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.

• Former Colorado Avalanche star Peter Forsberg appeared in a surreal commercial for Risifrutti XL that features him doing everything from the Arsenio Hall fist pump to eating clearly-labeled popcorn at the movies ... while dressed in full hockey gear. Watch the greatest actor of this or any other generation here. [@puckarinen]

• Breaking news: TSN and ESPN and Chris Stevenson all report that the NHL and NHLPA have struck a deal, with details to be finalized before 5 p.m. ET, and that Ilya Kovalchuk's 15-year, $100 million contract will be "grandfathered in" ahead of a new CBA amendment. Much more on this later on Puck Daddy. [TSN]

• Interesting piece by Al Cimaglia on the Antti Niemi "blame game" for the Chicago Blackhawks, the goalie and agent Bill Zito: "As a fan my hope would have been Niemi would stay in Chicago for a long time, the same as some others who left this summer. What I won't do is justify his departure by concluding an agent screwed up. Zito is probably not to be blamed and the same might be said for the Bowman's." [Hockey Independent]

• Washington Capitals forward Mike Knuble: "You can't predict how big of a window you're going to have before you have to blow it apart and the salary cap gets in the way," Knuble said. "You don't want to be on a team where you look back in 15 years and say, 'Damn, why'd we screw that up?' That's my big fear." [Capitals Insider]

• Steve Zipay of Newsday floats a trade proposal: Matt Gilroy, Sean Avery and a second-rounder for Marc Savard. The Boston Bruins have no need, nor want, for Avery. But the New York Rangers and Savard would be a rather intriguing match. [SNY Rangers]

• This passes for extreme optimism in Edmonton: "What If the Oilers Aren't Terrible?" [Copper & Blue]

Leahy's story on Eric Naughton, who survived cancer and decided to learn hockey, has led to a bit of awesome news from the Pittsburgh Penguins. [Penguins]

• Mats Zuccarello-Aasen of the Rangers isn't cool with his nickname "Norwegian Hobbit Wizard." Which, in the grand tradition of elementary school yard rules of decorum, guarantees it will stick with him until it's on his tombstone.  [National Post]

• Seth on the Pittsburgh Penguins' signing of Mike Comire: "Even though Comrie comes as a bargain, we just don't see the sense in this move. Yes, Jordan Staal's wonky foot is cause for concern and that probably the prime motivating factor in Ray Shero bringing in Comrie, but it seems to us that the Penguins already have some internal options such as Mark Letestu available to pick up Staal's minutes should he miss some time." [Empty Netters]

• Pens Universe with an alternative take: "If Comrie succeeds in Pittsburgh, Shero will have made a cup-contending roster even better by adding minimal salary - one of the biggest keys to succeeding in the salary cap era. " [PU]

• "There is guarded optimism surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2010-11 NHL season, much of that due to the astute moves made this offseason by general manager Brian Burke." [Sports Network]

• Unemployed Andreas Lilja feels pretty stupid for not having signed with the Detroit Red Wings. [MLive]

• Nice piece by Ryan Kennedy about the Cult of Gary Roberts, whose player conditioning is making an big impact with young players in the NHL. [THN]

• Chris Stewart re-signs with the Avs for 2 years and $5.75 million, and Colorado fans seem pretty stoked about the cap hit. [MHH]

• Ladies and gents, hockey is back: Our first brawl video of the season, courtesy of the KHL. (About 35 seconds in.)

• Is James Neal's free agent situation with the Dallas Stars inflating expectations for him? [Defending Big D]

• Steve Yzerman hires Steve Thomas as a player development consultant for the Tampa Bay Lightning. And also because you can never have enough guys named "Stumpy" in your front office. [Lightning Strikes]

• Looking for the breakout team in 2010-11, and Yzerman's Lightning make the cut. Not sure what the Blue Jackets are doing there. [From The Rink]

• Finally, here's a commercial created by Flyers Goal Scored By ... that pimps the Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals rookie game this month. BABY FIGHT.

Colorful characters, revered championships, staged fights ... the rink shares plenty with the squared circle. So here at Puck Daddy, we've decided to preview the 2010-11 NHL season with the help of old-school wrestling icons, images and lingo. It's a slobber-knocker, Mean Gene ... 

