As we all come down from the sugar rush that is the Stanley Cup Final, many hockey fans will begin to despair over the prospect of a long off-season. Don't worry, fellow puck-heads, there is plenty going on around the league over the next several weeks, certainly enough to keep you engage and looking ahead to the 2011-12 season, which will be here before you know it.
Next week, for example, we'll have the NHL Awards, the release of next season's schedule, and the NHL Entry Draft. Shortly after that, free agency kicks off on July 1, and along the way locally we'll have the Development Camp... so we'll be plenty busy around here for sure.
Heck, just check out all the news & notes that have cropped up since this morning, after the jump!
Father's Day Gift Idea #1: The Stanley Cup | Hockey Gear HQ
Give the gift of the Stanley Cup for Father's Day 2011; that way Dad won't have to grow a beard & battle the toughest hockey players in the world to earn one!
Nashville Predators News
Paul McCann - Marshall Update and Random Thoughts...
Paul touches all the bases, including a check on a young cancer battler and Predators fan.
Preds On The Glass: POTG Friday Headlines, News, and Morning Links
Buddy spent the first off-night of hockey season in some alien land called "outside".
Predators hope to gain star forward - Fox Sports Tennessee
An Alex Radulov might, possibly, someday if he feels like it, come back story. Nothing new here.
Around the NHL
Eulogy: Remembering the 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks - Puck Daddy
You knew this was coming...
Boston Bruins Appear On TODAY Show With Stanley Cup - SBNation.com
See, there's one benefit of having the NHL on NBC...
Preds On The Glass: NHL Network Will Carry Boston's Victory Parade on Saturday (Press Release)
See, there is some hockey-TV this weekend!
Sports Radio Interviews - Alan Thicke, One of the More Famous Sitcom Characters of Yesteryear, Is a Huge Hockey Fan With Opinions on the Vancouver Riots
I know I haven't been able to sleep lately, wondering what Alan Thicke had to say about the riots. His first sentence in this interview, actually, is appalling.
Sports Radio Interviews - Gary Bettman On Vancouver Riots: "It’s really a shame that a city can be given this type of attention. It’s really regrettable."
The Commish joined The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN New York the other day.
Trending Topics: Bruins GM won Cup by resisting temptation - Puck Daddy
Patience is a virtue? You don't say...
Bourne Blog: When the NHL lockers empty for the summer - Puck Daddy
Hockey players don't exactly dig ditches in the summer any more.
Down Goes Brown: A period-by-period look back at the Stanley Cup finals
Who needs video highlights?
Tomas Vokoun wants to come to Colorado…because he wants to win a Cup? | All Things Avalanche
Um, maybe something got lost in translation?
Rangers Breaking News: Drury's Knee May Halt A Buyout - Blueshirt Banter
You can't buy out an injured player, so the Rangers may end up putting their captain on Long Term Injured Reserve instead.
Wild Officially Announce Mike Yeo as Head Coach - Hockey Wilderness
Getting comfortable with the idea of a young, inexperienced head coach in Minnesota.
Team Rankings: NHL Done IIHF Style - Puck Worlds
Strange, but interesting stuff.
Draft tracker: 5 questions with Sean Kuraly, Indiana Ice - Buzzing The Net
Here's a look at a mid-round prospect who molds his game after Mike Fisher.