Top Line: More ugly cheap shots; Martin Jones of Kings still perfect; more links

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:

• Adam Oates thought this was a good hit. George McPhee loved it. I suspect their feelings might be somewhat different if the player on the receiving end in the video above had been Alex Ovechkin instead of Brayden Schenn. Gotta believe there's supplemental discipline coming for this one. Schenn turns slightly just before contact is made, and that might mitigate the actual sentence, but this is a nasty, reckless hit that was all about causing maximum damage rather than separating a player from the puck. My guess is that we won't see Wilson again until well after Christmas.

• Give the Red Wings credit: you didn't hear anyone step up to defend this Kyle Quincey hit on Ryan Getzlaf. It was less vicious, but no less dangerous. Have to believe that Brendan Shanahan will want to talk with the Detroit defender after this one.

• Steve Simmons writes that the latest injury suffered by Montreal enforcer George Parros illustrates the continuing human tragedy that results from allowing fighting to continue in hockey. Even as a pro-fighting advocate, I'll admit that Simmons makes the case against fighting as eloquently as anyone.

• Jarome Iginla says that the gruesome finger injury he suffered on Saturday night kinda freaked him out, but "it looked worse than it was." From this, I surmise that Iginla has a different standard for gauging the severity of injuries than I do.

• Martin Jones earned his third shutout in six starts as his record in the NHL remained perfect. He's got his eyes set now on Bob Froese's record of eight consecutive wins to start a career.

• Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Tuesday that he won't make changes simply to silence his critics. That makes sense. What he might want to consider, though, is making changes because his team can't hold a third-period lead against the Sabres. Patience, faith, trust ... these are all necessary qualities for a general manager, but a functioning nose is important, too. If his can't detect the stench coming off his team this season, he might want to get his schnozz checked out.

• The Devils have won just two of their last seven games, but the players have circled the wagons, saying they'd rather fix things themselves than see someone brought in through a trade.

• Coach Mike Babcock called the Wings, "a fragile group" after they rolled over too quickly again at home on Tuesday night. George Malik has had enough with the injury excuses and makes a good observation about the play of Pavel Datsyuk since his return from injury.

• TSN's insiders talk Team Canada, NHL expansion and Brad Marchand's behavior, among other topics, in this recap of Tuesday night's intermission segment.

• Steve Yzerman and Kevin Lowe were in Dallas last night, and it probably wasn't to have their Stetsons reblocked. Matt Duchene made a good impression on the Team Canada bosses, but Jamie Benn missed his chance to make a compelling case for his inclusion. Even if you're not all that interested in Team Canada's choices, you need to follow that second link for the latest dose of Mike Heika's postgame genius. As always, well worth your time.

• Dustin Brown kicked off the Drew Doughty-for-Norris Trophy campaign yesterday by saying the Kings' blueliner controls games the way Nick Lidstrom used to in his prime.

• Take a look at the numbers that Justin Peters has put up over his last 12 starts and you'll understand why the Hurricanes can't risk putting him through waivers now that Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin are both healthy. The team needs to make a deal, and the speculation is that Peters is on the market. I have to wonder, though, if that's the right call. I'm a big fan of Khudobin and his potential, but he's been in the organization for less than six months. Peters is a Carolina pick who has played his way up the ladder. I know who I'd stick with.

• Here's a fascinating look at why Sidney Crosby is impossible to knock off the puck. Be sure to click through to the training video. Think it's time I drag the ol' Bosu ball out of the garage.

• Was it really only Saturday that we thought the maple Leafs might have turned things around with their big win over the Hawks? Toronto has been embarrassed twice since then, including last night's 3-1 loss to the Panthers, and even coach Randy Carlyle is willing to call it a crisis. The question now: who on this team steps up to lead the turnaround?

• Mike Smithembarrasses himself. Again. A couple of officials are probably not feeling a great amount of pride right now, too.

• Adam Proteau looks back at the participation of Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and other hockey stars in the making of the Tears Are Not Enough famine relief effort.

• Hockey Canada surprised observers yesterday by naming former Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen to take over the national women's team just eight weeks away from Sochi. It's almost a no-win situation, especially for someone with almost no experience with the women's game and the expectation of gold that comes with this gig, but Dineen is an intriguing choice.

• The girls did their part to make his transition a little easier: