Your savory breakfast links:
- The latest labor-related news, non-news and assorted whatnot:
- On the end-game timeline and what that might leave us with. [Trib, mc79hockey]
- So how did we get to this point, anyway? [ESPN]
- And how might the League and its players begin the recovery process? [ESPN, Puck Daddy]
- However you do it, NHL and NHLPA, do it soon. Chinatown is really feeling the squeeze. [WaPo]
- Oh noes! Nicklas Backstrom took a hit from a Slovan player and fell awkwardly into the boards, then had his neck iced by a Dynamo trainer before leaving the bench. The team has announced that he sustained “a bruise” and will be able to play on Friday against Zdeno Chara and Lev Praha. [Sportbox.ru, RMNB]
- Matt Hendricks was debriefed upon his return from the USO tour. [WashTimes]
- Gillette has renewed its contract with Alex Ovechkin through 2013, ‘cos everyone is crazy ’bout a sharp-shaved man. [Alex Ovetjkin]
- Oh right – he may have scored a goal yesterday. [Alex Ovetjkin]
- And his Tsarina scored some sweet, sweet Christmas swag. [@mkirilenko]
- Braden Holtby is in the ZONE this December. Holtbeast pitched his third shutout in his past five games. [Patriot-News, Caps Outsider, SHoE, and the Baby Pens’ view at Penguins Insider]
- The Reading Royals drop the puck for their first post-Xmas game tonight vs. Trenton. They are first in their conference and second in the League, behind only the Alaska Aces. Here’s a real nice recap of how they got here. [Queen of Dekes]
- Dispatches from the World Juniors:
- Filip Forsberg scored the final Sweden goal in a 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic … [RMNB]
- … and seemed to be in a pretty good mood in his post-game intervju. [SVT.se (video, in Swedish)]
- … the powerplay paved the way. [Hockeysverige (in Swedish]
- Team USA faces Germany this morning at 9:00am Eastern, broadcast live on NHL Net. [College Hockey News, Fantasy Hockey Scouts, THW, WashTimes]