International

Blackhawks center Dave Bolland powered his team to a big 7-2 win over Vancouver Tuesday night, staving off playoff elimination for at least another day. It was Bolland's first game in more than a month after he was forced to the sidelines with a concussion. He's now recommending the same thing for his struggling teammates.

After losing their first two playoff games to the hard-hitting Canucks, the Blackhawks have gone to the well and activated unknown prospect Bustin Dyfuglien.

Vancouver's high-scoring twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin powered the Canucks to the league's best record this season, but underneath it all, they're a pair of softies as evidenced by their recent appearance at a mall wearing matching sweaters their grandmother knitted them.

It was meant to be a friendly charity match-up between two nations rich with hockey tradition. But after just a few minutes into the game there was clear animosity as Canada and Russia engaged in an ugly exhibition game at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place mired with fights and penalties. No fight was more surprising than that between Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Boris Alexandrov, a wealthy Russian oil man.

After trading for Roberto Alomar in 2003 and again in 2004, the White Sox are reverting to old, reliable means to improve their output at second base. Wednesday afternoon, the White Sox traded for Roberto Alomar on the same day the retired player was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame.

Just hours after the Big Ten announced both Northwestern and Illinois would use only the west end zone during Saturday's game at Wrigley Field, the Canadian Football League canceled its tentative plans to host a 2011 exhibition game at the Friendly Confines.

The Blackhawks met their potential first round playoff rival at the United Center Sunday, and the Canucks sent back a clear message, "We are not above fighting like school girls if it helps us win."