Empty Netter Assists - 07-15-10

Penguins

-Defensemen Carl Sneep (above) and Brian Strait are taking different paths to the NHL.

-Defenseman Philip Samuelsson, the son of former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, is skipping prospect camp due in part to NCAA rules.

-Goaltender Mattias Modig got an earful from the Penguins' dentist (PG+).

-The Penguins and Robert Morris worked together in order to bring the 2013 Frozen Four to Pittsburgh.

-Eric Politowski of The PensBlog and Zachary Boslett of Faceoff-Factor talked with prospects Andy Bathgate, Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Carl Sneep:

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-Sidney Crosby won some fake, made-up, empty, meaningless award from some cable network in Connecticut.

-Some signage has started to appear on the exterior of Consol Energy Center.

-Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Mercyhurst defenseman T.J. Kemp has joined the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in Germany.

-Happy 59th birthday to former Penguins all-star forward, coach and scout Rick Kehoe (right). Acquired prior to 1974-75 season in a deal which sent Blaine Stoughton and a draft pick to the Maple Leafs, Kehoe spent 11 seasons with the Penguins as a player. He immediately showed what he could do with the Penguins in 1974-75 by playing in 76 games and netting 32 goal and 63 points. His numbers improved in 1975-76 as he recorded 76 points in 71 games.  1975-76 saw him appear in all 80 of the team's games and recorded his second 30-goal season with the Penguins while netting 57 points. Kehoe's production took a slide over the next two seasons as he had 50 points in 70 games during 1977-78 and 45 points in 57 games during 1978-79. He rebounded in 1979-80 with a team-leading 30 goals and 60 points in 79 games and netted seven points in five playoff games. Kehoe's finest season was in 1980-81 when he appeared in 80 games while scoring a career-best 55 goals and 88 points. His 55 goals were a franchise record at the time. He followed that up in 1981-82 by recording 85 points in 71 games. That spring, he scored five points in a near-upset of the defending Stanley Cup champion Islanders in a five-game preliminary round series. Kehoe scored both of the Penguins' game-winning goals that series. The decline for Kehoe and the Penguins began in 1982-83 as he was limited to 65 points in 75 games. Injuries began to take their toll in 1983-84 as he could only appear in 57 games and score 45 points. Finally, in 1984-85, Kehoe could only squeeze six games and two assists out of his battered body before retiring at the age of 33. At the time of his retirement, Kehoe was the team's all-time leading scorer with 636 points. The team brought Kehoe back as an assistant coach in 1987-88 and he held that position on and off until early in 2001-02. During that time, Kehoe was a member of the team's first two Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992. Early in 2001-02, Kehoe took over as head coach for Ivan Hlinka. Under Kehoe, the team went 28-37-8-5 and missed the playoffs. Kehoe returned in 2002-03 but once again failed to reach the postseason with a 27-44-6-5 record. He was replaced in the 2003 offseason by Eddie Olczyk. One of the team's most accomplished players, Kehoe was inducted into the franchise's hall of fame in 1992. He is the franchise's third all-time leading scorer with 636 points trailing only Mario Lemieux (1,723) and Jaromir Jagr (1,079). Appearing in two all-star games (1981 and 1983) and winning Lady Byng Award in 1981, Kehoe is fourth all-time win the franchise in games played (722), fourth in goals (312), sixth in assists (324), fourth in power-play goals (95) and fourth in hat tricks (eight). He currently works as a professional scout with the Rangers.

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-Happy 24th birthday to current Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy. A fourth-round pick in 2004, Kennedy has spent the past three seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie in 2007-08, "TK" was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL and appeared in 55 games while recording 19 points. He also appeared in all 20 of the team's playoff games that spring and contributed four assists. In 2008-09, Kennedy played in 67 games and netted 35 points. In the playoffs, he once again played in all 24 of the club's playoff games while recording a team-leading three game-winning goals and nine points and helped the franchise win its third Stanley Cup title. Kennedy's numbers took a bit of a tumble in 2009-10 as he only appeared in 64 games and scored 25 points. In 186 games with the Penguins, Kennedy has 79 points, 95th-most in franchise history.

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-Happy 57th birthday to former Penguins forward John Flesch. A free agent signing midway through the 1977-78 season, Flesch's Penguins career amounted to 29 games and 12 points that campaign. He was released in the 1978 offseason.

-Happy 59th birthday to former Penguins forward Chuck Arnason (right). Acquired midway through the 1973-74 season along with Bob Paradise in a deal which sent Al McDonough to the Atlanta Flames, "The Rifleman" spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins. Following the trade, Arnason appeared in 41 games and scored 18 points for the Penguins in 1973-74. His only full season in Pittsburgh was 1974-75. Primarily playing on a line Pierre Larouche and Bob "Battleship" Kelly, Arnason played in 78 games and recorded 58 points. He also contributed six points in nine playoff games that spring. In 1975-76, after 30 games and 10 points, Arnason was traded to the Kansas City Scouts along with Steve Durbano and a draft pick in exchange for Simon Nolet, Ed Gilbert and a draft pick. In 169 games with the Penguins, Arnason scored 86 points, the 89th-best total in franchise history.

Atlantic Division

-Bob Sauve, the agent for Flyers forward Simon Gagne (right), has been given permission to seek a trade on behalf of his client.

-The Rangers re-signed restricted free agent forward Brodie Dupont. Terms of the deal were not released.

Northeast Division

-The Maple Leafs have signed unrestricted free agent forward Marcel Mueller to a two-year, entry-level contract. He spent the past two seasons with the Cologne Sharks in Germany.

-Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov, a native of Russia, is quite literally becoming a Canadian.

Southeast Division

-The Capitals re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Brian Willsie to a one-year, two-way contract. Willsie is returning to the Capitals for whom he spent two seasons with. He spent the last four seaons with the Kings and Avalanche.

Central Division

-Bill Zito, the agent for resticted free agent Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi (right) doesn't want anything to do with arbitration.

-Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews recently had a lake in Manitoba named after him and that has created a bit of controversy. In Manitoba, the honor is generally reserved for soldiers.

Northwest Division

-The Wild re-signed restricted free agent goaltender Josh Harding to a one-year deal worth $1.2 million. The team also signed unrestricted free agent forward Joel Broda to a one-year, entry-level contract.

-The Oilers re-signed restricted free agent forward J.F. Jacques to a one-year deal worth $615,000.

Adams Division

-Today would've been the 108th birthday of John McKinnon, a defenseman with the NHL's Pittsburgh Pirates.

(Photos: Sneep-Matt Freed/Post-Gazette; Kehoe, Arnason-Penguins Hockey Cards; Gagne-Tom Mihalek/Associated Press; Niemi-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)