The Dallas Stars have announced that Dave Strader, their local play-by-play man and a longtime contributing voice for the NHL on NBC, has been diagnosed with cancer.

Stars president and CEO Jim Lites released this statement:

The Dallas Stars are deeply saddened to learn of Dave Strader's cancer diagnosis. As he goes through his treatment, all of our thoughts and prayers are directed to Dave, his wife Colleen, their son Christopher and his wife Karen and daughter Sydney, their son Casey and his wife Dr. Mary, and their son Trevor. We wish Dave a full recovery and will support him through his battle.

Strader was the NHL on NBC's No. 2 announcer before replacing Ralph Strangis as Dallas' local play-by-play voice this season. He called multiple Stanley Cup Finals for the NHL's international feed before signing on with FOX Sports Southwest.

"I realize I have a challenge and fight ahead of me," Strader wrote. "With my wife Colleen and our family, along with the full support of the Dallas Stars organization, we are ready to meet this challenge. We don't have to look very far for inspiration as Bekki Nill has shown us all how to meet this dreaded disease head-on. Personally, her example will serve as a great guide. I want to thank everyone for their support as I proceed with treatment."

One of the most respected voices in the NHL has received an outpouring of support from the hockey community, which includes a message from his partner in the broadcast booth, Darryl Reaugh.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were crowned the 2016 Stanley Cup champions with their 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, and now have a custom WWE title belt to look forward to.

WWE legend Triple H congratulated the team on Twitter, giving a shoutout to the "HBK" line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel. He also let them know that there's a belt coming their way.

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Daniel Alfredsson will stay in his senior advisor role with the Ottawa Senators for another season.

Senators owner Eugene Melnyk announced Monday that Alfredsson will continue with his duties for another season on a one-year extension.

"It is great to have Daniel back as part of the Senators' hockey department," Melnyk wrote in an official team release. "It is wonderful to know that Daniel and his family are returning to Ottawa and will once again make the nation's capital their home.

"I look forward to the contributions Daniel will continue to make with our hockey club and in the community."

Newly-minted general manager Pierre Dorion relayed similar sentiment.

"Daniel offers a fresh perspective and unique insights on what we do in hockey operations," he said. "We feel this year we'll be able to build on his experiences from last year and he'll continue to be a valuable asset to our staff."

The franchise's all-time leader in virtually every major statistical category, Alfredsson spent 17 years in Ottawa before playing his final season with the Detroit Red Wings.

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There's an exception for everything.

Pittsburgh Penguins black ace Steven Oleksy sampled alcohol for the first time in his 30 years Sunday night as he and his teammates celebrated their Stanley Cup championship.

It can't taste any sweeter.

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The San Jose Sharks fell two wins short of hockey's ultimate prize, setting franchise record after franchise record along the way on an incredible postseason run.

But after four grueling series and two extra months of maximum effort, it's difficult for the Sharks to find many positives after being eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final.

"The playing, the traveling, playing every other day for a long time, you can't believe you're still not playing," captain Joe Pavelski said, according to Shawn Roarke of NHL.com. "It doesn't feel like it should ever end and that you should keep playing."

Polarizing Sharks forward Joe Thornton, who reached his first Final in his 18-year career is also coming to grips with the loss.

"It (stinks), you know," Thornton said. "That's the bottom line, it (stinks). We thought we had the team by going through the teams we went through in the West (to get here). It's just tough right now."

However, charismatic defenseman Brent Burns was able to shed some light on the darkness, declaring the camaraderie within his team.

"It's been such a great run," Burns said. "It's been fun."

"I don't even know what day it is. I know it is June. But whatever day it is, this is a special group of guys. Sometimes, you lose in the first or second round and it feels hard, and then you get a group like this and you get a chance (to go all the way) and it has just been fun."

As fun as it may have been, the blur of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will surely take it's toll on everybody.

"It'll hit the body in a couple days," Burns said. "And it won't feel good."

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Get ready for a parade, Pittsburgh.

The Penguins will celebrate their fourth Stanley Cup downtown on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. ET, the city announced on its official website.

Here's the parade route:

The parade route will follow a similar route as previous championship parades that took place in 2009. The route will begin on Grant Street at Liberty Avenue, travel along Grant Street to the Boulevard of the Allies, turn right onto the Boulevard of the Allies and will end at the intersection of the Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. A stage will be set up at Stanwix Street for celebratory remarks from Pittsburgh Penguins personnel.

Road closures and parade route barricade installation will begin at 12:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

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The legend of Matt Cullen grows.

After the 39-year-old lifted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career Sunday, he revealed that he'd been playing with a broken big toe since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to DKPittsburghSports.com's Josh Yohe.

Cullen finished the postseason with four goals and two assists in 24 games, averaging 13:50 in ice time per game. The injury seemed to have affected him, though, as he went pointless in the Stanley Cup Final and last 11 games.

Captain Sidney Crosby explained, though, that what Cullen brought to the team was far more than could be conveyed in the box score.

"I think with Cully, he brings a lot of leadership, a lot of experience. To play the role he did at his age, I think everyone is tired at this point, he was playing a lot of important minutes for us, defensive zone faceoffs, penalty kill," Crosby said. "He was doing a lot of things for us. He was scoring some big goals. He had some huge goals throughout the playoffs.

"He just brought a lot of leadership. With so many new guys, it's nice to have someone come in like that that takes it upon himself right away. He didn't kind of wait to feel comfortable. You could tell he was comfortable right away. That goes a long way."

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You can make a good argument that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel deserved the Conn Smythe Trophy, after he led his Stanley Cup-winning squad in scoring. But you can't make the argument that Sidney Crosby, the Conn Smythe winner, didn't deserve the hardware.

For all the talent on Pittsburgh, the Pens are Crosby's team. As he goes, they go. And by all accounts, No. 87 was on a mission this spring to win his second career Cup and cement himself as one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Make no mistake: He is unquestionably one of the best of all time, as evidenced simply by the company he now keeps.

While Kessel outscored Crosby in the playoffs, Crosby's statistics are strong, and his two-way game doesn't show up in the box score.

Going back to 2006, here are the Conn Smythe Trophy winners and their statistics. The table below does not include three goalies who have taken home the trophy in the past 11 years - Cam Ward, Tim Thomas, and Jonathan Quick.

Even based on his production, Crosby was deserving. And the above doesn't take into account the fact that the San Jose Sharks scored only 12 goals in six games, and that Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Patrick Marleau were all completely shut down in the final.

And now, Crosby's won it all. Two Stanley Cups. One Conn Smythe. Two Olympic gold medals. The Hart Trophy, twice. World Championship gold. World Junior gold. There's nothing left, but more Cups and more Conn Smythes.

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Although they've only been teammates for six months, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist share a special bond.

Traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Anaheim Ducks in December, Hagelin found himself on his third team in a calendar year, and it was Hornqvist that made the transition easy.

A rather nice transition it was, too, as Hagelin and Hornqvist chipped in 16 and 13 points, respectively, on their march to the Stanley Cup.

Teammates and countrymen of Sweden, Hagelin thought the world of Hornqvist passing him the Cup during the celebration.

"Everything. He's the reason why I fit in right away," Hagelin said postgame. "He took me under his wings and he had a lot of respect in the room, which gave me a lot of respect. Just in general, all the meals he's cooked for me, I hope it's the same thing this summer."

Both will represent the Three Crowns at the World Cup of Hockey in September and defend their title starting in October.

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Sunday wasn't the first time Ian Cole gazed at Lord Stanley's mug.

The morning after the Pittsburgh Penguins' title triumph, the defenseman and Ann Arbor. Mich., native shared a photo of his younger self and father posing with the Stanley Cup from a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Cole used the photo as a launch point to extend his gratitude to those who helped him become a Stanley Cup champion, and, of course, to Penguins fans.

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