Last Season (39-30-13; 91 points. 3rd in Northeast, 6th in the Conference)

In was the bad, the good and the ugly for the Bruins in 2009-10.

The bad: After finishing at the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference the previous year, the Bruins played wildly inconsistent hockey. They were fifth in the conference by the time the Fenway Winter Classic arrived; after that game, they went into a paralyzing 2-10-4 streak that jeopardized their playoff chances. On March 7, they lost center Marc Savard to a concussion via Matt Cooke's injurious blindside hit. That injury, and others to Milan Lucic and several defenseman, forced the Bruins to play until April 11 before clinching a playoff berth.

The good: Once in the playoffs, the Bruins upset the Buffalo Sabres in six games and then took a 3-0 lead on the Philadelphia Flyers, including a Game 1 victory that saw Savard return to score the game-winning goal in overtime.

The ugly:

In the summer, the Bruins made a big trade, used Brian Burke's pick to take the No. 2-rated rookie in the 2010 Draft and started preparing for what could be this group's (and this coach's) last great chance at a Stanley Cup.

New Additions

Pundits have been waiting years for Nathan Horton to find a way out of Florida and reach the potential his No. 3 overall pick in 2003 promised. The Bruins acquired him for the 15th pick in the 2010 draft, a third-rounder in 2011 and defenseman Dennis Wideman. He'll be slotted on a line with Milan Lucic and Marc Savard to begin camp, and at 25 could have a career year with the B's.

Forward Gregory Campbell also came over in the trade, ensuring that any NHL supplemental discipline issues involving the Bruins won't involve his father Colin.

The other key addition is forward Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 Draft and a player that could be the starting left winger on the Bruins' second line.

Seen by some as more "NHL ready" than his rookie rival Taylor Hall, Seguin is perhaps best known for his strategy for attempting to hook up with Lauren Conrad from "The Hills" while in Los Angeles for the Draft: "I'm just waiting for her to step through my hotel door and say, 'Hello.'"

Key Subtractions

One good indication that Dennis Wideman needed a change of scenery, after going from a plus-32 to a minus-14? Things like this were being written about him:

"He found it too tough to be a hockey player in Boston, where his apparent lack of the passionate work ethic essential to the success of any high-risk, high-reward defensemen in the NHL became too punitive for the Bruins to stay the course."

Yowch.

There may have been more departures during the summer, but everyone the Bruins wanted to trade either had a no-trade clause or an immovable contract; or a contract in a constant state of investigation by the NHL; or was named Michael Ryder.

Wrestler That Best Personifies the Team

Incredible expectations and potential for greatness that quickly transformed into shocking failure? Why, that's exactly what the 2009-10 Bruins and Lex Luger's WWF run looked like ... and the Bruins didn't even have an illegal steel plate surgically implanted in their forearms.

Forwards

The reversal of fortune for the Bruins' offense last season was one of the most shocking developments of 2010-11. Boston went from second in the NHL with 270 goals in the previous season to just 196 last year. The loss of Phil Kessel, injuries, general inconsistency ... it all contributed to the decline.

When healthy, this lineup would appear ready to reverse the trend. Marc Savard remains, for now, the team's No. 1 pivot and should have Lucic and Horton on his wings. Patrice Bergeron (52 points) may anchor the second line with the ageless Mark Recchi (18 goals) in the right and rookie Seguin on the left.

By the end of the season, David Krejci (52 points) was skating with Miro Satan and Marco Sturm. With Satan unsigned and Sturm out with a bum knee until mid-November, one expects Blake Wheeler (18 goals) to seem time on his wing. Michael Ryder (18 goals) will chip in as well.

Shawn Thornton remains the muscle in the lineup, and has a new 2-year deal.

Defense

Zdeno Chara won the Norris Trophy in 2009 but wasn't one of the three finalists last season. It wasn't for lack of quality play: He had 44 points and a plus-19, and led a defense that gave up exactly one more goal (191) than it did in the previous year (190). It was because the Bruins weren't the conference leader they were in the previous season. Chara's in a contract year; expect good things.

