Olympic Hockey News

With the Stanley Cup Finals under way and the 2014 Winter Olympics looming in February, Canada-a nation where hockey is less of a sport than a cultural obsession-is getting increasingly anxious to meet one of its most troubling challenges: Finding a way to replenish the country's once-abundant supply of elite goaltenders.

During the fifth inning of ESPN's Sunday night telecast of the tilt between the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves, during which Atlanta had many chances to score but only led 2-0, color commentator Orel Hershiser noted, "This game has a very Bruins-Blackhawks first-period feel to it."

This commercial features Hockey Canada's Meaghan Mikkelson as she shows us what it takes to be an Olympic athlete .

At St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church on the South Side, the only parish in the archdiocese that offers mass in Slovak, Laura Zbella occasionally sees Slovak and Chicago Blackhawks pride converge.

According to the National Hockey League Players' Association website, Canadian Olympic gold medallist Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins has won the Ted Lindsay Award for the second time in his career.

Detroit Red Wings alternate captain Niklas Kronwall will serve as the grand marshal for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn; Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tyler Clary, who trained at University of Michigan.

Jun 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Michal Handzus is checked by Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk during the third period in game two of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at the United Center.

Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin has won Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the third time during his eight-season career in the league, the NHL said on its website.

There are no subjects off limits during the Stanley Cup Final, not even Patrick Kane's reputation as a guy who loves a good party.

Ugur Erdener, IOC member, President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee and the President of World Archery, speaks during the presentation of the Candidate Cities for the 2020 Olympic Games during the ANOC Extraordinary General Assembly at the Beaulieu Congress Hall, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Saturday, June 15, 2013.

HOCKEY Nashville dealt forward Bobby Butler of Marlboro to Florida for defenseman T.J. Brennan on Friday.

What the 6-foot-10 native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and junior transfer from City College of San Francisco will be on the court for Pacific is yet to be determined.

When people wonder where all the great Quebec-bred goaltenders have gone or who is going to take over Canada's net when we defend gold in Sochi at the Winter Olympics, the answer on both counts might be here in Chicago.

The Binghamton Mets play the Bowie Baysox for the first time this season on Friday night at NYSEG Stadium.

Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa, left, and center Jonathan Toews wait along the boards during NHL hockey practice, Tuesday, June 11, 2013 in Chicago.

New York Rangers prospect, Oscar Lindberg, has been named to Team Sweden's preliminary 35-man roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Sweden's ice hockey federation has included N.H.L. players on the list of players invited to its Olympic orientation camp, despite the absence of an agreement between the N.H.L. and the International Olympic Committee that would allow league players to play at the Sochi Olympics in February.

Henrik Lundqvist had another dominant year in 2012-2013. He has been NYR's rock since 2005, but a decline is inevitable.

The word was resilient. That's the way that coach Claude Julien kept describing his Bruins, a team that came back from significant deficits in each of the two runs to the Stanley Cup Final in the last three years.

Over the next three weeks, I will be breaking down some of the players I believe the Habs should and/or could target with one of their eight picks.