Puck Daddy - NHL

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.

• Your Vezina final three: Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild. Commence Roberto Luongo loyalists tearing down the Wild's system. Our reaction is upcoming. [NHL]

• How good was Joe Thornton in the San Jose Sharks' Game 5 victory? Jeremy Roenick believes if he plays like that, "we won't lose," adding: "He can't pick his spots. For him to be known as one of the greatest players in the world from now on, he's got to bring that ... He makes a lot of money to bring that intensity. You can't rely on just his eyes and his know-how all the time." Raise your hand if you think Thornton 'brings it' tonight in Anaheim for Game 6? Anyone? Bueller? [Contra Costa Times, via West Coast Bias]

• Meanwhile, the Sharks are the walking wounded right now. Sprained knees heal, chick's dig upper body injuries ... but glory is forever. At least until they blow it in Game 7. [Mercury News]

• With one assist in five games, donde esta Teemu Selanne? [LA Times]

UPDATE: From Steve Lepore comes NHL weekend ratings on NBC. Pens/Flyers even with last year's Caps/Flyers; Caps/Rangers down big from Red Wings/Preds. Lepore: "Clearly the NHL’s all-East, all-the time strategy backfired on them this week." [Puck the Media]

• Very interesting sports business news: The Florida Panthers are in talks to "merge the team, its arena management company and rights to the real estate surrounding BankAtlantic Center" with Sports Properties Acquisition Corp., a publically traded company. Which is only a good thing if it means stockholders could force Jacques Martin to make a Bouwmeester-like trade at a future deadline. [SBJ]

• For all of those who think the Detroit Red Wings are a soft team: Ken Hitchcock disagrees. [Snapshots]

• Just when you thought ESPN couldn't screw up its reporting on Washington Capitals suspensions any more, we have a retraction of a retraction. [Capitals Outsider]

• The Max Talbot/"fights don't really turn around games" debate continues for some odd reason. From the Toronto Star, with regard to a fight Adam Pardy of Calgary had against Ben Eager: "Though there's no doubt the Penguins players believed Talbot's move inspired their comeback, the possibility certainly exists that his was as meaningless a move as Pardy's." How? Crosby after Game 6: "Anytime a guy puts himself on the line like that, you want to follow that up." Doesn't that sort of eliminate any "possibility"? [Toronto Star]

• Travis from Broad Street Hockey also remains skeptical of the Talbot effect. [Broad Street Hockey]

• Can the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin duo be stopped when both are playing at their best? Probably not, if your name is Mike Richards. [NHL.com]

• The decisions the Philadelphia Flyers need to make in the offseason. Like, for example, deciding on a goalie. [Philly.com]

• Note: This is the New York Rangers bandwagon well before Game 6 was played. [Dmitry]

• DC Sports Chick takes down NBC and Stan Fischler in an amusing bit of snark. [On Frozen Blog]

Tom Poti doesn't look like this. [NHL, via Puck Buddy Brian K.]

• A contrarian view on the John Tortorella suspension, which calls our analysis "lame" and then argues that the NHL is fixing the series to increase television ratings. Written from the co-pilot's seat of a black helicopter hovering over Area 51. [Mr. Smith's Neighborhood]

• Will the Chicago Blackhawks' inexperience prevent them from closing out the series? Better question: Is this really what the Calgary media is hanging its hat on for the Flames' hopes in Game 6? [Sun Media]

• Paul Maurice went from over-coaching the Carolina Hurricanes to making perhaps the most important move of the series: Putting Ray Whitney, Eric Staal and Chad LaRose on the same line. [Canes Country]

• The New Jersey Devils should be nice and rested after taking Game 6 off. [Fire& Ice]

• With his benching in the minors, has the Justin Pogge Era for the Toronto Maple Leafs ended before it starts? [Sports and the City]

Scottie Upshall suspended at worlds. [CBC Sports]

• Finally, we predicted last night on Twitter that Deadspin was going have a field day when it found this awkward clip from Versus of a Hurricanes puckhead getting a young fan to bang his head during a break in the action of Game 6. And they did. Your heart goes out to the guy, who no doubt is experiencing the many joys of instant YouTube celebrity as we speak. [Puck Central]

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75 Comments

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  1. HotStacey
    1. Posted by HotStacey Mon Apr 27, 2009 12:53 pm EDT

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    we win the cup and add hossa and conklin, the sharks get beat 6-0 in detroit and they haven't proven themselves EVER. and all you 'tard hockey "experts" chose SJ. why? because you don't actually watch the teams play you just go by numbers. SJ are a bunch of posers with "tier 2" stars. the cup is between the ducks and the wings just like it has been the last two years. i'm actually HOPING they have a comeback cuz i want the wings to play the weaker team.
  2. Sobu
    2. Posted by Sobu Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:03 pm EDT

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    Wow, I know Carolina was proud of their redneck hockey, but don't you think homerotic incest is taking that one step too far?
  3. The_Word
    3. Posted by The_Word Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:03 pm EDT

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    Finland has somehow figured out how to build robotic goaltenders
  4. pickle
    4. Posted by pickle Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:09 pm EDT

