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AHL Syracuse Crunch

Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman

July 3, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


Syracuse, NY (July 3, 2008) - The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman from the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche.

Tyutin, who will turn 25 on July 19, has registered 15 goals, 51 assists and 159 penalty minutes in 250 career NHL games with the Rangers. Backman, 28, has tallied 72 points (21g, 51a) and 150 penalty minutes in 246 career NHL games with the Rangers and St. Louis Blues.

A 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Izhevsk, Russia, Tyutin was the Rangers' second pick, 40th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played one season of junior hockey with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League and two in the Russian Elite League before splitting the 2003-04 season between New York and its American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford. After spending the 2004-05 campaign with Hartford and St. Petersburg (Russia), he played his first full season in the NHL in 2006-07 and notched 14 points (2g, 12a) and 44 penalty minutes in 66 games. Last season, he tallied 20 points (5g, 15a) and 43 penalty minutes in 82 games.

Tyutin (pronounced TYOO-tihn) has also captured three gold medals playing for Russia in international competition. This past spring, he tallied 1 assist and 6 penalty minutes in 6 games to help Russia capture the gold at the World Championships. He also won gold medals at the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships. In addition, he tallied 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes in 8 games for Russia at the 2006 Olympic Games.

Backman was St. Louis' first pick, 24th overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the next four seasons playing in his native Sweden before making his North American debut in 2002-03. He appeared in 4 games with the Blues that season and registered 27 points (8g, 19a) and 66 penalty minutes in 72 games with the AHL's Worcester IceCats. As an NHL rookie in 2003-04, he collected 18 points (5g, 13a) and 16 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Blues.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound blueliner spent the 2004-05 campaign with Frolunda (Sweden) and then spent the next two-plus seasons with St. Louis before joining the Rangers during the 2007-08 season. He combined for 18 points (3g, 15a) and 50 penalty minutes, including 8 points (2g, 6a) and 20 penalty minutes in 18 games with New York. He also appeared in 8 Stanley Cup Playoffs games with the Rangers, racking up 12 penalty minutes.

A native of Alingsas, Sweden, Backman tallied 3 points (1g, 2a) in 8 games at the 2006 Olympic Games, helping Sweden capture the gold medal. He has also represented his country at the 2004 and 2005 World Championships, winning a silver medal in 2004, was named to Sweden's 2004 World Cup of Hockey Team and appeared in the 1999 and 2000 World Junior Championship Tournaments.

Fritsche, 23, appeared in 23 combined games in 2003-04 and 2005-06 with the Crunch, tallying 7 goals, 4 assists and 12 penalty minutes. A native of Parma, Ohio, Fritsche was drafted by Columbus in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Season tickets for the 2008-09 season are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Crunch office at (315) 473- 4444 or by stopping by the Crunch office in the War Memorial at Oncenter.

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