The National Hockey League will present its proposed realignment plan to the Board of Governors after receiving consent from the National Hockey League Players' Association on Thursday.

If approved, the League's new realignment plan will go into effect starting with the 2013-14 season.

"The NHL Players' Association confirmed to us today that it has consented to a revised Plan for Realignment, effective for the 2013-14 season," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement released Thursday. "Our next step will be to bring the proposed Plan for Realignment to the NHL Board of Governors for its consideration. We will update the status of the process as future developments warrant."

The NHL worked in conjunction with the NHLPA to formulate this realignment plan.

Ryan Getzlaf

Center - ANA

GOALS: 9 | ASST: 18 | PTS: 27
SOG: 51 | +/-: 10

ANAHEIM -- Ryan Getzlaf could have dipped his toes in the free agency waters this summer and used this monster rebound season like a giant shoehorn as leverage.

Instead, he made it clear Friday that he wanted to keep his feet firmly planted in Anaheim, with the only team he has played for in the National Hockey League and his family rooted in Southern California.

That's largely why Getzlaf was intent on a maximum-length deal -- an eight-year extension with the Anaheim Ducks that will net the captain an $8.25 million average payout annually through the 2020-21 season.

Growing up with two future NHL draft picks as brothers, Amanda Kessel couldn't help but be competitive. More often than not, that meant her parents were stuck playing referee.

"Sometimes we would get banned from playing games," said Kessel, the 21-year-old junior wing with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. "Sometimes my mom would cry, 'I can't take you guys fighting anymore.' "

Fast forward a few years and the little sister is turning that passion into an NCAA season for the ages.

Kessel was 14 when her oldest brother, Phil, was drafted with the fifth pick by the Boston Bruins in the 2006 NHL Draft. The next year, her other brother, Blake, was taken in the sixth round by the New York Islanders. And after a standout career at powerhouse prep school Shattuck St. Mary's -- the same school whose alumni include Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise -- Amanda barely missed a step when she arrived at Minnesota.

CHICAGO -- Just like that, the Chicago Blackhawks are being tested by multiple health issues all at once.

Not only did star right wing Marian Hossa (upper-body injury) miss Wednesday night's 3-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche at United Center unexpectedly, but the Blackhawks also lost left wing Patrick Sharp at 7:49 of the third period and third-line center Andrew Shaw late in the second.

Sharp got driven hard into the boards by Ryan O'Byrne and left the ice immediately while holding his left shoulder. Shaw made contact with Paul Stastny while trying to deliver a hit near the Blackhawks bench.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said Hossa is planning to play Friday at Pepsi Center in Colorado, while Shaw and Sharp will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff Thursday.

Canadian country-folk legend Stompin' Tom Connors, who was responsible for "The Hockey Song," also known as "The Good Old Hockey Game," died Wednesday. He was 77.

Connors passed away from what a spokesman described as natural causes.

Dubbed Stompin' Tom for his propensity to pound the floor with his left foot during performances, Connors garnered a devoted following through straight-ahead country-folk tunes that drew inspiration from his extensive travels and focused on the everyman.

Dave Dziurzynski

Left Wing - OTT

GOALS: 2 | ASST: 0 | PTS: 2
SOG: 17 | +/-: 0

The rookie forward, playing in his 10th National Hockey League game, had to be helped off the ice after exchanging blows with McLaren 26 seconds into the game.

Dziurzynski, 23, had two goals and 24 hits in nine games heading into Wednesday's match. He was promoted from the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League on Feb. 15.

Marian Hossa

Right Wing - CHI

GOALS: 10 | ASST: 8 | PTS: 18
SOG: 73 | +/-: 8

Shortly after the opening puck drop, an announcement in the press box said Hossa was not playing because of an undisclosed upper-body injury. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville gave no indication prior to the game that Hossa was injured.

Hossa played his 1,000th career game Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings and was given a special pregame ceremony to commemorate it prior to Tuesday night’s 5-3 victory at home against the Minnesota Wild.

New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal is out indefinitely but is expected to make a full recovery from the eye injury he sustained Tuesday, the team announced Wednesday.

Staal was struck in his right eye by a deflected puck in the game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Marc Staal was examined today in New York by Dr. Mark Fromer, ophthalmologist, and Dr. Mendel Markowitz, maxillofacial surgeon. The injury has improved significantly and both doctors are optimistic that Marc will make a full recovery. Staal will be sidelined indefinitely," the Rangers said in a statement Wednesday evening.

Staal was injured 5:45 into the third period when Kimmo Timonen's redirected slap shot from the point hit him in the face, around his right eye. He fell to the ice and was writhing in pain as blood poured out of his face.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, who hasn't played a game in nearly 16 months, gave his first in-depth interview since that final game with Sportsnet, the first part of which will air Wednesday.

Pronger sustained a serious eye injury Oct. 24, 2011 when he was hit in the face by the stick of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Nikolai Kulemin. Pronger returned after two weeks and played five more games before leaving the lineup for good after a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 19, 2011. On Dec. 15 of that year, the Flyers announced Pronger would miss the rest of the 2011-12 season due to concussion issues.

In the interview with Sportsnet's Dan Murphy, Pronger said a loss of peripheral vision is one of his major ailments.

New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal was waiting for the swelling to go down in the area around his right eye before further determination can be made about the extent of his injury, according to his brother, Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal.

Marc Staal was injured in the third period Tuesday night when a deflected slap shot hit him in the right eye. Marc Staal, like his brothers Eric and Jordan, who also plays for the Hurricanes, does not wear a visor.

The Rangers have not provided an official update on Staal.

"It's hard to say now. They're just waiting for the swelling to go down," Eric Staal told NHL.com. Eric said he spoke to Marc on Wednesday morning. "He sounded like he was in OK spirits but we don't know a lot right now. Obviously we're saying prayers and hoping he dodged a bullet as far as being struck in that area. We'll know more with some more time."