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 Copyranter: "L.A. Kings ad mocks their ugly fans." [Copyranter, via Matt P.]
• Ryan Callahan will miss the New York Rangers' game at the Carolina Hurricanes with a bruised foot. [NYDN]
• The Detroit Red Wings, meanwhile, have adjusted the skate of Nicklas Lidstrom to accommodate his swollen foot, and he could play on Friday night. Said Babcock: "We sent him back for tests, here, today. He's still sore. We adjusted his skate so he could skate, and we'll see what happens. We'll see in the morning." [Detroit News]
• Bob McKenzie reports that the NHL had fielded inquiries from Saskatoon, population 250,000, about bringing a franchise to the prairie city. Canada says: "WOO-HOO, MAKE IT EIGH … wait, Saskatoon?" [TSN]
• No discipline for Eric Nystrom on that Kris Letang hit, nor should there have been. [Dallas Stars Blog]
• Kris Letang and Steve Sullivan miss Pittsburgh Penguins practice after suffering injuries against the Dallas Stars. [PG]
• Former Chicago Blackhawks tough guy John Scott once boasted that Derek Rose would take the Knicks' Jeremy Lin one-on-one. Now he's a New York Rangers tough guy, and he's softened up on Lin: "I haven't come close to reaching his level, and I never will, but I can relate to Jeremy. I hope I get to meet him soon at the Garden or the practice facility. For what I said, he can even punch me in the hallway if he wants to." [NYT]
• Mike Smith, Erik Karlsson and Steven Stamkos are your Three Stars for February. [Bolts]
• Danny Briere hasn't scored a goal in 17 games. "I only know one way to get out of a slump - it's to keep working and keep plugging away." [Broad Street Bull]
• The Puck Stops Here believes that Gabriel Landeskog is your new Calder Trophy leader. [TPSH]
• Tapeleg could do without the shouting on NBC Sports Network between Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick: We don't need this. Every conversation about hockey doesn't have to be an enlightening experience. Every moment doesn't have to be about 'selling the game.' And as proven multiple times, it doesn't have to necessarily be smart. But it should at least be a conversation, or a debate. Or intelligible. If two particle physicists were yelling at each other like this, they would still be acting like jerks and babies, even if they were smart jerks and babies." [Tapeleg]
• Bourne on how to fit in with a new team in hockey. [Backhand Shelf]
• Scott Burnside on Nashville as a hockey town: "Sponsorship numbers continue to grow as the fan interest has grown. Bridgestone, with almost three years left on its naming deal with the team, extended for another five years with an option after that. The team is exploring a customer loyalty plan that would pattern itself on airline and hotel chains in rewarding ticket buyers with different kinds of benefits." [ESPN]
• The Ottawa Senators could "face extinction" if a tax exemption for businesses on sports tickets is scrapped. [National Post]
• To that, Liberals say, "Eh, calm down." [AP]
• A few NSFW WORDS in this one, so fair warning: But here's a hockey bag prank that almost works. An 'A' for effort, lads.
• The man who owns the majority of the memorabilia in the Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame has been accused of a massive bit of tax fraud. [QMI]
• The Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers meet tonight for Southeast Division supremacy! "Tonight's the biggest game of the season for us," said Blake Wheeler. "And when this one's over the next one's probably going to be the next biggest game." [QMI]
• Great news for the Dallas Stars' playoff push: Brenden Morrow is skating again. [ESPN Dallas]
• Should the Calgary Flames renew Brent Sutter's contract? [Matchsticks & Gasoline]
• The Charlie Coyle Era has begun for the Minnesota Wild. [Hockey Wilderness]
• STAT NERD ALERT: Rethinking how we approach the effectiveness of special teams. [Winging It]
• Here's Leahy on the Life In Hockeywood podcast. [Life In Hockeywood]
• Finally, Benstonium presents more examples of Jeremy Roenick logic: