Top Line: Latest on Erik Karlsson's injury, Kane plays race card, more links
Erik Karlsson's Achilles tendon injury was a huge blow to the gifted player and his team. (Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)
By Allan Muir
A guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• Erik Karlsson's gruesome injury means the season's already over for Ottawa.
• Evander Kane plays the race card. Yeah, this is going to end well.
• Families are tearing themselves apart...over Winnipeg Jets tickets.
• Here's the great Dave Stubbs on the the maturation of Carey Price and his partnership with goaltending coach Pierre Groulx. Meanwhile, Jack Todd wonders if the Habs are tough enough to assert themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
• The four entities involved in getting NHL players to Sochi for the 2014 Olympics meet today in New York.
• Good guy Andrew Brunette finally made his retirement official and took a new job with the Minnesota Wild as hockey ops adviser.
• Rookie center J.T. Miller plays his fifth game for the Rangers tonight. Will it be his last of the season?
• Someone (ahem, Rhett Warrener) flipped Jarome Iginla's compete switch and Mike Cammalleri returned after missing three games with a wrist injury to score three goals, including the 200th of his career, in Calgary's 7-4 win over the Stars.
• Of course, Dallas was playing the second half of a back-to-back, and that might be the closest thing to a gimme in the NHL.
• The surprising Maple Leafs took a page out of former New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire's defensive handbook.
• Lots to like about Boston's hot start, including a "snarling, aggressive penalty kill" that's clicking at 93.5 percent.
• Here's a nice story out of Chicago about the Blackhawks making a dying fan's wish come true.
• Is Todd Bertuzzi's career over? The 38-year-old had to be hospitalized for back pain, and surgery is being mentioned as an option. This is a chronic issue for the irascible winger. You have to wonder how much longer he wants to battle it. The Wings were also without Johan Franzen last night.
• The Ducks keep on winning, but are they developing an identity along the way? Meanwhile, Jonas Hiller is improving and could return to action by this weekend.
• Winnipeg's top prospect, Mark Scheifele, is looking pretty good since being returned to Barrie.
• Harvey is the best mascot in the NHL. Thread closed.
• Outdoor hockey alert! Minnesota and Wisconsin head to Chicago for the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic at Solider Field on Sunday. About time they get to see some decent hitting in that place.
• Looking for the perfect soundtrack for your Valentine's Day rendezvous? Dallas Stars' PA announcer Jeff K. offers up this Spotify mix of swinging sounds for young lovers.