Empty Netter Assists - 10-06-11
Penguins
-"I want to play over 100 games this year." - Ben Lovejoy (PG+)
-Robert Bortuzzo's preseason has not gone as scripted.
-Sidney Crosby speaks:
-Evgeni Malkin speaks:
-Dan Bylsma speaks:
-Brooks Orpik speaks, stares:
-Uhhhhh... Marc-Andre Fleury speaks:
-The Penguins' radio network is now on 36 stations in four states.
-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed former Sharks forward Niko Dimitrakos to an amateur tryout contract.
Atlantic Division
-The Devils named forward Zach Parise the 16th captain in franchise history. Forwards Patrik Elias and Ilya Kovalchuk will serve as alternates.
-New Jersey officially signed former Penguins forward Petr Sykora to a one-year contract worth $650,000.
-“It feels really special because this is home for me.” - Sykora.
-The Rangers officially placed defenseman Marc Staal (head) on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Tim Erixon from Connecticut of the AHL.
-Rangers forward Sean Avery (right) officially cleared waviers and was demoted to Connecticut.
-The Flyers recalled defenseman Matt Walker from Adirondack of the AHL.
-The Islanders demoted forward Trevor Frischmon and defenseman Dylan Reese, a native of Upper St. Clair, to Bridgeport of the AHL and returned forward Kirill Kabanov to Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL.
Northeast Division
-Senators defenseman Sergei Gonchar (right) compared the style of new coach Paul MacLean to how he was allowed to play with the Penguins.
-The Canadiens claimed forward Blair Betts off waivers from the Flyers.
-Montreal placed defenseman Jeff Woywitka on waivers and demoted forwards Aaron Palushaj, Michael Blunden and Ian Schultz to Hamilton of the AHL.
-In the most predictable story ever, Maple Leafs forward Tim Connolly ("upper-body") was placed on injured reserve.
-The Bruins will not offer forward Chris Clark a contract. He was in camp on a tryout basis.
-Boston University found former Sabres forward Rick Martin suffered from neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated brain trauma. Martin died earlier this year at the age of 59 due to heart disease.
Southeast Division
-Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau is passionate about clean rugs:
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-The Jets signed former Coyotes/Avalanche/Canadiens goaltender David Aebischer to an AHL contract and assigned him to St. John's of the AHL.
Central Division
-Captain Nicklas Lidstrom and forward Tomas Holmstrom are the only two players left on Detroit's roster who were a part of the franchise's Stanley Cup titles in 1997 and 1998.
-Blackhawks forwards Dave Bolland ("upper-body") and Jamal Mayers (wrist) are dinged up.
Northwest Division
-The Oilers officially placed former Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney on injured reserve due to an ankle injury.
-The Avalanche placed forwards Mark Olver (head), Brandon Yip (forearm) and defenseman Kyle Cumiskey (groin) on injured reserve. Additionally, defenseman Stefan Elliott was demoted to Lake Erie of the AHL.
Pacific Division
-The Coyotes signed former Penguins forward Paul Bissonnette (right) to a two-year contract extension. Financial terms were not reported. Bissonnette has one year left on a contract worth $600,000. In 48 games last season, Bissonnete had one goal and 122 penalty minutes.
-Phoenix goaltender Jason LaBarbera will pay tribute to former Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman on his mask this season.
-Coyotes defenseman Nathan Oystrick and goaltender Curtis McElhinney cleared waivers and were demoted to Portland of the AHL.
-The Sharks demoted forward Cam MacIntyre and defenseman Matt Moore to Worcester of the AHL.
-The Kings demoted defenseman Slava Voynov to Manchester of the AHL and placed former Penguins defenseman prospect Jake Muzzin (neck) on injured reserve.
Adams Division
-In addition to showing videos of suspendable hits, NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan is also distributing film of clean hits:
-Former Whalers/Flames/Lightning/Blackhawks/Capitals/Bruns/Rangers forward Michael Nylander has joined ZSC of the NLA in Switzerland.
(Photos: Lovejoy: Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images; Avery and Gonchar-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Bissonnette-Christian Petersen/Getty Images)