Pierre-Marc Bouchard was supposed to be centering Minnesota’s second line this season. Instead, he’s been watching helplessly and without expression from a perch in the press box while the Wild play without him. His pads, jersey and helmet have been replaced by a black wool coat and a scarf. This is what recovering from a concussion can look like.
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is facing DUI and speeding charges in Arizona. Scottsdale police say an officer pulled over Khabibulin’s Ferrari shortly after midnight on Feb. 8 after the car was clocked at 70 mph in a 45 mph zone. The 37-year-old Khabibulin played for the Phoenix Coyotes from 1996-99 and still has a home in Paradise Valley.
Jim Sarosy’s dream is at hand — the first outdoor game in American Hockey League history. “It was something that I really thought our organization could put together,” said Sarosy, senior vice president of the Syracuse Crunch. “We try to look at things a little differently, try to be unique and fun, reinvent ourselves sometimes.
Alex Ovechkin scored late in the first period to give the Russians a three-goal lead and early in the third to restore a four-goal cushion to set up an 8-2 rout against Latvia on Tuesday night. The Latvians avoided a shutout when Herberts Vasiljevs scored in the opening seconds of the final period. The Russians responded with two goals — including Danis Zaripov’s second — in less than a…
So much for a lack of Olympic experience. After a workmanlike win over Switzerland in the opener, the U.S. men’s hockey team is suddenly loaded with it. Bobby Ryan scored late in the first period, and David Backes and Ryan Malone added goals in the second to help the youngest collection of American hockey players since the NHL began supplying talent for the 1998 Nagano Games top Switzerland 3-1…
U.S. goaltenders Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick have to cover or remove some words from their helmets that are in violation of International Olympic Comittee rules. Miller had “Miller Time” on the back of his helmet on Monday during practice and Jonathan Quick’s helmet has “Support Our Troops” adorned on his mask.
Patrick Kane is OK and so are the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks. Kane had a goal in regulation and bounced back from a jarring knee-on-knee hit to score again in the shootout, and Troy Brouwer’s goal in the fourth round of the tiebreaker gave the Blackhawks a 5-4 victory over Columbus on Sunday.
Ottawa coach Cory Clouston delivered a simple second-intermission message, telling the Senators to get an early goal and trust their skills. The Senators responded, killing off two penalties to start the final period before Alex Kovalev, Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher scored in a 6:59 span in a 4-3 comeback victory over the New York Islanders on Sunday.
The Vancouver Canucks were tired and a little testy, perhaps prematurely looking ahead to the Olympic break. Given seven power-play opportunities against their division rival, the Minnesota Wild took full advantage of the rough stuff with one of their best all-around games of the season. Niklas Backstrom got his first win in three weeks, and the Wild scored three of their four power-play goals…
Erik Christensen didn’t know his role when the New York Rangers claimed him on waivers from Anaheim in December. Christensen has emerged as more than a spare part. He had his finest game as a Ranger, scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Lightning on Sunday. “I think it’s been a steady climb since I got here.” Christensen said.