Hockey Capsules: Modano has big night in possible Dallas farewell

DALLAS — Mike Modano turned what should have been a meaningless game between a pair of also-ran teams into something memorable.

Modano had a goal and an assist in regulation in possibly his final home game with the Stars, then scored in the second round of the shootout to help Dallas beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Thursday night.

Modano will seriously considering retirement when the season is over, and he was overcome by emotion several times during the game.

"It was tough to leave the ice (at the end of the game), not knowing what the future holds, whether that was it or it wasn’t," Modano said. "I didn’t really have an idea what to expect, but it was a nice way to possibly end it, how it unfolded. The fans were fantastic."

Fans cheered Modano when he took the ice for warmups, displaying such signs as "1 Mo Year" and "Say It Ain’t So Mo," and they roared when Modano was introduced with the starting lineup.

Modano was shown on the video board during a stoppage in play with less than six minutes left in regulation. He had tears in his eyes when he received an extended standing ovation.

Even the referees applauded Modano, and the Ducks on the bench stood and tapped their sticks on the boards in recognition.

"He (Modano) is the reason I chose (uniform) No. 9 when I was coming up," said Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan, who had both of his team’s goals. "He stymied us tonight, but if anybody deserved it, it was him."

Ryan’s power-play goal gave the Ducks a 2-1 edge at 15:16 of the third period. But Modano deflected Trevor Daley’s shot out of the air and past goalie Jonas Hiller with 1:47 left in regulation to tie it at 2. The goal stood after officials ruled that Modano’s stick was below crossbar level, although it was a close call.

"Maybe (the referees) threw me a farewell bone there," said Modano with a laugh.

Rookie Jamie Benn scored off an assist from Modano, whose 557 goals are the most ever for a U.S.-born player.

In the shootout, Modano, who’d failed on his first five shootout attempts this season, beat Hiller with a snap shot. Stars teammate Jere Lehtinen, another veteran whose career is winding down, clinched the win in the third round when he fired a wrister between Hiller’s pads.

"It was a special moment, to see those flashes of brilliance, that (Modano) can still do it," said Dallas goalie Marty Turco, who finished with 17 saves. "Tonight was about as good as it gets."

Modano started the play on Benn’s goal that tied the game at 1 at 12:44 of the second. It was Modano’s 802nd NHL assist. Modano passed from behind the net to Lehtinen, who fed Benn in the slot for Benn’s 22nd goal.

With 3:39 left in overtime, Modano had a chance to win it when he skated in alone on Hiller, but failed to get off a clean shot. Hiller, who finished with a season-high 49 saves, also denied Modano during a power play with 1:26 remaining in overtime.

The 39-year-old Modano began his NHL career with a two-game playoff stint for the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. The eight-time All-Star has been with the franchise since, moving to Texas with the team in 1993.

Modano, the franchise leader in 15 regular-season categories and 11 more in the playoffs, will close out the season, and possibly his career, Saturday night on the road against the Minnesota Wild.

"This was a great night for a player that played a number of years and has been the face of the franchise, not only in Minnesota but here," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.

This game could also have marked the final home appearance for Turco, who played his 509th game for Dallas. Turco will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and isn’t expected to be re-signed.

"If this was the last time I play here, it was one of my tougher games," Turco said.

The Stars failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season, which hasn’t happened since 1987 and 1988.

With the team for sale by financially-strapped owner Tom Hicks, the Stars could look far different next season.

"There’s a huge potential for change," Turco said.

NOTES: Benn has three goals in four games. ... RW Teemu Selanne, C Todd Marchant and D Scott Niedermayer aren’t on the trip as the Ducks look at younger players. The veteran trio is expected to play in Anaheim’s final game on Sunday at home against Edmonton. ... After the game, Stars players gave their jerseys to contest winners as part of Fan Appreciation Night. ... Dallas LW Brenden Morrow was back in the lineup after missing a game with a bruised foot. ... Stars D Philip Larsen made his NHL debut.

Carolina to host 2011 NHL All-Star game

RALEIGH, N.C. — The NHL awarded the 2011 All-Star game to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, coming through on a pledge commissioner Gary Bettman once made to the franchise.

"You have all been asking me for years when the All-Star game was coming to Raleigh," Bettman told a crowd of about 1,000 Hurricanes fans who packed the RBC Center’s lawn. "I did make a promise a number of years ago. So, today, I will fulfill that promise."

Next year’s game originally was to be played in Phoenix, but when the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy, the league re-opened its options. Bettman estimated that 14 teams applied either to host All-Star games from 2011-13 or upcoming NHL drafts.

Telling the other franchises that "your time will come," Bettman said awarding the game to Carolina "is a testimony to the strength of this franchise."

Bettman credited the metropolitan Raleigh area for making the improvements to the infrastructure and taking care of several other questions the league had. He cited a renovated airport terminal, a new 500,000-square-foot convention center that opened in September 2008, and the addition of nearly 800 four- and five-star hotel rooms in the past three years.

The commissioner also downplayed concerns about the relatively quick turnaround time between the announcement and the game. The area won’t have the luxury of a few years of lead time to prepare for the game, which is set for Jan. 30, 2011.

Staging it in Raleigh "was never far from our radar screen, and we didn’t have to, if you will, tax ourselves with an All-Star game this past February, for obvious reasons," said Bettman, alluding to the Vancouver Olympics. "We’re ready to go. ... It was just a question of lining it up and saying, ‘Now’s the time.’ We think the time was right, the bid was right, the promise needed to be fulfilled."

In their 11 seasons since moving from Hartford, the Hurricanes have been no strangers to some of the league’s marquee events.

They played host to the 2004 NHL draft, won the Stanley Cup in 2006, reached the Cup final in 2002 and last year made their third appearance in the Eastern Conference final. The rabid "Caniac" fan base has become famous for staging college football-style tailgate parties before games, then making the arena one of the loudest in the NHL.

"You’re known for doing your tailgating, and I’m pleased to give you an excuse to do some more," Bettman said.

Scott Dupree, vice president for sports marketing for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimated that the game will have an economic impact of $10 million to $20 million for the area. Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. expects it to provide a jolt to the franchise’s season-ticket numbers.

Carolina plays Montreal on Thursday night in its home finale. Through 40 home games, the Hurricanes are averaging 15,154 fans — on pace for their worst regular-season average since the lockout — during a disappointing, injury-riddled season in which the Hurricanes spent a few weeks as the NHL’s worst team and have been eliminated from the playoff race.

"There has never been a time when we didn’t need an All-Star game, and I think almost every other sports team owner would tell you the same thing," he said. "It’s very important to us to build our season-ticket base, and this will help us do it. But the franchise was doing very well without the All-Star game."

Count three-time All-Star Eric Staal among those hoping to skate along with Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and the rest of the league’s best players in a familiar environment.

"I want to make sure I’m having a great start next season so I can be a part of it and get a loud ovation in our building," Staal said.

-- Joedy McCreary

Crosby scores 49th goal

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby appeared to reach the 50-goal mark for the first time in his five-season career, only to have a goal taken away by video review long after the Penguins’ 7-3 victory over the Islanders ended Thursday night.

Crosby scored his 49th goal in the final minute of the second period, making it 4-2. He appeared to reach the 50-goal mark on a slap shot from the right point on a power play at 14:34 of the second, but it was changed following review to Bill Guerin. Crosby did get the 500th point of his career on the play, an assist.

Crosby has two more games to try to get his 50th goal, Saturday at Atlanta and Sunday at the Islanders.

Former NHL coach Burns hospitalized

TAMPA, Fla. — Former NHL coach Pat Burns has been released from the hospital after having complications from lung and colon cancer.

Burns was admitted on Sunday, the day of his 58th birthday, and his wife told Montreal radio station CKAC on Thursday that he had returned home. Burns is a regular contributor to a morning sports show on the station.

Burns, who captured a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003, won 501 games from 1988-2004. He was forced to leave coaching because of the colon cancer, and when he was diagnosed with lung cancer last year, he opted against treatment.

He traveled to Quebec two weeks ago to take part in a ceremony where it was announced an arena would be named after him in the border community of Stanstead.

Sabres sign 2nd-round pick Adam to 3-year deal

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres have signed 2008 second-round draft pick Luke Adam to a three-year contract and assigned him to their American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, Maine.

Drafted 44th overall, the forward is coming off a season in which he finished second in the voting for Quebec Major Junior Hockey League MVP. Adam finished with career highs with 49 goals and 41 assists for 90 points in 56 games with Cape Breton.

The 19-year-old finished his junior career with 220 points (113 goals, 107 assists) in 236 games split between Cape Breton, Montreal and St. John’s.

Earlier in the day, the Sabres recalled forward Mark Mancari from Portland as they prepare to play at Boston.

College

Wisconsin routs RIT 8-1 in Frozen Four

DETROIT — Wisconsin wasted little time showing why it is a college hockey superpower and that Rochester Institute of Technology isn’t quite ready for the sport’s biggest stage.

The Badgers scored in the opening minutes of the first two periods and went on to rout the Tigers 8-1 in the Frozen Four on Thursday night at Ford Field.

"Like a snowball, it just got rolling and got bigger and bigger," said Derek Stepan, who scored Wisconsin’s second and eighth goals.

Third-seeded Wisconsin, shooting for its seventh NCAA hockey title, will play Boston College for the championship on Saturday night in a rematch of the 2006 final won by the Badgers.

RIT, seeded 15th in the 16-team field just five years after moving to Division I, ended its first Frozen Four appearance with a thud.

"We ran into a powerhouse," Tigers coach Wayne Wilson said.

John Mitchell scored 1:27 into the game and Jordy Murray made it 3-0 at 2:18 of the second, allowing Wisconsin (28-10-4) to coast against the overmatched Tigers. Scott Gudmandson made 13 saves for the Badgers.

RIT’s Jared DeMichiel stopped 27 shots before being replaced late in the game by Shane Madolora, who gave up a goal on the only shot he faced. Jan Ropponen then came on and allowed one goal on three shots.

The game was played at the home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. About 35,000 tickets were sold as of Wednesday, but empty seats and a lopsided game without a local team led to a lackluster atmosphere.

"Being on the bench, the crowd noise seemed so distant," Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said. "A lot of the noise, you didn’t really hear it."

When Detroit landed the Frozen Four, organizers dreamed of putting the ice in the middle of the field and packing 70,000-plus fans around it as was done for the men’s basketball Final Four last year.

The plan was wisely downsized, putting the ice near an end zone, and placing portable sections along the boards opposite the team benches.

It felt like a hockey arena with a game-time temperature of just under 60 degrees and 47 percent humidity thanks to air conditioning that created a breeze strong enough to make curtains that cut off portions of the venue sway from side to side.

"The ice wasn’t ideal, but it was the same ice for both teams," DeMichiel said. "A little snowy along the boards. The atmosphere in the rink was a cool experience. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life."

Vendors rented binoculars to fans for $10, plus a $10 deposit, and those were likely needed for those who paid a total of $40 for upper-deck seats for three games.

RIT fans who made the trip from upstate New York tried to create a buzz 90 minutes before the puck dropped — chanting "R-I-T! R-I-T!" — but the Badgers quickly quieted them and made the final score the only thing in doubt.

Mitchell scored off a rebound on the second shot of the game, and Stepan put Wisconsin ahead 2-0 midway through the second period. After Murray scored early in the second, Justin Schultz made it 4-0 a couple minutes later.

Wisconsin had a pair of two-man advantages midway through the second and took advantage of both, on goals from Michael Davies and Blake Geoffrion, to lead 6-0 with its second and third goals of the period with at least an extra skater.

Geoffrion is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which recognizes the nation’s top college hockey player, and is a grandson of Hall of Famer Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion.

RIT called a timeout after Geoffrion’s 28th goal, but there was nothing that could be said or done to change the outcome.

"One of our strengths is our depth," Geoffrion said.

The Tigers did, though, avoid a shutout with 28 seconds left in the second when Tyler Brenner banged in a shot from the left side off a crisp pass to make it 6-1.

Craig Smith and Stepan scored 20 seconds apart late in the game to finish the scoring barrage for the Badgers, who had the largest margin of victory in the semifinals since 1969.

RIT (28-12-1) accomplished quite a bit this season by making it to the Frozen Four — stunning perennial powers Denver and New Hampshire to advance in the NCAA tournament — with a 12-game winning streak to experience playing in a stadium that looks nothing like its 2,100-seat arena.

DeMichiel helped the Tigers get to Detroit, earning most outstanding player honors at the East Regional after giving up just three goals on 66 shots. He and his teammates couldn’t slow down the Badgers.

RIT center Cameron Burt, who is from Detroit, said he had about 60 family members and friends in the stands.

"Playing in a football stadium was a great experience and I’ll cherish it," Burt said. "I’ll tell my grandkids about it if I make it that far."

-- Larry Lage

Boston College routs Miami 7-1 in Frozen Four

DETROIT — Boston College moved within a win of its second NCAA hockey title in three seasons. The Eagles will have to beat another traditional power to finish the feat.

Cam Atkinson scored the first of three goals in a 1:35 stretch midway through the third period, helping Boston College pull away from Miami of Ohio for a 7-1 win Thursday night.

"We were very, very sharp," Eagles coach Jerry York said.

Wisconsin was, too.