His partner should be Johnny Boychuk, who had 15 points in 51 games last season. Dennis Seidenberg could anchor a second pairing with Mark Stuart, unless Seidenberg's paired with Matt Hunwick. Andrew Ference, Hunwick, Adam McQuaid and others will vie for the last two.

Overall, it's a unit that seems like it's one more solid NHL top four defenseman away from being very good.

Goaltending

Tim Thomas signed a long-term contract and then saw his No. 1 goalie status slip to Tuukka Rask during January. Rask earned the gig with a 1.97 GAA and .931 save percentage in Claude Julien's system, which gave Thomas the Vezina in the previous season. Having both on the roster is a good thing for Rask, who will get a push from Thomas. In the figurative sense; not in, like, the Tim Thomas sense.

Match We'd Pay To Watch

Marc Savard vs. Matt Cooke in a brain-vs.-brain match, with the loser getting his cranium placed in a vice like that dude Pesci tortured in "Casino."

Breakout Player

Johnny Boychuk's going to see increased minutes and responsibility, and he's going to respond well to it. Because he's worked his ass off for the chance to make a difference on defense. From NESN:

"He made great strides this year," said general manager Peter Chiarelli after announcing the signing. "He was patient before he got into the lineup. He learned our system. He's got a dimensional shot. He competes. He's got size. But the biggest thing that I saw was that he's improved from being the Defenseman of the Year in the American League, to being our seventh D to start and working his way into our lineup patiently, but learning along the way."

We like the cut of his jib.

Potential Flop

If we had to chose one, it'd by Tyler Seguin. No, not on an Alex Daigle/Patrick Stefan level. He's going to be an outstanding pro. But asking a center from juniors to be your second-line left wing might be asking too much. Would it shock you to see Seguin start there and then gradually easy down the lineup, like what happened with Steve Stamkos's rookie season?

Finishing Move

Thomas may no longer be the Bruins' No. 1 goalie, but let's see Tuukka Rask take out a foe with a forearm shiver while Jack Edwards wipes the foam off the microphone. Only thing missing here is a goofy goalie-centric name for this finishing move ...

Special Teams

The Bruins were No. 22 on the power play (16.6 percent) during the regular season, but fourth overall in the postseason. Horton's addition should help, as should a healthy Savard. Their kill was third in the NHL with an 86.4 percent conversion rate, and all the major components (including forward Daniel Paille) are back.

Coach/GM

Julien wasn't the scapegoat for the Bruins' early struggles, and that paid off with a playoff berth and a first-round win. But now he's The Coach Who Lost a 3-0 Lead, and that's going to linger into this season. You fire Julien, you fire a coach and a philosophy for the team. He's not on the hottest of seats, but there's definitely a warming trend.

Peter Chiarelli tied his own hands with some high-priced, no-movement contracts that are still on the roster. Adding Horton was a coup; having another first-round pick from the Leafs is even better. There's still tinkering to be done here, but Chiarelli's built a solid contender. What he ends up doing with Marc Savard will be a definitive moment for the team.

2010-11 Preseason Report Card:

Forwards: A
Defense: B
Goaltending: B+
Special Teams: B
Coaching: B
Management: B+

Main Event or Dark Match? (Prediction)

Bruins are a playoff team with larger aspirations. There's no question they've got the talent up front and the goaltending in the back. The defense is in a bit of a transition, but you'll not find a better anchor than Chara. Health is always a concern, as is what the team plans to do for salary cap relief with Savard and Thomas. But the bottom line for Boston is this: They looked like a Cup winner in Julien's system two years ago and a underwhelming snore for most of last season -- will the real Boston Bruins please show themselves?

Entrance Music: Like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Milan Lucic makes the fans pop when the glass breaks. Unlike Stone Cold Steve Austin, he's never driven a Zamboni to the wrestling ring. We think.

Earlier this summer, Mike Comrie married his pop songstress/actress/arena eye-candy girlfriend Hilary Duff in a ceremony that didn't reach the Alcatraz-level security of the Fisherwood nuptials.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins gave the happy couple a late wedding present: a job.

Oh, and probably a chance to skate with Sidney Crosby. That too.

Agent Ritch Winter announced on The Team 1260 in Edmonton this morning that Comrie has signed a 1-year deal with the Penguins, which the team confirmed is for $500,000.

Yes, that's a tumble from his $1.25 million salary with the Edmonton Oilers last season, which in turn was a tumble from his $4 million base salary with the New York Islanders in 2008-09. No, this probably doesn't matter to Comrie, whose family is worth roughly $500 million.

In 568 career games, he has 167 goals, 192 assists, 359 points and 48 power-play goals. Comrie came up as a center but played a lot of left wing in the last two seasons.

Winter said on Team 1260 that Crosby's already phoned Comrie and that he expects Comrie will play left wing on a line with Sid. Which should be news to Chris Kunitz, also a left wing, who has played with Crosby for the last two seasons.

What this comes back to, however, is a classic knock on Crosby: That he can't develop chemistry with just anyone like, say, Mario could. We've seen it in his NHL career and we saw it in the Olympics. Comrie's a shrewd, cost-effective move for the Penguins; can he hang with Crosby to the point where he replicates Bill Guerin's numbers (21 goals, 24 points in 78 games) if not his intangibles?

If nothing else, he'll serve as a place-holder for Eric Tangradi as he continues to mature as the forward-of-the-future. 

It's a great opportunity for Comrie. Hope it's not blown. We'll be watching from the balcony.

While we believe the KHL would be much cooler if all of its goaltenders wore Alexandre Dumas-inspired iron masks, the Russian league doesn't suffer from a lack of artistic achievements on its goalies' noggins.

Hot Ice, a Russian hockey site, featured the Top 20 goalie masks in the KHL, and some of them are simply awesome: No. 16 Vitaly Kolesnik (Salavat Yulayev) looks like the Crusades by way of The Matrix; No. 15 Martin Prusek (Dynamo Riga) has one that honors U2. But No. 1 on the list ... well, just look at it:

A kitten.

A sweet, loveable kitten on the side of Vasiliy Koshechkin's mask. 

Koshechkin, currently with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL and a 2002 draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning, is a 6-foot-7, 231-pound man-mountain that nearly dwarfs the goal cage. So basically the last guy you'd expect would have kittens on his mask.

What's the deal with the cat fancy? Well, from the looks of things, his nickname may in fact be "The Cat," unless his mask signifies a personal achievement in spelling. But KK The Mook solves the kitten mystery via this info graphic created for yet another kitten mask he wore with the Russian junior national team:

Just so we're all clear here: He named the kitten on his mask, and believes it has feelings. Nah, goalies aren't a different breed at all, why do you ask?

(UPDATE: It's been mentioned in the comments and Dmitry confirmed that Koshechkin means "small cat" in Russian.)

Goalie masks can be intimidating, whimsical or odd windows into a goaltender's soul.  Or they can look like a box of kitty litter. One of the two. Assuming he's still rocking the feline on his mask, we wish Vasiliy Koshechkin the best of luck in the 2010-11 KHL season ... until shooters figure out they can beat him cleanly by rolling a ball of yarn or a felt mouse through the crease.

s/t the Russian Hockey Fans for the link.

It's been a frustrating hockey summer for several reasons; but the bright, shining distraction from it all was the Twitter rambling of Paul Bissonnnette of the Phoenix Coyotes.

An Ilya Kovalchuk joke gone wrong, after the Russian forward had his original contract with the New Jersey Devils rejected by the NHL, prompted Bissonnette to shut things down on his Twitter feed, which offered a steady diet of odd observations, edgy humor and photos of homeless men.

Some fans immediately began to blame the Coyotes for taking their beloved "BizNasty" away from them, but it turns out it was his agent who recommended that he step away from Twitter for a while.

That break lasted all of one month as Bissonnette made his long-awaited return to Twitter by announcing his newfound love for A&E's "Hoarders" television show and his adventures in buying a washer and dryer to relieve those duties from his mother. His new handle: @BizNasty2point0

We spoke with BizNasty, a former Pittsburgh Penguins winger, on Thursday night just as he was sitting down to dinner with teammate Scotty Upshall.

Enjoy.

