NHL Central Division News

There were worries that the huge, oversized check on stage at Bridgestone Arena on Monday going to charity might not have been as big this year.

When Predators forward Craig Smith put on his red, white and blue jersey for Team USA at the IIHF World Championships the last three summers, there seemed to be a sudden shift in his overall play.

After playing the best hockey in franchise history down the stretch, the Columbus Blue Jackets have enjoyed an upsurge at the box office in recent weeks.

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs are moving into their fourth week and already we've seen moments that have added to the NHL 's mythology.

Is this when the Blackhawks' 28-for-28 penalty kill streak in the playoffs ends? 10:04 p.m. -- Red Wings get their third power play of the period when Keith goes off for roughing with 5:51 left.

May 18, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad is checked into the Detroit Red Wings bench by left wing Justin Abdelkader in the second period of game two of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center.

Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville believes the referee Brad Watson got it wrong when he disallowed agoal in the third period of a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

The Predators have fired associate coach Peter Horachek, sources close to the team told The Tennessean on Monday night.

Pavel Datsyuk, left, of the Detroit Red Wings looks to drive around Chicago Blackhawks defender Johnny Oduya during the first period in Game 3 at Joe Louis Arena on Monday in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings players celebrate centre Gustav Nyquist's goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period in Detroit on Monday.

Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader is hit by the puck as he screens Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford during during Game 2 of the NHL Western Conference semifinal in Chicago, May 18, 2013.

Fans cheer as members of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate a third period goal against the Detroit Red Wings in Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on May 15, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois.

The NHL on Monday announced the finalists for the Mark Messier Leadership Award, and to no one's surprise, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was among the three nominees.

The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to have forward Viktor Stalberg back in their lineup for game 3 of their Western Conference Semifinal Monday night according to Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com . Stalberg has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of the series that saw the Red Wings steal home ice advantage from the Blackhawks after an ... (more)

The St. Louis Blues made some big moves at the trade deadline, most notably their trade for former Calgary Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeester .

Chicago a In case they weren't aware already, the Chicago Blackhawks now know they're going to have to earn it if they want to get past Detroit.

In Saturday's first game, the Detroit Red Wings got revenge in a big way for their Game 1 defeat with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Switzerland has not won a medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship since 1953, but with a 3-0 win over the United States in Stockholm on Saturday, that is certain to change.

Henrik Zetterberg and the Detroit Red Wings are hoping for a better showing today in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 2013 campaign is going to be a big season for the Columbus Blue Jackets . They'll head into the first full season with the new front office regime in charge, and will be coming off of a season in which they hung around in the playoff race until the last day of the regular season.