Puck Headlines: Will the Ducks or Red Wings play angrier?

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.

• Chris Chelios(notes) owes more than $78,000 in delinquent property taxes, interest and fees; he blames it on his accounting firm, and will pay the bill by the end of the week. C'mon, Cheli -- this is NBA behavior. [Detroit News]

• Heading into tonight's critical Game 4, both the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings seem to believe they have a "Hulk smash!" level of anger for motivation. For the Ducks, it means rallying behind fallen defenseman James Wisniewski(notes) and getting steamed about the elbow he received from Tomas Holmstrom(notes) after taking a puck to the lungs. Said Mike Brown: "To already be pretty badly injured, then take an extra elbow by someone (Holmstrom) who's talking all the time, trying to get in everyone's face, it's pretty bad." [Y! Rumors/LA Times]

• The Wings, meanwhile, are trying to move past getting absolutely jobbed by referee Brad Watson on Marian Hossa's(notes) game-tying-goal-that-wasn't in Game 3 ... but Coach Mike Babcock was still agitated about what Michael Wilbon called "the foulest of the foul. I mean, you can compile a list of the 10 greatest hose jobs you've ever seen and this makes the top half." [Freep]

• In defense of referee Brad Watson, who is a decent upstanding gentleman that seems incapable of doing his job during this postseason. [Vancouver Province]

• That stupid $25,000 fee to place a Detroit jersey on a statue has been waived. [Snapshots]

• The Florida Panthers broadcast without Dennis Potvin? Sucks. [Litter Box Cats]

• If there's a better quote in the Stanley Cup playoffs than the one Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo(notes) gave about his injury, we haven't seen it. When asked whether it was an ankle, knee or groin, Salo replied: "That's close. Or maybe it's just a burning sensation when you pee ... You never know." Wow ... come to think of it, would an STD be categorized as a lower body injury by NHL media relations? [Province, H/T Dave McBrayer]

• The Third Man In is a bit critical of one Chicago Blackhawks defenseman in their series against the Canucks: "As the co-founder and president of the Duncan Keith(notes) Admiration Society, I have to admit I'm dumbfounded at the amount of times Duncan has fallen to the ground without getting hit. Do we need to bring out the double rudders?" [TMI]

• Could Craig Billington be the new general manager for the Colorado Avalanche? Garth Snow, Craig Billington ... there might yet be hope for Dan Cloutier(notes). Assuming he owns a suit. [Denver Post]

• The Ottawa Senators have signed Erik Karlsson, a 19-year-old blue chip defenseman who could fit right into the lineup before he's scape-goated and sent down to the AHL next season. [Silver Sevens]

• Taylor Pyatt(notes) of the Vancouver Canucks finally speaks to the media about his journey back to hockey after the loss of his fiancée. Honestly, if Vancouver wins the Cup this season, he should be second in line for the skate after Captain Loo. [Sun Media]

• Tired of wearing contact lenses during the game, Philadelphia Flyers forward Simon Gagne(notes) gets laser eye surgery. Wonder how many NHL players wear contacts. And what the ratio is in comparison to how many wear fashion glasses when hanging out with fashion industry friends after Rangers games away from the rink. [Philly.com]

• It's a sad day for those who appreciate the quirkiness of minor league uniforms. The Phantoms, formerly of Philly and temporarily of Glens Falls, have dropped the purple from their jerseys in favor of synergy with the parent Flyers. Boo. [Broad Street Hockey]

• Analyzing the performance of Chris Drury(notes), and asking whether the New York Rangers need a new captain next season. You can't spell Wade Redden(notes) without a 'C'. Oh, wait, yes you can. [Blueshirt Banter]

• Globe & Mail columnist Allan Maki on the Phoenix Coyotes/NHL showdown: "Balsillie has made his move, Bettman has been caught vulnerable and the Stanley Cup playoffs are taking a back seat to the intrigue. If he loses this battle, consider the commissioner finished. Many will say it should have happened years ago." We're still convinced that after the robot apocalypse, they'll find cockroaches, Twinkies and Gary Bettman explaining why the NHL has the best fans in the world. [Globe & Mail]

• Mirtle had a nice piece about the Coyotes collapse and how the fans get caught up in messes like this ... even if the fiscal realities of the situation point to relocation as the primary solution. [From the Rink]

• Damien Cox asks if a successful franchise in Phoenix could be more valuable than a successful franchise in southern Ontario. [Toronto Star]

• Mike Heika talks up Jussi Jokinen(notes) for the Conn and says that a Carolina Hurricanes victory over the Boston Bruins would be the biggest upset of the playoffs thus far. Which just goes to show how much the San Jose Sharks command respect these days. [Dallas Stars Blog]

• Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe thinks the Boston Bruins are in trouble if they can't beat Cam Ward(notes) on a human night for the goalie ... [Globe]

• ... and Ryan also pisses off Caniac Nation by saying the RBC Center crowd wasn't all that impressive. [The Buzz]

• Finally, we mentioned that Wilbon quote about Wings/Ducks. Here's the PTI segment: