The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired their team doctor and the rest of the medical staff as of Friday. This might fall into the "delayed reaction" category of things. If you remember, Sidney Crosby's concussion occurred during the 2011 Winter Classic courtsey of an elbow from Dave Steckel. Crosby was allowed to play in the Penguins' next game despite concern, where he was slammed into the glass by Victor Hedman. Team doctors pointed to this as when Crosby got his concussion, but a good number of individuals wondered if it was not the Steckel high elbow that did the trick. Did Crosby exhibit signs between the games? The team was mum on it, but it was evident after the Hedman hit that the Penguins' star player was, in fact, concussed.

About a year and a half ago, hockey teams started putting sponsorship logos on their jerseys. The Detroit Red Wings began this disturbing trend with their Amway sponsorship, and fans weren't happy. At all. Soon this disturbing trend spread to other, non-cash strapped Original Six teams like the Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. Hockey fans were in an uproar. Sure, these were just practice jerseys, but having a sponsorship on any jersey -- especially ones with Original Six logos -- was just cringe inducing. Fans worried if the next step was sponsorship on the regular jersey, a la teams in international leagues, which could probably be referred to as "NASCAR on ice." The trend continued to spread, to where a good chunk of teams all the way to the Florida Panthers are featuring corporate sponsors on practice jerseys.

Under the cover of night is about the time one would expect an offer sheet deal to go down. No one likes to discuss offer sheets in the NHL. They're often seen as poaching players, tempting them away from their rightful teams. General managers tend to stay away from them because it "paints them in a bad light," despite the fact that it's a perfectly legal and fine thing to do according to the CBA and every other owner and general manager in the league.

Consider Shea Weber poached. The Philadelphia Flyers, again without the services of Chris Pronger for the foreseeable future, need a star defenseman. Shea Weber finished a year of a deal that paid him $7,500,000 -- the salary decided not by the Nashville Predators, but by an arbitrator. Weber is now a RFA, which gives the Preds first negotiating rights to him. Would they sign him to a long term deal? Would they trade him in fear of him walking away for nothing? Or -- and no one expected this -- would another team swoop in and offer up a deal too good to pass up?

Reports are indicating that Dominik Hasek is contemplating a return to the NHL. Hasek, 47, hasn't appeared in the NHL since he called it quits following the 2007-08 season where he minded the net for the Detroit Red Wings. We aren't pulling your leg. Even at the ripe age of 47, Hasek is apparently extremely motivated to play again in the NHL.

Hasek admits that he isn't sure if a team would be willing to take a chance on him but he has stated that he believes he can complete if given the opportunity. If a team decides to take a gamble on Hasek what should they expect from the goaltender that hasn't seen any NHL action over the past four seasons?

Free Jonathan Bernier.

One can only imagine how frustrating Jonathan Bernier's career has been so far. The Los Angeles Kings selected the netminder 11th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft but have used Bernier sparingly thanks to the talented Jonathan Quick clogging the path from the bench to the ice. 

Bernier's frustrations have finally boiled over as the goaltender requested a trade to a new team in order to have a chance of seeing some real playing time. Bernier anticipates he will be dealt but believes a deal won't be reached until training camp gets a bit closer. For Bernier, a trade should bring an opportunity to finally prove himself at the NHL level.

Shane Doan has always been more than vocal about the fact that he wants to stay put with the franchise that drafted him. The last member of the Coyotes who also played for the Winnipeg Jets, Doan is the team's captain and centering force in the locker room. He's beloved by the fans, and he wants to stay in the city he calls home. He's lived there for sixteen years, so the thought of up and leaving the only team you've ever played for and leaving where you've rooted your family would be a tough thing for anyone to do.

The blow to the Coyotes' collective psyche would also be hard to take. They've lost team leader Ray Whitney to free agency and the Dallas Stars. You factor in losing the captain during such a tumultuous time in the desert and the blow to the franchise and the fans' confidence would be tough to rationalize. 

Breathe easy, hockey fans. Those of you who want to cling to your youth (such as yours truly) have dodged a bullet today. Teemu Selanne, the 42 year old forward who plays like a man half of his age, agreed to one more year with the Anaheim Ducks. According to Lisa Dillman his contract is worth $4.5 million, which is a half-million more than he made last season.

Does someone of his age deserve a raise? Well, when you consider that Selanne scored 26 goals and 66 points last season, it's hard to argue against it. He's older, yes. Is this his last season? Chances are good... but he's playing better than most of the forwards in the league ten years younger than he is. I'm not sure if it's training, conditioning, or genetics, but Selanne always strikes me as someone who could continue to play until he's 50 and still contribute to a team. His age isn't a joke and it's not a reference point -- it's a point of wonder. He's been playing for twenty seasons, and he still played all 82 games last season. If you can't marvel at that, then you can't marvel at anything.

Lifetime Selanne has 663 goals and 1406 points in 1341 games. He holds six franchise records and three single season records for the Ducks, and two single-season records for goals (76) and points (132) for the Jets/Coyotes franchise. As if you needed reminding, he put up those totals his rookie season which also set a record league wide for rookie scoring that may never be broken. 

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Alumni games are always fun. It's great for fans to see the players of their youth lace up the skates again, and it's a blast for the guys to go back out on the ice where they made their livlihoods, this time for fun. Franchises get to re-live the moments that made them great, and the host team gets a chance to sell a ton of tickets, most of which are more affordable than seats to the Classic itself. 

This year, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, you have a ton of history to go around. While, obviously, you're not going to get too many guys from the actual "olden" days (aside from Ted Lindsey and Gordie Howe, who will be on the roster/make an appearance for Detroit), you will be able to get a ton of players who have had a historical impact on the game. The two franchises have had so many outstanding players play for them that the NHL has deemed it appropriate for there to be two alumni games this year at the Winter Classic. Full rosters aren't set, obviously, but the names that've agreed already to play are impressive.

Roberto Luongo's future is a mystery. He appears destined to leave the Vancouver Canucks, a story we talked about here. Where will Luongo play in 2012-13? What twists and turns will life deal Luongo next?

Interestingly enough, Luongo may have a potential career doing something completely unrelated to hockey. The World Series of Poker's biggest event, the Main Event, is currently taking place in Las Vegas. Luongo, an avid poker fan, decided to enter the 2012 Main Event, battling against a field of 6,598 players. At stake is a grand prize of $8.5 million. After three days of tournament play Luongo finds himself still in the thick of the action. 

UPDATE: Luongo exited the tournament in 634th place, taking home a sum of $19,000. Reports indicate that he will donate the money he won to charity. 

Earlier this month we featured an article about the Dallas Stars and their plethora of moves so far this summer. To recap, the Stars have dealt several pieces away while acquiring Derek Roy, Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr. Are the Stars finished turning their roster over? Don't bet on it.

A report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that the Stars may be fielding calls from teams about the availability of left winger Brenden Morrow. There's no guarantee of truth to these rumors (yet) but it's believed the St. Louis Blues are legitimately interested in Morrow.