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.
• The latest Bovida odds on winning the Stanley Cup: Los Angeles Kings (7/5); New York Rangers (11/5); New Jersey Devils (10/3); Phoenix Coyotes (6/1).
• Neither Game 7 of the conference finals will appear on NBC, but rather on NBC Sports Network. [Puck The Media]
• Simon Gagne has been cleared for contact for the Los Angeles Kings, but won't begin practicing quite yet. [LA Kings Insider]
• Who might coach the Washington Capitals now that Dale Hunter's out? How about Marc Crawford, Ron Wilson or Patrick Roy? [NHL]
• Nikita Filatov will play in the KHL next season, which is probably the best thing for all parties. [TSN]
• Here's Yahoo! Sports' own Nick Cotsonika on the Evolution of John Tortorella: "Tortorella's style has worked with the team because he has the right players, stays consistent and, yes, shows another side of himself behind closed doors." [Y! Sports]
• It's only $900 to watch the Devils and Rangers at the Garden. Wow. [NYT]
• Dater picks the Devils in six: "The Rangers have lived dangerously this spring, barely escaping their series against Ottawa and Washington. You can only do that for so long. The Devils have more offensive depth than those teams, and they like to forecheck. Brodeur has won four conference titles. Lundqvist? Zero." [SI]
• Ken Campbell on how the Rangers' shot-blocking style is terrible for the NHL: "I think the New York Rangers are bad for hockey. And if we've learned anything about the NHL over the past century, it's that once one style of play garners some success, teams will be lined up to steal the blueprint." [THN]
• Patrick Kane's drunken weekend in Madison has now become fodder for the Chicago media, urging for the Blackhawks to trade him. From Steve Rosenbloom: "Everyone at the Madhouse on Madison would have a reason for wanting to be rid of Kane. The reasons would be legit, too, more legit than Kane playing center. So, maybe the Hawks' silence isn't because they're hoping this goes away but because they're fighting to see who gets the honor of making the problem child go away." [Tribune]
• Dark Blue Jacket on Todd Richards staying with Columbus: "What Richards did bring to the table, and I saw it with my own eyes, was the ability to take an indifferent (depressed?) roster and inject a little enjoyment into the game. The differential in skill between the good teams and the bad teams in the NHL exists, to be sure, but I maintain that it's not as huge as one would think. A winning attitude is a huge component. Part of a winning attitude is a level of excitement at coming to the rink, practicing hard and working together to achieve a common goal. Talented teams with bad attitudes don't do well. " [FS Ohio]
• Should Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk be on the hot seat? [Defending Big D]
• Jonathan Wills on Marek Zidlicky not completely sucking for the Devils. [Grantland]
• Kings blogger Eric Cooney on the Phoenix Coyotes: "Shane Doan is going to be a major thorn. He's very Dustin Brown like but just from the looks of game one he has a shorter fuse. He'll hit, he'll score, and if he can't do those, he'll try to draw penalties. Once again, discipline will be key." [Pro Sports Blogging]
• Ellen Etchingham in on the Bring Back The Two-Minute "Major" bandwagon. [Backhand Shelf]
• An open letter to Winnipeg Jets fans, re: their feeling toward the Phoenix Coyotes: "I find it confounding to see that some continue to have strong feelings, both negative and positive, for a team that really has nothing to do with Winnipeg. If someone wants to cheer for the Coyotes because they like the team, cool. On the other hand, I find it hard to contemplate cheering for them just because of once upon a time. Conversely, if you're harbouring enough resentment to this day that you're burning team jerseys, then I suggest you might need to grow up a little bit." [THW]
• Great breakdown on the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers from two of the best writers on those respective beats. [Rangers Rants]
• Brandon Dubinsky visits the New York Rangers' weight room, but doesn't look like he's close to ready to piss off the Devils. [NYDN]
• "Claude Giroux became the face of the Flyers this year. By winning the 2012 John Wanamaker Athletic Award, he has become the embodiment of Philadelphia sports." [Philly.com]
Finally, here's Nickelback discussing their favorite hockey song. Sadly, hockey was unavailable to discuss its favorite Nickelback song.
No comments:
Post a Comment