National Hockey

NASHVILLE — Pekka Rinne is a friendly, polite man off the ice. Slipping the puck past the Nashville Predators goaltender is one of the few ways to anger the 6-foot-5 Finn. Pucks bouncing past him on the NHL's biggest stage infuriate him.

Ron Hainsey avoiding a big hit and carrying the puck from end to end isn't what the Pittsburgh Penguins ask of him or any other defenceman not named Kris Letang.

NASHVILLE — Country star and Predators fan Luke Bryan will open NBC's broadcast of Game 6 on Sunday night singing a song from the rooftop of the honky-tonk Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Bob Boughner never made the Florida Panthers as a player. He's on the brink of joining them as their next coach.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere to a $27 million, six-year contract extension.

Patrick Kane , whose stickhandling skills are arguably the best in the world, spends time each summer testing out hockey sticks.

NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators' improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals has blurred the dividing line between music and sports, a convergence that's expected to hit a crescendo in Tennessee's capital city this weekend.

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby put on a show in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final, but his brilliant night was overshadowed by some out-of-character behaviour.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a two-year contract extension. The 23-year-old Korpisalo was a backup last season to All-Star Sergei Bobrovsky. The native of Finland was 7-5-1 with a 2.

PITTSBURGH — Matt Murray is up again, and Pekka Rinne is down. The Stanley Cup final has been a roller-coaster ride that way for the series' two starting goaltenders.