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Subban affirms commitment to Montreal Children’s Hospital in letter

P.K. Subban may be moving to Nashville, but a big piece of him will remain in Montreal for the long haul.

The star defenseman, who was traded by the Canadiens to the Predators in late June, wrote a letter to his friends at the Montreal Children's Hospital to affirm his commitment after making a $10-million donation last year.

Subban was in Montreal this week, and helped raise more than $130,000 for the hospital - the largest philanthropic commitment by a sports figure in Canadian history. Clearly, though, his impact runs far deeper.

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Wild owner Craig Leipold to buy out partner

Craig Leipold is looking to secure his hold on the Minnesota Wild.

The club's majority owner has begun the process of buying out Matt Hulsizer's 27 percent share, which would bring Leipold's stake in the Wild up to 95 percent, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.

From Russo:

Leipold said he and Hulsizer are departing on friendly terms. The decision is driven by Leipold's desire to keep the Wild in his family long term and Hulsizer's desire to eventually own a larger chunk of the franchise and be more involved in hockey decisions.

Hulsizer, who came to the club in February 2015, is largely responsible for the Wild's deeper dive into analytics, having recently hired war-on-ice.com co-founders Andrew Thomas and Alexandra Mandrycky.

His desire to be even more involved in the hockey side of the business, however, caused Leipold to take this step and ensure the club runs as he sees fit.

"(Hulsizer) continued to have a higher interest level in being involved in the hockey side like the draft and trades, but I wasn’t willing to give that up," Leipold told the Star Tribune. "That's not my style with (general manager) Chuck (Fletcher), so I certainly wouldn't let a minority owner have that kind of input to Chuck."

The transaction could take months to complete, and Leipold said he'd back Hulsizer should he choose to invest in another NHL team at some point in the future.

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Report: Jets, Trouba far apart on money, term, usage

The Winnipeg Jets and restricted free agent Jacob Trouba have quite the distance to cover in contract negotiations.

Both sides are apparently far apart on money, term, and usage, reported TSN's Gary Lawless on "That's Hockey" on Tuesday.

Lawless explained that, in addition from wanting a more lucrative contract, Trouba would like to see more time on a top-two defense pairing, and more power-play time.

The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level contract and had career-lows with 21 points and 22:04 minutes of ice time last season. He also averaged 1:17 of power-play ice time, fourth among Jets blueliners.

Trouba was drafted ninth overall in 2012 and, despite contract negotiations not going smoothly, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made it clear in June he's not looking to trade Trouba.

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Flyers’ ‘Legion of Doom’ reuniting for NHL Legends Classic

The "Legion of Doom" is taking the ice together once again.

Newly-elected Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros has announced that his former Philadelphia Flyers linemates John LeClair and Mikael Renberg will be playing alongside him at the NHL Legends Classic in Toronto on Nov. 13.

The game takes place a day before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and will see Lindros and other NHL legends take on Hall of Fame defenseman Börje Salming and his team of Toronto Maple Leafs alumni.

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Flyers’ ‘Legion of Doom’ reuniting for NHL Legends Classic

The "Legion of Doom" is taking the ice together once again.

Newly-elected Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros has announced that his former Philadelphia Flyers linemates John LeClair and Mikael Renberg will be playing alongside him at the NHL Legends Classic in Toronto on Nov. 13.

The game takes place a day before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and will see Lindros and other NHL legends take on Hall of Fame defenseman Börje Salming and his team of Toronto Maple Leafs alumni.

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Vegas franchise officially names Kelly McCrimmon assistant GM

The Las Vegas NHL franchise officially named Kelly McCrimmon assistant general manager Tuesday, confirming weekend reports.

Team owner Bill Foley announced the signing in a release, calling the move the latest step in building a successful franchise.

"Bringing Kelly on board is another positive step as we build our hockey organization," said Foley. "I remain very excited about our franchise and in the progress we are making to build a winning team."

