Category: Sports

Habs to play Sens in pre-season game as part of Hockeyville grand prize
MONTREAL (CP) – The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators will face off in a pre-season game on Sept. 25 near a Nova Scotia town recently dubbed Hockeyville.
The NHL teams were announced Tuesday, several weeks after Salmon River, N.S., was awarded the grand prize of hosting an exhibition game and given the honourary title of being Canada’s most passionate hockey community.
Salmon River was voted Kraft Hockeyville by viewers of the CBC reality TV show’s season finale. The town also received prize money for rink repairs and hockey equipment.
“The entire Montreal Canadiens organization is excited to be part of the Kraft Hockeyville experience,” GM Bob Gainey said in a release. “Many of our players grew up playing hockey in local community arenas and have fond childhood memories of places just like this.”
Due to the limited number of seats in the local community rink, the game will be played in nearby Truro, N.S., allowing the maximum number of Salmon River residents to attend the game.
“It is a thrill to play in front of Canada’s most passionate hockey community,” said Senators president and CEO Roy Mlakar. “Salmon River demonstrated the spirit of what teamwork and the game of hockey is all about.”
The seven-episode series debuted in March, looking at Canada’s most hockey-mad regions. A panel of judges narrowed the field down to 25 communities, and then viewers voted on which towns or cities advanced.

Leafs agree to deal with Peca
TORONTO (CP) – The Toronto Maple Leafs had a tentative deal in place with centre Michael Peca after meeting with the unrestricted free agent and his camp Monday, a source told The Canadian Press.
An official announcement was expected Tuesday with Peca, an unrestricted free agent, agreeing to a $2.5-million US, one-year deal. The Leafs and Peca have been courting each other for well over a week with both camps agreeing Toronto is a good fit for the 11-year NHL centre.
The 32-year-old Toronto native, a two-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defensive forward, makes his off-season home in Buffalo, making Toronto an ideal geographical location.
Peca, who earned $3.99 million last season in Edmonton, rebounded with a strong second half and terrific playoff after a slow start to the regular season. He put up six goals, five assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 playoff games, winning key faceoffs and killing penalties while centring a line between Fernando Pisani and Raffi Torres that was instrumental in the Oilers’ magical run. He had nine goals and 14 assists in 71 regular-season games.
In Toronto, Peca fills one of the voids left by centres Jason Allison and Eric Lindros, the latter signing with the Dallas Stars on Monday. Allison, also an unrestricted free agent, isn’t expected back with the Leafs.
Peca, who has 394 career points (160-234) in 693 regular-season games with Vancouver, Buffalo, Long Island and Edmonton, was traded to Edmonton from the Islanders last Aug. 3 in exchange for forward Mike York and a fourth-round pick in last Saturday’s entry draft.
Peca, a junior star with the Ottawa 67’s, was also a member of Team Canada’s 2002 Olympic champion team in Salt Lake City.

Young lifts AL over NL in All-Star game
PITTSBURGH – The All-Star game was all set up for the National League this time. Trevor Hoffman on the mound, one strike to go, fans on their feet at Pittsburgh’s enchanting ballpark. But no matter the setting or the season, the Nationals can’t find a way to close out the AL.
Down to a final strike, Michael Young hit a two-run triple off Hoffman for a 3-2 victory Tuesday night that kept the Americans unbeaten for the past decade.
“You’re never going to forget these things on this kind of stage,” said Hoffman, who has 460 saves. “You feel like you let a lot of people down.”
Young took home the MVP award ó and the AL won home-field advantage in the World Series for the fourth straight year.
“Nobody wants to make the last out of anything, whether it’s a regular season, World Series or an All-Star game,” said Troy Glaus, whose double set the stage for Young.
Behind David Wright’s homer and some daring, old-style baserunning, the NL took a 2-1 lead into the ninth.
Houston manager Phil Garner went to Hoffman, who is closing in on Lee Smith’s career saves record (478) and has converted 24 of 25 chances this season.
After getting two soft comebackers, Hoffman gave up a single to Paul Konerko, who was replaced by pinch-runner Jose Lopez.
Then the NL nearly caught a break ó it hasn’t had many since its last victory in Philadelphia in 1996.
Glaus’ smash bounded over the left-field fence for a ground-rule double, perhaps preventing Lopez from scoring. He was held at third, until Young made that moot.
The Rangers’ underrated shortstop lined an 0-2 pitch into right-center and slid into third with what was probably the biggest All-Star game hit since Texas teammate Hank Blalock’s go-ahead homer off a normally dominant Eric Gagne in the eighth inning in 2003.
