NHL

Blackhawks reacquire defenseman Oduya in trade with StarsDALLAS (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks are reuniting with veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya, who was part of their last two Stanley Cup championships.Oduya was traded by the Dallas Stars to the Blackhawks on Tuesday night in exchange for young forward Mark McNeill...

AP Sports WriterNashville helps Preds' celebrate history with 1st Cup FinalBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The town known as Music City sure knows how to throw a party. Police estimated more than 50,000 turned out to mark a bit of history Saturday night as Nashville hosted the...

PITTSBURGH (AP) - NBC Sports Network analyst Brian Engblom needed stitches after taking a puck to his forehead late in the second period of the Pittsburgh Penguins' 3-2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.Penguins star Sidney Crosby tipped Brenden Dillon's outlet pass over the glass...

AP Hockey WriterMaple Leafs select Arizona-born Matthews No. 1 in NHL draftBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) On the heels of the NHL expanding into Las Vegas, the Toronto Maple Leafs are pinning their future on Arizona-born center Auston Matthews.Amid chants of ''Go Leafs, Go!'' the 18-year-old from Scottsdale...

AP Sports WriterBruins fire coach Julien; name Cassidy interim coachBy JIMMY GOLENBOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins fired Stanley Cup-winning coach Claude Julien on Tuesday, with the team in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight season.General manager Don Sweeney announced the change on Tuesday, naming assistant...

AP Hockey WriterDevils contact Kovalchuk to discuss pending return to NHLBy JOHN WAWROWNew Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero is on the verge of landing yet another asset in his team's rebuilding plan: Ilya Kovalchuk.Shero confirmed on Tuesday that Kovalchuk would like to return to the NHL next season,...

Emergency to keep Blue Jackets coach out of All-Star GamaeNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella has returned to Ohio because of a family emergency, keeping him out of both Thursday night's game with Nashville and the NHL All-Star Game this weekend.The Blue Jackets announced Tortorella's...

AP Hockey WriterSimmonds, Gretzky engineer Metropolitans' All-Star Game winBy GREG BEACHAMLOS ANGELES (AP) Wayne Simmonds scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:58 to play, and fill-in coach Wayne Gretzky led the Metropolitan Division to a 4-3 victory over the Pacific Division on Sunday in the final match of the...

AP Sports WriterBruins coach Cassidy ready to return to playoffsBy JIMMY GOLENBOSTON (AP) Bruce Cassidy knows how to handle the pre-playoff jitters this time.Returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs as a head coach for the first time since 2003, Cassidy is trusting in his team to smooth over...

Stars activate Ales Hemsky after injury during World CupDALLAS (AP) The Dallas Stars have activated forward Ales Hemsky from the injured list after he sustained a groin injury during the World Cup of Hockey.Hemsky missed Dallas' first four games after getting injured playing for the Czech Republic. He...

Devils dedicate statue to goaltender Martin BrodeurNEWARK, N.J. (AP) The New Jersey Devils have dedicated a statue outside Prudential Arena to longtime goaltender Martin Brodeur.The 44-year-old Brodeur was honored prior to the Devils' game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night in a ceremony attended by a couple...

Ducks forward Nick Ritchie ejected in Game 6 vs. PredatorsNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Anaheim Ducks left wing Nick Ritchie was ejected from Monday night's Game 6 Western Conference Final game against the Nashville Predators at 11:38 of the opening period after delivering a hard check to Nashville forward Viktor...