McCrimmon served as GM and head coach of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings and most recently led the club to a WHL championship and a Memorial Cup berth.

"Kelly is an outstanding hockey man and we are delighted to have him join us," GM George McPhee said. "His extensive experience and consistently high level of performance in the game will help us build a strong and successful organization and team. His hockey acumen, character, and work ethic are perfect for us."

McCrimmon was named the CHL Executive of the Year in 1995 and Executive of the Year of the WHL in 1995, 2010, and 2015.

"Being part of the foundation of this new franchise is an incredible opportunity, and I am honored to have been selected as the assistant general manager to help build it into a successful team," said McCrimmon. "I look forward to working with George and Bill as we create a winning NHL franchise."

The Las Vegas franchise will join the NHL for the start of the 2017-18 season.

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Team Canada hockey jerseys unveiled

Hockey Canada unveiled their newest jerseys Tuesday, which will be worn by all teams representing the country internationally.

The new Nike-designed jerseys were introduced at a press conference that featured women's national team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada's sledge hockey captain Greg Westlake, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Mitchell Stephens, Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Konecny, and New York Islanders draft pick Matt Barzal, who all donned the jerseys.

The design pays homage to next year's 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation, with a patch on the shoulder, as well as the country's past hockey achievements.

The jerseys will see their first action at the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase this week as Canada - likely featuring Stephens, Konecny, and Barzal - takes on Finland, Sweden, and the United States in a development tournament ahead of the World Junior Hockey Championships in December.

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Vemette: Buyout strictly a business decision, agent already fielding calls

Antoine Vermette wants you to know that he was not cut loose by the Arizona Coyotes because he lost his game.

So says the center whose last year of his contract was bought out by the Coyotes on Monday, after hearing straight from management the decision was made to further jump start a youth movement in the desert.

"I talked to (management) and this is a business decision. It has no connection with my performance on the ice. They want to make room for youth and provide more flexibility. It's part of the game," he told RDS on Tuesday.

The Coyotes do have promising young centers in the pipeline set to make the jump to the NHL, but Vermette was still surprised that he was bought out with a year left on his deal.

Vermette added his agent is already fielding calls from interested teams, and that he'll take time to digest his situation before making a decision on where to play in 2016-17.

The 34-year-old recorded 17 goals and 21 assists in 76 games for the Coyotes this past season.

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Evander Kane facing civil suit over December assault allegations

Evander Kane is facing legal trouble on a number of fronts.

A day after the Buffalo Sabres winger pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a June incident at a local bar, his lawyers confirmed a civil suit has been filed against him by a woman who alleges he assaulted her back in December.

From The Buffalo News:

(The alleged victim's) suit, dated July 1, claims that Kane met her in a downtown Buffalo bar on Dec. 26 and on Dec. 27 invited her to his hotel room at the Buffalo Marriott HarborCenter. In her suit, the Cheektowaga woman claims Kane assaulted her and caused physical injuries that forced her to undergo surgery. She alleged he caused her serious emotional distress.

(The alleged victim) suffered 'bodily injury including lacerations, extensive bleeding requiring multiple surgeries and blood transfusions, and serious emotional trauma,' according to her affidavit filed in State Supreme Court.

Kane's lawyer, Paul Cambria, is preparing a counter-suit.

A formal accusation was never filed against Kane at the time of the incident, but a police investigation was started when the woman sought medical treatment.

No charges were laid as a result of the investigation.

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Havlat training with Czech club, hopes to play in NHL this season

Martin Havlat isn't done with the NHL.

The veteran forward has started skating and training with the Czech Extraliga club Kometa Brno with the hope of coming back to play in the NHL next season, agent Allan Walsh tweeted Tuesday.

The 35-year-old appeared in two games for the St. Louis Blues after signing a one-year deal in November, but left the team shortly thereafter to attend to a personal matter.

Havlat did score once in those two games, adding to his total of 242 goals in 790 career appearances.

At this point, Havlat would likely attend training camp on a professional tryout offer.

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