Calgary Flames vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager Chris Snow died Saturday after a lengthy battle with ALS. He was 42.

"Today we hugged Chris for the last time and said goodbye as he went to give four people the gift of life by donating his kidneys, liver and lungs," Snow's wife, Kelsie, wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "We are deeply broken and deeply proud. In life and in death, Chris never stopped giving. We walk forward with his light guiding us."

Snow was diagnosed with ALS in 2019. His father, two uncles, and cousin also died of the disease, according to The Canadian Press.

Snow continued to work for the Flames after his diagnosis despite his health challenges.

He was a sportswriter before he became a hockey executive. He and Kelsie met while they were both working in the sports department at the Boston Globe, and the couple married in 2007. The Minnesota Wild hired him as their director of hockey operations one year earlier.

The Flames brought him in as director of hockey analysis in 2011, and promoted him to assistant GM eight years later. Snow was then elevated to vice president in May when Craig Conroy took over as GM.

"We cannot convey the impact Chris has on our organization, not only in his work but the leadership and positivity he brings," the Flames wrote Wednesday afternoon. "Despite his own challenges, he is a beacon of light, uplifting all of us around him."

Kelsie shared Wednesday that Snow went into cardiac arrest and suffered a "catastrophic" brain injury as a result.

"My chest feels cracked open and hollowed out," she said. "Chris is the most beautiful, brilliant person I'll ever know and doing life without him feels untenable. Hug your people."

He remained on life support until the donation of his organs could be arranged.

Snow, who was a staunch advocate for ALS research and awareness, received a standing ovation at last year's NHL Awards while presenting the Norris Trophy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a degenerative condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It typically worsens over time, eventually affecting control of the muscles required to move, speak, eat, and breathe. There is no cure.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings could be on the verge of landing Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, as the Western Conference clubs are engaged in talks about a trade involving the coveted player, reports the Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre.

The Jets' return package is believed to include Kings forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo. A pending restricted free agent, Vilardi netted a career-high 23 goals and 18 helpers in 63 games this season, while Iafallo chipped in with 36 points in 59 contests.

Dubois is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights who can become a UFA next summer. It was reported in early June that his agent, Pat Brisson, told the Jets that Dubois wasn't interested in inking an extension with Winnipeg and Brisson wanted to work with the Central Division squad on facilitating a trade.

Two weeks later, the Kings reportedly joined the Montreal Canadiens and other teams in the pursuit of Dubois.

The Kings don't have much financial wiggle room at the moment, with approximately $9 million in cap space, four pending RFAs of their own, and a key pending UFA in goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, according to CapFriendly. Dealing Vilardi would account for one of Los Angeles' RFAs, while Iafallo carries a $4-million cap hit.

Dubois' desire to exit Winnipeg has been among the worst-kept secrets in the NHL for some time. Almost one year ago to the day, he reportedly informed the Jets he planned to test free agency in 2024.

The 6-foot-4, 214-pound skater, who plays at both center and left wing, is coming off a one-year, $6-million pact he agreed to with the Jets last July. Dubois is believed to be seeking an annual salary in the $9-million range, per McIntyre.

Dubois collected 27 goals and 36 assists over 73 contests with Winnipeg this past season, finishing with career highs in goals per game, assists per game, and points per game. Dubois averaged 18:27 of ice time in 2022-23, his second-best season-long workload after he averaged 18:55 in 2021-22.

He played part of one season and then two more full ones with the Jets after the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to Winnipeg five games into the 2021 campaign. Dubois spent his first three in full with the Jackets, who drafted him third overall in 2016.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers look a little different for Game 4 against the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

Aaron Ekblad was scratched due to injury. The defenseman was hurt while colliding with Bruins blue-liner Charlie McAvoy in Game 3.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters Saturday that Ekblad was "feeling much better" before listing him as a game-time decision.

Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky got the nod in goal for the Panthers. The veteran netminder didn't start the first three games of the series, but he did replace starter Alex Lyon in Game 3, which Florida lost 4-2 to go down 2-1 in the first-round playoff series.

Florida turned to Lyon over the last few weeks of the regular season. The 30-year-old posted a 9-4-2 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average.

Bobrovsky's last start prior to Game 4 came on March 27, when he allowed four goals on 26 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

The veteran netminder owned a .901 clip and 3.07 goals against average in 50 appearances during the regular season. Bobrovsky has an all-time record of 17-29-0 in the playoffs.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin appears to have avoided a significant injury after departing Sunday's loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period.

The Washington Capitals star is day-to-day with an upper-body ailment.

Ovechkin was unable to return to the 4-3 shootout defeat. The 36-year-old missed on a breakaway attempt and seemed to trip over Maple Leafs netminder Erik Kallgren's stick. He then collided into the boards, where his shoulder appeared to take the brunt of the impact.

Ovechkin stayed down on the ice for several seconds before getting up. He jawed at the officials before skating off, seemingly upset that there was no penalty called on the play.

The veteran winger has missed just two contests this season, both due to COVID-19 protocol. Ovechkin's shown no signs of slowing down in the later years of his NHL tenure and reached 50 goals in a season for the ninth time in his career earlier this week.

The Capitals have three games remaining on their regular-season schedule and have already clinched a spot in the playoffs for the eighth straight year.

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

He did it in anti-climactic fashion, but Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin ultimately moved past Dave Andreychuk on Friday night for the most power-play goals in NHL history.

Ovechkin blasted home a goal as a power play was expiring late in the Capitals' 3-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings and was credited with his 275th career marker on the man advantage.

The official scorer initially ruled that it came on the power play but changed it to an even-strength goal shortly thereafter. Then, once the game concluded, the league reviewed the play and reversed course again, awarding the 36-year-old a goal on the man advantage.

Here are the league's all-time leaders in that category:

Ovechkin has done more than one-third of his damage from his "office" on power plays.

The Russian sniper, who added an empty-netter after scoring the eventual winner Friday, also moved up another all-time list.

Ovechkin's pair put him in a tie with Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl for the league lead in goals with 24 this season. Draisaitl has played two fewer games than the Capitals winger. Ovechkin ranks third in the NHL's points race behind Edmonton captain Connor McDavid (52) and Draisaitl (51) with 50.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is heading back to the Olympic Games.

After months of negotiating, the league came to an agreement with the NHLPA, IIHF, and IOC to take part in the 2022 event in Beijing.

The arrangement was settled after a lengthy period of uncertainty during which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly both expressed concern on separate occasions that a deal may not get done.

"I know that I can speak for hockey fans around the world when I say that we absolutely welcome the decision to bring back best-on-best ice hockey to the Olympics," IIHF President Rene Fasel said. "We had many constructive discussions, and a lot of hard work was put into making this happen within the time we set out for ourselves, and I want to thank all parties involved for their support and commitment."

The NHL and NHLPA can pull out of the Olympics if COVID-19 conditions worsen or if cancellations disrupt the regular-season schedule, according to a memo sent out to the players. The reported opt-out deadline is set for early January, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports.

Players themselves have the right to decline to go to the Olympics at any time without consequence. There is no insurance for COVID-related illnesses.

After participating in the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, the league could not reach an agreement in time for the 2018 event in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The Olympic Athletes from Russia captured gold in 2018, with Germany settling for silver and Canada claiming bronze. In 2014, Canada secured the gold, Sweden took home silver, and Finland nabbed bronze.

The 2022 Games run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 20.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.