Puck Headlines: Ovie to drive Zamboni in NYC; NHLPA update
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...September 4, 2009
Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
• Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin(notes) will drive a Zamboni down 6th Avenue in Manhattan next Wednesday for his appearance at the NHL Store, with a police escort. Evidently flying in with a jet pack and falling into the arms of The Rockettes was deemed slightly less ostentatious. This is a wonderful idea, considering what a fabulous driver Ovechkin is; just ask Mike Green. [Capitals Insider]
• The Toronto Maple Leafs having some sort of one-team super-veto over a team moving to Southern Ontario is a hot topic, and Bill Daly of the NHL says they don’t: "While we respect that the Leafs may have a different interpretation (although it’s not even clear that they do at this point), at the end of the day, it is the Commissioner and the League that is ultimately charged with interpreting the NHL Constitution and by-laws." [Toronto Sun]
• Invertebrate NHL players anonymously oppose Phoenix Coyotes‘ move to Hamilton this season. [FanHouse]
• Larry Brooks corrects incorrect news he reported and was "subsequently repeated by all other news outlets," and then gives a rather solid update on Brandon Dubinsky’s(notes) contract status with the New York Rangers, who are "for the first time in memory are exercising all the systemic leverage they own under the CBA against a significant young player." [NY Post]
• Henrik Zetterberg(notes) has yet to shave his playoff beard. Keep livin’ the dream, brother. [Snapshots]
• Some of your top unrestricted free agents for next summer, assuming they don’t re-sign: Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) of the Atlanta Thrashers, Marc Savard(notes) of the Boston Bruins, Marty Turco(notes) of the Dallas stars and the San Jose Sharks‘ Patrick Marleau(notes) and Evgeni Nabokov(notes). [ESPN]
• Paul Kelly denies snooping on players, but the real action here is the sidebar about who might replace him with the NHLPA. What would be the bigger stunner: Eric Lindros(notes) or Bob Goodenow Part Deux? [CBC Sports]
• Despite not being the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ team rep, Sidney Crosby(notes) should have been consulted before the NHLPA fired their executive director. We can report exclusively that Sidney was also not consulted about the firing of Paula Abdul from "American Idol" either. [Sporting News]
• At this rate, Marty Turco will have most of the goalies that played in the last 20 years advising him by the end of the season. The people demand a Darcy Wakaluk sighting. [Puck Update]
• Hex has a little fun at the expense of the NHL.com/Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey ad campaign. [Melt Your Face Off]
• The Edmonton Oilers have all the leverage with UFA Mike Comrie(notes) in their slow dialogue over a contract offer. GM Steve Tambellini: "We’ve got a full roster. We’ve got salary-cap issues. There’s been no negotiation to this point …" Snap! It’s like they think he’s dating Haylie Duff or something … [Edmonton Journal]
• The Edmonton Oilers have appointed Mike Sillinger(notes) their new director of player development, now connecting him to Steve Tambellini in "Two Degress of Mike Sillinger: Managerial Edition." [NHL]
• The Carolina Hurricanes are implanting "advanced pricing" for single-game tickets, meaning that buying them at least one week in advance makes them cheaper. Huh. [Canes Country]
• Mike Fisher(notes) of the Ottawa Senators on Dany Heatley(notes): ""If he plays the way he can play and he feels like he can contribute, and he plays hard and plays within the system, and accepts whatever role he’s given and is happy with it, then that’s what we have to do to be successful." That’s asking a lot, huh? [Ottawa Citizen]
• Defenseman Kyle McLaren(notes) will be attending Rangers camp. Smart move for a team that needs a boost on defense. [Blueshirt Banter]
• As bobbleheads go, this Mike Green(notes) one from the Washington Capitals is just about perfect in the face. The eyes are actually more realistic than anything in the "Avatar" trailer. It will be available this season for Caps fans to prominently display in their home or office until it inexplicably disappears in April. [Japers Rink]
• Attention stat-heads: Sabermetric Research looks at a dispute in numbers about what a franchise in Hamilton would be worth. Unless you’ve got a graphing calculator and a clear head, might want to avoid this one. [Sabermetric Research, via On The Forecheck]
• Google loves hockey. [On The Forecheck]
• No, actually, Google hates hockey. [Jerseys and Hockey Love]
• The United States beats Canada in the women’s hockey championships. "Do you believe in sporting events that haven’t received an iota of coverage south of the border? YES!!!!" [Slam Sports]
• Strong words from Jason Kay about the NHL’s credibility in the next CBA negotiations: "So the next time the NHL tells us it needs further restrictions and modifications to cost certainty to attain Utopia, on what basis do we trust it? Because the owners really, really mean it this time?" Ad at the end of column: "Blogger powered by BlackBerry." [THN]
• After they signed Derick Brassard(notes) to a four-year extension with a $3.2 million cap hit, in praise of the Columbus Blue Jackets and their steady building of a winner. [Puck-rakers]
• Remembering the now-retired Philippe Boucher(notes). [Pensburgh]
• Check out this post from Defending Big D about saving a local rink from being turned into, of all things, into an indoor basketball facility. [DBD]
• In thinking about the vintage green and red uniforms for the New Jersey Devils, John MacLean recalls that that the team’s logo was "criticized for resembling a cow relaxing on a chaise lounge" years before Marty Brodeur was drafted. [Star Ledger]
• Finally, both hockey and "The Simpsons" are indeed universal languages.
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