Subject:

Comments:
: *** Lemieux bothered again by back pain : PITTSBURGH (AP) - This is the news the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't : want to hear so early into Mario Lemieux's successful comeback -- : his back is hurting again. Lemieux was limited to one assist in : the Penguins' 5-4 overtime victory Saturday over New Jersey, then : disclosed his back began bothering him again during practice : Friday. Lemieux was in so much discomfort Saturday that he had to : have someone tie his skates, as he often did during his recurring : bouts with back pain from 1990-97. "That was like the old days," : said Lemieux, who played nearly 20 minutes Saturday despite the : pain. The six-time NHL scoring champion cut short his career at : age 31 in 1997, mostly because he was weary of trying to play : with a sore back. He missed nearly half the 1990-91 season : following back surgery and most of the 1993-94 season after an : operation to repair a herniated muscle in his back. Despite the : latest back problem, Lemieux still made the trip to Minnesota for : Sunday's game and expects to play. : Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=406131295 : *** Blues beat the best, become the best : (AP) - Having battled Colorado all season for bragging rights as : the NHL's best team, the St. Louis Blues got a major jolt of : confidence by proving they can, at last, win on Avalanche ice. : St. Louis had been winless in Colorado for eight straight games : (0-6-2), and hadn't won here since Dec. 6, 1996. Saturday night, : Daniel Corso put a rebound past Patrick Roy with 4:10 left in : overtime, lifting the Blues to a 4-3 win and handing the : Avalanche their fourth straight loss. Corso's shot from just : right of the net deflected off Roy, enabling the Blues to tie : Colorado for the league's best record. Both teams have 80 points. : "This was huge for us," Blues coach Joel Quenneville said. "For : most of these guys, it's the first time they have won here. I : didn't know if we were ever going to win here. We take this as a : gigantic two points for us. Tonight is as good as it gets." : SLAP SHOTS : In other action, Jonas Hoglund scored with 44 seconds left in : regulation as Toronto and Detroit skated to a 3-3 tie. Detroit : and Toronto have played 633 games against each other, and after : the Red Wings' win on Thursday night and Saturday's tie, the : series between the Original Six teams is tied 270-270-93. Nathan : Dempsey and Steve Thomas also scored for the Leafs, who overcame : a 3-1 deficit. Buffalo had won only one of its previous 10 : regular-season games at the Corel Centre, going back to April 12, : 1997. Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek was winless in eight : previous regular-season games here. But Maxim Afinogenov struck : 1:52 into overtime Saturday to lift Buffalo to a 2-1 victory over : Ottawa. Elsewhere, Pavel Bure scored four goals as Florida ripped : Atlanta, 7-3, while Calgary scored four goals in the third period : to beat Vancouver, 4-1. : *** Sharks appeal Nolan's suspension : SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The San Jose Sharks on Saturday night : appealed captain Owen Nolan's 11-game suspension, with general : manager Dean Lombardi implying an NHL bias against him and his : team prompted the heavy punishment. Nolan was suspended Friday : for his hit on Dallas forward Grant Marshall on Feb. 1. Appeals : are permissible under the NHL's bylaws, but are rarely : successful. Lombardi said the appeal was warranted because the : Sharks don't feel the punishment fits Nolan's crime. Nolan, who : gave Marshall a concussion, missed his third straight game : Saturday when the Sharks beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2 in : overtime. "It's no secret that (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman : has an intense dislike for Dean Lombardi, professionally and : personally," Lombardi said. "That's no secret around the league. : Our philosophies on sport and player relations probably have as : much a chance of finding a common ground as the Arabs and the : Israelis." : Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=406132730 : *** Blues' Demitra is cut by skate, hospitalized : DENVER (AP) - St. Louis Blues forward Pavol Demitra was taken to : a hospital for treatment Saturday night after he was cut in the : leg by a Colorado player's skate. Demitra, the Blues' : fourth-leading scorer, left the game late in the third period : after sustaining what was believed to be a deep cut on the back : of his right knee from Alex Tanguay's skate. "He is going to the : hospital now," St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville said after the : Blues' 4-3 overtime victory. "It is so deep that they are : concerned about the damage to the inside of the back of the knee. : It is pretty deep. Tanguay was off-balance and the blade came up : and got him." : *** McSorley ejected in first IHL game : GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - Marty McSorley, suspended by the NHL : last year for a stick-swinging attack, was back in fighting form : and ejected from his first minor-league game Saturday night. : McSorley, 37, a 17-year NHL veteran who won Stanley Cups with : Edmonton in 1987 and 1988, signed earlier in the day with the : Grand Rapids Griffins of the International Hockey League. Terms : of the contract were not released. At the 17:41 mark of the third : period and with the Griffins beating the Utah Grizzlies 2-0, : McSorley joined in a melee involving several players from both : teams. He received a five-minute penalty for fighting and a game : misconduct. Three other Griffins and three Grizzlies were : penalized during the fracas. After the game, which Grand Rapids : won 3-1, McSorley said he jumped into the brawl when he saw two : Utah players pummeling a Griffins teammate. He said he had no : regrets about being ejected for fighting in his comeback game. : Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=406132733 : *** Canucks recall defenseman Helmer : VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - The Vancouver Canucks have : recalled defenseman Bryan Helmer from Kansas City of the : International Hockey League. He will replace defenseman Scott : Lachance, who is expected to miss at least one more week with a : sprained left knee. The Canucks traded defenseman Adrian Aucoin : and a second round pick in the 2001 draft for Tampa Bay : goaltender Dan Cloutier. Helmer had two goals and four assists in : 16 games with Vancouver before a Dec. 31 demotion to the minors. : He had three goals and 11 assists in 22 games with Kansas City. : Scoreboard : ---------- : *** Saturday's results : 1ST 2ND 3RD OT FINAL : --- --- --- --- ----- : New Jersey 3 0 1 0 4 : Pittsburgh 1 3 0 1 5 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD OT FINAL : --- --- --- --- ----- : Buffalo 0 1 0 1 2 : Ottawa 0 1 0 0 1 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL : --- --- --- ----- : Tampa Bay 1 1 0 2 : Boston 3 1 2 6 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL : --- --- --- ----- : Florida 2 3 2 7 : Atlanta 2 1 0 3 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD OT FINAL : --- --- --- --- ----- : Detroit 2 1 0 0 3 : Toronto 0 2 1 0 3 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL : --- --- --- ----- : N.Y. Islanders 2 0 1 3 : Montreal 2 2 1 5 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL : --- --- --- ----- : Nashville 1 0 1 2 : Columbus 2 0 1 3 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD OT FINAL : --- --- --- --- ----- : St. Louis 0 2 1 1 4 : Colorado 1 2 0 0 3 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL : --- --- --- ----- : Calgary 0 0 4 4 : Vancouver 0 1 0 1 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD OT FINAL : --- --- --- --- ----- : Chicago 1 0 1 0 2 : San Jose 0 1 1 1 3 : : 1ST 2ND 3RD FINAL : --- --- --- ----- : Washington 0 4 0 4 : Los Angeles 1 0 2 3 : Schedules : --------- : *** Sunday's Games : New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers, 1 p.m. : Pittsburgh at Minnesota, 2 p.m. : Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m. : St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m. : Carolina at Anaheim, 8 p.m. : Chicago at Phoenix, 9 p.m. : (TIMES LISTED ARE EASTERN) : Transactions : ------------ : *** Saturday's Moves : National Hockey League : BOSTON BRUINS-Sent F Eric Manlow to Providence of the AHL : ATLANTA THRASHERS-Assigned F J.P. Vigier to Orlando of the IHL. : FLORIDA PANTHERS-Recalled RW Denis Shvidki from Louisville of the : AHL. : VANCOUVER CANUCKS-Recalled D Bryan Helmer from Kansas City of the : IHL. : International Hockey League : GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS-Signed D Marty McSorley. : East Coast Hockey League : AUGUSTA LYNX-Added RW Andrew Rodgers to the roster. : BIRMINGHAM BULLS-Added G Dave Waddleton as emergency backup. : Activated D Branoslav Kvetan from injured reserve. : DAYTON BOMBERS-Moved F Jeff Mitchell from 7- to 14-day injured : reserve, F Cody Leibel from 30- to 60-day injured reserve and F : Dave Flanagan from 14- to 60-day injured reserve. : PEE DEE PRIDE-Announced C Dany Bousquet has been returned from : Providence of the AHL. : RICHMOND RENEGADES-Announced D J.F. Fortin has been recalled by : Portland of the AHL. Announced F Mike Siklenka and D Gerad Adams : have been assigned from Portland. : TRENTON TITANS-Added G Dennis Bassett to the roster. : Western Professional Hockey League : FORT WORTH BRAHMAS-Activated F Ryan Shannon from 21-day injured : reserve. Announced F Jason Pain has been suspended by the league.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL: