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.
• Patrick Kane … never change. JT Utah of 25Stanley.com has all the details of the Chicago Blackhawks star sporting a shiner (which he may have gotten at the end of the Vancouver Canucks series) and his liaison with a "PR semi-pro, social media junkie, senior at University of Illinois, shopping addict" (since deleted Twitpic account) who photographed him sleeping and then snapped a photo of his Southwest Airlines boarding pass to Buffalo. We want to believe Kane's having a laugh and staged all of this to goof on those living vicariously through him. But then we remembered he's Patrick Kane. Party on, brother. [25Stanley, via Deadspin]
• Milan Hejduk signs a one-year deal to remain with the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps this is why: "The Czech Republic native reached the 20-goal mark for the 11th consecutive season, tying Joe Sakic's franchise record." [Avs]
• In praise of Ryan Kesler's series against the Nashville Predators, one of the best playoff performances in Vancouver Canucks' playoff history. [Nucks Misconduct]
• Cripes: "An NHL source told The Dispatch on Tuesday that the Columbus Blue Jackets' losses in 2010-11 will be approximately $25 million, a dramatic increase from the $14 million the club lost in the previous two seasons." Wow, the Mike Commodore contract is something, huh? [Dispatch]
• From The Cannon: "It's also worth noting that despite these losses, and an estimated $80 million in losses over the life of the Franchise, they've yet to ask the City of Columbus to underwrite one red cent, even though they could easily point to the losses from the arena, or point up how much they bring into the city's economic picture, preferring to take care of their own business themselves." Dang, Phoenix, you got served. [The Cannon]
• Niklas Kronwall believes the Detroit Red Wings will have Johan Franzen in Game 7. [Detroit News]
• Jaromir Jagr pulls out a hat trick to eliminate the U.S. in IIHF worlds. [NHL.com]
• There's been lots of talk about Jaromir Jagr and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Ray Shero is at Worlds to talk to him. This initial Canadian Press report has been linked all over. Somehow this line has escaped people: "Pittsburgh's interest in reconnecting with Jagr is purely about ensuring his long-term legacy with the team rather trying to bring him back to North America as a player." He wants Jagr to appear at a golf tournament. [THN]
• A benches-clearing brawl at midnight in a beer league game compelled someone to call 911 in Jersey. Police didn't make any arrests, but rather punished several participants by giving them Devils season tickets. (Hi-yo!) [Staten Island Advance]
• Bruce Dowbiggin explores the limits of free speech as they relate to the Sean Avery/gay marriage backlash. [Globe & Mail]
• Good piece by Craig Custance on how this stance by Avery isn't surprising to anyone paying attention. [Sporting News]
• An open letter to Gary Bettman from an Atlanta Thrashers fan: "With a population of over 5 million in our metro area, Atlanta is more than 7 TIMES THE SIZE of the largest Canadian city in line to receive an NHL team. If every person in the Quebec City metropolitan area bought a single ticket to a single game each season, they would not have 41 sellouts in an 18,000 seat arena. On the other hand, if only 14% of Atlanta's population each bought one ticket to one game each season, we would sell out every game in that same arena." [Blueland Chronicle]
• Great blow-by-blow of the Glendale City Council meeting. Can't believe they didn't give any love to the Skunk Man. [Illegal Curve]
• Ken Campbell on the Phoenix Coyotes' staying in Glendale: "The impact will be felt around the league because now the prime candidate to move becomes the Atlanta Thrashers. It's believed the Thrashers will be much easier to move and will be far less onerous for the NHL to part with than the Coyotes are. There are those who run in ownership circles who are convinced that with the Coyotes out of the picture, at least temporarily, the Thrashers will now move to Winnipeg this offseason. A team moving from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference will, in turn, pave the way for the Detroit Red Wings to move to the East where they belong." [THN]
• Here is Alex Ovechkin, giving maximum effort in trying to grab something that's clearly out of reach. [RMNB]
• Really solid piece on Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher. [SI]
• What does the Tyler Ennis report card look like for the Buffalo Sabres? [Die By The Blade]
• Why NHL enforcers are "gross liabilities" and endangering themselves. [Houses of the Hockey]
• Chris Pronger leads the list of Philadelphia Flyers players headed under the knife. [Philly.com]
• Los Angeles Kings fan Rudy Kelly is really confused as to whether to root for the Sharks or the Wings in Game 7. [Battle of Cali]
• Evaluating the evaluation of Dean Lombardi. [Jewels From The Crown]
• From Intent To Blow: "In what many are calling the most befuddling personality changes in history, mild-mannered New York Rangers' forward Sean Avery has overnight become a polarizing figure to fans of the NHL." [ITB]
• Finally, Ted Williams Head presents the Kevin Bieksa cameo on "Shots" by LMFAO and Lil Jon.