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    the sharks still stink
    anyone who watched that game knows the ducks got outplayed the first 2 periods but absolutely DOMINATED the 3rd period. the sharks winning in OT was pure luck, or as the sharks fans liked to call in the first 2 games a "lucky bounce."
    im still a little nervous but i dont think the sharks have enough energy left to beat us. cant wait to go to the game tonight
  5. justmurr88
    5. Posted by justmurr88 Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:14 pm EDT

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    As a Flyers fan.... how I wish the bulletpoint read.... "Carcillo suspeneded at Worlds" as opposed to what it reads now...
    I'm still telling myself that we didnt trade Scotty for Carcillo - we traded him for Claude Giroux!!!
    either way...Pens nor Flyers get past any of the other teams in the East....
  6. bushwaqr
    6. Posted by bushwaqr Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:15 pm EDT

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    sharks will win and force game 7 and prevail!
    go sharks!!!
  7. Don Squeek
    7. Posted by Don Squeek Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:17 pm EDT

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    What was going on in that CLIP I'm totally confussed and I'm sure I just lost my innocence.
  8. Hans Gruber
    8. Posted by Hans Gruber Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:19 pm EDT

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    Creepy, just creepy.
  9. Magnet-Crotch
    9. Posted by Magnet-Crotch Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:51 pm EDT

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    What....the....F
  10. Jon A
    10. Posted by Jon A Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:22 pm EDT

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    Just a question...what exactly is Thornton doing in this picture?
  11. Jerk Store
    11. Posted by Jerk Store Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:22 pm EDT

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    thorton is going to disappear faster than my testicles after looking at a naked bea arthur picture
  12. Anthony A
    12. Posted by Anthony A Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:22 pm EDT

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    @ fafooey Giroux was a BEAST! but your insane if you dont think the pens arent getting out of the second round the pens look good, the best teams in the east as followed
    1 bruins
    2 pens
    3 caps
    4 flyers
  13. ianimal69
    13. Posted by ianimal69 Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:23 pm EDT

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    Isn't that old footage of Theo Fleury and Graham James?
  14. LocalGod23
    14. Posted by LocalGod23 Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:25 pm EDT

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    Instant Classic.
  15. P Funk
    15. Posted by P Funk Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:26 pm EDT

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    Wow; that is a disturbingly funny clip!!
  16. eyebleaf
    16. Posted by eyebleaf Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:26 pm EDT

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    Pogge stinks.
  17. firewing
    17. Posted by firewing Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:32 pm EDT

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    im not even going to comment on the backwoods hick guy. thats just scary. but counting on chokeing joe to get you through. thats like expecting bettman to have the refs call a fair game. roenick called it when he shows up he can do it. real players dont need to be told to show up. its in them to do it. please sharks trade the guy next season. i want the wings to beat you without the thornton excuse.
    however much he makes its way to much. he should be classy like hasek and not take his pay when he didnt do well. theres a guy who in his prime showed up every night.
  18. Fin-atic
    18. Posted by Fin-atic Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:33 pm EDT

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    @jon a, He's doing the same thing he's done for roughly 75% of this series - nothing.
  19. A Yahoo! User
    19. Posted by A Yahoo! User Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:33 pm EDT

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    @ Jon A
    That is called streching, you must not play hockey. To bad it's not possible for both teams to lose this series
  20. dh
    20. Posted by dh Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:33 pm EDT

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    the sharks get hooked tonight, not enough heart, the presidents trophy didnt mean everyone was going to lay down for you, it didnt intimidate anyone, it didnt give you entitlement to the cup, it just gave you home ice, which you have already blown. next up san joses euglogy.
  21. Fin-atic
    21. Posted by Fin-atic Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:34 pm EDT

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    Is it just me or does that bus of Ranger's fans remind anybody of the busfull of soccer fans in Eurotrip?
  22. Suck My Wake
    22. Posted by Suck My Wake Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:35 pm EDT

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    I don't know what makes this guy tick, but I do know when he actually does play with intesity and passion, he's capable of great things. As a S.J. fan, it's frustrating when it seems you're top player(s) don't care. I highly doubt that's the case, but perception is reality. Injuries......everybody's hurtin'. If you're playin', you need to produce in the way you're expected to. Until Thornton and Marleau prove that they are championship caliber leaders, the Sharks will suffer with the label they have been given. Game #5 was a start, but what will we see tonight?? I'm thinking enough for a Game #7. Sharks!!!
  23. Matt R
    23. Posted by Matt R Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:36 pm EDT

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    The photo of Thornton is likely from warmup, he's probably stretching, or in-between stretches.
    Stan Fischler is a complete moron, and has been ever since he tried to claim that Bryan Trottier was a better player than Wayne Gretzky in the mid-80s. I stopped listening to anything he spewed out a long time ago.
  24. Michael
    24. Posted by Michael Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:42 pm EDT

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    re: Upshall...
    You can send a player out of Philly, but getting Philly out of the player... that takes more time...
  25. Ogie Ogilthorpe
    25. Posted by Ogie Ogilthorpe Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:42 pm EDT

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    I feel unclean now :(

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