Koivu to Play for Canadiens

Captain Saku Koivu will rejoin the Montreal Canadiens for their game tonight, completing a comeback from stomach cancer diagnosed in September.

The 27-year-old Koivu said in February the cancer was in full remission and he hoped to return by the end of the season. He has been practicing with the Canadiens in recent weeks, and the team said he will be in the lineup for today’s home game against the Ottawa Senators.

The Canadiens are vying for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. They also have games Friday in New Jersey and at home Saturday against Buffalo to close out the regular season.

Koivu had chemotherapy treatment to combat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He had 17 goals and 30 assists in 54 games last season.

Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky will have surgery to alleviate pain in his back and his neck.

“I was supposed to be on medication for a few days and bed rest and obviously I couldn’t do that,” Gretzky said from Calgary, where the Phoenix Coyotes play the Flames tonight.

No date has been set for the surgery. Gretzky, who owns the Coyotes, has two herniated disks in his back and has trouble turning his neck.

An MRI Friday indicated the surgery should be expedited.

“It’s not something I didn’t know about, but at least I don’t have to get out there and get banged around,” Gretzky said.