Hockey headlines for December 22, 2021

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

NHL players won't play in Beijing Olympics as COVID-19 cases, game postponements surge (USA Today)
Mark Stone injured in Golden Knights’ loss to Lightning (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Capitals-Flyers game postponed as Washington’s coronavirus concerns continue (Washington Post)
Lightning coach Jon Cooper enters COVID protocol (Tampa Bay Times)
Flames goalie Vladar latest to enter NHL's COVID-19 protocol (Calgary Herald)
Sabres head to break after Zemgus Girgensons and Jeff Skinner are added to Covid list (Buffalo News)
Number of San Jose Sharks players in NHL’s COVID protocol climbs by two (San Jose Mercury News)
Adam Erne, Jordan Oesterle join list of Red Wings in COVID protocol (Detroit Free Press)
More Leafs added to COVID-19 list (Toronto Sun)
Hawks' Connolly practices but doesn't address media on Kero hit (Chicago Daily-Herald)
Jets' Hellebuyck views COVID pause as 'overkill' (Winnipeg Sun)
World junior championship mandates half capacity and no concessions (Edmonton Journal)
Calgary Flames owners pull plug on arena deal (Calgary Herald)
Eugene Melnyk sees nothing wrong with the NHL's decision to pause the schedule (Ottawa Sun)
With NHL abandoning Olympics, other problems for the league must be dealt with (Toronto Sun)
NHL pulling out of Olympics, costing Patrick Kane last chance to win gold with U.S. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Penguins forward Sidney Crosby acknowledges playing in the Olympics looks unlikely (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
For several Blues, Olympic dreams put on hold (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Miller, Hughes place priority on winning in NHL, not Olympic stage (Vancouver Province)
Jets' Olympic dreams dashed by pandemic (Winnipeg Free Press)
NHL hopes early pause for holidays stems tide of COVID-19 infections (Columbus Dispatch)
Sharks ‘fear’ what rest of season will look like amid NHL’s COVID surge (San Jose Mercury News)
Penguins enter holiday break ready to 'expect the unexpected' (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Stars aren’t sweating the NHL’s COVID pause — though returning will look different this time (Dallas Morning News)
Sabres wary of Covid outbreak heading into uncertain holiday break (Buffalo News)
Chicago Blackhawks players react to the NHL’s COVID-19 shutdown: ‘It just throws everything into a huge mess with our schedule’ (Chicago Tribune)
Rangers have feeling of déjà vu as NHL’s holiday break comes early (New York Post)
Penguins keeping things light as COVID throws wrench in schedule (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
With trip canceled, Blues squeeze in practice before holiday break (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Wild confident despite entering NHL’s holiday shutdown on four-game losing streak (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Trotz tries to keep the focus on 'today' for Isles amid COVID outbreak (New York Newsday)
Wild has three key players injured as it heads to Christmas break (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Flyers ‘hopeful’ to get Derick Brassard back after NHL's COVID pause (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Toews looks to refresh, boost strength with a few extra days off (Chicago Daily-Herald)
Lightning’s Cal Foote finds his NHL footing as minutes increase (Tampa Bay Times)
Rangers' Filip Chytil to relax but stay ready for anything (New York Newsday)
Chase Priskie, wearing ‘big boy pants’ and playing ‘hard hockey,’ left impression on Panthers (Miami Herald)
Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin makes good after causing fan to spill beer (MLive.com)
Russia’s hockey team sports Soviet uniforms, riling its European neighbors (Washington Times)
Health orders cut Jets season-ticket holders’ ice time in half (Winnipeg Free Press)