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.
• We're having a hard time figuring what's more inappropriate about this WSHL junior hockey league team: That it's so clearly the Detroit "D" in the crosshairs, or that the home of the Texas School Book Depository is also home to a team called the Dallas Snipers. [Dallas Snipers]
• Your Puck Daddy Boston Bruins Bear Photoshop Contest winners! Winner of the premiere tickets: Eric Pratt who did the mascot heads/Bruins Bear in study piece that led Gallery 2; Winners of the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Champions DVD, courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment: Adam Hill (Bear eats Green Men leg); Joe Hanstad (NHL 94 homage); Jeff Frechette (Luongo tire pump and the Canucks mountain climber); Sean McIndoe a.k.a. Down Goes Brown (Tim Thomas mustache); and Peter Winsky (Tim Thomas bear beard). Thanks to all who entered, full gallery will be up this week.
• The top three goals from NHL development camp. Any list of shootout goals on which Mikael Granlund is probably No. 3 is a list of outstanding goals. [Buzzing The Net]
• New York Islanders GM Garth Snow's message to the fans: "Be patient. When you watch the talent that we have, not only on the Islanders but in our prospect pool, good things are going to happen here. We're going to keep doing it the right way and make decisions not only in the best interest short-term, but for the long term." [Islanders]
• Point Blank with the latest on the Islanders' arena dilemma and the politics in play. From Chris Botta: "I think Wang and his top advisors tried to come up with the best deal so the Islanders and Nassau County can thrive. It's not perfect, will probably be tweaked and — as I've been telling friends for years, the Islanders may not get their new arena until the trucks are packed up and the politicians finally get the gravity of the situation and come together to strike an 11th-hour deal." [NYI Point Blank]
• There is now a "Vote Yes" committee geared to the Aug. 1 balloting on whether Nassau should fund a new Uniondale arena. [Newsday]
• Check out OGA's big analysis of NHL realignment, with Part 1 here and Part 2 here, which includes a Phoenix-to-Quebec contingency.
• Did you know that Jarret Stoll just completed the best season in the shootout of all-time in the NHL? [Eye on Hockey]
• Stat nerd alert: Here are the team CORSI ratings for the NHL last season. [Puck Stops Here]
• Why the Dany Heatley trade officially, once and for all ended the Doug Risebrough Era for the Minnesota Wild. [First Round Bust]
• Can anyone really know what, exactly, happened to Scott Gomez? Besides skating with heavy pockets since leaving New Jersey? [Hoffman]
• Some Atlanta Thrashers season ticket holders are complaining about having to wait for a refund after the team relocated to Winnipeg. Which is a sad indication that after all this time, they still believe ownership gave a [expletive] about the fans. [WSBTV]
• Mirtle with a reminder that arbitration season is about to begin on July 20, with some interesting names still on docket without new contracts. [Globe & Mail]
• The latest on the futures for Teemu Selanne and Mike Modano. [HOTH]
• GM GM says the Washington Capitals are likely done with their offseason transactions. BUT BUT BUT EVERYONE SAID SEMIN WAS BEING TRADED. [Capitals Insider]
• Stanley Cup of Chowder predicts how each Boston Bruins' day with the Cup will go down. "Tomas Kaberle: His entire night will be spent faking a Cup raise then instead passing it off to one of his family/friends." [SCOC]
• Brad Marchand will be signing Bruins Cup DVDs at the Best Buy in Watertown at midnight before jumping on the table and dancing topless with Tyler Seguin. We just assume this happens everywhere he goes now. [NESN]
• Finally, this is a really cool "pump up" video for the Los Angeles Kings' 2011-12 season from reader Ben: