DETROIT - Dominik Hasek is considering a return to the NHL and has spoken with Detroit about possibly ending his retirement and rejoining the team.
The 38-year-old goaltender and representatives of the Red Wings met in Europe recently, Roman Hozak, Hasek's media representative, said Tuesday from the Czech Republic.
The star Czech player retired after winning the Stanley Cup in 2002 with the Red Wings.
Detroit general manager Ken Holland said he has been contacted by Hasek's agent, Rich Winter.
"While we have had discussions, at this time, no decision has been made by Dominik," Holland said in a statement.
"They continue to talk about it and we'll see how it goes," Winter said.
Detroit holds an option on Hasek for next season worth $8-million. If the Red Wings don't exercise the option, he would become an unrestricted free agent.
Detroit signed unrestricted free-agent goalie Curtis Joseph last summer to a three-year, $24-million contract. The deal included a no-trade clause.
"If Dominik comes back it probably will be a sticky situation," Holland told a Detroit radio station. "Obviously, a lot of teams right now are looking for goaltenders. At the same time, money is a real issue around the league."
LIGHTNING: The team reached an affiliation agreement with the Hershey (Pa.) Bears of the American Hockey League. The agreement allows the Lightning to place as many as six players in Hershey, which also has an affiliation agreement with the Avalanche.
Springfield served as the Lightning's AHL affiliate the past two seasons.
"While we would prefer to have a full affiliation somewhere in the AHL, the opportunity to partner with first-class organizations such as Hershey and Colorado is truly exciting for our entire organization," general manager Jay Feaster said.
The Bears will be the sixth team to serve as Tampa Bay's top affiliate. Tampa Bay's secondary affiliate the past two seasons has been Pensacola of the East Coast Hockey League.
PANTHERS: Team ownership plans to further investigate the age of Russian star Alexander Ovechkin to determine if it has a case to challenge a league ruling, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
In the ninth round of Sunday's draft, Florida tried to select Ovechkin after claiming he was of eligible age. The NHL turned the team down.
Ovechkin, projected to be the No. 1 pick in 2004, turns 18 on Sept. 17, two days after the cut-off date to be eligible for this year's draft. The Panthers believe there is a lack of clarity in the collective bargaining agreement in terms of what constitutes a year.
Since there have been four leap years since Ovechkin was born, the Panthers contend he turns 18 four days before his recognized birth date and he should have been eligible.
General manager Rick Dudley runs the team's drafts, but the attempted selection of Ovechkin was ownership's decision after months of research.
Ovechkin's agent, Don Meehan, said he was not aware of the Panthers' move.
"His birth date is September 17," Meehan said. "The only thing I know is just what I read in the newspaper. The position that would be applicable would be the National Hockey League's."
