Team Russia speaks; Barkov to center Finnish first line; post-Olympic crash? (Puck Headlines)
• Ryan Miller's dog, Puck, helps him pack for Sochi.
• Randy Carlyle has his concerns about an emotional crash from his players after the Olympics. "All those things are tough things when they come back to your group after participating in that type of event because it's two or three weeks of high emotion, and the last thing on their mind is where they came from. They're playing for their country." [Canadian Press]
• With Mikko Koivu out with injury, Aleksander Barkov -- who is eighteen years old -- will center Finland's top line at the Olympics. [FanSided]
• Team Russia talks to the media. Willingly! It was weird. “We told them all that, even after practices, they have to give interviews,” said an assistant. [NY Times]
• Russia is spoiled in goal, says former Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. [RSPort]
• Great piece here on Evgeni Malkin's roots in Magnitogorsk. [Post-Gazette]
• Olympic hockey jersey grades. Canada gets an A-minus. That's probably generous. But I think we can all agree that Slovenia didn't really try. [ESPN]
• Check out Alex Ovechkin's Russia-themed skates. [Fourth Place Medal]
• A seven-year old Bruins fan with special needs meets his favourite players. This kid is awesome. [WHDH]
• What changes can we expect to NHL logos and uniforms next season? Lots of good information here. [Icethetics]
• Some interesting numbers on the Canadian Olympic team. "Of the 35 goals Team Canada scored in 2010, 17 of them were scored by players who have either retired or didn’t make the cut for this year’s team. 5 of those goals came from Jarome Iginla, while Dany Heatley scored 4. [...] Mike Richards, Joe Thornton, Eric Staal, Dan Boyle, and Scott Niedermayer are the other 2010 goal-scorers absent from this year’s team." [PITB]
• Dan Bylsma has a lot to gain from an Olympic win. He could become a household name if he can steer Team USA to gold. [The Pensblog]
• College hockey's impact on the 2014 Olympics. [United States of Hockey]
• Patrick Marleau's kids say goodbye to their dad. [Sporting News]
• There are rarely any Leafs on Team Canada, and when the Olympics are on, the Leafs tend to miss the playoffs. The real takeaway from this column: the Toronto Maple Leafs have been bad a long time. [Toronto Sun]
• Mike Gillis on his Canucks, who go into the Olympic break on a seven-game losing streak. "We're going to be all right." [The Province]
• A staff sergeant surprises his family at a Hurricanes game. I love these things. [Eye on Hockey]
• Bryan Murray wants to trade with you. Call now! [Ottawa Sun]
• And if you haven't seen it yet, a man converted a 3-d printer into an air hockey robot. This is genius. [The Verge]
