Sweden's PATRIC HORNQVIST shoots past Czech Republic goalkeeper MILAN HNILICKA to open the scoring in the quarterfinals of the 2008 IIHF World Championships. Sweden defeated the Czechs 3-2 in overtime.

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Classic, old-time style hockey on display Friday night in Canada with the visiting Nashville Predators and the host Calgary Flames.

And what better way to open than with a good ole’ donnybrook featuring the Flames’ fighter BRIAN MCGRATTAN (10) and Predators’ protector WADE BELAK (3)?

Finnish netminder MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF (42 ga, 2.15 avg, 3 so, 92.6%  sv pct) was in fine form again for the Calgary Flames but in the end it was Sweden’s PATRIC HORNQVIST (27) who settled matters in favor of the Nashville Predators.

After some work along the boards, Hornqvist heads for the net and hammers the puck past Kiprusoff for the game’s lone goal : 

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In his first season at the NHL level, the Hornqvist has stepped up his game and clearly established that he can score goals for the Predators. The freshly-turned 23-year-old right wing, after totaling just two goals in 28 games for Nashville last season, finished last year with Milwaukee in the American Hockey League (49 ga, 17 go 18 as, 35 pts). No such need for a return to the minors this term as evidenced by Hornqvist’s 17 goals and 30 points in 47 games.

Hornqvist, who was selected for Sweden’s Olympic squad competing in the Winter Games at Vancouver next month, has also proven himself responsible defensively with his + 12 rating.

ALEXANDER OVECHKIN (8) opens the scoring for Russia in the third period of the quarterfinals against Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. Russia blanked Canada 2-0.

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Russia’s ALEXANDER OVECHKIN scored the game’s first goal less than one minute in and then added four assists on his way to a 5-point night in the National Hockey League as the Washington Capitals waxed the touring Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 :

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Ovechkin, obviously expected to be a big contributor for the Russian Olympic squad in Vancouver next month, currently occupies second in the NHL scoring race with 62 points and stands third with 29 goals in 39 games for Washington this winter.

Two Czechs, TOMAS FLEISCHMANN of the Capitals and TOMAS KABERLE of the Toronto Maple Leafs each collected a goal in the contest; the Czech Republic and Russia are slated to face-off February 21 in Group B round-robin play at the Vancouver Games.

MIKE KNUBLE, an Olympian for the United States at Turin in 2006, tallied two goals for Washington. Knuble, 37, was not selected for the U.S. squad ths go around.

TEEMU SELANNE has scored 50 goals for Finland at twelve major international tournaments. The 39-year-old also has totaled 20 goals in 25 games at the Winter Olympics. Selanne's fractured jaw raises questions as to fitness for the 2010 Vancouver Games.

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The national team of Finland set to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver this February received some bad news with results in the National Hockey League last night.

Right wing TEEMU SELANNE of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks suffered a fractured jaw late in the third period against the Boston Bruins. The veteran Finnish international was struck in the jaw with a puck that first deflected off an opponent’s stick then bounced off the ice upwards with less than nine minutes remaining in the third period at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

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Finland’s national team long-time team physician, HARRI HAKKARAINEN, has estimated that Selanne could be out from anywhere from three to six weeks, according to Finnish media outlet YLE. (www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/)

Selanne is Finland’s all-time leading goal scorer at major international tournaments. The 39-year-old veteran had just returned to NHL action after missing 17 games due to a fractured wrist. Selanne has managed 16 goals (23 pts) in 30 games for the Anaheim Ducks this season but this latest setback leaves his participation at the Vancouver Games in jeopardy.

Selanne, who has appeared four times for Finland at the Winter Games, is among the Olympics all-time leading scorers.

Pittburgh Penquins EVGENY MALKIN (71) and SERGEI GONCHAR (55) figure to be front and center for Russia this February at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

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Russian international EVGENY MALKIN bestowed an early Christmas present upon the city of Pittsburgh last evening with three goals for the Penquins as the Ottawa Senators were soundly squashed 8-2 in National Hockey League action last night.

Malkin opened the scoring in the first period with Pittsburgh on the power play. Sliding down from the point into the right faceoff circle, SIDNEY CROSBY sent a visionary pass cross-ice for Malkin to sweep past Ottawa netminder PASCAL LECLAIRE.

A horrendous giveaway by the Senators just inside their own blueline gifted Malkin a CHRIS KUNITZ pass to rifle home one-time for Pittsburgh’s sixth goal late in the second period.

And, finally, it is an outstanding defensive play from last season’s Art Ross Trophy winner for league’s top scorer which prompted the faithful in Pittsburgh the litter the ice with lids shortly thereafter.

On the penalty-kill, last spring’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff Most Valuable Player used great anticipation to disrupt an Ottawa pass back to the point. Poke-checking the puck into center ice, Malkin then applied both speed and power to create a two-on-none with Crosby. Pittsburgh’s $ 8.7 million cap hit center then steered Crosby’s return pass past the Senators’ replacement goalie BRIAN ELLIOT for the Penquins’ eighth and final goal.

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A year ago, Malkin, playing all 82 games for eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh, amassed 35 goals and 78 assists for a National Hockey League-leading 113 points.

This season, the 23-year-old, who has missed seven games already, now stands with 13 goals and 37 points from 31 games for the Penquins.

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Another Russian international all but certain to be on the 2010 Olympic squad for the Motherland having an excellent evening for the Pittsburgh Penquins last night was defenseman SERGEI GONCHAR.

Gonchar, who missed a dozen contests in the fall, had a goal and two assists for the Penquins versus the Senators. The 35-year-old Washington Capitals’ 1992 first round pick from Traktor Chelyabinsk now boasts five goals and 22 points from 26 games for Pittsburgh and is showing no ill effects from his injury earlier this season.

Sweden's LOUI ERIKSSON (21) fights off U.S. defenseman JACK JOHNSON and shoots past goalie ROBERT ESCHE in the bronze medal match at the 2009 IIHF World Championships. Sweden defeated the United States 4-2.

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Swedish Olympic hopeful LOUI ERIKSSON is certainly fortunate he wears a helmut with a visor.

It is also accurate to say the 24-year-old former second round pick earned his goal Thursday night for the Dallas Stars against the Atlanta Thrashers in the National Hockey League.

Standing in front of the net, Eriksson deflected defenseman Stephane Robidas’ slapshot from the point with the side of his face past Czech goalie ONDREJ PAVELEC in the Thrashers cage. 

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Despite this effort from Eriksson, who registered a goal and an assist for the game, the Dallas Stars dropped in overtime 6-5 to the Atlanta Thrashers.

Eriksson now posts 11 goals and 30 points from 34 games this NHL season.

Eriksson, who was a two-time WJC player for Tre Kronor, made his senior major international debut for Sweden at the 2009 IIHF World Championships (9 ga, 3 go 4 as, 7 pts) last spring in Switzerland after a career-best 36 goals in 82 games for the Dallas Stars.

MARIAN HOSSA, who scored five goals and added five assists in six games for Slovakia at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, has appeared 10 times (59 ga, 25 go 31 as, 56 pts) at major international tournaments.

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Slovakia national team star MARIAN HOSSA scored a spectacular goal reminiscent of the Irish sport of hurling Sunday night in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks in their 4-0 blanking of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Catching PATRICK SHARP’s cross-ice pass which had deflected high into the air and over the head of a Lightning defender, Hossa proceeded to drop the puck and whack the disc while in mid-air past Finnish Olympic goaltender ANTERO NIITTYMAKI in the Tampa Bay cage.

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Hossa signed a massive 12-year, $ 62.8 million dollar free agent contract with the Chicago Blacks Hawks this summer after leaving the Stanley Cup finalist Detroit Red Wings.

