Hockey Commissioners' Association named Brown University senior forward and North Andover, Mass., native Bobby Farnham the recipient of the sixth annual Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award.The award was established by the HCA in honor of former Army player Derek Hines, who was a "consummate team player and team builder." Hines played at Army from 1999-2003 and was a four-year letter-winner as well as a co-captain his senior season. He was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in September 2006.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Jaroslav Halak will start in goal for the St. Louis Blues in their playoff opener against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.Coach Ken Hitchcock announced his decision Wednesday. Goaltender Brian Elliott is nursing an unspecified upper-body injury and he didn't practice,Zdeno Chara Authentic Jersey.Elliott led the NHL with a 1.56 goals-against average and nine shutouts.Halak wasn't far behind with a 1.97 goals-against average and six shutouts,Patrice Bergeron Jersey. He is playoff-tested and won a pair of Game 7s with the Canadiens in 2009-10.
USA Hockey on Wednesday named the first 17 players to the roster for the 2012 IIHF World Championship, to be held May 4-20 in Helsinki and Stockholm.Named to the team were 11 forwards,Authentic Nathan Horton Jersey, five defensemen and one goalie -- Dallas Stars rookie Richard Bachman.USA Hockey will fill out its roster further after teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They can carry a maximum of 22 players -- including three goalies -- and can add up to two additional players after the first three games.Two players from last year's eighth-place team return -- Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler and Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson.Other defensemen named to the team were Carolina's Justin Faulk, Dallas' Alex Goligoski and Edmonton's Jeff Petry.The U.S. team also will feature a pair of 30-goal scorers in Montreal's Max Pacioretty and Anaheim forward Bobby Ryan.Other forwards named were Columbus' Cam Atkinson,Milan Lucic Authentic Jersey, Tampa Bay's J.T. Brown and Nate Thompson, Carolina's Patrick Dwyer, Buffalo's Nathan Gerbe, the Islanders' Kyle Okposo, Winnipeg's Jim Slater and Colorado's Paul Stastny.Of the 17 players, all but one currently plays in the NHL. Right wing Ryan Lasch, a native of Lake Forest, Calif., had 62 points in 59 games with Lahti in the Finnish Elite League. He played collegiately at St. Cloud State University.Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Scott Gordon will coach the team.Contact Adam Kimelman at akimelman@nhl.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK
ST. LOUIS - Ken Hitchcock's big decision decided itself.It was no surprise when the St. Louis Blues coach announced Jaroslav Halak would start in goal in the playoff opener against the San Jose Sharks. After all,Ray Bourque Authentic Jersey, his other option, Brian Elliott, didn't practice because of an unspecified upper-body injury sustained about a week ago."Oh yeah, it's a big decision before Elliott got hurt," Hitchcock said. "We're pretty hopeful he's going to be able to back up tomorrow and get himself ready but we're not 100 per cent, so we made the decision really yesterday."Elliott led the NHL with a 1.56