Puck Headlines: Cheap tickets, awful name for ‘new' Toronto team

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.

• Travel day back to Puck Daddy HQ. Jersey Fouls and a Dmitry interview with Don Cherry (!) coming up. Check the Yahoo! Sports NHL newswire for anything breaking.

• A group of wealthy men with too much time on their hands announce their intentions to bring an NHL expansion team to Toronto by 2012. (An intention that, according to Don Brennan, the NHL may just support.) The plan they announced is essentially "Don't Be the Leafs": a 30,000-seat arena built in Downsview Park; 15,000 seats for each game costing no more than $50; and 25 percent of team profits going to charity. The name of the team? The Toronto Legacy, which would naturally be shorted to the ‘Legs' by an attention-deficit society. Ugh. Change the name, and you might have something. May we suggest and Toronto Backlash? [Toronto Star]

• NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly says it's time to "pull the plug" on the Phoenix Coyotes, and then wusses out about supporting or opposing Jim Balsillie's Hamilton bid. [TSN]

• Congrats to Steve Lepore for landing a chat with Puck Daddy approved hockey broadcaster Daryl "Razor" Reaugh. His favorite moment of the season? "Avery walking out of the NHL offices with those bug-eye sunglasses on - where's a fly swatter when you need one?" [Puck The Media]

• Bruce "Malkin to the Kings" Garrioch that the Tampa Bay Lightning are trying to trade Vinny Lecavalier, and that a fit with the Los Angeles Kings for Jack Johnson could be in the cards. Also interesting: "A league source told Sun Media yesterday the Bolts have informed the NHL they intend to spend at the salary floor of approximately $40.5 million next season." That'll sell some tickets! [Sun Media]

• Attempting to get ahead of some bad PR, the Columbus Blue Jackets held a meeting with bloggers to get their message out about the arena lease issue. Congrats to the Jackets bloggers involved; clearly, your work is being noticed and your influence feared. [Light The Lamp]

• The Star Wars Guide To the Stanley Cup Finals. Not the first time this has been tried; perhaps the first time Admiral Ackbar has been compared to Dan Bylsma. [Here Come The Bruins]

• Damien Cox on what, exactly, the hell happened to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins: "All that experience, all those outstanding performances in big games, just seemed to evaporate as suddenly the Wings seemed lost." [Toronto Star]

• The alleged steroid dealer who claims the Washington Capitals were one of his clients is out on bond and his lawyer really isn't helping clear up this case. [Capitals Insider]

• Jason Kay of The Hockey News looks at the softening standards of officiating in the playoffs. [THN]

• Has Craig MacTavish taken a meeting with the Minnesota Wild regarding their head coaching vacancy? And would Minnesota fans be all that happy if he did? [Sportsnet]

• You know, the cynic in us would love to see a photo of this guy if the Wings win the series. For comparison's sake. That said, we loved his work on FOX's "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance." [Getty]

• NBC starts dropping hints about its hockey coverage for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, including Pierre McGuire's presence between the benches getting approval from getting approval from the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, and Olympic Broadcaster Services Vancouver. MONSTER bronze medal, Canada! [Vancouver Sun]

• There hasn't been much progress in the Martin Havlat negotiations with the Chicago Blackhawks, and not just because Havlat's still picking bits of Kronwall out of his face. [Between the Circles]

• Great stuff from Doug Weight of the New York Islanders about the top three prospects in the NHL Draft. On Victor Hedman: "Anytime you say he plays 30 minutes, you automatically connect him with Nicklas Lidstrom and say, 'Oh my God, can we get somebody like that for 10 years?' You don't want to pass on that." [Logan]

• Trying to imagine what a Dallas Stars team under GM Joe Nieuwendyk will look like. Our guess? More consonants. [Defending Big D]

• Finally, some blissfully random Tubeage: The Top 7 fights with Slovakian players. Seven? Oh, and Lady Gaga warning.

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