The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Craig Berube after the team's 6-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

Berube had been the Blues' bench boss since November 2018. Taking over head coaching duties from Mike Yeo, Berube won the Stanley Cup with the team while still having the interim tag in his first season.

The Blues are sixth in the Central Division with a 13-14-1 record after missing the playoffs in 2022-23. St. Louis has lost four straight games and is 3-7-0 in its last 10.

Over parts of six seasons with St. Louis, Berube accumulated a 206-132-44 record. He ranks third in franchise history in games coached (382) and wins.

Berube had a season and a half remaining on a three-year contract extension signed in February 2022. After their Stanley Cup triumph in 2019, his Blues only won a single playoff series: a six-game first-round victory over the Minnesota Wild in 2022.

St. Louis named Drew Bannister as interim head coach. Bannister was head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The 49-year-old had been behind the bench of the Blues' AHL affiliate for six seasons over stints with the San Antonio Rampage, Utica Comets, and Thunderbirds.

Bannister coached the Thunderbirds to the Calder Cup Final in 2022. Springfield is 12-8-2 this season and ranks fourth in its division. He's yet to coach in the NHL.

Bannister's first game on an NHL bench will be Thursday in St. Louis, as the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.

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Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, is preparing to move both of his franchises to a proposed new arena complex in Northern Virginia, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The plan is reportedly expected to be unveiled at a press conference with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday in Alexandria, where the two teams would move to. Both franchises have played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., since 1997.

Virginia lawmakers voted on Monday to approve the project to construct a new arena, according to the Washington Post. The proposed plan still requires a final vote from the state's full general assembly.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced legislation on Tuesday that would "support a complete renovation and modernization of the Capital One Arena," according to Michael Brice-Saddler of the Washington Post. The legislation includes providing $500 million of the $800 million required for renovations over three years beginning in 2024, and it has the backing of city council.

"This proposal represents our best and final offer and is the next step in partnering with Monumental Sports to breathe new life and vibrancy into the neighborhood and to keep the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals where they belong - in Washington, D.C.," said Bowser.

Leonsis can exit the lease for Capital One Arena in 2027.

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The NHLPA is appealing Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron's six-game suspension for cross-checking Ottawa Senators blue-liner Artem Zub, the players' association announced Tuesday.

Commissioner Gary Bettman will first hear the appeal. As the ban is longer than five games, Perron and the NHLPA can go to a neutral arbitrator after Bettman's ruling, should the parties want to do so.

Bettman opted not to reduce Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson's four-game suspension for his hit on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine in October.

Perron had an in-person hearing following the incident.

Perron went after Zub after teammate Dylan Larkin was knocked to the ice in a net-front scrum. Larkin has been ruled out for at least a week with an upper-body injury.

This is the league's longest suspension since Brad Marchand was given a six-game ban for roughing and high-sticking in February 2022, per Sportsnet Stats.

If the sentence isn't reduced, Perron is eligible to return to action on Dec. 22 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Perron, 35, is in the second campaign of a two-year, $9.5-million contract with the Red Wings. He's registered 13 points in 26 games this season.

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The NHL announced plans Tuesday for a new-look skills competition during this season's All-Star Weekend.

The revamped format will feature 12 All-Stars competing for points across eight events. The player with the most points at the end of the night will take home a $1-million prize.

Eight skaters from the 44-player pool will be selected by the league, and the final four will be voted into the competition by fans.

Each player will choose to compete in four of the first six events. The top eight point-earners will advance to the seventh event, and the top six will move on to the final.

Specific details on the events are yet to be revealed, but here's a look at the order of the scheduled festivities as well as the points system.

1. Fastest skater
2. Hardest shot
3. Stick-handling
4. One-timers
5. Passing challenge
6. Accuracy shooting
7. Shootout
8. Obstacle course

* - Points will be doubled for the final event.

The league relied heavily on Connor McDavid's feedback for ways to improve the event.

"I think his endorsement, more than anybody's, was one of the reasons why we felt like we got something here," NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer told Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "At the end of the day, we're trying to find out who is the most skilled player.

"You know, a million dollars is a big deal. These guys are going to compete hard."

In November, the NHL announced the return of the player draft for the three-on-three tournament that will take place the day after the skills competition.

All-Star Weekend begins Feb. 2 in Toronto.

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San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture worried about the future of his playing career while rehabbing a lower-body injury that's kept him out of the entire 2023-24 season.

Couture met with the media for the first time in months on Tuesday and opened up about the struggles of being sidelined for an extended period.

"I can honestly say two months ago, I would wake up and didn't know if I was ever going to play in the NHL again," he said, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. "It's something that I thought of many, many days."

He added: "When you're injured, your mind does some crazy things. There are some crazy thoughts. This is my life, and this is what I love to do, and your body doesn’t allow you to do it."

Couture and the Sharks haven't offered any specifics about the 34-year-old's injury. In late September, he was given a week-to-week recovery period and was hopeful to be ready for San Jose's season opener. He is now out indefinitely.

"That was the toughest part, the unknown," Couture said. "The waking up one day and feeling good, then waking up the next day and feeling really crappy. Just not knowing there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no timeline set, just kind of a week-by-week, day-by-day thing."

Couture has resumed skating but isn't yet practicing with his teammates. A potential return to game action remains unclear.

The Sharks drafted Couture ninth overall in 2007. He's racked up 700 points in 927 career games with the franchise and was named captain in 2019.

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