short takes

No Olympics possible

There's a chance the NHL won't participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics. There's not a large appetite to halt the season again and have its players participate on the other side of the planet. Owners are tired of watching players risk injury, like the Islanders losing captain John Tavares last season because of a knee injury sustained while playing for Canada in Russia.

In addition, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said: "An Olympics in South Korea is probably a lower priority just simply because they don't play the game, it's not endemic there, it's a long way away, it's a lot of travel, it's a big hole in the season. I'm not even sure the appetite is the same from the South Korea organizing committee to make hockey a big deal."

A decision will be made sooner rather than later, "but there's still too much we don't know right now," Daly said.

Hat's off to Murray

In a powerful, courageous TV interview with TSN's Michael Farber, Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray, who has Stage 4 colon cancer that has spread into his liver and lungs, advised people to get a colonoscopy. He never did, a procedure the 71-year-old said probably would have caught the cancer early enough.

"There is no cure for me at this point," Murray told Farber. "The word is we'll keep doing chemo and, hopefully, reduce the tumors and the effect and I'll get some time out of that."

One of the most powerful moments came when Murray, at the hospital, said, "When you see the young people who haven't really had their life or haven't really had the time they need or deserve, how can you really feel sorry for yourself?"

Murray was the first GM I covered back in my Florida Panthers beat-writing days. He was instrumental to the start of my career and is one of the greatest people I know. My thoughts and prayers always to BM the GM.