Blues reward young fan for good deed

The St. Louis Blues paid it forward in a big way Tuesday.

After their game Feb. 6, forward Vladimir Tarasenko - who scored a power-play goal that night - handed his stick over the glass to 11-year-old Noah Kleinlehrer.

The thing is, the youngster didn't keep it.

"I was going down to high-five the players just after the three stars, and Tarasenko reaches up and gave me his stick," Noah told Chris Pinkert from the Blues website. "I thought 'Wow! He actually did that!' But then I went down and saw a little boy, who I saw earlier in the game. I overheard his father say it was his first game, so I went down to give him a good memory."

Made aware of Kleinlehrer's good deed, the Blues invited him and his family to Tuesday's win over Colorado,

It's a happy ending to an already great story, one that will likely "stick" in the memories of all involved.

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Accuser ‘infuriated’ after Blackhawks farmhand cleared in revenge porn case

The woman who charged Chicago Blackhawks minor leaguer Garret Ross for participating in "revenge porn" was deeply disturbed by the case's dismissal and the team's decision to quickly reinstate him.

"I was infuriated when I read about (the Blackhawks') decision. I was sitting at my desk at work literally shaking I was so mad," Ross' accuser told Stacy St. Clair of The Chicago Tribune.

"I saw it coming, but it still was devastating, especially since it was made known that the charges were dropped due to jurisdiction issues, not due to lack of evidence."

Ross was charged in Illinois with one felony count of non-consensual dissemination of a private sexual image - also known as "revenge porn" - but the prosecution ended Tuesday afternoon because it was discovered Ross was in Michigan when he allegedly distributed the video in question.

The Blackhawks' farmhand was suspended by the club pending the result of the legal process, and he was reinstated Tuesday evening, paving the way for his return to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

"What bothered me the most was that it took the Blackhawks 40 days after Ross was booked and charged to suspend him, but less than 10 hours to reinstate him," the accuser said.

"That right there shows how the organization feels about issues like this. … The Blackhawks organization turned a blind eye, when they easily could have set an example within their organization that they do not tolerate this kind of behavior."

A Blackhawks spokesman and Ross' attorney both declined to comment when reached by The Tribune.

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Sabres shut Lehner down for season after ankle surgery

Robin Lehner's season is over.

The Buffalo Sabres goaltender had surgery Wednesday on his troublesome right ankle and won't play in the remaining five games.

Lehner has been resting the ankle since March 16, and he missed more than two months earlier this season after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the season opener.

The 24-year-old was limited to 21 games, going 5-9-5 with a 2.47 GAA and .924 save percentage after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators on draft day last June.

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Canucks’ Virtanen suspended 2 games for ‘late, violent’ hit on Sharks’ Polak

Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has been suspended two games for interference on San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety called the collision a "late, violent" hit and said Polak was "not eligible to be checked in any manner."

Virtanen, who was assessed an interference major and a game misconduct, acknowledged after the game that his hit was late.

This is his first NHL suspension, and he'll forfeit nearly $10,000 under the terms of the CBA.

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Sharks’ Burns gets record-setting goal back on 2nd scoring change

Brent Burns can celebrate after all.

The San Jose Sharks defenseman set the franchise record for goals in a season by a blue-liner thanks to a scoring change Wednesday afternoon, nearly two days after having the goal taken away.

Burns was initially credited with a goal in the second period of a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.

It was later given to Joe Pavelski, nullifying Burns' achievement until Wednesday's decision to restore the original decision.

The lesson here: Always trust your instincts.

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Blackhawks’ Keith offered in-person hearing for stick-swinging incident

Duncan Keith will have an opportunity to plead his case at the NHL offices.

The Chicago Blackhawks defenseman has been offered an in-person hearing to answer for hitting Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle in the face with his stick Tuesday night.

Keith was ejected from the game and handed a match penalty for the incident.

With two previous suspensions, Keith is a repeat offender, but doesn't qualify as one by NHL standards because the previous infractions didn't occur within the last 18 months.

The offer for an in-person hearing means the league may decide to suspend Keith for six games or more, and he remains suspended until a hearing takes place.

The Blackhawks have five games remaining in the regular season.

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