The Sabres are attempting to reach an arrangement allowing forward Ales Kotalik to play in Europe this season. Without going into specifics Thursday, GM Darcy Regier would only say, "We're working on it." Playing in Europe became an option after Kotalik did not report to the Sabres' AHL farm club in Rochester upon clearing waivers Monday.

The NHL will hold a disciplinary hearing for Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith to address a head shot he delivered to Blackhawks forward Ben Smith in Wednesday night's game in Chicago, according to a source familiar with the situation. The hearing will take place either Thursday or Friday, and must happen before the Red Wings' next game, which is Friday night in Detroit against the Maple Leafs.

Blackhawks forwards Ben Smith and Viktor Stalberg left Wednesday's 4-3 victory over the Red Wings early with injuries. Smith was hit in the head in the open ice by the Wings' Brendan Smith, who received a match penalty. "Both referees said it's a classic example of what we're talking about, that's the illegal hit," coach Joel Quenneville said. "It was pretty black and white. I'm not happy about it."

The Flyers and Rangers will take their classic rivalry outside for the fifth annual Winter Classic. "We're going to come to Philadelphia," Rangers president Glen Sather said, "and we are going to win." The game will take place at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2. The contest is not held on its traditional Jan. 1 date because it conflicted with the final week of the NFL's regular season.

Rangers GM Glen Sather said he thinks defenseman Marc Staal will rejoin the team in Europe by the end of this week and questioned whether the headaches that are keeping Staal behind are even related to his February concussion. "There are a lot of things that cause headaches. You can look at migraines -- you can have a slipped disk, you can have pulled muscles, you can have a hundred different things," Sather said after Monday's press conference at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park announcing this year's Winter Classic game between the Rangers and Flyers. "Trying to diagnose exactly whether it's a concussion or something else that's bothering a player, that's what you really have to find out first. And, that's been complicated."

The NHL chose not to discipline Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds for his alleged homophobic slur because it could not "substantiate" that Simmonds hurled the epithet toward Rangers winger Sean Avery. After a hearing with Simmonds on Tuesday, NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell released a statement calling commentary about race, ethnicity and sexual orientation "absolutely unacceptable," but said there was not enough evidence to punish Simmonds.

Demolition work has begun on the Civic Arena, the igloo-shaped former home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A preservation group failed in its efforts to get courts to keep the building from being torn down so it could be reused. The city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority says crews will work until about May to tear down the building, which for a time was called Mellon Arena. It's across the street from the Penguins' new arena, Consol Energy Center.

Dougie Hamilton, Boston's first-round pick in June's NHL Draft, might be playing in the league this fall if he was part of another organization. However, the Bruins are coming off a Stanley Cup and they have a solid blue line. The popular belief is that Hamilton is two years away from the NHL.

Former team captains Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark joined current Maple Leafs Luke Schenn and Colby Armstrong in the unveiling of the Original Six franchise's third sweater Friday. The third sweater for 2011-12 is a familiar one to loyal followers of the Blue and White. The sweater, which is blue, is an identical throwback to the 1967 to 1970 time period in team history. First introduced at the start of the 1967 NHL playoffs, the Maple Leafs captured the Stanley Cup that spring and went on to wear it for the following three campaigns. Some of the attributes of the sweater include; a solid, snow white, wool-felt, 11-point Maple Leaf crest similar to the Maple Leaf on the Canadian Flag as the country celebrated its centennial year in 1967, felt fabric numbers and lettering, one set of thin-wide-thin stripes adorning the waist and both elbows, no shoulder patches, and a six-eyelet lace at the front of the neck. Pants adorned with a new white vertical stripe along the sides will also be worn by the hockey club for games in which the third sweater will be used. In a recent poll of over 1,000 Maple Leafs fans, the 2011-12 third sweater was favoured by 45% of voters when asked to choose between historical sweaters from other eras in team history.

Mike Modano walked away from the NHL on Friday with tears, signing an honorary one-day deal so he could retire after 21 seasons as a member of the Stars. The 41-year-old native of Livonia, Mich., broke down in tears several times during his final news conference in Dallas. He retires as the NHL's all-time leading scorer among American-born players in goals (561) and points (1,374).