“I’m not going to lie. This is a pretty big highlight in my career,” Young said. “No one’s really giving huge rallying calls to getting home-field advantage in the World Series, but we’re all aware of how important this game is.”
Mariano Rivera worked around Lopez’s error at third base for the save, retiring Milwaukee slugger Carlos Lee on a popup with a runner on second to make the AL 9-0-1 in the Midsummer Classic over the past 10 years.
The NL’s best result was a tie in 2002 in Milwaukee.
Call it a decade of dominance for the American League, which got an early homer from Vladimir Guerrero.
In fact, the AL has owned the NL year round lately, sweeping the last two World Series and winning a whopping 61 percent of interleague games this season.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say domination. We got the breaks tonight,” Derek Jeter said. “It’s one of those things right now. We’re on a roll. The NL was on a roll a few years back.”
Once the AL was ahead, manager Ozzie Guillen brought in ol’ reliable for the New York Yankees. Rivera’s third All-Star save tied him with Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley for the career mark since the stat became official in 1969.
“I was honored. We have a lot of great guys and he chose me, the old one,” Rivera said.
Toronto lefty B.J. Ryan got the win with a hitless eighth.
An exhibition played with a crisp, competitive feel, the game was halted before the fifth inning for a ceremony at home plate for a tribute to the late Pirates great Roberto Clemente.
Bud Selig presented the commissioner’s historic achievement award to Clemente’s widow, Vera, who was escorted to the podium by Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski.
Guillen, wearing a Clemente T-shirt under his gray Chicago White Sox road jersey, appeared to wipe tears from his eyes, and highlights of Clemente’s stellar career were shown on the video board high above left field.
The Hall of Fame right fielder was killed in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve 1972.
“Roberto was a hero in every sense of the term,” Selig said.
With several National Leaguers admittedly tired of losing, they certainly came out to play.
Garner smartly worked his pitcher-batter matchups ó as he said he would ó and the NL employed a drastic overshift against Boston slugger David Ortiz.
The AL’s 41-year-old starting pitcher, Kenny Rogers of Detroit, made a hard dive for Chase Utley’s infield single in the second.
NL starter Brad Penny of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Monday his nerves would be “flowing,” and maybe that helped him at the outset.
Popping the mitt of Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca ó the two were traded for each other nearly two years ago ó Penny struck out Ichiro Suzuki, Jeter and Ortiz in succession with a series of 98 mph fastballs.
The only other pitcher to start an All-Star game with three straight Ks was Boston’s Pedro Martinez at Fenway Park in 1999, when he set down former MVPs Barry Larkin, Larry Walker and Sammy Sosa.
Guerrero hit his first All-Star homer in the second off Penny, over the short porch in right field. Wright, who hit 16 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby before losing to Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard in the finals Monday night, connected in the bottom half against Rogers.
“I got a lot of practice last night,” Wright said.
Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran each stole a base in the third against strong-armed catcher Ivan Rodriguez, an 11-time Gold Glove winner and 13-time All-Star.
Soriano was on second when Beltran singled, but Toronto’s Gold Glove center fielder, Vernon Wells, cut down the speedy Soriano with a perfect throw to the plate.
Beltran reached second on the throw and stole third with two outs ó with Albert Pujols at the plate. The Mets’ center fielder then scored on a wild pitch by Roy Halladay that glanced off Rodriguez, giving the NL its first lead since that eighth inning in 2003.
“I was prepared to close the game out. I prepared like it was a regular-season game, and came out and threw strikes, but sometimes it happens,” Hoffman said.
Notes:@ Some players and umpires wore yellow wristbands with the initials RCW for Roberto Clemente Walker. Even pitchers were allowed to wear them, on their glove hands. Young’s special wristband is headed to the Hall of Fame. … The NL lost for the first time in five All-Star games in Pittsburgh. … Wright became the 13th player to homer in his first All-Star game at-bat. … Beltran played all nine innings, the first All-Star to do it since Ken Griffey Jr. and Ray Lankford in 1997. … At 2:33, this was the fastest All-Star game since it took 2:26 in 1988. … A third baseman for most of his career, Glaus shifted to first base for the ninth inning. He’s never played the position in a regular-season game. “That made me nervous,” he said.

Shakira to headline World Cup closing ceremony
BERLIN (AP) – Shakira will headline the closing ceremony at the World Cup on Sunday.
The Colombian songstress will work her way down the stone stairs from the Marathon entrance of Berlin’s Olympic stadium with local musicians and dancers in a 10-minute performance prior to the final between France and Italy.
Californian choreographer Doug Jack, who has worked on opening and closing ceremonies at the last five Olympics, said the program aimed to bring the energy and enthusiasm from the Fan Mile – where hundreds of thousands have gathered to watch World Cup matches on giant TV screens – into the stadium.
