Hillen is sent to hospital

New York Islanders' Jack Hillen was taken to the hospital after being struck by a hard shot from Capitals' Alex Ovechkin in the first period at the Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders said Hillen was taken to the hospital by ambulance to be evaluated. Hillen was protecting the area in front of goalie Dwayne Roloson during a power play when Ovechkin wound up for a drive in between the blue line and the circles. Hillen appeared to be hit in the chin and immediately dropped to the ice in the period in his islanders jersey.

"When I saw it hit him, it was kind of a delayed reaction on Jack's part," Isles coach Scott Gordon said after the game. "Obviously once he went down, I knew it wasn't going to be good." Teammates and Ovechkin tapped their sticks on the ice as Hillen went down the tunnel.

Reed and Register sign Blue Jays' Minors deals

The Blue Jays added outfielder Jeremy Reed and right-hander Steve Register to Minor League contracts that include invitations to attend Spring Training with the big league club. After spending five seasons with the Mariners, Reed spent 2009 with the New York Mets, hitting .242 over 126 games in the mets jersey. Earlier this offseason, Toronto inked outfielder Joey Gathright to a similar Minor League deal. Reed and Gathright will likely compete for a backup outfield role on the Opening Day roster.

Register split last season between the Rockies and Phillies organizations. He appeared in one game with Phillies and finished a combined 2-5 with a 3.92 ERA at Triple-A over 50 relief appearances. Originally selected in the third round of the 2004 Player Draft by the Rockies, Register was claimed off waivers by the Phillies in May.

Tejada does his part in Haiti

The free-agent shortstop took a helicopter on Sunday to Haiti, airlifting supplies which are collected for victims of last week's earthquake. Tejada had arranged for food, water and medical supplies to be delivered to Port-au-Prince from Dominican Republic, and boarded a helicopter to oversee its delivery to the capital of the devastated country in the Caribbean.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, the Major League veteran and six-time All-Star called the tragedy in Haiti unbelievable and pledged to help any way he could.

Royals club reach out to aid Haiti

Zack Greinke and David DeJesus of the Royals will cooperate with Heart to Heart International to aid the Haiti earthquake victims.In addition, DeJesus has pledged $2,500 to Heart to Heart, a donation that has been matched by Royals Charities. Heart to Heart will be collecting donations and items, including towels, soap and other toiletries, at all five Kansas City area Sam's Clubs on Saturday and Sunday as well.

Heart to Heart International has a staff in Port-au-Prince and has created a humanitarian bridge from the United States through the Dominican Republic to Haiti. The Royals have teamed up to aid victims of other disasters, including the tsunami in South Asia.

Alfredsson returns to the lineup

Daniel Alfredsson will be back in the lineup when the Senators face off against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It's a huge lift for Ottawa heading into a showdown. "It feels good to be back and it feels good to be ready to play," Alfredsson said at the Bell Centre. "I'm confident I'm going to go in there and be able to help the team. I wouldn't be back if I thought there was any risk."

Alfredsson has been sidelined since separating his left shoulder during a Dec. 23 game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The original prognosis suggested a 4-to-6 week absence from the lineup. He skated on a line with Nick Foligno and Mike Fisher at the morning skate in the senators jersey.

Ribeiro has been taken to hospital

Stars center Mike Ribeiro was taken to a hospital following an incident with the Rangers forward Christopher Higgins. At the second period, Ribeiro took the stick in the throat and stayed on the ice for several minutes while trainers attended to him. He was able to skate off under his own power, but did not return to the game. "He's got something wrong with his throat, but we got him at the hospital now making sure everything’s OK," Stars coach Marc Crawford said. "It's a contusion, and they're just making sure his airways are all clear."

Higgins was given a two-minute penalty. "It's not my decision. If there's an injury on the play, you're supposed to get four minutes," Crawford said. "They didn't think it was a severe enough injury. That's tough for them to call."

Goaltender Leclaire is injured during Thursday's game

Ottawa Senators goaltender Pascal Leclaire suffered an injury during Thursday's practice at Madison Square Garden, and the team has recalled Mike Brodeur from AHL to start Thursday's game against the New York Rangers. Brodeur (not Devils goalie Martin Brodeur) stopped 22 shots in the game against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 19 in senators jersey.

The Calgary native has appeared in 19 games this season with Binghamton, posting a 6-6-1 record with two shutouts. He was hurt by a shot during Thursday's morning skate at MSG, but it was not known where he was injured.

NHL donates $100,000 for Haiti relief

It is reported that on behalf of its member clubs, the National Hockey League donated $100,000 to UNICEF on Thursday in support of that organization's efforts to help the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

"The catastrophe in Haiti requires an urgent response from the National Hockey League family," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "The victims need food, water, temporary housing and basic medical supplies, and the emergency effort by UNICEF is helping to provide those critical commodities to communities in desperate need."

