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.
• Reminder: The Yahoo! Sports playoff matchup tracker is live and awesome. How many games would it take for the Detroit Red Wings to beat the Edmonton Oilers if the playoffs started today?
• New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur is now the all-time wins leader in the NHL. His record is a little less impressive in New Jersey appeals court, which ruled that he must pay his ex-wife $500,000 a year until 2020. The good news is that the Islanders will actually be paying Rick DiPietro one year after Marty Brodeur's alimony payments end. [AP]
• Mikka Kiprusoff now has 200 wins. In 374 games. Which is exactly how long it took Brodeur to win 200. Uh-oh. [Josh Q.]
• Pierre Lebrun takes a look at the second-half records for NHL teams. The St. Louis Blues are the third-best team in hockey since the midway point; the Colorado Avalanche, not so much. [ESPN]
• The Pittsburgh Penguins have moved ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for most 100-point seasons by individual players in NHL history. Awesome stuff from Seth here. [Empty Netters]
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• According to one Dallas Stars blog, the struggle team might get a boost from the return of Brad Richards this Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. [Defending Big D]
• Red Wings GM Ken Holland is approaching negotiations with Marian Hossa and Johan Franzen realistically and very, very carefully: "We can keep Franzen and Hossa, but then we'll have to let a whole lot of other players go. I don't know if that's the answer to being competitive. But if I can get a number that I think allows us to have one extra player, you start to think more and more about doing something." [Freep]
• Ottawa Senators fans are wondering if it's time to tap into the mystical powers of Tom Chorske's Buddha in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Incidentally, that's also what's being smoked by anyone who thinks the Senators are making the playoffs ... though we doubt it's Tom Chorske's. [Silver Nuggets]
• It's a little complicated, but the Nashville Predators have been shorting the city on ticket taxes, which is why municipalities getting into bed with sports organizations is bad news brown. [On the Forecheck]
• Famous for the NHL country star Dierks Bentley talks about his amateur hockey career. [GAC]
• There may be some unofficial rule now that for every story that called Steven Stamkos a flop at the start of the season, there needs to be one about his seemingly miraculous turnaround. [THN]
“No, I will not 'just throw it behind me because you can’t buy a goal.’ Jerk.” [Getty]
• Alex Burrows took less money to stay with the Vancouver Canucks. Will fellow pain-in-the-ass Ryan Kesler follow suit? [Province]
• Quintin "shot blocking machine" Laing returns to the Washington Capitals, as goalie Simeon Varlamov may get the start tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. [Capitals Insider]
• Tim Jackman inks a one-year deal with the New York Islanders. [Outsider]
• Danny Briere isn't a fourth-liner. It's just that with Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the Philadelphia Flyers just aren't sure what to do with the guy. Probably should have thought of this before signing him to a gazillion dollar, 80-year contract (those numbers may be slightly off). [Philly.com]
• Finally, we'd like to think we played some small part in bringing Randy Moller's goal calls for the Florida Panthers to the masses. Here's the pop-culture riffing play-by-play guy going Off The Record on TSN. "YOU'RE MY BOY, BLUE!"
