HOCKEY ON THE WIRE
NHL talks
The NHL’s collective bargaining talks resumed unexpectedly and the two sides are committed to staying in touch through the weekend.
An unannounced session was held at union headquarters in Toronto Friday and the two sides are expected to keep in touch by phone over the coming days.
Carlyle watches
Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle has kept a close eye on the Toronto Marlies during their training camp.
“It would be foolish not to be here,” he said.
“It’s the mandate of the coaching staff to be here on a day-to-day basis. We want to have a presence here throughout camp.
“We don’t have to be here all at once, but I think it’s good to have exposure here.”
Helm recovers
Red Wings centre Darren Helm was cleared to play two weeks ago, enabling him to play in Europe.
Helm is recovering from a right forearm injury suffered in the playoffs.
“I’m happy it’s healed and out of the way,’’ Helm told mlive.com.
ESPN coverage
ESPN will stream Kontinental Hockey League games online as NHL stars play overseas during the lockout.
The network said Friday it planned to broadcast at least seven games on ESPN3 in October. NHL players in the Russian-based league include Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin.
Also, a game between Ovechkin’s Dynamo Moscow and Lev will air on ESPN2 on Tuesday afternoon.
Davidson dumped
John Davidson, who spent six years rebuilding the St. Louis Blues as president of hockey operations, is leaving the team.
Davidson, 59, and the team agreed to a buyout of his contract, which has three years and approximately $6 million remaining on it.