The future did his part to say goodbye to the past.

Connor McDavid collected the garbage and contributed to a second-period barrage that saw the Edmonton Oilers awake for three goals.

McDavid pushed the loose puck over a sprawled out Jacob Markstrom to give the Oilers a 3-0 lead in the final game at Rexall Place.

The goal was the 19-year-old's seventh on Rexall ice.

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Nail Yakupov got the celebrations started with a pin-point shot Wednesday.

The Edmonton Oilers forward opened the scoring against the Vancouver Canucks midway through the second period of the final game at Rexall Place.

Yakupov took it upon himself to gather the puck with the chance that it could be the final goal scored at the Oilers home rink. Patrick Maroon would strike just under five minutes later, however.

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Pavel Datsyuk was honored by the Detroit Red Wings before Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers for recording the 600th assist of his career, and in what may be his final regular-season game at Joe Louis Arena, his fans made it known they want the 14-year veteran to stay.

Red Wings fans chanted "one more year" as recent reports have stated the 37-year-old is considering a return to Russia as soon as next season. Datsyuk has one year remaining on his contract and his agent has said they will have a discussion with general manager Ken Holland at season's end.

Datsyuk recorded his 600th assist during a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 26. He has 48 points in 63 games this season.

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The Ontario Hockey League has issued stiff penalties to Flint Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen for violating the terms of an agreement made between himself and the league on "several occasions."

Commissioner David Branch issued a statement Wednesday, ordering these sanctions on the Firebirds owner:

• Rolf Nilsen be suspended by the OHL from being involved directly or indirectly with hockey operations of the Flint Firebirds for five years effective immediately;
• The Flint Firebirds forfeit a first-round draft pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection (third pick overall);
• A fine be paid by Rolf Nilsen to the League in the amount of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00)

If Nilsen doesn't comply with these sanctions, the OHL will order him to sell 100 percent of his ownership interest in the club. He may apply for reinstatement to participate in hockey operations in three years.

Acting director of hockey operations Joe Birch - who has held the position since February - will remain in his current role.

The league took control of the team's hockey operations in February after Nilsen fired the team's coaching staff for the second time that season.

The OHL Priority Selection is scheduled to take place Saturday.

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When Wayne Gretzky talks about hockey, people stop and listen.

"The Great One" spoke in a wide-ranging interview with Lucas Aykroyd of The New York Times, one in which he talked about his monumental 215-point season 30 years ago and this season's eventual Art Ross Trophy winner, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.

Gretzky also shared his belief that the game has lost part of what made it great, and it all starts with the youth.

"When I was 10 years old, they'd throw a puck on the ice and say, 'Go score.' Now, at 10 years old, the kids are taught to play in their lanes," Gretzky said. "Defensemen stay back. Everybody blocks shots. I mean, my goodness, I don't think I ever blocked a shot, and I killed penalties every single game. I thought goaltenders were paid to block shots, not forwards. It's changed completely. I think the biggest thing we've lost is a little bit of our creativity and imagination in general."

This season in the NHL, 2.71 goals are scored per game. That's down from 2.73 in 2014-15, and 2.74 in 2013-14. We're back at dead-puck era (1995-2004) levels. It was back in 2005-06, coming out of a lockout that cost the league a season, when more than three goals were averaged a game (3.08).

When Gretzky averaged 200 points a season from 1981 to 1986, league averages for goals were between 3.86 and 4.01. The game's certainly changed.

"All in all, it's sort of a grinding game now. You're taught from Day 1 that your role and responsibility is to keep the puck out of your net," Gretzky said.

The NHL's discussed ideas to increase scoring, including talk of making nets bigger. Beginning next season, goaltender equipment will be smaller. But in order for scoring and the game to change, coaching will have to change as well.

The game is played at an ultra-high level by tremendous athletes. Goalies have all but perfected their position. Hockey players train all-year round. Players are bigger, faster, stronger. Teams are using more statistical analysis, employing data wizards in order to gain an advantage over opponents.

The days of saying, "Go score," it seems, are unfortunately done.

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More doping drama out of Russia, a week before the Under-18 World Championship.

TSN's Frank Seravalli reports that "more than half of the 30 players in Russia's (Under-18) evaluation camp tested positive for meldonium," a performance-enhancing drug recently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It's the same substance that resulted in a failed drug test for Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova.

The news was first reported by AllHockey.Ru and Russian hockey writer Slava Malamud, who writes that Russia will be sending its Under-17 team to the Under-18 worlds.

The Under-18 tournament begins April 14 in Grand Folks, N.D. The Russian team was supposed to depart for the United States on Thursday.

"We'll announce the roster (Thursday)," Vladislav Tretiak, the president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia, said.

Rosters don't have to be officially submitted until April 13.

Meldonium is "only distributed in Baltic countries and Russia," according to The Guardian, and "increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes."

TSN's Darren Dreger reports that Canada's Under-18 team will be tested for the drug Thursday.

Malamud appeared on local radio in Toronto on Wednesday and said meldonium is widely used in hockey in Russia.

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