Donald Fehr's taking a positive approach to open the new year.

The NHLPA's executive director is feeling positive about NHLers heading to South Korea for the 2018 Olympic Games, despite what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's been saying.

"I'm more optimistic now than I have ever been, at least as far as we're concerned, that we'll be able to reach an appropriate agreement with the IIHF to allow for the players to go," Fehr said Sunday, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports. "So I assume there will be further discussions over the course of the next several weeks and I choose to be optimistic on this one. We'll see."

Bettman said Sunday that nothing's changed on the league's front, and that clubs aren't expressing much desire to send NHLers.

While a decision is expected to come at some point in January, Bettman isn't feeling any pressure.

"We're not the ones who are setting the deadline on the clock," he said. "Others seem to be doing it."

Fehr added that instead of a one-off with respect to 2018, the league and players can come to some sort of international hockey agreement that would live outside the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA.

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The NHL is counting down the 100 greatest players of all time to celebrate the league's centennial season.

On Sunday, ahead of the Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings, the league unveiled 33 of those 100, all of whom primarily starred during the league's first 50 years.

The list includes Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard, and Gordie Howe. Here's a video naming all 33 players:

A list:

• Sid Abel
• Syl Apps
• Andy Bathgate
• Jean Beliveau
• Max Bentley
• Toe Blake
• Johnny Bower
• Turk Broda
• Johnny Bucyk
• King Clancy
• Charlie Conacher
• Alex Delvecchio
• Bill Durnan
• Bernie Geoffrion
• Glenn Hall
• Doug Harvey
• Tim Horton
• Gordie Howe
• Red Kelly
• Ted Kennedy
• Dave Keon
• Elmer Lach
• Ted Lindsay
• Frank Mahovlich
• Dickie Moore
• Howie Morenz
• Jacques Plante
• Henri Richard
• Maurice Richard
• Terry Sawchuk
• MIlt Schmidt
• Eddie Shore
• Georges Vezina

The remaining 67 names will be unveiled during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

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Those fond of some good ol' fashioned pond hockey will get their fix once again next season.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke with reporters ahead of Sunday's Centennial Classic where he noted that there is likely to be three outdoor games next season, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

As per LeBrun, the games are expected to be a go regardless of the impending Olympic decision.

Speaking of that, Bettman insisted that no progress has been made.

"We're not the ones setting the clock on the deadline," Bettman added, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

As for the outdoor games, Bettman was also quick to point out that none of the games are set in stone as of yet, according to Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun.

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Jack Eichel downplayed his passionate postgame behavior from Saturday afternoon when asked about it on Sunday.

The Buffalo Sabres forward said his frustration level is "pretty high," but his outburst was "a little bit blown out of proportion," according to the Buffalo News' John Vogl.

Eichel reportedly erupted following Buffalo's loss to the Boston Bruins, pounding his equipment, screaming, then storming out without speaking, according to the Buffalo News' Mike Harrington.

Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma didn't condemn Eichel's response when asked about it Saturday, instead offering that it should serve as an example for the rest of the team.

Related - Bylsma: Sabres should channel Eichel's anger after loss to Bruins

"I think I speak for the team in saying that we're all frustrated with where we're at, and I don't think I'm the only person in the (dressing) room that's not satisfied," Eichel said Sunday.

The Sabres have plummeted to the basement of the Eastern Conference, winning only one of their last seven games and three of their last 10, but Eichel isn't ready to pack it in for the season.

"I'm sure not giving up on this, and I don't think anyone else is," he said. "Have we pissed away some good opportunities to put ourselves in a good position? Yes, but there's still a lot of hockey to be played."

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P.K. Subban won't be back any time soon.

The Nashville Predators placed the star defenseman on injured reserve with what the club has been calling an upper-body injury, and he'll be re-examined in about two-to-three weeks, the Predators announced Sunday.

Subban hasn't played since Dec. 15, missing the last seven games with the ailment.

The IR designation means he definitely won't be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against his former team, the Montreal Canadiens, and may not return until late January at the earliest.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday night that Subban may have a herniated disc and that he and the club were expected to meet Sunday to decide between rest and surgery.

For now, the team and the player have chosen the former route.

Subban has 17 points in 29 games in his first season with the Predators following his offseason trade from the Canadiens for Shea Weber. Subban ranks second among Predators behind only Roman Josi - and 11th in the NHL - in average time on ice, logging 25:03 per game.

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A pair of Atlantic Division foes are calling each other out over a fight that never happened Saturday.

On Sunday morning, Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane subtweeted Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller, claiming he ducked him during the matinee affair one day prior.

Miller had implied the same thing about Kane when asked about the incident after Saturday's game.

"I think he was excited to fight when the referees came in, not before," Miller told Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe.

Upon seeing Kane's response Sunday, Miller fired back.

"He wanted to fight when refs came in and now he uses Twitter," the Boston rearguard told CSNNE's Joe Haggerty. "He seems to be saying it when we don't play them again (this season)."

Miller wasn't done.

"I'm pretty sure everybody on his team knows how I feel about (Kane)," he said. "There's always next year."

Kane and Miller nearly came to blows midway through the second period, but the officials intervened to prevent the two players from fighting.

When the dust settled, Kane was assessed a 10-minute misconduct and two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Miller was handed two minutes for roughing.

The Bruins earned a sweep of the season series against the Sabres with a 3-1 win on Saturday afternoon, less than 48 hours after skating to a 4-2 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night.

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The sun has pushed back the start of yet another outdoor game.

Puck drop for Sunday's Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings will be delayed by 30 minutes due to sunlight on the ice surface at BMO Field, the NHL announced.

The league made the decision in the interest of player safety. The game was originally scheduled to begin shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

Puck drop for October's Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers was delayed nearly two hours due to the glare at Winnipeg's Investors Group Field.

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The sun has pushed back the start of yet another outdoor game.

Puck drop for Sunday's Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings will be delayed by 30 minutes due to sunlight on the ice surface at BMO Field, the NHL announced.

The league made the decision in the interest of player safety. The game was originally scheduled to begin shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

Puck drop for October's Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers was delayed nearly two hours due to the glare at Winnipeg's Investors Group Field.

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Tie Domi might be full of hot air, or he could be on to something when it comes to the cold gusts at BMO Field.

After dealing with the wind in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Saturday's Centennial Classic alumni game, the former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer predicted the blustery conditions will again be a significant factor when the current squads meet outdoors Sunday.

"We were supposed to be the home team, and we were against the wind twice," Domi told Sportsnet postgame Saturday, according to Luke Fox. "I tell ya, they better switch the benches for tomorrow. The wind's an advantage."

Domi wasn't kidding, according to Fox, and alumni teammate Tiger Williams agreed.

"I was doing an interview and I couldn't even talk because the wind was blowing down my throat," Williams said.

Environment Canada is forecasting southwesterly winds of 20 km/h with gusts reaching as high as 40 km/h throughout the afternoon and into the evening Sunday.

Auston Matthews isn't planning to overthink his game if the conditions pose a problem.

"The main message from guys who've played in these kinds of games before is: Keep it simple," the Leafs center said.

Assuming the teams switch ends midway through the second period as we've seen in previous outdoor contests, neither club will have the wind as an excuse, but that may not stop them from blowing off steam about it after the game.

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