NHL Central

The final 12 players voted into the 2024 NHL All-Star game by fans were announced on Saturday ahead of the game on Feb. 3.

Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner were among the 12 players voted into the game by fans. In 37 games this season, Makar has notched nine goals and 39 assists, while Marner has scored 17 goals and picked up 28 assists on the year.

Makar had 1,065,367 fan votes while Marner had 946,154. NHL All-Star weekend is Feb. 1-3 and will take place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

While Makar and Marner were among the top-voted players, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko received the most votes with 1,398,699. Demko has been dominant for the league-leading Canucks, notching a 21-8 record with a save percentage of .916.

Of the skaters selected by fans, Maple Leaf's right wing William Nylander led the way in fan votes with 1,393,578. Nylander has picked up 21 goals and 36 assists this season.

The Canucks had the most players voted into the All-Star game with Demko, Elias Pettersson, JT Miller and Brock Boeser all getting the nod. The Male Leafs had three players voted in by fans in Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly getting bids.

While fans had the chance to vote their favorite players into the All-Star game, they will also get the chance to select which All Stars appear in this year's skills challenge.

Connor Bedard, who turned 18 years old in July, became the youngest NHL All-Star in history Thursday night.

Bedard will represent the Blackhawks during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. He is the team's first representative since Alex DeBrincat in 2022.

He will be 18 years and 171 days old at the time of the event, beating out Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner as the youngest participant in the game's history. Skinner set the previous record in 2011 at 18 years and 259 days old, per Yahoo Sports.

The No. 1 selection of the 2023 draft headed into Thursday night with 15 goals and 33 points in his first 37 games.

Bedard may be less than halfway through his first NHL season, but he's already set multiple other records for the Blackhawks and the league.

In the ninth game of his career against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 30, Bedard became the youngest player in league history to score within the first 30 seconds of a game, per ESPN Stats and Info.

On Nov. 9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in his 12th career game, Bedard became the youngest NHL player since 1944 to record four points in a single game, per The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.

He was the first player in Blackhawks history to score nine goals in the first 13 games of his career, and the sixth NHL player to do so since 1994, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

Bedard recorded an assist against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12 to mark the first 10-game road point streak by any rookie in Blackhawks franchise history, per NHL.com.

With Bedard currently on pace for 73 points over 82 games, a total which would beat Patrick Kane's 72-point 2007-08 campaign to make him the third-most productive Blackhawks rookie of all time, those aren't likely to be the only records the former No. 1 pick breaks this season.

His next one will come in February as Bedard joins stars including Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby beginning on Feb. 2 with a remodeled All-Star skills competition.

Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Corey Perry has denied rumors about his release from the team this week, saying in a statement that his departure from the club did not stem from involvement with any of his teammates or their family members.

Perry also said he has "started working with experts in the mental health and substance abuse fields" to discuss his struggles with alcohol.

The veteran forward said in a statement Thursday, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman:

The Blackhawks placed Perry, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the club in June, on unconditional waivers on Tuesday for the purpose of terminating his contract.

Chicago said in a statement at the time, per Friedman:

After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player's Contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments. As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately." 

Prior to his release, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters Saturday that Perry would be away from the team for "the foreseeable future" and that it was a management decision to keep him out of the lineup.

Davidson added that the team learned of a workplace incident involving Perry ahead of a Nov. 22 matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena and decided to pull him away from the team.

Perry's agent, Pat Morris, said that it was his client's decision to step away from the team "to attend to personal matters."

ESPN's Ryan S. Clark then reported Tuesday that an incident occurred involving Perry and a team employee prior to the game against the Blue Jackets.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff added Thursday that Perry was allegedly involved in "an alcohol-fueled incident" during an event that included team employees and corporate sponsors.

Perry appeared in 16 games for the Blackhawks this season, notching four goals and five assists for nine points.

Prior to joining the Blackhawks, he spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and also spent time with the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens. His best seasons came as a member of the Ducks from 2005 to '19, and he helped Anaheim capture the Stanley Cup in 2007.

It's unclear if the veteran intends to return to the NHL this season.

Corey Perry's time with the Chicago Blackhawks has come to an end.

The Blackhawks have placed Perry on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Chicago said in a statement, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman:

After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player's Contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments. As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately." 

Perry signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Blackhawks in June.

The 38-year-old notched four goals and five assists for nine points in 16 games before being mysteriously left out of the lineup for a Nov. 22 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters Saturday that Perry would be away from the team for "the foreseeable future." He added that it was management's decision to keep the veteran forward away from the club.

However, Perry's agent, Pat Morris, said in a statement Saturday that it was Perry's decision to step away from the franchise "to attend to personal matters."

The Blackhawks enter Tuesday's matchup against the Seattle Kraken eighth in the Central Division with a 6-13-0 record.

Perry spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning before signing with the Blackhawks as a free agent. He has also spent time with the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens over his 19-year career.

Perry's best seasons came when he was a member of the Ducks, which selected him in the first round of the 2003 draft, from 2005 to '19.

He notched 372 goals and 404 assists for 776 points in 988 games and also won the Stanley Cup with the franchise in 2007. His best season came in 2010-11 when he tallied 50 goals and 48 assists for 98 points in 82 games and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer.

Amid an abysmal 5-10-4 start to the 2023-24 season, the Minnesota Wild have made a significant change.

The team announced on Monday that head coach Dean Evason has been fired after five years in the organization. Assistant coach Bob Woods has also been relieved of his duties.

Former Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes will replace Evason with the Wild, the team announced.

"Dean did an excellent job during his tenure with the Minnesota Wild, especially as Head Coach of our team," Minnesota president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement. "I am very thankful for his hard work and dedication to our organization."

Evason was initially hired by the Wild as an assistant coach in 2018 before being promoted to interim head coach in Feb. 2020 following the firing of Bruce Boudreau. The team dropped the "interim" tag from his title that July to give him the permanent position.

The 59-year-old coached Minnesota to playoff appearances in each of the last four seasons. However, the team never advanced out of the first round. So far this season, the Wild have the second-fewest wins in the NHL ahead of only the San Jose Sharks (4-15-2).

Hynes began his head coaching career with the New Jersey Devils in 2015 before being hired by the Predators in 2019. Nashville fired him after the team failed to make the playoffs last season.

The Wild will begin the Hynes era when they return to action on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues (11-8-1). Minnesota will be attempting to end a seven-game losing streak.

Connor Bedard made Chicago Blackhawks history Thursday night.

Bedard, who turned 18 in July, became the youngest player in franchise history to score multiple goals in the same game during a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft earned First Star of the Game honors by factoring in on four of the Blackhawks' five goals.

Bedard recorded his two goals and two assists during the Blackhawks' "Moms' Trip" with his mother watching from the crowd.

Bedard now has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in the first 12 games of his NHL career, and hockey fans are starting to believe he is living up to the hype that surrounded his selection at the top of the 2023 draft.

Bedard's first goal of the game tied things up before a no-look pass on the rush to Tyler Johnson gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead late in the first period.

Bedard backhanded in another goal with eight seconds left in the frame to give Chicago a two-goal advantage.

The rookie helped the Blackhawks both paid their lead and add energy to the power play when he fed Corey Perry at the netfront for a tip-in insurance tally in the second period.

The Hawks' success while the Chicago Bears simultaneously struggled against the Carolina Panthers led some hockey fans to attempt to drawn in NFL viewers with Bedard.

Bedard and the Blackhawks will return to action Sunday with a road game against the Florida Panthers.

The Winnipeg Jets announced Monday that head coach Rick Bowness is taking a leave of absence from the team after his wife, Judy, had a seizure Sunday evening, per ESPN's Kristen Shilton.

The Jets said in their statement that Judy remained hospitalized while undergoing further tests. Assistant Scott Arniel will serve as interim head coach in Bowness' absence.

Winnipeg also asked for "everyone to respect the family's privacy at this time."

Bowness is in the midst of his second season as Jets head coach after he was hired in July 2022 to replace then-interim coach Dave Lowry. The 68-year-old led Winnipeg to a 46-33-3 record in his first year behind the bench and the team lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs.

Arniel skated in 730 NHL games across 11 seasons, including over four seasons with the Jets. He was a member of the team during the 1984-85 campaign when Bowness was serving as an assistant.

Arniel became head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010 and held that position until he was fired midway through the 2011-12 season. He had a head coaching record of 45-60-18 during his brief time behind the bench.

The 61-year-old also held assistant roles with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals before joining the Jets as a part of Bowness' staff in 2022.

The Jets are off to a 2-3-0 start this season. They will return to action on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues (2-1-1).

Ticket prices are extremely high for Connor Bedard's first game at the United Center, with fans flocking to see the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

The average ticket sold for the game is $209, the highest ticket price a Chicago Blackhawks game has generated in five years (via ESPN).

Bedard has already recorded three points in Chicago's five-game road trip to open the season, scoring the first goal of his NHL career on Oct. 11 against the Boston Bruins.

The 18-year-old acknowledged the magnitude of his home debut, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.

"The home opener will be unreal," said Bedard. "Preseason games were nuts in there and you're not even allowed to have the upper bowl sold and everything, and it was crazy. I'm really looking forward to that, a full United Center. That'll be special."

With a record of 2-3 so far this season, Chicago currently sits at just sixth place in the Central Division. However, they'll have a chance to pick things up with four of their next six games at home.

This includes Bedard's debut, which will come against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the reigning Stanley Cup champions. The game is on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.