Empty Netter Assists - 09-19-12
Penguins
-"We don't have access to the team staff, so, if something happens, I'm sure we can find a doctor in the phone book." - Craig Adams joking about the possibility of injury during his teammates' informal workouts.
-“Should employees get 57 percent of the revenue? If I owned a company, I don’t want to give my employees 57 percent, so I understand where they’re coming from. But why not just say, ‘Hey guys, let’s go 50/50 and see how this works for the next five years? Let’s just do it.’ It would really be nice to see guys get together and say, ‘What is BETTER for the game?’ Not what’s better for the players and not what’s necessarily better for the owners. What is better for the GAME. And sitting out is not." - Former Penguins captain Orest Kindrachuk (right) on the lockout.
-Jonathan Bombulie of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice catches up with defenseman prospect Reid McNeill.
-Happy 42nd birthday to current Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. Promoted from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton midway through the 2008-09 season as a replacement for Michel Therrien, Bylsma led the Penguins to an 18-3-4 record down the stretch and the third Stanley Cup title in franchise history. He became the 14th coach in NHL history to lead a team to a championship in his first season. In 2009-10, the Penguins had a 47-28-7 record under Bylsma and reached the postseason once again. During the 2010-11 campaign, despite the absences of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal at various times, Bylsma directed the club to 49-25-8 record, 106 points - third-most in the NHL overall - and another playoff appearance. That effort helped Bylsma win the Jack Adams Award, the only time a Penguins coach has won the award. Last season, Bylsma directed the team to a 51-25-6 record. In 271 regular season games, Bylsma has a record of 165-81-25. His games and wins are each the second-best totals in franchise history. In 50 postseason games, he has a 28-22 record.
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Atlantic Division
-Islanders forard Jesse Joensuu has joined Ässät of Finland's SM-liiga for the duration of the lockout.
Northeast Division
-Senators forward Jason Spezza has joined Rapperswil of Switzerland's NLA for the duration of the lockout.
-Bruins defenseman and former Penguin Andrew Ference is considering playing in the Czech Republic if the lockout drags out long enough.
-Canadiens defenseman Yannick Weber (right) has joined Geneva-Servette of the NLA in Switzerland for the duration of the lockout.
-Forward Daultan Leveille signed a one-year two-way (AHL/ECHL) contract with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Canadien's AHL affiliate. Leveille was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the first-round (No. 29th overall) in the 2008 draft with a draft pick acquired from the Penguins in the trade which brought Pascal Dupuis and Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh.
Southeast Division
-Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is expected to join Dynamo Moscow of Russia's KHL for the duration of the lockout.
-The Panthers laid off several employees in the wake of the lockout including the person who portrays the mascot, Stanley C. Panther.
Central Division
-"There's a huge fear. The fans already sat through it once and they didn't get much out of it. Now we're going down that same road where the fans are kind of secondary with the league. For them to think the fans are going to come back and support everybody the same way, it's not going to work that way. They're not in the same situation (as the league and the players). They just want to see hockey, and that's what we want to give them." - Blues defenseman Barrett Jackman on the lockout.
-Blues forward Patrik Berglund (right) has joined Västerås of Sweden's Allsvenskan for the duration of the lockout.
-Even if the lockout cancels games, the city of Nashville must still pay the Predators up to $8.6 million a year.
Northwest Division
-“People don’t care as much this time around — that’s what’s scary. Last time, people were in an uproar, right? This time around, I don’t sense that as much . . . it’s almost like, ‘So what? I’ll save 20 grand on season tickets this year.’ That’s a little bit scary." - Flames forward Brendan Morrison comparing this lockout to the 2004-05 lockout.
-Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom has joined Dinamo Minsk of Russia's KHL's for the duration of the lockout.
Pacific Division
-Coyotes defenseman and former Penguin Zbynek Michalek is still recovering from offseason hip surgery. As a result, he will still be paid by the Coyotes during the lockout until he's declared healthy by team doctors.
-Kings forward Anze Kopitar (right) has joined Mora of Sweden's Allsvenskan for the duration of the lockout.
-AEG, the company which owns the Kings and the Staples Center, has been put up for sale.
Norris Division
-NHL on-ice officials will not be paid a salary during the lockout.
-Former Blackhawks/Sharks/Maple Leafs/Ducks forward Mark Bell has joined the Iserlohn Roosters of Germany's DEL.
(Photos: Kindrachuk-Penguins Hockey Cards; Weber-Harry How/Getty Images; Berglund-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Kopitar-Jure Makovec/AFP/GettyImages)