Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw was announced as an ambassador for the You Can Play Project on Thursday as part of NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" initiative in February.

The month is directed in part by the You Can Play Project, a nonprofit lending support to the LGBTQ community and dedicated to fighting homophobia in sport. Each of the NHL's 30 teams have named a You Can Play ambassador who will "lead the way" in combating homophobia in their markets.

The entire list can be found here.

Last spring, when Shaw was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, he was suspended for directing a homophobic slur at an official.

The You Can Play Project contacted the NHL, condemning Shaw's actions, but also expressing desire to work with and educate Shaw.

Shaw seemed contrite when he apologized for the incident, and now he's supporting that remorse with what will hopefully be meaningful action.

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The Minnesota Wild have signed goaltender Alex Stalock to a two-year contract extension.

The deal will be one-way in 2017-18, and a two-way contract for 2018-19, carrying a $650,000 cap hit at the NHL level.

As has become a trend this season, the contract carries expansion draft implications.

Stalock, 29, has posted a record of 14-10-4 with a 2.56 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and two shutouts in 29 games with the AHL's Iowa Wild this season.

Devna Dubnyk remains signed with the team long term, while Darcy Kuemper is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

If Stalock - who has a .911 in 62 career NHL games, all with San Jose - is not selected by Vegas, he'll be locked in as the team's backup.

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A quartet of hockey organizations will reportedly be represented at Friday's meeting regarding the NHL's potential involvement with the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea.

The NHL, NHLPA, IIHF, and IOC will all be accounted for at the discussion in New York City, and IOC president Thomas Bach and IIHF president Rene Fasel will be among the participants, TSN's Bob McKenzie confirmed following a report by Sportsnet's John Shannon.

As for the purpose of the meeting, a source told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that while no resolution to the ongoing negotiation is expected Friday, there will be "frank discussion of where things stand."

The issue of expenses has been a sticking point since the IOC implied it would stop paying for the players' travel costs and for contract insurance, but Fasel said last weekend that the IIHF has figured out a way to cover those.

"Yes, we worked really hard and I would like to thank all our member federations," Fasel told LeBrun.

If an agreement can't be worked out, McKenzie says there is a potential backup plan in the works.

Olympic participation was barely discussed when the NHL's board of governors met during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

A decision was originally expected come some time in January, although no hard deadline has been announced.

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The 16th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open is known for its raucous atmosphere and is called "the biggest party in golf" for a reason.

Players have fun with the fans sitting in the only stadium setting in golf, throwing gifts and pumping up the crowd while walking to the green.

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes added to the scene on Thursday by saluting a local hockey star Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Vladimir Tarasenko is all business.

The St. Louis Blues' best and highest-paid player refuses to dwell on general manager Doug Armstrong's decision to fire head coach Ken Hitchcock and replace him with Mike Yeo.

"There is no time to be sad," Tarasenko said, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We have a game today. There is no reason to talk about it more."

Tarasenko, who carries a salary cap hit of $7.5 million through 2022-23, is certainly doing his part to help his team win, leading the Blues with 22 goals, 49 points, and 163 shots.

The Yeo era begins Thursday at home against Toronto, with St. Louis sitting outside the Western Conference playoff picture.

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He shouldn't have to say sorry, but here we are.

Marc-Andre Fleury did some damage control Thursday after his Stadium Series mask made the rounds when Pittsburgh Penguins equipment manager Dana Heinze shared it in a tweet.

"There are guys that helped me out when I came in(to the league) and guys that I played with for a long time, guys that were good friends," Fleury explained to Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Teammates featured on the mask include Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, Max Talbot and Jordan Staal.

Of course, not everyone could fit on the special piece of headgear.

"It's tough," Fleury said. "I feel bad if I left out some guys. Just had this much room on it. I wish I had more. Maybe like a football helmet. I just tried to recognize a few. If guys are reading this, sorry. I feel bad. But I was lucky to have great teammates for all those years."

Fleury may not have been expecting the mask to be made public just yet.