Having missed the start of the season due to shoulder surgery, Hossa now has four goals and nine points his first nine games back for the Black Hawks this season.

ALEXEI KOVALEV, who first appeared at the Winter Olympics at age 18 for the Unified Team (i.e., former Soviet Union), captained Russia at the 2006 Turin Games. Kovalev, not including his totals from Albertville (8 ga, 1 go 2 as), has appeared at seven major internationals (44 ga, 19 go 12 go, 31 pts) for Russia.

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Three goals from right wing ALEXEI KOVALEV Saturday night for the Ottawa Senators in Canada placed the Russian in select hockey company.

Kovalev’s second goal of the night, with a little over three minutes remaining in regulation play, gave the Senators a 3-2 lead and the 36-year-old veteran his 400th National Hockey League goal.

Kovalev, skating in his 1,179th NHL game, capped the evening with an empty net goal to lift his totals this season to seven goals and 17 points in 28 games.

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Kovalev now counts 401 goals and 958 points in his now 17 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penquins, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

The top Russian / Soviet NHL goalscorers, all-time:

• 483 go — 1248 ga — Sergei FEDOROV
• 473 go —– 990 ga — Alexander MOGILNY
• 437 go —– 702 ga — Pavel BURE
• 401 go — 1179 ga — Alexei KOVALEV
• 353 go — 1157 ga — Vyacheslav KOZLOV
• 337 go —– 850 ga — Alexei YASHIN
• 314 go —– 569 ga — Ilya KOVALCHUK
• 259 go —– 811 ga — Dmitri KHRISTICH — (Ukraine)
• 249 go —– 807 ga — Alexei ZHAMNOV
• 240 go —– 349 ga — Alexander OVECHKIN
• 212 go —– 767 ga — Sergei SAMSONOV
• 200 go —– 637 ga — Valery KAMENSKY

Czech Repubic wing PATRIK ELIAS (62) collides with Germany defenseman ALEXANDER SULZER (52) behind the net at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. The Czech Republic won this Olympic opener 4-1 but lost Elias for the remainder of the tournament. Elias, a two-time Olympian, has been selected for six major internationals (20 ga, 12 go 6 as, 18 pts) by the Czech Republic.

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Nearly sixteen minutes into the first period, PATRIK ELIAS took a backhand centering pass from VLADIMIR ZHARKOV and one-timed his shot from the slot past Philadelphia Flyers netminder BRIAN BOUCHER to extend the New Jersey Devils’ lead in Saturday night’s National Hockey League contest to 3-0.

In doing so, the 33-year-old Czech Republic winger earned his 300th career NHL goal.  

Elias closed out the scoring in for New Jersey’s 4-1 victory by finishing off the two-on-one with BRIAN ROLSTON with less than a minute remaining in the second period.

(Note – Swedish Olympic hopeful NICKLAS BERGFORS, who scored the game’s first two goals, opened the New Jersey account with a smart solo rush through the Flyers defense.)

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Having missed time earlier this season thru injury, Elias now posts six goals and 15 points from 17 games heading into the holidays.

A former 2nd round draft pick (# 51 overall) in 1994, the two-time Stanley Cup champion has spent his entire career in the New Jersey Devils organization since arriving from HC Kladno to start the 1995-96 campaign. In his fourteen seasons with New Jersey, Elias now totals 301 goals and 721 points from 839 NHL games.

Top Czech / Slovak NHL goalscorers, all-time :

• 646 go — 1273 ga — Jaromir JAGR — Cze
• 450 go —– 977 ga — Peter STASTNY — Svk
• 354 go — 1012 ga — Miroslav SATAN — Svk
• 342 go —– 783 ga — Marian HOSSA — Svk
• 326 go — 1314 ga — Robert HOLIK — Cze
• 329 go —– 684 go — Zigmund PALFFY — Svk
• 324 go —– 812 ga — Milan HEJDUK — Cze
• 313 go —– 786 ga — Petr KLIMA — Cze
• 310 go —– 982 ga — Petr NEDVED — Cze
• 302 go —– 931 ga — Petr SYKORA — Cze
• 301 go —– 819 ga — Pavol DEMITRA —Svk
• 301 go —– 839 ga — Patrik ELIAS — Cze
• 259 go —– 957 ga — Robert LANG — Cze
• 257 go —– 954 ga — Martin STRAKA — Cze
• 252 go —– 650 ga — Anton STASTNY — Svk
• 252 go —– 830 ga — Robert REICHEL — Cze
• 241 go —– 531 ga — Marian GABORIK — Svk
• 241 go —– 961 ga — Martin RUCINSKY — Cze
• 200 go —– 745 ga — Richard ZEDNIK — Svk

MAREK ZIDLICKY made the decisive rush in the Minnesota Wild's victory over the Calgary Flames in the NHL Friday night. Zidlicky, who has appeared at six major interntionals (42 ga, 10 go 15 as, 25 pts), is an offensive weapon on the blueline for the Czech Republic.

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National team netminders NIKLAS BACKSTROM and MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF faced off and demonstrated why they are the second and third highest-paid Finnish performers as the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames skated in the National Hockey League last night.

Backstrom (26 ga, 2.50 avg, 1 so) turned aside all but one of the Flames’ 23 efforts on goal. Kiprusoff (28 ga, 2.15 avg, 3 so), meanwhile, stopped no fewer than 45 Wild shots. Needless to say, the goaltending duel developed into overtime. 

In the end, it was the Czech Republic’s MARTIN HAVLAT, however, who tipped the balance in Minnesota’s favor, 2-1.

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It is Czech MAREK ZIDLICKY who initiates the play by aggressively taking open space at center ice on the breakout play in overtime. Following his clever drop pass in the offensive zone, Zidlicky works the one-two with his countryman Havlat to perfection. The 32-year-old defenseman now boasts 15 assists to match two goals in 30 games for the Minnesota Wild this NHL season.

A much needed goal then from Havlat for Minnesota, who signed the 28-year-old to a six-year, $ 30 million dollar deal as a free agent this past summer. Havlat was given the most lucrative contract in Wild team history and brought in to replace star scorer MARIAN GABORIK, who was snapped up by the New York Rangers. While Gaborik has been leading the league with 21 goals and is second with 39 points on Broadway, Havlat has just three goals in contrast to go with 10 assists for Minnesota from 25 games. 

Havlat registered 29 goals and 77 pts in 81 games for the Chicago Black Hawks and added another five goals and 15 points in 16 playoff games last season. Havlat, who has hit the back of the net 172 times in 495 career NHL games over the course of eight-plus seasons since starting with the Ottawa Senators in 2000-01, has five campaigns of twenty goals or more.

ROBERT NILSSON (center) celebrates a victory over the Czech Republic at the 2008 IIHF World Championships with PATRIC HORNQVIST (left) and NILS EKMAN.

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Sweden’s ROBERT NILSSON (12) took a smart backhand pass from RYAN STONE (32) along the boards and then fashioned a few fancy moves of his own to score a spectacular goal as the Edmonton Oilers downed the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 in National Hockey League action Thursday night.

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Nilsson, the 2003 first round pick of the New York Islanders, was making his first NHL appearance in almost a month. The 24-year-old’s second goal of the season provided Edmonton a 2-0 advantage with just under three minutes to play in the first period. Nilsson has managed just 13 games for the Oilers this season and now registers five points.

Nilsson was included this September on the list of candidates for the 2010 Olympic squad made available to the domestic press by Sweden’s national team coach BENGT-AKE GUSTAFSSON.

Nilsson has appeared once at a major senior international event, the 2008 IIHF World Championships in Canada where the winger totaled 2 goals and 4 assists in nine games. Sweden fell to arch-rival Finland in the bronze medal match that year.