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When NHL season could be cancelled; four years of Brian Burke (Puck Headlines)

Greg Wyshynski

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.

• They're a little difficult to make out, but these were the Bakersfield Condors' Teddy Bear Toss game jerseys, which appear to feature fans throwing stuffed animals on the ice. She seems excited.

• Completely switching gears, here's Elliotte Friedman on when the season's going to be cancelled: "The 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled in February, but it probably won't be that late this time. A few executives believe the true 'red alert' is between January 1st and 15th. The concern among the moderates is that the mushroom cloud between the two sides continues to build, which endangers the possibility of a last-minute settlement." [CBC Sports]

• Former NHLPA president Trevor Linden on the lockout: "But I'm just a fan now; I can't offer any insights. I realize how hard it is on the people involved and how much people are missing hockey. Like everyone else, I hope to see the NHL back soon. But nothing I can say is going to help the sides reach an agreement. It isn't my fight any more." [Vancouver Sun]

• As was reported many, many moons ago, the Phoenix Coyotes will become the Arizona Coyotes under new ownership. [Sports Docs, via Reddit]

• Evgeni Malkin was given a 10-minute misconduct for abuse of officials, who obviously have no regard for his love of goats. [Sportsnet]

• Great work by Dellow providing needles for Forbes' NHL team valuation balloons: "This is the problem with proprietary models — the assumptions can't be checked and evaluated further. The brilliance of proprietary models that relate purely to information is that it can be difficult to prove that you're wrong. If the proprietary software in my iPhone is garbage, I know because my phone sucks. If Forbes' confidential model is screwed up, nobody can really be certain — at best, you can do something like what I've done, which leaves open the possibility that Forbes is right about everything else. As a result, Forbes fills the informational void and makes a pile of money." [MC79Hockey]

• Damien Cox on 1,461 Days of Brian Burke: "His future in Toronto is as cloudy four years after he arrived as the immediate future of the league itself. That said, it's also clear that when it all starts up again, he's got to win. Love him or hate him, no one would disagree on that." [Toronto Star]

• More Jeremy Jacobs bashing; is he in fact the real live Mr. Burns? [SB Nation]

• Who benefits most from the lockout? [Silver Sevens]

• Love letter to the ECHL during the NHL lockout. [ADN]

• "Ottawa Senators prospect Mika Zibanejad, who helped end 30 years of championship futility for the Swedish National Junior Team by scoring the tournament-winning goal last January at the 2012 World Junior Championship, will remain in North America this year instead of helping his country defend its gold medalist in Ufa, Russia." [NHL.com]

• The Chicago Tribune organizes a viewing of "Slap Shot" to soothe your hockey soul. [Trib]

• How the U.S. Navy helped Brandon Worley live without hockey. [Defending Big D]

• Robbie Ftorek is out as Erie Otters coach. [Buzzing The Net]

• Well here's some off the beaten path hockey news: "Team USA have named William (Billy) Jaffe and Eric Nystrom as Head Coach and Assistant Coach for the USA Team Ice Hockey squad competing at the 19th World Maccabiah Games in July 2013 in Israel." [Jewish Chronicle, via Kukla]

• Gangnam Style. Mascot. Make it stop. [Komets]

• Finally, via Japers' Rink: You mess with Wojtek Wolski's goalie, and you mess with Wojtek Wolski, understand?