SHEA WEBER

NHL players will not take part in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing after all. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) (Julio Cortez)NHL players will not be allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics after the league pulled the plug amid a rash of postponements caused by positive COVID-19 test results. International officials and national federations must now pivot to Plan B for a second consecutive Olympic men’s hockey tournament without NHL players. When Olympic participation was confirmed in September, teams were sent two versions of the NFL schedule. The league and NHLPA have a deal for Olympic participation as part of their collective bargaining agreement extension through that year.

The NHL has announced that players won't be able to participate in the Beijing Olympics.

Golden Knights Canadiens Hockey Montreal Canadiens pose with the Clarence Campbell trophy after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights to advance to the Stanley Cup finals following overtime in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup semifinal playoff series Thursday, June 24, 2021 in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP) (Ryan Remiorz)MONTREAL — (AP) — Shea Weber and the Montreal Canadiens kept their hands off the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, and even rookie Cole Caufield had no interest in touching it. Now the focus turns toward the Cup, and there's no such hatred toward namesake Lord Stanley. “We got another series coming up,” said Weber, who’s playing in his first Cup final at age 35. Everyone underestimates them.”Three-time Cup winner Patrick Sharp, now an NBC Sport analyst, expected Montreal to lose every round.

MONTREAL — (AP) — Artturi Lehkonen scored 1:39 into overtime, Carey Price stopped 37 shots and the Montreal Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 28 years following a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. Cole Caufield and captain Shea Weber also scored, and the Canadiens eliminated the Golden Knights in Game 6 of their semifinal series. Montreal will make its playoff-leading 35th Stanley Cup Final appearance with a shot to add to its 24 championships. The Canadiens will face the winner of the semifinal series between the defending champion Lightning and New York Islanders. The Golden Knights twice erased one-goal deficits.

Montreal's Cole Caufield is the best of a handful of college hockey stars who went from playing at the NCAA level this season to jumping right into the NHL playoffs.

Matt Duchene scored at 14:54 of the second overtime and the Nashville Predators beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Friday night to cut their series deficit to 2-1.

NHL players could start participating in voluntary small-group workouts, and teams began opening their training facilities Monday. Players learned Thursday training camps can open July 10, pending an agreement on returning to play later this summer. Now, the players are expected to trickle back in preparation of the resumption of the season. Players started skating by the handful this week in places like Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Edmonton, while some teams waited to open their doors. Veteran Nashville general manager David Poile said that while almost a dozen players remained in the area, the NHL has instructed teams not to ask or encourage players to show up because this stage is voluntary.