Matthew Barnaby

Now: Just 36 years old, Barnaby retired from hockey after the 2006-07 season with the Dallas Stars. He was hired by ESPN last October as their lead NHL analyst on SportsCenter. During the regular season, he is an occasional commentator on NHL on TSN in Canada. Barnaby resides in Buffalo - where he spent parts of 7 seasons with the Sabres - with his wife and two children, where he can be found teaching his 11-year-old Matthew how to be an enforcer just like him. Then: At a generous 6-feet and 180-pounds soaking wet, 23-year-old Matthew Barnaby wasn't a gifted skater or scorer.

THE BIG BET last summer was that Claude Giroux could do this. The big bet when Mike Richards was traded away, and Jeff Carter, too, was that Giroux would become more than just a great scorer, more than just a great playmaker. He would fill the emotional leadership role as well, or at least part of it. So there he was, just 12 minutes into the latest on-ice insanity that has defined this series, jumping in front of Sidney Crosby after the NHL's purported top attraction had just taken three hacks at Ilya Bryzgalov's glove after the whistle, after Sid had - in the best Matthew Barnaby imitation seen here since, well, Matthew Barnaby - flipped away Jakub Voracek's glove as the Flyers forward reached to get it off the ice. Giroux said he stepped in because Crosby's next target was Kimmo Timonen.

There's something about the Boston Bruins that brings out the best in Michal Grosek. Grosek scored two goals as host Buffalo defeated the Bruins last night, 5-1, to extend its unbeaten streak to 12 games. It marked left winger Grosek's third multiple-goal game of the season. Two of those games have come against the Bruins. "I always play well against Boston," said Grosek, who has 14 goals this season. "I don't know why I have five goals in three games against them. " Maybe part of it is the forecasting skills of right wing Matthew Barnaby.

The Florida Panthers failed to take advantage of 10 power play chances. The New York Islanders made the most of their final manpower advantage to gain a point. Bryan Berard scored a power play goal with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to give visiting New York a 2-2 tie with Florida last night. Berard, the Calder Trophy winner last season as the NHL's rookie of the year, scored with Florida's Robert Svehla off for tripping and Islanders goalie Eric Fichaud on the bench for an extra attacker.

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Kevin Constantine wasn't overly impressed with his 100th career victory. "All that means is that I'll be 783 years old when I catch Scotty Bowman," Constantine said last night after the visiting Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-2. "I didn't even think about it until one of my coaches came up and congratulated me. " Jan Hrdina scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:06 left in the third period for Pittsburgh, which...

The Buffalo Sabres traded disgruntled forward Matthew Barnaby to Pittsburgh for Stu Barnes last night, ending months of speculation about Barnaby's fate. Barnaby asked for a trade last year, but then led the team into the Stanley Cup semifinals with 13 points in the playoffs after the Sabres talked him into staying. Barnes, who scored 30 goals and 65 points in his best season last year, will join his fourth team in his eighth season in the NHL. The 28-year-old center has 20 goals and 12 assists in 64 games this season, and a plus-minus rating of minus-12.

Phil Kessel had two assists to add to his NHL-leading point total, and the Toronto Maples Leafs snapped the host New York Rangers ' five-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Monday night. The Maple Leafs scored twice in less than two minutes to take a 3-0 lead early in the second period, then gave both goals back in another quick burst later in the period. Jonas Gustavsson made 12 saves in the third to preserve the one-goal margin. Hot Bruins drop Pens Gregory Campbell, Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Seguin scored, Tim Thomas stopped 44 shots, and the surging Boston Bruins kept rolling with a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

As far as anyone could determine, Matthew Barnaby's picture wasn't on the walls of any area post offices, but that didn't mean he wasn't the most wanted man in the CoresStates Center last night. Well, this being South Philly, make that one of the most wanted. Anyway, the arrival of Barnaby, the Buffalo Sabres winger with the busy mouth, the neon black-and-red tooth bearing the letter B, the boarding-school name, and the most devilish smile since Eddie Haskell, was met with great anticipation for Game 3 of the Flyers-Sabres Eastern Conference semifinals, which grew more lopsided with the Flyers' workmanlike 4-1 victory.

Because the Flyers are up 2-0 in the series and you all are undoubtedly in a giddy mood, we give you Matthew Barnaby. Comic relief: "I wish I could wear No. 88 or No. 77," said the Buffalo Sabres' magnificent pest, in reference mostly to Eric Lindros, the guy who wears No. 88 for the Flyers. "I'd love to have that number - you can run around and do everything you want. Now, whether that's preferential treatment or not, I can't say. " Minutes earlier, Barnaby had just finished one wave of interviews.

THE BIG BET last summer was that Claude Giroux could do this. The big bet when Mike Richards was traded away, and Jeff Carter, too, was that Giroux would become more than just a great scorer, more than just a great playmaker. He would fill the emotional leadership role as well, or at least part of it. So there he was, just 12 minutes into the latest on-ice insanity that has defined this series, jumping in front of Sidney Crosby after the NHL's purported top attraction had just taken three hacks at Ilya Bryzgalov's glove after the whistle, after Sid had - in the best Matthew Barnaby imitation seen here since, well, Matthew Barnaby - flipped away Jakub Voracek's glove as the Flyers forward reached to get it off the ice. Giroux said he stepped in because Crosby's next target was Kimmo Timonen.

WITH HIS voice cracking and hands shaking, former NHL player Matthew Barnaby apologized for his "bad decisions" after pleading guilty to four violations connected to a drunken driving arrest that got him fired from ESPN. "I'm going to do my best, take the proper measures to make sure this does not happen again," Barnaby said last night, following an hour-long appearance in the town court in Clarence in suburban Buffalo. "I take full responsibility for everything that I've done. "I promise - my kids, my family, my friends.

FIRED ESPN hockey analyst Matthew Barnaby's drunken driving charge jeopardizes an agreement the former NHL player reached to avoid potential deportation following an arrest earlier this year. Erie County (N.Y.) DA Frank Sedita called Barnaby's arrest "a serious matter," and warned it could have consequences on the Canadian's status in the United States because of a previous run-in with the law. The 38-year-old is from Ottawa was fired by ESPN on Monday, a day after being charged with drunken driving near his suburban Buffalo home.

Phil Kessel had two assists to add to his NHL-leading point total, and the Toronto Maples Leafs snapped the host New York Rangers ' five-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Monday night. The Maple Leafs scored twice in less than two minutes to take a 3-0 lead early in the second period, then gave both goals back in another quick burst later in the period. Jonas Gustavsson made 12 saves in the third to preserve the one-goal margin. Hot Bruins drop Pens Gregory Campbell, Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Seguin scored, Tim Thomas stopped 44 shots, and the surging Boston Bruins kept rolling with a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

FORMER NHL forward Matthew Barnaby was fired by ESPN as the cable network's hockey analyst yesterday, a day after being charged with drunken driving for being found behind the wheel of an SUV that was missing its front tire. In an email sent to the Associated Press, ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz wrote the network informed Barnaby that his contract was terminated "effective immediately. " The decision was made a day after Erie County sheriff's office said Barnaby was driving a Porsche Cayenne with front-end damage and a sparking rim in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence, where he lives.

ESPN analyst and former NHL forward Matthew Barnaby was ordered yesterday to complete 500 hours of community service to have charges dropped stemming from an argument he had with his estranged wife in May. Barnaby, 38, was accused of causing an estimated $300 in damage by kicking the garage door May 13 in an attempt to enter the suburban Buffalo home where his wife and two children live, Erie County district attorney Frank Sedita's office said....

Now: Just 36 years old, Barnaby retired from hockey after the 2006-07 season with the Dallas Stars. He was hired by ESPN last October as their lead NHL analyst on SportsCenter. During the regular season, he is an occasional commentator on NHL on TSN in Canada. Barnaby resides in Buffalo - where he spent parts of 7 seasons with the Sabres - with his wife and two children, where he can be found teaching his 11-year-old Matthew how to be an enforcer just like him. Then: At a generous 6-feet and 180-pounds soaking wet, 23-year-old Matthew Barnaby wasn't a gifted skater or scorer.

Carolina Hurricanes leading scorer Rod Brind'Amour will need surgery and could miss 3 months after tearing a tendon in his right hand. Brind'Amour, who has 14 goals and 23 assists, was placed on injured reserve yesterday. He was hurt on a first-period faceoff of Monday night's 5-3 loss to St. Louis, although he wound up scoring in the third period. "I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I felt it kind of pop," he said. Things haven't been going well for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who have lost seven straight games and dropped to 13th in the playoff race.

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Rick Dudley resigned yesterday and was replaced by assistant general manager Jay Feaster. Dudley will stay with the team as senior adviser to president Ron Campbell, the team said in a statement. Dudley didn't immediately return a call to the Associated Press. Feaster, 39, has been with the Lightning for more than three seasons, after serving as president of the AHL's Hershey Bears. "We inherited Jay as the assistant general manager when we bought the club in 1999," Campbell said.

A rough season for Pittsburgh right wing Matthew Barnaby hit rock-bottom Saturday night when he sat for all 60 minutes of a 5-3 victory over Ottawa. Barnaby, who was coming off a four-game suspension by the NHL for an altercation with a Florida Panthers fan, said he was frustrated and wanted to be traded. "I really don't know what to do anymore," he said after yesterday's practice. "I really don't know what to do. I tried to give my heart to this team and tried to do anything I can for them, and I still would.