PITTSBURGH - When Hal Gill finished last season by hoisting the Stanley Cup in a Penguins uniform, he was hoping to spend a few more years winning in Pittsburgh.
It didn't work out.

The Penguins did not offer Gill a contract when he became an unrestricted free agent July 1, and the Montreal Canadiens scooped him up with a two-year, US$4.5 million contract.

Now Gill has the ultimate opportunity to prove his former team was wrong to let him go when the Canadiens begin their Eastern Conference semi-final series in Pittsburgh on Friday.

"That's the idea," Gill said Thursday at the team hotel as the Canadiens got a day off from practice. "Every shift you have

The NHL announced the finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and former Ranger Jed Ortmeyer is among the finalists. The Bill Masterton is given to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

Here is the press release about Ortmeyer:

The veteran forward not only has to work hard each shift to ensure he has a place in the NHL, but also battles a challenging health condition that requires daily attention. At some point each day, Ortmeyer must use a needle to inject a blood thinner directly into his stomach to combat a hereditary blood-clotting disorder that has threatened not only his hockey

MONTREAL -- They call him “Skillsie,” like you call a bald guy “Curly” or a fat guy “Slim.”
“Is that irony? I don’t know if it’s the proper use of irony. The jumbo shrimp?” wondered Montreal Canadiens defenceman Hal Gill. “I’m not the skilled player. It is what it is. It’s a tough burden to bear, but I do other things well.

“There’s a lot of people out there in men’s leagues who probably have better hands than me, but that’s life.”

Yes, he does other things well.

Like lead the Canadiens’ penalty killing heading into Game 6 Monday might in the

One of the several Bruins [team stats] players who has raised his profile and stock within the organization with his play in the first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres is defenseman Matt Hunwick.

The second-year “offensive” defenseman struggled much of the season - like many of his teammates - with defensive-zone woes reducing his effectiveness as a puck-mover.

But Hunwick, given a far more important role late in the season when the Bruins lost three key blueliners, has seized the opportunity nicely and played very well against the Sabres.

Much sounder on the defensive side, he has also rediscovered his ability to make good

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks have signed free-agent forward Cam MacIntyre to an entry-level contract.

The team announced the deal with the former Princeton player Monday. MacIntyre finished an injury plagued senior season with six goals and four assists in 10 games. In 87 career college games, MacIntyre had 29 goals and 31 assists.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson describes MacIntyre, of Sooke, B.C., as a physical player who will bring "great leadership to our organization.

Avalanche right winger Brandon Yip, left, will return from a shoulder injury and play in Friday night's key game against Calgary. (AP | David Zalubowski)

The Avalanche will get two key forwards back in the lineup for Friday's showdown matchup with the Calgary Flames.

Brandon Yip and Stephane Yelle will return to play in the game that could largely decide the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference NHL playoffs.

Coach Joe Sacco indicated Yip, who had 10 goals before suffering a shoulder injury a month ago, will skate on a third line and Yelle will center the fourth line.

Sacco also said he will play defenseman Kyle Quincey after making him a

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) The Ottawa Senators had talked about avoiding a letdown after clinching a postseason berth.

Martin Biron and the New York Islanders had other ideas.
Biron made 28 saves and John Tavares, Dylan Reese and Jack Hillen each scored goals in the second period to lift New York to a 4-1 win over Ottawa on Saturday.

Sean Bergenheim added another goal in the final period and Blake Comeau and Richard Park each had two assists.

The Islanders won for the fourth time in five games to stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, scoring 17 goals in its last four games.

"Right now it seems we're clicking the way we want," said

This isn't the time for big-picture analysis. The summer is the time for that necessary examination of the season. This isn't the time for putting things in context, either, because the context is written solely in the standings.

And so the context of last night's 4-3 victory over the Islanders at the Coliseum is this and this alone: It allows the 10th-place Rangers to stay within four points of a playoff berth, with both ninth-place Atlanta and eighth-place Boston to leapfrog with six games to go.

How humorous is it though that after a season in which John Tortorella rode the few thoroughbreds in the stable to an extreme and perhaps exhaustion, injuries to Ryan Callahan

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nick Bonino scored his first NHL goal with an assist from 600-goal scorer Teemu Selanne, and Curtis McElhinney made 30 saves in the Anaheim Ducks' 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.

