Blackhawks Ready To Give Up Belfour

Unhappy Ed Belfour, NHL rookie of the year in 1991 and twice a winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender, is on the verge of being traded by the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks said Friday that a tentative deal has been worked out and that the unnamed team involved requested that Belfour be scratched from the lineup of Friday’s game against Toronto.

The Blackhawks complied, starting Jeff Hackett and calling up Jimmy Waite from the minors as Hackett’s backup. Toronto won 2-1 in overtime.

Belfour, upset that he is splitting time with Hackett, is 11-15-6 with a 2.69 goals-against average and is 1-7-4 since the start of December. Hackett’s GAA going into Friday was 2.25.

Islanders’ coaching switch pays off

Hours after Mike Milbury resigned as coach of the New York Islanders, fulfilling the wishes of prospective team owner John Spano, the team won for his replacement, Rick Bowness. Milbury will remain as general manager.

Earlier in the week, there were reports that Spano, whose purchase of the club awaits NHL approval, wanted Milbury concentrating on the front office.

In Bowness’ debut, Derek King notched his sixth career hat trick and Zigmund Palffy had two goals as the Islanders defeated the Hartford Whalers 5-2. The Islanders won back-to-back games for the first time in a month.

Kings hope for a break with Blake

Los Angeles defenseman Rob Blake could return for tonight’s game against Anaheim, providing a much-needed boost to the struggling Kings.

Blake, out with a broken right hand since Dec. 26, has been practicing with the team for the past week. His return could significantly help the Kings, whose defense is among the worst in the Western Conference. Though he has missed the past 11 games, Blake continues to lead all Kings defensemen with six goals and 14 assists.

Bum thumb sidelines Roy for up to a week

The Colorado Avalanche said goaltender Patrick Roy will be out four to seven days after suffering a sprained right thumb Thursday against Pittsburgh.

Roy, who leads the National Hockey League with six shutouts this season, was injured in the first period of Colorado’s 4-3 overtime win when his hand was hit by the skate of Penguins left wing Joe Dziedzic as he tried to cover a loose puck in the crease.