Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara has been named the club’s captain. Chara becomes the 18th captain in the 82-year history of the team and joins such great Bruins as John Bucyk, Dit Clapper, Milt Schmidt, Cooney Weiland, Terry O’Reilly and Ray Bourque on the club’s all-time captain’s roster.

The Bruins also announced that Patrice Bergeron and Glen Murray have been named as assistant captains of the team.

Chara becomes just the third Slovakian-born player to wear a captain’s ‘C’ for a National Hockey League team. Peter Stastny of Bratislava, Slovakia served as the Quebec Nordiques’ captain from 1975-1980 and Stan Mikita, born in Sokolce, Slovakia, but raised in Canada, was a co-captain of the Chicago Blackhawks with Pit Martin from 1975-1977.

Chara, 29, enters his ninth NHL season, his first with the Bruins since signing with the team as a free agent on July 1, 2006. He was drafted by the NY Islanders as their third pick, 56th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft out of his native Slovakia. He turned professional in 1997 following one season of junior hockey with Prince George of the Western Hockey League. He split his first two pro seasons between the NY Islanders and their AHL affiliates in Kentucky and Lowell, earning AHL All-Rookie Team honors with Kentucky in 1997-98, despite playing just 48 AHL games that season.

The Devils, earlier Tuesday gave themselves a $7.1 million cushion under the current salary cap, which enabled them to sign Gionta. He was a restricted free agent, entering Devils camp in good faith without a new contract.  Devils GM Lou Lamoriello worked out numerous deals over the past week in order to orchestrate a situation which would enable him to sign the 26-year-old right-winger.

“We were very fortunate with the patience and loyalty that Brian has shown,” said Lamoriello. “Brian, Paul, David, Scott and Erik – they all knew the situation we were in. We were totally up front with the positives and the negatives and that we would do everything we could. We wanted them here.

Gionta was originally drafted in the third round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, and has spent his entire career in the Devils organization, including a Stanley Cup in 2002-2003.  Last year, he tallied a career-high 48 goals and 41 assists in 82 games. 

Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings and Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers filed a lawsuit Monday against NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin and former union president Trevor Linden.

Former player Trent Klatt is also one of the plaintiffs, asking the court to remove Saskin as executive director because they allege he has repeatedly violated the union’s constitution along with Linden and other union members, “thus infringing upon the democratic rights of the players that the union represents,” according to a release from the rebel group.

They say Saskin was “improperly elected, he misrepresented salary figures during negotiations, and he illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars in union funds for his own benefit.”

Also named in the suit were St. Louis Blues winger Bill Guerin as well as former players Vincent Damphousse and Bob Boughner, all former members of the NHLPA’s executive committee.

“Unfortunately, this lawsuit has become necessary after months of stonewalling by the union,” Chelios said in statement. “On behalf of more than 100 NHL players, we continue to seek full disclosure by the NHLPA of the events leading up to Bob Goodenow’s departure and the hijacking of the union by a handful of other players.”

“We have repeatedly requested that Mr. Saskin agree to an investigation by an impartial third party and he has steadfastly refused to do so. We simply want to eliminate fraud within the players’ union and restore democracy as provided by our constitution.”

In Vancouver on Monday, Linden was left shaking his head over the suit.

“It’s the same tired old allegations that we’ve seen for a year now,” Linden said after a Canucks practice. “I’m tired of talking about it. The same allegations have been answered and explained. I think the players have a very good understanding of what went on and why.”

Saskin was not available for comment Monday but the union issued a statement: “The NHLPA has not been served with a complaint, but we’re confident that these reported allegations are without merit.”

The suit, filed in U.S. Federal Court in the Northern District of Illinois, comes nearly three months after an NHLPA members meeting in Whistler, B.C., was seen as closing the chapter on the in-fighting.

At that meeting, Linden stepped down as president and the union elected an interim executive committee and formed a committee to revise the union’s constitution.

Linden was asked Monday if he thought the issue had been dealt with during the meetings in Whistler.

“I thought it was over several times,” he laughed. “I’m beyond frustrated. I’m passed it. We’ve been around these things for a year now. At some point you have to move on and realize we have a lot of great things to talk about and an exciting new season is at hand.

“It doesn’t really affect me.”

The moves in Whistler were designed to appease some dissidents who questioned the way the union made past decisions.

“I’m never satisfied,” Chelios said in Whistler at the time. “But this is positive. It’s a step in the right direction. Only time will tell what’s going to happen.”

“We want closure,” he added. “That’s been decided. It’s a positive step what we’re doing here. I love the fact that we’re going to start from scratch.”

Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk has been fined but not suspended by the NHL for the match penalty he received in a preseason game against the Nashville Predators.

Kovalchuk was assessed a match penalty for a kicking motion on the Predators Jordan Tootoo.

The league apparently deemed Kovalchuk’s infraction more of a defensive gesture than an actual kick, as Tootoo was tangled up with Kovalchuk at the time.

Veteran NHL forward Richard Park has agreed to a two-year deal with the New York Islanders. Sources tell TSN the one-way contract will pay Park roughly $500,000 per season.

Park had been skating with the Islanders on a professional tryout basis.

Last season, Park scored eight goals and 10 assists in 60 games with the Vancouver Canucks. Park has played 368 NHL games in his career, scoring 50 goals and 57 assists for 107 points.

“Richard has worked hard for us everyday and has proved to us that he belongs on this team,” said Islanders head coach Ted Nolan. “He’s a battler and fighter and knows how to get the job done. We’re confident that he’ll get the job done for us, and more.”

The Islanders have also assigned forwards Brandon Cullen and Peter Ferraro and defenseman Rick Berry to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Jordan Staal and Kristopher Letang made the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opening day roster Monday, joining with Sidney Crosby to give the rebuilding team a franchise-first three teens on the roster.

Staal, who turned 18 last month, was the No. 2 pick in the June draft and still could wind up playing most of the season with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes in junior. But with Malkin likely to miss the first few games of the season, the 6-4, 215-pound Staal gives the Penguins depth, size and a scoring threat at centre until Malkin returns.

“I hope I can be here for years to come,” said Staal, the younger brother of Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal and prospect Marc Staal of the New York Rangers.

For now, his service time may last only a few weeks, or until the Penguins determine if he is in over his head.

Staal had 28 goals and 40 assists in 68 games last season for Peterborough while Letang had 25 goals and 43 assists in 60 games for Val d’Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

As the Toronto Maple Leafs struggle to deal with an injury-depleted blueline, it is quite likely they will be without defenceman Pavel Kubina for opening night against the Ottawa Senators.

The NHL is reviewing Kubina’s match penalty from last night’s final pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings and it appears he will be suspended for at least one regular-season game.

Kubina crosschecked diminutive Wings’ forward Jiri Hudler in the face. Hudler wasn’t seriously injured on the play, but it was a largely unprovoked attack after the play had been stopped.

The New Jersey Devils acquired left wing Alexander Korolyuk and defenceman Jim Fahey from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Vladimir Malakhov, and a conditional first-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft. 

Korolyuk, 30, recorded 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points and 86 penalty minutes in 45 games with Vityaz Chekhov in the Russian Super League last season.  He last played in the NHL during the 2003-04 season, posting an NHL career-high 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 63 games with San Jose. 

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound has 62 goals and 80 assists for 142 points and 140 penalty minutes in 296 career games, all with the Sharks. 

Fahey, 27, will be entering his fifth professional season.  He posted two assists in 21 games with San Jose last season.  Fahey has career totals of one goal and 23 assists for 24 points and 65 penalty minutes in 79 games, making his NHL debut in 2002-03. 

The 6-foot, 205-pound defenceman has also seen action with Cleveland (AHL) during parts of three seasons from 2002-03 through 2004-05.  Fahey was San Jose’s ninth choice, and the 212th overall selection in the 1998 draft.

Malakhov, 38, posted nine points and 26 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Devils last season.  Malakhov’s NHL career includes 86 goals and 260 assists for 346 points and 697 penalty minutes in 712 games with the NY Islanders, Montreal, New Jersey, the NY Rangers, and Philadelphia.

The Calgary Flames have signed defenceman Andrew Ference to a three-year contract extension.

Ference, 27, has been a mainstay on the Flames defence after arriving in a February 2003 trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On the smallish side at 5-foot-10, 196 pounds, Ference had a career-high 31 points in 2005-2006, though he also posted a minus-12 rating.

Ference has 87 points and a minus-25 rating in 333 career games with the Flames and Penguins.  He also has 17 points and a plus-8 rating in 51 career playoff games.

The New York Islanders have signed goaltender Mike Dunham to a one-year contract. The nine-year veteran joined the Islanders as a training camp invitee earlier in the month and played in the teams’ first three pre-season games.

“It became clear in the past few weeks that signing Mike was a priority,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow, a teammate of Dunham’s at the University of Maine. “He possesses all the characteristics that we look for in a player and has already shown that he’ll be an asset to our club.”

Over a nine-year NHL career with New Jersey, Nashville, the Rangers and Atlanta, the 34-year old Dunham has a goals-against average of 2.69 and a .908 save percentage. Last season with the Thrashers, Dunham was 8-5-0 with a 2.77 GAA and .893 save percentage.