Nov 10 2009
The Bruins are expected to start defending Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas (above) in net tonight against the Penguins according to the Boston Globe. Thomas is 4-6-1 this season with a 2.44 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.
In his career against the Penguins, Thomas is 2-3-1 with a 2.81 goals against average and .904 save percentage.
Note:
-The Bruins, who are almost as beat up as the Penguins with injuries to vital players such as Milan Lucic and Marc Savard, were without offensive defenseman Derek Morris at this morning's skate. There is no word yet on his status.
In 14 games this season, Morris nine points (one goal, eight assists) and is a minus-1. Four of his points have been scored on the power play this season.
Update:
-Morris is probable. He skipped the practice due to an illness.
(Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
Nov 10 2009
A preview of the Bruins.
When and where: 7 p.m. TD Garden.
TV: Gopher Hunting Network Versus, TSN.
Record: 7-7-2, 16 points. The Bruins are 10th place in the Eastern Conference and third place in the Northeast Division.
Leading Scorer: Patrice Bergeron, 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists).
Last Game: 4-2 home win against the Sabres, Saturday. Captain Zdeno Chara had a goal and an assist for the Bruins.
Last Game against the Penguins: 6-4 road loss, March 15. Chris Kunitz had two goals and an assist for the Penguins.
Bruins Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Mark Recchi (right). He has 74 points (22 goals, 52 assists) in 70 games against his former team.
Ex-Penguins on the Bruins: Andrew Ference, D; Guillaume Lefebvre, LW; Mark Recchi, RW.
Ex-Bruins on the Penguins: Tom Fitzgerald, assistant to the general manager; Sergei Gonchar, D; Bill Guerin, RW; Kevin Stevens, pro scout.
Useless Bruins Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: We've used this one before, but we can't resist using a good piece of Artie trivia. The last playoff hat trick scored recorded against the Bruins was scored by former Penguins forward Kevin Stevens who scored four goals against Andy Moog in Game 3 of the Prince of Wales Conference Final, May 21, 1992.
Best Bruins YouTube Video We Could Find: At the conclusion of a linebrawl in the 1977-78 season, former Bruins tough guy John Wensink challenged the entire Minnesota Northstars bench:
Notes:
-Marc-Andre Fleury (10-4-0, 2.52 GAA, .904 SV%) is expected to start in net for the Penguins. The Bruins have not annouced if Tuukka Rask (3-1-1, 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%) or Tim Thomas (4-6-1, 2.44 GAA, .916 SV%) will start in goal.
-For the Penguins, forward Tyler Kennedy (groin) is doubtful. Defenseman Kris Letang (shoulder) and forward Evgeni Malkin (shoulder) are out. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar (wrist) and forward Maxime Talbot (shoulder) are on injured reserve.
-For the Bruins, forwards David Krejci (swine flu) and Michael Ryder (undisclosed illness) are questionable. Forwards Milan Lucic (finger) and Marc Savard (foot) are on injured reserve.
-Dan Bylsma has switched up his lines. Sidney Crosby was skating with Matt Cooke and Ruslan Fedotenko yesterday while Jordan Staal went with Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz. Craig Adams centered Pascal Dupuis and Chris Conner while Mike Rupp skated with Eric Godard and Chris Bourque.
-Deryk Engelland is expected to replace Letang.
-Krejci (right) could return to the lineup tonight.
-"Anytime you have Sidney Crosby as your centerman, it doesn’t matter what linemates he has with him." - Bruins coach Claude Julien who apparently isn't familiar with the work of Pascal Dupuis.
-At 13.6 percent, the Bruins' power play is actually worse than the Penguins' (14.7%).
-Stupid, short-sighted television deal heads-up: Tonight's game is on Versus, assuming it's not preempted by a diabetic ostrich rodeo or something. If you have DirecTV, please make alternate plans to watch it.
-Our live blog begins at approximately 7 p.m. Please tune in.
(Photo: Recchi-Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press; Krejci-Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Nov 10 2009
Penguins
-Does Eric Godard (above) deserve a regular spot in the lineup?
-Penguins president David Morehouse suffered a heart attack. Trainer Chris Stewart came to the rescue.
-The Pensblog has details on the health of Penguins public address announcer John Barbero.
-This is a few days old, but here are the pre-game ceremonies from Saturday's Hockey Hall of Fame Game between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. Former Penguins Scotty Bowman, Luc Robitaille and Bryan Trottier participated:
-Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider has a picture of Robitaille's plaque in the Hockey Hall of Fame:
-Hammond also has a shot of Robitaille's new ring:
-News flash: Mario Lemieux is a good person. He visited a 12-year-old kid in the Chicago area suffering from leukemia.
-Jonathan Bombulie of the Citizens Voice in Wilkes-Barre has your new line combinations for the AHL Penguins.
-Today would've been the 64th birthday of former Penguins goaltender Al Smith. "The Bear" was popular with Penguins fans for his willingness to fight, but during his two seasons in Pittsburgh, he only recorded 24 wins in 92 games.
-Happy 59th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Bob Stewart. Stewart, who ended his nine-year NHL career by spending the 1979-80 season with the Penguins, holds the NHL record for the worst career plus/minus mark of minus-260.
Atlantic Division
-The acceptance speech of former Rangers captain Brian Leetch at last night's Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies:
-Leetch is still the last defenseman to reach the 100-point mark. He had 102 in 1992-93.
-The acceptance speech of Devils CEO/president/general manager Lou Lamoriello at last night's Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies:
-Flyers goaltender Ray Emery gets to face his former team, the Senators, Thursday.
-Philadelphia recalled Oskars Bartulis from Adirondack of the AHL.
Northeast Division
-The Sabres put forward Adam Mair on waivers.
Southeast Division
-With goaltender Cam Ward down with a left leg injury, the Hurricanes signed former Blues goaltender Manny Legace to a one-year, two-way contract. Legace had been playing with the Chicago Wolves, the Thrashers' AHL affiliate.
-Legace is returning to the organization that drafted him in 1993. It was still the Hartford Whalers back then.
-Capitals forward Michael Nylander cleared waivers. The team is essentially trying to dump his $4.875 million hit off the salary cap..
-Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin announced he will "probably" be back in a week from his "upper-body" injury.
Central Division
-A goal and two assists from Troy Brouwer (above) helped the Blackhawks beat the Kings, 4-1. Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp each contributed two assists.
-The Blackhawks had forwards Ben Eager and Jonathan Toews return to the lineup from concussions last night.
-Happy times for Toews and his fans:
-Los Angeles' Matt Greene got the best of Chicago's Andrew Ladd in this photo:
-Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick went all out on this save against Chicago's John Madden:
-Chicago's Brian Campbell banked a puck off the shoulder of teammate Andrew Ebbett and into the net:
-The acceptance speech of former Blues captain Brett Hull at last night's Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies:
-The acceptance speech of former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman at last night's Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies:
-With forwards Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen and Jason Williams all sidelined, the Red Wings really need forwards Patrick Eaves and Ville Leino to step it up.
-The Blue Jackets are 3-0-1 since forward Jason Chimera started growing a moustache.
Northwest Division
-The NHL suspended Flames forward Curtis Glencross for three games following this hit to the head of Rangers forward Chris Drury:
-Officially the league stated that Glencross was suspended for "delivering a high hit to an unsuspecting" Drury.
-We agree with the league in this instance, but in no way it is consistent. We're assuming Florida's David Booth wasn't suspecting when he was clobbered by Philadelphia's Mike Richards last month:
-Yet Richard received no supplemental discipline for his actions.
-Speaking of head injuries, the Wild confirmed former Penguins forward Petr Sykora is dealing with a concussion.
-Avalanche forward and former Osward State Correctional Facility inmate Ryan O'Reilly leads all NHL rookies with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists).
-The Oilers put tough guy Steve MacIntyre on waivers with the hopes of demoting him to Springfield of the AHL.
-Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo resumed practicing for the first time in two weeks. He has been dealing with a rib injury and illness.
Pacific Division
-The acceptance speech of former Kings captain and Penguins forward Luc Robitaille at last night's Hockey Hall of Fame ceremonies:
-With goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere returning from a groin injury, the Ducks demoted goaltender Justin Pogge to Bakersfield of the ECHL.
