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.

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• We've seen a lot of twins during these playoffs and we still prefer the ones that were found next to the San Jose Sharks' penalty box in Round 3. [Getty]

• The IOC announced that NBC has retained the rights to the next four Olympic Games, including the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. What does this mean for the NHL now? We'll have more on this later. [MSNBC]

• Vancouver's disappearing act in Game 3 last night is nothing new in these playoffs. [Vancouver Sun]

• Nick Cotsonika on Horton/Rome and Game 3 for the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. [Y! Sports]

• Bruins coach Claude Julien expressed his displeasure last night with Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic's finger mockery during scrums last night. "I said [Monday] morning that I wouldn't accept it on our team. It happened a couple of times [Monday night]. They've

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Sportsnet's Dan Murphy broke the news that the NHL has suspended Aaron Rome four games for his late hit on Nathan Horton in Game 3 Monday night. The ban will continue on into next season should the series end before Game 7.

Horton was stretchered off the TD Garden ice and spent the night at Massachusetts General Hospital before being released Tuesday morning.

From the NHL:

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome has been suspended for four games for delivering a late hit to Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton in Game Three of the Stanley Cup Final, the National Hockey League announced today.

"Two factors were considered in reaching this decision," said NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy.  "The hit by Rome was clearly beyond what is acceptable in terms of how late it was delivered after Horton had released the puck and it caused a significant injury."

Rome was assessed a five-minute major penalty for interference and game misconduct at 5:07 of the first period.

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Brittle hockey sticks are a regular sight during games, with the newer one-piece composite twigs always snapping at a critical moment in the game (just ask Alex Edler Monday night).

A professor and some students (including one hockey blogger) from the University of Waterloo believe they've come up with a solution to help develop stronger sticks and save coaches a few gray hairs when the $300-plus pieces of equipment fail.

Please welcome your new robotic overlord: the SlapShotXT.

Profiled in the Toronto Star in April, HockeyRobotics created the two-handed robot that's capable of ripping a slapper 110 mph -- faster than Zdeno Chara's record-breaking shot from the 2011 NHL All-Star Game (or if you're one to take the KHL's word, about as fast as Denis Kulyash's).

Professor John McPhee, the man behind the SlapShotXT, said the company will begin official testing for stick-makers next month and was originally testing a similar idea with golf clubs five years ago. They already have an

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No. 1 Star: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

After dropping the first two games on the road, the Bruins returned to TD Garden and behind Thomas' 40 saves and one big hit on Henrik Sedin routed the Vancouver Canucks 8-1 to cut the series lead to 2-1.

No. 2 Star: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

Marchand had a two-point night and it was his beautiful shorthanded goal that put Boston up 3-0 in the second period:

No. 3 Star: Mark Recchi, Boston Bruins

Seven different Bruins scored and Recchi was the only one with a pair as he tallied his 60th and 61st career playoff goals, tying him with Phil Esposito and Jacques Lemaire for 25th on the all-time NHL list.

Honorable mention: Three for Michael Ryder and two for Daniel Paille, David Krejci, and Andrew Ference as the four had multi-point nights for the Bruins ... Having been dogged the entire playoffs, Boston's power play capitalized on two of their four opportunities ... Boston has won Game 3 in all four of their playoff series this year.

Did you

As with any 4-0 game in the third period, things were getting chippy, especially after the Aaron Rome hit on Nathan Horton early in the game.

With the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks dishing out over 60 hits by the middle of the third period, Tim Thomas wanted to get involved after facing just one shot at the time through almost seven minutes of play.

His victim: Henrik Sedin:

How about a view from inside the Bruins net?

Moments later Daniel Sedin, along with Andrew Ference, would take off-setting 10-minute misconducts after he tried to sell a call to no avail.

Should that have been a penalty on Thomas? Well, the puck was there and he just wanted to separate Sedin from it while clearing his crease at the same time. And yes, Thomas was officially credited with a hit.

Said Thomas after the game:

"He was catching the puck. That happens a lot in practice off of rebounds and stuff like that, where the guy reaches up to catch the puck. I've learned from practice if you wait for him, he

UPDATE: The Bruins announced Tuesday morning that Horton will miss the remainder of the Stanley Cup Final with a "severe concussion."

Scary sight early in the first period of Game 3 as Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome has revived the controversial hit discussion in the hockey world.

As the Boston Bruins were entering the Canucks' zone, Rome caught Nathan Horton with a shoulder-to-head, late hit. While falling, Horton's head hit the ice:

After a few minutes, he was stretchered off the ice. Horton's eyes were moving and he was talking to the doctors and trainers as he was taken off the ice. According to the Bruins' Twitter feed, Horton was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and was moving his extremities.

Rome received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct.

A late hit for sure, but was it Rule 48 and a blindside hit or another case of a player admiring his pass? Looks like Mike Murphy will have yet another decision to make in the Stanley Cup Final.

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.

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• Sully and Force, the Vancouver Green Men, have arrived in Boston for Games 3 and 4 and have already started doing the media rounds. [NESN]

• Looks like no changes in store for the Vancouver Canucks tonight with Dan Hamhuis not participating in this morning's skate at TD Garden. Shawn Thornton may or may not see the ice for the Bruins. [Boston Globe]

• Tim Thomas, responding to a reporters' question yesterday about him making adjustments after Game 2: "I have a pretty good idea of how to play goalie. I'm not going to be taking suggestions or advice at this time, so I'm going to keep playing the way I have." Oh snap. [Worcester Telegram]

• Claude Julien on Max Lapierre's finger mocking of Patrice Bergeron in Game 2: "The NHL ruled on something and they decided to make a mockery of it. It's totally up to them. If

AVERYHORSEHere's a Sean Avery-related story we're sure won't cause any commotion or any hockey agents to take to Twitter and bemoan his politics.

Sean Avery the Horse is a 5-year old gelding who won yesterday's $75,900 Longfellow Stakes at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. He improved his career record to 5-0-2 (win, place, show).

Yes, no sloppy seconds.

Favored 7-5 heading into the six furlong, six-horse race and paid $4.80 to win, he sat second most of the way before making his push on the final turn, winning by 11 and 3/4-lengths.

It's not embeddable, but you can watch the entire race via the Daily Racing Form website and hear the track announcer scream "SEAN AVERY SCORES!" as he crosses the finish line.

Sean Avery the hockey player is friends with Black Swan Stable owner John DeStefano and both are fans of fashion. As you'll see in this video from 2009, Sean Avery the horse is just as engaging as Sean Avery the hockey player: