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.
• This is Vancouver Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard in a hockey bag, pretending he's 100 pounds of marijuana being smuggled across the border. Just kidding: He's attempting to play a prank on Kevin Bieksa. Alas, Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler thwarted the prank by stuffing Ballard in a trash receptacle. Then, the prank failed again when Bieksa discovered his hockey bag was "three times the size" of how it normally looks. Whoops. [Canucks, via Pass It To Bulis]
• There's plenty of daytime hockey in the NHL thanks to MLK Day in the states. Check out the Y! Sports scores page for constant updates. And tell a friend to check out VERSUS Monday night for the Los Angeles Kings and the Dallas Stars.
• Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jussi Jokinen, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron and Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending Jan. 16. Jokinen led NHL scorers last week with seven points (four goals, three assists) in three games. [NHL]
• It's Jan. 17, which means it must be time for Stanley Cup Finals predictions! Lots of support for the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Philadelphia Flyers in the finals against ... the Detroit Red Wings? The Vancouver Canucks? [Globe & Mail]
• Speaking of which, the third Monday in January is evidently the most depressing day of the year, so Houses of the Hockey looks at a few things that have puckheads depressed, from the 2014 Olympics to Paul Kariya. [HOTH]
• Also depressing: Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney could go from having the best season of his NHL career to being done for the year with a right ankle injury. [CBC Sports]
• The Washington Capitals Guardian was released. Russian Machine Never Breaks was underwhelmed by it. So they created a new hero that may have sprung from the loins of Stephen Colbert. [RMNB]
• On Alex Ovechkin's scoring slump. [Alex Ovetjkin]
• A few Atlanta Thrashers fans were vocal about Zach Bogosian being the team's goat when we published the goat list last week. Further proof: He's a healthy scratch Monday night against the Florida Panthers. Said Coach Craig Ramsey: "I think it's important that players understand there is an accountability issue. You must do the job every night. You must be committed for 60 minutes. We have to be solid. I think there are some issues on our team about 'I'm playing well enough.' OK isn't good enough. You have to play hard each night, every night." [AJC]
• Fantastic post by The Goalie Guild on stopping the spin-o-rama, from a keeper's perspective: "The spin-o-rama has essentially been simplified. It just so happens to be one we haven't seen very often, so it's tougher to combat successfully. But if we treat it like any other kind of breakaway, as time goes on, we'll get better at it." [TGG]
• Ken Campbell of The Hockey News cites the CBA in saying that players who beg out of the All-Star game should be disciplined by the NHL. [THN]
• Vancouver Canucks president & general manager Mike Gillis announced Monday that right winger Sergei Shirokov has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Shirokov, 24, leads Manitoba in scoring with 33 points (16-17-33) and is +10 with 24 penalty minutes in 39 games played. [Canucks]
• Mark Stuart is back for the Boston Bruins. [Bruins Blog]
• Chris Mason suffered an MCL sprain of his right knee minutes into Saturday's game against Dallas. Peter Mannino is up to backup Ondrej Pavelec, and there's no timetable for Mason's return. [AJC]
• Ron Wilson will allow JS Giguere to face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, meaning Jonas Gustavsson starts Wednesday in New York against the Rangers. [Slam]
• Good stuff from Dirk Hoag on David Legwand of the Nashville Predators: "Simply put, Legwand's ability to battle the top opposing lines provides cover for the supporting cast, allowing other centers to face easier matchups. Folks may fall in love with guys like Cal O'Reilly, Marcel Goc and Nick Spaling, but to claim that they're anywhere near Legwand's value to this Predators team, ready to supplant his status and take over a leading role, is simply absurd." [On The Forecheck]
• Hmmm...now why do the Ottawa Senators struggle in the standings? Ian Mendes has a notion: "Eighteen times this season, the Ottawa Senators have been involved in a hockey game tied at some point in the third period. And on 15 of those occasions, they've lost the game." OUCH. [Sportsnet]
• Our friend Corey Masisak leaves DC for NHL.com. His farewell to Caps fans. [Japers Rink]
• This image is from Justin Bourne, who met this biker (don't ask) after the Jets' game on Sunday. Bourne didn't get a name, so we can only assume this is Todd McLellan.
• When Patrick Marleau hits the ice for the Sharks against the Coyotes Monday, he'll become the first player in franchise history to play all 1,000 games in a Sharks uniform. What, no Falloon? [Sharks]
• Looking at Sean Avery's goonery from Sunday night's Rangers/Flyers game. [Broad Street Hockey]
• Mike Commodore clears re-entry waivers and will begin playing for minor league Springfield. Commodore said he'd like to remain there to mentor young players. Said GM Scott Howson: "He likes the young kids who he met during training camp and wants to help them out. He expressed that in no uncertain terms." One important factor to consider: The Super Bowl is nearly here. Talk about your influences ... [Puck-Rakers]
• Mike Green is ill, but will join the Washington Capitals on the road. Not joining them: Matt Bradley (broken finger), Eric Fehr (shoulder), Tom Poti (lower body) and Alexander Semin (lower body). [Capitals Insider]
• The St. Louis Blue sign Kyle Wellwood, who has to go through waivers before it's official. [Blues]
• Finally, the Bridgeport Sound Tiger gets injured, taken to the hospital and then impersonates a doctor. In case you couldn't tell from the music, these would be wacky hijinks. (Via No Fun Pat.)
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