CHEREPANOV's DOCTORS - NOT TO BLAME

MOSCOW -- Team doctors are not to blame for the death of rising star Alexei Cherepanov, who collapsed during a Continental Hockey League game last year in Russia, investigators said Thursday.


ALEXEI CHEREPANOV

Doctors with the Siberian team Avangard Omsk had no reason to suspect that the 19-year-old Cherepanov suffered from a chronic heart problem and did not prescribe the medicine he was taking, the federal Investigative Committee said. Team doctors will not face a criminal investigation, it said.

Cherepanov, a first-round New York Rangers draft pick in 2007, died after collapsing on the bench during an Oct. 13 game in Chekhov, a small city outside Moscow. Authorities say an autopsy showed he suffered from myocarditis, a condition that obstructed blood flow to his heart and other organs.

Investigators questioned Avangard's players, coach and doctors as well as other medical specialists after Cherepanov's parents suggested team doctors were negligent in allowing him to play hockey, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

But doctors had no way of knowing about Cherepanov's condition, according to the statement -- which seemed to lay more blame on Cherepanov than anyone else.

It said medical experts suspect Cherepanov felt unwell because of his condition but hid the fact from team doctors for fear of being pulled from games.

"Avangard team doctors not only could not have diagnosed Cherepanov with chronic myocarditis while he was living, but could not have even suspected it," the statement said. It said detailed annual checkups since 2002 revealed no heart or circulation problems.

In December, the Investigative Committee said medical experts had concluded from analysis of blood and urine samples that Cherepanov "engaged in doping" for several months before his death.

But Thursday's statement said he had been taking cordiaminum, which apparently stimulates circulation and breathing as well as the central nervous system, suggesting he may have been taking it to treat his condition.

"It is impossible to determine how and with what aim this medicine was administered," it said.

Nobody has been charged in connection with Cherepanov's death.

Avangard's president, general manager and a team doctor were suspended indefinitely from positions in the league, and another Avangard doctor was suspended for two years.

The president of the host club, Vityaz, was also was suspended indefinitely amid complaints about medical services at the arena.

Nothing changed in Russia! The kid is dead - nobody to blame! Spectalular!

RICK NASH: "HAPPY TO STAY IN COLUMBUS"

Resisting the allure of free agency was easy for Rick Nash.


RICK NASH - COLUMBUS CAPTAIN

Earlier this month, the 25-year-old native of Brampton, Ont., agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth US$62.5 million. Nash would've been an unrestricted free agent after next season but said he always wanted to remain with the Jackets.

"It was pretty easy because Columbus wanted to get everything done and I wanted to stay in Columbus," Nash said Tuesday before opening the sixth annual Jake's House Golf Classic for Children with Autism. "It was just a matter of coming to a fair deal and we did, we got there."

The new deal will kick in after next season. The six-foot-four, 235-pound Nash will make $7 million in 2009-10.

"I had a good two months to think about it and talk with a lot of family and friends," Nash said. "I just went over my options over possible places I could go and at the end of the day after speaking with Scott (Jackets' GM Scott Howson) and the ownership at Columbus it was just the right fit.

"Columbus has become home and that's where I wanted to stay."

Nash established career and team highs last season with his 79 points (40 goals, 39 assists) in 78 games in leading Columbus to its first trip to the playoffs in the franchise's eighth season. It was also his first full season as captain.

The burly left-winger tied for the NHL lead in goals with 41 in the 2003-04 season. He was also Columbus's first overall pick in the 2002 draft and is the club's all-time leader in goals (194) and points (355) in 441 career games.

A four-time NHL all-star, Nash has led the club in goals for the past five seasons. And at last month's NHL awards in Las Vegas, he was named the winner of the NHL Foundation Player Award in recognition of his charitable work and commitment to the community.

This marks Nash's first year with the Jake's House golf tournament -- which was held Wooden Sticks Golf Course in Uxbridge, Ont. -- although he says he's been involved in the charity for the past four years.

"It's a great cause and something where I became friends with the family," Nash said. "It's nice to give back."

But Nash's summer is scheduled to come to an early end. He was one of 46 players invited to the Canadian Olympic hockey team's summer orientation camp in Calgary at the end of August.

Nash was a member of the '06 Canadian Olympic team that was a disappointing seventh in Turin, Italy. With the 2010 Games slated for Vancouver, Nash fully understands the weight of expectation that will be on this year's squad but readily accepts that challenge.

"My first Olympics was a bitter-sweet thing so if I got the opportunity to wear the jersey again it would be an honour," he said. "Just to think it's going to be in our own back yard, this one is going to be special.

"Anytime you play for Team Canada the pressure is so high to win. But I think it's going to help us a lot with our own fans behind us."

STAN BOWMAN REPLACES TALLON AS GM

Since being named general manager of the Blackhawks in the summer of 2005, Dale Tallon worked tirelessly to put together a young and talented core of players that are supposed to bring a Stanley Cup back to Chicago.


DALE TALLON

Now it will be up to his former assistant to see it through.

The Hawks officially announced Tuesday that Tallon has been reassigned to Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations and replaced in the GM's chair by Stan Bowman, the son of legendary coach Scotty Bowman and an Assistant GM for the past two seasons.

The Blackhawks have scheduled a 4 p.m. ET news conference at United Center. It will be streamed live on NHL.com.

"We are very proud to promote Stan to his new position of general manager," Blackhawks President John McDonough said in a statement. "He brings a comprehensive knowledge of hockey, along with a tremendous intellect and methodical approach to building a successful team and sustaining success. His involvement with our organization and strong understanding of our roster and our system create a very natural and strong transition. Dale will continue to be an important part of our organization, as he has been for many years."

Bowman, who has a finance background, has been with in the Hawks for the last eight seasons. He spent four seasons as the Special Assistant to the GM, two as Director of Hockey Operations and the last two as an assistant GM. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 with a degree in finance and computer applications.

Scotty Bowman remains in the Hawks front office as Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations.

"It is an extreme honor to accept this promotion with the Blackhawks, an Original Six franchise," Stan Bowman said in the statement. "Over the last eight years I have been intricately involved in every facet of our Hockey Operations and take great pride in the talent and character that we have assembled. We will not rest until we reach our goal of winning the Stanley Cup and establishing consistent success for the Chicago Blackhawks and our fans."

Tallon, who has been with the organization for more than 30 years, has been credited for helping reshape the Hawks into a Stanley Cup contender. But he recently came under fire for sending qualifying offers to eight restricted free agents late.

He insisted the offers were sent out by the June 29 deadline. But eight RFAs -- Cam Barker, Kris Versteeg, Corey Crawford, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, Troy Brouwer, Aaron Johnson and Bryan Bickell -- received their offers after the deadline.

The NHL Players Association filed a grievance, but the Hawks signed all eight players to new contracts. Barker and Versteeg, a Calder Trophy finalist, received three-year deals reportedly worth roughly $9 million; Tallon said both were "fair-market value" deals, though both were far more than the players made in 2008-09.

While that snafu and the public embarrassment it caused the Hawks certainly didn't help Tallon, there are questions in various print and online reports as to how much it really hurt him and whether he was on his way out the door anyway.

One report suggested there were disagreements in the front office about contract negotiations and style of play. Tallon was also going into the final year of his contract and while he told the Chicago Tribune he had not asked for an extension, the newspaper reported Tuesday that sources said he had twice been turned down.

Moreover, with the additions of Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky and John Madden as well as new contracts for Dave Bolland, Versteeg, Barker and the remaining restricted free agents, the Hawks are currently over the $56.8 million salary cap for 2009-10.

Stan Bowman will have until the day before Chicago's season begins in Helsinki, Finland, to put together a 23-man roster that meets the NHL's salary cap restrictions.


STAN BOWMAN

There are also serious questions as to how, with hefty contracts already doled out to Hossa, Brian Campbell, Cristobal Huet and Patrick Sharp, the Hawks will be able to re-sign core players Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, all of whom can become restricted free agents after the 2009-10 season. Brent Seabrook and Dustin Byfuglien are due for new contracts after the 2010-11 season.

However, when Tallon announced the signings of Hossa and Kopecky on July 1, he said Hossa's 12-year contract worth a reported $62.8 million would not affect how the team handles its young core going forward.

Tallon took over the Hawks on June 21, 2005, after spending seven years as the team's Director of Player Personnel. He went about remaking the team.

He tried doing it on the fly by signing goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and trading for Sharp, but the Hawks finished in fourth in the Central Division and 14th in the Western Conference in 2005-06. They got to pick third in the 2006 Entry Draft, and Tallon selected Toews.

Prior to the 2006-07 season, Tallon brought in Martin Havlat via a trade, but the Hawks fared no better. Havlat played in only 56 games due to injuries, and the Hawks finished last in the Central and 13th in the West. They won the draft lottery and selected Kane first overall.

Tallon spent significant money in the summer of 2008, signing Campbell and Huet to long-term contracts. Four games into the season, he replaced Denis Savard behind the bench, bringing in former Colorado coach Joel Quenneville.

Of the 22 players currently listed on the Hawks roster on chicagoblackhawks.com, Tallon was responsible for signing, drafting or trading for 14 of them.

"I have been with this organization in several different capacities since coming over as a player in 1973 and although my position has changed, my goals have not," Tallon said in a statement. "In my new role as Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations I will continue in any way that will help make this a better product on the ice. I've seen Stan come up through our ranks and I'm confident he is the right person to step in. This is what is best for the Chicago Blackhawks."

NOW GRETZKY LOOKS UNHAPPY.

After remaining in the shadows for months, Wayne Gretzky has emerged and is looking to protect his interests in the Phoenix Coyotes.



WAYNE GRETZKY LOOKS UPSET

According to a report in the Toronto Star, "The Great One" has launched legal action in the Coyotes bankruptcy case to keep his personal finances private.

In court documents filed in anticipation of Monday's court hearing, the city of Glendale, Arizona has asked a bankruptcy court judge to look over Gretzky's income tax statements.

While playing the role of head coach and minority owner, the NHL's all-time leading scorer is also listed as a creditor who is owed $9.3 million.

The city is looking to strike Gretzky as a creditor and states that he is overpaid and that the money owed to him should instead be described as capital in the team.

The objection filed by Gretzky's lawyers reads as follows:

"The city has failed to even come close (in its arguments) to justify the massive privacy intrusion it seeks. The city has utterly failed to make any showing that could conceivably begin to overcome the strong presumption in favour of protecting the privacy of the personal, financial and proprietary information sought."

VICTOR HEDMAN IS SIGHNED BY BOLTS

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning signed defenceman Victor Hedman to a standard, three-year rookie contract on Thursday.


VICTOR HEDMAN. WOW! THE KID IS HUGE!

Hedman was the second overall pick in June's entry draft. He was rated as the top European player and one of the top two players overall available in the draft by NHL Central Scouting.

Tampa Bay general manager Brian Lawton said in a statement that the team was happy to get Hedman signed so that the rookie could focus on his development.

Hedman spent the 2008-09 season with MoDo of the Swedish Elite League.

SAKU KOIVU: AU REVOIR, MONTREAL!

After spending his entire 13-year career in Montreal, Saku Koivu will be calling Orange County his home as the Anaheim Ducks have signed the free agent centre to a one-year, $3.25 million contract.


SAKU KOIVU

Koivu, 34, had been the Canadiens' second-longest serving captain. His nine seasons with the 'C' trailed only the legendary Jean Beliveau, who was captain for 10 seasons.

The move to Anaheim reunites Koivu with fellow countryman Teemu Selanne. The duo helped Finland earn a silver medal at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

"I'm very excited to join the Ducks this coming season," Koivu said in a statement. "I'm also looking forward to a full season with Teemu Selanne as a teammate."

Koivu, who was drafted by the Canadiens with the 21st overall pick in the 1993 draft, hoped to stay with Habs but realized if a deal did not get completed quickly, he would likely look elsewhere.

"If I'm not signed by July 1, I don't think I'll be back in Montreal," Koivu said after the Canadiens were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Bruins. "Finishing your career with one team would be awesome in a way, but it's too early to say because I don't know what the team's plan is."

Koivu, one of the Canadiens' most celebrated players in their 100-year history, endeared himself to Montreal fans for all the challenges he endured since joining the club in 1995. In the 1996-97 season, he was one of the league's leading scorers before a knee injury sidelined him for most of the campaign. For the next couple of seasons, knee and shoulder injuries kept him out of the lineup for long stretches, with many questioning his durability in the NHL game.

In 1999, the club made Koivu their first-ever European-born captain, succeeding Vincent Damphousse who was traded the previous season.

Koivu also left an impression with Canadiens fans at the start of the 2001-02 campaign after being diagnosed with intra-abdominal non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His treatment left him off the roster for all but three games that season and his return to the lineup in April of 2002 was considered one of the club's most memorable moments. In his comeback game against the Ottawa Senators on home ice, the 21,273 fans in attendance gave him an eight-minute standing ovation - a local honour shared only by the late Maurice Richard.

Koivu's courageous battle with cancer and his return to the game earned him the Masterton Trophy that season.

"Saku Koivu's character and leadership qualities are unquestioned," said general Manager Bob Murray in a team statement on Wednesday. "He is a skilled playmaker and we are thrilled to add him to our team."

In 13 NHL seasons, Koivu has suited up in 792 games and has scored 191 goals with 450 assists. He played in only 65 games for the Habs in 2008-09 after dealing with a foot injury. He scored 16 goals and posted 36 assists.

JIRI HUDLER KHL CONTRACT PROBLEMS

Jiri Hudler remains property of the Detroit Red Wings and therefore the recent contract he signed in the KHL is being contested.



The National Hockey League has approached both the IIHF and KHL, seeking their intervention.

According to the NHL, Hudler is contractually obligated to the Red Wings for next season.

Hudler, a restricted free agent filed for salary arbitration, which in the eyes of the league is acknowledgement of his intent to play in the NHL next year.

Szymon Szemberg, Communications Director for the International Ice Hockey Federation tells TSN the IIHF is fully involved in the dispute.

"The IIHF has been informed by the NHL about the Jiri Hudler case. Upon, this the IIHF has informed the Russian Ice Hockey Federation about the NHL's position and the case is under investigation. As this is a transfer to an IIHF member league the player will be needing an International Transfer Card (ITC), approved by the IIHF, to complete the transfer. Only upon the IIHF's signing the ITC, the transfer would be finalized and approved," Szemberg said.

Hudler signed a two-year contract with Dynamo Moscow on July 8