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Parise prepping for World Cup; NHL arbitration history (Puck Headlines)

Josh Cooper

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.

• Our friend Jeff Marek with All-Star Game MVP John Scott. [Jeff Marek]

• Zach Parise has no doubt he will be ready to play in the upcoming World Cup of Hockey for Team USA. Parise is recovering from a back injury that kept him out of last year’s playoffs. [NHL]

• How Wayne Gretzky almost ended up on the Philadelphia Flyers instead of the Los Angeles Kings in 1988. [CSN Philly]

• Dan Craig, the NHL’s senior facility operations director, will work with the Edmonton Oilers to get the ice ready for next month’s opening at Rogers Arena. Craig started his career with the Oilers before moving onto the NHL to become their ice guru. [CBC]

• NHL arbitrators have a long history of making important decisions with large ramifications. [The Hockey News]

• Why would Sportsnet let go of hockey analyst Mike Johnson? On Wednesday it was reported that the company decided to part ways with the veteran analyst. [Edmonton Journal]

• For NHL players, love of the Canadian band Tragically Hip runs deep. [Sportsnet]

• The New Jersey Devils signed restricted free agent left wing Reid Boucher to a one-year, two-way contract worth $715,000 at the NHL level. [New Jersey Devils]

• Tracking different types of passes that occur in the offensive zone that lead to shots in NHL games. [NHL Numbers]

• How did the Toronto Maple Leafs handled shootouts last season? A deep dive into the Leafs’ methods in the breakaway contest. [The Leafs Nation]

• MSG Networks announced that Brendan Burke will be the new play-by-play announcer for the New York Islanders, replacing Howie Rose, who had been calling Islanders game since 1995. Burke will team with Islanders Butch Goring to call all the action for the 2016-17 Islanders campaign. Burke had called games with the Utica Comets since 2013. [Islanders]

• What has former Calgary Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr been up to since he officially retired? [Calgary Flames]

• Five reasons why P.A. Parenteau should play on the right wing of John Tavares with the Islanders. [Lighthouse Hockey]

• New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan talks about growing up in Carp, Ontario. “A self-proclaimed “Carp Lad”, De Haan currently resides in one of the biggest cities in the world but spends his Summers back home where the biggest event every year is the famous Carp Fair.” [Gong Show]

• What would happen if this now intricately built Carolina Hurricanes team was subjected to a blockbuster trade that ripped out a couple of key pieces? What if those pieces were replaced with slightly older but more proven pieces? And what if one of the two main holes identified by fans and pundits alike is filled? [Canes Country]

• Darker goalie pads are here to stay. Just because they look smaller doesn’t mean they are smaller. [Today’s Slapshot]

• Who are the top 200 fantasy prospect forwards? Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews ranks high on this list. [Dobber Hockey]

• A roundtable discussion of NHL17 beta. What are some of the early impressions of the game? [Operation Sports]

• Finally, The Nashville Predators office staff is getting antsy.