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.
• Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards strike a pose the rest of the Western Conference hopes they see again on April 8, 2012.
• The Dallas Stars will be part of a "prepackaged bankruptcy plan" submitted to a court in Delaware on Wednesday, which will "open the door for Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi" to purchase the team for about $230 million. [Reuters and Dallas Stars Blog]
• Rick Rypien never played a game for the Winnipeg Jets, but they will honor him with a helmet sticker this season. [Free Press]
• The Jets hit the ice for the first time in a game sorta kinda. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
• This is a Google translate special, but it's an interesting read on Sidney Crosby and other options for his concussion rehab. [Cyberpresse, via reader Stephane Vigneault]
• This Sidney Crosby Injury 101 video is very much worth your time. [Benstonium]
• The Tampa Bay Lightning are asking their fans to "Be The Thunder" this season as part of a new slogan: "Through strength in numbers, our fans are encouraged to serve as that force of nature as we implore them to create a raucous atmosphere in our building for every home game and provide unwavering support in the community." So what kind of scoreboard prompt will be used to encourage group flatulence? [Lightning Strikes]
• Chris Pronger should be ready for the Philadelphia Flyers' opener against the Boston Bruins. Which should be something everyone but the Boston Bruins is happy to hear. [Philly.com]
• T.J. Oshie of the St. Louis Blues explains his 1-year contract: "I just wanted to prove to them after everything that happened (an unexcused absence at practice, leading to a two-game suspension), that I've matured and have grown up. I'm just ready to step in and hopefully play as good as I can for that big contract next year." [STLToday.com]
• Really interesting piece that traces the roots of Jeff Carter's trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets, with this conclusion: "The Jeff Carter was the product of consistent negotiations between the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Talks regarding Carter had occurred as early as the 2010 NHL Draft, and may have originated even earlier." [Flyers Focus, via Reddit Hockey]
• PHT looks at the captaincy vacancies for several teams. John Tavares over Kyle Okposo for the New York Islanders? Hmmm … [PHT]
• If you've not read it yet, please check out Michael Landsberg's piece on Wade Belak and depression. It's a sad, harrowing look at the disease. [TSN; and for a NSFW dissenting opinion, check out DJ Dean Blundell's timeline on Twitter]
• Down Goes Brown's NHL 12 review, including the bugs: "The artificial intelligence needs work, as players still make silly mistakes. For example, some players signed long-term contracts with no-trade clauses with the Flyers, and then reacted like they were actually going to get to stay in Philadelphia. Look, they're buying houses and everything!" [DGB]
• A much more straightforward, and long-winded, NHL 12 review: "I'll give NHL 12 a 9.5 out of 10 Cluster Pucks. As it's not perfect, and there is and always will be room for further improvement, which is one of the many reasons I always find it a necessary purchase each and every year." [Cluster Pucks]
• "Jason Pominville and Derek Roy both said they are 100 percent physically and ready to start full workouts with the team on Saturday." [Sabres Edge]
• Mike Rupp hits the ice as a New York Ranger. [Blueshirts Blog]
• The good news? Petr Sykora is back in Devils camp. The bad news? He can't bribe the guy wearing No. 17 to get it back, because he sure as [expletive] doesn't need the money. [Devils]
• Doc Emrick on the head shot debate: "I leave the league to deal with the headshot question. Amateur sociologists that we've seen a lot of are trying to speculate on the future of the guys that are involved in fisticuffs. Obviously, there are an awful lot of them that seem to have had pretty good lives for themselves, but for real reasons, the focus has shifted to three situations, that are very rare that happened [all immediately following one another], you have to stop and think about that. The answers, I don't have today, but they will be among things I'll be looking for at the start of the season." [Puck The Media]
• "This season, players as young as 10 and in many parts of the country, will now go through the same concussion testing as NHL players in the hopes of preventing future head injuries." [Globe & Mail]
• Elliotte's 30 thoughts. [CBC]
• Looking at Drew Doughty, Luke Schenn and Zach Bogosian's RFA plights. [HOTH]
• If you're in a fantasy pool, why not check out Jonathan Willis's magnum opus of a fantasy guide? If, you know, you like winning and stuff. [Oilers Nation]
• Steve Mason faces the fact that if he craps the bed again this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets will be holding another draft party for their lottery pick. [Dispatch]
• Finally, Leahy found this clip of a comedian Steve White "chasing his dreams of NHL glory with some young guns from the late 1990s New York Islanders: Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe, Bryan Berard, and Eric Fichaud." Love the fake "we're not paying Bill Conti's rights fees" Rocky music.