As of right now, the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang are not on Gary Bettman's mind.
The NHL commissioner was at Busch Stadium on Tuesday to discuss January's Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, but touched on other topics during his press conference.
One of the focal points was whether there's been any progress regarding NHLers participating in South Korea, and according to Bettman, there hasn't.
"We probably won't get to it in terms of serious discussions one way or another with players' association and the IIHF and the IOC until winter. It's not on the front burner right now," Bettman said, according to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
Ahead of the start of the Stanley Cup Final in May, Bettman said NHL teams likely aren't interested in interrupting the regular-season schedule, adding that the financial situation is the biggest hurdle to get the players to the games.
If the multiple parties are unable to reach a deal, it would mark the first time since the Nagano games in 1998 that NHL players won't participate.
Former NHLer Ray Whitney finally made it to the Olympics - but he isn't playing, and these aren't the Winter Games. The point is, though, he made it, albeit in unconventional fashion
Whitney is serving as Canadian golfer Graham DeLaet's caddy at Rio 2016, writes The News Observer's Luke DeCock, after DaLaet's caddy - recently married - turned down his invitation over concerns about the Zika virus.
"I mean, it's not how I thought I'd get to the Olympics," Whitney said. But he's in Rio now, and trying to enjoy the experience. He knows what he's there for.
"(DeLaet) knows I know how to play the game. He's going to read his own putts. But I can talk strategy with him, keep him loose. It's no different than when I was in the locker room, trying to keep Roddie (Brind'Amour) loose."
While Whitney always dreamed of playing hockey for Canada at the Olympics, he knew the odds were slim, writes DeCock, despite a career that saw him record an impressive 1,064 points.
DeLaet and Whitney - now a scout with the Carolina Hurricanes - play golf against each other in Arizona, where they both live, and DeLaet was impressed with Whitney's game.
"I wanted a Canadian with me, and I was kind of running through the names and thought it would be a lot of fun. He's a guy who's got experience winning, a real positive guy who likes to have a lot of fun," DeLaet said. "That's really what I was looking for as a rent-a-caddy for the week."
Ray Whitney: A rent-a-caddy with a Stanley Cup ring and, just maybe, an Olympic medal. That'd be something.
Nothing will stop Jack Johnson from representing the United States at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.
The Columbus Blue Jackets defender saw last season cut short after undergoing shoulder surgery in March, but offseason rehab has nursed him to perfect health ahead of the World Cup.
"I've got my family at home, so I spend a lot of time at home with my wife and my little girl. And then just training and rehab to get my shoulder back to 100 percent, which it is now, so I put in a lot of time on that," Johnson told Andy Brown of BlueJackets.com. "Right now I've got about a month left before World Cup of Hockey, so just making sure I'm in shape for that."
While he's never played in this event, Johnson has represented his country on numerous occasions - most recently as U.S. captain at the 2012 World Championship - and admits the the thrill of wearing his country's colors never wears off.
"I don't think it's ever routine, I've been very fortunate playing a lot of tournaments for the United States," said Johnson. "This was the one tournament that I haven't played in yet, so I'm really cherishing this opportunity.
"There's absolutely nothing routine about it, whenever you get a chance to represent the United States it could be your last, so you try to cherish it, and make it count."
Krushelnyski part of Gretzky package, one other player to LA. Hearing numerous 1st-round picks and cash on the way to Edmonton. Wow.
Now, at this point, Hockey Twitter all but explodes. Imagine Sidney Crosby being traded. Now multiply that reaction by about 1,000. This one would have left Down Goes Brown speechless.
The Los Angeles Kings' top six will look a little different this season.
The club watched Milan Lucic sign a monstrous seven-year, $42-million contract with the Edmonton Oilers, leaving a large gap up front that forward Tyler Toffoli admits won't be easy to fill.
"It's tough," Toffoli said, according to NHL.com's Curtis Zupke. "He's a great player, a great guy to have in the room. But he's moved on and we're going to have to play against him and play hard against him."
Toffoli spent a large portion of last season playing alongside Lucic, and can thank the newest Oiler for much of his success.
The 24-year-old set career highs in both goals and points with 31 and 58, respectively, and Lucic had a hand in 18 of his 58 points.
With no big-time additions during the offseason, the offense will have to be replaced from within.
While the move to sign Alexander Radulov may have perturbed much of the Montreal Canadiens faithful, it is one that could pay off if given the chance.
The club inked the Russian forward to a one-year, $5.75-million contract on July 1, and while it appears to be a risk - given Radulov's questionable history - captain Max Pacioretty feels the Canadiens have an extreme talent on their hands, an opinion that was satisfied after watching a few YouTube clips.
"He could be one of the top-5 skilled players in the world right now," Pacioretty told reporters at Michel Therrien's charity golf tournament on Tuesday. "That's a guy as soon as we signed him I looked at his highlights on YouTube and I got goosebumps because this guy is one of the most skilled players in the world, and I'm really excited to play with him."
Heading into next season, Pacioretty feels the Canadiens could be underestimated, especially after their porous 13th place finish in the Eastern Conference last year. He feels that the team's opening day roster will be no pushover.
"I think we can go into this year and fly under the radar a little bit because of the year we had last year, but you pull up our roster and we really like the team we are about to ice," said Pacioretty. "We addressed areas that needed to be addressed. Our power play wasn't good enough last year and we need to score more goals.
"Shea (Weber) scores goals and Shawsy's (Andrew Shaw) really tough to play against, and that's an area we really need to get better at, and Radulov can help out in all departments as well."
Radulov has spent the past eight seasons in the KHL where he has captured the Golden Stick Award as the league's MVP three times.
As the world turned its attention to Michael Phelps during the 200M butterfly semifinals Monday night, the 19-time gold medalist revealed his game face, and the internet jumped all over it.
While meme enthusiasts rejoiced, Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews - appropriately nicknamed Captain Serious - also got in on the fun.
On Jan. 2, Busch Stadium will transform from a diamond to a rink, as the St. Louis Blues host the Chicago Blackhawks in the ninth running of the NHL's Winter Classic.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, along with executives from both teams, gathered at the home of the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday to discuss the game. Bettman said he's thrilled to be hosting the event in a rapidly growing market.
"What better way to celebrate 100 years of NHL hockey than playing in the shadow of the Gateway Arch," Bettman said, according to NHL.com. "At the same time we will be able to spotlight the incredible growth of hockey in St. Louis. There will be plenty of history to commemorate and lots of excitement to anticipate."
The Blues are coming off their most successful season in recent memory, advancing to the conference finals for the first time in 15 years.
What's more, five St. Louis natives were taken in the first round of this year's draft.
Player
Team
Overall pick
Matthew Tkachuk
Calgary Flames
5th
Clayton Keller
Arizona Coyotes
7th
Logan Brown
Ottawa Senators
11th
Luke Kunin
Minnesota Wild
15th
Trent Frederic
Boston Bruins
28th
The football team may have left town, but hockey is alive and well in The Gateway City.
