My Sports News Digest

SCARBOROUGH, Ont. – Not only is the NHL Draft a time to stockpile the cupboard with future prospects, but also conduct a little wheeling and dealing for the immediate future. Last year, 18 trades were completed on June 24-25 at the NHL Draft held at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. That doesn’t even include the two blockbusters on the eve of the opening round (June 24) when Philadelphia Flyers general manager dealt both Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in separate deals. To put last year’s trading frenzy in perspective, keep in mind there were only five deals made [...]

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VOORHEES, N.J. — When he left the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Philadelphia Flyers in July, Maxime Talbot was already preparing for something like this to happen. Talbot, who spent his first six NHL seasons in Pittsburgh and won a Stanley Cup there in 2009, will face his old team in arguably the most anticipated first-round series of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. “As soon as I signed here I had a feeling it would happen,” Talbot said following the team’s practice Tuesday. “It’s something the hockey gods do.” It’s been a season to remember in many ways for Talbot. He [...]

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KANATA, Ont. — Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is 39 years old. He realizes this may be his last chance at a Stanley Cup and he plans to relish every second of the experience. “I think I look at it as it could be my last playoffs and I’m going to treat it as such, too,” Alfredsson said. “Who knows if I’m playing next year (or) if we’ll get back to the playoffs — you just want to make sure you enjoy it and make the most of it.” Daniel Alfredsson Right Wing – OTT GOALS: 27 | ASST: 32 [...]

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KINGSTON, ONT. – Sean Burke, former NHL netminder and current goalie coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, sniggers at the memory of Bob Sauve, his first big-league goalkeeping partner. The topic is fitness, something that meant as much to Sauve as elocution did to Elmer Fudd. “He was a bit of a throwback,” Burke recalled of his 1987 New Jersey Devils teammate, pointing out that goalies in Sauve’s era and before were generally regarded as quirky chaps who were rarely confused with the team’s best athlete. “Bob still smoked,” he added. “Fitness and nutrition were not at the forefront of his [...]

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PITTSBURGH — Hockey players commonly are creatures of habit. They like taking their game-day nap at the same time, eating the same pregame meal, going through the same locker-room ritual, relying on the same type of stick, glove or helmet. Once they develop a signature shot or move, they frequently stay loyal to it for an entire career, save for a tweak here or a wrinkle there. It’s a why-mess-with-success mentality, and adhering to a regimen can result in a long, productive career — as long as a player doesn’t get too locked into his ways. Then there’s Pittsburgh Penguins [...]

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In a first-round playoff series with the top-seeded Rangers, the Senators may actually have road-ice advantage. While taking 3-of-4 against the Rangers this season, Ottawa won both games at Madison Square Garden – on a 5-4 shootout Oct. 29 and a 3-0 Craig Anderson shutout Jan. 12 – and beat the Blueshirts 4-1 at Scotiabank Place March 8. The Senators suffered a 3-2 loss to the Rangers at home Nov. 9. But the 2011-12 season was not just a blip on the screen. In the all-time series between the two teams, the Senators are 23-13-0-1 at MSG – 11-2 since [...]

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WINNIPEG — The equipment bags sat scattered across MTS Centre’s home dressing room as the Winnipeg Jets said their early-April goodbyes. The early departures have become a rite of April for the club. Sunday cemented that ritual further after the Jets finished their first season in Winnipeg anchored in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-35-10 record. Andrew Ladd Left Wing – WPG GOALS: 28 | ASST: 22 | PTS: 50SOG: 265 | +/-: -8 The organization has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the past five consecutive seasons and has struggled to edge much beyond the 80-point [...]

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BOSTON – Entering the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the defending champions, the Boston Bruins definitely are more confident and experienced. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli even alluded to the notion Sunday that the 2012 edition of his club might even be more talented. However, he’s not about to guarantee a repeat of last June’s Stanley Cup celebration with the Bruins’ postseason set to start in four days. “I feel good about our team,” Chiarelli said during a 20-minute conference call Sunday. “I think we have more skill because I think our skill has matured from last year. It’s so [...]

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