Gretzky’s Wife Hurt At Game
NHL
Janet Gretzky, wife of New York Rangers star Wayne Gretzky, was injured when struck in the head by Plexiglas from the rink’s sideboards during Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks in New York.
She appeared to have been knocked unconscious by the blow, but she apparently regained consciousness as she was being carried out of the arena.
She was treated at Roosevelt Hospital for a mild concussion and a cut on her lip that might require stitches. She was to stay overnight in the hospital.
Another woman sitting near her appeared to be injured as well.
The women were hurt when the Plexiglas was knocked onto them after Rangers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson checked a Chicago player into the boards late in the third period.
Wayne Gretzky, visibly shaken, skated over to check on his wife during a 10-minute delay in the game. When the game resumed, Gretzky continued playing. The Rangers lost 1-0 to Chicago.
Other games
Wade Belak got his first NHL goal by converting Adam Deadmarsh’s cross-crease pass with 72 seconds remaining, lifting Colorado to a 4-3 victory over Washington before the 100th consecutive sellout crowd in Denver.
Shawn McEachern scored three goals and linemate Alexei Yashin added two as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 in Toronto.
The Carolina Hurricanes, off to the franchise’s worst start, beat the hottest team in hockey, getting two second-period goals 48 seconds apart for a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues at Greensboro, N.C.
Jocelyn Thibault stopped 26 shots to record his sixth career shutout and the Montreal Canadiens earned their first home victory of the season with a 3-0 win over the struggling Florida Panthers.
Driver may get year
The chauffeur who drove a limousine carrying two Detroit Red Wings players into a tree six days after they won the Stanley Cup faces up to a year in prison.
Richard Gnida pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor second offense of driving on a suspended license. He admitted to 48th District Judge Kimberly F. Small that he knew his driver’s license was suspended at the time of the June 13 crash.
Oates eyes U.S. roster
Washington Capitals center Adam Oates could be reunited soon with former St. Louis Blues teammate Brett Hull, to the dismay of Canadian hockey fans.
Oates, who was born in Weston, Ontario, has applied for U.S.
citizenship, a move that could give him dual citizenship and make him eligible to play for the U.S. in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
“I’d obviously want to play for Canada, but if they don’t want me and the States did, I would play for the States,” Oates said.
Hull, a Belleville, Ontario, native with dual citizenship, has represented the U.S. in international competition since the 1985-86 World Championships after being overlooked by Canada that year. Hull led Team USA in scoring during their 1996 World Cup victory.
Penguins, ‘Hawks swap
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Tuomas Gronman from the Chicago Blackhawks for center Greg Johnson.