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.
• Jersey Fouls on Friday. No better way to kick off Memorial Day weekend than with a heaping helping of Fail.
• Chris Botta of Islanders Point Blank with some starling news: "Barring a dramatic turn of events, Charles Wang's October 3 deadline for approvals on the Lighthouse Project is almost certain to come and go with little action from the Town of Hempstead. And when it does, the Islanders owner will have no other choice but to open conversations with other municipalities interested in Long Island's National Hockey League franchise." [Point Blank, H/T Neate Sager]
• Pierre McGuire is a finalist for the vacant Minnesota Wild GM job. And really, anyone who's seen his insightful banter with Mike Milbury on NBC immediately thinks "executive of the year," right? [AP]
• When basketball fans and hockey fans get into a brawl over who controls the TV in a bar, we become wary of the whole "carrying a gun into a bar" thing too. [Metro Pulse]
• Patrick Roy has gone from denying talks with the Colorado Avalanche about their coaching vacancy to denying there was a "formal offer" to now admitting that the team reached out to him during the season about his plans for the future. [Denver Post]
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• Erik Cole(notes) skates with the Carolina Hurricanes; Tuomo Ruutu(notes) does not. [Canes Now, H/T Matt P.]
• Yippee! Realignment speculation! Teams in Seattle and Winnipeg! Two all-Canadian divisions! [TML Fan Fury]
• Post-op Mike Richards(notes) of the Philadelphia Flyers, in watching the playoffs: "I don't know if it is a consolation [that Pittsburgh is winning]." [Philly.com]
• An interesting take from Pensburgh on the evolution of Sidney Crosby(notes) of the Pittsburgh Penguins as a leader through his work ethic. Before the season, there was talk around those who cover the Penguins about Crosby having "leveled off" as an NHL talent. Wonder where that stands after two rounds and 12 goals? [Pensburgh]
• Some Napa-quality whine from Scott Burnside of ESPN about the off-days in the Stanley Cup conference finals and back-to-back games in the Cup finals, which apparently are ruining the playoffs. A guy from ESPN, telling a professional sports league to not allow television to dictate terms. That's rich. [ESPN]
• While the officiating in these Stanley Cup playoffs can be rightfully slammed for being inconsistent and, at times, completely inadequate, we will agree that there is less obstruction and more open-ice play than in previous years. [THN]
• Max Afinogenov's final grade for the Buffalo Sabres will most likely resemble Jonah Hill's final grade for senior year Phys. Ed. [Die By the Blade]
• Mikael Samuelsson(notes) of the Detroit Red Wings has been called one of the most clutch players on the team. And yet this may be his last season with the Wings. [Snapshots]
• Chris Osgood(notes) on once again proving everyone and their mother wrong about his ability to be an outstanding goalie when it counts: "I've played 15 years, so I know it's no fluke." [NHL]
• The Chicago Blackhawks signed left wing Kyle Beach(notes), the club's first-round pick in 2008, to a three-year entry level contract. [Sports Network]
"No, your locker's over there, Sid." [Getty]
• Craig Conroy(notes) would no only like to see Mike Keenan return for the Calgary Flames, but be a little harder on the players. Other Craig Conroy likes: Paper cuts, fire ant bites and dropping car batteries on one's toes. [Sun Media]
• Cam Janssen(notes) of the St. Louis Blues: Hockey enforcer, MMA fan. [Cagewriter]
• Building on our "most rugged" coverage from last night, Wild Nation takes a look at Minnesota's toughest dudes. [Wild Nation]
• So 77-year-old Chicago Blackhawks Hall of Famer Glenn Hall dismissed today's NHL as "a goon game now" and that he's "not a big hockey fan." Which is rather sad to hear until you realize that senior citizens who used to take pucks to the face aren't exactly high on the list of desirable marketing demographics for today's NHL. [Tribune]
• Best wishes and prayers to our friend Paul Kukla, who is battling some health issues right now. [KK]
• Finally, one of the trippiest things we've seen in a while: a children's book called "Search for Lord Stanley" brought to life in a video clip. Slime Ball!
