Empty Netter Assists - 11-09-09

Penguins

Note: Co-worker Dejan Kovacevic has offered his tremendous talents to this forum in order to cover the induction of our esteemed colleague, Dave Molinari, into the Hockey Hall of Fame today in Toronto. Be nice and he might just come back and play with us from time to time.

-Kris Letang's (above) shoulder/arm will be looked at today. 

-Introducing Deryk Engelland.

-They're using Consol Energy Center for art n'at.

-Penguins prospect Andy Bathgate set a franchise record for the OHL's Belleville Bulls by scoring three goals in 2:23.

-Happy 39th birthday to Penguins forward Bill Guerin. He was the team's third-leading scorer in last season's Stanley Cup playoff run with 15 points (seven goals, eight points) in 24 games.

Atlantic Division

-"I kept thinking of all the players in there before: [Bobby] Orr, [Phil] Esposito, the great Canadian players. Obviously [Wayne] Gretzky, [Mario] Lemieux, [Mark Messier]. Now to have your name associated with that group was a pretty overwhelming thing. More so than I thought it would be." - Former Rangers captain Brian Leetch (above) on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

-We're a few days late with this, but Rangers captain Chris Drury was injured on a hit to the head by Calgary's Curtis Glenncross Saturday night:

-"All of this is simply a compliment to people I’ve had the fortune to be associated with." - Devils CEO/President/General Manager Lou Lamoriello on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

-Here's a heck of a duo. Flyers forward Scott Hartnell got rapper Jay-Z to sign two $100 bills.

Northeast Division

-Allan Walsh, the agent for Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak (above), is trying to start a goaltending controversy in Montreal between his cliet and starter Carey Price via Twitter.

-The Canadiens demoted defenseman Alex Henry to Hamilton of the AHL.

-After back-to-back wins in Toronto, they're starting to plan the parade in Toronto.

-Who should be the United States' top goaltender for the 2010 Olympics: Buffalo's Ryan Miller or Boston's Tim Thomas?

Southeast Division

-Shootout goals by Rich Peverly and Slava Kozlov gave the Thrashers a 3-2 win against the Blues. Marty Reasoner led Atlanta with two assists while former Penguins goaltender Johan Hedberg made 30 saves in win. Fire Craig Patrick. David Perron led St. Louis with a goal and an assist. Former Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin made 38 saves in the loss. Fire Ray Shero.

-Check out the brutal goal Conklin gave up to Atlanta's Ron Hainsey (0:23 mark):

-Carolina goaltender Cam Ward could miss up to a month due to a laceration on his left leg.

-The Hurricanes demoted forward Zach Boychuk, a first-round pick in 2008, to Albany of the AHL.

-Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin told Dmitry Chesnokov of Yahoo! his "upper-body" injury will keep him sidelined four to five weeks.

-The Capitals disputed the validity of the report but offered no timetable for Ovechkin's return.

-Panthers defenseman Gregory Campbell is dealing with some facial injuries. Additionally, Florida demoted forwards Michal Repik and former Jeff Taffe to Rochester of the AHL.

Central Division

-"All I wanted, my whole life, was to be a hockey player." - Former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

-Today's Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies will have a distinct Red Wings feel.

-"Don't worry what people say or what people think. Be yourself." - Former Blues captain Brett Hull on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

-"Sometimes when you work, it's so continuous that you never stop and smell the roses. So with this happening, I've had to sit down quietly and reflect ... I was just a lucky guy." - Blues President John Davidson on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.

-Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland (right) is dealing with a back injury.

Northwest Division

-Tom Gilbert, Dustin Penner and Ryan Potulny each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers in a 5-3 defeat of the Avalanche. Nikolai Khabibulin made 34 saves in the win. Paul Stastny led Colorado with two assists. The Avalanche suffered its first home loss of the season.

-Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk missed last night's game due to a back injury.

-Canucks forward Daniel Sedin has resumed practicing for the first time since breaking his foot last month.

-Already dealing with a rib injury, Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo is now dealing with an illness.

-Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom is looking for his 100th career win.

Pacific Division

-"The one thing I learned is always giving more than you think you can." - Former Kings captain Luc Robitaille (above) on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

-The Sharks demoted forwards Logan Couture, a first-round pick in 2007, and Benn Ferriero to Worcester of the AHL.

-Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski is dealing with a "lower-body" injury.

Smythe Division

-Today's NHLPA official to quit is Buzz Hargrove who resigned as the organizations' ombudsman.

-In honor of Sidney Crosby's "save" last week against Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer, TSN present the top ten "saves" by non-goaltenders:

-How is Rob Scuderi's not higher given that it kept the Penguins' Stanley Cup hopes alive?

(Photos: Letang-Harry How/Getty Images; Leetch and Yzerman-Photobucket; Halak-Graham Hughes-Canadian Press; Bolland-Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesRobitaille-Los Angeles Kings)