New arenas will be ready for 2015

The NHL and the players’ association have reached an agreement on realignment for next season and the mechanics — moving Detroit and Columbus to the Eastern Conference and Winnipeg to the Western Conference — aren’t as significant as the time element. The new alignment kicks in next season and will be revisited after the 2014-15 season. All the denials about expansion being on the horizon to the contrary, there will be arenas in Quebec City, Markham and Seattle available in 2015 for a round of expansion and relocation.

Game-winning goal?

Colleague Mike Boone points out the absurdity of James Neal being credited with a game-winning goal in Pittsburgh’s 4-3 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Neal scored an empty-netter with 52 seconds to play to put the Penguins up 4-2. The essentially meaningless goal became the game-winner when Marty St. Louis scored at 19:52. Boone has a valid point when he says the NHL should adopt the way baseball awards game-winning RBIs — the run that puts a team ahead to stay is the game-winning run. In that case, the game-winning goal would have gone to Sidney Crosby, whose goal snapped a 2-2 tie.

Disturbing video a painful reminder

It’s disturbing to watch, but hockey players of all ages should view the video of veteran Swiss defenceman Ronny Keller being shoved headfirst into the boards by Stefan Schnyder during a playoff game in the Swiss B Division on Tuesday. Keller suffered permanent paralysis and the video is a painful reminder of the possible consequences of a reckless hit.

Stars wrap up home season

The best bargain in town can be found Sunday when the Montreal Stars wrap up their home season with a 12:30 p.m. game against the Toronto Furies at Etienne Desmarteau Arena in Rosemount. It’s fan appreciation day and the defending Canadian Women’s Hockey League champions are offering free admission. This may be the last chance for a while for local fans to see players like Meghan Agosta, Haley Irwin, Charline Labonté, Caroline Ouellette and Catherine Ward. They are all expected to move to Calgary in the fall as Team Canada begins preparation for the Sochi Olympics. The Stars and the Furies also play Saturday at 7:45 p.m.

Women players honoured

The women’s college hockey season is drawing to a close on both sides of the border and it’s time to honour the top players. Melodie Daoust of McGill took the Brodrick Trophy as the top player in the CIS ranks. Long-time Team Canada star Hayley Wickenheiser of the University of Calgary was among the finalists for the award. In the U.S., Phil Kessel’s kid sister, Amanda, is one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which goes to the top player in the NCAA. Kessel, who averaged nearly three points a game, is joined by University of Minnesota teammates Megan Bozek and Noora Räty. It’s unusual for all three finalists to come from one school, but Minnesota has a unique team. The Golden Gophers head into the NCAA tournament with a perfect 36-0-0 record.

phickey@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @zababes1