The Edmonton Oilers and the family of the late Colby Cave have established a fund to carry on his memory, the club announced Tuesday.
Proceeds will be donated to community programs with an emphasis on mental health initiatives, and those that give underprivileged children access to sports.
Cave, who died at the age of 25 on Saturday after suffering a brain bleed earlier in the week, was a "committed and positive member of the communities in which he played, eagerly volunteering for charitable initiatives and always stopping to say hi to fans," according to the team.
The forward's death elicited an immediate outpouring of grief from all corners of the hockey world. Residents in his hometown of Battleford, Saskatchewan also showed support upon the family's return to the province by lining a local highway on Monday.
This week, theScore's hockey editors are evaluating the best captains from each NHL club since the 2000-01 season. The selections are based on individual and team success, as well as popularity and the character shown by the choices during their tenures in this era. The Vegas Golden Knights aren't included because they've never named a captain.
Scott Niedermayer may not have served as the Ducks' captain for as long as Ryan Getzlaf, but it's impossible to argue against the results that came with Niedermayer wearing the "C."
After winning multiple Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils, Niedermayer was the piece that pushed Anaheim over the top, helping the Ducks claim the title in 2007 while winning the Conn Smythe Trophy along the way. Niedermayer also posted his best individual seasons while captaining the Ducks, recording the three highest point totals of his career.
Arizona Coyotes
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Shane Doan was the Coyotes' unquestioned leader and face of the franchise for much of his career. He was the team's captain for 13 of his 21 seasons while spending his entire NHL career with the organization before retiring in 2017.
The former forward is the team's all-time leader in goals, assists, points, and games played. While Arizona didn't experience much playoff success during his time as captain, Doan helped the club make three straight postseason appearances from 2010 to 2012 (the Coyotes' only three berths since 2001-02), including a run to the Western Conference Final in 2012.
Calgary Flames
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If you created an NHL captain in a laboratory, they probably still wouldn't be as well suited for the role as Jarome Iginla.
The Flames' all-time leading scorer was everything you could ask for in a leader. If his team needed a big goal, the two-time "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner would find the back of the net. If a flip in momentum was required, the captain would deliver a thunderous hit. Mess with his teammates? Be prepared to eat some knuckles.
Calgary made the playoffs in each of Iginla's first five seasons donning the "C," with a run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final highlighting that stretch.
Edmonton Oilers
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Some well-respected, blue-collar players have led the Oilers over the last couple of decades, including Jason Smith, Ethan Moreau, and Shawn Horcoff. However, the franchise hasn't had a leader like Connor McDavid since Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky were around.
McDavid is the new face of the NHL. He's handled some rough times in Edmonton with maturity, and his fearless work ethic was shown during McDavid's grueling knee rehab this past summer. He's the no-brainer choice.
Los Angeles Kings
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While Anze Kopitar is clearly the superior player, the Kings enjoyed their best years with Dustin Brown as their captain, claiming the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.
Brown isn't a superstar, but he was the heart and soul of a mostly competitive squad as Los Angeles' captain for eight seasons. Meanwhile, the more talented Kopitar's production has been inconsistent during his nearly four campaigns wearing the "C," and the Kings have been one of the NHL's worst teams over the last two years, though that's certainly not the veteran's fault alone.
Conversely, with Brown leading the charge, the Kings made the playoffs five straight times from 2010 to 2014, including a conference-final berth in 2013 between their Stanley Cup wins.
All three produced remarkably similar point totals during those spans, with Pavelski registering 276 points, Thornton notching 263, and Marleau collecting 283. However, Pavelski gets the edge due to his postseason results, with the team advancing as far as the conference finals twice during his tenure, including the franchise's only trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
Vancouver Canucks
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Henrik Sedin took over as captain from Roberto Luongo (remember that fun experiment?) for the 2010-11 season, beginning his run as the greatest captain in Canucks history.
Vancouver went to the Stanley Cup Final that season in its first of back-to-back Presidents' Trophy-winning campaigns. Hank posted 498 points in 602 games as captain, and his No. 33 was appropriately retired alongside his twin brother Daniel's No. 22 this past season.
Two-time Stanley Cup champion Kris Versteeg announced his retirement from professional hockey Tuesday.
“What a run it was," he said in a statement. "A kid from North Lethbridge who played on the streets every day, dreaming of playing in the NHL."
The 33-year-old spent 11 seasons in the NHL, last appearing in the 2017-18 campaign. He spent the majority of the last two seasons playing overseas.
Versteeg was a part of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks' Cup-winning squad, tallying 14 points in 22 games during the playoffs. He was one of the club's many cap casualties after that season, getting traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. His time with Toronto was short-lived, as he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers later that season before getting traded again to the Florida Panthers the following year.
The 5-foot-11 winger missed out on the second Stanley Cup of Chicago's dynasty in 2013 but returned to the Windy City in time to hoist the trophy in 2015. Following that season, he bounced around between the Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and the Calgary Flames before his NHL career came to an end.
Versteeg tallied four 20-goal seasons, two 50-point seasons, and a total of 358 points in his 643-game career.
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The NHL's self-quarantine recommendation has been prolonged through April 30, the league announced Tuesday.
It had previously instructed players, coaches and staff to do so through April 15.
Kittle has a budding bromance with Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg, who both spend most of their summers in Nashville. They were introduced through their girlfriends.
"It's been really fun to be friends with someone in another sport. I think hockey is the hardest sport because I can't skate to save my life. I don't understand how they can move like they do," Kittle told The Athletic's Adam Vingan. "I have an appreciation for it, and being able to be a friend with one of the best hockey players in the NHL has been pretty cool for me."
Kittle's position requires a unique skill set in which he's forced to block like an offensive lineman but catch passes like a wide receiver. He was named an All-Pro after his second straight 1,000-yard season and helped the Niners reach the Super Bowl.
Despite possessing rare athleticism of his own, Kittle is blown away by what Forsberg and other NHLers are able to do on the ice.
"The fact that Fil is more comfortable on skates than he is on land or grass is just insane to me," Kittle said. "I have the fake ice and a hockey goal and I get out and shoot sometimes, especially now when I'm stuck at home. I don't know how they do that stuff while on skates. Everything that they do, they're playing at high speed at all times. It's physical. It's a grind. It's a ton of games. You're traveling everywhere. I just respect the grind.
"I just respect the whole game of hockey. I think, honestly, it's just a beautiful masterpiece when it's played well."
Hockey Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk has completed the final round of his chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with stomach cancer in August, his son Eric confirmed Monday.
Today my dad finished his final round of chemo Protocol in Barrie. Got to ring the “Bell of Hope” on his way out. “We hope” this is the end of a long journey but he’s ready for anything. Thanks to everyone who has reached out. Means the world to us.Thinking of you all #DaleStrongpic.twitter.com/4mP58YY3Ie
The former NHL star spent nine seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and five with the Buffalo Sabres before wrapping up his career with the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers. He produced 1,409 points in 1,188 regular-season games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
The 57-year-old Hawerchuk then coached the OHL's Barrie Colts from 2010-19, when he stepped down due to his cancer diagnosis.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged Monday that even if his league gets the green light to resume the 2019-20 campaign, it will take time for players to prepare for game action.
"As much as you may try to stay in shape with a home gym, our guys haven’t been on the ice for a month and they’re going to need two-to-three weeks to get back into playing shape," Bettman told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“So as much as we may worry about keeping everybody, not just our players or the NHL family, but everybody safe from the coronavirus, we also want to make sure that our players don't jeopardize their health by coming back too soon and not being in game shape.”
The NHL has been mulling a number of options for a potential resumption of the current season, including playing games at neutral sites. The league is also reportedly willing to delay next season's commencement until November if the current campaign can be salvaged.
Bettman confirmed Monday that essentially all options remain on the table. He added that the league will be ready to move quickly if an opportunity to return arises.
"We're exploring and want to be prepared for every option - whenever the circumstances present themselves - so we haven't ruled anything in, we haven't ruled anything out and we'll be prepared to go in whatever direction makes sense at the time," he said.
After a controversial victory in Game 6, Gretzky put on a show in Game 7, potting a hat trick and adding an assist as the Kings won 5-4. With the win, L.A. punched a ticket to its first-ever final, leaving Cup-hungry Leafs fans in the dust.
