Hitting The Links: Before October Comes September Edition

ONE MORE MONTHHHHHHHHH!!!!11

No seriously, happy September you guys. The sooner this offseason is over, the better.

After the jump - the NHL says goodbye to its third tough guy this summer, how to stay entertained on a Saturday night at home, Sheriff Shane hangs 'em up - and bad news about Marc Savard.

• Starting off here with two things that have already been fanshotted, but they're worth mentioning again in case people missed them. First, the fun one: Shane Hnidy announced his retirement from hockey - and then turned around and revealed that he'll be the Winnipeg Jets' radio color guy this season! Good on you, Sheriff. [Sun]
• Also fanshotted yesterday - Marc Savard will not play this year, according to Peter Chiarelli. No surprise; still not good. He WILL be getting his name on the Cup though. [Globe]
• The Stanley Cup, after heading to Vermont on Saturday, will be in Beverly, MA on Sunday. [Wicked Local]
• Daniel Sedin is still haunted by Brad Marchand (who, consequentially, is still without a contract) and losing in the finals. Poor creepy Swede. [Gazette]
• If you have nothing to do this Saturday night, why not join in on another SBN blog's Retro Watch-A-Long post, especially since they're all watching a game against the Bruins and it's free to stream online? [SLGT]

NHL News:

• Bad things come in threes. Devastatingly, this summer that 'bad thing' has been NHL player deaths. Rest in Peace, Wade Belak. [TSN]
• How about some good news, for a change? Ben Fanelli, a junior hockey player who almost died at the age of 16 in 2009, has made his return to the OHL Rangers this week. [The Record]
• The OHL is taking the lead in player safety, mandating soft-cap pads for this season. The NHL really should follow suit. [Buzzing the Net]
• Alex Ovechkin isn't fat, really! [TSN]
• Solutions are expected when the Vancouver riot reports are released today. Oh boy. [CTV]
• Ryan Kesler vs. the New York Jets' Mangold: two OSU alums perfecting their trade on the field - photobombing. [Puck Daddy]
• Scott Neidermeyer's number will be retired by the Devils. [Sporting News]
• Vesa Toskala is headed back to Finland to play for his (and Tuukka Rask's) old SM-Liiga team, Ilves Tampere. [PHT]
• Negotiations resumed between the Kings and defenseman Drew Doughty. [ESPN]

Non-Hockey Link of the Day:

• Wedding photos and zombies: obviously the two go together like cake and ice cream. Or shotguns and brains, as the case may be. [Badass Digest]