Rick Nash

In Canada, they're calling it Nashgate. Turns out, it's much ado about nothing. Near the end of the Canada-Sweden game in the world championships on Saturday, Canada's young power forward Rick Nash, apparently frustrated with contact in front of the net, tried to get the referee's attention. He was caught by a Swedish TV channel fish-hooking the ref on the hip from behind with his stick before pushing a linesman out of the way. Swedish officials waited until yesterday to ask the International Ice Hockey Federation to review the incident, because it seemed deliberate and represented a poor example to youth.

DETROIT - Darren Helm scored with 1 minute, 27 seconds left in the third period, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to an elimination-avoiding 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Friday night. The Sharks will take their 3-1 series lead back home with a chance to advance on Sunday night to the NHL's final four. Detroit is trying to become the fourth NHL team to win a series after trailing 3-0. Veteran defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom scored twice in the first period to help the Red Wings take a three-goal lead that they let slip away.

Rick Nash had two goals and a career-best four points and Pascal Leclaire stopped 28 shots to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets over the road-weary Anaheim Ducks, 4-0. Sergei Fedorov and Ron Hainsey each added a power-play goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, opening their first full season under coach Ken Hitchcock. The Stanley Cup champion Ducks looked tired and disorganized for the first two periods, which might be expected after they opened the season by splitting two games with Los Angeles in London - England, not Ontario - last weekend.

Rick Nash scored the go-ahead goal to put Canada in the title game of the World Ice Hockey Championships with a 5-4 win over Sweden in Quebec City last night, setting up a championship showdown with Russia tomorrow. Sergei Fedorov scored the opening goal of the game and Evgeni Nabakov stopped 23 shots to lead Russia to a 4-0 win over Finland in the first game of the semifinal doubleheader. It will be the first time Canada and Russia have ever met with the world championship on the line.

Fredrik Modin scored twice and the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-1, last night, handing the league-leaders their fifth straight loss. Rick Nash had a goal and two assists, Nikolai Zherdev added a goal and an assist, and Ron Hainsey scored Columbus' fifth goal. The Blue Jackets took a 3-0 first-period lead when Nash scored his 30th goal, followed by Modin and Zherdev. When Modin's second goal made it 4-0 in the second period, Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood was pulled after stopping nine of 13 shots.

Rick Nash scored two third-period goals in his return from an injury that sidelined him four games, and the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame a two-goal deficit last night to hand the visiting Minnesota Wild a costly, 4-2 loss. The Wild came into the game in 11th place, six points behind eighth-place Detroit in the Western Conference playoff race, but have now lost two in a row. Nash's game-winning goal came just 27 seconds after Kris Russell tied the game at 2-2. Nash then added an empty-netter in the final minute.

Scott Niedermayer scored 14 minutes, 17 seconds into overtime to lift the visiting Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings last night, evening their Stanley Cup Western Conference final series at one game apiece. Detroit went ahead for the first time in the game 1:03 into the third period, when a two-man advantage created space for Pavel Datsyuk's one-timer off a crisp pass from Robert Lang, but Anaheim's Travis Moen tied the game 4:03 later. Swarming defense limited scoring chances for the rest of regulation and when shots did go toward the net, Detroit's Dominik Hasek (29 saves)

Phil Housley, the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history, retired yesterday after failing to sign with a team this season. The 39-year-old defenseman had 1,232 points on 338 goals and 894 assists in 1,495 games in 21 seasons with Buffalo, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Calgary, New Jersey, Washington, Chicago and Toronto. The former South St. Paul (Minn.) High School star had hoped to finish his career with the hometown Minnesota Wild. He split time last season with Toronto and Chicago.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his second goal of the game in overtime, giving Russia its first title at the world hockey championships since 1993 with a 5-4 win over Canada yesterday in Quebec City. Canada took a 4-2 lead into the third period, but couldn't hold off the Russians. Alexei Tereshchenko and Kovalchuk scored to tie it, setting the stage for the overtime winner. Rick Nash was sent to the penalty box after accidentally sending the puck over the glass from his own end. The Russians then put out four forwards for the four-on-three advantage and Kovalchuk beat Canadian goalie Cam Ward with a wrist shot at 2:42 of the extra period.

He wasn't supposed to be here. But when Miikka Kiprusoff and Kari Lehtonen bowed out with injuries, Antero Niittymaki promised to make Finland proud at the Winter Olympic Games. Last night at Torino Esposizioni, the Flyers' 25-year-old goalie delivered a 2-0 shutout over Canada by making 24 saves. "We believe, even if no one else does," Niittymaki said after the Finns beat the defending gold medalists. "It means more to me than the Czech win [a 4-2 victory]. It's good for my confidence.

