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  • Jason Spezza returning for Game 3?; Doc Emrick’s lexicon; Memorial Cup begins (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.

    • Finland's Antti Pihlstrom was unable to be removed from the glass after celebrating his overtime goal vs. Latvia. He'll miss their game against Sweden. [AP]

    • Jason Spezza back for Game 3 on Sunday? It's possible. Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean: "If he's available to us, it's Jason Spezza, we're going to have him in the lineup." [Ottawa Sun]

    • Heading into Game 2 on Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings need to give Jimmy Howard some help. [CSN Chicago]

    • Despite the impressive Game 1 win, the Chicago Blackhawks can still get better. [Blackhawk Up]

    • How many different descriptions did NBC's Mike Emrick use during Game 1 of Blackhawks/Red Wings? 90. Yes. 90! [Awful Announcing]

    • How did LA Kings forward Trevor Lewis react after his Game 2 winner against the San Jose Sharks? “I think that was Toff’s play there. He made a great shot off the pad there and I just kinda tapped it in and then almost passed out in the celebration." [Mayor's Manor]

    • Remember John Tortorella's high school yearbook photo? Remember "Musky"? Toucher and Rich have gotten to the bottom of some of the unanswered questions from that photo. But now we need to find Musky. [CBS Boston]

    • The 2013 Memorial Cup kicks off tonight in Saskatoon. Here's Neate with 11 storylines to follow. [Buzzing the Net]

    • Patrice Bergeron is pretty awesome. [Backhand Shelf]

    • David Backes' awesomeness continues. Backes and his wife are getting involved in trying to save a dog who was ruled to be euthanized after biting a little girl a year ago. Despite pleas from the girls' family to save the pup, officials are still planning to go thru with it. Enter the Backes', who want to save the dog and bring him to a no-kill shelter. [Riverfront Times, stick-tap Mike A]

    • Excuses for Stanley Cup playoff losers: "New Jersey Devils - Never got over the loss of that 29th overall first round pick we forfeited last year, we assume, because man it would have been completely ridiculous for us not to." [Down Goes Brown]

    • Part of Bruce Ratner's bid to renovate the Nassau Coliseum includes six New York Islanders games a year after the team has moved to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. An idea like that needs to be approved by the NHL, something Ratner is confident will happen. [Islanders Point Blank]

    • Mike Colligan on Pascal Dupuis. [The Hockey Writers]

    • The 2017 IIHF World Championships will be co-hosted by Germany and France. [IIHF]

    • A look at the top 100 rotisserie hockey players. [Dobber Hockey]

    • Finally, Evgeni Malkin was the subject of a question on Jeopardy Wednesday night:

  • Jack Adams Award: Bruce Boudreau vs. Paul MacLean vs. Joel Quenneville

    The NHL announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award on Friday, as Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks are up for the trophy presented to the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success," as voted on by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

    We imagine it warms Mike Babcock’s heart to see Quenneville get a nomination, being that President’s Trophy winners don’t always get the Jack Adams love. Then again, it’s hard to ignore a coach who guides his team to 24 straight games with at least a point to start the season.

    It was a bumper crop for great NHL coaching performances this season, which is bad news for Jack Capuano of the New York Islanders, Mike Yeo of the Minnesota Wild, Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Babcock and especially Michel Therrien of the Montreal Canadiens.

    Who takes home the Jack?

    Why Bruce Boudreau Deserves The Jack

    The NHL says …

    Boudreau, in his first full season behind the Anaheim bench, led the club to its finest regular season in franchise history, capturing the Pacific Division title and No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a club-record points percentage (.688, 30-12-6). The Ducks made dramatic gains over 2011-12 in several categories, climbing from 25th to third in the overall NHL standings; from 23rd to eighth in average goals-per-game (2.45 to 2.79); from 19th to 11th in average goals-against (2.73 to 2.40); and from 21st to fourth in power-play percentage (16.6% to 21.5%). Boudreau is vying for his second career Jack Adams Award, having captured the trophy in 2007-08 with Washington in his first appearance as a finalist.

    There’s no denying that Boudreau’s system and style fit this group of Ducks well, especially in activating their defense as an offensive force. (Hello, career year from Francois Beauchemin.) He used his role players as well as his stars.

    Why Paul MacLean Deserves The Jack

    The NHL says …

    MacLean guided the Senators (25-17-6) to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite the extended absence of several key players due to injury. Defenseman Erik Karlsson, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, was limited to 17 games; defenseman Jared Cowen, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, was sidelined for all but seven games; top forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek played in just five and 23 contests, respectively; and starting goaltender Craig Anderson appeared in just 24 games. MacLean led a youthful Senators lineup, which included a League-high 14 rookies making at least one appearance, to the top defensive record in the Eastern Conference (2.08 goals-against per game). He earned his second consecutive berth as a Jack Adams finalist, finishing third as a rookie NHL head coach in 2012.

    It’s easy to say that MacLean kept the Senators afloat thanks to stellar goaltending, but then his stellar goaltender was injured too. The job he did in moving pieces around due to injury and still maintaining enough success to make the postseason was unmatched this season. Without question, the most piece of a coaching my a Bug-Eyed Walrus the NHL has ever seen.

    Why Joel Quenneville Deserves The Jack

    The NHL says …

    Quenneville's Blackhawks posted a record start to the season by earning a point in each of their first 24 games (21-0-3), smashing the NHL's longest previous season-opening streak of 16 games set by the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07. The club went on to capture the Presidents' Trophy as the League's top regular-season club with a 36-7-5 record for 77 points. The Blackhawks ranked first overall in team defense (2.02 goals-against per game), second in offense (3.10 goals per game) and third in penalty killing (87.2%); posted a 26-2-1 mark when scoring first; and were 26-1-2 when leading after two periods. Quenneville captured the Jack Adams Award in 1999-2000 with St. Louis in his previous appearance as a finalist.

    The streak mandated that Coach Q be given a spot in the top three, even if his is the deepest of the three teams represented in the Jack Adams final three.

    Who Should Win The Jack Adams

    The crime here is Michel Therrien not getting a spot in the final three. He took a team everyone had pegged for the lottery and won a tough division with it, while imprinting his personality on the players to give the team a new one.

    Should he have won? No. The award should go to Quenneville, who had the Blackhawks on pace for a 131-point season.

    Who Will Win The Jack Adams

    MacLean, which is no snub to Quenneville. He guided a team devastated by significant injuries back to the Eastern Conference playoffs, and that’s a slam-dunk for voters. Plus he's sorta well-liked. Therrien, on the other hand ...

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