Fans Warm To Messier

Mark Messier made a triumphant return to New York as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Rangers 4-2 Tuesday night in an emotion-filled night at Madison Square Garden.

Messier scored the Canucks’ second goal of the game on a classic breakaway that Ranger fans had seen many times over the last six years when he played in New York.

It was a gigantic love-in for Messier from start to finish, as fans cheered his first appearance on the ice for warmups and then his recognition as the game’s first star at the end of the game.

It was Messier’s first return to Madison Square Garden since leaving the Rangers this past summer to sign as a free agent with the Canucks. Messier had already played against his former team in a game earlier this season at Vancouver, won 6-3 by the Rangers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, broke out for three goals to defeat the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-1.

Berube suspended

The National Hockey League suspended Washington Capitals left wing Craig Berube a game for calling a black player a “monkey,” the second time in a month that a Capitals player was disciplined for such an incident.

Berube made the remark to Florida Panthers rookie Peter Worrell during a scuffle late in the third period of Sunday’s game in Florida.

Capitals general manager George McPhee said Berube, an Indian from Calahoo, Alberta, didn’t realize that the word had a racist connotation.

“I’m not defending what he said, but he grew up in a different culture, and in his mind there was no racist intent,” McPhee said on a conference call. “(Craig) felt he didn’t say anything that was wrong.”

The suspension comes just over two weeks after Washington’s Chris Simon was suspended three games for making a racial slur at Edmonton Oilers right wing Mike Grier, who is black.