He's spent 12 seasons in Pittsburgh, so putting every teammate he's ever had on it seems a little impractical. If it's any consolation, his pads were controversy-free:

The Penguins will host the Philadelphia Flyers at Heinz Field, home of the NFL's Steelers, on Feb. 25.

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Nothing is imminent on the Shane Doan trade front.

While the long-time Arizona Coyotes captain has admitted he'd be open to being moved prior to the trade deadline - albeit to a destination that "would have to be exactly perfect" - general manager John Chayka is seriously downplaying speculation on the matter.

"I haven’t had any discussions in the last several weeks now," Chayka said Wednesday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “And like I said ... I think (trade talk) is slightly overblown.

"A month away (from the trade deadline), it’s not something that’s pressing on either side," he continued. "So we’re just focused on our own team here in terms of improving in the short-term and the long-term."

Doan, 40, has been with the Coyotes franchise for the entirety of his career, dating back to the Winnipeg days. The closest he's come to a Stanley Cup, however, was a rather surprising Conference Finals appearance in 2012.

Still, that doesn't mean Doan is intent on playing for a contender in the latter stages of his career, although there is time for trade talk to heat up.

"As of now, he’s happy to be a Coyote, and we’re certainly happy to have him, and he’s not planning on leaving anytime soon," Chayka said. "But, at the same time, we’re not trending toward the playoffs and, if there’s a perfect spot that comes up, then maybe he’d be open to considering it."

Doan has recorded four goals and 11 assists in 49 games this season.

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The reeling Colorado Avalanche have dipped into the waiver pool for help on the blue line.

The club claimed defenseman Mark Barberio, who was waived Wednesday by the Montreal Canadiens.

The 26-year-old was drafted 152nd overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, and has spent more time in the AHL than in the NHL since that time.

When given a chance, first by Tampa Bay and then by Montreal, Barberio has proven to be a positive possession player, and clearly Colorado liked what they saw from the left-hand shot, who has averaged 0.66 points per game in the minors.

The Canadiens also have a bit more cap space to work with down the stretch.

In a corresponding move, the Avalanche waived defenseman Eric Gelinas.

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Good seats don't come without the risk of danger.

Los Angeles Kings forward Marian Gaborik's girlfriend, Ivana Surovcova, found that out firsthand Wednesday night when she was was hit in the face by an errant puck during the Kings' game against the Colorado Avalanche at Staples Center.

A Puck Daddy reader who witnessed it said she was sitting one section to the right of the Kings bench and that she left her seat bleeding after being struck near the eye.

Based on the photos posted by the couple, it would appear she's okay, and let's hope that's the case.

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The "Ghost Bear" will be invisible during Thursday's game against Montreal.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, along with rookie forward Travis Konecny, will be scratched for Thursday's game against the Canadiens.

The 2016 Calder Trophy runner-up has not scored in 27 games, but is most frustrated with his play in his own zone.

"It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s more frustrating to be on the ice for goals against," Gostisbehere said Wednesday, per Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. "I really don’t care about points or scoring goals. My first job is to play defense. Sometimes the way the pucks are going in the net I feel like I have bad luck, but again I can’t just use that as an excuse. I just look at that and say I can do a lot better myself."

Gostisbehere is well off the 17-goal, 46-point performance recorded in 64 games as a rookie last season, but it's not for a lack of effort. His shot rate is identical, but his shooting percentage is way down.

In five-on-five play, Gostisbehere is a positive possession player, with a Corsi rating of 53.69, highest among all Flyers defensemen. Meanwhile, his Goal For percentage sits at 33.96, the lowest among Philadelphia players at his position.

Add it all up, and the Flyers are routinely recording more shot attempts then the opposition with Gostisbehere on the ice, but are also getting drastically outscored.

Certainly there's some bad luck at work there, and the hope appears to be a night in the press box will give him a fresh view of what's going on during the game.

Gostisbehere, by the way, will be honored Friday at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Award Dinner as local athlete of the year while the Flyers are clinging to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Puckalytics)

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