Colorado Avalanche: News from around the NHL August 18th, 2014

Crosby says his wrist is doing well.

Pittsburgh Penguins star centre Sidney Crosby's right wrist appears to be on the road to recovery.

The reigning National Hockey League MVP said Friday he's pleased with the way his wrist has responded to treatment over the summer and is anxious for training camp to begin as the Penguins try to recover from their second-round collapse in the playoffs.

"It's good," Crosby said. "You want to see how things progress throughout the summer once you start skating and get back to that regular routine. You want to see how it reacts so I'm happy with the way it's gone."

One of the guys behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has died.

Corey Griffin was ecstatic when he called his father Friday night from Nantucket Island. The 27-year-old had just raised $100,000 to fight ALS in honor of his friend, Pete Frates, whose struggle with the disease turned the Ice Bucket Challenge into a viral sensation.

“He was the happiest guy in the world,” Corey’s father, Robert Griffin, said of his son “He called me last night and told me he was in paradise.”

Hours later, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, Griffin dove into the water from the “Juice Guys” building on Straight Wharf, according to a statement from Nantucket police. He floated to the surface, then he sank. He did not come up again.

Kevin Hayes is still window shopping. (Video starts automatically)

One of the most popular guys in hockey this weekend is newly-minted unrestricted free agent Kevin Hayes. The former Boston College standout became a UFA after deciding against signing with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that selected him 24th overall in 2010. When the Aug. 15 deadline passed, Hayes was free to speak with other teams.

Hayes and his agent, Robert Murray, reportedly spoke with multiple teams from Murray's office on Saturday. According to Mark Divver of The Providence Journal, the Hayes camp is taking some time Sunday to whittle that list down.

Ukraine withdraws bid for IIHF tournament.

The Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine has withdrawn its bid for hosting the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A. The new venue will be determined at the 2014 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in a month.

The bid to host the event in Donetsk, Ukraine, was initially approved by Congress but due to the political tensions in the country and the turmoil in the city in eastern Ukraine the bid was withdrawn on Friday.