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.
• Fare thee well Patrick Lalime and his awesome Marvin The Martian mask, who retires after 12 NHL seasons to become a pundit for RDS. [Y! Canada]
• Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik "had surgery to correct the hernia condition on the right side of his body. He is not expected to miss any regular-season games because of the procedure." It will take 6-to-8 weeks before we see free candy again. [Tribune Review]
• Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks has successful surgery on his left wrist. It'll be 6-to-8 weeks before he's double-fisting Crown and Coke again. [Blackhawks]
• Ty Conklin officially signs with the Detroit Red Wings to back up Jimmy Howard for just $750,000. [Winging It]
• Forbes reported that the Dallas Stars were losing $1 million a week. Mike Heika makes some sense of that report, and it turns out it sounded a hell of a lot worse than it actually is. [Dallas Stars Blog]
• Mark Bell, a player with a rather controversial past in the NHL, signs a 1-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks. [@AnaheimDucks]
• The top 10 NHL free-agent paydays of 2011 are pretty obvious when you rank them by dollar amount. [THN]
• The latest on Ryan Smyth "Mullet-gate" between the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers. [Jewels From The Crown]
• The Wiz and Jeff Carter make their Columbus Blue Jackets debuts. Said Carter: "I took some time to gather myself. When Scott (Howson), Scott Arniel and Rick Nash came to talk to me at my house (days after the June 23 trade), by the time they left that day, I was really, really excited. I talked to a few of the guys and I've had the chance to see a bit of the city the last day or so. I'm looking forward to my time here." [Puck-Rakers]
• Interesting note from Adrian Dater on the Colorado Avalanche and the MIA Peter Mueller: "Can I or anyone else in the hockey media talk to Mueller then, assuming he's healthy? Well, no, is the answer still. Does that mean, then, that Mueller still has concussion problems and hasn't been medically cleared yet? The Avs don't really have an answer for that right now." [Denver Post]
• The Washington Capitals were approached about terminating their relationship with former first-round draft pick Anton Gustafsson; they placed him on unconditional waivers Wednesday. [Capitals Insider]
• The Puck Stops Here rips the New Jersey Devils for treating coaches an "interchangeable parts." TPSH: "Lou Lamoreillo does not hold coaching in particularly high regard. He doesn't make much of a commitment to any coach. He waits much longer than any other GM to hire a coach and this reduces the talent pool he can hire from and the coach's attachment to the team. Nevertheless, eventually he needs to hire a coach. Peter DeBoer is his man this year. Let's see how long it lasts. I bet it won't be a longterm situation even if DeBoer has some immediate success with the team." [TPSH]
• Alex Ovechkin slouches in a chair in a tight T-shirt. DC Sports Bog takes an in-depth look at what might either be a beer belly or a baby bump. [DC Sports Bog]
• Pegulamania running wild for the Buffalo Sabres: "The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has achieved a record renewal rate of 99% for their 2011-12 season tickets. As a result, season ticket sales have been capped at 15,200 tickets for the 2011-12 season. That total includes 100 new season tickets, which have been sold to members of the Buffalo Sabres Blue & Gold club." [Sabres]
• The Federal Hockey League has announced the suspension of the Niagara Falls Nationals effective immediately. [FHL]
• Tom Ferda on Chris Osgood and Detroit Red Wings fans: "Red Wings GM Ken Holland said Osgood should be voted into the Hall of Fame once he's eligible in 2014 and coach Mike Babcock has voiced the same; how can you argue with that. It may be time for the lynch mobbers in Motown to realize that three of the Stanley Cup banners hanging from the rafters at The Joe are in part due to Osgood and maybe a spot next to Terry Sawchuk's retired No. 1 may be needing some company." [Sports Climax]
• PG Marsh offers his case for Chris Osgood in the Hockey Hall of Fame. [The Wizard of Os]
• Seventeen-year-old Sarnia Sting right wing Nail Yakupov aims to the NHL's first Tatar superstar. Until Kyle Wellwood deep fries him and devours him. [NHL.com]
• "The National Hockey League (NHL) and Disney Consumer Products have revealed plans to co-brand merchandise featuring characters from Disney Channel's Emmy Award-winning animated series, Phineas and Ferb, in the 2011-12 NHL® season. The NHL made the announcement today at the 2011 NHL Exchange licensed products and retail trade show inside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto." Check out the #NHLPhineasFerb hashtag for more.
• Finally, how they converted a hockey locker room in D.C. into the Dali Lama's private quarters. Big hitter, the Lama.
Canadian Designer Transforms NHL Locker Room into Dalai Lama's Private Quarters from Leigh Paterson on Vimeo.