He may be 40 years old, but Simcoe, Ontario, native Dwayne Roloson proved on Monday night he’s still got some serious skills in net.

The New York Islanders’ goalie made a pair of saves within a couple of seconds that could each qualify for save of the year. Unfortunately for Roli and the Isles, in came in a 4-2 losing effort against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the saves are worth checking out below.

The “American Idol” and the Canadian hockey star are getting married.

Carrie Underwood’s spokeswoman and her hockey beau himself confirmed the engagement after about a year of dating.

“I’m happy to confirm that Carrie Underwood is engaged to Mike Fisher, and the couple couldn’t be happier,” Underwood’s rep told Us magazine. “No wedding date has been set at this time.”

Mike Fisher, a center for the Ottawa Senators, confirmed it himself for the Ottawa Sun, saying, “It’s true. We’re both obviously excited and very happy. I’m not sure exactly when (the wedding will take place).”

Fisher’s friends and teammates were happy for him, and giving him a hard time almost immediately.

“It’s great. It’s a long time coming. There’s going to be a lot of broken hearts here in Ottawa with all those girls that are in love with Mikey,” Senators winger Chris Neil told the Sun. “He’s met an awesome girl. We’re ecstatic for him.”

Underwood, was erroneously reported to have been moving in with Fisher earlier this year, tells Self magazine in next month’s issue that she’d love to have a small family.

“Not that I have a husband to have one with yet, but someday I’d like a family — not a big one, but not a small one either,” she told the magazine. “Two kids is good, three is fine. Four? Somebody’s getting something done, because we ain’t having five!”

This could be the best U.S.-Canadian pairing since Will Arnett and Amy Poehler!

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The 2008 Winter Classic in Buffalo, N.Y.

With excitement building for the NHL’s annual outdoor Winter Classic, guest blogger Perry Espardinez takes us on a little trip down an icy memory lane:

This New Year’s Day, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins will square off in the Winter Classic, an NHL annual event that brings ice hockey out of the arenas and into the cold of winter. This regular season match tries to bring the sport back to its roots, plus gives sports fans something to watch aside from the usual New Years hangover helpers of parades and college bowl games.

Now, the NHL is considering a Canadian outdoor game each season, which should make us wonder why the Winter Classic isn’t already played in Canada.

In fact, it was … on a technicality.

The Heritage Classic, as it was billed in 2003, was the NHLs first regular season game to be played outdoors.

Hosted by the Edmonton Oilers, it was held on a rink set up at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The Montreal Canadians beat the home team 4-3 with 57,000 in attendance.

Keeping with tradition, the NHL plans to feature Canadian teams in an outdoor Canadian venue in the new annual outdoor game, which would start. All six Canadian NHL teams have expressed interest, but there’s been no announcement on when or where the game would be played.

A nationwide faceoff is going on across Canada after a neurosurgeon said at a seminar over the weekend that TV hockey analyst Don Cherry is partially to blame for the serious injuries and concussions sustained by hockey players.

For those unfamiliar, Don Cherry is a divisive, controversial and beloved coach-turned-commentator who is a weekly highlight of the CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada.” He dresses like Liberace, but maintains his tough-guy image, and Dr. Charles Tator says that tough-guy persona is part of the problem. Tator referred to Cherry’s approach as “an aggressive, lack-of-respect hockey,” according to a CBC report.

“If he took a strong stand against no hits to the head, it would help,” Tator said at the conference, even praising Cherry’s previous work in the 1990s when he promoted “STOP,” an effort to prevent hitting other players on the ice from behind.

The story has had Cherry’s supporters and detractors lighting up message boards in support or to jump on the effort against him.

Cherry’s boss at “Hockey Night in Canada” was one of those quick to jump to his defense.

“Everything from championing on-ice rules and equipment changes to leading the STOP sign campaign, he has been the leader in teaching tough, smart hockey and promotes respect amongst players at every level,” executive producer Sherali Najak said Sunday in a release.

“Everyone who has watched Don over the years knows this, and any indication otherwise is misguided and a short-sighted misrepresentation of the facts.”

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Brendan Witt, staring down a GMC Yukon?

Brendan Witt, a defenseman for the New York Islanders, was hit by an SUV Tuesday morning in Philadelphia after the driver made an illegal turn, according to a report at TSN.ca. But it was what happened after the collision that caused a stir.

The Humboldt, Saskatchewan, native didn’t call the cops or get carted away in an ambulance, or even attack the driver of the GMC Yukon that hit him. Instead, he got up, shook himself off, and told the crowd of onlookers, “I’ve got to go play some hockey. I’m a hockey player. I’m okay. No big deal.”

One of the bystanders said, “It was like seeing Clint Eastwood, but in hockey.”

Witt later told Newsday, “I just got lucky. Fortunately nothing bad happened. I’m just a little sore.”

Witt was, indeed, back on the ice just hours later for the morning skate with his teammates, who are in Philly to play the Flyers at the Wachovia Spectrum.

If the story wasn’t great enough, here’s a sampling of some of the comments from the Canadian sports site that reported it:

• “Brendan Witt jumps in the river and doesn’t get wet, the river gets Brendan Witted.”

• “When Chuck Norris goes to bed at night, he checks his closet for Brendan Witt.”

• Finally, for the win… “The Yukon is listed as day-to-day with a lower-bodywork injury.”

Michael Jackson was kind of a big deal in 2009. There was also something about that “Twilight” movie, which was filmed in Canada.

But Canadians proved what’s really important to them by making the National Hockey League the most-searched term on Yahoo! Canada this year, according to a report from the Canadian Press.

Michael Jackson topped Yahoo’s searches in the United States, but he only reached fifth place in Canada. Ahead of the King of Pop was “RuneScape,” a free, multi-player, role-playing game that was the most searched last year and came in second this year. “RuneScape” was followed by UFC and WWE.

The Top 10 was rounded out by Megan Fox, “American Idol,” NASCAR, the NBA and the British phenomenon, Susan Boyle.

“Twilight” didn’t crack the Top 10 in Canada (it was No. 2 in the States), but it was the most search movie title. “American Idol” was the top TV show searched in Canada, which ought to please the folks over at “Canadian Idol.”

Michael Jackson was the top searched celebrity, swine flu was the top news story and Sidney Crosby was the most searched athlete.

The Habs or the Leafs?

That’s the question at hand as Canadians try to nail down, once and for all, which is “Canada’s Team.”

According to a new poll, one-third of Canadians believe the Montreal Canadiens are Canada’s team, while 47 percent of them consider the Canadiens to be “the greatest hockey team in history.”

On top of that, 65 percent of those polled said that the Canadiens are to Canada what the New York Yankees are to the United States. Yankee haters would agree that’s not necessarily a compliment.

“To a large number of Canadians, hockey is Canada and the Montreal Canadiens are hockey’s greatest success story,” said Andrew Cohen, president of The Historica-Dominion Institute — which is dedicated to promoting Canadian history and conducted the poll, which was reported by The National Post.

Meanwhile, the lead singer of the band Glass Tiger (you might remember the ’80s hit, “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” — that was them) is facing some heat from folks outside the Greater Toronto area for the song, “Free to Be (a.k.a. “The Leafs Song”).

Alan Frew wrote the song as an anthem for the Maple Leafs, and it has been used to rile up the crowd at home games this season. But one line, in which he sings, “Oh! Oh! Oh! This is Canada’s team. Go Leafs Go!”

“I knew full well what I was getting into with the ‘Canada’s team,’ ” Frew told The National Post. “I grew up with the Glasgow Rangers and Celtic (Scottish soccer rivalry), and I didn’t know you were supposed to write a song for your team that pleases the other guys. It is about antagonizing the other guys. And the other thing is, if you don’t like my song: too bad. Write your own song.”

Finally, the NHL approved the sale of Canada’s Team — that’s the Montreal Canadiens, in this case — back to the Molson family (yes, the beer people), which will take control of the team for the third time, according to the CBC.

After more than two decades as one the most tenacious players in the NHL, Brendan Shanahan unceremoniously walked away from the game last week. And while his exit brought little fanfare, we thought it was only appropriate to give him a special Canadian of the Week sendoff.

This week’s post is a guest blog from accomplished journalist and avid hockey fan Amber Ray, who jumped at the chance to pay tribute one of the more beloved players in recent hockey memory:

Let’s all raise a Molson Canadian toast to hockey great Brendan Shanahan in the wake of his retirement after 21 years in the NHL on Tuesday. (It’s the hockey-watching beer of choice, friends.)

We could honor the 40-year-old Mimico, Ontario, native on his stats alone; from the NHL:

Shanahan finishes his career in 11th place on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list with 656 goals. He stands 11th in games played with 1,524, 22nd in penalty minutes with 2,489, 23rd in points with 1,354 and 49th in assists with 698. He is the only player in NHL history to amass more than 2,000 penalty minutes and 600 goals and leads all NHL players with 17 “Gordie Howe” hat tricks. One of the game’s all-time clutch performers, Shanahan ranks fifth all-time with 109 game-winning goals. He tallied 237 goals on the power play, also fifth in NHL history, including a League-leading and career-best 20 in 1996-97.

But stats don’t account for how universally adored “Shanny” was. No matter which jersey he wore — the winger book-ended his career with the New Jersey Devils and spent time with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers and St. Louis Blues in between — fans could appreciate his integrity (in all those 2,000-plus penalty minutes, it would be hard to find a “dirty” infraction) and talent. That tally of Gordie Howe hat tricks — a goal, an assist and a fight in the same night — further hints at the kind of player Shanahan was, the rare, gritty power forward with skillful hand and fists. And that a lifelong fan favorite makes.

That’s not to say his career wasn’t without controversy. Shanahan was involved in a number of contract disputes, the last of which led to his retirement. (Off the ice there was also a Florida bar brawl in 1995 and the delicate details of his personal life — he married the ex-wife of former Blues linemate Craig Janney in ’98.) Shanahan left the Devils in October, saying “When I signed this past summer, [Devils GM] Lou Lamoriello, [Devils coach] Jacques Lemaire, and I agreed that if we were unable to find a suitable fit in which I would be able to compete and contribute at the level I expect from myself, then I would simply step aside.” It was a sad day in the world of hockey to see him leave the sport under conditions less than celebration and fanfare from the team he was departing.

But the legacy of the eight-time NHL All Star will remain as a respected, charismatic champion of the sport. The future Hall of Famer hoisted the Stanley Cup three times with the Red Wings and in 2003 was awarded the King Clancy Trophy for his exemplary work in the community. Outside of the NHL he won gold as a member of Team Canada in the 2002 Olympic Games, the 1994 World Championships and the 1991 Canada Cup.

In his own words, Shanahan said of his retirement:
“I would like to thank my family and all of the friends who have helped me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League. I am enormously grateful to all of my coaches and teammates I’ve had the privilege of learning from and playing along side of, throughout my career. While I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, I can’t honestly say that I would have ever imagined that I’d be this fortunate and blessed. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me fulfill this dream.”

And as much as we’ll miss his poise and tenacity on the ice, we may miss his off-ice antics even more: