cup was built by a London silversmith in the late 19th century.
my sens still undefeated in the pre-season games so far they just scored in OT against the habs tonight, making it their 6th win in the pre-season, UNDEFEATED YET Daniel Alfredsson of the Sens got a hat trick tonight, scored 3, Spezza 1. Eaves scored during OT berpeluh gak tengok....huhuhu.....and Fisher was on ice for the first time after their break cos before this he was injured due to some groin injury...
so another pre-season game for the Sens tomorrow against the Washington Capitals. If they win, it'll make them the first team to be undefeated in pre-season since 3 seasons ago I have high hopes for my sens boys.....
and all the best to McAmmond, hope he'll be up and running soon. And I still think Downie's 20-game suspension because of his dirty hit on McAmmond is not enough. I mean, cmon, he's known for his bad rep in the juniors, I don't think a mere 20-game suspension is ENOUGH to teach him a lesson! He should not be in the NHL at ALL!!!!
and Dany Heatley is still looking for a new contract...rumour has it that he's asking for an $8 mil sumthing contract.... o_O gila babs banyak.....
oh and i would think the stanley cup champs would do better than THAT in the regular season opener...huehehehe xD aku bersorak gembira je by the end of the game just now. hah!
Steve Downie's [Philadephia Flyers] dirty hit on Dean McAmmond [Ottawa Senators] that costed him 20 games. HAH! McGrattan [Sens] said that he'd get his ass for sure next time they're up against them
Sens VS Habs tonight!
oh and i met three of the sens players last tuesday hehehehehe...antoine vermette, chris kelly and chris phillips...sampai hari ni dok tersenyum
so yea...GO SENS GO!
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Fighting heavy wind and blowing snow, NHL work crews completed the initial phase of converting Ralph Wilson Stadium into a hockey rink for next week's Winter Classic outdoor game.
"The process of building the ice has begun," NHL spokesman Jamey Horan said Monday. Crews spent the past 24 hours surveying and protecting the field, unloading equipment and establishing refrigeration lines in preparation for the Buffalo Sabres' game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year's Day.
The game will be the NHL's second played outdoors, and first in the United States after the Oilers played the Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003.
The field's conversion began within hours of the final whistle of the Buffalo Bills' home finale, a 38-21 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
Crews began by removing the goal posts, and laying large tarps, held down by wooden boards, to protect the field. The initial work was completed despite wind gusts of over 30 mph and a steady and sometimes blinding snowfall.
The wind posed a near-dangerous problem on Sunday night.
With workers standing nearby, a heavy gust picked up one of the tarps -- 30 yards long and covering the width of the football field -- and lifted it into the stands of the east end zone. Several workers managed to duck beneath the tarp in time, and nobody was injured.
Numerous all-terrain vehicles and golf carts, as well as one SUV, were driven out on to the field to provide additional weight to hold down the tarps.
Horan said the next step is leveling the field, which is crowned, to begin erecting the temporary rink.
Organizers, who plan to work round the clock, hope to have the rink built by Wednesday and begin making the ice a day later. The two teams are scheduled to practice at the stadium next Monday afternoon.
The game has been sold out since tickets first went on sale in September. The 42,000 tickets made available to fans were scooped up within half an hour. In the event of bad weather, the NHL has the option of postponing the game to Jan. 2.
it would be great if the sharks could land forsberg. it would make the team even better and more aggressive (except for joe thornton,torrey mitchell and jody shelley, the rest of the team play kind of soft). i guess, it was not meant to be.
Excerpt from San Jose Mercury News - on Peter Forsberg
For some time now, the Canadian sports Web site tsn.ca has included the Sharks among the teams pursuing the 34-year-old center.
Tsn.ca said Wednesday that Colorado and Philadelphia, teams where Forsberg had played previously, are the front-runners for his services. Other teams still in contention are Anaheim, Chicago, Ottawa and Vancouver.
Other teams falling by the wayside include Detroit, Pittsburgh and Calgary.
after two periods, the sharks had just 5 shots on goal, compare to columbus blue jackets 26? this isn't happening. the sharks dont' look good tonight. they are outplay and outmuscle by the jackets. yes, they lead 1-0 but all the credits go to #20, their goalie, evgeni nabokov. naby is superb tonight. he makes incredible saves, one after another, including a penalty shot by rick nash.
still have one more period to go. hopefully they will play better to secure a victory. sharks have not been a good team at home, hp pavilion. don't know why. their home record rank bottom five in the league. but, they are great when playing away from home. they need to play great at home too, especially if they finished 2nd in western conference.
Ron Wilson's first victory as an NHL coach didn't come easily. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim carried a three-goal lead into the third period, then watched as Edmonton scored twice to narrow the gap before losing. That was 14 years ago.
His 500th victory Saturday night - a major NHL milestone - was equally nerve-racking.
But ultimately, Jonathan Cheechoo's first hat trick of the season carried the Sharks to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Nashville Predators at HP Pavilion in a game where neither team ever held more than a one-goal lead.
Wilson found it fitting that his 500th came in a close game.
"I probably had to sweat hard in 400 of them," he said.
The victory improved the Sharks' record to 3-1 in their six-game homestand and enabled them to keep pace with the Dallas Stars in the Pacific Division race.
And it also moved Wilson into a tie with legendary Montreal coach Toe Blake for 10th place on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list.
"It's hard for me to believe that Toe Blake had 500 wins and I have 500 wins," Wilson said. "I never thought I'd have 500 wins or even coach 1,000 games in the league. It's pretty neat."
As for the game itself, Wilson was in a charitable mood.
"It wasn't pretty, but we competed really hard," he said. "We don't have our A-game for some reason right now, but we got the job done."
The teams traded goals in each of the first two periods.
San Jose scored first at 4:48 when center Joe Thornton delivered the puck from the corner to just outside the crease where Cheechoo redirected it past Nashville goalie Chris Mason.
A little more than two minutes later, Nashville evened the score at 1-1 when center Vernon Fiddler ripped a shot from the left faceoff circle that Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov could only wave at.
Nashville took a 2-1 lead on Fiddler's second goal of the night, this one on a second-period power play. Cheechoo's second goal - a deflection of defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic's shot from the point - brought the Sharks even at 2-2.
"I just wanted to try and get a screen, but I was able to get a stick on it as well," Cheechoo said of the play.
Left wing Milan Michalek gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead at 7:17 of the third period when he used his speed to break past the Nashville defense at the blue line, lost his balance but still guided the puck into the net as he fell to the ice. That edge didn't last long though, as Predators center Scott Nichol tied it up at 11:41.
All of which set the stage for Cheechoo's third goal - the one that sent caps showering down from the stands. With the Sharks on the power play, Thornton sent the puck from the faceoff circle toward the net where Michalek deflected it to Cheechoo on the far side for an easy tap-in at 15:05.
Cheechoo now has 14 goals for the season - and nine in his past 11 games.
"Cheech is starting to catch fire," Wilson said. "He gets hot all the time at this time of the year, so that's a really good sign for us."
For his part, Cheechoo was glad to be able to contribute to his coach's 500th victory.
"That's pretty amazing so it was nice to help out," he said.
Last week, Wilson had talked about the milestone, considering it mostly a testament to his ability to stay behind the bench year-after-year.
"To me, it's the 15 straight years that's pretty remarkable," Wilson said. "I mean, I was without a job for two months before I came here . . . but still."
Wilson was on the phone right after the game, talking with his daughter who lives in Southern California. Today he plans to fly down there for a special visit.
"I'm going to take my granddaughter to Disneyland to celebrate 500 wins," he said, then joked that he had just missed an opportunity. "What I should have done was say it on TV and maybe they would have comped me."
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Florida Panthers goalie Thomas Vokoun saw fear in Richard Zednik's ashen face when his teammate reached the bench with blood gushing from his throat.
"He was very scared," Vokoun said, describing the frightening scene after the right side of Zednik's throat was accidentally sliced by teammate Olli Jokinen's skate during a game at Buffalo on Sunday night. "He was conscious, I guess. His eyes were closed, but he was moving and moaning."
As the Panthers traveled home to south Florida following a 5-3 loss, the team announced Zednik was stable and resting comfortably at Buffalo General Hospital after having surgery to close the gash that led the forward to leave a long trail of blood on the ice.
A 12-year NHL veteran, Zednik was hurt with 9:56 left in the third period in the right corner of the Sabres zone.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, of Czech Republic, skates past Florida Panthers Richard Zednik's trail of blood during the third period of a NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y. on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Buffalo won 5-3. Zednik was taken to a Buffalo hospital after his neck was cut by a teammate's skate.
(AP Photo/Don Heupel)
Zednik was circling the net behind the play and skating into the corner just when Jokinen was upended by Sabres forward Clarke MacArthur. Jokinen fell headfirst to the ice, and his right leg flew up and struck Zednik directly on the side of the neck.
Clutching his neck, Zednik somehow had the capacity to race the three-quarters length of the ice to the Panthers bench, where he nearly fell into the arms of trainer Dave Zenobi, who immediately placed a towel on the player's throat. With the help of defenseman Jassen Cullimore, Zednik was escorted up the tunnel behind the Panthers bench and loaded into an ambulance.
Jokinen was sickened when he watched the replay and learned it was his skate that caused the cut, leaving the Panthers' captain in no mood to continue playing.
"It was terrifying," Jokinen said. "If it was my call, I would have gone to the hospital with him."
Play resumed after a 15-minute delay, during which time crews scraped the blood off the ice and the surface was cleaned by Zambonis. NHL officials briefly considered stopping the game, but determined to continue playing after knowing that Zednik was stable and the two teams were willing to go on.
Panthers spokesman Justin Copertino said the team was making arrangements to have Zednik's wife, Jessica, fly from South Florida to Buffalo by a charter flight Sunday night. Zenobi and assistant general manager Randy Sexton also stayed behind to be with Zednik, Copertino said.
Hospital spokesman Mike Hughes said he expected the Panthers to provide an update on the player's condition on Monday.
A hush fell over the crowd at HSBC Arena after Zednik was hurt. It wasn't until the public address announcer said Zednik was in stable condition that fans gave a lengthy standing ovation.
Players on both benches, though, were still shaken.
Florida Panthers right winger Richard Zednik, of Slovakia, is attended to by a trainer after being injured during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y. on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Buffalo won 5-3.
(AP Photo/Don Heupel)
"It was pretty solemn," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, said describing the mood on his bench. "There wasn't a lot being said (on the bench). There was just more concern for Richard than anything else.
"I can fully understand if they wanted to cancel the whole game," Ruff added. "When you see something like that, it isn't about playing anymore. But I said, 'We're going to finish the game and it's going to be what it's going to be."'
The NHL released a statement, saying: "The thoughts and prayers of the NHL family are with Richard Zednik, his loved ones, his teammates and the Florida Panthers organization."
Sabres general manager Darcy Regier credited both Zednik for having the awareness to head to the bench and also the NHL for mandating physicians be on hand and near the bench during games. Regier said doctors were already waiting in the tunnel behind the Panthers' bench when Zednik was escorted off.
Zednik's injury was eerily reminiscent of an injury sustained by Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk about 19 years ago at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. On March 22, 1989, Malarchuk severed his jugular vein when St. Louis Blues forward Steve Tuttle was upended while skating toward the crease, slicing Malarchuk with a skate.
Malarchuk required over 300 stitches but spent only one night in the hospital, returning to practice after four days. On April 2, he played the final five minutes in the season finale, less than two weeks after his injury.
It was the second serious injury caused by a skate this weekend.
On Saturday, NHL linesman Pat Dapuzzo needed dozens of stitches to close a cut on his face after he was hit by the skate of Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie in a game against the New York Rangers.
Dapuzzo, scheduled to retire at the end of the season, didn't return after the second-period injury.
Zednik has 15 goals and 11 assists this season, and had a four-game point streak (three goals, six assists) end on Sunday.
"I can't imagine what he was going through," Panthers defenseman Bryan Allen said. "What saved the situation was he had the mental ability to get to the bench and get to the dressing room, not stay on the ice. Those few seconds could have been the difference."
There's one teeny-tiny problem in trying to select the best player among the current NHL elite. You're absolutely spoiled for choice.
You could opt, say, for Alexander Ovechkin's infectious, exuberant brilliance. Or Sidney Crosby's sublime mix of tender and tough. Vincent Lecavalier's dash. Jarome Iginla's crash. Or Evgeni Malkin's flash.
But the perfect NHLer?
Create your own, definitive of the era. A mix-and-match superstar. A potent cocktail of unbeatable characteristics.
The idea is to play Mary (no relation to Jody) Shelley and stitch together your very own frozen-water Frankenstein, compiling the best bits from the most compelling players in the game today.
Hey, if sticks can be composites, why can't players? And if such a creation were possible, the assembled product could do worse than look like this:
1. Nashville 1-3 Detroit
2. Nashville 2-4 Detroit
3. Nashville 5-3 Detroit
4. Nashville 3-2 Detroit
5. Nashville 1-2 OT Detroit
6. Nashville 0-3 Detroit
Red Wings win series 4-2
(2) San Jose Sharks
(7) Calgary Flames
1. Calgary 3-2 San Jose
2. Calgary 0-2 San Jose
3. Calgary 4-3 San Jose
4. Calgary 2-3 San Jose
5. Calgary 3-4 San Jose
6. Calgary 2-0 San Jose
7. Calgary 3-5 San Jose
Sharks win series 4-3
(3) Minnesota Wilds
(6) Colorado Avalanche
1. Colorado 3-2 OT Minnesota
2. Colorado 2-3 OT Minnesota
3. Colorado 2-3 OT Minnesota
4. Colorado 5-1 Minnesota
5. Colorado 3-2 Minnesota
6. Colorado 2-1 Minnesota
1. Boston 1-4 Montreal
2. Boston 2-3 OT Montreal
3. Boston 2-1 OT Montreal
4. Boston 0-1 Montreal
5. Boston 5-1 Montreal
6. Boston 5-4 Montreal
7. Boston 0-5 Montreal
1. Philadelphia 4-5 Washington
2. Philadelphia 2-0 Washington
3. Philadelphia 6-3 Washington
4. Philadelphia 4-3 2OT Washington
5. Philadelphia 2-3 Washington
6. Philadelphia 2-4 Washington
7. Philadelphia 3-2 2OT Washington
Flyers win series 4-3
(4) New Jersey Devils
(5) New York Rangers
1. New York 4-1 New Jersey
2. New York 2-1 New Jersey
3. New York 3-4 OT New Jersey
4. New York 5-3 New Jersey
5. New York 5-3 New Jersey
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Post time 31-7-2007 04:00 AM
