Puck Headlines: Ovechkin wax figure; Campbell talks Shanahan
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.
• Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be getting his own wax figure at Madame Tussaud's museum in Washington, D.C. Or they're just going to leave it as a floating head in memory of Ovie's CCM commercials. [@darrenrovell via @dcwax]
• NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement Friday morning regarding the incident Thursday night in London, Ontario: "We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario."
• Frank Seravalli spoke with former NHL discipline czar Colin Campbell in London, Ontario, Thursday night about Brendan Shanahan's first day of suspensions: "The position needed some fresh blood, some new eyes. Brendan is a good replacement, he's been suspended by at least three of us [disciplinarians], and he's been hanging around us for the last couple of years." [Daily News]
• Friday is Mike Modano Retirement Day. NHL Network and NHL.com will be broadcasting the press conference. At 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, NHL Network will air a one-hour special on Modano's career. [NHL]
• Chris Peters with a Modano tribute of his own. [USOH]
• Mason Raymond of the Vancouver Canucks is still unsure when (or if) he'll be able to play again after suffering a broken vertebrae in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final from a Johnny Boychuk hit. [Vancouver Sun]
• Edmonton Oilers tough guy Darcy Hordichuk on why Shawn Thornton's play in the Stanley Cup Final helped the Bruins win: "Had Vancouver won, it would have been again everybody is trying to be like Detroit and we don't need that toughness. What he [Thornton] did in that series and [Milan] Lucic and [Brad] Marchand, it's going to change Vancouver's approach." [The Province]
• Bruce Dowbiggin got CBC's P.J. Stock on the phone to discuss his comments following the death of Wade Belak. [Globe & Mail]
• The story of Philadelphia Flyers prospect Tomas Hyka's week is a very interesting one. He was cut, then rostered, then finds out the team can't sign undrafted Europeans under 22 years old and will re-enter the draft in June. [SB Nation Philly]
• During the New Jersey Devils/New York Rangers preseason game on Wednesday night the Berkshire Bank logo at center ice was misspelled as "Berskshire" at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. Oops. [Times Union]
• Apparently, the Hockey Hall of Fame has a mascot now. I'm disappointed as I was just there on Sunday and missed the opportunity to meet a 6-foot tall hockey-playing beaver. [HHOFs/t Scotty Hockey]
• San Jose Sharks netminder Antero Niittymaki has decided to have a procedure to cure a lingering lower-body issue and will miss the next 12 weeks. [Mercury News]
• An interesting look by Dirk Hoag at "Moneyball" and the Nashville Predators. [On the Forecheck]
• Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic talks about his newsworthy offseason to Matt Kalman: "So you definitely need to be careful where you are and of your surroundings, and I think the best thing for me that I've got to look for is, I've got to put myself in the best situation everywhere I go so I don't wind up in the same incident that happened." [Boston Herald]
• The R.J. Umberger deal shows that Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson's plan is moving ahead as planned. [The Hockey Writers]
• Todd Bertuzzi's 16-year-old nephew is trying to make a name for himself in junior hockey with the Guelph Storm. [Postmedia News via Vancouver Sun]
• The Kalamazoo Wings and Vancouver Canucks have reached an affiliate agreement for the 2011-12 season. [ECHL]
• Finally, here's Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher playing conductor as the Florida Orchestra records the team's new theme song, "Be the Thunder" (s/t Kukla):
