Advertisement

Phoenix Coyotes sale update; lockout in stalemate; Latvian goalie gets Lucic’d (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.

• RIP Hostess. We'll never forget how you framed the 1987-88 Buffalo Sabres.

• Today's must-read is from Jonathan Willis of Cult of Hockey, who takes a look at the Florida Panthers' profitability and finds out that, hey, they actually have some despite all the doom and gloom about reported losses. Funny how hockey-related revenue can be defined sometimes. [Edmonton Journal]

• Erin Bolen of Defending Big D, meanwhile, has an important companion piece that gets deeper into the issues: "This article is not to say that there are no teams losing money - that's impossible to prove and almost certainly false. But whenever you start talking about the finances of these hockey teams, remember that it's not as easy as Craig Leipold (chairman of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment which owns the Minnesota Wild) telling you how much money he lost or the San Jose Sharks, owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises, saying despite record crowds, they're still in the red." [Defending Big D]

• Via The Sports Pickle, which is as you know a sports humor blog: "Gary Bettman Says He's Really Getting Into the NBA This Year." [SP]

• We could have a vote on a Phoenix Coyotes' deal by Nov. 27 in Glendale. "The new deal has the city paying Jamison's Arizona Arena Hockey Partners LLC $11 million by the end of June and then between $13 million and $18 million per year through the rest of the 20-year lease term." [Phoenix Business Journal]

• Here's a lengthy analysis piece on the Coyotes from Fred Poulin, including: "When the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) came to an end on September 15th, 2012, the NHL was certainly disappointed that the ownership situation in Glendale had not been settled. Instead, it remains a distraction throughout negotiations on a new CBA that will have major impacts on revenue sharing as well as the salary cap. At this point, the best Coyotes fans can hope for is to see a lockout-shortened lame-duck season in Glendale before the league makes a decision regarding the future of the franchise, should there be no developments with Greg Jamison next spring." [The Hockey Writers]

• Why does the NHL want two-year entry-level contracts? [PHT]

• Here are the details on that epic Operation Hat Trick charity game on Nov. 21 in Atlantic city, featuring Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers players. [Press of Atlantic City]

• Please do check out the online auction the Islanders are holding to help benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. [Islanders]

• Cam Janssen is also getting his charity on for Sandy victims this Saturday. [STL Today]

• Mark Spector on Gary Bettman's bad decisions: "This latest lockout, like the one before it, is simply an exercise in moving the pendulum back to the middle after Bettman allowed it to swing so wildly to players' side during his tenure. It took 20 years to get there. Now, it will take two lockouts (at least) to swing it back to the middle." [Sportsnet]

• Adam Proteau of The Hockey News offers an open letter to the NHL owners: "I'm not trying to suggest you shouldn't stick to your principles. But you've already got NHLers to agree to a massive pay cut. Is the prospect of total victory that crucial to you? Especially if it comes at the cost of your good names?" [THN]

• Wise words as always from Eric Duhatschek: "About the only thing I'm prepared to venture is that the drop-dead date to play games in 2012-13 is still two months or more away. That means there will be at least two more opportunities for the sides to get closer and see if they can't finally bridge that gap. You'd think there would be urgency now, but you'd be wrong. With lawyers and accountants in charge, the real urgency doesn't start until the clock is five minutes from midnight and the end is in sight. So hang on to your hats, because realistically, they are just at the half way point now — two months into the lockout, with another two months remaining to save a fraction of the 2012-13 season - and maybe the industry's future as well." [Globe & Mail]

• Touching story involving Ryan Smyth and a fan with cancer. [Sportsnet]

• Even more on the Rockford IceHogs' Latino night, which has probably been more trouble than the team expected it would be. [Fox News]

• Johnny Boychuk joins Austria's EC Red Bull Salzberg. [CSNNE]

• Bourne with five NHLers that are thriving in Europe and five NHLers that are playing badly in Europe, with the caveat that "Europe" in one case is "Alaska." [Backhand Shelf]

• Please to be welcoming Leaf Matters into the hockey podcasting world. [Leaf Matters]

• Finally, from Ozolnieki in Latvia, this is one hell of a Lucic'ing: