Hasek may not take part in 2010 Olympics due to the injury

According to the report, Hasek suffered a thigh injury during weekend and will be out for at least the next three weeks. That is to say Hasek could miss six weeks. "With this injury, my chance to participate in the 2010 Olympics is quite low," said Hasek.

Hasek led the Czech Republic to the gold medal in 1998 in Nagano, Japan in the first Olympic tournament. He also won a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. He retired after winning that Cup, but returned to the ice a year later, signing with his hometown team. Earlier this year, the Czech Republic Ice Hockey Federation submitted a list of 60 players who were being considered for Olympics games. Hope he can take part in 2010 Olympics in Team Canada jersey after six weeks.

Avalanche’s Budaj has got H1N1 flu

According to a published report in the Denver Post, Colorado Avalanche backup goaltender Peter Budaj has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. "We've taken the necessary steps, the necessary precautions, to keep him away from the guys at the right time," coach Joe Sacco told the media. "Hopefully, he'll be joining us on this trip."

Budaj was set to start in goal last Friday against the Hurricanes. But he became ill on Thursday afternoon with flu-like symptoms and was scratched. From the first sign of Budaj's illness last week, the team was concerned it might be H1N1 flu. "We're always cautious," Sacco said. "With Peter, once he came down with those flu-like symptoms, we did the right thing by keeping him away. We'll do whatever we can to make sure our guys stay healthy." Hope he will come back to the ice in the avalanche jersey soon.

Flyers and Capitals will meet on Tuesday night

Two powerhouses in the Eastern Conference begin to do battle on Tuesday night as part of a schedule in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers, who are consistently one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division, will get the action started at 7 p.m. against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center. Washington, led by Alex Ovechkin in capitals jersey, have built a five-point lead in the Southeast Division. The game can be seen in America on Versus and TSN and RDS in Canada.

In the final game of the night, the Detroit Red Wings will look to get back on track against the Vancouver Canucks at G.M. Place. The Canucks are leading a 2-0 win against Edmonton on Sunday night that lifted them above .500 for the first time this season.

Japanese 18-year-old pitcher met with 20 MLB teams

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, an 18-year-old from Japan, has met with representatives from the Mariners, seven Major League organizations and 12 of Japan's big league clubs over the past four days. "Both leagues are appealing to me," he said at a press conference in Japan on Tuesday after talking with the Mariners, Mets, Yankees and Indians. "If possible, I want to play for both leagues," Kikuchi added. "It has gotten more difficult for me to make a decision." Kikuchi also met with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers and Giants.

"I don't think we can make a decision in a day or two. But we'd like to decide by early next week, after consulting with his parents. Some Japanese clubs say they would even consider having Kikuchi in the rotation immediately, while Major League teams plan to train him in a development program before promoting him to the big leagues." Said Hanamaki Higashi High School manager Hiroshi Sasaki, who accompanied Kikuchi throughout the interview.

Phillies spark plugs finish game after being hit by pitches

After being hit by pitches on Wednesday in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series,
Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino (in phillies jersey) said they were fine because left-hander George Sherrill drilled Victorino in his left elbow in the fourth inning and Clayton Kershaw hit Rollins on the top of his left foot in the sixth inning.

Victorino said he had X-rays after the game, but they were negative. He said several times that he would be OK. Rollins, who was limping on the field during the Phillies' 10-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park, said his foot was in a panic, and if it continued to bother him that he would get X-rays too.

Milan Lucic undergoes surgery successfully

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that Bruins forward Milan Lucic (in bruins jersey) underwent surgery successfully to repair a broken index finger. He will miss 4-6 weeks. The surgery was performed by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Massachusetts General Hospital on Sunday, October 18. Lucic sustained the injury until Friday, October 16 during the game against the Dallas Stars.

Lucic has skated in six games this season and was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve on October 18. The Bruins are in action next when they host the Nashville Predators at the TD Garden October 21 at 7 pm.

Penguins' Gonchar to will miss 4 to 6 weeks

The Penguins club announced that Sergei Gonchar (in penguins jerseys) will miss the next six weeks with a broken wrist whick does not require surgery. Gonchar was injured at the end of the second period of Tuesday's game agaisnt the Blues when he landed awkwardly following a collision with a Blues' player.

Losing Gonchar will be a significant blow to the Penguins' offense. Gonchar also plays significant minutes for the Penguins, leading the team in ice time at 24:06. Gonchar missed the first 56 games last year after dislocating his left shoulder in the preseason. After Gonchar's return, the team won the Stanley Cup.

Vanek will be out for weeks due to upper body injury

It is reported that Buffalo Sabres( sabres jerseys )forward Thomas Vanek will be out for weeks after sustaining an upper body injury in a 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings( red wings jerseys ). Without providing the exact nature of the injury, Ruff said that Vanek will miss some time or weeks. Vanek did not return after scoring his second goal of the game against Detroit at the second period.

Though Vanek fell awkwardly after snapping in the shot at the right post, Ruff said the player had been hurt earlier in the game. Vanek spent a few moments on the bench before leaving for the locker room.

Veteran umpires are named League Championship Series crew chiefs

Longtime veteran umpires Tim McClelland and Randy Marsh will serve as the crew chiefs for the League Championship Series. Marsh will helm the National League Championship Series between the Phillies( phillies jerseys ) and Dodgers( dodgers jerseys )that begins on Thursday night in Los Angeles. This will be Marsh's 19th postseason assignment and ninth LCS.

The ALCS between the Angels( angels jerseys )and Yankees( yankees jerseys )begins on Friday at 8 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Also in his 28th season, McClelland will be working his 18th career postseason series and ninth LCS. The umpires working with him are Dale Scott, Jerry Layne, Fieldin Culbreth, Laz Diaz and Bill Miller.

Maple Leafs lose Van Ryn due to knee surgery

Toronto Maple Leafs( maple leafs jerseys )defenseman Mike Van Ryn told reporters Friday he will be having re-alignment knee surgery on Oct. 22. His recovery time will be six months. The procedure is called an osteotomy, in which the bone is cut and the knee is realigned. Steve Yzerman underwent a similar procedure in 2002 and returned to the Red Wings( red wings jerseys ), but was not as effective a player.

Van Ryn has not yet played this whole season. He missed the final 16 games last season with a torn MCL in his left knee. He has been suffering injuries throughout his NHL career.

Service worker dies at Dodger Stadium

John Foster, an employee of a food company servicing at Dodger Stadium, suffered an fatal heart attack Tuesday afternoon in the press box of the ballpark. Foster was stricken while helping Dodger Stadium for Wednesday's opening game of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and the Cardinals. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office set the time of death at 2:23 p.m. It was told that Foster appeared to have died "of natural causes," which would include a heart attack.
Foster was an employee of Farmer Brothers Coffee.

In a joint statement, the Dodgers and Levy Restaurants said, "We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Foster, as our thoughts and prayers are with them at this very difficult time."

MLB approved the transfer of Cubs

Major League Baseball unanimously approved the transfer of the Cubs to the Ricketts family after a conference-call vote with the 29 other clubs on Tuesday. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the month. "We're extremely pleased that the sales process is drawing to a close, and we are confident that the Ricketts family will be great owners and custodians of the Chicago Cubs," MLB Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said in a statement. "All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful to the Tribune Company for their years of stewardship of this proud and historic franchise."

According to The Chicago Tribune, the club still needs to go through another bankruptcy proceeding next week. When that step is finalized, the banks will have a 10-day period before having to fund the transaction.

