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DALLAS -- Ten years after leaving the Dallas Stars organization, Bob Gainey returned Wednesday and was formally introduced as the team’s new Senior Advisor to the Hockey Department.

“It's a good time for me because I have followed the trail of the changes and the progress in the NHL from the administrative view over the past 20 years,” Gainey said during a press conference at American Airlines Center. “We’ve had a number of changes to the CBA, there’s been expansion and big changes a few years ago on how the game is played on the ice with rule changes. I've been able to live and adapt through all of that and take certain parts out of each of them that can apply today.”

The 58-year-old Gainey, who was acting in a similar capacity with the Montreal Canadiens until a couple months ago, said he will be a “consultant without boundaries.” He will offer input on various issues throughout the organization, on both the hockey side and the business side.

“I’ve had many experiences in pro hockey over a long period of time in the NHL,” Gainey said. “My goal would be to use some of those experiences, some of those valuable lessons learned to assist Tom Gaglardi in his ownership position, to assist Jim Lites in his position as president and CEO and to assist Joe Nieuwendyk in his operation of the hockey department in any way possible to bring the Dallas Stars in a better competitive light, better financial light and to rejoin in the sports community in Dallas as an important player.”

Gainey, who won five Stanley Cups as a player with Montreal, was the head coach of the Stars from 1990 to 1996 and general manager from 1992 to 2002. He was the architect of the Stars’ 1999 Stanley Cup championship team. He was GM in Montreal from 2003 to 2010, making the playoffs four of five years and finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2007-08.

“Bob Gainey is a winner,” said Lites. “We want to win the Stanley Cup. That's our goal, and that’s all we’re thinking about. Having a person of Bob's stature will help us get there.”

As far as Gainey’s exact responsibilities and how everything will work, that is still a work in progress.

“As we move ahead we’ll continue to define the description of things,” said Nieuwendyk. “Using Bob as a resource, so much history, so much experience, wisdom and insight, I will be able to benefit a lot from those things. We’ll define things as we move along. From my perspective, it’s a tremendous opportunity. I am really looking forward to communicating with Bob on a number of levels with team related issues.”

And it will take some time for Gainey to re-familiarize himself with the organization. He’ll spend time learning the players so he can offer input on that side of things.

“An outside set of eyes can bring a different view. Somebody that is overvalued, I might have a different view of that or somebody that is undervalued, I could have a different view of that,” Gainey said. “I am going to need to see training camp, some of the season and some of the games in Austin to be able to apply my opinion and my analysis to the players that are in the system.”

The hiring of Gainey is another step in the process as the Stars try to move forward Gaglardi, who said turning around a team that has missed the playoffs four years in a row will take time, but that adding someone of Gainey’s caliber on the management side of things is a big boost.

“We want to get better and we need to get better obviously and that's a process, unfortunately,” Gaglardi said. “I wish there were quicker ways to get there, but the only way to do this the right way is with young players and through the draft and developing players. That's what I've learned in my stint as an owner in another league (Western Hockey League) and I don’t think it’s any different in this league. Free agency is one route to get better, but it's wrought with pitfalls. You have to be very smart, and at some level lucky, to benefit that way. And obviously there are trades.

“The best way I know how to get better is to have great management, so it’s exciting for me to have a man of Bob’s experience, status and wisdom express a desire to join our organization. It was a no-brainer for us.”

Jeremy Roenick and former Stars center Mike Modano join "SportsCenter" to talk about the Stanley Cup playoffs.

DALLAS -- Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen suffered a minor knee injury at the World Championship, according to Dallas goaltending coach Mike Valley.

Lehtonen was injured in Sunday's game between Finland and the United States when Team USA forward Bobby Ryan was tripped and then slid into Lehtonen, who left the game and did not return.

Valley said the injury, which is not serious, will likely sideline Lehtonen for two to three weeks. He should be fine after that.

