Kris Draper and Sergei Fedorov scored 29 seconds apart and the World Stars beat Riga 2000 4-2 to open their European ice hockey tour on Thursday.
Barret Jackman and Rhett Warrener also scored for the locked-out NHL players. Renars Undelis and Vitalijs Galuzo replied for Riga, Latvia's top club.
Jackman, a defenseman with the St. Louis Blues, opened the scoring at 18:33 in the first period.
Undelis, who turned 20 on Thursday, tied the score early in the second, but Draper and Anaheim's Fedorov scored at 14:17 and 14:46 to give the World Stars a 3-1 lead.
Galuzo cut the score to 3-2 but Warrener, a defenseman, restored the World Stars' two-goal lead at 13:23 in the third.
"These Latvians had a lot of pride," World Stars forward Anson Carter said. "It wasn't a game of shinny, that's for sure."
Luc Robitaille, the Los Angeles Kings forward who was named the World Stars' player of the game, said he was also impressed.
Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Dominik Hasek of the Ottawa Senators shared goaltending duties for the World Stars.
The World Stars take their 10-game, seven-country tour on to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; Bratislava, Slovakia; Bern, Switzerland; Karlstad, Jonkoping and Linkoping, Sweden; Oslo, Norway, and Katowice, Poland.
Wayne Gretzky and IMG organized a similar tour 10 years ago during the last NHL lockout.
Riga buzzed with excitement before the game. Latvians are some of Europe's most fervent hockey fans, with thousands making an annual pilgrimage to support the national team at the world championship each spring.
Earlier Thursday, the NHL stars laid flowers at the grave of Sergei Zholtok.
Zholtok, who played for a decade in the NHL and is considered by many as the best forward Latvia has produced, died last month at the age of 31 of heart failure while playing for Riga 2000 in Belarus.
The World Stars had only 17 players on its roster on Thursday. Forwards Brendan Shanahan of the Detroit Red Wings and Mats Sundin of the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to join the team on Saturday in Moscow.
Proceeds from the tour will be donated to two NHL charities, the Goals and Dreams Foundation and the Garth Brooks Foundation.
Three locked-out NHL players -- goalie Marco Turco, forward Marc Savard and defenseman Kim Johnsson -- quit their European clubs on Thursday, before the end of their contracts, the International Ice Hockey Federation said.
Turco, of the Dallas Stars, released a joint statement with his Swedish club Djurgarden Stockholm, saying he is returning to the US for family reasons.
The federation said the contract of Savard, from Atlanta, with the Swiss team SC Bern "was terminated as a result of the player's poor conditioning."
Bern lured Savard from Swiss second league team Thurgau as Dany Heatley's replacement.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS