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.
• Wild Wing is the Anaheim Ducks' mascot. Here he is pointing to a fan wearing a paper bag on his head, with sign stating that general manager Bob Murray should be fired before star winger Bobby Ryan is ever traded. Speaking of potential firings … [OC Register]
• Helene Elliott on the Ducks firing Randy Carlyle: "Murray and Carlyle are close, and Murray last summer gave him an extension through 2013-14, but Murray had to be feeling pressure to dismiss Carlyle or lose his own job. Club owners Henry and Susan Samueli aren't meddlesome but they aren't stupid. The team was going nowhere with Carlyle behind the bench." [LA Times]
• The Detroit Red Wings want the Winter Classic at Comerica Park or Michigan Stadium in either 2012 or 2013. We can think of 104,073 reasons why that second option rules. (By the way, calling it: Washington next year, Detroit in two years.) [Freep]
• Mike Grier, formerly of the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks, announced his retirement today from the National Hockey League (NHL) following a career that spanned 14 seasons. ESPN probably noted some of this in its story. But it's his color that made the headlines. [Slanch Report]
• Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Joffrey Lupul have been named the NHL 'Three Stars' for the month of November. [NHL]
• Marc Staal, back out on the ice with a New York Rangers teammate for the first time since September, on his rehab from a concussion: "Looking back I think, personally, I should have taken more time and I sugar-coated a lot of things and told myself I was fine when I didn't feel good." [Blueshirts United]
• Cory "Not The Starter" Schneider will start for the seventh straight time. Roberto Luongo on Wednesday: "I know you guys have a lot of interest, but it's not something we want to be talking about every day." [The Province]
• The Great Patrick Kane Center Experiment is over for now, as Marcus Kruger moves between Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. Said Kane: "Center worked for a little bit." [Tribune]
• Pittsburgh Penguins tough guy Arron Asham on his fight with, and mocking of, Jay Beagle of the Washington Capitals: "I wasn't too happy about what I did. To be honest, I had a couple of sleepless nights. I was very embarrassed for myself and my team. I don't do that stuff. I know it's never going to happen again." [Capitals Insider]
• New Carolina Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller has added a former teammate to his coaching staff, hiring former New Jersey Devils coach John MacLean as an assistant coach. As a head coach in Jersey, he made a great assistant coach. [Canes]
• Bob Woods joins Brad Lauer as Bruce Boudreau's assistant coaches with the Anaheim Ducks. [Washington Times]
• Congrats to the Puck Buddys on their 1-year blogaversary and for putting on the first-ever Washington Capitals Night Out for LGBT fans this Saturday. [Puck Buddys]
• The merry jesters of The Royal Half present Marco Sturm Throw in the Towel Night: "Let's be honest... Marco Sturm's time in LA was not all that great. But it sure is classy of this organization to honour Sturm in tonight's game. Luckily, the Los Angeles Kings are having a Career Night as part of the Marco Sturm "Throw In The Towel" Free Towel Night!!! promotion. So Marco will be able to get advice on what he should do once his NHL career thankfully comes to an end. But realistically... are there really any jobs out there for a NHL forward who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and can't score to save his life?" [TRH]
• In praise of the Minnesota Wild's system: "Give Yeo credit for not just installing a system and getting his guys to buy in, but also making needed adjustments. In a battle of systems against Tampa Bay's 1-3-1, he had his players shoot the puck hard around the boards, rimming it so that the one Tampa Bay player stationed back for soft chip-ins was forced to go deep in his own zone to retrieve it. That allowed the Wild time to penetrate the offensive zone and go to work on the forecheck." [SI]
• An interview with the senior editor of Forbes about their team valuations. [Puck Drunk Love]
• Will the Penn State scandal affect their hockey program? [Slap Shots]
• Steve Lepore with praise for NHL Live on VERSUS: "Credit must also go to Milbury and Jones for their contributions. I always felt like Jonesy was a more interesting guy than Hockey Central would let him be because there wasn't really anyone pushing him. With Milbury in sort of the "starring" role, he's become more of — as I mentioned earlier — the sparring partner, and has proved a very adequate one. While people may hate Mike Milbury because they hate what he did to the Islanders or his views on headshots, you've gotta' admit the guy has a presence on television like no other NHL analyst. When he's not off on some random aside about the "wussification" of hockey — something he's rarely allowed to do when Pierre McGuire or Ron MacLean isn't goading him into it — he's really good at what he does." [Puck The Media]
• The Nashville Predators drop Blake Geoffrion on IR. [On The Forecheck]
• The Calgary Flames have assigned Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond to the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League. Great signing, that one. [Flames]
• David Krejci, who agreed to his deal with the Boston Bruins before posting three points against the Leafs, said the chance to win the Stanley Cup again is the reason he signed a new deal with the Bruins. And also probably the money. OK, definitely the money. [Bruins Blog]
• Why Jamie Benn must step up and take control of the Dallas Stars. [Defending Big D]
• Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is baffled by the virus he has. "Pronger said he has been experiencing headaches and nausea like never before; he revealed he passed a concussion test." Expect to see Chris Pronger elbowing the monkey from "Outbreak" sometime soon. [Broad Street Bull]
• Chatting with Andrej Meszaros about Pronger being out and other Flyers-related fun. [The Checking Line]
• Thank god Brian Burke cleared up whether Ron Wilson's job was safe. [QMI]
• Finally in Mike Grier's honor, this incredible (and ironic) clip that we also played on Marek vs. Wyshynski today: