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 San Jose Sharks' are auctioning off these Mardi Gras practice jerseys on Saturday as part of their charitable Sharks Foundation. There really needs to be a team called the Jesters at some point, even if it would invite "No Laughing Matter" and "What a Joke" headlines. [Sharks]
• Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs urges the Goldwater Institute to stop "significantly hindering" the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes with the threat of legal action. [Winnipeg Free Press]
• Adam Proteau reminds Winnipeg fans that there are significant challenges to be a winning team in Canada, and that having a franchise doesn't mean having a successful one. As if they needed a reminder. [THN]
• Really interesting piece by Michael Farber on the glut of ex-NHL coaches out there waiting for a phone call, and why they're not getting jobs. [SI]
• The Chicago Blackhawks are going to visit the White House on March 11 before facing the Capitals, as Chicago's own President Obama will honor them. Well, most of them; $20 says Bill Clinton finds a way to sneak in, steal Patrick Kane and head to Adams Morgan for some bird-doggin'. [Sun Times]
• Hey, go figure: "Poetry in motion" can be used to describe the line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane. And here we thought that Christina Hendricks walking down a hallway had that term on lockdown. [ESPN Chicago]
• The Nashville Predators hope that their team bus does become a symbol of their playoff chances. [Tennessean]
• Did you know the second-longest hockey game in North American history was played last night and completed early this morning? It was a women's college game that lasted 167 minutes and 14 seconds; only one NHL game in history lasted longer. Said Morgan McHaffie, who scored the winning goal for The Queen's against Guelph: "At one point we were on our backs, feet in the air, trying to get some blood flow to our legs. We tried everything. We tried singing. A great team bonding. That took us out on the ice and gave us great motivation." [Buzzing the Net]
• Lord Stanley had never seen a hockey game. Seriously. [Toronto Star]
• Seth from Empty Netters on the Trevor Gillies hit: "This is exactly what Lemieux was talking about." [Empty Netters]
• Cal Clutterbuck on whether Gillies is a headhunter: "That's the only thing he hit." [Star Tribune]
• The Royal Half welcomes Dustin Penner to the Los Angeles Kings the only way they know how. [TRH]
• Terrific story about the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans and their donation of jerseys to military players. [AHL]
• A good video piece on minor league refs trying to make the NHL. I have no idea how stupid a television station like WLWT in Cincinnati has to be to disable embedding of their videos in 2011, but we'll link to them anyone. [YouTube]
• A handy cheat sheet for bandwagon Vancouver Canucks fans. [Pass It To Bulis]
• Very interesting, provocative piece on Sidney Crosby's concussion, NHL concussion culture and the fan reactions to it: "The scientific data is troubling if not terrifying. Unlike Steckel, the NHL can't claim that they didn't see it coming. If the trend continues, aging NHL players will face the same grim fate as the NFL's boomers. Under current NHL rules, Crosby will be in serious danger when he returns to the ice. He will be a target. And if you don't believe that, ask Eric Lindros." [Pittsburgh Magazine, and thanks to all who sent it in]
• Bloge Salming and House of The Hockey present a rap-tastic Chicago Blackhawks press conference. The WCW title belt on Byfuglien deserves a round of applause. It's all about the little things. [HOTH]
• Ye olde Medieval take on the Brad Richards non-trade. [Pegasus News]
• Profile of Niagara IceDogs standout Ryan Strome. [The Good Point]
• Which Washington Capitals are guiltiest for the team's offensive struggles? We're looking at you, Brooks Laich. [Japers' Rink]
• "Sabres Vs. Hurricanes: THIS IS THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR...until the next one" [Die By The Blade]
• Kris Versteeg on facing the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight as a Philadelphia Flyer: "I care about being a Philadelphia Flyer now. When I was in Toronto I cared about being a Toronto Maple Leaf. You look at the standings and you see, but I'm not going home and turning on the TV specifically to watch them." [NHL]
• Ales Hemsky's out 2-3 weeks for the Edmonton Oilers with a shoulder injury involving his rotator cuff. [Tencer]
• Razor with a hilarious post responding to those who claim he jinxed Kari Lehtonen's shutout the other night. [Razor With An Edge]
• Finally, in case you ever wondered what being in a Mardi Gras parade at a hockey arena would look like from ice level, here's video from the back of a truck in the Pensacola Ice Flyers Booster Club's "Krewe of Pucks" Mardi Gras parade in the SPHL.