Ovechkin on lockout; Paulina Gretzky’s 15 minutes of fame; mascot fight (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.
• Based on today's news about mediation, it appears Ding Dongs have the advantage. [@djm448]
• Ken Campbell on the lockout: "Neither side appears to be on the verge of experiencing any kind of epiphany at the moment. If that's the case, put an end to the meetings and stop making a mockery of the process." [THN]
• Alex Ovechkin on the lockout: "Our head, Donald Fehr, is very well acquainted with our terms and conditions. Nobody wants a pay cut or a lower status. Everything in that respect is up to Fehr. We have full confidence in him, but there could be some twists and turns ahead." [Rossiyskaya Gazeta via Russia Beyond The Headlines via KK]
• Here's Ovechkin scoring an OT game winner in Minsk. [Alex Ovetjkin]
• Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich has left the Kloten Flyers with an injury. [Japers' Rink]
• Is the NHL too expensive to watch for Canadians? "A new survey commissioned by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies has found that the NHL — its 2012/13 season currently in limbo due to an ongoing revenue-sharing dispute between players, team owners and the league — appears to have priced itself beyond the financial reach of many Canadians, with lower-income respondents far less likely to report having attended a game since 2007 compared with those making $80,000 or more." [National Post]
• Paulina Gretzky's 15 minutes of fame are up, says an article about Paulina Gretzky. [QMI]
• Are the Dallas Stars in line for a downtown practice facility. [Dallas Stars Blog]
• Good on the Toronto Marlies for hopping on the "If You Can Play" bandwagon. [PPP]
• Does the evidence support a body checking ban in pee-wee hockey? [Vancouver Sun]
• Good point about Sidney Crosby via Elliotte Friedman's '30 Thoughts' column: "I had a good debate with a couple of NHL executives who said they'd be disappointed if No. 87 played during the lockout. Look, it's pretty obvious, Crosby's heart isn't really into the idea. Listening to him talk, you can see a lot of his frustration is because he doesn't want to go anywhere. But the guy's played just 69 games in two years, including playoffs. He's going to have to do it eventually." [CBC]
• "Former Flyer Ian Laperriere Crosses Philly Marathon Off Bucket List." [Philly.com]
• Here's Ellen Etchingham on women's hockey. [Backhand Shelf]
• "How I went from being a hockey fan to a Montreal Canadiens fan." [Eyes on the Prize]
• And finally … mascot fight!
