More than 25 years ago, before shattering any scoring records or winning any Stanley Cups, Wayne Gretzky was a bit self-conscious about his image.

After a set of hockey cards were shown to Edmonton Oilers players prior to the 1981-82 season, Gretzky requested that his photo - featuring the legend with a messy mullet and an awkward smile - be retaken.

Long-lost hockey cards feature Wayne Gretzky's mullet https://t.co/iCLTEzFq0q pic.twitter.com/bToV49hdR7

— CBC Trending (@CBCTrending) March 8, 2016

The producer of the cards, Don Clarke of Edmonton, granted Gretzky's request and ordered that all of the cards be destroyed, but not before keeping a few for himself.

"I, for one, grabbed a couple," Clarke admitted to CBC. "Why? I don't know, just wanted a keepsake or whatever have you.

"How many actually got destroyed? I never thought about it at the time," he continued. "Some of them got out, but the majority, by far the majority of them, were destroyed."

Gretzky's photo was retaken after he got a haircut, but, thankfully, Clarke kept evidence of the original for us to enjoy.

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The NHL announced Monday that it's still mulling over expansion bids from Las Vegas and Quebec City, adding that no decisions or recommendations have been made. And according to Brian Mulroney - chairman of Quebecor, which is behind Quebec City's bid - a decision isn't coming any time soon.

There's been a chain reaction of talk regarding expansion, after former NHLer Georges Laraque went on the radio Monday and said Quebec City's application had been denied. The NHL then put out its statement, and Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada, went on the radio Monday, as well, and said the low Canadian dollar is playing a factor in the league's prolonged decision. He added that expansion to Quebec City will not happen "tomorrow morning," according to the National Post's Mike Zeisberger.

"Obviously, you know that with the Canadian dollar where it is, it is an extraordinary challenge not only for Quebec, but for all of Canada vis-a-vis the United States. So we must deal with this reality.

"We work well with the NHL and the case, quietly, (might) not advance quickly, but (will) advance as it should. Will it be tomorrow morning? No, I think not. But I think we are high up on the list of important applications to remember in the future."

The Canadian dollar is valued at $0.74 to the American dollar Tuesday afternoon, rebounding from a yearly low of $0.68 in January, according to XE Currency Charts. The dollar has gone up as oil has rebounded from its low of $27.10 per barrel in January.

Either way, the NHL appears to be in a holding pattern on expansion, and both Las Vegas and Quebec City remain in limbo.

- With h/t to Pro Hockey Talk

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When you spend an entire hockey season sitting beside the same player in the dressing room, you can learn a lot about their habits - and their weaknesses.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, a seven-year NHL veteran, quickly figured out how to get the best out of his seating arrangement beside 22-year-old Joel Edmundson, paying the fellow blue-liner to take his skates off after practice.

Gunnarsson paid Edmundson to take his skates off today. pic.twitter.com/R6iwm3xp6Z

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) March 8, 2016

This isn't a case of a veteran player picking on a rookie, as Edmundson seemed more than happy to help his teammate out.

"He just gave me an offer I couldn't resist," Edmundson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It pays for lunch. You've got to do what you've got to do to make a buck."

Gunnarsson joked that his sore back was making it hard for him to reach down to his skates, but admitted he was bound to find out Edmundson's weak spot during a long season.

"You figure it out," he said. "I've been sitting here for 70 games. You learn."

Edmundson is currently the lowest-paid defenseman on the Blues' roster, making a measly $742,500 this season.

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Not even an established NHL star can pass up a piece of hockey lore.

Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene appears to have secured signed sticks from Jaromir Jagr and Pavel Datsyuk after recent games against the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings.

Thanks @Datsyuk13 and @68Jagr !🏒🏒 pic.twitter.com/FWaNaNJqmu

— Matt Duchene (@Matt9Duchene) March 8, 2016

With 28 goals in 68 games, the 25-year-old has already surpassed his previous career high, and will no doubt be signing sticks for the next wave of talent at the tail end of his own career.

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Jonathan Drouin is being welcomed back to the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, and will have to work hard to repair damage done upon walking away from the team back in January, both on and off the ice.

So says Crunch captain Mike Angelidis, who's appeared in only 14 NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning while largely plying his trade in the minors for the past decade.

