Empty Netter Assists - 05-28-12

Penguins

-Are Penguins tickets getting too expensive?

-Happy 63rd birthday to former Penguins goaltender Gary Inness (right). A free agent signing in the 1973 offseason, Inness spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins. In 1973-74, Inness appeared in 20 games and had a record of 7-10-1 with a 3.26 goals against average. During 1974-75, Inness took over as the team's top goaltender and responded by appearing in 57 games with a 24-18-10 record, a 3.09 goals against average and two shutouts. In nine postseason games that spring, Inness was 5-4 with a 2.67 goals against average. After appearing in 23 games and going 8-9-2 with a 4.06 goals against average in 1975-76, Inness was dealt to the Flyers in exchange for Bobby Taylor and Ed Van Impe. In 100 regular season games with the Penguins, Inness had a record of 39-37-13 with a 3.37 goals against average.

-Happy 62nd birthday to former Penguins forward Errol Thompson. Acquired midway through the 1980-81 season in a deal which sent Gary McAdam to the Red Wings, Thompson finished his 10-year NHL career by appearing in 34 games and recording 14 points for the Penguins. He was released during the 1982 offseason. Thompson is one of three former Penguins (John Chabot and Bob Stewart are the others) from Prince Edward Island.

-Happy 60th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Jack Lynch (right). A second-round pick of the club in 1972, Lynch spent parts of two seasons in Pittsburgh. In 1972-73, he appeared in 47 games and recorded 19 points as a rookie. Durin g1973-74, he played in 17 games and recorded seven points for the Penguins before being dealt to the Red Wings along with Jim Rutherford in exchange for Ron Stackhouse. In 64 regular season games with the Penguins, Lynch scored 26 points.

-Happy 66th birthday to former Penguins forward Ted Snell. A free agent in October of 1973, Snell spent one seasons in Pittsburgh. In 1973-74, Snell appeared in 55 games and recorded 16 points. In the 1974 offseason, he was claimed by the Kansas City Scouts in the expansion draft.

-Happy 33rd birthday to former Penguins forward Matt Hussey. A ninth-round pick in 1998, Hussey spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. In 2003-04, Hussey appeared in three games and recorded three points. Following the 2004-05 lockout, Hussey saw action in 13 games in 2005-06 and recorded one assist. In the 2006 offseason, he signed with the Red Wings. Hussey spent this past season with  Straubing Tigers of the DEL  in Germany.

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Playoff Stuff

Devils - Kings

-"I met him when he was here at the facility. That was it. … It was so brief. It’s hard to really gather any type of feelings (about) him." - Kings captain Dustin Brown on Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk visiting the Kings as a free agent in 2010.

-To put it mildly, Kings center Anze Kopitar is a pretty big deal in Slovenia.

-Kings assistant coach and former Flyers head coach John Stevens has been a big part of Kings defenseman Drew Doughty evolving as an all-around defenseman.

-Former Kings defenseman Marty McSorley is still hounded about his illegal stick from the 1993 Stanley Cup final against the Canadiens.

-Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello and his counterpart with the Kings, Dean Lombardi, are BFFs.

Memorial Cup

-An overtime goal by Anton Zlobin gave the Shawinigan Cataractes a 2-1 win against the London Knights and the first Memorial Cup in franchise history.

-Zlobin's goal:

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(Photos: Inness and Lynch-Penguins Hockey Cards)