Hockey fans flock to trade deadline coverage in Canada
AHN Sports Staff Toronto, stateprov, Canada (AHN Sports) – NHL Trade Deadline Day saw 15 trades made but no big blockbusters to truly excite anyone. But that didn’t stop hockey fans from keeping track of the action. Networks TSN and Sportsnet combined for 10 hours of programming and if the ratings are any indication, they have only just begun covering the event. Numbers released Tuesday by the networks showed TSN pulled in an average audience of 259,000, a new record. It’s website, TSN.ca recorded a 20.8 million page hits from fans looking to see what trades had gone down. Sportsnet averaged 98,000 viewers for their 10- 5 P.M. show, a 43 percent increase over the previous year. Sportsnet.ca received 1.67 million page hits – the best single day result in Sportsnet.ca’s history. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Senators acquire goaltender Ben Bishop from St. Louis
AHN Sports Staff Ottawa, Canada (AHN Sports) – The Ottawa Senators acquired minor league goaltender Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues Sunday. Missing their No. 1 goaltender Craig Anderson due to injury, Ottawa traded a second-round pick in 2013 to the Blues for Bishop. Bishop became expendable due to the emergence of Brian Elliot, who is splitting starts with Jaroslav Halak. Anderson is out after slicing his hand in a kitchen accident earlier this week. Backup goaltender Alexander Auld got the start in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins Saturday. Bishop , who at 6-7 is now the tallest goalie in the NHL, was set to become a free agent this summer but agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Senators as part of the deal. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Scott Hartnell powers Flyers into fourth in Eastern Conference
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Calgary, AB, Canada (AHN Sports) – Scott Hartnell scored twice in the third period, as the Philadelphia Flyers rallied past the Calgary Flames en route to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Hartnell helped tie the game twice in the third period with his 29th and 30th goals — both via deflections. It marked the second time Hartnell reached the 30-goal mark in his career. The 29-year-old Flyers left-winger matched a career-best he set in the 2008-09 campaign. The Flyers, who faced a three-goal, second-period deficit, also received goals from Braydon Coburn and Jakub Voracek. Rookie Matt Read, who had gone 11 tilts without scoring a goal in regulation, shattered his personal offensive funk with his first-ever shootout goal. Read, the Flyers’ fifth shooter, beat Miikka Kiprusoff with a nifty placed shot over the glove of the Calgary netminder and under the crossbar that shattered a 1-1 deadlock in the shootout. Ilya Bryzgalov made 17 stops for the Flyers, who bounced back from a shutout loss in Edmonton Thursday. The triumph vaults Philadelphia (34-20-7) over New Jersey into fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Alex Tanguay, Mark Giordano, Tom Kostopoulos and Matt Stajan scored for the Flames, who have lost four of five. Calgary, which dropped to 11th in the Western Conference, one point behind Dallas, Los Angeles and Colorado at the postseason cutoff, received a 41-save effort from Kiprusoff. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Perron scores winner in shootout to lift Blues past Jets
AHN Sports Staff Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (AHN Sports) – David Perron scored a goal in regulation and added the winner in the fourth round of a shootout to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets Saturday afternoon. The Jets outshot the Blues 33-10 over the first two periods and 41-16 overall but St. Louis found a way to win its second straight. The Blues opened the scoring at 7:49 of the opening session. TJ Oshie’s wraparound attempt was saved but David Backes converted the rebound for a 1-0 lead. Perron doubled the lead in the first period and then the Jets bounced back. Blake Wheeler scored two goals in the second period to tie the game, 2-2. He scored his first at 7:19 and tied the game just under eight minutes later. Wheeler extended his points streak to six games, during which he has three goals and 10 assists. Dustin Byfuglien had two assists for the Jets, giving him seven multi-point games in his last nine contests. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Forward Ray Whitney helps keep ‘Yotes hot
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Calgary, AB, Canada (AHN Sports) – Ray Whitney tallied the only goal of the shootout, helping the Phoenix Coyotes complete a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames Thursday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. The Coyotes battled back from a two-goal deficit to claim their fourth straight win. Whitney, who has not scored a goal in his previous nine games, also scored a goal and had an assist in regulation. The Coyotes’ veteran left-winger gave the Coyotes a 3-2 edge midway through the third period following a Calgary turnover. Whitney grabbed the puck for a short breakaway at 10:27 of the period after the Flames lost it on their blue line. It capped a three-goal burst by the Coyotes, who fell to a two-goal hole after the opening stanza. Phoenix knotted the game at 2-all following goals from Daymond Langkow and Shane Doan. Mike Smith, who thwarted all three Calgary attempts in the shootout round, made 21 saves to register his ninth straight win. It enabled the Coyotes to continue a successful run in February, where they are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games. The triumph, likewise, extended Phoenix’s mastery over the Flames, who dropped six in a row and eight of their last nine encounters with the Coyotes. Alex Tanguay, Jarome Iginla and Matt Stajan lit the lamp for the Flames, who lost three of their last four. Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 26 of 29 shots in defeat. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Teen Table Tennis star Ariel Hsing balancing school, Olympic dream
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Washington, D.C., United States (AHN Sports) – Though she was impressive at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Table Tennis trials, Ariel Hsing needs another solid finish at the qualifying tournament as she strikes balance with school work and her Olympic dream. Hsing is trying to balance studying for the SATs, schoolwork and table tennis. The sixteen-year-old junior in high school has managed to excel both at school and at table tennis. Hsing, the 2010 and 2011 national champion, finished second at the 2012 U.S. table tennis Olympic trials. The table tennis teen sensation, on the other hand, has managed so far to keep a perfect GPA. According to Hsing, her parents inculcated the value of education when she was young. “I know at least for me, school is still No. 1,” Hsing, said via Yahoo Sports. “It’s the most important thing and I definitely am trying to get a good education.” Hsing, who had indicated that she has “to live a double life”, knows that she’s not going to play pro table tennis forever. The young table tennis star aspires to go to Stanford after high school and study business. Competing in the Olympic Games is another dream for Hsing, who often starts her days with early morning practice sessions to address her serves. She then heads to school, where she’s currently taking five classes. Hsing allots certain hours for training and hours for doing homework. In order to compete for the upcoming London Olympics, Hsing needs to finish among the top two women in the North American Qualifying tournament. Olympic hopefuls from the United States and Canada will compete in the said event slated in April. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Flames extend dominance over Maple Leafs on home ice
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Calgary, AB, Canada (AHN Sports) – Miikka Kiprusoff posted another solid outing, making 41 saves in the Calgary Flames 5-1 thrashing of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Valentines Day at Scotiabank Saddledome. Alex Tanguay had goal and two assists for the Flames (27-22-8), who have won two straight and three of their last four games. Calgary’s other top-line weapons – Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla – each finished with a goal and an assist for the Flames, who have dominated seven consecutive home games against the Leafs. Toronto last triumphed at Calgary on Dec. 27, 2002, when the Maple Leafs topped the Flames 4-3. Blake Comeau and Paul Byron also lit the lamp for the victors. Kiprusoff, coming off a win Saturday against Vancouver when he stopped 29 shots in regulation and overtime before sealing the shutout victory, was impenetrable Tuesday night until Tyler Bozak’s gritty effort late in the opening period. Bozak, who finished with six shots, had to take two swipes on the puck before getting the puck past Kiprusoff. That goal moved the Leafs within one 2-1, but that was the first and last time Toronto would see the back of the net. Kiprusoff has won four of his five games this February. He improved to 9-3-2 in his last 14 starts. It was also the 26th win of the season and the 302nd in the career of Kiprusoff, who is now tied for 25th place with Turk Broda on the NHL list. Jonas Gustavsson was tagged for all five goals on 34 shots in Toronto’s fourth consecutive loss, the Maple Leafs’ longest losing streak of the season. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Floyd Mayweather doesn’t like hype of Knicks’ Lin
AHN Sports Staff New York, NY, United States (AHN Sports) – American boxer Floyd Mayweather said he’s not buying all the hype that surrounds Jeremy Lin, insisting the Knicks guard sensation is only getting attention because he’s Asian. Mayweather, who previously fired racial slurs at rival Manny Pacquiao, posted on Twitter about his racially-charged opinion on sports world’s hottest item: Linsanity. Although he admitted the Knicks guard is a fine basketball player, Mayweather believed Lin’ ethnicity as an Asian American is the main reasons behind all the buzz he received. “Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise,” Mayweather posted on his Twitter account. Mayweather, who’s taking on Puerto Rican champ Miguel Cotto for the WBA Super Welterweight title on May 5, added he’s voicing out on behalf of other NBA player. “I’m speaking my mind on behalf of other NBA players. They are programmed to be politically correct and will be penalized if they speak up.” Lin took the sports world by storm after leading the Knicks to six consecutive victories, averaging about 28 points and 8 assists a game. Undrafted and already waived twice this season, Lin’s unexpected rise caught massive attention as he slowly turns as a global phenomenon. On Tuesday, Lin recorded 27 points and 11 dimes and nailed a go-ahead trey with 0.5 second left as the Knicks edged the Raptors 90-87 at Air Canada Center. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
All-Lin: Guard’s trey at buzzer lifts Knicks over Raptors
AHN Sports Staff Toronto, ON, Canada (AHN Sports) – Jeremy Lin was at it again Tuesday night, scoring 27 points and handing out 11 assists in powering the New York Knicks to a 90-87 win over the Toronto Raptors. Lin, the sensation who has averaged over 25 points per game since his debut just over two weeks ago, also hit a game-winning three-pointer as the clock expired. Amare Stoudemire was terrific in his first game back following the death of his brother a week ago, scoring 21 points with nine rebounds. Tyson Chandler chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds for the victors, who have rolled off six straight wins. The Raptors controlled play most of the way, leading 47-36 at the break and building an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter. Stoudemire chipped away inside and Lin popped in shots from outside to keep the Knicks in it. Jose Calderon led the Raptors with 25 points and added 9 assists and 7 rebounds, while Linas Kleiza added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
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