UNIONDALE, New York, 5 November 2003 — Jason Wiemer scored from center ice in New York’s three-goal second period, and the Islanders beat the Ottawa Senators at home for the first time in nearly eight years, 6-3 Monday night.
Mariusz Czerkawski and Oleg Kvasha also scored in the second, and Trent Hunter, Alexei Yashin, and Shawn Bates added goals for the Islanders, who hadn’t defeated the Senators at Nassau Coliseum since Jan. 6, 1996. Ottawa was 13-0-4 on Long Island since, including two wins during a five-game playoff victory last season. The Senators are 25-4-7 against the Islanders since their last Long Island loss.
Rick DiPietro made 29 saves for New York, 5-1 at home this season.
Peter Schaefer, Zdeno Chara, and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa, which got 20 saves from a sometimes shaky Patrick Lalime.
Canucks 5 Red Wings
In Vancouver, British Columbia, Dan Cloutier made 22 saves and Vancouver’s top line scored three goals in a victory over Detroit, extending the Canucks’ unbeaten streak to eight games.
Todd Bertuzzi ended a 10-game scoring drought, Markus Naslund had a goal and two assists, and Brendan Morrison scored to extend his point streak to eight games as the Canucks’ top line combined for six points.
Jason King added his rookie-leading fourth and fifth goals of the season for Vancouver, which is unbeaten in seven home games. Brett Hull scored a power-play goal in the third period for the Red Wings, who have given up 23 goals in a five-game winless skid. Manny Legace had 20 saves in his second straight start for Detroit, while Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph rest groin injuries.
Gretzky May Return to Run Team Canada
In Phoenix, Wayne Gretzky may be set to run Canada’s Olympic hockey team again, looking to win another gold medal.
Hockey Canada has scheduled a news conference for at Gretzky’s restaurant in Toronto. Gretzky’s business manager, Rick Minch, told the Associated Press on Monday the NHL great planned to attend.
Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson has said he wants Gretzky to run the operation again for the World Cup of Hockey in September 2004 and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
The Canadian Press, citing unidentified sources, said Nicholson will hire Gretzky as Team Canada’s executive director.
Canada won its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years at Salt Lake City in 2002 with Gretzky, the managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes, in charge of assembling the roster, lining up coaches and directing the management team.
Coyotes general manager Mike Barnett, Gretzky’s former agent, declined to reveal Gretzky’s plans on Monday but thought the NHL’s career scoring leader most likely would want to repeat the experience.
“I witnessed firsthand how satisfying the experience was and, ultimately, how rewarding it also became in the end with the gold medal,” Barnett told the AP. “And never once has he said no to a request from Hockey Canada to represent his country.
At this point in his life, I think he would find it difficult to say no.” The World Cup, a two-week event run by the NHL and its union, is returning after an eight-year absence. The United States won the inaugural event in 1996.
Participating teams will have a 10-day training camp beginning Aug. 20 and play two exhibition games before the start of tournament play Aug. 30.
In North America, Montreal, Toronto and St. Paul, Minnesota, will be game sites, with Toronto staging the championship Sept. 14 — the day before the bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players Association expires.
