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.
• Via our friend Nate Beeler of the Washington Examiner, and ouch.
• Dale Hunter's immediate focus for the Washington Capitals? Changing up the power-play system: "Every coach has different systems and I changed my systems a bit from Bruce's…Forecheck, neutral zone, d-zone, basically the whole ice, I guess. I'm not trying to change too much right now it's pretty quick to get everybody on a different page here right now, but I definitely changed a few things." [Capitals Insider]
• The Carolina Hurricanes snag Andreas Nodl off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. This a good thing for their penalty kill. [CSN Philly]
• The latest NHL All-Star voting results show that only Penguins, Bruins and fans in Ontario apparently know it's happening. At forward: Phil Kessel, 258,446; Daniel Alfredsson, 233,868; Jason Spezza, 209,455; on defense: Erik Karlsson, 256,839; Dion Phaneuf, 213,617; Tim Thomas, 175,315. Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury are all right behind the vote leaders. [NHL.com]
• Dan Bylsma believes that James Neal still needed to control his stick despite PK Subban slew-footing him, and supports the NHL's $2,500 fine. [Post-Gazette]
• Joe Yerdon thinks Neal should have been absolved for Subban's actions. [PHT]
• Great news for the New York Rangers, as Marc Staal is skating again on his own as he works back from a concussion. Because as many of pointed out, it's not an HBO "24/7" if there isn't a concussed Staal. [NY Post]
• Ryan Getzlaf was asked about the weight of the Anaheim Ducks captaincy on him during their slump: "It's nothing to do with wearing a letter. It's got to do with the fact of who I am and what I want to bring to the table. I don't think you can put that type of emphasis on one individual, especially in our situation." [Ducks Blog]
• The Internet is awash with Bobby Ryan trade proposals. Marek thinks he should end up in Boston. Here's the Bruins' rationale on a Bobby Ryan deal. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
• Is Alex Ovechkin dating "Russian cutie Maria Kirilenko"? Because based on his stats, maybe he should consider the priesthood for a bit. [Alex Ovetjkin and Gazette]
• Bourne breaks down a Boston Bruins goal against the Winnipeg Jets. [Backhand Shelf]
• Lightning head coach Guy Boucher offers analysis on the technique behind Marc-Andre Bergeron's powerful shot. [Lightning]
• Vincent Damphousse's estranged wife is slated to stand trial next year for allegedly assaulting the retired NHL star and stealing from him. [CP]
• Looking at some of the more valuable players in the NHL based on their cap hit. Apparently Scott Gomez didn't make the cut. [Dobber]
• Andrei Markov injury update, as the star defenseman could be back this week. [Gazette]
• Dirty Dangle reviews NHL 97 for Sega [Dirty Dangle]
• Are the NHL's top draft choices from the summer earning their keep this season? What about last year's class? [SB Nation]
• We would like nothing more than to see Louis Leblanc succeed with the Habs. [Globe & Mail]
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins are the NHL's best team. [Puck Stops Here]
• The Pensblog linked this up and it's your read of the day: Evgeni Malkin feature from Pittsburgh Magazine. Terrific work by Sean Conboy. [Pittsburgh Magazine]
• Nice piece by Haggs about Boston Bruins center David Krejci: "Krejci is a smart guy, and he knows the score. He's heard all of the above as he attempts to simply play things out through the regular season and playoffs. He's off to the worst start in his five-year NHL career and one has to wonder if the contract, trade rumors or any other issues are causing him to exert a little too much pressure on himself." [CSN NE]
• In praise of Mike Knuble. [Japers]
• Dustin Brown wants to show you his "O" face. [The Royal Half]
• How life is treating Mika Zibanejad in Sweden. [Senators]
• Finally, for no other reason than that we haven't seen it before and it's awesome, from the 2007 BBC Animal Games animation series: "We see who would win the animal equivalent of the Olympics. It's Humans vs. Polar Bears in the Ice Hockey Challenge!" Featuring Joe Sakic, Mario and other Team Canada players taking on polar bears. (s/t PD reader Will Ledesma)