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.
• The Toronto Star did a reader jersey design contest to select the Toronto Maple Leafs' Winter Classic sweater. These two, somehow, did not win. [Star Gallery]
• The latest on Sean Avery might-have-retired: The former New York Rangers forward "did not dispute the comments but said he will wait to make an official announcement until his four-year, $15.5 million contract expires at the end of this season. Filing official retirement papers with the league beforehand would mean he'd forfeit the remaining money owed to him on the deal." [ESPN NY]
• John Tortorella does not appreciate a Norwegian reporter's questions about Mats Zuccarello: "Are you gonna ask me 15 questions on Zucc tonight? Do you follow him around? To here, to Hartford? Yes, you do? Does he pay you?" [Daily News]
• No practice for Jonathan Toews. No Jonathan Toews for the Blackhawks vs. the St. Louis Blues. Sigh. [Sun Times]
• Bobby Holik, who killed it on Marek vs. Wyshynski today, on the Chicago Blackhawks: "Chicago needs to become little more organized and structured in their own end. It will give them a chance to spend less time there and play the transition game they are great at. They can't underestimate the importance of good defensive hockey going into the final stretch and entering the playoffs. It's little harder for their type of players but necessary." [HoH]
• Three Reasons Why Alexander Radulov Will (or Won't) Succeed In An NHL Return. [On The Forecheck]
• Zach Parise's father continues to say things that make Minnesota Wild fans very happy and New Jersey Devils fans get rainy face. [SB Nation Minny]
• Dude, there's a horse named after Gordie Howe that could win the Kentucky Derby. Give us Howe Great across the board …[AP]
• Hockey Hair Top 5. Stamkos wuz robbed. [The Hockey Dekely]
• Remember ClockGate? Mike Sielski of the Wall Street Journal takes an in-depth look at what happened between the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets and the aftermath. [WSJ]
• Crazy story from the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association: "A downriver hockey team is appealing the outcome of a state championship game after health officials blamed a possible norovirus for an outbreak of illness at a Taylor rink Sunday that affected more than two dozen players." [Freep]
• To the surprise of no one, NBC Sports Network takes the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers Sidney Crosby fest from NHL Network on Thursday. [Puck The Media]
• Teemu Selanne on his idol, Jari Kurri. [Battle of Cali]
• Cool clip from The Score on shot blocking, as told from the perspective of the shot blockers.
• Michael Ryder on the Dallas Stars' success, in relation to what he saw with the Boston Bruins: "I'm kind of seeing the same thing from the dressing room in response [losing], a lot of good team chemistry," said Ryder. "That's what we had in Boston, a team that wants to stick up for each other and play for one another and when it goes bad that can go a long way. I know that we have that here and I can tell just by the way we play. It makes a big difference. As the season has gotten longer, the past couple of months things have really come together and we're on a roll right now and I think we're feeling really good and we're playing the way we should be playing." [Defending Big D]
• Raw Charge on what could have been with Marty Turco as the Tampa Bay Lightning netminder. [Raw Charge]
• The Lightning could have captain Vinny Lecavalier back last next week, a.k.a. too late. [Lightning Strikes]
• When Marty Brodeur met Pete Rose. [The Classical, via Wayne Brown]
• Hey now: Kimmo Timonen is back for the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, as will Jake Voracek after his Kronwall'ing. [Frequent Flyers]
• The NHL GMs go to the beach in Boca Raton. Poor Scott Howson. [Dirty Dangle]
• X-Rays were negative on Patrice Bergeron's leg, so he's a game-time decision for the Boston Bruins. [ESPN Boston]
• Are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers destined to meet in the postseason? [Pensburgh]
• Finally, Jaromir Jagr isn't here to pump Ilya Bryzgalov's tires. Mainly because we imagine his tires require some sort of bio-engineered gas to handle the atmosphere of Saturn.