NHL Update

Maple Leafs forward Owen Nolan has suffered a torn retina in his left eye after taking a high-stick from Jay McKee in Saturday night's game against the Sabres. Today, he had laser eye surgery to repair the damage. Nolan has 9 goals and 19 assists. He is out indefinitely. As for the Avalanche, they had a scare with Joe Sakic, who took a puck to the chin Wednesday against the Flames. He played Friday against the Canucks, wearing a full face shield and notching a goal in their 4-2 win. He later had an "unspecified medical procedure" Saturday, which we now know was to insert a plate. He is listed day-to-day with a fractured jaw. Avs forward Paul Kariya, out since November 15 with a sprained right wrist, will play Tuesday night against the Blue Jackets. He has missed 31 games this season. He returned November 13, but reinjured the wrist two days later. And Team USA played excellent in the World Juniors, beating Canada 4-3 this afternoon to win the tournament, finishing 7-0. It is America's first junior title, and "rates right up there with the Miracle On Ice," said tournament MVP Zach Parise. The Canadians had a 3-1 lead coming into the third, but USA scored 3 unansweed. There was a horrible turn of events for Canada and gung-ho goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury,who took a leave of absence from Pittsburgh and forfeited a few bonuses because of it. Fleury attempted a clearing pass with 5 minutes left in the game, but it deflected off teammate Braydon Coburn and into the Canadian net. Fleury sprawled on the ice as the puck crossed the line, and the dejected Canadians lost the game.