Q. What made you come back to Twitter after your unexpected exit last time around?

BISSONNETTE: My agent thought it'd be a good idea if I shut it down. I think he got scared with the Kovalchuk comment and didn't want any bad publicity. It was all in good fun and I think everyone who was following it took it that way. He didn't want the League to get mad and fine me or suspend me for games because that's the last thing he'd want.

And then I talked to [Phoenix Coyotes PR man] Sergey ... he called me out of the blue and was like, "Hey, have you been telling people that we had to shut down your Twitter?" and I'm like, "No, I didn't say anything." They got a couple of emails about it, but they never told me to it.

Did the Coyotes or your agent give any restrictions for BizNasty 2.0?

I haven't told my agent. I don't know if he knows yet and I'm just waiting for the day I get a phone call from him. He doesn't usually call me unless there's contract negotiations, but I don't have those for another two years so I don't hear from the guy; so when I see his name pop up in my phone usually it's not good. It's usually I owe them money or [it's] about Twitter.

You announced your comeback plans last weekend on Facebook, but started a few days earlier than planned. How bad were you jonesin' to get going again?

My buddies were the ones that were like, "Man you gotta get back on it", so I pulled the trigger a little early, but it was good timing because there was a few funny things that happened before I left that were Twittable. (Ed. note: Like his battle with a baby and the date for which he used his father's mini van.)

Have you tried to get any of your Coyotes teammates to get on Twitter?

No, because we have married guys like [Shane] Doan ... they have kids and are so busy, so that's the last thing they'd care about. I've mentioned it in the locker room and they just kinda laugh, but the younger guys like Uppy (Scott Upshall) is a great Twitterer. Joffrey Lupul. Commie (Mike Commodore) is really into it.

(We took a short break as BizNasty ordered a dinner of tilapia with a side of penne.)

When you first joined Twitter, did you expect the reception you've gotten?

No, I didn't expect it. It's kinda cool. As long as you make someone laugh that's a pretty cool feeling, eh?

One of the popular aspects of your Twittering is your fascination with the homeless. Where did that come from?

I like it when they go above and beyond and have a fun sign and I'll obviously Tweet about it and always give them money or I usually try and buy them food -- that's the main thing -- so they don't go buy booze, but sometimes they're on the side of the highway.

If I sell 1000 shirts of the "Feed the Homeless" campaign, I'll get a tattoo of a bum on me.

Of a specific bum? Like one you've taken a photo of and Tweeted out?

No, your basic classic bum with a stick and probably smoking a cigarette.

You teamed up with Sauce Hockey to sell a line of T-shirts with proceeds going to Phoenix-area charities helping the homeless. Have you spoken with the Coyotes about getting any assistance with this?

Right now we're waiting until Don Maloney gets back to talk to and hopefully selling it in the team store, which would be huge. If not, maybe on the website and sell it outside the stadium before games.

Other promoting the "Feed the Homeless" campaign, do you have any plans for your Twitter use during the upcoming season? 

I'm gonna try and think of some new ideas and obviously the homeless thing. And hopefully get something else that people will embrace that will be a regular thing, like, say, "This week's edition of: The Homeless Guy" and put a picture of the "Homeless Guy of the Week" and find something new.

Because, obviously, everything gets old.

As an NHL coach, Ken Hitchcock's teams were known for their smothering defense.How fitting, then, that the former Columbus Blue Jackets coach is being lauded in Kelowna, British Columbia for grabbing and holding a shoplifter until public safety officials arrived on Wednesday morning.

According to the Kelowna Daily Courier, a 14-year-old boy shoplifted three pairs of shorts from Cruzwear Unlimited on Bernard Avenue, the "largest swimwear store in Western Canada." Cruzwear employee Sherrie Lessare grabbed the boy's backpack as he attempted to flee the store, and called for help.

Hitchcock, who vacations in Kelowna, was sitting in a parked car and sprung to action when he saw the struggle. Hitchcock and a motorcyclist pinned the shoplifter against a window.

From the Daily Courier (not available online):

The motorcyclist grabbed the teen's arm, but he broke away. Hitchcock straight-armed him against the window as he struggled. He continued holding the boy until members of Downtown On Call arrived. They banned the youth from the store and told him he'd face a trespassing charge if he returned.

