Downey signed with Detroit last season following a training camp tryout and appeared in 56 games for the Red Wings, registering three assists and 116 penalty minutes.

In 239 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons with the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, St.

The procedure was performed to help correct a chronic condition, and the recovery time is expected to take three to five months. He could be sidelined until mid-January.

"Ryan has been bothered by this condition in his foot for some time," said Penguins general manager Ray Shero. "He consulted with a number of specialists in an effort to correct the problem without surgery, but it was ultimately determined that surgery was the best path to take -- for his general well- being, and for his career.

He has agreed to a multi-year contract with the team.

"Garth has given me an unbelievable opportunity to coach in the NHL with the Islanders," said Gordon.

Hockey Hall of Fame when she and a triumvirate of NHL stars will join the vast list of American greats in a ceremony in Denver, Colorado on October 10.

Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter will join the most recognizable face in women's hockey in the prestigious Class of 2008, as announced by USA Hockey Tuesday.

The 18-year-old was the 18th-overall selection and the first netminder taken in the 2008 draft this past June.

Pickard, Nashville's second pick in the draft, played in 64 games for the Tri- CityAmericans of the WHL in 2007-08 and went 46-12-4 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

Per team policy, terms were not disclosed.

Doughty was the Kings' second-overall draft pick in last June's draft out of the Ontario Hockey League.

Numminen, who had surgery done to repair a faulty heart valve in September of 2007, returned to play in Buffalo's regular season finale against the Boston Bruins last season.

In three seasons with Buffalo, Numminen has scored 69 points in 155 regular season games.

Bouck, 28, logged 11 goals, 18 assists and 86 penalty minutes in 79 games while servicing as the captain of the Portland Pirates (AHL) last season.

Bouck, a second round selection by the Dallas Stars in the 1998 draft, has recorded four goals and 12 points in 91 career NHL games, all with Vancouver.

Sprukts, the Panthers' eighth round selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, spent last season with Lukko of the Finnish Elite League, and posted 12 goals and 29 points in 53 games.

"We are happy that Janis has decided to return to the Panthers organization after spending a year in Finland," Florida general manager Jacques Martin said.

Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Former NHL defenseman Sean Hill signed a one- year contract to play for Biel of the EHC Swiss hockey league on Thursday.

Hill played in 35 games for the Minnesota Wild last season, scoring twice with seven assists. He also appeared in five playoff contests without registering a point.

He will report to deputy commissioner Bill Daly and commissioner Gary Bettman.

Collins joined the NHL in November 2006 and was named NHL senior executive vice president, business and media, in May 2007. During his tenure, the league has experienced record breaking seasons in terms of revenue, attendance, television ratings and NHL.com traffic.

"Craig will bring new energy to the Flyers' coaching staff," said general manager Paul Holmgren. "His knowledge of, and experience with many of our young players will be invaluable." Berube,who spentpart of the 2006-07 season as an assistant with Philadelphia, put together a 46-27-4-3 mark with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League a season ago.

The 42-year-old Alberta native carved out a niche as an enforcer over a 17- year NHL career with five teams, including the Flyers. He enjoyed two stints with Philly (1986-91; 1998-2000), recording 20 goals and 54 points along with 1,138 penalty minutes in 323 games.

Steckel, 26, recorded five goals and seven assists in 67 games for the Capitals last season.

Signed by Washington as a free agent on August 25, 2005, Steckel spent most of the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons with Hershey of the American Hockey League where he recorded 44 goals and 51 assists in 145 games.

Clowe was limited to 15 games in 2007-08 after a knee injury suffered in late October kept him out of action until the tail-end of the regular season. He posted three goals and eight points with 22 penalty minutes.

The 25-year-old tied for the team lead in goals with five playoff tallies, addingnine points as the Sharks advanced to the Western Conference semifinals.

The 25-year-old Vermette tallied a career-high with 24 goals and 29 assists in addition to 51 penalty minutes in 81 games for the Senators last season. His 56.7 percent success rate on faceoffs ranked sixth in the NHL last year.

Vermette has notched 71 goals, 68 assists and 163 PIM in 297 career games with Ottawa, which made him a second-round pick in the 2000 draft.

Paul, MN (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Wild have bought out the three remaining years of forward Mark Parrish's contract, president and general manager Doug Risebrough announced Wednesday.

Parrish, 31, was placed on waivers Tuesday due to salary cap concerns. The Wild originally signed him to a five-year contract on July 1, 2006.

Leclaire is coming off his best NHL season, having posted a 24-17-6 record in 54 games with Columbus in 2007-08.

He recorded a 2.25 goals-against average and .919 save percentage, while posting a career-high nine shutouts.

The left-handed Finn registered 19 goals and 36 points in 78 regular-season games for Detroit. After scoring twice on a pair of penalty shots, he became the first Red Wing since franchise icon Steve Yzerman in 1992 to score on multiple chances in one season.

He followed up with five goals and 11 points in 22 playoff games as the Wings won their fourth Cup in 11 seasons. The 24-year-old scored a goal in the series-clinching Game 6 victory in Pittsburgh.

Paul, MN (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Wild placed forward Mark Parrish on unconditional waivers Tuesday, setting the stage for his imminent departure.

The St.

"It is with great pleasure that we formally announce the signing of Steven today," said team vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton. "It is obvious to all of our staff in a brief period of time that Steven is a very special young man with great potential." The 18-year-old Stamkos was the top-rated North American skater by NHL Central Scouting and solidified his standing as the best available player in this year's draft with an excellent 2007-08 season.

He led the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League with 105 points this year, notching 58 goals and 47 assists in 61 games.

Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly signed center Steven Stamkos, this year's No. 1 overall draft pick.

The St. Petersburg Times reports the 18-year-old Stamkos received the standard rookie deal of three years at a base salary of $875,000 and can earn as much as $8.55 million in incentives over the three years of the deal.

Sjostrom appeared in 69 games for the Coyotes and Rangers last season, posting 12 goals and 21 points. He tallied twice in 18 games with the Blueshirts after the club acquired him in a trade-deadline deal.

The 25-year-old Swede has registered 34 goals and 75 points in 279 NHL games over the last four seasons with Phoenix and New York.

The 24-year-old registered 15 goals and 37 points in 82 games for Florida a season ago.

He ranked first in average time on ice amongst all NHL players with almost 27 1/2 minutes per game.

Glass, 22, played last season with Ottawa's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. In 46 games with the B-Sens, he posted a 15-20-4 record with a 2.88 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

The Calgary native was originally selected by the Senators with their third third-round pick in the 2004 entry draft.

Per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Morrisonn, 25, registered one goal and nine assists in 76 games for the Capitals last season. He finished fourth on the team with an average of 20:16 of ice time per game.