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.
• Good bit from Botta, speaking with five NHL team presidents, including Michael Yormark of the Florida Panthers on how the lockout hurt his many, many sponsors: “The lockout was an issue of force majeure, so it requires us to make good on our partnerships and the Panthers will, as we always do. The sponsor reaction has been terrific. None of them have been primarily focused on the make-good, but on having their activations ready for the season.” [Sporting News]
• The Columbus Blue Jackets have sold out their home opener. Thanks, buy one/get one! [Puck-rakers]
• “Jeremy Roenick isn't the only person who says stupid things about Patrick Marleau.” [Fear The Fin]
• Allan Muir on the revamped HNIC studio show: “The loss of Pierre LeBrun is considerable, but this is the wrong response. Look, Weekes is warm and personable and performs well in his NHL Network duties. HNIC clearly loves the excitable Stock, but they haven’t quite found a fit for him. Healy is an acquired taste, but he does have a unique voice. He just needs to find the right foil. Put one or two of them on the panel alongside Ron and Elliotte, maybe you have something. Drop all three at the desk? You have a mess.” [SI]
• To celebrate the season starting, Las Vegas dentist offers a 20-percent discount if you bring in a hockey puck. Seriously. [PRWeb]
• Why the Pittsburgh Penguins are poised for a “decade of dominance”: “With a healthy Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup, which the Penguins hope they’ll have in 2013 for the first time in about two years, it’s easy to have visions of Stanley Cups dancing in your head. But with the kind of depth the Penguins boast at every position, it becomes something that’s expected. And it will be for a long time. The Stanley Cup window for most teams doesn’t stay open more than a couple of years, but with a cast of core players in their mid-20s, the Penguins figure to be fixtures as serious contenders for at least another decade. Crosby, 40-goal scorer James Neal and rising Norris candidate Kris Letang are just 25. Malkin is 26, Brandon Sutter is 23 and, if goaltending history is any indication, 28-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury could be entering the most productive years of his career.” [THN]
• Lepore on NBC’s decision to cut away from the Kings and Blackhawks on Saturday. [SB Nation]
• Accepting Gary Bettman’s apology to NHL fans. [HuffPo]
• Kerry Fraser is back, and explaining why Tomas Plekanec was called for “snowing” vs. the Leafs. [TSN]
• Bourne on the Los Angeles Kings hoisting the Cup one more time during their banner raising ceremony: “I don’t care if there’s so much as a single human being – a trainer, whatever – that’s different, this is a new group starting a new year embarking on a new mission. There is a million days where you can honour the great Stanley Cup winners of past seasons. If the team didn’t win it at home, well that’s the way the cookie crumbles – TVs are pretty prevalent now, and the fans got to see their boys lift it at the parade. It is so un-hockey to do this.” [Backhand Shelf]
• Jim Vandermeer and Anthony Stewart were dropped on waivers today. [SB Nation]
• The Outdoor Classic in the AHL drew 17,000 fans to Hershey. [Fox 43]
• Why Washington Capitals fans choose the jerseys they choose. [Capitals Outsider]
• The Philadelphia Flyers lose Zac Rinaldo for a week after a skate slash vs. the Sabres. [CSN Philly]
• Finally, this is adorable: The Muskegon Lumberjacks hold a press conference for a middle school.
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