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.
• Oh, that's not nice. But since ChicagoNativeSon is a Blackhawks loyalist, we must allow it.
• Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs announces the demotion of Colton Orr with a lament over the state of the NHL: "The only lament I have on this is the fear that if we don't have guys looking after each other, that the rats will take this game over. … I know the Greenpeace folks will be happy with this," Burke said. "But I wonder where we're going, where Brendan Shanahan's getting six hearings every two days … I wonder, the accountability in our game and the notion that players can stick up for themselves and each other, I wonder where we're going with that." [National Post]
• Burke also lamented that hitting is "leaving the game" because of the NHL's supplemental discipline policy. Based on the numbers … well, no it hasn't. [Pension Plan Puppets]
• Speaking of rats: The Hockey Rodent, a longtime New York Rangers blogger, is trying to raise funds to pay for John Tortorella's NHL fine for post-Winter Classic comments. [THR]
• On Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray's "everything for sale" proclamation: "This got me thinking - is this Bob's desperate attempt to look like he knows what he's doing to save his job? Is he trying to calm the masses before they hit the panic button for him? Does he actually know what he's doing?" [Anaheim Calling]
• Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber has been cleared to return to the lineup tonight. [Predators]
• Edmonton Oilers phenom Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will miss up to a month with a damaged shoulder. Will another rookie leapfrog him in the Calder race? [Edmonton Journal]
• Todd Bertuzzi has dropped his third-party lawsuit against Marc Crawford, meaning that the former Vancouver Canucks coach is no longer liable for financial damages in the Steve Moore suit. [Globe & Mail]
• According to NHL players polled by SI, Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars are the two most underrated players in the NHL. Also, Joe Pavelski somehow makes the list. [Kukla]
• Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks retraced his steps on the Philadelphia ice in scoring the Cup-winning goal back in 2010, and said of the missing puck: "The linesman took it; not one really knows what happened after that." [Chicago Tribune Video]
• Bourne looks at the "Beerability" of players, as in who would you most like to have a drink with at a pub. Somehow Tim Thomas doesn't ran first overall. [Backhand Shelf]
• Katie Baker has nothing but love for the Boston Bruins. [Grantland]
• Rear Admiral on the Boston Bruins' steamrolling of the New Jersey Devils. [Barstool]
• Great stuff from Neate Sager on that Eric Francis column after Canada's loss to Russia: "WJC2012: This is why they think we're sore losers; Calgary columnist writes hit piece on Kuznetsov." [Buzzing The Net]
• Claude Giroux is OK with having been "snubbed" in All-Star Game voting. Well, we certainly hope he still makes the cut! [Daily News]
• Adam Proteau doesn't believe that the NHL's supplemental discipline is working: "So what we have, apparently, is the same old system that ignores the actions of top-tier talents and doesn't go after even the worst repeat offenders with any teeth. OK, maybe it has one more tooth than it did under Campbell and, from a public relations perspective, Shanahan's video explanations offer more transparency than the previous administration. (And as I've always said, Shanahan takes his direction from commissioner Gary Bettman, who takes direction from the 30 team owners. Ultimately, they are the ones most complicit in this mess.)" [THN]
• The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers play for the first time since the Sucker Punch. [Blueshirt Bulletin]
• Nicklas Backstrom is feeling better after Rene Bourque's hit to the head, that earned him a 5-game suspension. [Capitals Insider]
• NERD ALERT: Tyler Dellow retweeted this one yesterday: Do referees make make-up calls? A statistical analysis! [Sabermetric Research]
• The heartwarming story of Brian McGrattan's engagement over the holiday break. "As part of the process of achieving his sobriety, McGrattan had to make difficult choices as to who he would surround himself with in order to maximize his chances of staying clean and sober. Michelle was one of the few who McGrattan knew had his best interests at heart." [Examiner]
• Finally, here's the Lars Eller scrum from today. Listen to the giggling about a "dildo question" at the start.
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