Lucky 13

Without question, the Penguins' most successful decade on the ice was the 1990s. It saw two Stanley Cup wins, a Presidents' Trophy win, a streak of playoff appearances that began in 1991 and extended until 2001, Peter Ahola, and numerous personal accomplishments from the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and others. If 90210, gangsta rap, NAFTA and the Penguins were your thing, the 1990s were a happy time for you.

When Stars forward Stu Barnes announced his retirement yesterday, a little bit of that era died because Barnes was one of the few still-active players in the NHL who wore the Penguins' jersey in the 1990s.

With Barnes hanging up his skates and Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka taking their games to Europe, the number of former 1990's Penguins still in the league has dropped to 13. And that includes folks such as Glen Murray and Jean-Sebastien Aubin who are currently unrestricted free agents.

A look at those 13 still left from the Penguins' greatest decade:

 

Player, Position	Current team	Status
Jean-Sebastien Aubin, G	Free Agent	Spent time with the Kings and Ducks last season.
Andrew Ference, D	Bruins	Played in only 59 games last season due to injuries.
Alex Kovalev, RW	Canadiens	Led Montreal in scoring last season with 35 goals and 84 points
Patrick Lalime, G	Sabres	After splitting time in Chicago with Nikolai Khabibulin in 2007-08, Lalime joined Buffalo in the offseason as a free agent.
Robert Lang, C	Blackhawks	Has reached the 20-goal mark four of the last five seasons.
Glen Murray, RW	Free Agent	The Bruins bought out his bloated contract this offseason.
Markus Naslund, LW	Rangers	Naslund joined the Rangers this offseason after spending 12 seasons in Vancouver. He is the Canucks' career leader in points (756) and goals (346).
Petr Nedved, C	Rangers	After playing in the Czech Republic last season, Nedved will go to camp with the Rangers on a tryout basis.
Richard Park, RW	Islanders	The second Korean-born player in NHL history, Park is one of the Islanders' best penalty killers.
Mark Recchi, RW	Lightning	After spending time with the Penguins and Thrashers last season, Recchi signed with the Lightning in the offseason. He is the only member of either of the Penguins' Cup-winning teams still in the NHL.
Michal Rozsival, D	Rangers	Since he joined the Rangers in 2005, Rozsival's 108 points are fourth-most with the Blueshirts.
Bryan Smolinski, C	Free Agent	After spending last season in Montreal, Smolinski remains a free agent this offseason.
Sergei Zubov, D	Stars	Zubov is still one of the league's most talented defenseman. He played in only 46 games due to injury last season.

EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS

Penguins

-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed forward Bryan Ewing and defensemen Elgin Reid and Brock Sheahan.

Northeast Division

-The Hockey News is reporting restricted free agent Senators defenseman Andrej Meszaros has signed an offer sheet with an unidentified team.

-Bruins forward Milan Lucic is a fan of Calgary's Jarome Iginla.

-Former Flyers defenseman Eric Weinrich will join the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, as an assistant coach.

Southeast Division

-Only 65 of the Panthers' games next season will be shown on local television next season. Florida might seriously be the most dysfunctional team in the NHL.

-The Panthers haven't won a single playoff game since they traded Stu Barnes to the Penguins in 1996.

-Capitals owner Ted Leonsis did not care for our criticism of his team's fans.

Central Division

-Former Penguins forward Tim Brent signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks.

-Red Wings and former Penguins forward Marian Hossa is expected to skate on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom next season.

-Defenseman Chris Chelios and forward Darren McCarty will officially return to Detroit next season.

-The Blue Jackets will bring in former Hurricanes forward Shane Willis on a tryout basis.

Northwest Division

-Canucks goaltender Curtis Sanford picked 10 finalists in a contest to design his mask.

-The Oilers would've committed salary cap suicide if they signed former Penguins goon Georges Laraque.

-Need help paying those student loans in this wintry economic climate? Good with kids? Have skating ability? The Minnesota Wild might have a job for you.

Pacific Division

-The Kings signed 2008 first-round pick Colten Teubert to an entry-level deal.

-Former Penguins defenseman Gord Dineen says Ducks forward Bobby Ryan is ready for the NHL. Ryan was the second overall pick in the 2005 draft after Sidney Crosby.

-Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick is the fourth greatest video game athlete of all time.

Norris Division

-Could the KHL be a bigger threat to the AHL than the NHL?