The Calgary Flames fired head coach Geoff Ward and hired former Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter as his replacement, the team announced following Thursday's 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Calgary replaced former bench boss Bill Peters with Ward in November 2019 on an interim basis. He led the club to a 24-15-3 record last season before being made permanent head coach in September.

The Flames struggled to carry over that momentum to this season, however and have won three of their last nine games while ranking 23rd overall with 2.71 goals for per game.

Sutter served as Flames head coach from 2002-2006 and led the club to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004. He last coached in the NHL with Los Angeles in 2016-17 and won a pair of Cups with the Kings.

Ward is the second head coach to be fired this season. The Montreal Canadiens dismissed Claude Julien on Feb. 24.

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Walter Gretzky died Thursday at the age of 82 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and other health issues, his son Wayne announced.

"For me, he was the reason I fell in love with the game of hockey. He inspired me to be the best I could be not just in the game of hockey, but in life," Gretzky tweeted. "We will miss him so much, but know that he's back with our Mom and that brings me and my family peace."

Walter was born in 1938 in Canning, Ontario. He showed a keen interest in hockey from a young age, but his smaller size never allowed him to progress beyond the junior level. He eventually became an installer and repairman for Bell Canada for 34 years.

Wayne consistently credited Walter's coaching and support in the early years of his life as the foundation that enabled him to become the game's greatest player of all time. Walter was often referred to as Canada's hockey dad.

"He taught me the basics of life as far as schooling, as far as how I treated people," Wayne said in a 1996 interview with CBC-TV. "I don't think there's any question in my mind I wouldn't be playing professional hockey if it wasn't for him."

Walter was a major contributor to minor hockey in Canada and multiple charities throughout his life and was named to the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest honors, in 2007 for his work and dedication.

Walter's wife of 45 years, Phyllis, died in 2005 after a battle with lung cancer. He is survived by his children Wayne, Kim, Keith, Glen, and Brent, his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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Walter Gretzky, the father of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, passed away Thursday at the age of 82. The hockey world came together following the news to share their condolences and memories of Canada's No. 1 hockey dad.

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce was fined $5,000 for a dangerous trip on Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri during Thursday's contest, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Pesce, 26, was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping on the play, while Fabbri avoided injury.

The 6-foot-4 blue-liner had never received supplemental discipline over 371 prior NHL games.

Pesce has contributed three goals and 13 points over 18 games this season while ranking second on the Hurricanes in blocked shots (28) and third in average ice time (22:32).

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Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson will miss Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to The Athletic's Rick Dhaliwal.

The 22-year-old didn't finish Thursday's morning skate, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji. The star pivot is battling an unknown ailment, though it isn't believed to be serious, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

In a corresponding move pre-game, the Canucks activated forward Marc Michaelis, who's expected to make his NHL debut in Pettersson's place, Dhaliwal added.

Pettersson has 10 goals and 11 assists in 26 games this season.

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Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving is looking to add a right-shooting right-winger to his team, TSN's Frank Seravalli reported on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

The Flames have often deployed Elias Lindholm as their top right-winger, but he's frequently played as a center this season, and the team prefers to have him centering its second line, Seravalli added.

Josh Leivo, Brett Ritchie, Buddy Robinson, Glenn Gawdin, Derek Ryan, and Lindholm are the only right-shooting forwards to appear on Calgary's active roster this season.

Flames head coach Geoff Ward has been shuffling his lines throughout the season as the team struggles to find consistency. This is how the lineup looked Thursday morning ahead of Calgary's game against the Ottawa Senators:

The Flames sit fifth in the North Division with a 10-11-2 record. Calgary also ranks 22nd in the league with 59 goals scored.

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San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld is suspended two games for his hit to the head of Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon during Wednesday's contest, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.

Blichfeld was ejected for the hit, while MacKinnon exited the game with 12 minutes remaining and didn't return.

It was Blichfeld's first game of the season and just the fourth of his NHL career. The 22-year-old had never previously faced supplemental discipline.

MacKinnon, 25, tallied one assist in the 4-0 win. The 6-foot pivot has scored five goals and leads the club with 22 points through 19 games this season.

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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was activated from the COVID-19 list and is in the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, the team announced.

Crosby was placed in the protocol Tuesday and subsequently missed that night's 5-2 victory over the Flyers.

The 33-year-old is tied for the team lead in goals (seven), assists (11), and points (18) through 20 games.

Assistant coach Todd Reirden, who was placed in the protocol Tuesday as well, is also cleared to return Thursday.

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Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm will miss six weeks with a fractured left wrist, the team announced Thursday.

Lindholm, 27, suffered the injury during Saturday's overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights. He missed the previous three games with a lower-body injury.

The Swedish blue-liner ranks second on the club in average ice time per game (22:02) and has tallied two goals and six points through 18 outings this season.

Anaheim has lost eight consecutive contests and owns the second-worst points percentage (.370) in the league entering Thursday's action.

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