Puck Headlines: Bettman’s new deal; Tortorella on instigator
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.
• NHL commissioner Gary Bettman won't be going anywhere for a while. David Shoalts reports that in November, Bettman signed a five-year extension and according to sources, the contract was approved by the nine-man Board of Governors executive committee. [Globe & Mail]
• Remember when Bettman said post-lockout ticket prices were supposed to stop rising? Yeah, about that. The New York Rangers, currently in the midst of renovating Madison Square Garden, will be raising prices of ducats next season an average of 23 percent. [@NYP_Brooksie]
• Rangers coach John Tortorella on the instigator rule: "Players need to police themselves on the ice, not the rules, not supplementary discipline and all that. That's where I think we've lost honesty. Call me [old school], if you want. It's wrong. The instigator creates a mindset for players who you wouldn't even see them if the instigator was not there." [NY Post]
• Putting together a roster of the NHL players that have suffered a concussion this season. Sadly, it's a pretty damn good team. [Vancouver Sun]
• Add Dave Bolland of the Chicago Blackhawks to that roster. He's doubtful for Sunday's game against the Capitals with a concussion. [Sun-Times]
• Friday afternoon, the Blackhawks will be at the White House to meet with President Barack Obama. Wysh will be there to cover the event and his sole mission: interview Joey the Junior Reporter. [NHL.com]
• You can watch coverage of the event via CSN Chicago.
• A Southern California youth hockey team appeared to have taken a dive so that a rival squad would have to play an extra game in the state championship tournament. The coaches of the Santa Clara Blackhawks have since been suspended, including former San Jose Shark and current broadcaster Jamie Baker. [Mercury News] stick-tap to Vin
• Down Goes Brown's latest is the application form for all potential new NHL owners. Questions include: "Hey, you're not planning to be one of those owners who writes open letters, are you?" [DGB]
• Interesting read about Anders Lindback of the Nashville Predators going from a youth hockey goon to an NHL goaltender. [In Goal Mag]
• Pekka Rinne for the Hart? [Preds on the Glass]
• Speaking of awards, Pierre LeBrun wonders where the Norris Trophy love is for Anaheim Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. [ESPN]
• Barret Jackman and Alex Steen will be missing from the St. Louis Blues lineup for the next 4-6 weeks. Adjust your fantasy teams accordingly. [Blues]
• More injury news as Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner will miss the rest of the season after Ryan Jones' skate severed a tendon in his hand. [Edmonton Journal]
• Steven Ovadia on the recent NHL/Air Canada controversy: "The league cannot exist in a vacuum. It has to do business with external parties. But maybe the league needs to be more selective. Ad deals and government subsidies are great for the bottom line, but it creates more stakeholders. And with more stakeholders comes more voices commenting on how the NHL functions. As the NHL finds itself coming under fire from its business partners, it has to wonder if the ad dollars and subsidies are worth the price." [Puck Update]
• This is what the Montreal Canadiens uniform would look like if fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger was in charge. Looks a little more Polo than Hilfiger, no? [ESPN] stick-tap to Vicky V.
• Time is running out on the Minnesota Wild's playoff push. [Hockey Wilderness]
• What Taylor Hall's season-ending fight cost him. [Copper & Blue]
• How one should go about attacking the neutral zone trap. [On Goal Analysis]
• Finally, here are some highlights from Thursday's Congressional Hockey Challenge between lawmakers and lobbyists at Verizon Center:
