Puck Daddy - NHL

Here are your Morning(-ish) 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.

• Woot woot! Secondary assist for Steven Stamkos! Shine up the Calder! Meanwhile, a rather comical practical joke was played on Stamkos by his teammates last night, leaving the suburban Toronto native skating alone in the Air Canada Centre during warm-ups. [Lightning Strikes]

• While hilarity ensued with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the economic downturn hitting the front office of the Florida Panthers is no joke: Sales and communications staff have been laid off. And yet Jacques Martin still has a job ... [On Frozen Pond]

Adam Mair of the Buffalo Sabres gets a max fine of $2,500 for that locker room hallway incident with the Ottawa Senators this week. Getting Caught From Behind has much more on the incident, and claims Chris Neil is Enemy No. 1 for Buffalo fans. Enemy No. 2? Heartburn. [Getting Caught From Behind]

Sean Avery strikes a blow for good fashion sense everywhere by slamming the pink men's shirt. "I really think that unless it's an Easter-egg hunt, you should not ever wear a pink shirt." God bless. [Ask Men]

Anaheim Ducks tough guy and Princeton-educated George Parros offers economic advice: "I'm watching a few stocks right now, a few good companies I feel that are a low point. I'm going to give it a couple months and let things settle down a little bit before I invest in them." [USA Today]

• We didn't realize there was such interest in the Team USA squad for 2010 until we mentioned it here. Well, Brian Burke tells NHL.com that the team will be grittier and younger. Which means probably no Chris Chelios, because he's certainly one but most certainly not the other. [NHL.com]

• Based on his start, the case will be made for Henrik Lundqvist to win the Vezina Trophy. Based on the start for the New York Rangers, Steve Zipay is making the case for Henrik Lundqvist to win the Hart Trophy, too. [Newsday]

• The "exclusivity rights" for Versus gave the nation a crappy Flyers/Thrashers game and kept the Nashville Predators/Washington Capitals shootout game off television. Which means fans missed out on some Alexander Semin heroics and a scrappy effort by the Preds. (Along with a rather intentional, but uncalled, hit from behind that dazed Mike Green, FYI.) [Forechecker]

• Chris from Icethetics has a good look at minor league third jerseys. He doesn't sound convinced that this is actually a Hartford Wolf Pack alternate sweater, "but people kept sending in pictures, so they can't all be wrong, can they?" If they're right ... ugh. [Icethetics]

• Criticizing the NHL for its performance-enhancing drug testing model and how it handles young prospects. [Slam]

• Do the Chicago Blackhawks have embarrassing depth in goaltenders or a really distracting logjam? [Puck Update]

• Melt Your Face Off attempts to resurrect the late, great NHL Closer as a daily feature. We heartily endorse this idea, and the future use of Gary Gnu jokes. [MYFO]

• Finally, here's how Versus is pimping the Pittsburgh Penguins/Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup finals rematch:

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27 Comments

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  1. HockeyJoe
    1. Posted by HockeyJoe Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:24 pm EDT

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    i don't know how versus can suck any more than they already do, but they keep finding ways to make me believe it's possible. weenie-voice guy doing generic promo was my favorite part of that.
  2. carl_vs_mastershake
    2. Posted by carl_vs_mastershake Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    That trick never gets old. I'm surprised all rookies don't know it.
  3. carl_vs_mastershake
    3. Posted by carl_vs_mastershake Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    @HockeyJoe rumor has it that weenie voice guy also hosts Sports Soup.
  4. Billkamm
    4. Posted by Billkamm Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:26 pm EDT

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    I'm a huge Penguins fan and that promo doesn't not really get me fired up to watch the game. In fact I now think I am less likely to watch that game.
  5. sleza
    5. Posted by sleza Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:55 pm EDT

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    all games with semin and fedorov should be on tv
    stamkos looks little surprised.... probably just realized that he indeed is on the ice and not at the bench
  6. Svipal
    6. Posted by Svipal Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    Versus is god awful, but it's the NHL that caves in and has awful broadcasting.
  7. Hans Gruber
    7. Posted by Hans Gruber Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Yeah I saw the promo while watching an AHL team playing on Versus last night.
  8. Hans Gruber
    8. Posted by Hans Gruber Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Did someone photoshop Rob Blakes face on Stankos's body?
  9. Mojo Tooth
    9. Posted by Mojo Tooth Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:24 pm EDT

