Wayne Gretzky on Oilers in Seattle; lockout annoys Claude Giroux; Jon Quick’s retro mask (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.
• Taking a look at a few potential buyers for the LA Kings. If Zach Parise and Ryan Suter pooled their money... [The Royal Half]
• Wayne Gretzky, who was in Seattle with the Katz Group, on the Oilers' chances of moving there: "Probably zero. I just don't see it happening. I think over time here cooler heads are going to prevail and Daryl and the city will hammer out a deal and get it done. I can't see them moving. It's one of the greatest franchises in all of professional sports. You don't move a franchise like that." [The Globe & Mail]
• Nail Yakupov's transfer card didn't go through, because you just don't cross the all-powerful Sarnia Sting. [Edmonton Journal]
• Alex Steen made his debut for MODO in the Swedish Elite League last night, a move that touched off some serious in-fighting overseas. [Canucks Army]
• How much blame do the NHL owners deserve for their economic woes? [SI Red Light]
• Claude Giroux finds the lockout annoying. I like this quote: "It looks like it doesn't matter to [the owners] if the season comes back or not. That's the most frustrating thing right now. We want to play. I'm sure the owners want to play, too, but it just doesn't look like that." I don't think the owners want to play. Most aren't that athletic. [St. Catherines Standard]
• Four freshmen on the University of North Dakota hockey team have been charged with underage drinking after drinking so much they had to be treated for alcohol poisoning. Way to go, guys. [Jamestown Sun]
• Here's an idea: Let women play for the Stanley Cup this year. [The Hockey Writers]
• Breaking down Nik Zherdev's amazing goal versus Spartak, who will be featured in a great many viral videos this season if they don't learn to defend. [Backhand Shelf]
• Since we'll probably be talking a lot about the KHL over the coming months, it's high time we get formally introduced to it, don't you think? [SB Nation]
• Jonathan Quick will have a new retro mask for whenever the Los Angeles Kings play hockey again. [In Goal Mag]
• A couple of local Nashville goalies are living their dream of working out with the Nashville Predators. Of course, since it's a lockout, they're actually working out with a bunch of unemployed guys, so it's actually a step backwards. [The Tennesseean]
• Should Brian Burke still be the architect of Team USA? [ESPN]
• Here's a list of other people being hurt by the lockout. "It's the guy who would earn money sweeping the aisles after the game." This is touching. Okay, now me: It's the homeless person who panhandles to stadium foot traffic after the game. *single tear* [Buffalo News]
• Don't feel too bad for the players. They still get their escrow payments. And these 15 guys are still getting their fat bonuses. [USA Today]
• In the future, don't ask Vancouver Canucks fans why they're fans. Most of them hate themselves for it. [PITB]
• And finally, here's Don Cherry and Ron Maclean singing a lockout-inspired rendition of the hockey song. NSFW because at one point, the guy says a swear.
