Marty Brodeur likely to return next season; IIHF announces new format (Puck Headlines)
• Don't stop believing, New Jersey.
• Slovenia would definitely be blue. A Cup win would make Anze Kopitar a rock star over there. [Montreal Gazette]
• In case it wasn't clear that Rick Nash is gone: "One Blue Jackets player, who didn't want to be identified, was asked recently if he had stayed in touch with Nash during the offseason. 'Nope,' he said. Asked whether that was unusual, he picked another one-syllable word. 'Yep,' he said, with a half-hearted smile. [Hockey Journal]
• It was 20 years ago today that the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Pat Burns. [Berger Bytes]
• Could an NHL lockout hurt Detroit's chances of getting a new arena? [MLive]
• Martin Brodeur says he's leaning towards coming back next season: "Coming to the rink was fun, on the road was fun, that's what I was looking for. I didn't have fun last year. I'm not used to losing. That was tough. To me, I really thought this was going to be my last year, but more and more, it was I can still play." [Fire & Ice]
• However, Brodeur also said that, if there's a long lockout, he likely won't be back. [Bruce Arthur]
• Mike Emrick tops SI's spring Media power list. [Sports Illustrated]
• Cool stuff on former Winnipeg Jets' goalie Joe Daley and his 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee hockey card. [Sportsnet]
• The IIHF announced a new format for the Ice Hockey U18 and U20 World Championships. The semifinal bye is gone, as four teams from each group will make the playoffs and play traditional quarter-finals. The relegation system has been changed as well. [IIHF]
• Dave Stubbs remembers Terry Sawchuk's time with the Los Angeles Kings. [Montreal Gazette]
• One story that's gone relatively unmentioned: the remarkable return of Travis Zajac. [The Hockey News]
• I want to read "Behind The Moves: NHL General Managers Tell How Winners Are Built," especially when it includes gems like this quote from Brian Burke: "My first year in the league . . . we had a GM meeting (and) I thought Bob Gainey and Serge Savard were going to have a fight. I remember Gary Bettman saying: 'It looks like they're going to fight. What are we going to do?' I said: 'We're going to watch.' [Calgary Herald]
• Remember Wayne Gretzky's botched high-sticking call in 1993? This guy says it was part of a conspiracy to save Canada. [The Barnstormer]
• 5 reasons you should cheer for the LA Kings. [Jewels From the Crown]
• Ryan Hackett recounts a dream in which he was visited by many of the people he follows on Twitter and in the hockey blogosphere. It plays out like a 12:55 SNL sketch. [View From My Seats]
• Vancouver Canucks' prospect Luc Bourdon died in a motorcycle accident four years ago today. Here's a touching tribute. [Canucks Army]
• And finally, the always excellent Steve Dangle breaks down the Kings/Devils series.
