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Wickenheiser scores 100th international goal in Canada win over Sweden

Copied from www.NHL.com

8:18 PM EDT, 08/31/2005

HAMEENLINNA, Finland (CP) - Hayley Wickenheiser achieved another hockey milestone Wednesday, scoring her 100th international goal in Canada's 3-1 win over Sweden on the opening day of the Four Nations Cup.

Wickenheiser, who scored twice against the Swedes, has played 145 games for Canada. "When I got the second goal, I knew I had 100 goals so one of my teammates, Gillian Apps, grabbed the puck for me," said Wickenheiser, who had the puck tucked safely in her bag.

Hockey Canada initially believed Wickenheiser, from Shaunavon, Sask., was the first woman to reach the 100-goal milestone in international play. But it appears American Cammi Granato may have beat her to it. According to USA Hockey, Granato has 177 goals and 152 assists in 191 games.

"It was kind of a nice moment," said Wickenheiser, who was named player of the game. "It was exciting to get the 100th goal and to do it in Finland where I played before here, it was sort of a neat feeling."

Winnipeg's Jennifer Botterill also scored for Canada, which plays the U.S. on Thursday.

Wickenheiser, 26, made headlines when she played for a men's pro hockey team in Finland, and the Finnish crowd Wednesday clearly remembered her.

"There were a lot of kids in the crowd and I think a lot of them were familiar with my name and obviously being over here with the attention I received when I was here," said Wickenheiser. "It was kind of nice to hear the kids squealing, the atmosphere was good."

Later, Jenny Potter scored twice to lead the United States 5-2 over host Finland.

Sweden opened the scoring against Canada in the first period on a screened point shot that beat Canadian goalie Charline Labonte high glove side.

But the Canadians, who won last year's Four Nations Cup tournament in Lake Placid, N.Y., carried the rest of the play, outshooting Sweden 30-11.

Botterill tied the game in the second period when she batted the puck past Swedish goalie Kim Martin in a goalmouth scramble.

Wickenheiser's two goals came in the third. On memorable No. 100, she started off the play making a long stretch pass to Apps.

"She threw it out from the corner to the high slot, and I just sort of made a little fake and went top shelf over the Swedish goalie," said Wickenheiser. "It was a decent goal, a nice goal. Sometimes you get them on garbage goals, but this was kind of a fun one."

Wickenheiser knew she was on pace to make history - people had been reminding her for days.

"It's kind of nice to get the monkey off my back and get two goals and now I don't have to think about it anymore," said Wickenheiser.

What's next?

"I think 200," Wickenheiser said with a laugh. "That would maybe be another milestone.

"But I think the next goal is to win the Olympic gold medal this year, that's for sure the biggest one."

The Canadian women will get a better idea what they're up against at the 2006 Olympics in Turin when they battle the United States on Thursday. Canada lost to the U.S. in a shootout in the final at the world championships in April.

"It's our first meeting since the worlds, so it will be interesting to see what they look like, and how we look as well," said Wickenheiser.

Canadian head coach Melody Davidson has brought 22 of the 27 players who have been based in Calgary since August to Finland for the tournament, which is part of the selection process for the 2006 Olympic team.

Canada plays Finland on Saturday. The medal games are slated for Sunday.
 

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I love Haley Wickenheiser:)

The only woman in International Competition to serve a 10 Game suspension for fighting.

Pounded the snot out of that Russian girl for cross-checking her from behind. I had no idea a girls gloves could drop that fast:)
 

I love Haley Wickenheiser
Click to expand...

Agreed!


I had no idea a girls gloves could drop that fast
Click to expand...

I've seen enough bar room cat fights to know that they can. On ice or on the floor, dropping the gloves is a Canadian right of way, regardless of gender.

When I was thirteen or fourteen, our hockey team played an exhibition game against the areas elite ringette team. We played ringette rules, and the guys just flipped their sticks. We ended up getting clobbered on the scoreboard, and on the ice. I have never received so many slashes, cross checks, spears and butt ends. Each time I got cheap shotted, I'd look at the offending player, and they'd always have the same "Oops, did I do that" look on their faces.

For our friends that don't know what ringette is, it's a game played on ice, almost exclusively by girls, where the object of the game is to score a goal by putting a ring, not a puck, into the opposing net. The sticks they use do not have a blade, it is simply a straight stick. The rules are similar to hockey, but not exact. The popularity of the sport is on an extreme decline, with the rise of female hockey.
 

Penguins re-sign sophomore Malone

TSN.ca Staff

9/1/2005 12:26:55 PM

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that the team has re-signed forward Ryan Malone.

Terms of the contract were not released.

Malone, 25, a Pittsburgh native, was an NHL All-Rookie Team selection in 2003-04, scoring 22 goals and recording 43 points in 81 games for the Penguins. Malone ranked fourth among NHL rookies in scoring, ranked fourth in goals and tied for fifth in assists (21) during the 2003-04 season and became the first NHL rookie to score three overtime goals in a single season. Malone led the Penguins in goals, ranked third in scoring and tied for third in assists.

Malone became the first Penguins' rookie to score 20 goals in a season since the 1992-93 season (Shawn McEachern - 28 goals) and was named to the Eastern Conference's Young Stars roster during All-Star weekend.

The 6-4 and 216 pound forward was drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round (115th overall) of the 1999 Entry Draft.
 

Ben Walter signs a three-year contract

Copied from www.NHL.com

8/31/2005

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with center Ben Walter on a three-year contract, it was announced today by Bruins General Manager Mike O'Connell. In keeping with club policy, terms of the contract were not released.

Walter, 21, was Boston’s fifth pick, 160th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He has played the last three seasons of college hockey at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and, in agreeing to this contract, will forego his senior season. The 6'1", 195 lb. native of Vancouver, British Columbia has scored 49 goals and added 41 assists for 90 points with 58 penalty minutes in 107 career college games, including leading UMass-Lowell in scoring last season with 26-13=39 totals. He led Hockey East in goals in 2004-05 with 26, including three hat tricks on the season, tied for first in the league in power play goals (13), was third in game-winning goals (four) and tied for ninth overall in the Hockey East scoring race with 39 points. Walter is the son of Ryan Walter, who played 15 NHL seasons with Washington, Montreal and Vancouver.
 

Copied from www.sportsnet.ca

Canucks sign Ruutu

09/01/05

With Ruutu signing, the Vancouver Canucks have little wiggle room left to sign Matt Cooke.

Sportsnet.ca -- The Vancouver Canucks have locked up another forward and assured some more grit to go with their finesse players.

Sportsnet has learned left wing Jarkko Ruutu has signed a one-year deal worth $600,000.

In three seasons with the Canucks, Ruutu has played in 185 games, scoring 13 goals and adding 21 assists, while amassing 311 penalty minutes. Ruutu is a gritty player but he believes he can also contribute more offensively.

In 50 games with HIFK Helsinki last season, Ruutu had 10 goals, 28 points and 215 penalty minutes.

"It is obviously my job to bring grit and energy to the team, but at the same time I want to raise my offensive production a bit," Ruutu told the Vancouver Sun Tuesday. "I had my best year points-wise last season and know I can get better at it."

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Cooke, Canucks Bicker over Numbers

09/01/05 - 9:00 AM

The Matt Cooke contract talks are turning into a war of words.

According to a report out of the Vancouver Province, Cooke's agent Pat Morris told the newspaper that no offer was tendered which would have made Cooke the "fourth or fifth" highest paid forward in the Vancouver lineup.

"If he was willing to put Matt as No. 4, we'd be signed," Morris told the Province.

Trevor Linden is the fourth highest paid forward at $1.52 million, followed by the Sedin brothers at $1.25 million.

The amount Cooke is believed to be looking for varies from the $1.25 million the Sedins are being paid, upwards to $2 million. Canucks GM Dave Nonis said if he was looking for Sedin money he would already be signed, but Morris is also saying Cooke's demand for $2 million is "completely inaccurate."
 
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Still a Wings-span Apart

Copied from www.sportsnet.ca

09/01/05

With only about $7 million left in cap room, the Detroit Red Wings may not have enough money to sign two of their top forwards.

DETROIT (AP) -- As the NHL moves toward resuming play, the Detroit Red Wings aren't close to re-signing restricted free agents Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg.

"We're nowhere near a deal with either player," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Thursday. "We've made a number of offers and they've made offers, but we still have a long way to go to reach deals."

It's a priority for the Red Wings to retain the young forwards, but with the league's new collective bargaining agreement the team's salary cap is $39 million US -- about half of what Detroit has spent in the past.

"From a club's perspective, if a player doesn't reach your projections in terms of performance, it really will have a negative impact on your ability to compete in the future," Holland said. "So, we have to be careful.

"From a player's perspective, they're looking for the best deal they can get because you can't renegotiate under the terms of the new CBA."

The Red Wings are about $7 million under the 2005-2006 salary cap, and hope to sign four or five players.

Datsyuk had a combined 42 goals and 77 assists during the past two regular seasons -- after a 35-point year as a rookie -- but didn't score a goal in the 2003 or 2004 playoffs and had just six assists.

Zetterberg had a combined 37 goals and 50 assists in his two regular seasons, then followed up with just five points in 16 postseason games.

Datsyuk is 27 years old and Zetterberg turns 25 next month, making them even more valuable to the Red Wings because the team has many aging players.

"They're both good young players with a lot of ability, but they're not finished products," Holland said. "I've had a number of conversations with their agents, and we'll continue to talk because we want to bring both of them back.

"I feel we've made fair offers and there's not a lot more we can do under the salary cap. I'm not concerned, but the closer we get to Sept. 12, I will be."

The Red Wings will leave Detroit on Sept. 11 for training camp in Traverse City, Mich. They will take physicals the next day, and will have their first workout Sept. 13.

Detroit hosts the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 5 in the season opener.
 

With the current economic environment, not to mention the very long layoff, I have a really hard time believing any player in their right mind is going to hold out this season. That would just be absurd.

Cooke should sign for 1 to 1.5 mil. The Detroit guys, should get about the same, they've shown potential, but they ain't there yet.

Can't help but think that Ryder is waiting for these guys. That's about all he's worth until he steps up, too. And what's with Theodore? I'm getting a tad ansy.
 


Agamon said:
With the current economic environment, not to mention the very long layoff, I have a really hard time believing any player in their right mind is going to hold out this season. That would just be absurd.

Cooke should sign for 1 to 1.5 mil. The Detroit guys, should get about the same, they've shown potential, but they ain't there yet.

Can't help but think that Ryder is waiting for these guys. That's about all he's worth until he steps up, too. And what's with Theodore? I'm getting a tad ansy.
Click to expand...

I've been spending time today going through all the websites for TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, NHL, and The Score. I've discovered that a lot of lesser known players (some well-known ones too) are signing with European clubs.

There just isn't going to be room, financially, for all the players that were fighting for jobs before the new CBA. Lesser known players can earn more money playing in Europe instead of taking two-way contracts in the NHL.

I'm updating the list and it will be re-posted on the next page.

KF72
 

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