"Sixty-Seven"

The Maple Leafs are in town tonight. Even it is a preseason game, it won't surprise us to see a large amount of dark blue in the stands. Despite having not won the Cup since the Johnson administration (or the Pearson administration, eh), the Leafs always seem to bring a large amount of followers with them. And they always seem to be loud, boorish pigs. At least the ones we've seen in Pittsburgh.

So if you're going to Mellon Arena tonight and a hoser happens to be displaying a little too much spirit for your liking, simply say "Sixty-Seven."

They probably won't clam up, but you'll feel better for pointing out that man has explored the moon more recently than a Maple Leaf has touched the Cup.

Plus it's just real fun to say.

If you're not going to the game, pay a visit to us because we'll be live blogging it sometime starting around 7 p.m. (assuming our laptop doesn't melt down again.)

For those of you north of the border or just south of it, TSN is scheduled to broadcast it. Channelsurfing.net may have it as well. An unnamed NHL game is scheduled on the site at 7:30 p.m.

EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS

Penguins

-Is Sidney Crosby a penalty killer?

-The Penguins sent 13 players to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton yesterday. They are forwards Kris Beech, Ryan Stone, Adam Henrich, Aaron Boogaard, Tim Wallace, Jonathan Filewich, David Gove and Christopher Minard; defensemen Deryk Engelland, T.J. Kemp, Ben Lovejoy and Joey Mormina; and goaltender David Brown. Stone's probably the only surprise. He was seen by many as a candidate for fourth line duty in the NHL this season. The fact that they haven't demoted goaltender John Curry is intriguing.

-Forward Paul Bissonnette surviving this round of cuts is seen as a surprise by some.

-At best, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman Nathan Schwartzbauer is probably only the second-famous native of Wasilla, Ak.

-Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! punched some holes into the Penguins' supposed salary cap problems.

Atlantic Division

-Devils forward Barry Tallackson will undergo minor heart surgery.

Northeast Division

-Star Wars geeks will be flocking to the Senators in droves. That's because goaltender Martin Gerber has turned to the Dark Side. Last season, Gerber wore a basic black helmet and refused to change because he felt comfortable in it. Some Senators fans had some fun with the look and started calling him "Darth Gerber." During Senators home games, anytime Gerber would make a nice save, the game production folks would play a clip of Darth Vader's breathing as well as the Imperial March theme. Well as you can tell by the above picture, Gerber has allowed his anger to consume him.

-Regardless of what happens on his team's trip to Sweden, things can't go much worse than the last time Senators general manager Bryan Murray went to Europe.

-New forward Ryan Hollweg is fitting in well with the Maple Leafs.

-Maple Leafs forward Jamal Mayers seems like an easy guy to root for.

Southeast Division

-Thrashers forward and former Penguin Erik Christensen is dealing with a shoulder injury.

-Forward Jussi Jokinen has been the Lightning's best player in the preseason.

-The Washington Post found an interesting way to get a quote from Capitals rookie Josh Godfrey.

-The Capitals filmed their own rock video.

Central Division

-Blues defenseman Erik Johnson will miss the entire season due to a knee injury. Johnson was the first overall pick of the 2006 draft. The Penguins drafted Jordan Staal No. 2.

-Apparently Jimmy Howard didn't get the memo about Ty Conklin becoming the Red Wings' No. 2 goaltender this season.

-Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula is dealing with a thumb injury.

-Blue Jackets goaltending prospect Steve Mason is dealing with a knee injury.

-The Blackhawks have set a record for season ticket sales.

-The Predators held a ticket rally.

Northwest Division

-Look for Canucks defenseman Sami Salo to take more shots this season.

-Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray is hoping to rebound from an injury-filled 2007-08.

Pacific Division

-The Sharks are trying to move defenseman Kyle McLaren.

-The Coyotes hired former Senators general manager John Muckler as an advisor.

-Coyotes assistant coach and former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson signed a contract extension with Phoenix.

-Kings goaltender Jason LaBarbera cut down on the trips to In-N-Out Burger in the offseason.

-The same applies to Ducks forward Bobby Ryan. He lost 20 pounds this summer.

-A longer summer should benefit the Ducks.

-New Stars forward Sean Avery is already doing his thing in Dallas.

-Former Penguins forward Toby Petersen seems to have found a home in Dallas.

Smythe Division

-The NHL needs to return to Winnipeg.

-Nick Fruscello over at The Fantasy Factor has a fantasy hockey preview for defenseman.