Luongo trolls Tim Thomas; NHL against sports gambling bill; remembering Sakic (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.

• From the @Strombone1 account, it appears Roberto Luongo has found a silver lining for Tim Thomas and the tea party in Obama's electoral victory.

• If you think NHL.com and The NHL Network are pulling their punches during the lockout, it's because they totally are according to NHL COO John Collins: "We were watching all the other networks to see how they handled the lockouts on their networks. (NFL Network) looked at it like it was really an external news organization and really went out of their way to not only give the league perspective, but also the players, which I thought was great. The NBA went a different direction based on certain restrictions their bargaining agreement may have. For us, we haven't really covered the lockout on our platforms from a news standpoint. We haven't used it as a bully pulpit to get the league's message out there. We've sort of been very quiet throughout this negotiation and I think we'll remain that way." [Sports Business Daily]

• How the NHL lockout inspired a charity drive. [My Kawartha]

• Great stuff from Custance on Joe Sakic's legacy, including this from Dan Hinote: "You get him on a card table or in the locker room and he's the first to jab guys. He's not Mr. Perfect sitting back in the weeds. He's right there in the mix," Hinote said. "For a young guy, it's like 'Joe is just like the rest of us.' He's a Hall of Famer, but he's just like us." [ESPN]

• Lengthy excerpt from Jeremy Roenick's new book that involves Mike Keenan, and some really amazing tales. [Deadspin, NSFW language]

• The NHL opposes a new sports betting bill in Canada. "The bill jeopardizes the integrity of professional sports," said a League that employs Tim Peel. [CBC]

• Jarret Stoll on the art of tucking. Your jersey into your pants, not like Jame Gumb. [Mayors Manor]

• Interesting answer from Todd McLellan on the San Jose Sharks, and whether they performed below expectations: "Well, the answer to that would be yes and no for me. I've spent four years here now, going into year five, and I believe there are two years of, 'Yes, we should have gotten a lot more out of our team,' and there were two years where it was, 'Hey, we got a lot out of our team.'" [NHL.com]

• Nerd Alert! A stats-based look at the NHL's biggest puck hogs based shooting percentage. Alex Ovechkin Of course. David Clarkson and Tyler Kennedy? Huh … [NHL Numbers, via Japers']

• Mooney on Pavel Bure's number retirement: "Bure's skill transcends any other category of measurement. Regardless of who he was or is as a person in plainclothes, it's pretty inconsequential to what he was able to do in a Canucks jersey: entertain, enrapture, and enthral in a way no one else ever has. He was the most talented player to ever play in this city, and since it's the uniform — not the uniform leadership or uniform community outreach — that hangs in the rafters, this honour is long overdue." [Pass It to Bulis]

• The secret to Don Cherry's television success: "When I do Coach's Corner, I never go on TV with a full stomach -- it'll make you sleepy." [QMI]

• Boston Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev hints at return to Windsor. [Buzzing The Net]

• "Gregory Campbell might be joining up with Bruins alternate captain Andrew Ference in the Czech Republic to sharpen up his hockey skills while the NHL lockout enters a critical stage." [CSNNE]

• An open letter to Gary Bettman from Mark Ribble, a Leamington, Ont. native, has been with the Leamington Post since 1985: "For every casual fan who might know who Sidney Crosby is, there are thousands more from an era gone by who can name all six defencemen on the 1964 Chicago Blackhawks and it's those fans who you owe some hockey this season." [QMI]

• Chris Chelios is getting into coaching. Well, coaching again: He was previously an assistant coach for the 1911 Vancouver Millionaires at age 55. [MLive, via Kukla]

• Good on the Caps: "The Washington Capitals announced today the sponsorship of the USA Wounded Warriors in the third annual USA Hockey Sled Classic presented by the National Hockey League. The competition will take place at the Northtown Center at Amherst in Buffalo Nov. 9-11, with the Rockville, Md., USA Warriors ice hockey team representing Washington." [Capitals]

• Finally, this is ancient, new to us, but rather hilarious: Drew Doughty learns how to braid hair.