Tragedy struck the hockey world, including the Colorado Avalanche family, on Thursday. Also, the Avalanche’s end-of-season presser has not yet been announced. And will the Carolina Hurricanes advance to the Stanley Cup Final tonight?

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — May 29.

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Colorado Hockey Now

Tragedy struck the hockey world on Thursday, with the sudden passing of Claude Lemieux. Authorities in Palm Beach County, Florida, say Lemieux died by suicide. It’s a sad, tragic story in every way.

Earlier this season, Lemieux was at Ball Arena celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Avalanche’s 1996 Stanley Cup championship. During the intermission, he was nice enough to chat with some of the media. He was as charismatic then as he was during his playing days.

Just four days ago, he carried the torch into Game 3 at Bell Centre between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes.

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Last year, the Avalanche held their end-of-season presser three days after getting eliminated in Game 7 in Dallas. This year seems to be taking a little longer.

The Avs were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final in one of the more stunning results we’ve seen in recent memory. Today marks three days since Game 4, and we still have not yet learned when Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland will be speaking.

Are they taking the additional weekend days to figure things out? Do those conversations include the future of Jared Bednar? And furthermore, is MacFarland still going to be here when the presser takes place? We’ll find out soon.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap

Game 4: Carolina Hurricanes 4 at Montreal Canadiens 0 (CAR leads 3-1)

The Carolina Hurricanes continued their dominance of the Montreal Canadiens since Game 1 of the series. On Wednesday, they grabbed a 3-1 series lead and improved to an impressive 11-1 in the postseason. They’ll punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years if they win tonight at home.

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READ MORE: Canadiens Highlights: Meet The New Habs, Same As The Old Habs

Tonight’s Schedule

Game 5: Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes (6 pm MT on TNT)

Around The NHL

Philly Hockey Now: Which RFA’s are worth considering as offer-sheet options?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Who will play 2C for the Penguins next year if Evgeni Malkin remains on the wing?

Boston Hockey Now: How aggressive should the Bruins be in searching for a 1C this summer?

Detroit Hockey Now: Lemieux was a longtime nemesis of the Detroit Red Wings.

The post Deen’s Daily: Tragedy Strikes Hockey World; Avalanche’s End-of-Season Presser TBA; Carolina Can Advance Tonight appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.