National Hockey League roundup

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[September 19, 2015]  Sept 18 (The Sports Xchange) - Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane was cheered loudly on Friday when the defending Stanley Cup champions held a public scrimmage in South Bend, Indiana.

Kane is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in August at his offseason home near Buffalo, New York. Charges have not been filed against Kane, who said during Thursday's press conference that he has done nothing wrong.

The scrimmage marked Kane's first public appearance since the allegations were revealed.

The nearly 4,000 fans at Compton Family Ice Arena on the Notre Dame campus gave him two loud rousing ovations. The first time was when he took the ice and the second was after an announcement that he assisted on a goal.

"That's a pretty cool reaction, especially given the circumstances," Kane told reporters. "I didn't really know what to expect, but you know, it's one of those things where you're going on the ice, you don't know what's going to happen and to hear that reaction from the crowd, definitely gave me chills. So it was an exciting moment."

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The Buffalo Sabres said defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will miss the first 7-10 days of the team's training camp with an upper-body injury.

Ristolainen is coming off his first full NHL season, a year in which he led all Sabres defensemen in games played (78), goals (eight), assists (12) and points (20).

The team also said forward Cody McCormick did not pass his training camp physical and is out indefinitely. McCormick appeared in 33 games for the Sabres in 2014-15, his fifth season with the team.

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The Arizona Coyotes signed defenseman Stefan Elliott to a one-year two-way contract.

The 24-year-old Elliott appeared in five games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Vancouver, British Columbia, also registered 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) and 22 penalty minutes in 64 games with Lake Erie of the American Hockey League.

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The Coyotes acquired Elliott last week from the Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Brandon Gormley.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty has been named the 29th captain in franchise history.

The Canadiens made the announcement, following a vote by the players. Pacioretty, 26, is preparing for his eighth NHL season with the Canadiens in 2015-16.

The Canadiens selected Pacioretty in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2007 NHL draft.

The native of New Canaan, Conn., is the third U.S.-born player to captain the Canadiens, following in the footsteps of former teammate Brian Gionta (2010-14) and Chris Chelios (co-captain with Guy Carbonneau in 1989-90).

- - - (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

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