Suit Over Holdout Dismissed

The lawsuit against holdout center Alexei Yashin by an Ottawa Senator fan was thrown out of an Ottawa court Thursday.

Ottawa real estate magnate Leonard Potechin filed a $27.5-million suit in November on behalf of Senator fans against Yashin, agent Mark Gandler and International Sports Advisors Co., after Yashin walked away from a $3.6-million contract with the team.

In dismissing the suit, Justice Michel Charbonneau said Potechin didn’t establish that he had a contractual right entitling him to have Yashin on the Senators’ roster in 1999-2000.

Yashin’s future in the NHL will be determined at an arbitration hearing May 24-25 in Toronto. He hopes to be declared a restricted free agent when his contract expires July 1.

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Ray Bourque’s recovery from a knee injury continues to go smoothly. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman took part in Thursday’s 75-minute practice but stopped short of pronouncing himself ready for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Saturday in Dallas.

“I’m doing my best and doing what I have to do to get back,” he said. “To know exactly when or if it’s going to happen for the opening game, we don’t know yet.”

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Phoenix Coyote captain Keith Tkachuk had knee and ankle surgery to clear up injuries that bothered him the last three months of the season.

Tkachuk, who had 22 goals and 43 points this season, is expected to recover in eight to 10 weeks.

The left wing missed 30 games because of injuries during the season, including 22 of the last 27, and was hampered by the pain in his ankle during Phoenix’s first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets made the first trade in their brief history, acquiring center Chris Nielsen from the New York Islanders for fourth- and ninth-round picks in the June entry draft.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have reached a multiyear-contract agreement with forward Tommy Westlund. The Swedish native played in 81 games this season, his first in the NHL. He had four goals and eight assists.