If NHL players are part of the Beijing Olympics in February, Hockey Canada will have a two-time Stanley Cup champions Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper as head coach.
The first step in making a team complete with actual players begins tomorrow with the NHL's expansion draft.
Here are 5 other important dates to circle for the inaugural season of the Seattle Kraken:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have won the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season. They beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 to wrap up the series four games to one.
No team has won the Stanley Cup on home ice since the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. The Tampa Bay Lightning have that chance in Game 5 of the final against the Montreal Canadiens.
Andrei Vasilevskiy wrapped up a series with a Game 6 shutout for the second straight time, stopping 29 shots in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Joe Pavelski tied it with 31.4 seconds left in the third period, Anton Khudobin stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout and the Dallas Stars beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1.
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have agreed on protocols to resume the season but are still negotiating an extension of the collective bargaining agreement.