McCreary and O’Halloran will work for gold-medal game

NHL referees Bill McCreary and Dan O’Halloran have been assigned to work Sunday’s Olympic gold-medal game between Canada and the United States. It will be the second Canada-USA gold-medal game for McCreary, who worked the 2002 title game in Salt Lake City. McCreary also worked the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan. He is retiring from the NHL after this season.

NHL linesman Jean Morin, also of Canada, will work the game with Finland’s Stefan Fonselius. Two other NHL referees, Paul Devorski and Brad Watson, will work Saturday night’s bronze-medal game between Finland and Slovakia. The linesmen will be Petr Blumel of the Czech Republic and Yuri Oskirko of Russia.

Gormley will appear on NHL Live!

It is reported that top prospect Brandon Gormley will be among the guests on NHL Live! on Tuesday, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio. Also scheduled to appear to speak with co-hosts Rob Simpson and Bill Clement are NBC's Pierre McGuire and Kevin Allen of USA Today.

Gormley is in his second season with the Moncton Wildcats in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 49 games, he has 8 goals, 29 assists and 46 penalty minutes in 49 games. The Prince Edward Island native is eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, which will be held this June in Los Angeles.

Blues and Penguins trade their defensemen

In a player trade the Penguins acquired Steve Wagner from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Nate Guenin. Both of them are currently in the American Hockey League. Wagner has not made an appearance with St. Louis this season. In 46 games with the Peoria Rivermen, he has 3 goals and 15 points. In 46 NHL games with the Blues between 2007-2009, he has 4 goals and 12 points.

Guenin has 3 goals and 5 points in 41 games with the Scranton Penguins. He was recalled by Pittsburgh in Nov. and appeared in two games. Guenin has made 14 NHL appearances with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from 2006 to 2010, recording 2 assists. He was the third Pittsburgh native to play in the pittsburgh penguins jersey in the last three seasons.

Canadiens acquire Dominic Moore from Panthers

The Florida Panthers traded forward Dominic Moore to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Moore has 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points in 48 games for Florida. He signed with the Panthers as a free agent just before the start of the season.

The Canadiens will be Moore's seventh NHL team, which marks the third year in a row. He was claimed off waivers from Wild by Maple Leafs in 2007-08, and was traded from Toronto to Buffalo at last season's trade deadline. Moore was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the third round in 2000. Hope he can play well in the canadiens jersey.

Ducks sign Hiller to a four-year deal

The Ducks announced that they have signed goaltender Jonas Hiller to a four-year contract extension through the 2013-14 NHL season. Hiller has posted a 54-37-5 record with a 2.46 goals-against average in 108 career NHL appearances in his anaheim ducks jersey. Since he entered the NHL in 2007, Hiller ranks third among all NHL goaltenders. He has also made 13 career playoff appearances for Anaheim.

"Jonas has proved himself as a starting NHL goaltender," said Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray. "We expect him to only get better and are pleased he’s committed to us for four more seasons." Currently in his third NHL season, he has compiled a 21-15-1 record with a 2.75 GAA in 39 appearances this year. He currently is tied with Roberto Luongo for the league lead in January victories. Next month, Hiller will represent Switzerland at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Giants add pair of relievers

The Giants announced that Right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim and left-hander Horacio Ramirez have signed Minor League deal. Kim owns a 54-60 record, a 4.42 ERA and 86 saves in nine Major League seasons with Arizona, Boston, Colorado and Florida. He has not pitched in the Majors since 2007. Kim retired from baseball after Pittsburgh released him in 2008 during Spring Training. He was a National League All-Star in 2002, when he compiled an 8-3 record with a 2.04 ERA and 36 saves for Arizona.

Ramirez is 39-35 in seven big league seasons with Atlanta, Seattle, Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox. He was at his best as a rookie with Atlanta in 2003, when he finished 12-4 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 starts. Hope both of them can play well in the giants jerseys.

Cammalleri is sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks

According to published reports, Cammalleri suffered an injury in his right knee in a loss to the Senators on Saturday. The Olympic break means the Canadiens will be without their star center for at least 14 games, including the next seven contests prior to the break. Cammalleri was injured on a check by Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov midway at the third period. He was seen leaving Scotiabank Place and remained stiff as he walked.

"I'm hoping it's not too bad," Cammalleri told the Montreal Gazette after the game. In addition to Cammalleri, who leads the team with 26 goals and a plus-10 rating in his canadiens jersey, forward Andrei Kostitsyn, who suffered a knee injury on Dec. 30, can not come back until after the Olympic game.

Tracy agrees to join in Cubs

The Cubs agreed to a Minor League deal with veteran corner infielder Chad Tracy, who received an invitation to Spring Training camp, and will earn $900,000 if he makes the Major League roster, plus up to an additional $525,000 if he reaches 450 plate appearances. He will also earn $100,000 if he wins the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Tracy batted .237 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 98 games with the D-backs last season, with 66 appearances at first base and eight at third base. The veteran has battled injuries the past three seasons, including a right oblique strain last year, and hasn't played in more than 100 games since 2006. His best season came in 2005, when he batted .308 with 27 home runs, 73 runs scored and 72 RBIs.

Tracy is expected to compete with Micah Hoffpauir as the club's left-handed bat off the bench and can serve as both a backup first baseman and third baseman. The Mets, Orioles and Rockies were also reportedly after Tracy. Hope he can play well in his new cubs jersey.

Nationals add reliever Walker

According to two baseball sources, right-hander Tyler Walker agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Nationals. The club also signed outfielder Chris Duncan and left-hander Chuck James to Minor League deals with an invitation to Spring Training. Walker is expected to be part of the new relief corps which includes Brian Bruney, Matt Capps and Eddie Guardado. He is a seven-year veteran who has played with the Mets, Giants and Rays.

Duncan is coming off one of his poorest seasons in the big leagues, hitting .227 with five home runs and 32 RBIs all in the cardinals jersey. On July 22, St. Louis traded Duncan to the Red Sox for infielder Julio Lugo, but Duncan never saw Major League action with Boston.

As for James, he missed the entire 2009 season due to left shoulder surgery. He was signed by the Nationals on the recommendation of assistant general manager Roy Clark, who was impressed by James when they were with the Braves. James' best season was in 2006.

Nationals and Dunn start extension talk

The Nationals and first baseman Adam Dunn talked about a contract extension on Friday, but Dunn said the talks are at stage zero at this point. "It's something I want to do and it's something, hopefully, they are interested in doing," Dunn said. "We haven't had any talks. It's good to know that we are on the same page as far as me wanting to be here and them wanting me here."

Dunn, who attended the team's second annual Hot Stove Luncheon, said he is pleased that both sides are on the same page. Dunn and Rizzo did not talk about years or dollars. Rizzo just wanted Dunn to know that the team would like to have him this year.Dunn is coming off one better season this career, hitting a career high .267 with 38 home runs and 105 RBIs.