After leading his team to the Western Conference Final for the first time in his five-year tenure, it appears head coach Ken Hitchcock has done enough to stay with the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues are expected to make a formal announcement as early as Tuesday that Hitchcock will remain with the team on what's likely to be another one-year contract, reports Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman.

Hitchcock has said he is comfortable with one-year deals now.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 31, 2016

Though the 64-year-old is expected to keep his spot on the team, there may be changes with the rest of the coaching staff, who Friedman suggests might seek more term.

Hitchcock became the head coach of the Blues in November 2011, and has posted a .667 win percentage over five regular seasons. However, that success hasn't translated into the playoffs, where the bench boss has a 20-25 record in St. Louis.

He won his lone Stanley Cup as head coach of the Dallas Stars in 1999.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins came to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Forward Bryan Rust - who scored two goals in Game 7 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning - got things started with his sixth goal of the postseason, a Penguins rookie record.

Only 1:02 later, Conor Sheary extended the Penguins lead with a pin-point wrister, set up by a beautiful feed from Sidney Crosby.

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Prior to the franchise's first ever Stanley Cup Final game Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer looked to motivate his team by stroking their egos:

"We're heavier, we're harder, and we're much better looking," DeBoer told his players in their dressing room as part of his pre-game speech.

He certainly isn't wrong about his first point - as the Sharks are 10 pounds heavier, on average, than the Eastern Conference champions.

We'll see if his unconventional pep talk can lead his club to an early series lead.

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Former NHL all-star Tom Lysiak has died of leukemia. He was 63. Lysiak's daughter confirmed his death on her Twitter account. The native of High Prairie, Alta., played 13 seasons in the NHL with the Atlanta Flames and Chicago Blackhawks, s...

The likelihood of the NHL travelling to Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympics continues to dwindle.

Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the issue Monday, saying the financial aspect is the biggest hurdle to overcome at this point.

"I'm sure our teams are not interested in paying for the privilege of disrupting our season," he said at his press conference ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Bettman said the IIHF and International Olympic Committee (IOC) would need to cover the costs, but there's been no "substantive discussions" between the parties.

Travelling to South Korea in February would cost millions when factoring in transportation, insurance, and accommodations.

Since 1998 in Nagano, Japan, NHLers have competed in the OIympics, but there was similar doubt regarding their participation in Sochi in 2014.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL will make a decision by the end of 2016.

Daly - Olympics decision by the end of the calendar year.

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 30, 2016

The league implemented the World Cup of Hockey, which could serve as the premier international tournament unless considerable ground is made up regarding the Olympics.

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said NHL participation in the next Olympics would likely hinge on money. In his annual state of the union address at the Stanley Cup final, Bettman said the league and NHL players association mi...

The NHL is expected to make a decision on its current expansion process before the NHL Awards on June 22.

"Prior to the Awards event, the Board of Governors will meet, and I anticipate being able to provide a more definitive word on where the expansion process stands," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced in his annual press conference prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

He added that while he "would not handicap what's going to happen," he's "fairly certain" they'll know more after the Board of Governors' meeting.

Bettman said the league's executive board is expected to decide on a recommendation of four possible expansion options by June 15, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Options: 1. No expansion; 2. Expansion but deferred to later date; 3. Expansion by 1 team; 4. expansion by 2 teams.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 30, 2016

That recommendation will be shared with the Board of Governors in time for the June meeting.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly added that the earliest expansion could happen is the 2017-18 season, while it's possible it could be deferred for a year or more, reports Yahoo! Sports's Greg Wyshynski.

With Las Vegas being one of the cities involved in the expansion process, Bettman was also asked if the possibility of the NFL's Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas impacts the city's bid for an NHL team.

"We're judging the Vegas application on its own merit," Bettman replied, as quoted by Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Daly added: "The NFL has not been discussed within the executive committee."

Quebec City is also going through the NHL's formal expansion process.

Expansion draft rules were also discussed during the press conference. While adding expansion draft rules have "developed over time," per Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, Daly provided one example of a rule that has already been changed:

One change to proposed expansion draft is there's no longer a minimum amount of cap space that needs to be exposed.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 30, 2016

Daly said that players with no-movement clauses will be protected from being claimed in an expansion draft, but those with no-trade clauses will not.

Meanwhile, expansion teams would not have any distinct advantage in their first NHL Entry Draft as Daly stated they will be part of the lottery with no guarantee where it will pick in the first round.

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The Russians will need to find another blueliner.

Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was named to Russia's World Cup roster last week, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday that the Russian Hockey Federation has been told that Voynov's ineligible to participate because he's under NHL suspension.

Voynov spent two months in prison on domestic violence charges and voluntarily returned to Russia after being detained by immigration officials. He was suspended for the final 76 games of the season by the NHL and his contract was voided when he chose to leave the U.S. rather than face deportation.

Russian head coach Oleg Znarog said the decision isn't up to the NHL, because the World Cup is an international tournament, but Bettman came down with what appears to be the final word Monday.

After returning to Russia, Voynov played for St. Petersburg in the KHL, registering seven assists in 23 games, and two assists in 15 playoff games.

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It appears the Pittsburgh Penguins have removed the "For Sale" sign outside Consol Energy Center.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media at a press conference before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday and talked about a potential sale of the Penguins.

"My understanding is there's no urgency, nothing pressing, no process in place for (the) Penguins to sell the club," Bettman said, according to Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski.

Last June, the Penguins had a wealth management firm explore a potential sale, and were reportedly looking for at least $750 million. Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle released a statement in January saying they were exploring all strategic options, including the sale of the club.

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Joe Thornton is so close.

The San Jose Sharks center will finally play for the Stanley Cup, and he's hoping to get as close to it as he did as a 17-year-old.

His faith in the Sharks has never wavered, according to NHL.com's Nicholas Cotsonika. Thornton was at Game 4 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Final, when the Detroit Red Wings finished off the Philadelphia Flyers and Steve Yzerman became a champion for the first time.

Thornton was a top prospect at the time, eventually being drafted first overall at the 1997 draft. He took in the game with his brother John, and both were "bawling" when the Cup was lifted. In fact, John was a huge Yzerman fan, and Thornton eventually wore No. 19 in honor of the legendary Red Wings captain.

There are many similarities between Thornton and Yzerman. Before he became a Cup winner, Yzerman was never afforded the respect he truly deserved. He was a lightning rod of criticism in Detroit, and was often rumored to be on his way out of town via trade.

Thornton's career has been brilliant. He'll go down as one of the most prolific passers in the game. He was traded early in his career from the Boston Bruins to the Sharks, though, and his legacy is synonymous with the disappointing one of the Sharks. Great regular seasons, dreadful playoff defeats, and an inability to win it all.

Eventually the "C" was taken off Thornton's jersey, and many thought his days in the Bay Area were numbered. But here he is, almost 20 years after Yzerman won his Cup, chasing his own.

Over the past few weeks, Thornton's been honest about who he is: a great hockey player, but only one part of a team. And it takes a team to win a Stanley Cup. He said he wasn't bothered about losing the captaincy, and that he's comfortable in his own skin. He added that he loves to play the game and to put in the work.

"I enjoy the burn," Thornton said. "(Hockey's) the only thing I know, and I love it."

Even after the tough spring send-offs, Thornton always looked ahead positively to the upcoming seasons.

"You've got to put in the hard work in the summertime. You've just got to believe, and this can happen," he said.

"Next year" finally arrived for Thornton. All that's left is the Cup.

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