Braves come to terms with Hinske

After introducing Troy Glaus as his new first baseman last week, Braves general manager Frank Wren indicated that he was close to a deal that would essentially end his offseason roster reconstruction. It seems that the process has been completed with the signing of Eric Hinske, who is expected to primarily be used off the bench. A Major League source confirmed that Hinske has agreed to term on a one-year contract with the Braves.

Hinske combined to hit .242 with eight homers in 190 at-bats with the Pirates and Yankees this past season. The veteran has been a member of each of the past three American League teams that competed in the World Series. While hitting .247 with 20 homers for the Rays in 2008, Hinske made 84 of his 115 starts as an outfielder. He hit .300 with three doubles and seven walks in 38 appearances in 2009. Hope he can still play well in the braves jersey.

Yankees agree to terms with Mitre

The Yankees has agreed to term Mitre on a one-year contract. Mitre will earn a base salary of $850,000, plus possible performance incentives. The Yankees officially announced the signing on Thursday morning. Mitre was 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 12 games for the Yankees in 2009, returning to the big leagues after undergoing ligament-replacement surgery in July.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that Mitre will enter Spring Training in competition for the fifth starter's role as well as auditioning. If Mitre does not make the team out of Spring Training, he would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the Minor Leagues, but his affordable contract and potential upside could make him attractive to other clubs. Mitre has pitched in parts of six Major League seasons with the Cubs, Marlins and Yankees.

Indians trade Jackson to Blue Jays

Recently Zach Jackson, one of four players acquired by the Indians in the 2008 trade that sent Sabathia to Milwaukee, is now on the move again. The Tribe has traded the left-handed Jackson to the Blue Jays. Jackson has been assigned from the Triple-A Columbus roster to the Las Vegas 51s' roster.

Jackson made nine starts for the in the '08 season, going 2-3 with a 5.55 ERA in the indians jersey. He won a bullpen job in Spring Training last year, but he didn't spend much time with the big league club. He has made three appearances and one start for the Tribe in '09, posting a 9.35 ERA.

Maple Leafs lose Grabovski and Primeau due to injuries

The team announced last weekend that Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Wayne Primeau will miss periods of time after being injured in Saturday’s loss to Calgary Flames. Grabovski sustained a fractured wrist during the first period and is expected to be out of the lineup for six weeks. Primeau suffered a knee injury during the third period and will be out of the lineup from two to four weeks.

Grabovski has appeared in all 42 games this season in his toronto maple leafs jersey and is tied for fifth in team scoring with 25 points. Primeau has two goals and three assists in 35 games this season.

Colorado Rockies may sign Olivo

A report on Wednesday indicated that the Rockies were attempting to sign a deal with Olivo to be the primary backup. In December Iannetta signed a three-year extension with the team worth $8.3 million. Olivo hit .249 with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals. He also has played parts of three seasons with the Padres and Marlins.

The Rockies' decision to add Olivo means the end of Yorvit Torrealba's run in Colorado. Torrealba was seeking a two-year deal worth $6 million to return to Colorado Rockies. Last month Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd told the paper that he was not optimistic about being reached to retain Torrealba. Hope Olivo can put on the rockies jersey successfully.

New York Mets sign Kelvim Escobar

The New York Mets announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Kelvim Escobar, one of five active pitchers who have made 200 or more starts and saved 50 or more games to a one-year Major League contract. Escobar was 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 30 starts for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2007. Injuries and surgery limited him to one Major League start over the last two seasons.

Escobar, who saved 38 games for Toronto in 2002, underwent right labrum surgery on July 29, 2007. He made one start in 2009 with the Angels on June 6, allowing four hits, two runs, earned, with four walks and five strikeouts at Detroit. He also made three rehabilitation appearances last season, two for Rancho Cucamonga of the California League and one for Salt Lake of the Pacific Coast League.

Escobar has posted double figures six times during his career and has struck out 1,310 batters in 1,507 innings. In addition to Escobar, the four other active pitchers who have started 200 more games and saved 50 more games are Derek Lowe, John Smoltz, Ryan Dempster and Tom Gordon. Hope Escobar can play well in the new mets jersey.

Lightning's Malone will appear on NHL Live!

It is said that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Malone will be among the guests on NHL Live! tomorrow scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com. Also scheduled to appear to speak with co-hosts Deb Placey and E.J. Hradek are Eddie Olcyzk of NBC and NHL Radio, as well as USA Today's Kevin Allen, Jim Hughson of CBC and Brian Engblom of Versus.

A former fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malone has 19 goals and 16 assists in 38 games for the Lightning this season. This is his second campaign in Tampa Bay after spending four seasons in the pittsburgh penguins jersey.