Hockey headlines for December 23, 2021

Thursday, December 23, 2021

NHL officially withdraws from Olympics amid rising COVID-19 cases (Orange County Register)
Bettman, Fehr look to 2026 Olympics for NHLers (Toronto Sun)
NHL facing shortage of game officials because of COVID-19 protocols (Seattle Times)
Team Canada activates Plan B for Beijing Olympics (Toronto Sun)
Carolina Hurricanes goalie enters COVID-19 protocol (Raleigh News & Observer)
Evander Kane among Barracuda players in AHL COVID protocol (San Jose Mercury News)
NHL All-Star Weekend still planned for Las Vegas (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Flames president Bean after arena deal falls apart: ‘It’s disappointing. But we’ll move on’ (Calgary Sun)
Closing In on the Great One (New York Times)
Wild’s Winter Classic game at Target Field is fast approaching: ‘It’s getting real’ (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Cam Neely: ‘Sometimes you feel like we’re looking for trouble’ (Boston Herald)
Armstrong had most of Team Canada picked before NHL's Olympic opt-out (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
NHL's Olympic exit ends Canadiens debate over Price's participation (Montreal Gazette)
Another Olympics down the drain for Oilers captain Connor McDavid (Edmonton Sun)
For several Blues, Olympic dreams put on hold (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
With Beijing withdrawal, Olympic debuts for some Bruins will have to wait as rosters get shuffled (Boston Globe)
Lightning players won’t get to live out Olympic dream (Tampa Bay Times)
NHLers officially out of Olympics, a bummer for Flames and fans alike (Calgary Sun)
Blue Jackets players, GM to miss second straight Olympics after NHL pulls plug (Columbus Dispatch)
Islanders' Trotz, NHL players won't be going to Olympics (New York Newsday)
NHL closes door on Olympics, opening door for others like Landon Ferraro (Vancouver Province)
Team Canada anxious to face opponent to prepare for world junior championship (Edmonton Sun)
Wings prospects taking center stage at World Junior Championships (Detroit News)
Canadiens prospect Jan Mysak named captain of Czech junior team (Montreal Gazette)
Senators prospect Jake Sanderson will lead the way for Team USA at world junior (Ottawa Sun)
Flyers prospect Elliot Desnoyers ready to take on 'any mission' at upcoming World Juniors (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Rangers looking to make the most of extended holiday break (New York Post)
Revamped second line could ease the scoring burden on Stars’ top line (Dallas Morning News)
Wild needs to play less selfishly to pull out of rut, Evason says (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Fresh off 4-game point streak, Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews welcomes week of rest (Chicago Sun-Times)
Psst! Rangers' Kreider is fourth in the NHL in goals. (New York Newsday)
Rangers' Chytil to relax but stay ready for anything (New York Newsday)
Spirit of Christmas: Courtnall brothers form foundation to support mental health initiatives (Vancouver Province)