Lehtonen will not play for Finland for the rest of the World Championship, which enters the playoff round on Thursday.

Thursday’s World Championship games (quarterfinals)
Canada vs. Slovakia, 5:00 a.m.
Russia vs. Norway, 7:45 a.m.
USA vs. Finland, 10:30 a.m.
Sweden vs. Czech Republic, 1:15 p.m.

Alex Goligoski scored a goal as Team USA defeated Switzerland 5-2 in its final game of the preliminary round at the World Championship on Tuesday. Team USA finished second in Group H and will play Finland in the quarterfinal on Thursday.

Forward Jamie Benn had no points and one shot on goal in Canada’s 5-1 victory over Belarus. Canada, which finished first in Group H, will play Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Forward Loui Eriksson scored a goal for Sweden, which ended preliminary play with a 4-0 victory over Latvia. The Swedes finished second in Group S and will take on Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.

Defenseman Philip Larsen picked up an assist in Denmark’s 6-2 loss to Norway on Tuesday. Larsen ended the tournament with two assists and minus-six rating in seven games. He led Denmark, which finished 13th in the tournament, with 25:05 of ice time per game.

Wednesday is a day off at the tournament. The quarterfinals are on Thursday.

Tuesday’s games

Canada 5, Belarus 1
Norway 6, Denmark 2
Slovakia 5, France 4
Czech Republic 8, Germany 1
USA 5, Switzerland 2

Thursday’s games (quarterfinals)

Canada vs. Slovakia, 5:00 a.m.
Russia vs. Norway, 7:45 a.m.
USA vs. Finland, 10:30 a.m.
Sweden vs. Czech Republic, 1:15 p.m.

Here is the latest in a series of updates on the top prospects of the Dallas Stars. This one looks at forward Reilly Smith, who joined the team at the end of the season after wrapping up his college career at Miami University.

Smith, as a junior, had 30 goals in 39 games, finishing second in the nation to fellow Stars prospect Austin Smith. His 48 points were tied for tenth in the nation.

Smith, a third round pick (69th overall) in 2009, was named First Team All-CCHA, Second-Team All-American by Inside College Hockey, and was among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. In his three years at Miami he registered 122 points (66 goals, 56 assists) in 121 games.

“The confidence has been a huge factor for me in being able to find the back of the net, and also the physical aspect of it. I’ve put on a lot of weight and strength over the three years at Miami,” said Smith, who was 160 pounds when arrived at Miami and was 185 pounds when he left. “All of that correlated to my success in college hockey.”

After his college career ended he signed a three-year entry-level with Dallas and was put on the NHL roster, making his debut in a game at Edmonton on March 28. He played 4:05 and had one shot on goal.

“Even though I played only four minutes I tried to soak in every moment of it. Just being in Edmonton and having so much history around you, being a small part of it was a great experience,” Smith said. “Being my first NHL game it was phenomenal, getting the win was great and I got my feet wet for the next game in Vancouver.”

Smith played 8:39 and had no points in that game against Vancouver, was a healthy scratch for the next three games and then played in the season finale against St. Louis, picking up no points and two penalty minutes in 12:28 of ice time.

“He has some real nice attributes as far as an offensive player goes. He just needs to become more familiar with our defensive structure and getting used to playing with pro players,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “I think he is going to be a good player in the future.”

The 21-year-old Smith, who is a left shot but plays both right and left wing, has speed, skill and a good shot. He’s projected as a top six forward.

“Reilly has been a real good player from the time we drafted him. He had a real good college career. It was nice that he got into a few games in Dallas to give him a preview of what the NHL is all about and to see what it takes to play at that level,” said Les Jackson, Dallas Stars Director of Player Personnel. “He’s showed at every level he’s played at that he is a good player. Now it will be his challenge to go to the American League or to our team, if he makes it, to learn the lessons to adjust to be a good pro. I think it will take him some time, but he’ll be a good offensive player at the pro level.”

As for Smith’s chances of starting next season at the NHL level, Jackson said time will tell.

“That will depend on his summer and how he comes in,” Jackson said. “Realistically the first step should be playing in the American League and being a good player there, but if he is good enough to bypass that it will be great for us. Time will tell that for sure.”

Defenseman Philip Larsen was the only Dallas Star playing at the World Championship on Monday. He had no points, two shots and a plus-one rating in 24:40 of ice time as Denmark won its first game of the tournament, defeating Latvia by a 2-0 score.

Finland, which is without injured Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, defeated Kazakhstan 4-1 on Monday. Lehtonen is out “until further notice” with a lower body injury. The Finns also were without defenseman Anssi Salmela, who was suspended for three games for his hit on Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski in Sunday’s game against the United States.

Tuesday is the final day of the preliminary round.

Monday’s games

France 2, Belarus 1
Denmark 2, Latvia 0
Finland 4, Kazakhstan 1
Russia 4, Italy 0

Tuesday’s games

Canada vs. Belarus, 4:15 a.m.
Norway vs. Denmark, 5:15 a.m.
Slovakia vs. France, 8:15 a.m.
Czech Republic vs. Germany, 9:15 a.m.
USA vs. Switzerland, 12:15 p.m.
Sweden vs. Latvia, 1:15 p.m.

The International Ice Hockey Federation has suspended Finland's Anssi Salmela three games for his hit on Team USA defenseman Alex Goligoski in Sunday's game between the two teams.

The incident happened in the third period of the Team USA's 5-0 victory. Salmela hit Goligoski from behind, sending him violently into the endboards. Salmela was given a boarding major and a game misconduct. Goligoski was shaken up on the play but finished the game.

Here's video of the hit:

Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen is out with a lower body injury for Finland at the World Championship.

Lehtonen was injured in the third period of Sunday's 5-0 loss to the United States when Team USA's Bobby Ryan was tripped and then slid into him. Lehtonen left the game after stopping 25 of 30 shots in the loss.

According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, Finland said that Lehtonen is out "until further notice."

Here's the video of the play where Lehtonen was injured.

Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen left Sunday’s World Championship game between Finland and the United States with a lower body injury after a collision with Team USA’s Bobby Ryan.

It happened with just over seven minutes left in the game when Ryan fell on Lehtonen in the Finnish crease. Lehtonen left the game and was replaced by Petri Vehanen.

There was no immediate word on the specifics of Lehtonen’s injury or the extent.

“Lehtonen is injured. That is all I know,” Finland coach Jukka Jalonen told media after the game.

Lehtonen stopped 25 of 30 shots in the game, which the USA won 5-0. It was a rough outing for Lehtonen, who was knocked around a few times in the crease by a U.S. team that dominated play from the drop of the puck.

Earlier in the third period, Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski was shaken up when he was hit from behind and slammed hard into the endboards by Finland’s Anssi Salmela, who received a boarding major and game misconduct. Goligoski returned to the game. Salmela is expected to face disciplinary action from the IIHF.

Goligoski had one assist and three shots on goal in 18:50 of playing time for the USA, which clinched a berth in the quarterfinals with its victory.

Stars goalie Richard Bachman backed up Jimmy Howard, who stopped all 18 shots he faced to earn the shutout for Team USA.

Sunday’s games

USA 5, Finland 0
Russia 2, Czech Republic 0
Slovakia 1, Switzerland 0
Norway 12, Germany 4

Monday’s games

Belarus vs. France, 8:15 a.m.
Latvia vs. Denmark, 9:15 a.m.
Kazakhstan vs. Finland, 12:15 p.m.
Italy vs. Russia, 1:15 p.m.

Jamie Benn had one assist, two shots and was a plus-1 in Canada’s 8-0 win over Kazakhstan. Benn, who centered a line with Teddy Purcell and Alex Burrows, won seven of 13 faceoffs in the game.

