Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Previews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
• Steve Ott of the Dallas Stars was suspended last season for three games after a hit to the head of an opponent. Over the weekend, Ott received a match penalty for intent to injure, allegedly gouging the eye of Travis Moen of the Anaheim Ducks. For that act, he received a one-game suspension that he's already served by missing Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. So how does a "repeat offender" that eye-gouges an opponent not get more than a game? And why wasn't there any supplemental discipline for Ducks players Moen and J.S. Giguere, who went after Ott after the game was done? Who knows ... the NHL continues to keep such seemingly random decisions to themselves. [Dallas Stars Blog and Defending Big D]
• Did Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings deliver a head-shot to Raitis Ivanans of the Los Angeles Kings? [Snapshots]
• Today's "hockey players are just like you and me" nugget: The Columbus Blue Jackets get caught in "a maddening sequence of government red tape, bureaucratic blather and remarkable incompetency" at U.S. Customs at Port Columbus. [Puck-rakers, H/T to Puck Buddy Ryan Real]
• The New York Times looks at all the teams higher on the waiver wire than the New York Rangers, and if any of them would put in a claim on Sean Avery to submarine the Rangers' efforts. We'll know something about Avery before 11 a.m. Dallas time on Tuesday. [Slap Shot]
• Alexander Semin on the pending showdown between Russian players and the NHL over participation in the 2014 Olympics: "If the NHL makes a unified decision that players will not go to Sochi, I think no one will go. They will talk and then will settle down. Is there another way? Contract is your obligation to the team. It must be respected." [On Frozen Blog]
SportsWrap
The top sports headlines of the day
Preview: Colorado Avalanche at New York Islanders (7 p.m. EST; TV: VS., TSN). Puck The Media's headline: "Colorado-Islanders: Okay, Seriously, This HAS to be the Worst Game in VERSUS History." In all honestly, it's these types of games that sometimes provide better action than those tentative clashes of titans that fail to live up to the hype. But Versus should have no problem seeing a "V" tonight, because five people will be watching.
• Edmonton Oilers captain Ethan Moreau won't require any surgery for his creepy eye. [TSN]
• Your 2009-10 ticket price freeze update: 13 teams plan to offer the same season-ticket prices next year; the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals all plan price hikes; 10 teams aren't sure what to do yet; the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins avoided Sports Business Journal altogether. [SBJ]
• From George Richards of the Miami Herald: "Panther fans might want to pay attention to Denver's Ian Laperriere tonight. His name has been bandied about as one JM is interested in. Don't know where the Florida GM is tonight, but he's either on Long Island or will be watching this game." [On Frozen Pond]
• The Los Angeles Kings put Tom Preissing on waivers. [Kings]
• Mathieu Dandenault of the Montreal Canadiens is so messed up by trade deadline stress, he's mixing his metaphors: "My gut feeling is a total blank right now." [CP]
• Eric Perrin is praying that someone will rescue him from Atlanta. The line forms over there, dude. [AJC]
• Condolences: Jussi Jokinen returns to Finland after the death of his father. [Sun Media]
• Well, this is heartwarming: "Andrew Conboy, suspended by Michigan State University this season for an attack on a Michigan player, has signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens." Now, will this Conboy actually make the NHL and stick there, or just toil in the bush leagues? [CP]
• Finally, Wrap Around Curl has all the details of this nasty WHL brawl between the Spokane Chiefs and the Tri-City Americans that resulted in 342 penalty minutes. More from Annie Fowler as well, as Spokane's Ryan Letts ran over Americans goaltender Chet Pickard. No line brawl has ever made us want Arby's and a Bud Light more.