Hitchcock returned to the store 30 minutes later to check on Lessare.  "There are awesome people out there," she said.

Lessare had no idea who Hitchcock was. She described him as "distinguished," tanned, wearing walking shorts and expensive white runners.

It's true: Lessare didn't know a guy with 533 career coaching victories, a Stanley Cup ring with the Dallas Stars and a gold medal from the Vancouver Olympics had thwarted a thief at her store. Even after she was told about his career, it didn't register: When her co-workers later asked about Hitchcock, Lessare told them he was "a head coach in the NFL ... Ken something."

On Thursday, Hitchcock's good deed started gaining fame. Hockey Canada tweeted a blog by hockey writer Gregg Drinnan that mentioned the incident. Phone calls started coming into the swimwear shop from reporters and radio stations asking about Hitchcock, who is still on the Columbus payroll after his tenure as coach ended last season. 

It's attention that Cruzwear Unlimited manager (and hockey fan) Sheri Rothwell appreciates, but wishes Hitchcock didn't have to endure.

"He was a nice enough guy to do it. But he was just another bystander helping someone out," she said, adding that the other Samaritan's name remains unpublicized even though he was the first person who stopped the shoplifter.

Kelowna is a popular summer spot for current and former pro hockey players, and Rothwell said having a former coach helping to stop a crime was anything but surreal.

Her concern is the attention the incident is receiving might deter Hitchcock or someone else from acting valorously in public. The coach has declined media inquiries about the incident.

"It's totally overblown [by the media]. He was just an innocent guy who helped her out and that's all that happened," said Rothwell, who added she hoped Hitchcock would call or visit the store again so they could express further gratitude in private.

"It just sucks being in the limelight."

Thanks to Pat Bulmer of The Daily Courier for additional information. 

What was it? What finally pushed restricted free agent Carey Price, 22, and the Montreal Canadiens to agree on a new two-year, $5.5 million contract?

Was it the Carey Price training camp "strike" talk earlier this week that his agent quickly denied and Price denied again Thursday?

Could it be the fact that Jaroslav Halak, the playoff hero who was traded to the St. Louis Blues as Montreal decided to keep Price, is returning to town this weekend for a charity autograph session and, we imagine, a media mobbing?

Were they worried about losing Price to the siren's song of professional rodeo?

(By the way, Price said Thursday his rodeo season is done, ruining the chance to see him take down a steer in the afternoon and stop a Buffalo at night.)

Whatever the motivation, it's finally done: The first year for $2.5 million and the second for $3 million. (s/t Tony Marinaro with the contract figures.) The $2.75 million cap hit is a full $1 million less than Halak's, who signed a four-year deal with the Blues.

On a conference call Thursday, Price said both sides "wanted [the contract] a little bit shorter" and that it was "an appropriate amount of time for length." He said the contract duration was something both sides "cleared up right away."

The two-year contract positions Price to be a restricted free agent again in 2012 and potentially sign his next contract under a new CBA -- just like it did for RFAs David Perron, Sam Gagner and Erik Johnson.

But for now, Price is the man between the pipes for Montreal, after Halak's trade cleared up the controversy.

"I didn't know what to expect. I thought it was 50/50," he said of the Habs' goaltending decision this summer.

Price acknowledged last season was a learning experience. Talking about how he shouldn't have been "down" emotionally as often as he was. Saying things like "ice time isn't given to you. It's earned."

The Canadiens made the Eastern Conference finals on the shoulders of a goaltender with whom they chose to part ways this summer. They enter this season putting their faith in a goalie that's lost his last eight postseason starts. Price, at the very least, seems to understand the bar may have actually been raised in a city where it's already higher than anywhere else in the NHL.

"There's always going to be challenges playing in Montreal, but the only challenges are the ones I put on myself," he said.

Donald Fehr doesn't have much to say about possibly leading the NHL Players' Association or how involved he has been in Ilya Kovalchuk saga.

The New York Post reported Thursday the 30 player reps who comprise the NHLPA's executive board held a conference call Wednesday night without voting whether to install Fehr as executive director.

