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.
• Five reasons why Nicklas Lidstrom won't retire after this season. Great stuff from Kevin Allen. [USA Today]
• "Not to bury the Detroit Red Wings before they're done, but is it fair to wonder whether this core has another Cup in it? They've been getting progressively further from winning it all since 2008." [Freep]
• Mike Richards on what inspirational pregame speech he'll give the Philadelphia Flyers before their potential elimination Friday night in Boston: "There's no speech that is needed. … Everybody understands the situation that we're in. There's words that will be said, but there's no speech …" Braveheart, he is not. [CSN Philly]
• Sergei Bobrovsky gets his first start of the series against the Boston Bruins, and Chris Pronger is again a maybe. [Philly.com]
• The Boston Bruins on the Beat Up Old Jacket, their playoff trinket that's gaining attention. [Boston.com]
• Ryan Kennedy on Tomas Kaberle's time with the Boston Bruins: "The price Kaberle came at -- specifically big prospect center Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick, plus a conditional pick -- it will all be worth it if Boston wins the Stanley Cup." [THN]
• MY GAWD THAT'S J.P. DUMONT'S MUSIC! [NHL.com]
• Alain Vigneault gave Barry Trotz the gears on diving after Game 4: "I hope they are not going to complain about embellishment tonight with the number of things that happened out there on the ice, Suter having the audacity to complain after he takes that penalty and just hauls Ryan Kesler down is utterly amazing." [Examiner]
• Canada tops the U.S. in a shootout at worlds. Optimus Reim over ConkBlock. [Y!]
• Down Goes Brown with signs that your second-round playoff series isn't going so well: "Instead of twirling a towel or encouraging the crowd to sing along, your anthem singer's trademark postseason move is to tie a little noose out of the microphone cord." [DGB]
• Really, any combination of Christopher Nolan's directing and the San Jose Sharks is a win in our book. [Battle of Cali]
• David Staples with an interesting examination on whether the Edmonton Oilers could be headed for relocation in three years. "Quebec City might well be held up as a possible home for the Oilers, but, as we can see, it's not as good a market, and it would also cause the biggest stink in Edmonton since Wayne Gretzky was sold if our tax dollars essentially paid for an arena in Quebec City, then our Oilers moved to that city." [Edmonton Journal]
• Media Takedown No. 1: Nucks Misconduct with a takedown on a Roy MacGregor "drive-by hit piece" in the Vancouver Canucks and Roberto Luongo. [Nucks Misconduct]
• Media Takedown No. 2: An in-depth and at times scathing review of Pierre McGuire's opinions on the Montreal Canadiens. [Eyes On the Prize]
• Chicago Native Son strikes again, adding "If you can't beat 'em, 'join 'em.'"
• JP calls for the head of Bruce Boudreau after the Washington Capitals are swept out of the postseason. [Japers' Rink]
• The Washington Capitals' forgotten goalie, Semyon Varlamov, would like to stay in the NHL rather than return to Russia. One wrinkle: The KHL teams wouldn't have to use the "foreign player" exception on him as a native, which will make him a hot commodity. [Capitals Insider]
• Baycrest senior scientist Brian Levine, a brain expert, attempts to answer the question: "Does playing in the NHL affect your brain health later in life?" [Mirtle]
• Good stuff from John Kreiser on playoff overtimes: "Unlike the last three years, when home teams did well in overtime, road clubs have had the better of play this year. Of the 20 overtime games so far, 13 have been won by the visiting team -- the most since road clubs won 13 of 21 in 1999." [NHL.com]
• The Behind The Net stat-heads breakdown home ice in the second round. [BTN]
• What a trip down memory lane this was: Remembering the minor league star-hoarding Detroit Vipers. [Winging It]
• Stay classy, New Jersey Devils. Note: This isn't cynicism. [ILWT]
• Columbus Blue Jackets blog offers its assessment of Mike Commodore: "Goodbye Commie and thanks for nothing." [The Cannon]
• Finally, Mikael Granlund (Minnesota Wild prospect) converts a shootout in Worlds that's nifty if you have your sound off and awesome with the sounds on thanks to this rather enthusiastic goal call.