Elias took puck but, uh, doesn’t have it

So, guess who owned up to taking the Game 6 puck? New Jersey winger Patrik Elias told Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger newspaper today that he did take the game-ending puck off the ice — as first reported here — and take it to the Devils’ bench but, well, from there, it’s all quite fuzzy. He probably left it on the bench, he said. Or maybe it’s in his locker. He will double-check. Right, sure thing. A child standing next to a broken window, holding a baseball bat, has a more believable alibi.

Elias told the Star-Ledger that he didn’t throw the puck into the crowd and didn’t give it to veteran goalie Martin Brodeur, as had been theorized. ”I understand it’s a meaningful thing for them [the Kings],” Elias told Chere. ”For me? No. Why would I want to keep a losing Stanley Cup puck?” Good question, Patrik. Here’s another: why did you take it in the first place? If anyone believes that a 35-year-old player, one with 16 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cup championships under his belt, didn’t understand what he was doing when he took a Cup-winning puck off the ice, well, I don’t have quite that sense of imagination. Elias assured Chere that he doesn’t have the puck now, which is probably true, and that’s more shameful than anything.

For those who didn’t see, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times did a very good job of chronicling the missing puck today. He called me to get a few details, and he wrote a great column. Also, incidentally, if you happen to see the Times’ commemorative softcover book about the Kings’ championship, strongly consider picking it up because it’s quality work by their very talented writers and photographers. Here is Bill’s column…

The Kings’ missing championship puck … is it the work of the Devils?