sportsjabber.net

Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz believes Alex Ovechkin(notes) intentionally hurt defenseman Brian Campbell(notes) and that players should be suspended as long as the players they injure are out: “If any one of our great players put Ovechkin out for the season, he should be out for the season, too.” Which is usually what management says before one of his guys makes an asinine decision, puts an opponent out for a year and then has to backtrack by saying his guy “isn’t that kind of player.” [ESPN Chicago, via Kukla]

• The best protection for the Blackhawks isn’t the second coming of Bob Probert, but a killer good power play. [Rosenblog]

• Heartwarming story from Atlanta: Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron(notes) visited injured Matt Brown in the hospital, a 15-year-old high-school player who suffered a broken neck during a game this season. He gave him a signed Bruins jersey, let him see his Olympic gold and gave him encouragement about rehabbing from the injury. Great stuff. [Fox Boston and WEEI]

• The Nashville Predators will surpass 14,000 fans per game on average, satisfying one of their requirements for full revenue sharing and team officials are optimistic they’ll hit the other requirements. This franchise, and this fan base, is well overdue for a playoff run; is this is the year? [Tennessean]

• What’s wrong with the San Jose Sharks? Coach Todd McLellan tells Pierre LeBrun: “We’re chasing the game, I think is the best way of putting it. … We’re not sure if we need to play well defensively or if we need to open up offensively, and as a result, we’re doing neither. So I think we’ve got to go back to the basics and take care of our end.” Again, silver lining: They’re doing this before the playoffs for a change. [ESPN]

• From Mark Purdy: “If the Sharks’ master plan is to make sure that absolutely no one picks them to win the Stanley Cup this spring … well, excellent job, men. [Mercury News]