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Devils' Martin returns to practice for first time in five months

March 14, 2010 , ι By MARK EVERSON

For the first time in nearly five months, Paul Martin practiced with the Devils today. Martin will not play tomorrow night against the Bruins, but is expected to return Saturday for the Devils... Read on

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Season over for Islanders' Weight, maybe career

March 13, 2010 , ι By DAN MARTIN

The Islanders season is all but over, now Doug Weight’s officially is. His career, he hopes, is not.The 39-year-old team captain announced Saturday he will be undergoing surgery to repair the torn... Read on

The Islanders season is all but over, now Doug Weight’s officially is. His career, he hopes, is not.
	 
The 39-year-old team captain announced Saturday he will be undergoing surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff and labrum he’s been playing with for the past two months.
	 
Though he won’t be back on the ice this year, he said he intends to return next year.
	 
“It’s a pretty intrusive surgery, but I’m going into it with aspirations of still playing hockey,” Weight said before the Islanders played the Devils at the Coliseum, adding that he's shooting to be 100 percent by September. “I still have the fire in my stomach. My legs feel very strong. The rest will be written in the summer. … But if Thursday was my last game, I’ll have no regrets.”
	 
Weight’s play was impacted by the injury throughout the season. He had one goal and 16 assists after opting to rehab the shoulder instead of getting surgery immediately.
	 
“Any other player probably would have had surgery back in January,” Scott Gordon said. “He was very unselfish about it. He could have just packed it in and he didn’t.”
	 
He won’t be replaced as captain for the remainder of the year.
	 
Gordon said most of Weight’s teammates probably weren’t aware of the severity of the injury, but Matt Moulson and John Tavares, who have been living with Weight, did.
	 
“We talk to him,” Moulson said. “We know it’s excruciating for him. But we knew how much he wanted to play. He’s playing with nothing on his shoulders.”
	 
Weight, who will be a free agent, was limited to 36 games this year, a career low, and said he spent most of his shifts worrying about worsening the damage.
	 
“That’s no way to play the game,” said Weight, who made the decision Friday. “Enough is enough. My mind was elsewhere, trying to compensate. But I feel like I didn’t hurt the team.”
	 
If the Islanders had a realistic shot at the postseason, he “probably would be delaying it.”
	 
That’s not the case, but Weight would still like to make another run at it somewhere.
	 
“That’s what my goal is,” Weight said. “Physically, I can still do it. It’s not my age, it’s the injury.”

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Report: Skoula to join Devils tonight; Martin's return unknown

March 04, 2010 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

NJ.com reports defenseman Martin Skoula, acquired by the Devils in a deadline trade, will join the team tonight in Calgary and could play against the Flames tomorrow.The report also says defenseman... Read on

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Devils get defenseman Skoula from Maple Leafs

March 03, 2010 , ι By MARK EVERSON

The Devils have traded a fifth-round pick to Toronto for upcoming unrestricted defenseman Martin Skoula, another lefty, who was acquired by the Maple Leafs on Wednesday from the Penguins.
	 
"He's a big body (6-3, 225) who has experience, who knows how to play, knows Jacques Lemaire's system and knows what to expect," Lou Lamoriello said. "He's a character individual, a good person.
	 
"He gives us eight defensemen when Paul Martin comes back, which I feel is necessary."
	 
Skoula, 30, was dealt earlier today with top prospect Luca Caputi by the Penguins for Toronto's Alexei Ponikarovsky. The Maple Leafs then shipped Skoula to New Jersey for a fifth-round pick.
	 
He is expected to join the team today for Friday's visit to Calgary and Brent Sutter.
	 
The deal leaves the Devils with some $1.5 million left in salary-cap space, although there is plenty more room left if the Devils decide to place Martin on retroactive long-term injury replacement exemption.
	 
Skoula, 6-3 and 225, is making $575,000 this season and was a 1998 first-round pick by Colorado, where he won a Cup with the Avalanche by beating the Devils in the 2001 Finals. He also toiled in Anaheim and Dallas before playing for Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota, joining Pittsburgh this season.

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Report: Elias says Jagr could return to NHL

March 02, 2010 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

Patrik Elias says Jaromir Jagr could play in the NHL again, according to NJ.com. The Devils forward and the former Rangers captain were teammates on the Czech Olympic team. "I think he'd love to... Read on

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Rangers' Lundqvist would keep NHL in the Olympics

March 01, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

The Olympics ended in disappointment for Henrik Lundqvist, but the Rangers goalie would like to go back."I think it's a great stage. I think it's great for hockey, so I definitely think we should be... Read on

The Olympics ended in disappointment for Henrik Lundqvist, but the Rangers goalie would like to go back.
	 
"I think it's a great stage. I think it's great for hockey, so I definitely think we should be there," Lundqvist said today of the debate whether NHL players will return for the 2014 Games.
	 
"I don't really understand how you can see it as a bad thing. You see how much exposure the game of hockey gets ... it's ridiculous to think that we're better off not to be there."
	 
Lundqvist's Sweden team did not medal after being eliminated in the quarterfinals. Olli Jokinen won bronze for Finland, and Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan took the silver medal after USA's 3-2 overtime loss to Canada.
	 
Marc Staal's brother Eric was a gold-medal-winning Canadian.
	 
"It was kind of a weird game to watch that way," Marc Staal said after Rangers practice. "Obviously I wanted my brother to win, but it was kind of hard to see (Drury) and (Callahan) at the end of the game. The look on their faces ... but, still, I mean, a silver medal is something to take pride in, for sure."

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Islanders' DiPietro out indefinitely with knee swelling

March 01, 2010 , ι By DAN MARTIN

The Olympic break is barely over and the Islanders already got another dose of bad news.Rick DiPietro, the oft-injured goalie, suffered knee swelling on his surgically repaired knee and is out... Read on

The Olympic break is barely over and the Islanders already got another dose of bad news.
	 
Rick DiPietro, the oft-injured goalie, suffered knee swelling on his surgically repaired knee and is out indefinitely.
	 
“Obviously with the seven or eight days off we were trying to kick it back into full gear, I might have irritated it a little bit. Nothing major to report,” said DiPietro, who did not practice this morning.
	 
DiPietro underwent tests and said everything looked good. He missed all but five games last year and then sat out while rehabbing until January.
	 
“We want to make sure we don’t do anything stupid,” DiPietro said. “Everything looks good. You don’t want to turn something minor into something major. That’s something we’ve learned a long the way here.”
	 
The Isles had been trying to move a goalie- since they also have Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron- before Wednesday's trade deadline.
	 
DiPietro signed a 15-year deal worth 67 million in September, 2006 but has been largely beset by injuries since.

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Report: Teammate says Kovalchuk could wind up staying with Devils

February 12, 2010 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

With Ilya Kovalchuk himself saying "I really like it" here, at least one of his new Devils teammates wouldn't be surprised if he signed to stay with the team after this season.Fellow Russian Danius... Read on

With Ilya Kovalchuk himself saying "I really like it" here, at least one of his new Devils teammates wouldn't be surprised if he signed to stay with the team after this season.
	 
Fellow Russian Danius Zubrus told NJ.com “I wouldn’t be shocked if he liked it enough to stay here.”
	 
According to writer Rich Chere, Zubrus also said, "“I won’t say he wanted a change in his life, but he wants to win. Pretty simple. I’ve talked to him about this. He doesn’t say anything bad about Atlanta.
	 
“I know so far he likes it here. I think he views those legends of the Devils being strictly a defensive team and Jacques Lemaire being just a defensive coach as being a bit of a myth.”
	 
Kovalchuk was acquired in a trade from the Thrashers, who decided they could not meet contract demands to keep him from free agency.
	 
The winger, who reportedly turned down a 12-year deal worth $101 million, has not discussed his contract status or requirements at all, either here or in Atlanta.
	 
Asked directly if he would stay with the Devils, Kovalchuk said, “We’ll see. It’s a business. You never know. You should ask Lou Lamoriello and my agent. I’m just a player.”
	 
He has not scored since joining the Devils, but has created numerous chances playing on a line with Zubrus and Patrik Elias. He also plays almost every second of each Devils power play.
	 
“I feel very comfortable,” he said. “It seems like I’ve been here all year long. We have a great bunch of guys, very professional. I really like it.”

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Devils' Parise says he's fine for Friday, Olympics

February 11, 2010 , ι By BRETT CYRGALIS

Zach Parise said he expects to play Friday for the Devils when they face the Predators in Newark, and later next week in the Vancouver Olympics.Parise missed his first game of the season Wednesday, a... Read on

Zach Parise said he expects to play Friday for the Devils when they face the Predators in Newark, and later next week in the Vancouver Olympics.
	 
Parise missed his first game of the season Wednesday, a 3-2 loss to the Flyers.
	 
“I feel better, a lot better,” Parise said today, when the Devils got the day off the ice but he was at The Rock working out. “I’ll be fine for [tonight].”
	 
The 25-year-old winger and to-be cog in the U.S. Olympic offense, said he didn’t know what caused the apparent pain -- assumed to be a neck injury -- but that “it had something to do with Monday [another 3-2 loss in Philadelphia].”
	 
“When I woke up [Wednesday] morning, I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way I can play today,’ ” Parise said. “And then you get treatment all day and I felt at least good enough that I thought I could try in warm-ups.
	 
“I went for warm-ups for about 20 seconds and I realized it just hurt way too bad, so I had to come off.”
	 
Parise said that he was contacted by the U.S. Olympic officials, and he told them he would be ready to go as soon as the team starts the group stage competition against Switzerland on Tuesday.
	 
“I knew it’s not something that will keep me out for a while,” Parise said. “I’ve had it happen before, so by the time [the Olympics] start, I’ll be fine.”

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Rangers' Gaborik 'feels better' after scary cut

February 11, 2010 , ι By HOWARD KUSSOY

Rangers leading scorer Marian Gaborik did not practice Thursday, but spent 20 minutes riding a stationary bike and said the swelling in his lacerated thigh is down. Gaborik said he is unsure if he... Read on

Rangers leading scorer Marian Gaborik did not practice Thursday, but spent 20 minutes riding a stationary bike and said the swelling in his lacerated thigh is down.
	 
Gaborik said he is unsure if he will play in either game this weekend.
	 
“It feels better. Not as much pain,” said Gaborik, who received 21 stitches for the cut. “The cut looks good. The most important thing is that it doesn’t get infected and the good thing is that I didn’t cut any tendons or nerves or muscles.
	 
“We’ll see how it is in the morning. Hopefully, I can skate in the morning and figure out how to feel comfortable in the gear.”
	 
Gaborik missed Wednesday’s loss to Nashville after sustaining a deep laceration in his right thigh during a collision with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist at Tuesday’s practice.
	 
Gaborik is scheduled to play for Slovakia in the Olympics, but the winger is only focused on domestic affairs right now.
	 
“The club is the most important thing for me right now to play for,” Gaborik said. “I want to jump into games as quick as I can. Hopefully, I can jump into games before the Olympics.”
	 
*
	 
Defenseman Corey Potter, who had played in his first game of the season Wednesday night, and goaltender Chad Johnson were assigned to Hartford (AHL) and goaltender Matt Zaba has been recalled from Hartford.

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STEVE SOLDWEDEL Reporter/Producer/Developer Steve Soldwedel is a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Journalism. He is a frequent contributor to the Post's hockey and soccer blogs.