Crosby gets a chance to chase gold

Team Canada alternate captain Sidney Crosby has dreamed about playing in a gold-medal game most of his life. Friday night, that dream came true as his Canadians held off a spirited late charge to defeat a Slovakian. With the 3-2 win at Canada Hockey Place, Team Canada booked passage into a dream gold-medal game against Team USA, which is 5-0 in this tournament after a 6-1 pasting of Finland earlier in the day in the other semifinal. Crosby, who had three shots and an even rating Friday night, stopped to talk exclusively to NHL.com after the game.

Vanbiesbrouck on NHL Live!

A special extra edition of NHL Live! will be broadcast streamed on Sunday from 12–2 p.m. ET. In addition to a visit from NHL.com's Shawn Roarke, Dan Rosen and John Dellapina from Vancouver, former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, NHL Live! co-host E.J. Hradek and former NHL player, coach and executive Marshall Johnston are also scheduled to appear.

NHL Live! is broadcast from the NHL Store Powered By Reebok in New York. Deb Placey and Rob Simpson will co-host Sunday's show.

Weber and Suter appear on NHL Live!

Nashville Predators defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter will be among the guests on Thursday’s edition of NHL Live!, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio. Weber will be part of Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, while Suter will play for Team USA.

Also scheduled to appear to speak with co-hosts Deb Placey and E.J. Hradek NBC and NESN hockey analyst Mike Milbury and CBC play-by-play man Jim Hughson.

Getzlaf will play for Team Canada

Hockey Canada announced that the roster which is submitting for the men’s hockey tournament at the 2010 Olympic Games is the same as the roster that was announced on December 30, 2009 in Saskatoon, meaning Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim is OK to play.

Getzlaf suffered a sprained ankle last week and Team Canada had the Flyers' Jeff Carter as a replacement if needed. Carter was informed that he will not be added to the roster.

Getzlaf will play for Team Canada

Hockey Canada announced that the roster which is submitting for the men’s hockey tournament at the 2010 Olympic Games is the same as the roster that was announced on December 30, 2009 in Saskatoon, meaning Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim is OK to play.

Getzlaf suffered a sprained ankle last week and Team Canada had the Flyers' Jeff Carter as a replacement if needed. Carter was informed that he will not be added to the roster.

Mike Green is suspended for several games

The NHL announced that Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green has been suspended for three games without pay, for an incident that took place during NHL game against the Florida Panthers on January 29. At the first period, Green delivered an elbow to the head of Panthers’ forward Michael Frolik. Green was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing on the play.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on his average salary, Green will forfeit $81,606.21. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. Green will miss Washington's next three games, against Tampa Bay at Boston and at the New York Rangers. He will be eligible to return to the game against Atlanta in his capitals jersey.

Doug Wilson will join in NHL Hour

San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson will be the guest on Thursday's edition of NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman on NHL.com. The show encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner. NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman now broadcasts live on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice and NHL.com. The show will re-air on Sirius XM Radio, with shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.

Wilson, who spent the first 14 seasons of his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks before finishing by playing two seasons with in the san jose sharks jersey, has built San Jose into an NHL powerhouse in his five-plus seasons as GM. San Jose has a high 78 points, two more than the Hawks.

Bonanno is named fantasy award finalist

It is reported that NHL.com's Rocky Bonanno has been named a finalist for the 2009 Fantasy Hockey Writer of the Year presented by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. Also nominated are Sean Allen of ESPN and Scott Pianowski of Yahoo!
This year the not-for-profit organization collected close to 1,000 articles from more than 150 participating writers. The annual writing contest has grown in each of its six years.

"This contest demands hundreds of volunteer hours from our executive staff and judges," said Mike Beacom, FSWA president and chairman, "but the increased interest in the awards suggests all of that hard work is well worth it." The FSWA Executive Committee collects all of the entries and guides the two-step process, which includes a round of judging by the FSWA Board of Directors and then by an independent panel of journalism academics. Judging for this year's awards has now been completed and the winners will be announced at the Winter FSTA Business Conference and Research Symposium in Las Vegas on Jan. 26, 2010.

Andrei Kostitsyn may be out after knee surgery

The Canadiens said forward Andrei Kostitsyn will be out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery on Friday in Montreal.
Being selected to play on Belarus' Olympic team, he suffered a knee injury at Florida on Dec. 31 and has missed the team’s last three games.

Kostitsyn has 25 points in 40 games with the Canadiens this season in his canadiens jersey. He missed three games from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 due to a foot injury. His brother Sergei hasn't played since Dec. 30 due to an ankle injury either.

Ted Lindsay appears on NHL Live! this Friday

Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay will be among the guests on Friday's edition of NHL Live! on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio. NHL Live! is broadcast from the NHL Store Powered By Reebok in Manhattan.

Also appear with hosts Rob Simpson and E.J. Hradek are Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan and hockey analyst Ed Olczyk, who will work for NBC's telecast of Sunday's game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. It's a role that Lindsay served when NBC broadcast NHL games in the 1970s.

Mike Milbury will appear on NHL Live!

It is reported that NBC commentator and NHL Radio Insider Mike Milbury will be among the guests on NHL Live! on Thursday, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com. NHL Live! is broadcast from the NHL Store Powered By Reebok in Manhattan.

Milbury was General Manager of the New York Islanders for more than a decade. Also slated to appear with hosts Deb Placey and E.J. Hradek are Scott Morrison of CBC, and Dean Brown, who is the play-by-play radio announcer for the Ottawa Senators.

U.S. Olympian Brian Rafalski appears on NHL Live

It is said that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski (in red wings jersey), who was named as a member of the United States team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver last week, will be among the guests on Wednesday's edition of NHL Live! on the NHL Network and NHL.com.

Also appearing with hosts Rob Simpson and Stan Fischler will be NHL Radio Insider Jay Feaster, TSN's Darren Dreger, and NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. He covered the World Junior Championships, including the United States' win over Team Canada in Tuesday's gold medal game.

Senators' Alfredsson will be out for several weeks

Now the Ottawa Senators will march on without their captain Daniel Alfredsson, because he will be sidelined for 4 tio 6 weeks with a separated left shoulder. It means that Alfredsson will be lost to the Senators until the break for the 2010 Winter Olympics begins in February. The team is already without Jason Spezza after the Vancouver Games with a knee injury. And forward Nick Foligno is also on the shelf after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, but might resume skating this weekend.

"Very disappointing," Senators head coach Cory Clouston said in Buffalo, where his team will face against the Sabres. "It's compounded when you lose Foligno and Spezza as well, so it's not just one guy. We just need guys to step up, we need guys to pick up those minutes and play hard." Hope Alfredsson will come back to the ice in his senators jersey as soon as possible.

Patrice Cormier is named 2010 Canada's WJC captain

It is officially said that New Jersey Devils prospect Patrice Cormier is named captain of Canada's entry for the 2010 World Junior Championship. Cormier is the first native of New Brunswick to lead a Canadian junior team. He had a goal, 3 points in six games at last year's WJC. He was taken by the Devils in the second round of the 2008 Entry Draft.

Canada also named five assistant captains, forwards Stefan Della Rovere and Jordan Eberle, and defensemen Ryan Ellis, Alex Pietrangelo and Colten Teubert. All of them joined Cormier on last year's WJC team. Canada will start its quest for an sixth straight WJC gold medal on Dec. 26 against Latvia.

Simmonds is out due to lower body injury

Unfortunately already without three forwards, the Kings will be without second-year forward Wayne Simmonds for an unknown length of time due to a lower body injury. He is out for at least tonight's Pacific Division play with the Dallas Stars.
Brad Richardson will replace Simmonds, who has never missed a game in 115-game career in his los angeles kings jersey.

"You know what, we really don’t know what happened," head coach Terry Murray said. "It did not happen in the game, no specific time or situation, he's just got a lower body injury. He is going to be out for a while. He is going to see our doctors tonight at the game and we will take it from there."

Rangers sent Gilroy to AHL

It is reported that New York Rangers defenseman Matt Gilroy, who made the team in his first NHL training camp after a successful college career, was sent to the American Hockey League affiliate. Gilroy had 4 goals and 6 point in 30 games in his new york rangers jersey this season, but he doesn't have a point in his last four games.Gilroy also was beaten by Dustin Byfuglien on the game-winning goal.

Signing Gilroy last season was considered a major role for the Rangers. He was a highly sought after college free agent following four strong seasons at Boston University. He had 8 goals and 37 points in 45 games with the Terriers last season, and won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's best player.

Rick DiPietro will miss his start

It is reported that New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro will miss his scheduled start for the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers after experiencing tightness during a game in Springfield last week. DiPietro removed himself from the game after the second period.

"Ricky has been seen by the team doctors and most recently a specialist," Islanders GM Garth Snow said on the team's Web site. "To make sure we are taking the proper steps in his rehabilitation, we will seek an additional opinion and should have a timeline by the end of the week." The Islanders hoped DiPietro would be back in his islanders jersey with the big club by the weekend.

Brodeur joins in NHL Hour

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who tied Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk's record for most career shutouts with a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres, will be a special guest on NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman. The show encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman now broadcasts live on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice and NHL.com. The show will re-air on SIRIUS XM Radio, with archived shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.

Team Canada will announce Olympic team at the end of Dec

Hockey Canada said on Tuesday that it will announce its Olympic team roster on Dec. 30. The announcement will be made in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The more details including the exact time and location the announcement will be made at a later date.

The Olympics are being held in Vancouver, British Columbia next year. Canada was seventh in the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy after winning the gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City. It's time for us to put on team canada jerseys and cheer for them!

Carcillo is suspended for four games

The National Hockey League announced that Philadelphia Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo has been suspended for four games without pay, for a deliberate blow to the face of Washington Capitals forward Matt Bradley during December 5's game in Washington. The incident took place at the first period. Bradley suffered an injury and did not return to the game.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Carcillo will forfeit $43,597.56. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. Carcillo will miss games Dec.7 at Montreal, Dec.8 against the New York Islanders, Dec.10 against Ottawa and Dec.12 at New Jersey. He will be eligible to return on Dec.14 at Boston in the flyers jersey