Empty Netter Assists - 09-18-11
Penguins
-Welcome back Sidney Crosby... to practice... without contact.
-Fans welcomed Crosby as he took the ice yesterday:
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(Kudos to @zlancia for the video.)
-"It was a tough decision, but I'm pretty sure I made the right one." - Defenseman Alexandre Picard on deciding to join the Penguins.
-"I'm looking at a bounce-back year from him because he's got something to prove." - Ray Shero on Evgeni Malkin.
-“To the guys who fight, like myself, when you assume they all are like that, that’s a tremendous insult. It’s an awful thing what happened, and I think the NHL and the players association are doing the right thing to help guys out. But as far as putting a big blanket on it, it’s not right.” - Penguins forward Steve MacIntyre on speculations the deaths of NHLers Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien were connected due to their fighting abilities.
-Evgeni Malkin speaks:
-Dan Bylsma speaks:
-Bylsma was all business at first:
-Then he was all about raising the roof:
-Crosby is popular:
-You're not the only one who doesn't have a good reaction when Pascal Dupuis is on Crosby's wing:
-We think.
-Happy 44th birthday to former Penguins forward Tom Chorske. A free agent signing in the 1999 offseason, Chorske finished his 11-year NHL career by appearing in 33 games and scoring six points for the Penguins in 1999-2000. A thumb injury cut his season short and forced him to retire.
-Happy 78th birthday to former Penguins executive and coach Scotty Bowman (right). Hired as the team's director of player personnel in the 1990 offseason, Bowman was a member of the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship in 1991. Following the death of head coach Bob Johnson, Bowman assumed the head coaching position and led the team to a 39-32-9 record, 87 points and a playoff berth. Going 16-5 in the playoffs, he led the Penguins to their second Stanley Cup championship. Bowman returned the next season and directed the team to its second Patrick Division title with a 56-21-7 record and 119 points, good enough to earn the franchise its only Presidents' Trophy as the league's best team in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Penguins beat the Devils in five games but were upset by the Islanders in seven games during the Patrick Division final. Bowman was replaced in the offseason by Eddie Johnston. In 164 games with the Penguins, Bowman had a regular season record of 95-53-16 and 206 points. His win total is fourth-most in franchise history. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, Bowman is the NHL's all-time leader in coaching wins with 1,244. He currently a senior advisor of hockey operations for the Blackhawks.
Atlantic Division
-"When I was making the decision, I never thought the Pittsburgh fans would want me back. Every time I played there, they were booing me every time I touched the puck." - Flyers forward and former Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr on his decision to sign with Philadelphia.
-The audio is pretty rough, but here's the video of Jagr's press conference:
-Speaking of rough:
-New Flyers forward and former Penguins forward Maxime Talbot also spoke about his new team:
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-Islanders defenseman Mark Katic will undergo shoulder surgery. He could miss the entire 2011-12 season.
-"I had that energy going through me, a little nervousness. It was kind of nice to be alive again." - Devils defenseman Bryce Salvadore on his first practice in training camp. Salvadore missed all of 2010-11 due to a concussion.
Northeast Division
-The Sabres hired former defenseman Teppo Numminen as an assistant coach.
Southeast Division
-Capitals defenseman Roman Hamrlik is dealing with a groin ailment.
-Due to a chronic groin injury, Washington defenseman Tom Poti (right) failed his physical and was placed on long-term injured reserved.
Central Division
-Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk will switch from No. 13 to No. 24 this preseason to honor former teammate Ruslan Salei who was killed in the plane crash involving the KHL's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl franchise.
Northwest Division
-Flames captain Jarome Iginla left practice on the first day of his team's training camp early due to back spasms.
-The Oilers plan on limiting the ice time of former Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney (right) in the early portion of the regular season until he fully recovers from ankle surgery. Whitney only appeared in 35 games last season due to injury.
-Defenseman Corey Potter is hoping to get a better shot at NHL action with the Oilers than he did with the Penguins last season.
Pacific Division
-Ducks defenseman Kurtis Foster is dealing with a knee ailment.
(Photos: Penguins-Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press; Bowman-Photobucket; Jagr-Alex Brandon/Associated Press; Poti-Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; Whitney-Jeff Gross/Getty Images)