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. Great. One. Of course, we haven't forgotten Mr. Hockey. Check the end of the Headlines.
• Sidney Crosby has a non-contact practice with his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates, getting some power play time as well. Has he had concussion symptoms lately? Sid: "No. At this point when you haven't skated that much and you're out there it's important that you're able to separate the two into being fatigued, feeling what's new, and what's symptoms of a concussion. That's why it's more than one day." [Tribune Review]
• Brian Burke declares that Ron Wilson will be back to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. "I said back in the fall, we would not consider a change, even when all the hounds were baying. … I feel the same way now. Ron is coaching this team next year." [Globe & Mail]
• Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils said he was tempted to play against the Flyers on Friday, but is still on target for Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens. Brodeur and Parise rest on Friday, play on Saturday … beating the Habs doesn't mean anything to Jacques Lemaire now does it? [Fire & Ice]
• Very much enjoying the Ray Emery lovefest right now, as he moved to 6-0 for the Anaheim Ducks with last night's win. From Eric Duhatschek, Emery said: "It's not a five-game goal. It's not an end-of-the-season goal. You've got to take it day-by-day and make those short-term goals happen, and hopefully it will last for a while." [Globe & Mail]
• From yesterday, Jeff Miller's piece for the OC Register, and Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle: "It is somewhat of a, I don't know if you want to say miracle, but it's something that's never happened before. … It's a great story and one the individual should be recognized for because it's something no other athlete has done." [OC Register]
• Dreger has a bit on Emery, and a lot about trying to find a way to put a chip inside the puck for controversial goal calls. [TSN]
• Troy Brouwer doesn't have a goal in his last 19 games, so it's Bryan Bickell time on the Chicago Blackhawks' top line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. [Between The Circles]
• If you've not seen Barry Melrose breaking down last night's action for ESPN.com, please watch it. If only to hear about the impressive road win the Sabres had ... you know, in that game in Buffalo. [ESPN.com]
• TSN's James Cybulski will be the afternoon drive host for TSN Radio in Toronto, and our old pal Steve Kouleas will host their noontime show. [TSN and Toronto Sports Media]
• Speaking of Toronto sports media, this response to the Toronto Star's trolling of Leafs fans is preposterously clever and deliciously snarky. [PPP]
• Mirtle, who's had a kickass week, talks with goalie James Reimer about the Optimus Reim nickname. [Globe & Mail]
• Tomas Kaberle may yet be simply a mercenary for the Boston Bruins. [ESPN Boston]
• Shawn Thronton will have some extra time for his face to repair itself. [Bruins Blog]
• Great Tom Benjamin blog on the Vancouver Canucks, the President's Trophy and the Stanley Cup: "While there is no doubt that the big prize of any season is the Stanley Cup, its foolish to denigrate other accomplishments in the hockey season, be it the President's Trophy or even a Divisional title. The more we diminish the regular season, the less reason any of us has to watch." [Canucks Corner]
• Dennis Wideman now week-to-week for the Washington Capitals. Mike Green, by the way, is skating again. [Capitals Insider]
• The Tampa Bay Lightning can clinch with a victory tonight. [Jordan]
• The Bruins Bear is back. All is well.
• We're not sure if this is a clue about T.J. Oshie's whereabouts earlier this week. We also don't know if the volume of urine affects overall capacity in an elevator. Oshie's 2-game break is over. [Barry Melrose Rocks]
• Down Goes Brown handicaps the NHL Awards. [DGB]
• From the Hockey Hall of Fame: Igor Larionov (Honoured Member, Class of 2008) appointed as a new member of the Selection Committee for a three-year term expiring March 31, 2014. Colin Campbell, Jim Gregory, John Davidson, Pat Quinn and Serge Savard each re-appointed to the Selection Committee for a further three-year term expiring March 31, 2014.
• Glendale has found buyers for half of their Phoenix Coyotes bonds. [PBJ]
• That said, the Goldwater Institute still finds this deal to be a bad one for taxpayers and isn't giving up the fight. [Shoalts]
• When did this "Hobey Hat Trick" stuff start? We can't just have "finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award"? When does "Best Picture" become the "Oscar 10-Pack"? [NHL]
• Something odd that crossed the wire today regarding Braydon Schenn, from the Saskatoon Blades: "There are rumours surrounding Brayden Schenn's alleged Facebook status regarding First Nations people. He has no association with these comments; these remarks did not come from him. There are several users on social media sites who choose to impersonate him, including numerous users on Facebook. These are not Brayden's views. Brayden does have a personal Facebook account; it is does not appear in searches due to extreme privacy settings and cannot be viewed by the public. Therefore, any user with the name 'Brayden Schenn' that you can find on Facebook is not him." [OSC]
• Fifteen-year-old defenseman Aaron Ekblad from Belle River, Ont., has been given the equivalent of early entry into the Ontario Hockey League, becoming the first player since current New York Islanders centre John Tavares to receive exceptional player status. [Buzzing the Net]
• Finally, in honor of Mr. Hockey's 83rd birthday, Gordie Howe on "What's My Line?" You know, jokes aside, that first question is actually quite thought-provoking about hockey.