NHL

Wild sign defenseman Gustav Olofsson to 2-year, $1.45M dealST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Wild have agreed with defenseman Gustav Olofsson on a two-year, $1.45 million contract.The deal Monday came after Olofsson was one of eight restricted free agents receiving qualifying offers. Olofsson will make $675,000 this season...

Canada unveils new stamp; features Summit Series heroesWINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp commemorating the 1972 Summit Series hockey showdown between Canada and the Soviet Union.The stamp shows former Toronto Maple Leafs star Paul Henderson, arms raised and being hugged by Montreal Canadiens great...

Associated PressBruins, Ryan Spooner avoid arbitration with 1-year dealBy MATT KALMANBOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins and center Ryan Spooner avoided arbitration on the day of their hearing, agreeing to a one-year, $2,825,000 deal Wednesday.The 25-year-old Spooner became a restricted free agent July 1 after finishing a two-year contract...

AP Sports WriterNashville wants more history than just 1st Stanley Cup FinalBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators, the final team into the NHL playoffs, are headed to the first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.Coach Peter Laviolette insists they won't just be happy to be...

AP Hockey WriterPontus Aberg's goal puts Predators past Ducks 3-1 in Game 5By GREG BEACHAMANAHEIM, California (AP) Pontus Aberg scored his first career playoff goal with 8:59 to play as the Nashville Predators moved to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over...

Prosecutors to drop charges in Stanley Cup dead catfish tossPITTSBURGH (AP) Prosecutors are dropping charges filed against a Tennessee man for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening of the Stanley Cup Final.Thirty-six-year-old Jacob Waddell was charged in Allegheny County with disorderly conduct, possessing...

Associated Press650,000 fans at parade cheer Penguins for Stanley Cup winBy JOE MANDAKPITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins' Stanley Cup championship, the first an NHL team has won back to back in almost 20 years, spawned by far the biggest victory parade of any of the franchise's five titles.An...

AP Hockey WriterWill NHL awards honor Leafs, Oilers, Columbus?By JOHN WAWROWMike Babcock, John Tortorella and Todd McLellan had plenty in common.Not only did the three steer their playoff-starved franchises to the postseason, they are the NHL coach of the year Jack Adams Trophy candidates.Before this season, the Maple Leafs,...

1980s Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko dies of cancer at 59EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Dave Semenko, the Edmonton Oilers tough guy who protected Wayne Gretzky during the 1980s, has died. He was 59.He died in Edmonton after a short battle with cancer, the team said Thursday.''His legendary toughness on the...

AP Hockey WriterLightning acquire Sergachev from Canadiens for DrouinBy STEPHEN WHYNOThe Tampa Bay Lightning got the young defenseman they have been looking for, acquiring Mikhail Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in exchange for highly skilled forward Jonathan Drouin.The teams announced the deal about 48 hours before the...

LA Kings re-sign C Andrei Loktionov, 2012 Stanley Cup champEL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed Andrei Loktionov, the Russian center who won a Stanley Cup ring with the club in 2012.The Kings confirmed the professional tryout contract Thursday.Loktionov was a fifth-round pick by the...

AP Hockey WriterHousley home-coming: Returning to Buffalo as Sabres coachBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) ?? Phil Housley still remembers high-fiving Sabres fans at Memorial Auditorium in opening his Hall of Fame career in Buffalo during the 1980s.Now, Housley is looking forward to bringing that type of excitement back to...