Here are your Morning 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.
• Alexander Ovechkin throws down the gauntlet against his challengers in the 2009 Scotiabank NHL Fan Fav Breakaway Challenge, a.k.a. the all-star trick-shot competition: "I want to defend this title ... It's a pretty cool title. I'm happy I have it." His rivals this season? Alexei Kovalev of the Montreal Canadiens, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. Please recall Leahy reporting last year that the goalies in this competition might be "a celebrity goaltender or one from a lower league like the ECHL." Could be awesome. [NHL]
• Speaking of the all-star game: "The NHL has reached the tipping point with All-Star Game fan voting. It needs to be scrapped. Now." [Hockey News]
• Interesting look at how the South Florida economy has affected its sports teams, including the Florida Panthers. Includes the team's decision to cancel its variable pricing surcharge and this ticket plan: "Select any three-game package for as low as $51 and receive a free ticket to a fourth game if the Panthers win any of the three. The package includes $21 in vouchers from Gulfstream Park." [Miami Herald]
• Beat writer George Richards offers his take on the Panthers' finances. [On Frozen Pond]
• Los Angeles Kings rookie sensation Drew Doughty was injured on a hit by Tampa Bay's Evgeny Artyukhin last night. Coach Terry Murray is pretty pissed off that Doughty's teammates didn't answer to bell to respond to the hit. Hey, it's LA; everyone's laid back. [LA Times]
SportsWrap
The top sports headlines of the day
• In the latest in the Globe & Mail's ongoing series, "As the Phoenix Coyotes burn," David Shoalts reports that "The Phoenix Coyotes' losses this season are expected to hit $45-million (all currency U.S.) once their debt servicing is taken into account." Kyle Turris just took a second job running tables at Glendale Applebee's. [Globe & Mail]
• A heavyweight bout between David Koci and Raitis Ivanans was the lone fight on Monday night. [Hockey Fights]
• The New York Rangers would like to lock up Nikolai Zherdev to keep him from other NHL offers -- as well as big money from the KHL. [NY Post]
• The Forechecker on "newspapers in the Dallas area are cutting and consolidating their sports coverage." Boo. [On the Forecheck]
• Montreal and Boston don't like each other very much, which is obviously great for hockey. [ESPN]
• Steven Ovadia on the Columbus Blue Jackets' improvement, Steven Stamkos and patience with rookies. [Puck Update]
• The Ottawa Senators Martin Gerber is getting a little testy about this whole not starting thing. [Sun Media]
• Razor offers another interesting Dallas Stars factoid: "Twenty-five of their forty-two points have been earned in games that they have scored four or more." [Razor With an Edge]
• Jeff Finger of the Toronto Maple Leafs will miss up to two weeks with an upper body injury. Not so powerful and influential after all, huh? [Sportsnet]
• Roberto Luongo says he's doubtful for tonight's game against the New Jersey Devils, but the Vancouver Canucks goalie could be back by Thursday. [CBC Sports]
• The Philadelphia Flyers are sending Danny Briere to the Phantoms on a rehab assignment, to make sure everything is in order before his next injury. [Philadelphia Daily News]
• Hockey writers are strange creatures. When you ask Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey whether the team is trying to trade a massive package of players and picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vincent Lecavalier, despite Tampa's denial, what do you expect to hear? "Oh, yeah, actually we're in negotiations, and those bozos in Tampa are lying in order to get the media off the scent. Why do you ask?" [Globe & Mail]
• Finally, this was a nutty good goal from Pavel Datsyuk last night for the Detroit Red Wings:
