Catching up with Kovalchuk; Tavares to the wing; an ode to ‘Raptor Jesus’ (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.
• "Security members subdue and handcuff a Winnipeg Jets fan after a fight broke out during third period NHL hockey action." [AP Images]
• Katie Baker visits Ilya Kovalchuk in Russia. [Grantland]
• John Tavares on his likely shift to wing in Sochi: "I guess the one benefit I took out of the lockout last year is I played about 90 percent of the games in Switzerland on left wing. I’ve played there before on the big ice with Canada as well internationally, so I have some experience over there, and I think a lot of the adjustment for me is just make sure I'm always trying to keep my feet moving. I don't want to be standing still and getting caught flat-footed." [NHL]
• The Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League will be sporting some seriously garish Don Cherry-inspired uniforms on Saturday. [Buzzing the Net]
• David Clarkson hits the injured reserve. He probably won't be all that missed, because this has been just a terrible season for him. [Leafs Nation]
• Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger on guys that could be on the move this month. Does anyone have any interest in a slightly-used Ray Whitney or Sergei Gonchar? [TSN]
• Wacky facts from international competition, such as this jaw-dropper: the leading goal-scorer over the last two Winter Games combined? Olli Jokinen, with 9 goals. [IIHF]
• Ryan Kesler after the Canucks' crummy three-game road trip, where they scored just one goal, and it came in a 9-1 loss: "The trip was horrendous. It was awful. I’m pissed off right now. I need to be better, we need to be better as a group. The way we played pisses you off.” [The Province]
• Sheldon Souray is expected to undergo season-ending wrist surgery. He's done for the year. [ESPN]
• Former NHL referee Paul Stewart talks about the time a fan punched him during an AHL game, so he got the RCMP to bring the guy down to his room. "I retired to the locker room and waited. By the time the knock came on the door, I had my shirt off. I still had the muscular upper body physique that helped me get to the NHL as a fighter, and I answered the door bare-chested." [Hockey Buzz]
• The Calgary Flames are having trouble at home. And on the road. And in general. But today we talk about the home woes. [Sportsnet]
• Why system and chemistry is more valuable than star power in hockey. [The Fifth Quarter]
• Aleksander Barkov and Sean Bergenheim will be starring in a Finnish documentary titled "Family is a Team Sport". [Panther Parkway]
• Is Carey Price the most misunderstood goalie in the NHL? [Last Word on Sports]
• If you were hoping to get one of Ott's Otters, which are adorable, here's some bad news: they're sold out. [Buffalo News]
• The Lightning's rookies are flipping incredible. [Raw Charge]
• Alabama vs. Auburn is one of hockey's great rivalries. Who will win the Ice Cup? [AL]
• How does Paul MacLean deploy his players? [6th Sens]
• The Alaska Aces and Stockton Thunder are preparing for the 2014 ECHL Hockey Heritage weekend. Their jerseys for the event will be modelled after their respective NHL affiliates, the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders. [ECHL]
• Finally, an ode to departed Bruin Rich Peverley, a.k.a. Raptor Jesus, set to Jeff Buckley's rendition of "Hallelujah". This is fantastic. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