The mixture of vibes from the Fan Mile and the Love Parade, the capital’s techno fest that drew 1.5 million to downtown Berlin at its peak in 1999, is something Jack said he wants to “bring into the arena and let go before the match.”
For Shakira, it’s a stop between gigs in Spain and Croatia.
Her single Hips Don’t Lie is second in Billboard’s Hot 100 behind Promiscuous by Canadian Nelly Furtado, whose Forca was anthem of the 2004 European championship.
The ceremony’s creative director, Dieter Brell, said the World Cup had given Germany a chance to express a new image around the globe.
“We want to show Germany as our generation sees it,” he said. “We’re trying to be modern with the image of Germany we’re presenting.
“We’re a country that can dance and party and knows how to have fun.”
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will sing at halftime in the final, “so there’s a musical framework for what is happening on the pitch,” Brell said.

Italy scores two in extra time against Germany
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) – With scandal tearing apart the national sport back home, Italy kept plowing through soccer’s premier event Tuesday with a last-minute win just when it seemed a penalty shootout was inevitable.
Fabio Grosso twisted a left-footed shot into the far side of the net with one minute of extra time remaining, then Alessandro Del Piero clinched the 2-0 win in injury time with a counterattacking goal as Germany pressed desperately to equalize.
“We deserved it,” Grosso said. “We have a great group. We’ve beaten some very good teams. Now we’re going to celebrate reaching the final with all our well-wishers.”
The swiftness of the goals was stunning – three-time champion Germany had pressured for the game’s last hour and slowly stretched the tight Italian defence. But Italy, which has allowed only an own-goal in six games at this year’s tournament, held off the hosts and attacked from the start of extra time.
Now the Italians head to Berlin for Sunday’s final in search of a fourth trophy of their own. They’ll play the winner of Wednesday’s Portugal-France match in their sixth World Cup final.
“I can honestly say Italy deserved to win,” Italy coach Marcelo Lippi said. “We controlled the play more than Germany did and, in the end, we got these two great goals, which allowed us to avoid the roulette of a penalty shootout.”
In handing the Germans their first loss in 15 games at Dortmund, the Azzurri also remained undefeated in five World Cup meetings with Germany – this was their third win to go with two draws.
The deciding goal seemed to come out of nowhere.
Italy’s reserves rushed onto the field after Grosso took a brilliant tap pass from Andrea Pirlo in the box and curled his shot beyond the leaping reach of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann and just inside the post.
With the hosts pushing forward in desperation, the Italians struck again on a two-on-one break. Del Piero finished with a right-footed blast into the top of the net just before the whistle sounded.
The Italians, who last won the World Cup in 1982, mobbed each other and rolled around on the field as their fans in a sliver of the stadium jumped in delight, waving the green, white and red flags in ecstasy.
“We have beaten a very strong team,” Del Piero said. “They could have scored first on a couple of occasions. But we’ve done it. It’s a fantastic feeling.”
What the Italians have faced off the field could easily have sapped them of their resolve. Their domestic league match-fixing scandal reached new heights Tuesday when a prosecutor urged the demotion of four Serie A teams for which many of Italy’s players star. Every Italian team member plays at home – and 13 of the 23 play for the teams under investigation.
While the Italians celebrated, the Germans collapsed in dismay.
“It’s bitter to lose like that,” Germany defender Philipp Lahm said. “We had set ourselves the target of reaching the semifinals, but once you’ve reached that you want to go all the way.”
The home crowd lingered to cheer their players, who were supposed to be too young and inexperienced to challenge for this trophy. Instead, coach Juergen Klinsmann’s entertaining squad performed superbly, and the crowd sang to them and chanted their names and “Deutschland, Deutschland” after the match.
Captain Michael Ballack and several others cried as they left the field, defeated, but unashamed.
“It was an even game,” Germany striker Miroslav Klose said. “Compliments to the Italians, they took advantage of their fast breaks. We can be proud of our young team.”
Italy is unbeaten in 24 games as it heads to its first World Cup title game since losing to Brazil in 1994.
Germany will play in the third-place game Saturday in Stuttgart.
“The boys are sitting there and have a bitter pill to swallow,” said Klinsmann, who won the 1990 World Cup played in Italy. “It hurts terribly.”
Klinsmann’s contract with Germany runs out at the end of the tournament and he has been vague about his future. There have been reports that the U.S. Soccer Federation has approached him to become coach of the United States.
Klinsmann chose to continue living in California until shortly before the World Cup and he won’t be resettling in Germany despite such calls from many German soccer officials.