Ducks assign Mikkelson to replace Wisniewski

The Ducks recalled defenseman Brendan Mikkelson from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Mikkelson's recall comes after defenseman James Wisniewski suffered a sprained right shoulder in Saturday's game in Philadelphia. Mikkelson appeared in two games with the Marlies this season, collecting only 1 point. He played five preseason games with the Ducks last month, earning 1 point with four penalty minutes.

Selected in the second round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Mikkelson scored 2 points with 17 PIM in 34 games with the Ducks last season. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 2, 2009 against Philadelphia. Mikkelson began the 2008-09 regular season with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, earning 10 points and 18 PIM in 31 games.

The Dodgers finalizes Garland trade

The Dodgers finalized the acquisition of Jon Garland on Friday, sending infielder Tony Abreu to Arizona. A settlement was reached in which Abreu received an additional 30 days service credit and the difference in salary between his Minor League and Major League rate, a baseball source said.

Abreu had two brief stints with the Dodgers this year, appearing in six games. In 2007, Baseball America listed Abreu as the club's No. 5 prospect, but that year he suffered a series of injuries that led to surgery for a sports hernia at the end of 2007 and surgery for torn hip labrum that cost him the 2008 season.

Markov is out due to the injury

The Canadiens will be without the All-Star defenseman Andrei Markov for the next four months. The veteran left the Habs' first game of the season in the contest against the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.

He underwent surgery on Thursday night in Toronto to repair a lacerated tendon in his ankle. He was released from hospital this morning and will return to Montreal today. In 2008-09, Markov enjoyed a career-year, posting 64 points before missing the last four games of the season with a shoulder injury.

Rockies clinched the final spot in the playoffs

It is reported that the Braves have been officially eliminated from the postseason chase and the Rockies clinched the final available spot in the National League playoffs. Atlanta entered Tuesday trailing Colorado by just two games in the NL Wild Card race.

While winning 15 of its previous 17 games entering Tuesday, Atlanta produced the base for what would have been a miraculous run. The Braves ranked fifth in the NL Wild Card standings and stood 8 games behind the front-running Rockies. Colorado has assured itself of at least gaining the Wild Card entry. Each of its final three games will be played in Los Angeles against the Dodgers club.

Stars sign Eriksson a six-year contract

The Dallas Stars announced that the team have signed left wing Loui Eriksson to a six-year contract.
General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk said the extension was worth $25.5 million. "We are very pleased that we were able to agree to this long-term contract extension with Loui," Nieuwendyk said. "He is a big part of our present and future and we feel his potential is just scratching the surface. Loui made great strides in his game last season and he has continued to impress as one of our best players in training camp. The future is very bright for him and we're excited that his future will be with the Dallas Stars."

Eriksson appeared in all 82 games with the stars, leading the team in plus and takeaways, while ranking second in 63 points. He was Dallas' second round selection in the 2003 Entry Draft. Eriksson has played in 210 NHL games, scoring 56 goals and 57 assists for 113 points. He has also appeared in 22 playoff games for the Stars, scoring four goals and five assists.

Jason Bulger hopes to test his arm

Angels reliever Jason Bulger had a cortisone injection for biceps tendinitis in his right arm and hopes to test his throwing arm during a workout on Tuesday at Angel Stadium. Bulger left Saturday's game after experiencing a twinge in the shoulder.

"We'll let it calm down a couple days, and hopefully I'll get back out there and play catch on Tuesday," Bulger said. "I'll do everything I can to be ready, but I don't want to go out and throw with half an arm. You work all year to get here, you don't want to do anything that might hurt your team. I think I'll be all right, good to go."

Tippett is named the coach of the Coyotes

It is reported that former Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett will be named the next coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes said they will make a major announcement about the structure of their hockey operations department. Tippett coached the Stars for the last six seasons, leading the club to five playoff appearances, and the 2008 Western Conference Finals.

However, last season the team had to deal with some problems made by goalie Marty Turco, and team captain Brenden Morrow. The Stars finished 12th in the Western Conference, and Tippett was fired on June 10.