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    A national team GM using the term "gritty" to describe his squad is obviously substituting that word for what he really means: unskilled. Let's face it, the peak of USA Hockey in terms of skill was during the '96 World Cup days: Modano, Roenick, Housley, Hull, Leetch, Weight, Young... I'm not saying Kane, Mueller, Kessel and the Johnson boys can't pick up the torch, but they are still probably a ways off, and the group as a whole will probably never be as skilled as the '96 bunch.
  10. knucklehead
    10. Posted by knucklehead Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:37 pm EDT

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    Unfinished business? This close?........nice jab at a little drama, even though it's BS...
  11. J-D
    11. Posted by J-D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    Did the Panthers sack the guy who was responsible for bad-mouthing Olli Jokinen in that sales e-mail over the summer?
  12. Peeler
    12. Posted by Peeler Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:02 pm EDT

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    taveras is gonna tank his season so he does not get picked by the Thrashers.....
  13. p-town
    13. Posted by p-town Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    It's safe to say that Versus is horrid.Their choice of announcers is egregious: Ed Olcyk, really? That is the best they can come up with? I feel myself permanently losing IQ points every time the man opens his mouth. It's also insulting to have listen to commentators whom act as if every viewer is 2 and lacing on his or her first pair of skates. And of course, Olcyk is the worst of these. That little fat weenie he is paired with doesn't help either. But of course, most American sports broadcasters are a half-step from being retarded.
  14. Wyshynski
    14. Posted by Wyshynski Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:21 pm EDT

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    @ J-D
    From what I've heard, they did not.
  15. Doox
    15. Posted by Doox Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:47 pm EDT

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    Bill, if you're less likely to watch that game, then you're not the "huge" Pens fan that you claim to be. To even think about skipping that game makes me seriously question your fan-hood.
  16. Doox
    16. Posted by Doox Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:47 pm EDT

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    Weird, I meant to type that on the Versus commercial about the Pens/Wings game.
  17. Peeler
    17. Posted by Peeler Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:02 pm EDT

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    take your poison....Olyck or that other tool Millbury
  18. colin c
    18. Posted by colin c Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:50 pm EDT

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    I am shocked and proud that announcer made the whole ad without once saying 'Dude" or "do the DEW"
    who knew VS. had such talent?
  19. SXR70001
    19. Posted by SXR70001 Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:52 pm EDT

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    Versus is bad ,but how about direct tv center ice carolina vs montreal only feed from montreal in french
  20. Jay
    20. Posted by Jay Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:56 pm EDT

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    For all the hate versus get, the check did clear when the NHL needed it to! that said they still blow. I got rid of center-Ice because all the good Wings games are on versus anyway, which I don't get. I decided this year to get the fox sports net package, since many of the versus games are also on Fox Sports Detroit HD.
    damn I hate being stuck in Wisconsin and not getting my wings games easily. time to move back to the U.P.
  21. big audio
    21. Posted by big audio Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

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    Vs is a joke, their whole newtork is a joke, they are owned by Comcast which everyone knows is a crappy company with questionable business practices, which actually makes them the perfect match with Bettman's dream of "cost certainty sports".
    A JOKE LEAGUE RUN BY A JOKE COMMISIONER. That is the NEW NHL. Vs should use that as a promotional device.
    Are you sure there is no picture of Bettman in shades with a big fat cuban in his mouth?
  22. SXR70001
    22. Posted by SXR70001 Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:52 pm EDT

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    wings sux
    the up being part of michigan is as big a joke as verses
    that being said they do have the best snow youll ever see
  23. SXR70001
    23. Posted by SXR70001 Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:52 pm EDT

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    wings sux
    the up being part of michigan is as big a joke as verses
    that being said they do have the best snow youll ever see
  24. bills_sabres_yankees_fan1
    24. Posted by bills_sabres_yankees_fan1 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:08 pm EDT

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    Ted V
    Yest the pic is up at the top on the right hand side (Puke daddy/puck mamma)
  25. Chris
    25. Posted by Chris Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:41 pm EDT

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    the Hartford Wolfpack's alternate jersey can't look any worse than their primary mascot. It looks more like a dog with downs syndrome than a wolf.

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