Primeau Is Said to Be Out for the Season

Philadelphia Flyer captain Keith Primeau will sit out the rest of the regular season nearly four months after suffering another concussion, a person in the NHL with knowledge of the decision said.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Primeau was going to make an official announcement today at the Flyers’ practice facility in New Jersey.

Primeau was injured Oct. 25 after taking a hit from Montreal’s Alexander Perezhogin, the latest and most severe in a list of head injuries the center has sustained in a 15-year career. Primeau had not been cleared to play by Flyer doctors and a concussion specialist in Montreal had advised him to forgo playing this season and continue his rehab, leaving him with little choice but to shut it down and try and return next season.

With his history of head injuries, even next season is in jeopardy for the 34-year-old Primeau. The person said, however, that Primeau was prepared to try and return next year.

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Pittsburgh Penguin owner Mario Lemieux had a medical procedure designed to provide a long-term fix to his irregular heartbeat, the team said.

Lemieux, 40, retired last month, saying he could no longer play the game at a high level.

Lemieux underwent a procedure known as cardiac ablation. A catheter was inserted through a blood vessel and was used to destroy a small section of heart tissue that was causing the abnormal electrical impulses that disrupt the normal rhythm.

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Looking to replace injured defensemen Sami Salo and Mattias Ohlund, the Vancouver Canucks recalled Tomas Mojzis and Sven Butenschon from Manitoba of the AHL.... The San Jose Sharks signed goalie Vesa Toskala to a two-year contract extension.

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The NHL schedules resumes tonight with six games after taking a two-week break because of the Winter Olympics.

Some teams will have their Olympians in the lineup, some won’t. Sweden’s Mats Sundin is expected to return to Toronto today but it isn’t known if he will be in the lineup when the Maple Leafs play host to Washington.

Sundin helped Sweden beat Finland, 3-2, Sunday for its first Olympic title since 1994.

Most of the gold-medal winning Swedish players aren’t expected to play today.