Alex Ovechkin, worst athlete in D.C.; rethinking free agency; Larry Robinson retiring as coach? (Puck Headlines)
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.
• Tremendous find by the Freakshow (via The Pensblog) which suggests that the Curse of Taylor Swift is befalling the then-Pittsburgh Penguins in this Oct. 2009 photograph. Just tell Tyler Kennedy what he needs to do before it's too late!
• Rick Nash to the … Pittsburgh Penguins? [Pensburgh]
• Shane O'Brien re-ups with the Colorado Avalanche for three years at $1.8 million, $2.0 million and $2.2 million. [Denver Post]
• Evgeni Nabokov is back in San Jose … for an exhibition game. He's got no ill will to the Sharks: "The bottom line is it's a business and some decisions needed to be made. I had a lot of opportunities to deliver the Cup and I wasn't able to." [Mercury News]
• The New Jersey Devils might lose both of their key assistant coaches next season: Adam Oates to the Capitals as head coach, and Larry Robinson to retirement. Ouch. [Fire & Ice]
• Sea Bass on the Adam Oates hire for the Capitals: "[The head coaching job in Washington] shows the work that he has put in since becoming an assistant coach starting in Tampa and in NJ." [CSNNE]
• It appears that Steve Ott is back on the trading block for the Dallas Stars. [Defending Big D]
• Elliotte Friedman wants to revolutionize NHL free agency: "What if the NHL had a similar system to the NBA, where everyone without a contract can talk to any interested party for, say, a week before new deals are allowed to be signed? Basketball free agency begins Sunday -- just like hockey -- but no one can officially commit until July 1." [CBC]
• A hockey coach allegedly tripped a 13-year-old player in a handshake line, and now the police are looking into it. [Global BC]
• Alex Ovechkin is named the worst athlete in Washington, D.C. via Washingtonian magazine. Which is incredible when you consider he's teammates with John Erskine. [DC Sports Bog]
• Follow the bouncing Wojtek Wolski to his next destination, as the Florida Panthers do not qualify the winger. (Also of note here: Kris Versteeg was called "arguably the most exciting goal scorer in South Florida since Pavel Bure." How low's that bar?) [Sun Sentinel]
• Are the Vancouver Canucks the front-runners for Justin Schultz? [Canucks Army]
• Good Flyers-centric breakdown of the James van Riemsdyk for Luke Schenn trade. [Broad Street Hockey]
• Matt Carle is a priority for the Philadelphia Flyers. [Philly.com]
• Will Marty Biron be back with the New York Rangers? [NY Post]
• Congrats to Scott Arniel, who lands on his feet with the Chicago Wolves. [AP]
• Get to know the Subban family. [Backhand Shelf]
• The Calgary Flames are "cautiously optimistic" that Blake Comeau will be back next season. [Sun Media]
• Tommy Wingels, Justin Braun and Andrew Desjardins all re-sign with the San Jose Sharks. [CSN Bay Area]
• The answer is Peter Sivak. The question: Who is the first member of the San Francisco Bulls. [SF Weekly]
• Finally, via Joanna: If you're having a crappy day, or know someone who is, pay this forward to them.
