"Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash hopes to play in the season finale tonight against Detroit despite a sore and stiff neck. It will be his last competitive game until fall.

Nash has informed Team Canada that, after an 82-game season and a gold-medal run in the Olympics, he will not take part in the World Championship next month in Germany.

One of the NHL's pre-eminent power forwards needs a break.

"I'm still pretty banged up," Nash said. "I've got some bumps and bruises, like a lot of other guys, and I feel like I need to let my body heal up a bit.

"It's only fair to Columbus that I get healthy and get back to 100 percent this summer."

Nash has represented Canada three times in the World Championship (2005, '07 and '08)."