Corey Perry and Kyle Chipchura scored 49 seconds apart in the second period as the Ducks won for the sixth time in eight games to move even with Dallas and Minnesota in 11th place in the Western Conference standings. All three clubs trail Colorado by nine points for the final playoff spot.

Loui Eriksson scored his 28th goal and Kari Lehtonen stopped 43 shots for the Stars, who lost two of three in California to end a four-game road trip. High-scoring

There comes a point when a team gets tired of getting sand kicked in their faces.

The Edmonton Oilers reached that point Sunday, doing some kicking of their own in a surprising 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.

“We want to come out to battle and we’re looking to play hard and we still want to win every game that we’re in,” said Oilers winger Zack Stortini. “This is about pride and character and we have a ton of that in here. It’s just a matter of going out and battling hard each and every night and that’s what we have to do.”

Stortini got the party rocking when he took out Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle behind the

Center Nick Bonino, of Boston University, signed with the Ducks Sunday and might become familiar to Ducks fans quickly, with several roster spots expected to open up for the 2010-11 season.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed center Nick Bonino to a two-year entry-level contract. Per club policy, no terms of the deal were disclosed.
 
Bonino, 21 (4/20/88), just completed his junior season at Boston University (BU), scoring a team-leading 11-27=38 points in 33 contests. His 27 assists, 120 shots and +18 rating were also team highs. The 6-1, 190-pound center ranked tied for 10th among Hockey East

UMass Lowell senior defenseman Nick Schaus has signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks, and will report to Worcester (AHL) pending a physical.

Schaus, who becomes the second senior River Hawk in as many days to sign an NHL deal, finished the season with 23 points (9G, 14A) in 37

Former Terrier will play in his third straight Olympiad

Drury is now a three-time Olympian

BOSTON - Former Boston University standout Chris Drury has been named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey Team, as announced by USA Hockey after the National Hockey League Winter Classic on Friday at Fenway Park. Drury, who was a member of Team USA at the 2002 and 2006 Olympics, is the fourth-oldest player on the 23-man roster. The XXI Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 16-28 in Vancouver, B.C.

The captain of the New York Rangers, Drury is in his 11th season in the NHL and has tallied 592 career points (245g, 347a) in 826 career games.

Nov. 25, 2009
By Wes Goldstein

Even if Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving a month earlier than Americans, the "When in Rome ..." thing still feels right for Aaron Voros. That could be because the 28-year-old Vancouver native makes his living as a forward for the New York Rangers.
And spending this year's holiday in Florida with the team, well, that certainly makes it easier to get caught up in the spirit of things.

Aaron Varos, who does the dirty work in the trenches, appreciates the fact that he can play at all. (Getty Images)
Then again, Turkey Day in November is really old hat for Voros. He got his education at an American college and has spent

TORONTO — It’s been 18 years since an NHL goalie made as many saves as Dwayne Roloson did Monday night.

The 40-year-old Roloson turned aside 58 shots to help the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Josh Bailey’s goal at 4:18 of overtime. The last goalie to reach that total was Ron Tugnutt, who stopped 70 shots for the Quebec Nordiques at Boston on March 21, 1991, according to STATS.

“To me, it’s just another night, another game,” Roloson said. “It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s one shot or 100 shots, I’ve got to do the same things, try to give my team a chance to win.”

Written by Daniel F. Epstein
Friday, 13 November 2009

Chris Clark scored during the shoot out to give the Capitals a 5-4 victory over the visiting New York Islander during a NHL game at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. Alan P. Santos/DC Sports Box file photoWASHINGTON, D.C. – It seems like the Washington Capitals play the New York Islanders every other game recently. All the games have been competitive and Wednesday Night was no different. The Islanders took Washington all the way to a shootout but Chris Clark ended the game with a goal to give the Caps a 5-4 victory.


The injury situation for the Capitals

By David Pollak

Hockey players establish daily routines, but Jed Ortmeyer's is significantly different from anyone else's in the Sharks' locker room.

Because at some point each day, Ortmeyer must use a needle to inject a blood thinner directly into his stomach to combat a hereditary blood-clotting disorder that has threatened not only his hockey career but also his life.

The process is tricky and the timing must be precise. The blood thinner, Lovenox, needs to be in his system during the down time when he's not on the ice. And it needs to be out of his system when he plays or practices so that a hard check or a high stick does not cause fatal

UNIONDALE , N.Y. -- Earlier this season, Jeff Tambellini couldn't even crack the New York Islanders' lineup. After Saturday's performance, he's tied for the team lead in goals.

With his father -- Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini -- in the crowd, Tambellini scored two of the Isles' three even-strength tallies in the second period and added a power-play goal in third as New York won its third straight with an impressive 5-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

"It's a pretty special night for me," Tambellini said. "To have him in the building is just the icing on top. I'm happy he was here and I'm happy he got to see that. It's a

By Rich Thompson / Bruins Notebook
Tuesday, October 6, 2009

WILMINGTON - Bruins [team stats] defenseman Matt Hunwick drew an unusual assignment for yesterday’s practice session at Ristuccia Arena.

Left winger Milan Lucic was excused from practice for personal reasons, and that created a job opening on the first line.

Hunwick normally wears the standard defenseman’s black jersey and is paired with Mark Stuart. Instead, he donned Lucic’s white jersey and skated with center Marc Savard and right winger Marco Sturm. Hunwick’s promotion was a great leap forward for the youngster from Warren, Mich.

"I found out about a

Top notch former high school quarterback and catcher gives Canadiens badly needed size on the blue line with his 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame

Into the early 1990s, Hal Gill was a quarterback, a very good one, for Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, Mass.

With his prodigious height, he towered over his offensive linemen to read the opposition defence. With his strong arm, he could get the ball downfield. Way downfield.

So now, sitting in the Canadiens' dressing room in the last days before his first regular-season game for his fourth NHL club - having arrived in Montreal as a free agent in July - Gill considers how his life might have turned out had he

Caps' captain done dealing with injuries

By Corey Masisak (Contact)

Chris Clark is probably looking forward to the second round of interviews with the media this training camp.

For the better part of two years, Clark has had to answer questions during almost every inquiry about his physical health because of a string of injuries and questions about his mental health trying to deal with the frustration.

After confirming he is starting the 2009-10 season with a clean bill of health and recanting the misery of the past two years, Clark's next round of questioning likely will focus on other topics.

"I'd like to be able to talk about

By LARRY BROOKS
Last Updated: 3:45 AM, September 22, 2009

The right knee sprain Sean Avery sustained in a collision with Ryan Callahan at yesterday's morning skate might prevent him from being ready for the Oct. 2 season opener in Pittsburgh.
Although this is not good news for either Fashion Week Sean or for the Rangers, Avery's absence in the short run does create an opportunity for another winger to get more of a look to secure a spot on the roster.
That might be all that's needed for Aaron Voros, who entered camp as a long shot after being a healthy scratch in 19 of the 21 games the Rangers played last season after John Tortorella replaced Tom Renney behind

July 23, 2009

The Islanders will not be caught short again.

Ensuring stability in nets regardless of the state of Rick DiPietro's health, the Islanders have signed free-agent goaltender Martin Biron to a one-year, $1.4 million steal of a deal, The Post has learned.

Biron, who will be 32 next month and who has been a No. 1 for Buffalo and, most recently, Philadelphia, is the second free-agent netminder signed this summer by the Islanders. They were crippled last season when the chronically injured DiPietro went down early with a recurring left knee injury that required surgery and limited him to five games.

On July 1, general manager Garth Snow

He’s newly signed and healthy again.

Most players pause for a breather upon concluding exit meetings and returning home. The day after Matt Hunwick returned to his offseason home in Michigan, he kicked off his training, figuring he had enough inactivity following his April 18 procedure to remove a ruptured spleen.


"I took my rest in the hospital," said Hunwick yesterday during a conference call."From that point, it’s been slowly coming back. By the middle of June, I felt 100 percent. I have my wind. My weight is starting to come back. I have absolutely no limitations right now. I’m training just as hard as I did last summer. The spleen’s

Hal Gill signs with the Montreal Canadiens

Two years, $2.25 million per season for the big defenseman to join Les Habs.

Gill reportedly took the offer back to the Penguins to see if they would/could match, but Ray Shero obviously decided not to.

Gill becomes the first significant member of the Penguins Stanley Cup winning team to move on. Acquired for a 2nd and 5th round pick at the trading deadline in 2008, Gill was a solid addition to the Pens blueline.

Three cheers for the USS Hal Gill.

GREG LOGAN | greg.logan@newsday.com
10:23 PM EDT, July 1, 2009
If the Islanders have to break glass in case of an emergency with goaltender Rick DiPietro's balky left knee, at least they know they have a quality backup in place to give them a chance to remain competitive. General manager Garth Snow addressed the Isles' No. 1 priority in free agency Wednesday by signing former Edmonton starter Dwayne Roloson to a two-year deal worth $5 million.

Roloson was the Oilers' MVP last season with a 28-24-9 record, 2.77 goals-against average and .915 save percentage, but Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini did the Islanders a favor by offering Roloson only a one-year deal at $3

By Sports Network
The Sports Network
St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Wild agreed to terms with defenseman Greg Zanon on a three-year contract Wednesday.

Financial terms were not released, but TSN reports the total value of the contract is $5.8 million.

Zanon, 29, ranked third in the NHL in blocked shots last season with 237 while posting 11 points in 82 games with Nashville. He has ranked in the top 10 in blocked shots in each of the past three seasons.

He has spent each of his four years in the NHL with the Predators, totaling seven goals and 19 assists in 230 games. He was originally a fifth-round draft pick by Ottawa in the 2000

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins entered their second-round playoff series against Washington intent on having the defense tandem of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill on the ice against Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin as much as possible.

Heading into Game 6 at Mellon Arena last night, their plan had worked, for the most part.

While Ovechkin's total of seven goals during the first five games might strike some as evidence the Penguins' coaching staff should have considered another option, it actually was delighted with the work of Scuderi and Gill.

A more detailed look at Ovechkin's production shows

Friday, April 03, 2009

By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It is the Penguins' other scoring race.

Unlike the battle between league leader Evgeni Malkin and teammate Sidney Crosby, this one won't have a major impact on postseason awards or trophy voting.

It's the duel between Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, which has been overlooked by nearly everyone around the league because even the players involved aren't paying much attention to it.

But regardless of how few people have noticed, Gill has strung together four points in the past five games -- including two assists in a 6-1 victory Wednesday against New Jersey -- to climb within four

Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, April 13, 2009

Even after he worked 36 pressure-packed games, all in succession, and even though he played a total of 63 regular-season games for the Edmonton Oilers, goaltender Dwayne Roloson isn't ready to call it an off-season just yet.

Roloson, 39, and Josh Harding of the Minnesota Wild will man the net for Canada, which opens the tournament against Belarus on April 24.

"Any time you can keep on playing, it feels like you're playing in the playoffs," said Roloson, who will be joined in Switzerland by teammate and centre Shawn Horcoff.

Returning from last spring's silver-medal winning

Even Bruce Boudreau was a bit surprised, but Washington captain Chris Clark, who has been out since late January with a wrist injury that required surgery, was cleared to play Tuesday after telling the Washington Post that he's probably two weeks away.

Clark, who sat out most of last season with a groin injury, won't play in Game 1 Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET, TSN), but the right wing said he could possibly be inserted into the lineup Saturday if Boudreau decides a change is in order.

"I assume, yeah, because I have the clearance and I'm in shape," Clark said about playing in Game 2 Saturday afternoon (1 p.m., NBC). "It's not like I'm just jumping on the ice now. I've

Saturday, 03.28.2009 / 1:57 AM / Roundup

By John Kreiser - NHL.com Columnist

The Oilers came to Honda Center on Friday with a three-game losing streak. They left in sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference thanks to a 51-save performance by Roloson in a 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Anaheim outshot Edmonton 54-20 -- including 24-3 in the third period -- but couldn't get enough pucks past Roloson to keep from dropping out of the top eight in the Western scramble. The seventh-place Oilers now have 81 points, one more than Nashville and Anaheim -- but the Predators have played one fewer game, putting them in eighth.

He returns to blue line and chips in with a goal

By Fluto Shinzawa

Globe Staff / March 20, 2009

It was only natural, since last night was the first time he'd dressed since March 7, that Matt Hunwick was amped up for his first shift. So, naturally, he was called for a penalty.

and almost had too much energy to start the game," said Hunwick, nabbed for hooking at 1:44 of the first period. "I think as the game went on, I found a little bit more comfort out there."

Hunwick settled down and popped in his sixth goal, one of the few bright spots of the Bruins' 3-2 overtime flameout to the Kings. The play started when partner Dennis

By Bill Beacon, THE CANADIAN PRESS


Edmonton Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson keeps an eye on the puck shot in by the Minnesota Wild during third period NHL hockey action in Edmonton, Alberta on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jimmy Jeong

BROSSARD, Que. - Game after game, Dwayne Roloson goes into the Edmonton Oilers net and, more often than not, faces a barrage of shots from every angle.

The 39-year-old has started a team-record 21 games in a row and is all-but certain to be in goal again when the Oilers end a four-game road trip against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.

Roloson is showing no

In February, Matt Hunwick appeared in only three NHL games. The rookie defenseman missed four games because of flu-like symptoms. He was a healthy scratch for six more. While the Bruins scored a 6-1 win over the Florida Panthers last Tuesday, Hunwick was in Providence for a one-game AHL tuneup.

Yesterday, the seldom-used Hunwick closed out the month in an unexpected position: riding shotgun on the first line with Marc Savard and Phil Kessel. Hunwick, playing his second game this season up front, responded with a 2-point performance.

On Jan. 27 against the Capitals, Hunwick skated on the fourth line. On Friday, Hunwick practiced as a forward.

"He was great,"

By ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI, SUN MEDIA

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Fernando Pisani has plenty of experience at this.

While returning from extended stays on injured reserve isn't something any player wants to be well-schooled in, at least Pisani has something to draw from in his latest comeback.

"I was excited; it was a long time coming," said the Oilers winger, who spent more time on the sidelines with his broken ankle - 14 and a half weeks - than anyone expected. "Anytime you're injured you feel like you're an outsider looking in. You want to be out there. You want to be a part of the team. That's probably been the toughest part."

By ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI, SUNMEDIA


LOS ANGELES -- Upon further review, Fernando Pisani is NOT a step away from returning to the Oilers' lineup.

He looked and felt pretty close to getting a green light, and was expecting to play either today in Los Angeles or very soon after that, but as a last precautionary measure before allowing Pisani back the medical staff took an X-ray of his ankle and they didn't like what they saw.

"They weren't completely thrilled with it," said head coach Craig MacTavish. "We won't see him on this trip, barring a miracle cure."

Pisani, who broke his ankle Nov. 17, has been out longer than he'd like, but he knows

Goalie's legs won't get a break as long as he's standing on his head

By ROBERT TYCHKOWSK

PHOENIX -- This is where Dwayne Roloson, according to most of the popular theories, was supposed to break down.

At 39 years of age, his legs, back and mind were supposed to tremble and snap beneath the kind of unrelenting workload Craig MacTavish is heaping on right now.

That's why they went out and got Mathieu Garon, after all, to help ease the burden on their aging starter.

And here they are a year later, with Garon out of the picture and Roloson a year older, taking the whip to their veteran war horse almost every single night.

By Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Staff Writer



Chris Drury has been a leader for as long as we can remember him -- which for many fans dates back 20 years, to when he was a pudgy 13-year-old who led his baseball team from Trumbull, Conn., to a Little League World Series title.

From that grand stage to the one he currently occupies -- captain of the New York Rangers -- Drury has led by word and deed. His leadership has produced championships at almost every level of hockey.

"He's a great leader and a great teammate," Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky told NHL.com. "He's done it all. He's been around for a long time, accomplished everything a person

BY MICHAEL OBERNAUER
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, January 17th 2009, 1:37 AM


Daniel/Getty

Henrik Lundqvist improves to 4-1 in January after turning away 32 shots Friday night.


Jonathan Daniel

Chris Drury celebrates his game-winner.
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Rangers' fathers hit road for sons
CHICAGO - A convoy of Ranger dads was in the United Center stands Friday night to watch their sons in action. The way the game went, maybe the referees' dads were in the stands, too.

In a game between the surging Rangers and the upstart, dynamic Blackhawks, zebras Dean Morton and Mike

EDMONTON - Dwayne Roloson made 38 saves as the Edmonton Oilers started off a crucial five game homestand on a strong note, defeating the Dallas Stars 4-1 in a battle between two teams trying to re-enter the playoff picture on Saturday night.

Sheldon Souray, Erik Cole, Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano scored for the Oilers (18-6-3) who snapped a two game losing skid and moved back over the .500 mark at home at 7-6-3.

James Neal had the lone goal for the Stars (16-16-5) who have now lost two of their last three.

Edmonton got off to a flying start with a pair of even-strength goals just under a minute apart at the mid-mark of the opening period.