Shane Doan turned down one last shot at winning it all.
The former Arizona Coyotes captain, who announced his retirement in August following a 21-year career, considered an invite from Team Canada for the 2018 Winters Olympics before ultimately declining the opportunity.
"If you're going to play in (the Olympics), you really need to be dialed in and really capable of doing your best," Doan told Sportsnet 650's "On Point."
"I didn't know if I'd be able to do that. I didn't know if I had the desire to move away and go play somewhere else for a little bit in order to stay ready."
Team Canada general manager Sean Burke, who played alongside Doan with the Coyotes from 1999-2004, initially reached out to Doan in August.
Doan scored 27 points in 74 games with Arizona last season. The 41-year-old accepted a position with the NHL's hockey operations department last month.
A move to new surroundings can often be the perfect remedy.
That's certainly been the case with several struggling players in the past. Just ask Joe Thornton, who won the NHL MVP with the San Jose Sharks after spending his first seven seasons with the Boston Bruins.
With a refresh in mind, here are seven players who could benefit from a similar change of scenery:
Sam Bennett
No player may be more in need of a shake up than Bennett, who has failed to find the scoresheet through 13 games this season. No doubt a disappointment, it's safe to say the Flames had high hopes for the 2014 fourth overall pick, who was drafted ahead of the likes of William Nylander and Nikolaj Ehlers.
Bennett tallied 36 points in his rookie campaign two years ago, but declined to just 26 points last season, despite averaging nearly identical ice time. To follow it up, Bennett and the Flames slogged through a difficult contract negotiation last offseason. Calgary ultimately bet on a two-year deal, but the likes of it paying off appear to be slim.
Mikkel Boedker
Boedker agreed to a four-year deal with the Sharks in 2016, but things have not gone swimmingly since his arrival in San Jose.
Sharks bench boss Peter DeBoer - who coached Boedker in junior - is tasked with helping the Danish winger find some consistency, and has moved him throughout the lineup in search of his scoring touch. Playing alongside Joonas Donskoi and Chris Tierney on the team's third line, Boedker picked up two points in his last game after tallying just one point in his previous six outings. If the Sharks would rather move on from Boedker, it'd be difficult to do so, given he's signed for $4 million through 2019-20.
Anthony Duclair
A frequent scratch by former coach Dave Tippett, it's been more of the same for Duclair with new bench boss Rick Tocchet. Despite chipping in three goals this season - only Coyotes rookie Clayton Keller has scored more - Duclair has been scratched for two of the past three games.
Duclair returned to the lineup for Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, a contest in which he skated on the team's fourth line and finished last among forwards with just 10:49 in ice time. Originally acquired from the New York Rangers in 2015, Duclair could be a worthwhile trade chip to help right the last-place Coyotes.
Alex Galchenyuk
Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin sees forward Galchenyuk as a winger, a stance that coach Claude Julien agrees with, judging by his lineup. The point of confusion comes into play with where Galchenyuk has been slotted.
Skating on the team's fourth line, Galchenyuk has scored in three of the last five games, but has not been rewarded with a boost in the lineup. A third overall pick by the Canadiens in 2012, the hope was Galchenyuk would soon be the team's top center, a duty since filled by new recruit Jonathan Drouin. This offseason, the Canadiens committed to a two-year extension with Galchenyuk, but it may only be a matter of time before they move on.
Josh Leivo
The Toronto Maple Leafs winger is productive. The only problem is finding a regular roster spot. Depth at forward has seen Leivo scratched more often than not this season, as the 24-year-old sat out Toronto's first 10 games before drawing into the lineup for two of the past four contests. Leivo picked up a point in the process, but as of the team's last game, he was back to a familiar spot on the sidelines.
Leivo showed off his offensive chops last season when he picked up 10 points in 13 games, and that could pique the interest of rival GMs should the Maple Leafs wish to deal from an area of strength to shore up their defensive depth.
Sam Reinhart
The Buffalo Sabres center has made little progress over his first two seasons, and appears to be taking a step back in the early goings of this campaign as he's picked up just five points through 13 games.
While only three years removed from his draft class, it appears the Sabres made a devastating miss when they selected Reinhart one spot ahead of Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl. Reinhart is now in the final year of his entry-level contract, and first-year Sabres GM Jason Botterill has opted for a wait-and-see approach before locking in a big-ticket extension. Otherwise, he could elect to deal Reinhart to improve his roster elsewhere.
Jacob Trouba
Trouba and the Winnipeg Jets went through an ugly contract dispute in the lead-up to last season, so much so that the American-born blue-liner sat out the first 15 games. He eventually agreed to a two-year deal, a contract that expires at the end of 2017-18.
While Trouba will again be a restricted free agent - meaning the Jets still have more say in how his future plays out - the team could look to move on from a player who previously demanded a trade. Furthering those efforts could be Trouba's inability to live up to his offensive potential. With just four points through 12 games this season, his scoring game appears to have plateaued.
Price's performance has been uncharacteristically poor this season. In 11 games, he has a 3-7-1 record and .877 save percentage.
Al Montoya will start Saturday, and the Canadiens are scheduled to play Sunday in Chicago. A goalie will be recalled to serve as backup, and may or may not remain with the team through the weekend.
Montreal then returns home for a date with Vegas on Nov. 7.
The MVP goaltender has posted an uncharacteristic .877 save percentage through 11 games, leading to a record of 3-7-1. His latest loss came Thursday at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, wherein Price allowed five goals on 26 shots, including three in the first period.
But far as forward Brendan Gallagher is concerned, everyone on the ice needs to do their part to keep the puck out of the net.
"It's on us to limit those opportunities," Gallagher said, according to Matt Cudzinowski of Canadiens.com. "I think they're getting too many chances from prime scoring areas and we've got to be better in front of our goalie. He saved and bailed us out so many times that we're definitely not looking to him to rescue us now. I think we've just got to be better as a team."
For his part, Price doesn't seem overly concerned with his numbers to date.
"It's definitely a battle, but I know how to get through it. I'm not concerned about it," he said. "I'm just trying to stay positive and stick to the process. That's what makes you successful."
For his career, Price carries a .919 save percentage, and his single-season low is .905, set in 2008-09 and 2012-13. Since the latter season, he's been arguably the best goalie in the world, and needs to find that form again if the Canadiens are going to rise from 29th place and back into playoff contention.
The incidents took place after a Killorn goal was waved off due to goaltender interference at 3:01 of the third period. In the aftermath, both Stamkos and Hayes squirted water at the opposition, while Killorn was guilty of swinging his stick toward the Rangers bench.
Here's a look at Killorn's part:
Kevin Hayes squirts Alex Killorn with water from the bench, Killorn takes exception pic.twitter.com/ndxZ7hK8LG
Alex Ovechkin's ongoing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin is being well received back home.
On Thursday, the Washington Capitals superstar launched a "social movement" to reinforce his place on Team Putin, much to the delight of the Russian government.
"We obviously welcome in general Sasha's desire to express support for our president, especially from abroad," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to Ovechkin, according to The Associated Press.
Ovechkin is "a very famous Russian, a very successful Russian, and we really know that he values our president highly," Peskov added.
A presidential election is set for March 18, but Putin hasn't confirmed whether or not he will run once again. Either way, he knows he'll have support over in Washington.
In the caption, as translated by The Washington Post, Ovechkin says he's never hid his relationship with Putin and has "always openly supported him." He's simply taking that a step further on social media.
I’m certain that there are many of us that support Vladimir Putin. Let’s unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia. Today, I want to announce a social movement in the name of Putin Team. Be a part of this team to me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.
Following a win over the New York Islanders later in the day, the Washington Capitals superstar further explained his public support for the Russian President.
"I don’t try to be politics man or someone like that," Ovechkin said. "I just support my president and just support my country because I’m from there, and you know, if people from U.S. came to Russia, they care about what happening in U.S. So, I care about what happening in Russia because that’s my home and that’s where I’m from."
Ovechkin frequently represents his home country in international tournaments, and was very open about his disappointment over not being allowed to play at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea as the NHL will not participate.
