Empty Netter Assists - 09-29-12
Penguins
-Sidney Crosby will be training in Colorado next week.
-Evgeni Malkin was held off the score sheet for Mettalurg Magnitogorsk in a 3-2 win against Slovan Bratislava in the KHL today.
-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins open their training camp.
-"I've got a lot of buddies that are third-, fourth-line guys in the NHL that are struggling to find anything to do. They're just kind of hanging out. I'm glad I'm keeping busy and when it does fire back up, I'll be in game shape." - Brian Strait (right) on being in the AHL during the lockout.
-The NHL and NHLPA resumed negotiations and addressed secondary issues such as player safety and drug testing.
-Mario Lemieux will drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff tonight for the Johnstown Tomahawk's inagural home game against the Michigan Warriors.
-Happy 35th birthday to former Penguins forward Jon Sim. Claimed off waivers from the Kings late in the 2003-04 season, Sim's Penguins career amounted to 15 games and five points that campaign. In the 2004 offseason, he joined the Coyotes as a free agent.
Atlantic Division
-Rangers forward Rick Nash suffered a shoulder injury while playing for HC Davos of Switzerland's NLA.
-Rangers forward Carl Hagelin (right) has joined Södertälje of Sweden's Allsvenskan for the duration of the lockout.
Southeast Division
-Jets forward Evander Kane has joined Dinamo Minsk of Russia's KHL for the duration of the lockout.
-Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman has joined Barys Astana of Russia's KHL for the duration of the lockout.
-Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner was given permision not to report to the club's AHL affiliate in Charlotte.
-"Anytime you go through negotiations nothing ever gets done until the bitter end. Now it's getting down to the bitter end." - Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell on negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA.
Northwest Division
-Oilers forward Nail Yakupov was granded a release by Hockey Canada to play for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of Russia's KHL.
-Oilers owner Darryl Katz wrote a public letter which appeared in two Edmonton newspapers apologizing to Oilers fans for meeting with officials in Seattle about a new arena.
-The Oilers would like to get a deal for a new arena similar to the one the Penguins have for Consol Energy Center.
Adams Division
-The Alaska Aces of the ECHL have signed Canadiens forward Scott Gomez (right) and Lightning forward Nate Thompson to professonal tryout agreements and signed Capitals forward Joey Crabb to a standard player contract.
-“The hockey’s different. How they view it is different. The travel’s different. How everything moves is different. It’s so difficult to describe. Your first month, you notice everything that’s different, and everything seems to be different." - Former Maple Leafs/Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice on coaching Mettalurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL.
-Former Blues/Devils forward Mike Danton has joined Kramfors-Alliansen of Sweden's Division I league.
-The Landshut Cannibals of Gemany's Eishockey-Bundesliga league, have taken on a local brothel as a sponsor on their warm-up jerseys. (Kudos to long-time EN commenter Uli for the link.)
(Photos: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)