Loui Eriksson had one assist, two shots and was a plus-1 in Sweden’s 4-0 victory over Italy. Eriksson has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games for Sweden in the tournament.

Philip Larsen played a game-high 27:00 for Denmark, which lost 2-1 to Germany. Larsen had no points, four shots on goal and was a minus-1 for Denmark, which is 0-4-1 in the tournament.

Saturday’s games

Slovakia 5, Belarus 1
Norway 3, Latvia 0
France 4, Switzerland 2
Germany 2, Denmark 1
Canada 8, Kazakhstan 0
Sweden 4, Italy 0

Sunday’s games

Finland vs. USA, 8:15 a.m.
Russia vs. Czech Republic, 9:15 a.m.
Switzerland vs. Slovakia, 12:15 p.m.
Germany vs. Norway, 1:15 p.m.

The latest in a series on top prospects looks at forward Colton Sceviour, who had a career year with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

Sceviour, a fourth-round pick (112^th overall) in 2007, posted careers high in goals (21), assists (32) and points (53) while playing 75 games for Texas.

He accomplished that despite getting off to a slow start, registering just 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in his first 27 games. Over his final 48 games he was almost a point-a-game player, picking up 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists).

“He had a really good season,” said Les Jackson, Dallas Stars Director of Player Personnel. “I think he has earned the opportunity to have a good look this fall.”

Sceviour, who is scheduled to be a restricted free agent on July 1, is a versatile, two-way player who can play all three forward positions. At the AHL level he has played both sides of special teams.

He played one game for the Dallas Stars in 2010-11, but did not get a call up this past season. That slow start to the season might have put him behind the eight-ball in that regard.

But the strong finish to the season has put him in position to compete for playing time in the NHL next season, or possibly even a roster spot, according to Jackson.

“I suspect he is right around having a role with the big team next season, whether it would be getting in a few games to get in game experience or grab a spot in the 10-14 (forward) group,” Jackson said.

Stars prospects Jamie Oleksiak and Brett Ritchie fell short in their bid to win the Ontario Hockey League championship and advance to the Memorial Cup.

Their Niagara IceDogs team lost 2-1 to London in Game 5 of the OHL Finals Friday night. London won the series 4-1.

Oleksiak, a defenseman who was taken in the first round (14^th overall) in 2011, had four assists and a plus-two rating in 20 playoff games. He is expected to turn pro next season and play for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

Ritchie, a right wing who taken in the second round (44^th overall) in 2011, had three goals, eight assists and an even rating in 19 playoff games. He’s expected to stay in junior hockey next season.

Stars goaltender Richard Bachman made his first appearance at the World Championship on Friday, stopping 17 of 19 shots as Team USA defeated Kazakhstan in overtime, 3-2.

“I had a lot of things going through my head -- I was excited to throw on the USA jersey and be a starter for a game,” Bachman told USAHockey.com. “I hadn’t played in 10 days -- since I had a little game action in the exhibition against Sweden. For me, I was just trying to get comfortable with my surroundings and just settle in.”

Kazakhstan, which came into the game with an 0-4 record, gave the U.S. all it could handle and forced Bachman to make some quality saves throughout the game.

Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski had an assist, a game-high eight shots on goal and was a plus-three for the USA, which outshot Kazakhstan 50-19.

Carolina’s Justin Faulk scored two goals for the USA, including the game-winner with 22 seconds left in overtime.

Canada defeated Finland 5-3 on Friday. Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen had 21 saves on 25 shots for the Finns, who lost for the first time in the tournament. Stars forward Jamie Benn had no points, one shot and two penalty minutes for the Canadians.

Stars forward Loui Eriksson had two assists, a game-high 10 shots on goal, but Sweden fell to Russia 6-3 in a battle of unbeaten teams. Russia is now the only unbeaten in the preliminary round at 5-0-0.

Eriksson now has nine points (three goals, six assists) in five games and ranks second in scoring at the tournament to Russia’s Evgeni Malkin, who had five points (three goals, two assists) in Friday’s game and now has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in five games.

Vincour won’t play at tournament

The Czech Republic made it official Friday that Stars forward Tomas Vincour won’t play at the World Championship. The Czechs registered their final three players for the tournament to bring their active roster to the 25-man limit and Vincour wasn’t among them.

Friday’s games

USA 3, Kazakhstan 2 (OT)
Czech Republic 6, Italy 0
Canada 5, Finland 3
Russia 7, Sweden 7-3

Saturday’s games

Slovakia vs. Belarus, 4:15 a.m.
Norway vs. Latvia, 5:15 a.m.
Switzerland vs. France, 8:15 a.m.
Germany vs. Denmark, 9:15 a.m.
Kazakhstan vs. Canada, 12:15 p.m.
Italy vs. Sweden, 1:15 p.m.

Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski had no points and two shots on goal in Team USA’s 5-3 win over Belarus. Goaltender Richard Bachman backed up Jimmy Howard again, but could get the start in Friday’s game when the USA takes on Kazakhstan.

Defenseman Philip Larsen had no points and a game-high six shots on goal in Denmark’s 3-1 loss to Russia on Thursday.

Kari Lehtonen did not dress for Finland, which defeated France 7-1 and improved to 4-0-0 in preliminary round play. Finland plays Canada on Friday.

Tomas Vincour did not play for Czech Republic, which defeated Latvia 3-1.

Thursday’s games

USA 5, Belarus 3
Russia 3, Denmark 1
Finland 7, France 1
Czech Republic 3, Latvia 1

Friday’s games

Kazakhstan vs. USA, 8:15 a.m.
Italy vs. Czech Republic, 9:15 a.m.
Finland vs. Canada, 12:15 p.m.
Russia vs. Sweden, 1:15 p.m.

The Dallas Stars made the hiring of former GM Bob Gainey as a consultant official today. Gainey will be introduced at a press conference next Wednesday. Here's the release from the Stars.

The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has hired Bob Gainey as Senior Advisor to the Hockey Department.

Gainey, 58, returns for his second stint with the Stars’ organization. He was the club’s head coach from 1990-1996, and served as General Manager of the team from 1992-2002. Gainey was truly the architect in leading the Stars franchise to seven consecutive playoff berths, five division titles, two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, and of course, the 1999 Stanley Cup championship.

"I have great faith in the vision Tom Gaglardi, Joe Nieuwendyk and Jim Lites have in rebuilding this franchise,” said Gainey. “I'm looking forward to rejoining the organization, and lending my advice and guidance as we strive to get the Stars back on top."

"I'm extremely pleased that we are adding a respected hockey man the caliber of Bob Gainey as a senior advisor to our staff,” said Dallas Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk. “His experience and wisdom in this business is second-to-none, and he'll be an incredible asset as we continue to build our team to championship levels."

A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Gainey most recently worked in the Montreal Canadiens organization, serving in a variety of capacities, including general manager of the club from 2003-2010. He served as the Habs’ interim head coach on two occasions and was most recently a special advisor to the general manager. In his time with the Canadiens, he helped lead the team to playoff berths in four of five seasons as GM, including the 2007-08 season when Montreal ended the regular season with the Eastern Conference’s best record.

“The Stars had a fantastic opportunity to add a universally-respected hockey man in Bob Gainey to the mix, and his presence and voice will be extremely beneficial to the group moving forward,” said Stars President Jim Lites.

A 1992 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Gainey won five Stanley Cups as a player, an NHL-record four Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive forward, as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 1978 Playoffs. In 1,160 career regular season NHL games, all with the Montreal Canadiens, Gainey amassed 239 goals and 262 assists for 501 points. He added 73 points (25 goals, 48 points) in 182 career Stanley Playoff contests.