Flames Climb Out of Hole to Shock Canucks

(NEWSER) - This year's NHL Hall of Fame class is a stellar one, TSN reports. All three forwards inducted—Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, and Luc Robitaille—are among the top 10 scorers in pro hockey history. Brian Leetch, meanwhile, was a two-time winner of the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defenseman. Also to be inducted in November is Lou Lamoriello, who as general manager built three Stanley Cup winners for New Jersey. More»

(NEWSER) - With the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins to decide the Stanley Cup finals tonight, David Schoenfield takes a look at the best Game 7s in NHL championship history for ESPN. Some highlights:

• 1950: Red Wings 4, Rangers 3 (2 OT). Pete Babando’s goal 8½ minutes into the second overtime capped a series that saw the last four games decided by one goal, three of them OT.
• 1994: Rangers 3, Canucks 2. New York hangs on in front of a delirious crowd to end the franchise’s 54-year Cup drought.

Player injured on gov's red carpet gets dumped by team

(NEWSER) - Not only did Sarah Palin cost John McCain the presidency, some say, she robbed Manny Legace his job. The St. Louis Blues put the goalie on waivers after a string of injuries that started last October, when Legace slipped on a red carpet rolled out on the ice for Palin, Deadspin reports. “This is unbelievable,” Legace said. More»

Unretired hockey star makes solid start to comeback at 43

(NEWSER) - Four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux took to the ice for the San Jose Sharks yesterday after nearly 6 years in retirement, and Mark Purdy of the Mercury News is cautiously optimistic. The 43-year-old, who's been a pro for longer than several of his new teammates have been alive, "was solid. That's one of the finest compliments you can pay a professional athlete," Purdy writes. More»

Chicago falls to Detroit on iconic home turf

(NEWSER) - Two of the NHL's oldest franchises got together for some old-school outdoors hockey today, with the Detroit Red Wings beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4, the Chicago Tribune reports. The league's second annual Winter Classic, staged in a converted Wrigley Field, threw the players plenty of curveballs, from chilly temperatures to last-minute ice repair. “Holy Cow. It’s Cold,” one sign read, a nod to Cubs announcer Harry Caray. More»