Ryan Getzlaf’s sad truth about NHL lockout; women’s hockey in Iran (Puck Headlines)

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.

• Phuthbert sighting! The stunning Elisha Cuthbert and apparent serial killer Dion Phaneuf attend 'VH1 Divas' 2012 at The Shrine Auditorium in LA.

• Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks on whether he’s confident there will be a season: “I'm not confident at all. I've tried to be confident through this whole thing and the fact is it seems every time we try to come close, they push away. So, until they're willing to come close, then there is nothing to be positive about. It's a sad truth, but that's a fact. Unless they have a timeline that I don't know about, that their all the sudden one day say ‘okay, we'll try and work it out', then, until then, it's not looking great.” [Anaheim Calling]

• Shawn Horcoff on the NHLPA decertifying: "I’ve been in conference calls with 200-300 players. We just feel at this point the union has done everything they can for us and we’re not getting anywhere. It’s time for us to go in a different direction." [ESPN]

• Sportsnet’s legal expert Rob Becker on the NHLPA potentially filing a disclaimer of interest: “I doubt the players' strategy will lead to a quick end to the lockout in their favour. But ironically what might happen is that Judge Engelmayer, who, unlike mediators, has the power to threaten the parties with consequences if they do not act reasonably, may take the players and their lawyers into a conference room and say, ‘are you kidding me? I may have only been a judge since last year, but I wasn't born yesterday. I know that you guys still look to the union to guide and lead you in this labour dispute. And that's exactly why it's the same labor dispute it's always been. So if you think that when you guys file antitrust suits in my court I'm gonna enjoin the lockout, guess again!’” Would a judge really say that? [Sportsnet]

• A source from the NHLPA side, to Joe Haggerty: “In most negotiations both sides will give a reason why they’re standing pat on certain issues. They’ll tell you why they need something. With the NHL all you hear them say at the table is 'because that’s what we need' when you try to find out what their thinking is. They don’t want to have give-and-take to negotiations, and that can be difficult to deal with.” [CSNNE]

• Cam Cole brings the truth: “there’s a whole sub-stratum suffering here: Single-mom ushers, concession workers, ticket sellers and popcorn hawkers, “non-essential” team front office employees, bar-and-grill operators, waiters and parking attendants ... and real charities, not just the few you hear about, that NHL hockey legitimately supports. I wonder if the two sides view most of them as parasites, living off the avails of the owners’ investment and the players’ sweat? Or perhaps as collateral damage. Sad, of course, but inevitable.” [Van Sun]

• The best and worst AHL logos. The Connecticut Whale ranks last. “It's everything that's bad about minor hockey logo design.” [Icethetics]

• There was chatter that Brooks Laich of the Washington Capitals returned home from Europe with an injury. Not so, says his agent. [Whyno]

• The Huffington Post shamelessly trolls for clicks. I.E. here’s a story on Paulina Gretzky’ birthday. [HuffPo]

• Katie Baker’s NHL mailbag is filled with sadness and frustration. [Grantland]

• NOT HOCKEY but utterly amazing Colin Kaepernick rap by a little girl. [KSK]

• Finally, here’s a feature on inline hockey in … Iran? No one tell Sid. (Also, a women’s team. Awesome.)