"I think he's going to have to earn his respect from guys as well," Angelidis said Tuesday after practice, according to Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com. "It's not something (where) you just come back in. I think he's going to come in and work hard and that's how everything's going to be fine. He's going to have to come in and play, and he's going to play hard. He can't just come through and go through the motions."

For the time being, and despite recent circumstances, Angelidis is willing to give the 20-year-old the benefit of the doubt.

"I don't think he's got that kind of character. I think he's got a good head on his shoulders where he'll come in and work hard. If he comes in and doesn't work hard, then, obviously, there's entitlement there. But I don't think it's going to go that way. I think he realized the guys in the dressing room won't allow that to happen."

Drouin was last off the ice at Crunch practice and picked up some pucks on his way to the locker room, which, in the captain's eyes, was a good start on the road back to the NHL.

If anyone knows it doesn't come easy, it's Angelidis.

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TORONTO - Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Matt Hunwick will not play another game this season. Hunwick will have season-ending sports hernia surgery, playing his final game this year on Monday night. Toronto head coach Mike Babcock announced t...

Matt Hunwick's season is over.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are shutting down the defenseman, and he'll undergo surgery for a recurring sports hernia injury, head coach Mike Babcock announced.

Hunwick says he has "soreness in areas that he won't describe on TV."

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) March 8, 2016

Hunwick, 31 in the spring, finishes with two goals and eight assists in 60 games. He averaged 22:34 in ice time, and had a 47 Corsi For rating, according to Hockey Reference. He's under contract for next season at $1.2 million.

Martin Marincin will take over for Hunwick.

Babcock on Marincin: "We think he's got a lot of potential." He will now play on the top pair with Rielly with Hunwick out for season.

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) March 8, 2016

Viktor Loov was recalled by Toronto on an emergency basis earlier Tuesday, and should be in the lineup Wednesday.

With all the injuries and trades, 25-year-old Jake Gardiner is now the oldest active defenseman on the Maple Leafs' roster.

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John Klingberg will be back in the lineup when he's back in the lineup.

The Dallas Stars defenseman won't play Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. He was hurt last Friday, with the team saying it's a lower-body ailment and calling him day to day.

"He's doing OK, but he is not ready to skate yet," head coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday, according to the Stars' Mark Stepneski.

Klingberg wasn't expected to travel to Montreal, so his being out isn't a surprise, but his absence, originally deemed short term by Ruff, appears like it will be longer than Dallas hoped.

Dallas has a tough back-to-back coming up on the weekend, with home games against the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues. It doesn't get any easier after that, as they'll play home games against the Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New York Islanders before a visit to Chicago for another round with the Blackhawks.

Playing in the Western Conference must be exhausting.

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So they're saying there's a chance.

A day after the Tampa Bay Lightning lifted Jonathan Drouin's suspension and general manager Steve Yzerman indicated he was leaving the door open for the young forward to return to the big club, it appears as though the feeling is mutual.

Drouin spoke after practicing with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch on Tuesday, and said it's possible the two sides can indeed reconcile after Yzerman decided to hold on to him as the trade deadline passed.

Asked Jonathan Drouin if he thinks relationship with Tampa is salvageable pic.twitter.com/BzbEqKnzUS

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 8, 2016

"Obviously, I’m a hockey player, I want to play hockey," he said of his decision to return. "Sitting at home is not what I wanted to do."

Drouin is also well aware he has some work to do in order to get where he wants to be, namely playing regular minutes as an NHL forward.

Drouin says he knows he'll have to perform well to earn trust of teammates

— Syracuse Hockey (@syrhockey) March 8, 2016

Drouin: "I have to put in the work here, and that's what I plan to do.''

— Syracuse Hockey (@syrhockey) March 8, 2016

"Obviously, I wish it maybe went the other way," he added, "but it happened that way, and it's going to be fixed in the summer in the summer and we'll figure it out."

Drouin is expected to be in the Crunch's lineup Friday, with a possible recall looming on the horizon, if all goes well.

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Evander Kane seems a lot older he actually is. The 24-year-old is already an NHL veteran, currently playing in his seventh season after entering the league as a teenager with the Atlanta Thrashers, two seasons before they moved to Winnipeg. ...