The Post reported Fehr has given the executive board his conditions for employment, including a $1.5 million salary the rest of this year; a $3 million salary per year through the next round of collective bargaining, with the current agreement expiring in 2012; autonomy relating to union personnel decisions; the ability to hire Steve Fehr, his brother, with whom he worked with the Major League Baseball Players Association; and the ability to live in New York, even though the union is based in Toronto.

"I can say two things: There was no conference call last night, first of all,"  Fehr said when reached by phone Thursday. "And secondly, I have never discussed contents of discussions with players in baseball or anywhere else. So I couldn't comment on that one way or another. But there was no call last night."

The Sports Business Journal reported Aug. 25 that Fehr had agreed to accept the job as executive director. Several media outlets followed. Former NHL defenseman Chris Chelios -- once active in the union, now an advisor to hockey operations for the Detroit Red Wings -- said Tuesday as far as he knew Fehr would be there up to the CBA negotiations.

Asked to confirm the original report, Fehr said: "I don't know what that report was, but I'll tell you the same thing that I've told people since the beginning of the process: When there's an announcement to be made, it'll be made. Up until then, I won't have any comment."

Fehr has been working with the NHLPA as an advisor. The NHL has rejected one contract between Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils for circumventing the salary cap, and an arbitrator upheld the decision. The league is still reviewing a second contract between Kovalchuk and the Devils, and it is negotiating with the union over possible additions to the salary-cap rules.

Asked how involved he has been with that situation, Fehr said: "I'm aware of it. That's all I can say."

Is he advising?

"That's all I can say," Fehr said. "I don't discuss internal matters. I can't say more than that."

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.

• Marc Savard's agent Larry Kelly goes on offense about the Boston Bruins center's contract potentially being rejected by the NHL, making noise about a lawsuit and saying the following about Gary Bettman: "I'd really like to see a true-commissioner -style , someone who has the best interest of the game in mind rather than the situation they have now... Bettman is (more like) the president of the league and he clearly is on the owners side on every issue. I really think it should be a commissioner. With a commissioner you have somebody who is totally independent and I think it would be a much less acrimonious situation." [Hockey or Die]

• In praise of the San Jose Sharks' signing of Antti Niemi from John Grigg: "San Jose gets a proven playoff performer with something more to prove and Niemi gets a home on a top-notch squad that offers a real chance for him to exact some vengeance on Chicago." [THN]

• Jordan Staal will miss the start of Pittsburgh Penguins camp with a foot injury, but will be ready for the regular season and his inevitable, awkward shift to the wing (we assume). [Penguins]

• The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to get the fan-relations thing better than almost any other team in the NHL. This time, it's free tickets to students for an exhibition game at the new arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets. [Tribune-Review]

• One more from the 'Burgh: How many goals will Sidney Crosby score this season? [Behind The Net]

• Larry Brooks with another apparent scoop: The NHLPA didn't take a vote on Donald Fehr yet, because his demands are a bit much, including $3 million annually and a job for his brother. [NY Post]

• Good piece by Helene Elliott on NHL players and social media. [LA Times]

• Cam Neely will receive the 2010 Lester Patrick Award. If the inscription doesn't read "Sea Bass," we're stealing it and keying the thing ourselves. [Bruins]

• Client Jaroslav Halak is scheduled to make an appearance in Montreal this weekend to "thank the fans" and do some charity fund-raising. Here's a funny guide to Canadiens fan behavior for the event, in handy "do's and don'ts" format. [The Active Stick]

• "Botched hernia operation" are three words that should never go together. Be well, Jacques Demers. [QMI]

• Interesting post from Japers: The Southeast Division's top-10 goaltenders. [Japers' Rink]

• Lowetide is wondering if a Andrew Cogliano-to-the-Ottawa Senators trade could finally be in the works. [Lowetide]

• New York Islanders fans: Who is your favorite post-dynasty player? [Lighthouse Hockey]

• Tim Kennedy of the Rangers, on playing against the Buffalo Sabres on opening night: "After playing in the league last year, once you're in the league, you don't ever want to be out of it, because it's such a great experience and you're in a league that you've wanted to be in since you were 4 or 5. And then the first game that we play is against the Sabres, so that adds something to it. It's up there, and I'd be a liar if I said no. Yes, it does add something." [NYDN]

