Sports : NHL

If the Pittsburgh Pirates need an answer to their power-hitting problems, maybe they can find it across town in Penguins star Sidney Crosby. The former NHL MVP homered into PNC Park's right-field seats while taking batting practice Wednesday with eight Penguins teammates. Crosby, who played youth baseball in Canada until he was 13, was the only one of the group to reach the seats.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Kirk Maltby to a one-year contract. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland announced the signing Wednesday. The two-way contract means he can play in Detroit and for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the team's American Hockey League affiliate. The 37-year-old Maltby has been a Red Wing since the 1995-96 season, helping the franchise win four Stanley Cups as a...

Turns out two of the newest Carolina Hurricanes aren't really all that new. Former Hurricanes Joe Corvo and Anton Babchuk are back with the team after spending some time with other clubs. And while two of Carolina's most recognizable names may be gone -- now that Rod Brind'Amour retired and Ray Whitney left via free agency -- a pair of re-acquisitions certainly will provide a dose of...

NHL veteran Richard Park has signed a three-year contract with Swiss club Geneva-Servette. Coach Chris McSorley says the 34-year-old winger chose Geneva-Servette over NHL and European teams. Park has played 722 games in 16 seasons in the NHL, including the past four with the New York Islanders. McSorley tells The Associated Press he spoke with the Islanders' Swiss defenseman Mark Streit about...

The Montreal Canadiens have signed veteran center Jeff Halpern to a one-year contract for $600,000. The 34-year-old Halpern joined his fifth NHL team on Tuesday. Halpern split last season between Tampa Bay and Los Angeles. He had nine goals and 10 assists. In 720 career games with Washington, Dallas, Tampa and Los Angeles, he has 131 goals.

General manager Stan Bowman has been promoted to vice president/general manager in a series of moves by the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. The 37-year-old Bowman became the youngest general manager in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup when the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in June.

Minnesota Wild center James Sheppard has a fractured left kneecap and there is no timetable for his return. The team disclosed the injury Tuesday. It said Sheppard was hurt in an off-ice accident on Saturday night in Vail, Colo., but did not say what happened. The timing couldn't be much worse for Sheppard, a former first-round draft pick who has been slow to develop in the Wild organization.

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed free agent forward Fredrik Modin, giving the team another veteran with experience in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The 35-year-old Modin had 11 points in 44 games with Columbus and the Los Angeles Kings last season. He signed a one-year contract. The Thrashers announced the deal with Modin on Monday.

The New Jersey Devils did more than sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a $100 million contract. A byproduct of the revised 15-year deal was that the Devils helped the NHL and its players union reach an agreement on long-term contracts that will define how much money will count toward salary caps. "That is exactly what just transpired with the amendment," Devils president and general manager Lou...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Mike Comrie to a $500,000, one-year contract, giving them a proven scorer who might be capable of playing on one of their top three lines. The Penguins, looking for affordable scoring help because they have little salary cap space, signed forward Arron Asham to a $700,000, one-year contract two weeks ago.