Alan Thicke clearly made an indelible impression on the hockey community.

The Canadian actor and passionate fan of the game died Tuesday at the age of 69, Thicke's publicist confirmed to Christopher Watson from ABC News.

Thicke died in hospital after suffering a heart attack playing hockey with his son, TMZ reported

Players, clubs, and the league itself offered heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the late "Growing Pains" star:

Thicke's connection to hockey ran deep, from his longtime friendship with Wayne Gretzky to numerous appearances at NHL events and even writing and performing "Hockey Sock Rock" with former NHL stars Phil Esposito, Ron Duguay, Pat Hickey, Dave Maloney, and John Davidson.

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The Vancouver Canucks seemed on their way to a much-needed road win, and then everything fell apart.

That's how captain Henrik Sedin described Tuesday's turn of events in Carolina, wherein his team took a 5-2 lead into the third period, only for the Hurricanes to score six goals in the final frame.

With the 8-6 loss, the Canucks finished their five-game road trip with a record of 1-4-0, dropping their overall record to 12-16-2 through 30 games. That works out to a points percentage of .448, ranking them 28th among the NHL's 30 teams.

Canucks president Trevor Linden has said a rebuild would be unfair to Henrik and Daniel Sedin at this stage in their careers, but things certainly appear to be crumbling around them all the same.

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The puck had to get by at some point.

Antti Raanta's shutout streak came to an end Tuesday thanks to a goal by Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk at the 5:18 mark of the second period.

The New York Rangers netminder hadn't allowed a goal since the second period of a Dec. 8 game, keeping the opposition from scoring for almost nine periods.

The strong performance of late has given Raanta a leg up on the team's starting job, relegating Henrik Lundqvist to the bench, for the time being at least.

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Zach Hyman: hard worker.

During a penalty kill in the first period versus the Sharks Tuesday, the gutsy Maple Leafs forward took a Brent Burns slapshot in the leg, forcing him off the ice with the help of teammates.

Not to worry though, Hyman didn't miss a beat, and returned to score the game's opening goal just four minutes later.

The entire sequence encapsulates Hyman's contributions to Toronto's lineup. The 24-year-old ranks eighth among all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice-time (73:20), and the goal was his seventh even-strength point in nine games.

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Anze Kopitar is on the board for the first time in nearly three weeks.

The Los Angeles Kings captain cruised in from the neutral zone, blew past Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly, and shoveled a dribbler past goaltender Robin Lehner to end a 16-game goal drought Tuesday night.

Kopitar hadn't scored since Oct. 25, when he tallied in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tuesday's goal was his third of the season and his 246th in a Kings' uniform, tying Wayne Gretzky for sixth on the franchise's all-time list.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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This could have been so much worse.

New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas was rushed off the ice early in Tuesday's game against Washington after suffering an apparent cut from a skate.

After falling to the ice on the forecheck, Cizikas was seen being inadvertently stepped on. Medical staff ran to the scene and ushered Cizikas to the locker room.

Cizikas was, however, able to return prior to the end of the opening frame.

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This could have been so much worse.

New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas was rushed off the ice early in Tuesday's game against Washington after suffering an apparent cut from a skate.

After falling to the ice on the forecheck, Cizikas was seen being inadvertently stepped on. Medical staff ran to the scene and ushered Cizikas to the locker room.

Cizikas was, however, able to return prior to the end of the opening frame.

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Arizona Coyotes forward Max Domi is out indefinitely after undergoing hand surgery, general manager John Chayka announced Tuesday.

Domi was roughed up in a Dec. 8 fight versus the Calgary Flames and was originally considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Chayka didn't outline a comeback plan, but said the Coyotes expect Domi to make a full recovery and return to the lineup later this season.

In 26 games this campaign, the 21-year-old ranks second on the club with 16 points.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are benefiting from some added downtime.

In November, head coach John Tortorella made headlines by deciding to part with the traditional mandatory morning skate, in an effort to shake his players' routines.

A month later, Columbus owns the NHL's best winning percentage (.731), and have danced to the tune of an 11-1-2 record in their past 14 contests.

While a strong offense and superb goaltending may factor into the club's success more than barring gameday practices, Tortorella still doesn't see the benefits of a mandatory skate.

"That's about stupidity, quite honestly," Tortorella told reporters Tuesday. "Why do we bring the players in once a day to practice and let them go home, but bring them in twice a day to play a game?

"Common sense dictates."

The Blue Jackets are a young team, and during the grind of an 82-game season, Tortorella doesn't want his troops thinking about the rink 24 hours a day.

"We are trying to keep our guys, not so much physically fresh, but mentally fresh," Tortorella said.

Winning talks the loudest, and at this point, it's tough to form an argument against Tortorella's strategy.

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Team Canada has made several cuts on the eve of the final day of the World Junior Championship selection camp.

Defenseman Victor Mete (London - OHL) as well as forwards Nick Merkley (Kelowna - WHL), Brett Howden (Moose Jaw - WHL), and Austin Wagner (Regina - WHL) have been sent back to their junior clubs, according to Mark Masters of TSN.

For Merkley, an Arizona Coyotes draft pick, it marks the second year in a row he's been cut from the selection camp roster. Howden was selected 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in June.

The blue line cut eliminates one junior league from having any representatives:

The roster stands at 27 players, with five cuts yet to be made.

Selection camp is set to wrap up Tuesday.

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