Tim Panaccio spoke to a Western Conference scout who’s convinced the glass used behind the goals is causing injuries.

The scout told Panaccio the puck bounces off of the glass too hard and too fast, forcing goalies and defensemen to constantly swivel to follow the puck as it shoots over the net toward the stands and then back toward center ice.

The scout says the NHL should go back to mesh behind the nets.

Panaccio chimes in to remind us that the boards used to give a lot more, too, which is fairly obvious to anyone watching an old game on TV. Guys are checked and the ice expands about a foot. In the 1970s, if you had the right guys checking at the right moment, you could probably convert an NHL-size sheet into an Olympic sheet — at least for a few seconds.

You hear a fair number of these kinds of observations every year. Which makes me wonder how the NHL is tracking injuries. Does it have some kind of data-driven method to see if a fair number of injuries are coming off of shots off of the goal glass? Is the NHL talking to scouts and trainers and then investigating their theories? And is there any reason not to share this information?

Because it’s easy to condemn the league for sticking with glass that’s causing injuries. But for all we know, the league looked into this, and it just isn’t the case. But without the NHL reporting its findings, people continue to blame things like glass and boards.

While I see the scout’s point about the goalie glass, I’m not sure players were any safer chasing a puck behind the net, either. But if the NHL knows which way is safer for players, the league isn’t sharing it with fans, many of whom play the game and might actually want to know how best to set up their own rinks.

The NHL takes a lot of guff for its handling (or mishandling) of player safety, but we really don’t have many ways to quantitatively know if these accusations are accurate. If the NHL is tracking injuries in a data-driven way, it would be great if they shared their findings with everyone. And if they’re not tracking injuries, even in an anecdotal manner, maybe it’s time to start.

Player safety shouldn’t hinge on the right scout reporting the right observation to the right sportswriter.

Vanity Fair has an interesting piece on John Hughes, the iconic director who died in August.

In addition to being a huge 80s director, Hughes was also a big hockey fan. In fact, one of his last public appearances might have been the Wings/’Hawks Winter Classic.

The article points out some cool things, like how in FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF, despite being from Chicago, Cameron wears a Gordie Howe jersey the whole movie. Hughes was a big Howe fan, having lived in Michigan until he was 12.

Hughes’ friendship with the beloved John Candy was also partially based upon a mutual love of hockey: “Candy, though he was from Toronto rather than Chicago, led a life similar to Hughes’s: big hockey fan, big family man, strong marriage, two young kids.”

Candy owned a farm, which inspired Hughes to do the same. He named it Redwing Farms. Even more inspired, the farm was in Illinois.

I’m not a huge fan of Hughes film work. Like everyone, I’ve seen his movies, but they didn’t really change my life. But he seems like he was a really nice guy.

Who will buy the Dallas Stars?

I guess no one knows, but Mike Heika says he keeps hearing the name Doug Miller.

Miller has experience with minor league hockey in addition to running a non-hockey Dallas-based business.

The interesting name, though, is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who was recently brought in by Mike Modano to look into a possible Stars’ ownership role.

Cuban’s an outspoken NBA owner, occasionally a distraction, but always candid and more importantly, always keeping his team’s best interests in mind.

In other words, the kind of owner the NHL lacks.

Can you imagine Cuban sitting by if the NBA shut down its season for the Olympics and NBC decided to move a key game to cable?

The NHL seemed blase about the snub when the league and the owners should have been outraged. I get that ice dancing is a huge ratings draw, but if the NHL wants to grow the game, they need to expose the game to new people. The Olympics is a huge opportunity to do that, but it’s a more challenging prospect when a huge game, like U.S./Canada, is relegated to cable.

And you would think that since NBC has an NHL game package, they would want to do everything they can to get new people watching hockey.

NBC is taking the quick ratings grab rather than taking a risk on a more long-term ratings prospect. Obviously, it’s NBC’s right to do so, but it would be nice if someone in the league stood up for the game and called NBC on its short-sightedness.

It’s the role Cuban was born to play.