The Badgers beat Rochester Institute of Technology 8-1 earlier in the day.

Fourth-seeded Boston College will face third-seeded Wisconsin on Saturday night for the NCAA hockey title in a rematch of the 2006 final won by the Badgers.

The Frozen Four set a world indoor attendance record for hockey, drawing an announced crowd of 34,954 for two games Thursday.

Ford Field — home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions — was set up for a record crowd with a rink set up near an end zone and portable seats along the boards opposite the team benches.

The two-game session smashed the Frozen Four attendance record of 19,432 set in St. Louis three years ago and hockey’s indoor mark of 28,183 from Tampa Bay’s home game at Tropicana Field against Philadelphia during the 1996 NHL playoffs.

Ben Smith, who scored twice for Boston College, said it gave the Eagles an advantage to have played Boston University this season at Fenway Park shortly after the NHL’s Winter Classic was held at the home of the Boston Red Sox.

"We weren’t overwhelmed," Smith said. "I think the experience helped us."

After Wisconsin’s rout that didn’t register as a surprise, top-seeded Miami and Boston College generated a bit of a buzz with a closely contested game that was expected. However, that only lasted for a period.

Smith put the Eagles ahead 1-0 by scoring a power-play goal with 1:28 left in the opening frame. Boston College began to pull away with Jimmy Hayes’ power-play goal early in the second and Joe Whitney’s goal a minute later.

Connor Knapp was then replaced by Cody Reichard, who made nine saves in the second to keep the game relatively close.

Joe Hartman’s goal gave the RedHawks’ fans something to finally cheer about 5:19 into the third.

Atkinson, Patch Alber and Paul Carey silenced the red-clad fans, who made the short drive from Ohio, with three goals midway through the third period. Smith’s second goal made it 7-1.

"A total domination by Boston College," RedHawks coach Enrico Blasi said.

Reichard finished with 17 saves. Knapp had just six.

"We’d have a good shift here and there and then just disappear for three, four minutes," Miami’s Tommy Wingels said.

Boston College’s John Muse made 17 saves, including one against Andy Miele on a breakaway.

"The save he made early in the second period was the really big turning point in the game," York said.

The Eagles are making their fourth Frozen Four appearance in five years. One more win will give them their fourth national title in three years and the fourth in school history.

"The coach prepares us well," Smith said. "Each senior class has been there before. We were able to keep the young guys in line, and they responded very well."

A year ago, Miami almost won its first national championship in any sport. The RedHawks blew a two-goal lead in the final minute against Boston University and lost in overtime.

They overcame that setback and a loss off the ice this season. Student manager Brendan Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, was killed on Feb. 5, in a car crash in Indiana, but Miami was still able to put together a strong season.

Before Boston University beat the RedHawks last season, Boston College knocked them out of three straight NCAA tournaments.

"We thought we’d get a little luck this year," Miami’s Jarod Palmer said. "But it looks like the curse of Boston continues."

-- Larry Lage

International

Team releases 6 players for beating up their coach

JESENICE, Slovenia — Six Slovenian ice hockey players who beat up their American coach after winning a league title were released by the team Thursday.

Mike Posma, a former American Hockey League player who took over as coach last year, was beaten up by his players Saturday following Acroni Jesenice’s celebrations for winning the title. The 42-year-old New Jersey native was cut and bruised but not seriously injured.

The team denounced the incident Thursday and announced the end of the players’ contracts. Club president Slavko Kanalec said the team was "shocked" and "strongly condemns" the incident.

The team said it also suspended further contract talks with Posma, who reportedly left Slovenia for the United States earlier Thursday.

Slovenian media say that both the six players and Posma were drunk while celebrating the team’s third consecutive national league title.

The six players were reportedly angry at Posma because he allegedly told a 19-year-old backup goaltender to drive a car — even though he knew the man was drunk. The goaltender subsequently crashed the car.

The six then turned on the coach, reportedly beating him with wooden traffic signs that they found by the side of the road.

Earlier this week, five of the six players denied that they attacked Posma, claiming they attempted to convince the coach to go to the police and take the blame for the goaltender’s accident.

The Slovenian public and team’s fans warmly welcomed Posma when he took over as coach last November. He had previously coached rival Olimpija Ljubljana.

On Friday, Acroni Jesenice beat Olimpija to win its eighth Slovenian league title since the country’s independence in 1991. Olimpija has won 11.

Posma played defense for the Utica Devils in the 1990-91 AHL season and later spent several seasons playing professional hockey in Switzerland and Germany.