Sharp weighs in on 'drop'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The final word on the "homer drop" in Colorado, when the linesman dropped the puck before Patrick Sharp was ready directly leading to the Avalanche's 2-1 victory, goes to the player in the middle of the controversy.

"I thought maybe a warning could have been issued there, or maybe just blow the whistle and tell us to hurry up, but the ref decided to drop the puck," Sharp said.

"He even said afterward he probably could have done things differently."

Minor move: The Hawks acquired right wing Adam Pineault from Columbus in exchange for right wing Michael Blunden. Pineault was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs.

Pineault, 22, had 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) and 36 penalty minutes in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season.

Blunden, 22, had 10 penalty minutes in 10 games with the Blackhawks in parts of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. He had 7 assists, 10 points and 42 penalty minutes in 37 games with Rockford this season.

The big game? In two weeks rookie Kris Versteeg will represent the Blackhawks in the NHL YoungStars Game at Montreal's Bell Centre, where he will join fellow rookies in a wide-open game of 3-on-3 against the stars of the NHL's sophomore class.

But that's not what has him most pumped up.

"I'm probably more looking forward to watching (the All-Star Game), to tell you the truth," Versteeg said. "But it's going to be a fun game for the fans to watch and a fun game to play."