• The San Jose Sharks goaltending Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book. [Battle of Cali]

• Today's Twitter fun: 1980s Old-Skool Rap Hockey Fantasy Team Names. 'Pang Starr' killed us. [Twitter]

• Puck Daddy endorses KingsCast. Close your eyes: It's Joel McHale and Zach Galifianakis, right? [Frozen Royalty]

• Rich Hammond with a Ryan Smyth update for the Los Angeles Kings: "I played in an exhibition game and in a tournament game. I rolled my ankle in practice the next day near the post while going to the net. There are no side effects or pain for the long term. It healed up great and if we were playing today, I would be playing." [LA Kings Insider]

• Clever: New York Rangers Blog is having a reader-designed banner contest. [NYR Blog]

• Crazy conspiracies and the Ilya Kovalchuk contract battle. [Winging It]

• Doesn't anyone want Patrick O'Sullivan? [Edmonton Journal]

• Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel on goalie Steve Mason: "I think after that success in his first year, he got very busy in the offseason and probably didn't delegate the right amount of time to his training and it might have affected him early on in the season with the injuries. But he recognized that and it's one area he's looking after." [NHL.com]

• The big finish for On Goal Analysis' "The Next CBA" project. [OGA]

• Finally, Tom has a random rant about why the Phoenix Coyotes should stay in Glendale. We like the part where he talks to the people who have already turned off the video. This is actually 13 minutes long; a cat appears at nine minutes, right around when things start getting a little weird. Has anyone actually called the Coyotes "wussies"?

There are a few obvious choices as far as NHL coaches looking at the axe glistening above their heads this season. 

Todd Richards was brought in to help change the culture and philosophy of the Minnesota Wild; it's not outlandish to believe he could be gone if the offense sputters and the defense is as porous as last season.

Ron Wilson's job may have been saved last season by cronyism and the Olympics, but the Toronto Maple Leafs now have Dion Phaneuf and (finally) some expectations this season -- even if those expectations are to not give Boston a second consecutive top-two pick.

Seeing either of these guys' ass-on-curb wouldn't be a surprise.

ESPN's Scott Burnside has both of them, as well as John Tortorella of the New York Rangers, on his coaches' hot-seat list. (S/T Kukla.) But he also lists two others of interest: Marc Crawford of the Dallas Stars and Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals.

Crawford's first season was a bum one because the team underachieved and because former coach Dave Tippett was leading a bankrupt team to its best season in franchise history a few states over in the West. Burnside feels Crawford's make-or-break task is with young players:

One of the knocks on Crawford in his previous role as coach of the Los Angeles Kings was he didn't handle the team's young players properly. Crawford will have to prove that was either untrue or a blip on the radar, as the Stars' hopes ride on the shoulders of a young nucleus, including James Neal, Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson and Fabian Brunnstrom, among others.

Another reason to doubt Crawford's long for this team if it struggles: New ownership can sometimes mean new personnel, and Dallas will eventually have new ownership.

As for Boudreau, Burnside writes that it's all about the postseason:

One of the challenges for Boudreau (for our money, still the same quality coach who a year earlier won coach of the year honors) will be in keeping the gruesome memories of April at bay. It won't be easy given that nothing the team does during the regular season will be good enough. Only playoff success, and meaningful success at that, will push this talented team forward and dispel the notion that it's San Jose East.

Ouch. Burnside goes on to praise Boudreau's game management -- although we've seen him outcoached in the playoffs -- but notes that it all comes down to "keeping this squad on the right mental plane." It's something Ken Campbell of The Hockey News mentioned in a piece last spring that questioned Boudreau's future:

Boudreau has his strengths as a coach and perhaps it's those attributes that bring out the best in his players. But he's certainly not going to instantly become the hard-ass the coaching cycle of this team seems to require at the moment.

If the Capitals are out in the first round, there's real danger for Boudreau. He's well-liked, his regular-season numbers are great and management's supported him in the past; but he's not found the postseason success expected of him. Which kind of makes him the Evgeni Nabokov of coaches, if you wanted to continue the San Jose East meme -- and look where he ended up, comrade.

Hey, maybe Tortorella will be available, if one is in the market for a hard-ass.