Hockey Today - October 8

Isles sign Park to extension
October 7th, 2007

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Islanders signed center Richard Park to a two-year contract extension Sunday.

The deal will keep Park in Long Island through the 2009-10 season.

"Richard exemplifies the type of character players we want to be New York Islanders," said general manager Garth Snow. "He's a team-first guy who plays with his heart on his sleeve and battles every shift."

Park, 31, has appeared in 452 NHL regular season games and has scored 60 goals with 73 assists.

The 11-year veteran has played for Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Vancouver and the Islanders. He was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

"To say I'm happy would be an understatement," said Park. "Since the first day of training camp last year, I was determined to make the most of the chance Garth Snow and Ted Nolan gave me. I love this franchise. My family has really made a home on Long Island. This is incredible news for us. I'm very appreciative of the opportunity to stay with the Islanders for a long time."

Hockey today - October 8
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SCOREBOARD

Monday, Oct 7

Edmonton at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EDT).

Geoff Sanderson had two goals in the Oilers' 5-3 win against Philadelphia on Saturday night.

STARS

Sunday

-Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk, Avalanche. Stastny had a goal and four assists and Hejduk scored twice as Colorado beat San Jose 6-2.

MOVING UP

Joe Sakic had a goal and assist in Colorado's 6-2 victory over San Jose on Sunday, moving past Phil Esposito into eighth on the NHL career points list with 1,591.

SIGNED

Center Richard Park signed a two-year extension with the New York Islanders through the 2010 season on Sunday. Park had 10 goals and a career-high 16 assists last season, his first with the Islanders after attending training camp on a tryout.

SPEAKING

''Obviously, I've been around a long time. For me to have played this long and get to those guys who meant a lot to the game, it's an honor.'' - Colorado captain Joe Sakic after helping the Avalanche to a 6-2 win over the Sharks on Sunday. Sakick had a goal and an assist to move past Phil Esposito into eighth place on the NHL career points list with 1,591.

Leafs' Blake diagnosed with leukemia
Associated Press

Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake has a rare form of leukemia that he says is highly treatable.

The 34-year-old player said Monday he has begun treatment and will still be able to perform at a high level. He announced his condition after talking to teammates at practice. He said he has started taking a pill daily that "has proven to be very effective in controlling this cancer."

"The prognosis, and certainly the expectations of my physician, myself and my family, is that I will live a long, full and normal life," he said in a statement on the team's Web site.

Team doctor Noah Forman said the disease — chronic myelogenous leukemia — is a slow-growing cancer of the white blood cells. About 500 new cases are diagnosed each year in Canada.

Blake is in no immediate danger and shouldn't miss any playing time, according to team doctors.

"This situation will not impact my ability to live my life as I otherwise would, and will not affect my ability to perform at my highest level for the Toronto Maple Leafs," Blake said. "I'm looking forward to my first season with the Leafs and helping our club compete for the Stanley Cup."

Blake of Moorhead, Minn., scored 40 goals last season for the New York Islanders and signed a $20 million, five-year deal with Toronto in the offseason. The four-time 20-goal scorer had 40 goals and 29 assists last year with the Islanders.

Blake missed the last 13 games of the 2000-01 season with the Islanders to be with his pregnant wife, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She gave birth in April 2001, two weeks early, to a girl and later had throat surgery to remove a tumor that turned out to be benign.

"Jason will be able to continue to play fully with the team and will be monitored closely by both the team's physician and his CML specialist," Forman said.

While in the prime of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer that attacks the lymph nodes. He began radiation treatment in February 1993 and returned to the lineup a month later.

Hours after receiving his last radiation treatment, Lemieux flew to Philadelphia and had a goal and assist in his first game in two months. He went on to win his fourth NHL scoring title despite missing 24 games, more than one-quarter of the season.

Current Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu also resumed his career following abdominal cancer and missing most of the 2001-02 season. He recovered in time for the playoffs, where he had 10 points in 12 games and led the Canadiens to the conference semifinals.

Rangers F Avery out 2-to-4 weeks
October 8, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -Rangers forward Sean Avery will be out two to four weeks after separating his left shoulder during a loss at Ottawa.

Avery, a rugged player who sparked New York's late run to the playoffs after being acquired from Los Angeles in February, went to the dressing room at 7:23 of the first period Saturday following a hit by Senators right winger Chris Neil.

Avery didn't return, and Neil was penalized for elbowing.

They had both been given roughing minors following a skirmish 56 seconds into the game.

Johan Franzen out of Detroit Red Wings lineup with knee injury
October 8, 2007

DETROIT (AP) -Red Wings forward Johan Franzen is expected to be out three to four weeks because of a sprained ligament in his right knee.

He was injured Saturday night in Chicago and had to be helped from the ice at 6:58 of the second period after a collision.

Franzen had 10 goals and 30 points last season and 12 goals and 16 points the previous year as a rookie. Detroit selected the Swede in the third round of the 2004 draft.

Defenseman Meyer claimed off waivers by Coyotes from Islanders
October 8, 2007

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -Defenseman Freddy Meyer was claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday from the New York Islanders.

Meyer, scratched from the Islanders' first two games of the season, was placed on waivers Sunday by New York for the purpose of sending him to Bridgeport of the AHL, but he was picked up by the Coyotes before the Monday deadline.

In 118 career NHL games, all but 35 spent with Philadelphia, Meyer had eight goals and 27 assists. He was acquired by the Islanders from the Flyers on Dec. 16, 2005, and had three assists in 35 games last season with New York.

This move could pave the way for the Islanders to sign veteran defenseman Bryan Berard, who was with the team on a tryout basis during preseason.