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.
• That's Lil' Alex Ovechkin, rocking the vintage Buffalo Sabres gear. And also wielding a dagger. And also hanging out around the Barbie dolls in the toy store. Did the Washington Capitals see none of this on the pre-draft psych evaluation? Also, why weren't we told that Young Ovie looks like the kid from "About a Boy"? [Alex Ovetjkin]
• Puck The Media reports that Game 7 drew an 18.8 in Boston, the best-ever rating for VERSUS in Beantown. Ditto Tampa Bay, which drew a 7.8 rating to make it the No. 1 TV program in the city Friday night. Game 7 drew 2.55 million viewers nationally, the highest viewership for a Conference Final since 2002, and VERSUS' best non-Stanley Cup Final ratings ever. [Puck The Media]
• Interesting "where are they now?" piece on the 1990 Boston Bruins Cup finalist. "Ken Linseman: Still resides in the Boston area and owns a commercial real estate development firm; Can often be seen surfing at Hampton Beach." [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
• EA Sports supercomputer pick the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup. [EA Sports]
• Travis Hughes explains why he thinks the Philadelphia Flyers are on the hunt for Evgeni Nabokov. [Broad Street Hockey]
• Tuesday could be the day the NHL formally announces the Atlanta Thrashers have relocated to Winnipeg. [Slam]
• "CBC News has been told by True North Sports and Entertainment to have technical people ready to set up possibly late Monday for something early Tuesday." [CBC Sports]
• Police have not been informed by True North of when the announcement could be made, but "The Forks has been told to be ready to hold a party for the announcement that Winnipeg is back in the NHL — on Tuesday at the earliest — and staff there are in full planning mode." [Winnipeg Free Press]
• Bill Daly: Hey, what move? The Winni-what-now? [SB Nation Atlanta]
• Vancouver columnist Tony Gallagher's crackpot rant about how Colin Campbell's influence will hand the Cup to the Bruins is defeated by these pesky things called "facts." Like, for example: "The Bruins have been given 211 penalty minutes this postseason. Their opponents have been given 180 penalty minutes." [NESN]
• Good piece from over the weekend on the reduced role of the enforcer in the NHL and connecting it back to the death of Derek Boogaard. [CT Post]
• The players who escaped from the black hole that was the 1999 NHL Draft. [Polished Puck Press]
• The Ottawa Senators announced today that the club has signed forward Louie Caporusso to a two-year entry-level contract. A Toronto native, Caporusso recently completed his fourth and final season of college eligibility with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's University of Michigan Wolverines, who he helped reach the NCAA championship game (Frozen Four final) on April 9 in St. Paul, Minn. [Senators]
• E.J. McGuire is very much missed at the NHL Scouting Combine. [NHL.com]
• Why the San Jose Sharks should search out some help for the penalty kill this offseason. They should get someone like that dude on the Canucks. Manny something-or-other. [Fear The Fin]
• The good news is that the Sharks have their core group of players locked up. This is also the bad news. [Sharks]
• OK, before everyone goes into a tizzy … it's a PARODY, people. And Blades of Funny has a few more Bruins Bear ad knockoffs for your viewing pleasure before the Stanley Cup Final begins on Wednesday. [Blades of Funny]
• The Sea Dogs are already talking about repeating as Memorial Cup champs. [Buzzing The Net]
• Hey, remember Dan Hinote? So every year, he gives back to the Shjon Podein Children's Foundation by surprising the kids wearing a different costume. There is an online Facebook poll asking what he should wear this year. Two months ago, he mentioned something about an Average Joes Dodgeball motif. Hey, if you can dodge a wrench ... [s/t Fiona C. Quick]
• Tapeleg offers a challenge to blog editors that have let their posting lag this season. [Jerseys and Hockey Love]
• "Roberto Luongo Will Have to Break 35-Year Curse of Goalies Who Wear Jersey No. 1." [NESN]
• "The Canuckmobile lives! Well, actually, it doesn't. But the dad of one of the three teens who embarked on the memorable 1994 road trip to cheer on the Canucks in the Big Apple is hoping to revive the same fervour with a reincarnated Canuckmobile." [Province]
• Finally, it's getaway day for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and here's GM Steve Yzerman on all matters …