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.
• From the Chicago Blackhawks comes this great video just in time for Valentine's Day. It would appear that Adam Burish would be the team's preeminent ladies' man, according to the players interviewed on this clip. Well, he is if, as one player put it, "you like fives out of tens." Does Burish actually use a tanning bed? In any case, enjoy this Blackhawks video, peppered with quotes from Tim Meadows in "The Ladies Man." What, no "Pootie Tang?" [Mouthpiece Sports]
• Gary Bettman tours the new Yankee Stadium, sparking Winter Classic chatter. "To suggest we're even at the embryonic stage would be an exaggeration," said Bettman. Which, of course, could mean it's already a fetus. [NY Daily News]
• There is tremendous pressure on Sergei Gonchar to help "save" the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rick Moldovanyi believes he fills some vital needs for the team. Amanda from Confessions of a Hockey Chick isn't the cure for anything on Pittsburgh.
• CuJo for the Hall of Fame. Interesting debate, this one. [THN]
SportsWrap
The top sports headlines of the day
• At least one of the victims in that horrific airplane crash last night was heading to Buffalo for a weekend reunion of Buffalo State women's hockey players. So sad. [MSNBC]
• What the various conclusions to the Sean Avery saga for the Dallas Stars will mean for their salary cap. [Dallas Stars Blog]
• More about the study of the Montreal Canadiens as a religion, including this tidbit: "Some people believe to have been cured from disease after touching the jersey of Hall of Famer Maurice Richard." Conversely, touching the jersey of Tim Connolly has been known to cause early onset of osteoporosis. [Futurismic]
• Another police charge for an on-ice incident: A 16-year-old is facing an assault charge striking a 15-year-old opponent in the neck with a stick, knocking him out for 10 seconds. [CBC Sports]
• "Glen Hurley, the head of officiating at Hockey New Brunswick, said he's losing 400 referees and linesmen every year because of the verbal haranguing they receive." And because they're blind and incompetent and probably getting bribes from teams too, those jerks. [CBC Sports]
• Mike Rupp of the New Jersey Devils talks about his damaged pride after getting dropped by Colton Orr of the New York Rangers the other night in a fight. [Fire & Ice]
• Congrats to the Colorado Avalanche, now the worst team in the Western Conference. [Mile High Hockey]
• Meanwhile, the worst team in the NHL this season has been much more competitive than some may think. [New York Islanders Fan Central]
• The New York Islanders quiet talk about the team potentially relocating to Queens, NY, saying their "current focus is to work diligently with the Town of Hempstead to obtain approvals for the Lighthouse Project." Too bad -- nothing says "hockey night" like chop shops, a fried chicken joint and barbed-wired parking lots. [Newsday]
• Teddy Ruth, the defensive prospect that the Washington Capitals sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Sergei Fedorov trade, pretty much sucks. [Japers' Rink]
• Team Canada's in this wacky logo flap with the IOC which has them looking for a new design for their jersey. How about an old design, as the '72 Team Canada jersey is being offered as an option to the 2010 Olympians? [Greatest Hockey Legends]
• The Falconer has a great piece about the ownership lawsuit that's crippled the Atlanta Thrashers for the last year or so, and what its conclusion will mean for the franchise. "Despite the fervent desire of some Canadian hockey fans, the Thrashers are very unlikely to move to Southern Ontario. Why? The Hawks and Philips Arena are legally bound together. Whomever ends up owning Philips Arena stands to lose millions of dollars in rent and naming rights revenue if the Thrashers were moved. That's a powerful reason to find a buyer who will keep them in town." [Bird Watcher Anonymous]
• Peter Forsberg scores a goal for his hometown club Modo in his return to the ice. Here we go again. [Philly.com]
• We didn't really discuss the big Dion Phaneuf hit on Andrew Ebbett of the Anaheim Ducks, which broke the rookie's nose. But it doesn't appear as though there's going to be any supplemental discipline from the NHL. Ebbett, to the OC Register, said: "The American League and the NHL, both leagues have talked about limiting hits to the head. That's all they seem to be talking about the last two years, trying to get that out of the game. Obviously, that's a hit to the head." [Ducks Blog]
• Finally, and speaking of hits: Wade Belak dominates Cam Janssen in last night's Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues game:
