Seattle, Washington (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

This feature highlights articles or blog entries that are related to Hockey in Society’s areas of interest and that may be of interest to the site’s readers. Please check out some of the great writing that is happening in the hockey media and blogosphere!

• Todd Little explores the potential of expanding the NHL teams to 32, including an excellent assessment of Seattle, Quebec City and Portland as legitimate options. [Litter Box Cats]

• A good, in-depth look at the implications of Russia’s anti-gay laws on NHL players at the Olympics and the expectations for athletes at the Games, including discussion of recent comments made by NHL stars Henrik Lundqvist and Henrik Zetterberg. [United States of Hockey]

• Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk, when asked about gay rights, replied “I’m an orthodox, and that says it all”. The Russian Orthodox church strongly supports anti-gay legislation, which will lead to more questions about Datsyuk’s position regarding homosexuality. It’s also an interesting time in the state of Michigan, which is currently debating the issue of gay marriage. [SB Nation]

• Hockey Canada and Bauer Hockey will be pledging $250,000 and $150,000, respectfully, to help hockey families in Southern Alberta who were impacted by the floods in June. [Calgary Herald]

• An in-depth examination and critique of public funding for sport stadiums, with a specific focus on the Phoenix Coyotes and the service cuts made by the city of Glendale to keep the team in Arizona. [Al Jazeera America]

• Ken Campbell reports that the proposal to build an arena in Markham, Ontario – just outside Toronto – may be cancelled, as the prospects for a second NHL team in the Greater Toronto Area have diminished. [The Hockey News]

• The CBC is currently negotiating with the NHL to keep its iconic Hockey Night in Canada program on the air, as Bell media (owners of TSN and CTV) seek a bigger share of hockey broadcast rights. Chris Zelkovich says that, despite the slow pace of negotiations, we should expect to see CBC retain its rights because of the advertizing revenues it generates. [Eh Game]

• Curious to know how much NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made in 2010? James Gordon has the documentation, as well as other NHL related court filings, including the concussion test NHL players complete. [Sports Documents]

• Delegates to the Canadian Medical Association’s annual meeting on Wednesday voted to “condemn the complacency” of NHL team owners.  [The Globe and Mail]

• The seating chart for the game between the Anaheim Ducks and LA Kings at Dodger Stadium has been released. Ticket prices range from $89 to $279. [SB Nation]

• Employees of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) are taking exception to potential new uniforms, which have a color scheme similar to that of the Montreal Canadiens. This has lead to the union representing the transit employees to get involved. [National Post]

• Patrick Burke, one of the founders of the You Can Play Project, announced he is stepping down as the executive director. Burke will be replaced by Wade Davis, a former NFL player. The You Can Play Project is dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports. [You Can Play Project]

• Matt Brigidi provides an early review of EA Sports NHL 14 video game, which is set to be released on September 10, 2013. Some of the interesting improvements include better physicality and enforcer gameplay. [SB Nation]