By now, you might think that you've seen all the different ways a guy can score into his own net. The first 30 entries on this list have featured all the standards: the bad pass that travels the length of the ice with the net empty, the botched attempt to swat a loose puck out of the crease, the bank off the goaltender's skate on a bad outlet pass, et cetera.

But I can guarantee you that today's section features at least one play you've never seen before (unless you've seen this exact play). I don't mean to oversell it, but it's pretty great. Mind you, so are the other nine.

We open with a own-goal suite from the Montreal Canadiens:

20 | Ryan O'Byrne, Montreal Canadiens

The game clock ticks down within the final five minutes. The Canadiens are leading 3-2. Carey Price leaves the goal because the Islanders are called for a delayed penalty, meaning they'll either have to waste two precious minutes killing it or the lead will be doubled in less time than that. Things are looking up for the Habs. And then Ryan O'Byrne's hidden Cylon programming takes over. As one Youtube commenter said: "Price-less."

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.

Getty Images• Mike Fisher can't tour with Carrie Underwood because he'd get fat. [Winnipeg Free Press]

• Bettman, Fehr back at the bargaining table. Sigh. [CBC]

• But so might the mediators. Yea! [KK]

• Sidney Crosby "does not plan a return to Pittsburgh before the weekend so long as talks with the league continue. He shares the opinion of franchise ownership and executives that owners and players must make significant progress toward a new labor contract if the NHL season is to be saved." [Tribune Review]

• On the "Sid will save the NHL" idea: "The idea that any one person is responsible for a CBA being signed is short-sighted and wrong. The process is ongoing, and it's going to take contributions and engagement from 29 owners and 700+ players. That's the only way this deal gets done and we get our NHL back." [Winging It]

• Hockey fans haven't had it good lately. Well, how does a green light to sue the NHL for antitrust violations look under our holiday trees? "A federal judge on Wednesday allowed sports fans to pursue a lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and various networks of antitrust violations in how they package games for broadcast on television or the Internet." [LA Daily News]

• John Shannon of Sportsnet on the negotiations: "And the other side -- was Don Fehr's role now diminished? Were the owners' early stories about Fehr not telling the truth or giving the players the complete information accurate or just a smoke screen by the league, who had difficulty reading the poker face of Marvin Miller's protege? When Wednesday morning arrived, you had to know that the positive vibe would be tainted even just a little bit by the NHLPA. Momentum had shifted to the owners' side, and there was no way Fehr was going to allow his players to fall for any Group of Six trap." [Sportsnet]

• Lockout haiku. [That's What She Haikued]

• Did Ryan Miller get nutty and start yelling at Jeremy Jacobs in the most recent meeting? "Really? I don't have any recollection of that or why [Jacobs'] opinion would be that." [CBC Sports]

The Boston Pops Orchestra opened their 2012 holiday season Wednesday night with a handful of Christmas staples, ranging from Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" to Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers."

They also had some very special guests, one of whom was Boston Bruins' winger Shawn Thornton, who, after correcting conductor Keith Lockhart on his fight total from last season, served as the guest narrator during a sparse arrangement of "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

My favourite moment actually comes from before Thornton begins, when Lockhart holds up the minuscule conductor's baton and asks, ""Is this okay"? To which Thornton responds, "It usually doesn't work out so well for the other guy when sticks are around."

That's a pretty quality interaction, but when Lockhart heeds the warning and actually tucks the baton away on the music stand, I had to laugh. Good call, Lockhart. You'd hate to wave the baton precariously in Thornton's direction and have him reflexively drop you with a right hook while the genteel crowd looks on, aghast.

As for the performance itself, well, it's pretty good. Granted, Thornton's no John Malkovich, but when it comes to line-reading, I've seen Bruins do far, far worse.

Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney

Getty ImagesNEW YORK -- What almost blew up talks Wednesday? Pensions.

Yes, pensions.

After the NHL made a counterproposal -- which included raising the so-called "make-whole" payments to $300 million -- the NHL Players' Association made pensions a priority. That surprised and angered the moderate owners, and that almost led to them walking out.

The owners have long been frustrated that the players' priorities have been a moving target. One of the reasons for Tuesday's owners-players powwow -- with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Don Fehr out of the room -- was to identify what each side really needed in this deal. The Toronto Maple Leafs' Larry Tanenbaum, one of the six owners involved in talks, said early Wednesday afternoon that there was "absolutely" more clarity in each sides' stance afterward.

But things clouded again Wednesday as the sides went back and forth, working on specifics instead of looking at the big picture. That goes for both sides. The owners moved

Getty ImagesThe NHL lockout talks between the owners and players have burnt the midnight oil for the last two nights in New York City; and while Thursday's talks begin with a hugely negative vibe hanging over them … hey, they're talking.

Talking about what? Well, about term. The term of the next CBA. The term of the contracts signed under that CBA. Both of which aren't palatable to the players.

The NHL is willing to bump up its "make whole" money to $300 million if the players agree to a 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement, with an opt-out after eight years.

Why 10 years? Sponsors. Really, really pissed off sponsors, and those in the business community that want some assurance that we're not going to go through this nonsense every few years; as well as those who'd like to invest in the NHL but want security from a work stoppage.

The players want a shorter term, reportedly five years. Why five years? Because the NHL's 100th anniversary is in 2017, and that's undeniable leverage for the players in the next round of bargaining. Everyone loves a good party — including Gary Bettman, who may serve out his term through the anniversary and then leave — and the players could force its postponement if the next deal isn't done.

Between the two, the NHL probably has majority support from fans on this. Two work stoppages in seven years for this League is a joke — what's the sense of building up hockey's momentum and goodwill if you're just going to drop it down the sewer every few years and have to build it all over again?

The 10-year term would offer stability, or at least the appearance of it. As of now, that's vital for the NHL.

On contract term … things get a little dicier.

It's a chant heard echoing through the crowd in Boston when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town, during those games in which Tyler Seguin thrives and Phil Kessel struggles.

"THANK YOU KESSEL!"

It's in reference to the Sept. 18, 2009, trade that saw the Boston Bruins trade Kessel, whose restricted free agency forced the deal, to the Leafs for Toronto's 1st (Tyler Seguin) and 2nd (Jared Knight) round picks in 2010 Entry Draft, and Toronto's 1st round choice (highly regarded defenseman Dougie Hamilton) in 2011 Entry Draft.

When the chant started in Boston, Seguin said he forced himself not to laugh on the bench.

Said Kessel: "I could care less, to tell you the truth. ... It doesn't matter to me one bit."

But wherever Kessel goes, the chant will run him down. Or, in one case, gallop after him.

"ThankyouKessel" is harness racing horse trained by Joe MacIsaac and his longtime girlfriend, Carolyn Williston, is the owner. The horse runs frequently at Woodbine — located in Toronto, of course.

So was this a Leafs' fan tribute to Kessel's efforts on the ice? Of course not. It's a Bruins fan trolling the Leafs, a trait embedded in a Bruins fan's DNA.

Getty ImagesThe NHL podium that launched a Twitter account.

Larry Tanenbaum of the Toronto Maple Leafs told reporters in New York City Wednesday afternoon, "We're going to continue to talk up until we get a deal."

Well, a second day of prolonged discussions between a handful of NHL owners and players lasted over 10 hours and went until 1 a.m ET, and reasons for optimism were boosted even higher than they were after Tuesday's talks. Two consecutive days and over 17 hours of discussions. Desperation time has set in.

"We had a series of candid discussions tonight. We will meet again tomorrow (Thursday)," said Ron Hainsey of the Winnipeg Jets, speaking on behalf of the PA. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly echoed Hainsey's comments saying, "We had good, candid dialogue; there continues to be critical open issues between the two parties."

Daly also said that the league is expecting to hear back on those open issues Thursday.

According to the Canadian Press, both sides swapped proposals on Wednesday. One aspect has the NHL reportedly pushing for a 10-year term for this new CBA with an out clause after eight, while the union would like something shorter. But for the sake of getting a deal closed maybe the PA relents for the longer term?

John Shannon of Sportsnet is reporting that the NHL has moved on the "Make Whole" provision, bringing their total contribution to $300 million; unrestricted free agency and arbitration rules would remain the same, along with their stance on contract limits.

Something that reportedly also came up during Wednesday's talks was -- if a deal falls into place soon -- games being played on Christmas, according to Damien Cox of the Toronto Star. This idea was brought up in 2009 and supported by both the NHL and NHLPA, but that was as part of a typical 82-game schedule, not a truncated one where opening night for the 2012-13 season could fall around Dec. 25.

(Hockey on Christmas brought the typical groans from some members of the media who were overlooking the thought that, you know, there'd be actual NHL hockey to cover instead of standing on sidewalks in New York City and Toronto.)

Clearly there's headway being made here. The expiration date of the 2012-13 season is quickly approaching and talks have reached a critical juncture. Both sides will meet internally on Thursday morning before re-convening to go at it again.

We've all been wishing since the summer that both sides would lock themselves in a room until a new deal is agreed upon. This is the closest we'll get to that, and hopefully the positive vibes and desperation in the air aren't flushed away like they were after previous meetings.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter @Sean_Leahy

Getty ImagesPlease excuse the unfettered optimism about the latest NHL lockout talks. Like many puckheads, we simply can't be guarded about this and are trying to will a new CBA into existence with our naïve enthusiasm.

Soooo … how many games might we have in a truncated 2012-13 season if — IF — these crazy kids finally figure their stuff out?

Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press reports that "if a deal gets done by the weekend, big if, training camps could open next Wednesday and 56-game season would begin on Dec. 20."

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com reports: "There was talk in BOG of possible NHL schedule IF there's a deal. One team exec said 60 games likely too much but 50-plus possible..."

Wrote Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com: "Board of Governors talked of 50/60 games; leaning [less than] 60 ... guvs "feeling very positive." Another good sign: no 'drop dead' date was discussed."

Less than 60 games is, well, a little odd.