“I really hope that Klinsmann will continue. He left a big influence on this team, the players trust him,” said Franz Beckenbauer, the president of the organizing committee who won the title as player in 1974 at home and as coach in 1990. “They should mature until the European championship in two years.”

Yzerman to retire
Detroit has called press conference for 1 p.m. today and Steve Yzerman is stepping down.
The Detroit Red Wings Captain has made the difficult decision to retire and he’s expected to make the announcement during a press conference today in the Motor City.
The sure-fire hall-of-famer has decided his body can no longer take the grind of another NHL season.

Five Blue Jays named as all-stars
Jason Bay to start in NL outfield
TORONTO (CP) – The Toronto Blue Jays, seeking to break up years of dominance in the American League East by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, are sending more players than their division rivals to next week’s all-star game.
Ace Roy Halladay, closer B.J. Ryan, third baseman Troy Glaus plus outfielders Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, who will miss the game because of injury, were all voted by their peers onto the AL squad announced Sunday by Major League Baseball, the second highest total in club history. Seven Blue Jays were in the 1993 game.
This time, the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox and National League East-leading New York Mets lead the way with six players each in the 77th all-star game next Tuesday at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.
The Blue Jays are next with five, plus manager John Gibbons will serve as one of Ozzie Guillen’s coaches, followed by the Red Sox and Yankees with four apiece.
“Maybe this will bring a little recognition to what’s going on up here and hopefully we can continue to let it go,” Glaus said after an 11-6 loss to the Phillies. “So far it says we have some guys who have had good first halves. There’s a lot more games to play, a lot more to accomplish.”
Pittsburgh Pirates star Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., is the only Canadian in the contest and will start in the NL outfield after receiving 2,635,930 votes, the second-highest total among players in the Senior Circuit.
He’s the first Canadian to start in the all-star game since Larry Walker in 1999 and it’s the 10th straight year at least one Canuck has been named to an all-star team. The last time two Canadians went to the contest was 2001, when Walker and Paul Quantrill took part.
The Blue Jays won’t have a single starter in the game, with Wells coming closest by finishing fifth in fan voting among AL outfielders.
Starting for the American League, which has a 40-34-2 edge over the National League, will be Detroit’s Ivan Rodriguez at catcher, Boston’s David Ortiz at first and Mark Loretta at second, the Yankees’ Derek Jeter at short and Alex Rodriguez at third, with the Angels’ Vladimir Guerrero, Boston’s Manny Ramirez and Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield.
“We don’t have the kind of support that the Red Sox and Yankees have where they pretty much have their whole starting lineups starting in that game,” said Wells. “These guys have played well and we’ve been able to have a good first half.”
Rios, who remains in a Toronto hospital with a severe left leg infection, was replaced on the roster by Gary Matthews Jr. of Texas. He can still attend the all-star game festivities although it wasn’t clear if he would.
“I would assume he’d go and get introduced. He should,” said Gibbons. “He got recognized by his peers, he’s having that kind of year.”
Added Wells: “This definitely won’t be his last one, that’s for sure.”
Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., was a tough omission. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko, both of the White Sox, are the AL’s backup first basemen.
Aside from Halladay and Ryan, Guillen’s pitching staff includes three members of his White Sox: Jose Contreras, an early favourite to start for the AL, Mark Buehrle and closer Bobby Jenks. Minnesota’s Johan Santana, Detroit’s Kenny Rogers, Mark Redman of Kansas City and Oakland lefty Barry Zito are the other starters.
Also in the AL’s fearsome bullpen are Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and ageless Yankees stopper Mariano Rivera.
Joining Bay in the NL’s starting outfield are Carlos Beltran of the Mets and Washington’s Alfonso Soriano.
Paul Lo Duca of the Mets is the starting catcher, Albert Pujols, the St. Louis slugger who led all players with 3,418,555 votes, is at first, Philadelphia’s Chase Utley is at second, the Mets’ David Wright is at third and teammate Jose Reyes is at short.
Houston Astros manager Phil Garner can choose from Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine of the Mets, Arizona’s Brandon Webb, Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo, St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter, Brad Penny of the Dodgers, San Francisco’s Jason Schmidt and Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs for his starting pitcher.
In the NL bullpen are Philadelphia’s Tom Gordon, Milwaukee’s Derrick Turnbow, San Diego’s Trevor Hoffman and Colorado’s Brian Fuentes.
The bevy of all-star selections came as nice surprise to the Blue Jays, who weren’t sure how the whole selection process was going to play out. The fact that all five were chosen in the players’ vote stirred some pride in the clubhouse.
“I think every player will tell you that having the respect of other players is probably the biggest compliment,” said Halladay. “The way we’ve been playing lately and the way guys have been producing, I think other teams are going to recognize that, especially when we get a chance to play them.”
Halladay, who was going to start last year’s game until a broken leg felled him the weekend before the game, won’t have a chance to start this one. He’s starting Sunday in Kansas City and will likely only be available for an inning.
“I don’t really see a problem pitching. That’s the reason you go, you look forward to getting in the game,” said Halladay, 10-2 with a 3.22 ERA. “It was disappointing not to be able to go last year, but it’s going to be more fun for me just because there are so many guys from here going.”
Halladay, Ryan (1-0 with 0.45 ERA and 22 saves) and Wells (.315 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs) were obvious picks, but things were going to be tough for Rios (.330 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs) and Glaus (.248 with 22 homers and 57 RBIs).
But Glaus was a clear winner in the players’ vote at third base over Oakland’s Eric Chavez (205-183), Wells was second and Rios fifth among outfielders while Halladay was second among starters and Ryan second among relievers.
“You want to be respected by your peers, that’s the biggest thing,” said Ryan.
Cito Gaston was the manager the year the Blue Jays sent seven players to the 1993 all-star game, his reward for leading the club to its first World Series title in 1992. He was the manager again in 1994, when four Jays took part in the contest.
More recently the Blue Jays had three players chosen for the 2000 and 2003 affairs.
“I would have guessed five but I don’t know how it all sets up,” said Gibbons. “We have some good players, guys having good years. We have a good club. It’s good for the town, well represented.”
Glaus is hoping the all-star game isn’t the only place the Blue Jays end up one-upping the Red Sox and Yankees.
“Obviously the talent that was in here was very, very good,” he said. “Hopefully we can all stay healthy and put a run together and kind of get back into this thing and see where it goes.”

Carolina edges Oilers to win Stanley Cup
RALEIGH, N.C. – This time, the Stanley Cup gets to stay on Tobacco Road. A couple of low-scoring Carolina defensemen put Edmonton’s comeback on ice and Cam Ward stopped nearly everything that came his way, giving the Hurricanes their first NHL championship with a 3-1 victory in Game 7 on Monday night.
Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle found the net for the Hurricanes ó a couple of unlikely players to carry the offense, considering they were each six-goal scorers during the regular season and had combined for only four in the playoffs.
Then there’s the guy who made sure two goals were enough. Cam Ward, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs, wasn’t even Carolina’s No. 1 goalie at the beginning of the postseason, but the 22-year-old rookie got the call when Martin Gerber struggled in an opening round against Montreal.
The young star wound up winning more games in the playoffs (15) than he did backing up Gerber during the regular season (14).
“I mean, this is a dream come true,” Ward said. “I couldn’t be with a better group of guys. They definitely deserve it.”
Justin Williams finished off the Oilers, scoring an empty-net goal with 1:01 remaining after Edmonton had cut the lead in half early in the third period.
Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger, a stalwart throughout the series, gave up the puck in the Carolina zone and wound up making a helpless dive to block Williams’ gimme into the goal.
Bret Hedican, among a contingent of 30-something Carolina players who had never won the cup, leaped in the air after Williams’ shot went in. The crowd of nearly 19,000, which stood throughout the game, went into a frenzy.
“We want the cup!” they chanted over and over.
They got it, bringing the trophy to territory best known for college basketball.
“I can’t describe it,” said Hedican, who lost in two previous trips to the finals. “Both times were gut-wrenching. I’ve got the scars. But tonight, all that work, all that hard work, and our team winning, it all paid off.”
It paid off, too, for captain Rod Brind’Amour, Glen Wesley, Doug Weight and Ray Whitney. Along with Hedican, they had been in the league for a total of 78 seasons without winning the cup.
Now, they’ll all have their names on it.
The Hurricanes were born in the old World Hockey Association as the Boston-based New England Whalers, and entered the NHL in 1979 playing out of Hartford. When their demands for a new arena were turned aside, the team headed south in 1997.
The first two years in Carolina were a dismal experience, the team forced to play 80 miles away in Greensboro while a new arena was built in Raleigh. Few fans turned up in the beginning and the upper deck was curtained off, the demand for tickets so light.
Now, the Hurricanes are champions, capitalizing on their second trip to the finals. Four years ago, they were beaten in five games by Detroit.
The Oilers have nothing to be ashamed of, making it all the way to the final game of the season after barely getting into the playoffs.
Fernando Pisani did it again for Edmonton, scoring his playoff-leading 14th goal just over a minute into the third to make a game of it, and goalie Jussi Markkanen had another strong game with 25 saves.
The series looked as if it would be a rout when Carolina rallied from a three-goal deficit to win Game 1 and blew out the Oilers 5-0 in Game 2. The Oilers also had to cope with the loss of playoff star Dwayne Roloson, who had played every minute of the postseason in goal until he went out with a knee injury in the opener.
But, led by Markkanen and Pisani, the Oilers rebounded from a 3-1 deficit. They pulled out an overtime win in Carolina ó with the cup somewhere in the bowels of the RBC Center, waiting to be handed out if the Hurricanes won.
Edmonton returned home and blew out Carolina 4-0 in Game 6.
That’s where the comeback ended. Brind’Amour made sure of that, urging on his teammates to finish what they started.
Appropriately enough, the captain was the first one to get the cup. Brind’Amour broke down in tears of joy as he lifted it up.
“He’s the leader of this team,” Cam Ward said. “Once again, he came up huge for us.”
Right from the start, Carolina seized the momentum with the sort of energy and passion that had been missing since Game 5.
Erik Cole delivered a big hit at center ice to force Edmonton into a turnover, and Matt Cullen took off the other way with the puck. He swept in on Markkanen, who made a good save off his chest.
The Hurricanes didn’t let up, keeping Edmonton bottled up in its own zone. Mark Recchi got possession behind the net and attempted a pass to Andrew Ladd standing in front, only to have the ricochet back to Aaron Ward moving in from the point.
That worked out just fine for Carolina. The defenseman delivered a slap shot that skidded through a half-dozen players scrumming in front of the net and on through the legs of Markkanen, who appeared to be screened.
It was the Hurricanes’ first goal in 95:01 since the second period of Game 5.
Carolina thought it had another goal in the final seconds of the period. Brind’Amour flipped a pass to Craig Adams, who fanned on his first shot but then backhanded the puck off Markkanen’s stick.
The goalie fell facefirst to the ice, the puck spinning over him and toward the post. Defenseman Steve Staios dove into the net and stuck out his right glove in an attempt to keep the puck out.
It was hard to tell exactly where the puck was on most of the replays, but one angle appeared to show the puck sliding under Staios and just across the goal line. However, the officials ruled that play was dead as soon as Staios struck the puck with his hand since a delayed penalty had been called on Edmonton’s Ethan Moreau ó a huge break for the Oilers with 4.1 seconds left in the period.
Carolina finally made it 2-0 with just over four minutes gone in the second. Kaberle fired a slap shot over a diving Jason Smith, whose sweater appeared to catch part of the puck and cause it to dip under Markkanen’s left pad when he had his glove out to make the save.
Pisani gave the Oilers hope at 1:03 in the third, crashing the net to knock in a loose puck after Cam Ward had already made one save and turned aside a rebound try.
Edmonton was the first eighth-seeded team to reach the finals under the current format, knocking off three higher-ranked teams ó including regular-season champ Detroit ó along the way.
The Oilers were in the finals for the first time since 1990, when they won their fifth cup in seven years. For most of the ’80s, Edmonton was the center of the hockey world with star-studded teams led by Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr.
But spiraling salaries and changing economics sent the Oilers into a tailspin, putting their very future in doubt. Now, in the first season of the new salary cap-protected NHL, they made a title run with a blue-collar team featuring few big names.
But Edmonton failed in its bid to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since Montreal’s championship in 1993.
Instead, the cup is remaining in Dixie. Tampa Bay won in 2004 and now the trophy belongs to Carolina after an entire season was lost to a lockout.
Country rocker Toby Keith’s hit “How do You Like Me Now?” blared out in the arena as the Hurricanes passed around the cup.
A fan held up a sign, “Hockey, The New Southern Sport.”
Notes:@ It was the first time that three straight Stanley Cup finals have gone to Game 7. … Bill McCreary and Brad Watson were picked as the referees, working their second game in a row. This was the 11th straight finals appearance for McCreary.

Oilers force Game 6
RALEIGH, N.C. (CP) – The Edmonton Oilers continue to amaze.
They didn’t qualify for the NHL playoffs until the 81st game of their 82 in the regular season. They fought their way to the championship series as the first No. 8 seed ever to do so. They were given little chance in the final after losing first-string goalie Dwayne Roloson in the first game. They were all but written off after the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-1 series lead.
Yet, they’ve forced the series back to Edmonton for a Game 6 Saturday night.
Fernando Pisani’s second goal of the game 3:31 into overtime, on a short-handed breakaway, gave them a 4-3 victory Wednesday night. Ales Hemsky and Mike Peca also scored for the Oilers.
“That’s all we were thinking about – just trying to get back to Edmonton for Game 6,” said Oilers defenceman Chris Pronger. “It’s huge going back home.”
Cautioned goaltender Jussi Markkanen: “We still have a long way to go.”
It was 3-3 after 40 minutes and it stayed that way until Pisani ended it.
He intercepted a weak pass from Carolina’s Cory Stillman, broke in alone on goalie Cam Ward and flicked a wrist shot into the top inside corner of the net.
“It happened so quick,” said Pisani. “The pass was coming slow so that’s why I jumped up.
“I decided to go for it and it worked out well.”
Eric Staal, with two goals, and Ray Whitney scored for the Hurricanes – all on power plays.
The Oilers remain convinced they are the better team and can best survive a long series.
“You get a sense that you’re giving yourself an opportunity to get back in the series,” said Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish. “We all sensed that.
“We really had a sense that we were starting to turn the tide and momentum .n.n. this puts us right back into it.”
Carolina lost two players in Game 5: defenceman Aaron Ward left early in the second period with an upper body injury, and centre Doug Weight hurt his right shoulder early in the third.
Heavy rains that flooded parts of the city earlier in the day didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 18,974 in the RBC Center. Fans were tailgating under tarps and awnings hours before the opening faceoff.
The Oilers started quickly in their bid to extend the series. Pronger slapped a blue-line drive that Pisani deflected through Ward’s legs after only 16 seconds.
“We wanted to get off to a better start and we certainly did that,” said Pronger.
Referees Paul Devorski and Mick McGeough dealt Edmonton the first three penalties, and Carolina jumped ahead 2-1 on power plays.
Staal shoved his own rebound past Markkanen at 5:54 and Whitney connected with a high slapshot from the circle to the left of Markkanen, who was screened by Weight. Matt Greene was in the penalty box on both goals, and coach Craig MacTavish used him sparingly the rest of the night.
Entering the game, Carolina was 5-for-25 and Edmonton 1-for-25 on power plays. It was a factor that had swung the series in Carolina’s favour.
The Oilers needed to do better, and they did on Carolina’s first penalty. With Matt Cullen off, Dick Tarnstrom slid the puck to Hemsky, and Hemsky fired a high bullet from the circle to the right of Ward that found the top of the net at 13:25 for Edmonton’s first power-play goal since Game 1.
The Oilers went up 3-2 when Hemsky stickhandled to Ward’s doorstep, the puck slid loose to Peca at the side of the crease as Ward was falling, and Peca lifted it into the top of the net at 19:42.
Staal tied it 3-3 at 9:56 of the second period with yet another Carolina power-play goal. Steve Staios was in the penalty box. Ray Whitney’s shot missed the net, hit the back boards and bounced off the back of Markkanen’s left leg. Staal banged at the puck and it went in for his ninth goal and league-best 27th point.
“It’s was breakneck pace – lots of energy, lots of action, lots of chances,” said MacTavish. “Heck of a hockey game.”
The Hurricanes had to be confident they could win the game and the series in the final 20 minutes because they had outscored opponents 25-10 in their 22 previous playoff games this spring.
But the Oilers hung in there with great defensive play, and Markkanen kept the score even when he got his left shoulder in front of a Whitney shot as the ‘Canes stormed his crease with eight minutes left in regulation. The Oilers held Carolina to two shots on Markkanen in the third, and got off five of their own. They were still very much alive, and Pisani proved it.
Notes: Shots on goal were 24-22 in Carolina’s favour during regulation time . . . On power plays, Carolina was 3-for-7 in the game to go to 8-for-32 in the series, while Edmonton was 1-for-7 to slip to 2-for-32 in the series . . . Stillman extended his point streak to 13 games with an assist on the Whitney goal . . . Edmonton inserted Todd Harvey in place of Georges Laraque.

Oilers lose Game One and Roloson
RALEIGH, N.C. (CP) – The Edmonton Oilers’ bid to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 13 years is a longshot proposition now that goaltender Dwayne Roloson has been lost for the balance of the NHL’s championship series.
Ty Conklin or Jussi Markkanen will have to start Game 2 Wednesday.
Roloson hurt his right knee in a pileup in his crease with the score 4-4 with about five minutes remaining in the opener Monday night, Conklin was sent in to replace him, and Rod Brind’Amour jumped on his first mistake to score with 31.1 seconds left to cap a furious comeback and give the Carolina Hurricanes a thrilling 5-4 win.
Afterwards, coach Craig MacTavish emerged from a gloomy Oilers dressing room to announce the worst.
”Our goalie’s not good,” said MacTavish. ”He won’t be back in the series.”
The Oilers now face the prospect of trying to become the first Canadian team to win the title since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 without the leading candidate for playoff MVP honours.
”I know we can, I feel very confident that we can, bounce back from it,” said MacTavish. ”Our goaltenders are capable of coming in here and playing well, both Jussi and Ty.”
It might be wishful thinking because Conklin, for one, certainly didn’t look up to the task on Brind’Amour’s winner. Conklin, who hadn’t played a post-season minute, stopped two shots after replacing Roloson before leaving his crease to go after a puck in the last minute. He backhanded it, it struck teammate Jason Smith’s stick, and trickled right to Brind’Amour. The Canes captain couldn’t believe his good luck as he slipped it into the open net.
”It was just a matter of flipping it into the net,” Brind’Amour said after his playoffs-leading 11th goal. ”You don’t get too many of those, but I’ll definitely take them.”
Conklin said he held onto the puck too long.
”I didn’t make the play quickly enough,” he said. ”It’s not a mistake I would normally make.”
He’d been inactive for weeks so it was unfair to blame him for the loss. It was his teammates’ failure to protect a three-goal lead that led to the loss despite a 38-26 advantage in shots on goal.
Brind’Amour and Ray Whitney scored two goals each and Justin Williams had one for the Hurricanes, who trailed 3-0 late in the second period. The Hurricanes have made a habit of comeback victories this spring, and they’d done it again.
Carolina equalled the biggest comeback in championship series history, becoming the sixth club to win a game in the final in which it trailed by three goals.
Chris Pronger, with the first successful penalty shot in championship series history, Fernando Pisani, Ethan Moreau and Ales Hemsky scored for the Oilers.
Roloson was hurt when Andrew Ladd, being pushed by Marc-Andre Bergeron, crashed into him.
”He was coming with a lot of speed,” Bergeron said of his attempt to contain Ladd. ”I tried to shut him off before he got to the net.
”Unfortunately, he ran into Rollie. Rollie was runner over like that a few times like that in the playoffs and he was always fine. It’s just bad luck this time. Obviously, it’s something we didn’t want to have to deal with.”
Canes goalie Cam Ward was outstanding. He made a win-saving stop of a Shawn Horcoff shot with three seconds remaining. At 22, Ward was the youngest goalie to start a championship series game since a 20-year-old Patrick Roy helped the Canadiens win the title in 1986.
”He definitely played outstanding hockey,” said coach Peter Laviolette. ”There were a couple of goals he had no chance on just based on redirects, and there were some that should have been in the net and weren’t because of his play.
”I don’t think a situation like this, being in the Stanley Cup final, fazes him.”
Brind’Amour started the Carolina comeback when he scored off a rebound at 17:17 of the second period.
”We were not panicking and we knew if we could pick it up we had a chance,” he said afterwards.
Whitney made it 3-2 at 1:40 of the third when he beat Roloson to the short side with a slapper from the circle to the goalie’s right.
Whitney tied it 3-3 off another rebound during a power play at 5:09.
Williams scored a short-handed goal at 10:01 after the puck hopped over Steve Staios’ stick blade at the Carolina blue-line to set up a Williams breakaway.
Ward then made one of his most spectacular save of the night when he slid to get his mitt in front of a Horcoff shot that was headed for the open side of the net.
”Just out of pure desperation I put my glove out and I was very fortunate to make the save,” he said.
Hemsky tied it 4-4 with a spectacular effort while Eric Staal served a high-sticking penalty. Dashing down the right wing, the speedy Czech cut across the front of the crease, pulled the puck to his backhand and stuffed it in at 13:31.
Roloson got hurt, Conklin coughed up the puck on Brind’Amour’s winner, Ward again robbed Horcoff, and 18,700 erupted in a victory celebration.
”My dad was probably having a heart attack,” said Brind’Amour, who also scored the winner in the Eastern final last Thursday. ”We’re fun to watch but that’s not the way you want to do it.”
The Hurricanes had dodged a bullet.
”We played terrible for two periods,” said Whitney. ”We left feeling very fortunate.
”We are not kidding ourselves. We’re not real pleased with the way we played.”
Notes: Edmonton was 1-for-7 and Carolina 1-for-5 on power plays … There have been 15 teams, most recently Tampa Bay in 2004, that rallied from a Game 1 loss to win the Stanley Cup … 26 of the 40 players in uniform were Canadians – 14 Oilers and 12 Hurricanes … Ward is from the Edmonton region and will be married there next month … The teams hadn’t met since December 2003 … Carolina has to re-sign Erik Staal, Justin Williams and injured forward Erik Cole this summer. To find the cash, it might let go recently acquired veterans Doug Weight and Mark Recchi, who can become unrestricted free agents July 1