The statue of Mario Lemieux outside Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena was spray-painted Saturday.

Protests across the United States began this week and continued into the weekend in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who died Monday after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes while holding him in handcuffs.

Floyd's death was the latest example of police action leading to the death of an unarmed black person.

The Lemieux statue was erected in 2012 to honor the career and achievements of the legendary former Penguins forward.

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Logan Couture is taking teammate Evander Kane's words to heart and speaking out against institutional racism in hockey and beyond.

"I don't know how to properly write this message," the San Jose Sharks captain wrote Saturday in a statement on Twitter. "First of all, I applaud Evander for speaking the truth. Racism exists in society, (and) it also exists in hockey. That's a fact. Growing up in this game is a privilege. At times I think most of us have been at fault for turning a blind eye when it comes to racism.

"It cannot continue," he continued. "I've had the opportunity to play with some incredible teammates. Black, white, all colors. Getting to listen to them talk about things they have gone through in hockey/life is eye-opening. As a society and as hockey players, we are only scraping the surface in fixing what desperately needs fixing."

Kane made his feelings known Friday, saying, "We've been outraged for hundreds of years and nothing's changed," and calling upon white athletes like Sidney Crosby and Tom Brady to denounce racial injustice in the wake of incidents like the death of George Floyd.

Akim Aliu has been the leading voice of late in the movement seeking to combat racism in hockey. The former player's November revelations of Bill Peters' past use of racial slurs toward him led to the former head coach resigning from the Calgary Flames, and Aliu later met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss how the league could be more inclusive.

"Thanks to Akim and Evander for speaking so loudly about this issue," Couture added. "We all need to learn, we need to love each other regardless of skin color."

Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis man, died Monday after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed. Floyd's death has led to protests across the United States.

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Nick Foligno wants to ensure that NHL players who aren't comfortable suiting up go uncriticized if and when the season resumes.

"I think it has to because that's just human rights," the Columbus Blue Jackets captain told TSN's Mark Masters when asked if a player not wanting to play would be welcomed. "If you don't feel safe to return, I think there needs to be some sort of way for those guys not to be vilified. No one's going to look at you (unfavorably) for not wanting to go back, and I don't think they should be.

"If you don't feel safe because of a condition or just a belief, then you have every right as a human not to return to play until you feel comfortable about it."

The veteran forward would understand if a player needed to prioritize their health or their family's well-being amid the ongoing pandemic.

"I've taken time away and been with my family for things that are bigger than hockey, (and) this is obviously bigger than hockey, so I would respect anyone that doesn't feel comfortable (enough) to come back," Foligno said. "I also respect the guys that do want to come back. If they feel safe enough and are good with the answers (health officials and the league) are giving, I look at both sides, and I think that's the right thing to do. But I'm sure there will be something built in to at least respect some guys who don't feel quite as comfortable, and we'll support those people all the way."

On Tuesday, Foligno said "there's going to be a fight" if someone tells him he can't see his family when the league resumes play.

Earlier that day, the NHL formalized its 24-team playoff and return-to-play plan. The league reportedly won't begin training camps before July 10.

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The Vancouver Canucks and amateur scouting director Judd Brackett have failed to reach a new agreement and will part ways at the end of his current contract, the club announced Friday.

The team made no further changes and said final draft decisions will still be general manager Jim Benning's responsibility.

Brackett was offered a two-year pact but rejected it, Benning said Friday. The scouting executive's current deal reportedly expires June 30.

He was at the helm of the club's amateur scouting department for the selections of Elias Pettersson (2017) and Quinn Hughes (2018), among others.

Brackett has served in the role since 2015 and worked with the Canucks' amateur scouting staff for 12 years.

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Evander Kane is calling on more white athletes to decry the unjust treatment of black people in the aftermath of incidents like the death of George Floyd.

"We need so many more athletes that don't look like me speaking out about this, having the same amount of outrage that I have inside, and using that to voice their opinion, to voice their frustration, because that's the only way it's going to change," the San Jose Sharks forward said on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday.

"We've been outraged for hundreds of years and nothing's changed," Kane continued. "It's time for guys like Tom Brady, and Sidney Crosby, and those type(s) of figures to speak up about what is right and, clearly in this case, what is unbelievably wrong. Because that's the only way we're going to actually create that unified anger to create that necessary change, especially when you talk about systematic racism."

Kane reiterated what he said in early May about hockey culture preventing many players from speaking out.

"I'm one of the anomalies when it comes to NHL players in doing that, and that's another part of our problem is guys being scared to really speak their mind and stand up for what is right, and this example - one of many, unfortunately - (has) continued (the trend) for the last number of years and ever since I've been alive," Kane said.

The Sharks winger also pointed out how the notion of inclusivity in sports - and hockey specifically - could be more practically applied.

"In hockey, it's a majority white league by far. It's not even close," he said. "So, we need to continue to come together. And we talk about it all the time, we talk about how sports is for everybody ... (and about how) it's an inclusive thing. But when we talk about our own personal battles outside of sports, there's a lot of people that are silent on issues and they're important issues. They're issues that have been going on for hundreds of years, and we need that same type of team mentality to be brought to issues outside of our sport."

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who's white, wrote Thursday night that "the institutional racism in this country breaks my heart and needs to stop." Shortly after Kane made his comments Friday, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow - who's also white - weighed in, writing "the black community needs our help" and "they have been unheard for far too long."

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis, died Monday after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes while Floyd was handcuffed. The incident was recorded and shared widely on social media, leading to protests and ultimately riots in the city.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with Matej Chalupa on a two-year contract beginning in 2020-21, the team announced Friday.

Chalupa's deal carries an average annual value of $925,000.

The 21-year-old undrafted winger out of the Czech Republic posted seven goals and 24 points for local club Hradec Kralove this season.

It was his second campaign with the team after he spent as many years with Plzen, where he was a teammate of current Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik.

Chalupa was also a teammate of Radek Smolenak in 2019-20. Smolenak played one of his seven NHL games for the Blackhawks in 2009-10.

Chicago center David Kampf also hails from the Czech Republic. The Blackhawks signed him out of Pirati Chomutov, another team from that nation, in 2017.

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Steve Yzerman says Jeff Blashill will remain head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

"I have no plans of making a coaching change at this time," the Red Wings general manager told reporters Wednesday, according to WXYZ's Brad Galli.

He added, "I think Jeff has done a good job. The Red Wings are in a rebuild."

Yzerman wouldn't say whether the club picked up Blashill's option for next season, but made it clear he wants the bench boss to stick around for now.

"Jeff's gonna be the head coach of the team and we're gonna do everything we can to make sure he's the head coach of the team," the GM said.

Yzerman emphasized that the Red Wings' primary problem is roster construction as opposed to who's behind the bench.

"Quite frankly, we need to improve the team for anybody to truly critique or assess the coaching staff," the GM said, according to The Athletic's Max Bultman. "We need to improve the team."

This past season was Blashill's fifth with Detroit. The Red Wings made a first-round playoff exit during his first season in 2016, but they've been among the NHL's worst clubs since then, missing the postseason in all four subsequent years while ranking near the basement of the league standings.

The team was by far the NHL's worst in 2019-20, going 17-49-5 with a minus-122 goal differential - 70 goals worse than the 30th-ranked Ottawa Senators.

Detroit named Yzerman GM in April 2019. He returned to the franchise with which he starred as a player and replaced Ken Holland, who left the Red Wings and ultimately assumed the same role with the Edmonton Oilers.

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the league remains keen on having a Canadian city serve as a hub if and when the return-to-play plan is initiated, but he admits that might not be possible.

"We would certainly like to have a (hub) city in Canada," Daly told TSN's James Duthie on Tuesday night. "As with everything we try to do and with our events, we try to move them around (and) try to make sure our Canadian clubs are well-represented, and this would be another example of that."

Daly acknowledged that the Canadian government's 14-day self-isolation order for all individuals entering the country is a hurdle the NHL is still trying to navigate.

The deputy commissioner stressed that the league has been in talks with Canadian officials, and while the NHL wants to "be consistent" with the rule, a failure to find a solution would all but rule out the possibility of hosting games north of the border.

"If we're not able to resolve that issue or solve that issue, I think it effectively eliminates our ability to come to a Canadian city as one of our hub cities," Daly said.

While unveiling the NHL's return-to-play plan Tuesday afternoon, commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed the 24-team playoff will take place in two hub cities - one per conference - and that Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver are among the 10 cities being considered.

"Our primary goal is to find the two best cities, and by 'best,' the first and foremost factor we're looking at is the health situation," Daly said Tuesday night. "And as the COVID situation continues to evolve, are we going to a healthy city that would be consistent with what we want to present to our players and our staff members?"

British Columbia has handled the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well, as its premier, John Horgan, noted after speaking with Bettman earlier in May. However, Horgan said at the time that the 14-day self-isolation rule would be among several issues that would have to be addressed, and the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, stated Tuesday that no exceptions would be made.

"I would love to have hockey but … we're not bending the rules in any way that would put what we have achieved here in B.C. at risk," Dr. Henry said, according to CBC News.

In Alberta, the curve has seemingly begun to flatten, with the province reporting only 22 new cases Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the situation is worse in Ontario, with the province recording its first day of fewer than 400 new cases in nearly a week Sunday, according to The Toronto Star. A widely criticized mass gathering took place at the city's Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will make a formal announcement Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ET regarding the league's 2019-20 return-to-play plan.

It will air live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada, as well as NBCSN and NHL Network in the United States.

More to come.

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Two days after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said professional sports teams in his state can begin opening up training camps, his New Jersey counterpart is following suit.

"Teams in New Jersey may return to training and even competition - if their leagues choose to move in that direction," Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday. "We have been in constant discussions with teams about necessary protocols to protect the health and safety of players, coaches, and personnel."

Murphy's decision would impact the NFL's New York Giants and Jets and MLS' Red Bulls, all of whom are based in New Jersey. It may affect the NHL's Devils, as well, but they're unlikely to be included in the league's 24-team playoff plan.

The vast majority of sports leagues in North America suspended play in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NFL's 2020 season isn't scheduled to begin until September, although organized team activities typically begin in May.

Cuomo said Sunday that New York-based teams can open camps while adhering to the appropriate health protocols.

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