Wayne Gretzky has been named global ambassador of the Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, the team announced on Tuesday.
The club plans to have Gretzky focus on aiding youth development in China at a planned hockey school that will provide training for kids aged eight to 17.
"Having Wayne Gretzky on board is a tremendous boost for hockey in China," Red Star's Executive Director Ao Meng told the ChinaDaily.com's Sun Xiaochen. "To now have him part of the growth of hockey in China in the buildup to the 2022 Winter Olympics will promote interest and participation in the sport, especially among young people."
The move looks to be the latest ploy by the country to boost its hockey program ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Beijing.
"I'm excited to make my first trip to China next month and partner with Kunlun Red Star to grow this wonderful game," Gretzky said. "I'm looking forward to seeing more and more young players take part in the sport."
The NHL has made it a priority in recent years to try and tap into the Chinese market. The league announced in May that the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames would play two preseason games in China. It will mark the second straight season the NHL has played preseason contests overseas after the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings played a pair of exhibition games in China last year.
After an injury kept him out of the final week of the regular season and the entire postseason, Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter looks to be on the mend.
The 33-year-old fractured his ankle in a game against the Dallas Stars on March 31. After undergoing surgery and taking it easy throughout the summer, his latest CT Scan was positive, and he told The Athletic's Michael Russo he's confident he'll be ready for training camp.
Suter has begun skating periodically and said his ankle feels good and should return to normal. He plans to play in a benefit game on Aug. 26 that will help raise money for the Jim Johannson Legacy Fund and the USA Hockey Foundation. American stars like Auston Matthews, Dylan Larkin, James van Riemsdyk, and teammate Zach Parise will also participate in the event.
Despite the injury, Suter had a very productive 2017-18 campaign. He tallied six goals and tied his career high of 51 points in 78 games.
Age is just a number for some elite producers in the NHL.
Once most players enter their 30s, they're generally past their prime. However, there are still a select few who put up big numbers even while some of their aging colleagues struggle to stay in the league.
Here are five players you can count on in fantasy even though they're entering their mid-to-late 30s.
Patrick Marleau, Maple Leafs
Marleau enters the 2018-19 season having posted consecutive 27-goal seasons, and when the puck drops to commence the Toronto Maple Leafs' season on Oct. 3 he'll be 39 years old.
The veteran forward had a strong first season in Toronto, tallying five game-winning goals and surpassing the 200-plus shot threshold for the 10th time in his career. Following the signing of John Tavares on July 1, head coach Mike Babcock suggested that Marleau would start this season playing alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
Given he spent the majority of last season playing alongside Nazem Kadri on the team's "checking line," the move should put Marleau in line to continue to produce. Meanwhile, with the departure of Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, and Leo Komarov, Marleau could also see more power-play action, which would set him up to record double-digit points with the man-advantage this season.
Justin Williams, Hurricanes
Williams flourished in his first year with the Carolina Hurricanes. He finished third in scoring with 51 points - just his second 50-plus point season since the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season.
He tallied a respectable 16 goals, and the 36-year-old did so, despite the fact that his shooting percentage dropped 6.3 percent from the previous year (14.4 percent).
Over the last five seasons, Williams has averaged 19.8 goals and 47 points with an average of 10 power-play points. He might slot a little lower in the Hurricanes lineup next season with the addition of Andrei Svechnikov, but if he can maintain his high-level play and get a little more puck luck, he should be in line to hit the 20-goal mark once again.
Joe Thornton, Sharks
Thornton's likelihood of producing this season will depend on his ability to remain healthy.
Last season, he was limited to just 47 games, not dressing in a single contest after Jan. 23 after undergoing knee surgery. Despite the missed time, the 39-year-old still managed to put up a respectable 36 points, including 13 goals - six more than he had in 79 games in 2017.
He also tallied seven power-play goals while recording half of his total points with the man advantage. In a poor 2017, Thornton scored just seven goals, but still managed 50 points. He also put up 19 power-play points, and this past season, he had another 18.
In a full 82-game campaign Thornton should be good for another 60 points, and around 30 points with the man advantage.
Eric Staal, Wild
Following the 2015-16 season, it looked as though Staal might be on his way out of the league. In a combined 83 games he scored 13 goals and 39 points with the Hurricanes and the New York Rangers.
However, he looks to have rekindled his offense with the Wild and has shown no sign of slowing down. This past season, Staal had the second-highest goal total of his career (42) and the highest since his sophomore season during the 2005-06 campaign.
Staal is coming off a 76-point season and will turn 34 in October. Last season, He had a career-high shooting percentage (17.4) and had double-digit power-play goals (11) for the first time in seven years.
With 70 goals in the past two years, Staal should be a safe bet to challenge for another 30 goals this coming season.
Joe Pavelski, Sharks
Pavelski's point totals have dropped over the last two seasons since a 2015-16 campaign that saw him post 38 goals and 78 points. Nevertheless he has remained consistent, still managing to record 68 and 66-point seasons respectively.
The Sharks captain recently saw his shooting percentage drop to 9.8 percent last season, his lowest mark in seven years. Despite the drop, Pavelski still hit the 20-goal plateau for the ninth straight time in a full 82-game season.
This season, he is expected to slot alongside a healthy Thornton and a rejuvenated Evander Kane, who put up 14 points in 17 games after joining the club ahead of the trade deadline.
At 34 years old, there is no reason to think Pavelski won't produce 60-plus points for the eighth time in his career. He should also be a lock to pick up 20 power-play points for the seventh time.
"With great sorrow, the Mikita family announces that Stan passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at the age of 78," the team said in a statement. "He was surrounded by his loving family whom he fiercely loved."
Mikita, who spent his entire 22-year NHL career in Chicago, won four Art Ross Trophies, two MVP awards, two Lady Byngs, and was a member of the 1961 Stanley Cup-winning team. He's the Blackhawks' all-time leader in points (1,467), assists (926), and games played (1,396), and ranks second in goals (541).
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 21 was the first number to be retired by the Blackhawks.
"There are no words to describe our sadness over Stan's passing. He meant so much to the Chicago Blackhawks, to the game of hockey, and to all of Chicago. He left an imprint that will forever be etched in the hearts of fans - past, present, and future. Stan made everyone he touched a better person," chairman Rocky Wirtz said.
The club is holding a fan vote for their 2018-19 goal song, and a modern version of "Brass Bonanza" - the iconic tune of the Hartford Whalers - is one of the options.
The Whalers relocated to Carolina in 1997.
Tom Dundon, who became the Hurricanes' majority owner in January, hasn't been shy about wanting a throwback presence at PNC Arena, as one of his first moves was making Whalers gear available for purchase at home games.
"Brass Bonanza" was certainly a fan favorite. Heck, even Chris Pronger, who spent two seasons in Hartford, admitted to humming it.
"Oh yeah! That's a very iconic goal song," he laughed in an interview with theScore last November.
Despite the song's history, it faces some stiff competition in this fan vote.
The club is holding a fan vote for their 2018-19 goal song, and a modern version of "Brass Bonanza" - the iconic tune of the Hartford Whalers - is one of the options.
The Whalers relocated to Carolina in 1997.
Tom Dundon, who became the Hurricanes' majority owner in January, hasn't been shy about wanting a throwback presence at PNC Arena, as one of his first moves was making Whalers gear available for purchase at home games.
"Brass Bonanza" was certainly a fan favorite. Heck, even Chris Pronger, who spent two seasons in Hartford, admitted to humming it.
"Oh yeah! That's a very iconic goal song," he laughed in an interview with theScore last November.
Despite the song's history, it faces some stiff competition in this fan vote.
One of the NHL's most prolific snipers, Vladimir Tarasenko, skated with some of his St. Louis Blues teammates Monday for the first time since undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder this offseason.
Tarasenko suffered a dislocated shoulder in the Blues' must-win season finale against the Avalanche and was given a four-to-six-month recovery timetable on April 10. Though it's still early, he appears to be on track to play in the Blues' season opener on Oct. 4 against the Jets.
"I need to talk about it with the doctors more, but I'm cleared to skate with the group, but only with some contact right now," Tarasenko told StLouisBlues.com's Chris Pinkert on Monday. "But I can shoot. I feel great and I feel stronger. I'm ready for the season."
Tarasenko wasn't expected to be re-evaluated by the Blues' team doctors until training camp in September, but his shoulder appears to be healing faster than expected.
"I just follow the instructions, just what the doctors say," he said. "This last three and a half months was pretty tough, both mentally and physically, too. Lots of rehab stuff, and it was the longest break ever between seasons (for me)."
Last season was a down year by Tarasenko's standards, but he still led the team with 33 goals and finished second with 66 points. It was his lowest goal total since the 2013-14 season, despite setting a career high with 306 shots.
"The new guys are nice, too, and I've heard a lot of good stuff about them," he said. "I think they will fit perfectly in our team, especially after last year's disappointment. We have to play better to reach our goal, finally."
Returning to the postseason won't be easy in the competitive Central Division, but with plenty of key additions, the Blues have a chance to be one of the league's most improved teams - as long as Tarasenko is at full health.
