Neely inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame
Former Boston Bruins star Cam Neely was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Toronto along with late Soviet forward Valeri Kharlamov and Canadian amateur hockey leader Murray Costello.
The 40-year-old Neely, who recently rejoined the Bruins as an ambassador, had 395 goals and 299 assists in 726 regular-season games in a career cut short by injuries at age 31. The power forward had a Boston-record 55 playoff goals.
“It’s great to be recognized for the way I played the game,” Neely said. “It’s not strictly about goals and assists. It meant as much to me to give a big hit as it did to score a big goal and to leave a mark for being that kind of player is special to me.”
Kharlamov, killed in a car accident in 1981 at 33, played on eight world and two Olympic championship teams. He also is remembered as the victim of Canadian player Bobby Clarke’s slash that broke the speedy Soviet star’s ankle in the 1972 Summit Series.
The 71-year-old Costello, who played briefly in the NHL with Detroit and Boston in the 1950s, was inducted in the builders’ category. He was president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association – now Hockey Canada – from 1979-98.
“This is a bit of a heavy trip for a guy from South Porcupine,” said Costello, who grew up in that neighborhood in Timmins, Ontario.
On the ice
Sidney Crosby scored in his first game at Madison Square Garden and Mario Lemieux picked on a familiar opponent in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 victory over the Rangers in New York.
Crosby – the game’s first star – had never been in Manhattan before Sunday, but he looked totally comfortable on the ice as he scored his fifth goal in his 15th NHL game. Crosby has three goals and two assists through the first four games of the Penguins’ longest road trip of the season.
•Penguins forward John LeClair was examined by team doctors in Pittsburgh for the second straight day, but it was still too soon to determine when he could return from a freak injury that left him with broken bones in his face.
LeClair was struck on the cheek just below his right eye Saturday morning as he skated with the team in Boston in preparation for that night’s game against the Bruins.
Stars 4, Oilers 0: In Dallas, Marty Turco made 16 saves for his 22nd career shutout, and Junior Lessard scored his first NHL goal as Dallas beat Edmonton, ending the Oilers’ five-game win streak.
Flames 4, Canucks 3: In Calgary, Alberta, rookie defenseman Dion Phaneuf scored on a two-man advantage with 2:20 left in the third period to give Calgary a win over Vancouver.