Last night in Anaheim, the slumping Oilers broke up their checking line of Shawn Horcoff, Ethan Moreau and Fernando Pisani.

The line had imploded in Edmonton’s previous game, against Phoenix, going a combined -10.

The breakup didn’t help last night against Anaheim, as the Oilers still lost.

But it doesn’t seem like the Oilers were using a single unit against Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne line or the Bobby Ryan line.

The decision to go without a checking line is interesting, because Oilers assistant coach Tom Renney, for all of his defensive leanings, wasn’t a huge checking-line guy in New York.

One has to wonder if either A) the Oilers are just running out of options and are now simply trying everything to see what works or B) if coach Pat Quinn is slowly turning the team over to Renney, almost on a trial basis, to see if he can turn things around.

It’s also possible that the Oilers just didn’t know who to focus on with the Ducks, as their talent is surprisingly evenly distributed throughout the line up.

But my guess is that GM Steve Tambellini is giving Renney a secret audition, to see if he can improve a seemingly impossibly bad team.

Either that, or Quinn himself is trying everything to get some more wins this year.

I like the Kari Lehtonen to Dallas trade because it gives the Stars options at a position where they’re vulnerable.

The Stars will soon be parting ways with goalie Marty Turco. If he’s not traded, he won’t be re-signed next season.

Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk doesn’t want to wait until the off-season to get his goaltending future straightened out. He wants to have some contingency plans in place, so the Stars don’t find themselves without an NHL-quality goalie next season.

Lehtonen can fill that role.

Dallas gave up the prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy for Lehtonen, which seems like a steep price. In fact, for that kind of prospect, I would have thought they could have almost gotten Ilya Kovalchuk.

But even given Lehtonen’s price, assuming he can get in some solid games, it’ll make negotiating with other goaltenders a lot more relaxed. Instead of agents using Dallas’ lack of a goalie to force the Stars to overpay for free agents, at least now Nieuwendyk can walk away and say the team already has a goalie they’re comfortable using.

Coach Lindy Ruff is trying to stop the slide of the recently slumping Sabres.

The Sabres are stuck in a four-game losing streak. The surging Senators are nipping at Buffalo’s heels for the Northeast lead.

It’s a pretty complete reversal of fortunes as Buffalo is 2-7-1 in their last 10, while Ottawa is 9-1-0.

Coach Lindy Ruff ran a tough practice yesterday, trying to get everyone focused and aggressive.

It’s hard to diagnose what’s wrong with the Sabres. They’re scoring goals, barring their last loss to Columbus.

It seems like Ruff saw fellow Boston’s 10-game losing streak and panicked the Sabres own mini losing streak would snowball.

The thing is, Buffalo’s troubles don’t seem to be coaching-related per se. Rather, there’s been a general lack of aggression and a lot of backwards skating, waiting for plays to unfold. Players are positioned well – they’re just kind of standing around rather than actually doing anything.

We’ll see if Ruff scared everyone straight tonight, as the Sabres take on the equally slumping Bruins (who finally won Sunday).

Everyone is looking at Atlanta, wondering where they’re going to trade Ilya Kovalchuk.

But don’t forget to keep an eye on New Jersey, a team that also might be active before the trade deadline.

Not so much for Kovalchuk, but for a goal-scoring center who can help out on the powerplay.

I don’t think Kovalchuk is enough of a consistent two-way player for the Devils to be interested. Plus, he would be way too flashy of an acquisition for New Jersey. And of course, he’s not a center.

But Matt Cullen from Carolina? He could be a good fit. He’s a play-making center more than a pure goal-scorer. But he does have 11 goals on the season. That would put him in sixth place in goals on the Devils.

Cullen is also an experienced powerplay point man. He’s got just one goal this season, but he still seems to have his big shot.

I’ve also heard vague rumblings about Mike Modano coming to the Devils as a rental. I doubt he would leave Dallas, but one variable is the Stars’ GM: Joe Nieuwendyk.

Nieuwendyk won a Cup with the Devils acting as a key center. He took all of the important faceoffs and kept everyone honest in the defensive zone. It was a very specific role, but one he seemed to enjoy. Is he possibly selling Modano on that same kind of role, plus the chance to win another Cup?

Modano could be interested if the Dallas playoff picture gets irreparably bad before the trade deadline.

I love how Adrian Dater’s pet issue is tracking attendance at Avalanche games.

Yesterday he posted some ideas on how to improve attendance.

It’s interesting stuff: brighter lights around the arena; classic rock music, rather than metal; and a high definition JumboTron screen.

Dater also talked to some players about the low attendance this season, with one player calling it “disappointing.

Dater’s suggestions are good, but the easiest way to improve attendance is to lower ticket prices. There are tons of hockey fans in Colorado. You don’t have to sell them the game. You just need to sell them the ticket. It makes attendance a much less complex issue, compared to markets where you have to get people into the game before you can even begin to get them to consider buying a ticket.

The Rangers completed their trade for Olli Jokinen this morning, giving up the underperforming Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik for Calgary’s Jokinen and Brandon Prust.

Kotalik was strange for the Rangers. Brought in as a powerplay specialist, he became such a defensive liability, he found himself a consistent scratch, despite a booming shot. Also, presumably brought in because of his success on a line with Chris Drury in Buffalo, the two didn’t spend much time playing together.

So the Rangers unload a healthy scratch who takes up $3 million over three years.

Higgins also underperformed. Rangers coach John Tortorella went above and beyond in trying to get him going, giving him plenty of ice time and chances, but Higgins has seemed snake-bitten, hitting posts and missing open nets. The Long Island native might have been under too much pressure playing for the Rangers. A change of scenery to Calgary will do him wonders.

The Flames unload Jokinen, whose reputation as a horrible teammate proceeds him. The Flames knew they weren’t going to re-sign him, so they figured they’d get something now. It’s just weird that the something they wanted would be two players not living up to their potential.

Prust is an enforcer who might let the Rangers buyout the struggling Donald Brashear, who lately only seems to be enforcing the Rangers contractual obligation to pay him more than he’s worth. Also, Rangers GM Glen Sather likes to have as many third/fourth liners as he can.

It’ll be interesting to see where the Rangers place Jokinen. My guess is he won’t play with Marian Gaborik most of the time, in an attempt to give the Rangers the illusion of depth and scoring.

So the Rangers dump some dead weight and get back a difficult personality they won’t have to deal with for long. The Flames dump that same personality and get back some players the seem to think they can get going.

It’s a lot of bad pieces moving around, but at least the bad pieces are evenly spread.

I’ve been shocked by the struggles of the Calgary Flames, both because they seemed like a solid enough team and because coach Brent Sutter did a fantastic job in New Jersey last year.

But lately, I’m wondering if he really did as good a job as we think.

A large part of the Flames struggles has been an inability to clamp down on opponents. You saw it last night, where the Flames blew a two-goal lead to the Stars.

Last season in New Jersey, Sutter introduced an uptempo, offensive system to the previously defensive Devils. It worked well for the Devils, and they transitioned relatively well, although some players, at the time, seemed upset Sutter wasn’t doing things like line-matching and consistently using a checking line.

But now I’m wondering if defensive hockey wasn’t so ingrained in the culture of the Devils, that it was hiding some of Sutter’s coaching flaws. Was his system too high-risk, with not enough reward? Does he not spend enough time coaching defense? And did the Devils compensate for these failings on their own? Did they self-coach around Sutter?

The funny thing is, Sutter dumped the Devils, where things were going really well, to join the Flames. And now, things are a mess.

Maybe Sutter is going to Jarome Iginla too frequently, instead of using a more balanced attack.

Maybe the team is having trouble picking up a new system.

Or maybe Sutter just takes it for granted that teams will play defensively without being explicitly told to do so. Maybe he’s assuming the Flames are just like the Devils.

Obviously, that assumption doesn’t seem to be panning out.