Robin Lehner stopped 32 shots for his first career shutout and Erik Karlsson scored the lone goal, lifting surging Ottawa to a 1-0 win over host Boston on Tuesday night. It was the Senators' first victory in five games against the Bruins this season. With the win, the Senators moved one point behind the Northeast Division-leading Bruins, who have played four fewer games than Ottawa. Ottawa won for the sixth time in seven games and sent the Bruins to their fourth loss in six. The 20-year old Lehner, playing in just his 11th NHL game, benefited from some strong defensive play in front of him. His teammates blocked 10 shots in the opening two periods and limited most of Boston's shots to beyond the faceoff circles.

The Rangers made one trade before the NHL dealing deadline, landing hulking defenseman John Scott from the Chicago Blackhawks, but not coveted Columbus forward Rick Nash. After weeks of rumors and speculation, the price tag for Nash - the Blue Jackets captain - proved to be too high for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers to give in to before Monday's deadline. So, New York settled on Scott, who had one assist and 48 penalty minutes in 29 games this season. New York sent a fifth-round draft pick in this year's draft to Chicago for the 6-foot-8, 270-pound Scott.

THE PITTSBURGH Penguins have no plans to make a splashy trade before today's deadline, figuring the possible return of Sidney Crosby before the playoffs far outweighs anything they could get in a cluttered market. And considering the way they're playing, the Penguins look formidable even without their captain. Evgeni Malkin scored his 37th goal of the season, Brad Thiessen made 21 saves in his NHL debut and the Penguins beat the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2, yesterday.

SAN JOSE - When the Flyers' skates hit the ice at HP Pavilion today at noon local time, the final trade calls of the season will be trickling into league headquarters across the country in New York. You can bet that the NHL Network will have the Flyers' full attention as they gear up in their dressing room in the bowels of the arena, with some players having broken a sweat before even making it to the ice. And some players in the Flyers' room will look sluggish, having had a restless night of sleep on the eve of hockey's annual Monday holiday.

DETROIT - Darren Helm scored with 1 minute, 27 seconds left in the third period, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to an elimination-avoiding 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Friday night. The Sharks will take their 3-1 series lead back home with a chance to advance on Sunday night to the NHL's final four. Detroit is trying to become the fourth NHL team to win a series after trailing 3-0. Veteran defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom scored twice in the first period to help the Red Wings take a three-goal lead that they let slip away.

Rick Nash scored two third-period goals in his return from an injury that sidelined him four games, and the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame a two-goal deficit last night to hand the visiting Minnesota Wild a costly, 4-2 loss. The Wild came into the game in 11th place, six points behind eighth-place Detroit in the Western Conference playoff race, but have now lost two in a row. Nash's game-winning goal came just 27 seconds after Kris Russell tied the game at 2-2. Nash then added an empty-netter in the final minute.

VANCOUVER - Border skirmishes. Bragging rights. Teammate against teammate, for the love of the flag. Because of its physical nature and territorial origins, there is nothing quite like Olympic hockey. Throw in three straight matchups between neighboring nations and the inherent political tensions that accompany them, and you have yesterday in Vancouver. Even before Alex Ovechkin nearly decapitated Jaromir Jagr with a full-speed, midice hit in the opener between Russia and Czech Republic - sure you want to come back to the NHL, Jags?

Jarome Iginla and Dany Heatley scored twice and heavily favored Canada overcame some early nervousness and a scoreless first period to roll over Norway, 8-0, in its highly anticipated Olympic hockey opener last night in Vancouver. The Canadians are so deep and balanced that 15 players figured in their first six goals. Sidney Crosby had three assists in his Olympic debut as Canada showed off the offensive strength it lacked in Turin 4 years ago, when it was shut out in three of its final four games while finishing seventh.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his second goal of the game in overtime, giving Russia its first title at the world hockey championships since 1993 with a 5-4 win over Canada yesterday in Quebec City. Canada took a 4-2 lead into the third period, but couldn't hold off the Russians. Alexei Tereshchenko and Kovalchuk scored to tie it, setting the stage for the overtime winner. Rick Nash was sent to the penalty box after accidentally sending the puck over the glass from his own end. The Russians then put out four forwards for the four-on-three advantage and Kovalchuk beat Canadian goalie Cam Ward with a wrist shot at 2:42 of the extra period.

Rick Nash scored the go-ahead goal to put Canada in the title game of the World Ice Hockey Championships with a 5-4 win over Sweden in Quebec City last night, setting up a championship showdown with Russia tomorrow. Sergei Fedorov scored the opening goal of the game and Evgeni Nabakov stopped 23 shots to lead Russia to a 4-0 win over Finland in the first game of the semifinal doubleheader. It will be the first time Canada and Russia have ever met with the world championship on the line.