Niskanen out; Pacioretty's injury; enjoying the Leafs (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. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com.
• Exclusive look at the most famous man in hockey on The Simpsons – SANTA CLAUS. Oh and Wayne Gretzky in a not-Edmonton Oilers uniform. [NHL]
• Max Pacioretty got off to a slow start. Now we have an idea why. He was reportedly playing with a broken foot. [EOTP]
• Former NHL player Kevin Stevens entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to sell Oxycodone in a Boston court. [AP]
• The Buffalo Sabres could be getting Josh Georges back soon from a foot fracture. [Buffalo Hockey Beat]
• Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen will not play against the Sabres on Friday. He left the game against Boston on Wednesday after being injured on a hit by Patrice Bergeron. [RMNB]
• Jamie Daniels, son of Detroit Red Wings play-by-play broadcaster Ken Daniels, has died. He was 23. [Fox Sports]
• The NHL is looking to inner-cities to develop a more diverse crop of talent for future growth of the league. [Rolling Stone]
• Retired NHL’er Jed Ortmeyer talks about his scary experience with blood clots that led to the end of his career. [The Players’ Tribune]
• The St. Louis Blues are adjusting to having a documentary crew following them around for the Epix series “Road to the Winter Classic.” [STL Today]
• The Vegas Golden Knights’ first real problem is not the debacle with the trademark. [The Sin Bin]
• Goalies unmasked: Shrinking equipment. Evolving techniques. Hardcore nudity? Goaltending’s legends, stars, analysts and coaches talk the position’s hot topics. [THN]
• A history of recent NHL expansion (a.k.a. making it up as we go along). [Section 328]
• The Evander Kane for Tyler Myers trade doesn’t have a real winner. [The Comeback]
• Down Goes Brown: Forget the Leafs past failures, or future expectations, and enjoy the fun. [The Athletic]
• “Sticking up for teammates in hockey is stupid.” [Vice Sports]
• Long Island is starting to emerge as a hockey hotbed. It’s produced several first round draft picks in recent years. [SI.com]
• 10 lies all NHL fans tell themselves. You won’t want to agree, but it’s true. [Sportsnet]
• Previewing Team USA at the 2017 World Junior Championship. [The Bloggers’ Tribune]
• Luke Richardson has been named the head coach for Team Canada at the 2016 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. [Hockey Canada]
• NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan talks about the league taking their All-Star Game on the road to Pittsburgh. [The Ice Garden]
• Fantasy hockey: Get yer Leaf on. Morgan Reilly and the Toronto Maple Leafs have a favorable upcoming schedule. [Dobber]
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest now]
• The inside story on the Eric Semborski hockey card. Semborski was the emergency goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks in Philadelphia. [Puck Junk]
• Finally, Alex Ovechkin’s true dream in life. Not a Stanley Cup. Not a gold medal. Being the best pizza delivery person ever.
– – – – – – –
Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!