Fresh Links: What The Bucket Edition

And the Ice Bucket Challenge in honor of Pete Frates and the fight against ALS continues! Bruins (and friends) are soaking their heads all over North America:

• Here's some background on the Challenge as it sweeps through the Boston area. It is peer pressure, but in a good way. [Boston.com]
• Cheeky Johnny Boychuk challenged Patrice Bergeron, Daniel Paille, and also CSNNE's Joe Haggerty. Haggs wasted no time in responding, and in turn called upon Shawn Thornton. [CSNNE]
• Patrice Bergeron complied, and called upon Zdeno Chara and Reilly Smith. [YouTube]
• Daniel Paille did likewise, challenging in turn Dougie Hamilton and Adam McQuaid. [YouTube]
• Kevan Miller has accepted Matt Bartkowski 's challenge. [YouTube]
• Gregory Campbell is prepared to make the move to wing if needed to make room for a youngster. He does not necessarily feel the "Merlot Line" type of fourth line is gone forever.  [WEEI]
• Malcolm Subban is prepared to put in the time in the pipeline to bigger things, and the Bruins included the young pro in their develpment camp this year to allow time with players his own age and with Goalie Bob Essensa. [Bruins.NHL]
• Guess which Swedish Bruin earned a shoutout in this piece naming underpaid NHL players? [CaptainsHockey]
• Daniel Paille has returned to Brattleboro, VT to lend his efforts in support of the High 5 Edge of Leadership program.  (In fact, the notes in his Ice Challenge video indicate that it was filmed here.) [WCAX] You may recognize the facility from an episode of "Behind The B" filmed last September. [High5]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• The arbiters of taste at the Village Voice look down their noses at the Bruins' goal song. At least the Winnipeg Jets are also dissed here. [VillageVoice]
• What better way to spend the off season than playing golf... miniature golf! Boston area courses include one that celebrates its creator, a certain Bruin left winger, with a memorial hole. [TheBostonGlobe]
• These NHL free agents are likely at the end of their NHL career arcs, and the list includes several former Bruins. [SportsIllustrated]
• You may recognize one of the AHL Rampage players as a UVM Catamount and cousin of Andy Brickley. And by the beard of Zanon, there are also former Bruin NHL veterans for depth! [LitterBoxCats]
• Former Providence Bruin Nicolas Tremblay may no longer be playing hockey, but his future in finance looks bright. He earned his BS and Master's degree at Clarkson in only four years! (Google translation form French) [Finance-Investissement]
• "You can't do that..." a Russian U16 player broke her stick over the helmet of her American opponent, who thanked Warrior for her "Russian-proof " helmet. [PuckDaddy]
• Ja, mon! Will Cool Skatings be next for Team Jamaica at the Olympics? [TheColorOfHockey]
• Here is detailed look at how the NHL Department of Player Safety scrutinizes and assesses possible supplemental discipline. [NHL]
• Take heart in the success of Brett MacLean, who suffered a sudden cardiac event two years ago during an off-season pick-up game. [FiveForHowling]
• Have a deeper look into the "she-conomy" driving female NHL fan spending, what the NHL could learn from Sochi, why broadcasting could use more broads, and other observations. [HockeyBroad]
• In another post to his blog series, Paul Stewart addresses the "Make-up Call." [HuffingtonPost]
• An unlikely-monikered Oilers blogger is the Deep Throat of NHL fancystats. Elliotte Friedman is on the case. [CBCSports]
• With all this progress in bringing statistics to the NHL, it is time to shoot for the next level. [TheScore]
• Teemu Selanne has offered Jokerit his services with a hometown discount... kindasorta. [TheScore]