The Detroit Red Wings took a moment to honor the late, great Gordie Howe on Monday during the final regular-season opener to be played at Joe Louis Arena.

The hockey legend, who died June 10, did not suit up for the Red Wings at their current rink, instead playing his Detroit hockey in the team's previous home, the Detroit Olympia.

Howe's No. 9 hangs from the Joe Louis rafters, however, and he made his final trip there on his 88th birthday, weeks before his passing.

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The NHL's incoming franchise has scooped up the creator of fans' go-to source for player contract and salary cap information.

Tom Poraszka, founder of popular salary information website General Fanager, has been hired by Las Vegas as a hockey operations analyst.

Poraszka left this message thanking General Fanager users:

Poraszka and his team created a genius tool that allowed users to project the NHL's expansion roster. It appears it will be put to good use.

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Losing in the Stanley Cup Final for a second time as an NHL head coach, Pete DeBoer knows better than most that he is prepared to withstand the adversity that presents itself to a team returning after a long, successful, but ultimately disappointing postseason run.

That's not because he's wiser. It's because this time, coach actually has a fighting chance.

"I learned you don't let Kovalchuk and Parise leave," DeBoer told Yahoo!'s Greg Wyshynski when asked about what he can take from his close call with the New Jersey Devils in 2012.

"That's what I learned."

His two leading scorers that year, Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise, combined for 68 goals and 152 points, or overall production comparable to San Jose's two leading point getters last year - Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.

But when assessing San Jose's chances in its second season under DeBoer, it's boosted by much more than its returning Joes. Avoiding the talent drain all together, every significant piece from last year's run to the Stanley Cup Final - San Jose's first in franchise history - remains at DeBoer's disposal. And unlike most contenders, management was actually able to augment the operation over the summer.

So following a debut season that saw him do something that his respected predecessor, Todd McLellan, couldn't, as he uncovered a formula that worked for a talented, perpetually underachieving core, DeBoer has a chance to shake things up further.

It's been eight years since either a Stanley Cup champion or finalist returned to the big dance in the following season.

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Braden Holtby almost became the youngest goalie ever to earn 150 NHL wins.

Instead, the Washington Capitals netminder will have to settle for third-youngest after reaching the mark in his 246th career game - a win over the New York Islanders this past Saturday.

Holtby, 27, is coming off a 48-win season in which he tied Martin Brodeur's single-season record and won the Vezina Trophy. He sits 22nd among active goalies in wins, 288 behind Roberto Luongo, who sits sixth on the NHL's all-time list.

There's quite a road ahead, then, in order for Holtby to be mentioned among the best ever, but he's put himself in position to be in the conversation if he remains on his current performance track.

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Edmonton Oilers goalie Jonas Gustavsson will not be in the lineup when the team takes on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

The Oilers are expected to recall goalie Laurent Brossoit from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors. The 23-year-old appeared in five games with the Oilers last season, posting an unspectacular 0-4-0 record and .873 save percentage.

Coach Todd McLellan has not yet confirmed if netminder Cam Talbot will get the start against the Hurricanes. Talbot was pulled in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Sabres after allowing six goals on 23 shots.

Gustavsson filled in for Talbot versus the Sabres, but was pulled from the game by the NHL's new concussion spotters after Edmonton blue-liner Adam Larsson fell backward and landed on the goaltender's head.

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The Arizona Coyotes have assigned defenseman Zbynek Michalek to the AHL, the team announced Monday.

Michalek, 33, was placed on waivers earlier this month, going unclaimed. The team then had a 30-day window to send him to the minors before he would require waivers again. The Coyotes ultimately opted to assign him to their AHL club, the Tucson Roadrunners.

Michalek signed with Arizona as a free agent in 2015 and appeared in 70 games with the Coyotes last season, scoring seven points. He previously played with the Coyotes from 2005-10, and again from 2012-15 prior to a trade that sent him to the St. Louis Blues.

The Czech defender has one year remaining on his contract, carrying a $3.2-million cap hit.

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A slow start to the season means rapid change for the Anaheim Ducks, as the team has reportedly waived forward Mason Raymond.

Raymond, 31, has been held pointless through the team's first three games, in which the Ducks have posted an 0-2-1 record.

Raymond signed with the Ducks in the offseason after appearing in 29 games with the Calgary Flames last year.

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Some members of the Chicago Blackhawks may have a career in the performing arts once their days on the ice are behind them.

Attending Game 2 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the hometown Chicago Cubs, the three Blackhawks stars - Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and captain Jonathan Toews - broke out in song as part of the seventh-inning stretch ritual.

Unfortunately for Chicagoans, the Hawks' rendition of the classic baseball song didn't prove to be enough of a good luck charm, as the Cubs fell 1-0. The series is now tied at a game apiece and resumes Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The Cubs hope to capture their first World Series win since 1908 and snap a historic 107-year drought. The Blackhawks can somewhat relate, as the team's Stanley Cup win in 2010 ended a 49-year winless streak. Keith, Seabrook, and Toews were all part of that championship team.

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Chalk up another accolade for Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. The superstar center was named the NHL's first star of the week Monday, after scoring six points in three games to open the season. McDavid notched two goals, including the game-winner, in the team's season opener against the rival Calgary Flames.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, was named the league's second star of the week. The 19-year-old had a record-breaking debut, scoring four goals in his first NHL game. Matthews notched the fourth tally with three seconds remaining in just the second period.

Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo has been named the NHL's third star of the week. The 37-year-old grabbed a pair of wins to start the season, posting a .957 save percentage through two games. His second win marked the 438th victory of his career, pushing him past Jacques Plante for sixth place on the NHL's all-time wins list.

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Carey Price's return will have to wait, as Montreal Canadiens backup goaltender Al Montoya has confirmed he will start the team's home opener Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Price, the 2015 Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, missed the Canadiens' first two games of the season due to the flu. He resumed skating Monday.

It's unknown whether Price will serve as backup Tuesday. Goalie Charlie Lindgren remains on the roster.

Montoya has posted a 1-0-1 record and a .942 save percentage through two games this season.

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