Joel Ward isn't a fan of media day.

The San Jose Sharks forward let it be known Sunday that he'd rather be watching television hours before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"I don't like the hoopla too much," Ward said, according to Sports Illustrated's Alex Prewitt. "I'd rather be hibernating, caved up in my room, watching 'Ellen.'"

The "Ellen" watching is working for Ward, and pro athletes are nothing if not creatures of habit. The 35-year-old had the second-best statistical season of his career, scoring 21 goals and adding 22 assists in 79 games. He's been a force in the postseason as well, with six goals and five assists in 18 games.

It's the unheralded guys who go a long way in helping a team lift the Stanley Cup, and the Washington Capitals were open about the fact they missed Ward after they were eliminated in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Game 1 between the Penguins and Sharks goes Monday at 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Joe Thornton's playoff beard is nothing short of majestic.

Upkeep, however, is taxing.

In terms of how it's being received at home, the reviews are mixed.

On one hand, Thornton said his wife "hates it," but the family kitten enjoys putting her paws in it.

Until this Stanley Cup chase is over, the cat's likely going to remain the happier of the two.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There are few things to complain about when you're getting ready to play in the Stanley Cup Final.

Case in point, Pittsburgh Penguins leading playoff scorer Phil Kessel is taking a rather level-headed approach to the baffling decision not to include him in Team USA's World Cup roster.

Related: John Scott wants to form World Cup team with Phil Kessel, other snubs

"You're always disappointed, but it is what it is, Kessel told reporters Sunday. "I think I’ve had a pretty good playoffs and I’ve always done pretty good for them when I’ve played (for Team USA). But we are in the Stanley Cup Final, so I can't be that disappointed."

He wasn't the only one surprised by the omission.

Kessel led the American team in scoring at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and is averaging a point per game in the postseason, but the powers that be decided to go a different direction in terms of team building.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The stage has been set for the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks beginning their series Monday at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Who will take home the Cup this year?

Watch on as the Penguins and Sharks battle it out in an NHL 94 simulation of the final. (Hint: it's a sweep.)

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Trevor Daley is keeping the door ever-so-slightly open on a return during the Stanley Cup Final.

The Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman suffered an ankle injury on May 21 that effectively ended his postseason, and while Daley admitted Sunday the expected timeline of recovery is four-to-eight weeks, he's not ready to rule himself out completely.

Even if the series goes seven games, Daley would have been out of the lineup only three-and-a-half weeks. He will not, however, require surgery.

Daley averaged over 22 minutes of ice time per game through 15 playoff appearances, and contributed a goal and an assist to the Penguins' offense.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Madison Bowey of the Hershey Bears will not face further discipline following a questionable hit and possible homophobic slur directed at Toronto Marlies forward Kasperi Kapanen in Game 4 of the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference Final on Friday night

The Washington Capitals defensive prospect was cleared Saturday of any wrongdoing in regards to the alleged slur, and will not be suspended for the this hit delivered to Kapanen prior to that incident, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.

Kapanen, meanwhile, remains questionable for the next game.

Game 5 of the series, which Hershey leads 3-1, is set for 3 pm EST on Sunday in Toronto.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Call them the people's champions.

Following Friday's World Cup roster announcements, NHL All-Star MVP John Scott took to Instagram to address the exclusion of Phil Kessel from Team USA.

Scott's proposal, framed around a grainy photo of an infamous preseason stick-swinging incident back in 2013, is to enter his own team along with Kessel and others who have been overlooked.

Add P.K. Subban to the mix, and that's a squad we can get behind.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues forward Scottie Upshall played the second and third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a dislocated and broken right thumb.

The injury was suffered in a Game 7, first-round win over the Chicago Blackhawks, and clearly limited his ability to contribute from that point.

"I felt it pop out," he revealed Saturday, according to Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "They taped it up, and here we go."

"I was starting to become a passer," he added, admitting the injury is what kept him out of three games against the San Jose Sharks. "It was my top hand, so it restricted me a bit. Obviously I didn't feel my best puck handling but I got through it. It didn't get any worse, which is good."

Upshall is scheduled to have an MRI to assess the damage, but may not be able to fill out the required forms on his own.

"It's what makes us human, what we're able to do with our thumbs," he said. "I can't write any more."

Upshall finished the playoffs with one goal, two assists, and 14 shots in 17 games played.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.