-Do yourself a favor and check out this story on Sharks forward Jed Ortmeyer and his daily battle with a blood disorder.
Adams Division
-The Post-Gazette's Dave Molinari. A hall-of-famer.
-Is the "Trapezoid," (AKA, the "no-play" zone for goaltenders) the reason for so many injuries?
-We're a day late with this, but 20 years ago, just about everything, including the world of hockey eventually, was changed dramatically:
-Non-Hockey Note of the Day: Happy fifth birthday to Firefox:
(Photos: Godard-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Legace-Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images; Brouwer and Greene-Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press; Toews and Quick-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Nov 09 2009
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (above) will be sidelined for two weeks due to a righ shoulder contusion. He was injured in Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Sharks in a collision with Sharks defenseman Kent Huskins. In 17 games this season, Letang has seven points (one goal, six assists) and is a plus-1. With Sergei Gonchar already out of the lineup due to a broken left wrist, Letang had been moved up to the team's first power play unit.
EN Says: Well this is just awesome.
In all seriousness, this is one of the last things this team needed at this time. It has essentially lost three "starters" from what is already a struggling power play.
If there's a silver lining to this, at least it's only two weeks. That translates to roughly six games.
Obviously, Deryk Engelland will get some playing time. But don't expect him to replace Letang. He is strictly a physical, defensive sort.
We're interested to see how Dan Bylsma adjusts his team's game without one of it's top offensive defensemen. He constantly preaches aggressive hockey. Well that's a lot easier when you have a full compliment of defensemen who can skate with the puck. Now that Alex Goligoski, who wasn't exactly running at 100 percent late week, is the only one left on the blue line, the Penguins might have to adopt a more conservative approach.
(Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Nov 09 2009
(Here's Dejan's "game" story on Dave's induction.)
By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
TORONTO – The Hockey Hall of Fame, the majestic stone structure at the corner of this metropolis’ Yonge and Front streets, has become a second home not only for Canadian legends but also a steady flow in the past decade from Pittsburgh, from Mario Lemieux to Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Bob Johnson, Craig Patrick, Mike Lange and others.
Now, they are joined by the Post-Gazette’s Dave Molinari, who documented those careers and countless others in covering the Penguins the past 27 seasons.
Molinari yesterday was presented with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, given annually by the Professional Hockey Writers Assocation "in recognition of distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” Recepients are recognized in the Hall, separately from the players and builders categories, and honored at a daytime luncheon.
“Being awarded the Ferguson is the graetest honor anyone in my line of work can receive,” Molinari said in his acceptance speech. “To be deemed worthy of inclusion in a group that includes the legends of our industry and colleagues for whom I have so much respect is genuinely humbling. They are people who live and breathe and love this game, and who tell its stories so brilliantly.”
The illustrious quarter of players inducted in the evening ceremony was one of the best in Hall history: Detroit Red Wings cornerstone Steve Yzerman, 741-goal scorer Brett Hull, dominant defenseman Brian Leetch and the only former Penguin of the class, Luc Robitaille. Inducted in the builders category was New Jersey Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello. John Davidson, president of the St. Louis Blues, was the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award for broadcasting.
Molinari was presented by Tom McMillan, a vice president with the Penguins and his one-time competitor.
“Dave has been there through bankruptcies and through Stanley Cups,” McMillan said in his introduction. “He’s covered some really bad teams but also some of the greatest players and people in our sport.”
He cited Lemieux, several of the Hall members and current players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
“We’re lucky to have those guys in Pittsburgh, and we’re lucky to have Dave covering them. Dave is a big reason hockey has become as popular as it has in our city, always giving us fair coverage even in the down times.”
Among those in attendance were NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and other hockey luminaries such as Scotty Bowman, Glen Sather, Al MacInnis, Mike Richter, Rod Gilbert, Tie Domi, as well as broadcasters and writers from across North America.
Murphy, a member of the Penguins’ championship teams in 1991-92, was among those, too.
“We knew, as players, that when Dave would write the story, he would get it right,” Murphy said. “As a player, that’s important. Whether it was after a win or loss, or we were high or low, you always felt like you could talk to Dave and that he’d be fair and accurate.”
Molinari, 54, was born in Glassport, graduated from Elizabeth Forward High School and Penn State University, and broke into the business at the McKeesport Daily News. He joined The Pittsburgh Press in 1980, started on the Penguins beat three years later and was hired by the Post-Gazette in 1993.
Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
(Photo of Davidson, left, and Molinari-Dejan Kovacevic/Post-Gazette)
Nov 09 2009
Earlier this morning, Dejan Kovacevic posted three of Dave Molinari's more prominent leads from his career covering the Penguins. They were for Mario Lemieux's first career game and for the team's first and third Stanley Cup titles.
Three of the biggest moments in the history of the franchise captured perfectly by a hall-of-fame writer.
One that has always stood out to us is Lemieux's comeback game in 2000. Frankly, it was probably pretty hard to screw this one up. Regardless, Dave managed to mention Garth Snow before Lemieux and it worked just perfectly:
Jaromir Jagr of the Penguins scored two goals last night. Set up two
others. Was a force at both ends of the ice. Played probably his best
game of the season.
Garth Snow stopped 40 shots from one of the NHL's most volatile
offenses. Came up with big stops at key times. Earned his second
shutout of the season. And played probably his best game of the season.
Clearly, Jagr and Snow had a lot in common during the Penguins' 5-0
victory against Toronto at Mellon Arena, including this: Both had a
better chance of being named pope than of being selected as the No. 1
star of the game.
That honor, like almost everything else on this most memorable evening,
belonged to Penguins center Mario Lemieux who, in his first game in
more than 31/2 years, looked like had had been away from the game for roughly 31/2 hours.
He scored one goal and set up two others and easily could have doubled
that output. Not that it really would have mattered when it came time
to choose the No. 1 star.
"Even if he didn't score a point, just to come back after three years
and play like that was unbelievable," Penguins forward Martin Straka
said. "He just showed everyone he's the best player in the world, no
matter what."
(Photo: Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
Nov 09 2009
By Dejan Kovacevic | 11:50 a.m. Monday
TORONTO - Will put up a few pictures a bit later when I find a stronger Internet signal. For now, I am in the lobby of the Westin Harbour Castle hotel, down by the waterfront, just before the ceremony to induct Dave Molinari and John Davidson into their branches of the Hall, and the lobby is filled with about 200 or so luminaries.
Among those seen: Gary Bettman, a whole slew of other NHL people, Glen Sather, Larry Murphy (longtime Molinari acquaintance), Mike Emrick (dedicated Pirates fan and longtime correspondent), Christine Simpson, Penguins VP Tom McMillan, and the four honorees for tonight: Brian Leetch, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille. Lots of geeks in hockey sweaters lingering, too, with more Rangers stuff than anything.
Oh, and Jim Weaver, Mellon Arena's video-replay judge is here, too.
Also seen, inside the room: William Scott Bowman, Al MacInnis, Dick Irvin, and a whole slew of hockey writers, including Michael Farber. (MacInnis and Murphy are seated with us at the Molinari table. A pretty good point duo in case our table is looking for offense from the outside) Harry Sinden is here, too.
Nov 09 2009
By Dejan Kovacevic | 6 a.m. Monday
TORONTO -- Apologies for the temporary intrusion into Seth's world, but it was his invitation that spurred me to share a few impressions from today's Hockey Hall of Fame inductions.
I covered a couple of these before, during my seven years backing up Dave Molinari on the Penguins beat for this paper: Those were for Joey Mullen, Mike Lange and Craig Patrick. But there is nothing, personally, I can compare to coming up here to see Molinari, my colleague, longtime mentor and friend, being honored for his 27 years of covering Pittsburgh's more-storied-by-the-day hockey franchise. I am delighted he asked me to come up here.
I know that writers, broadcasters and the like do not belong in an honored class with the players and builders who make great contributions to a sport. No one would back that view more forcefully than Molinari, who never has linked himself to the Penguins but rather to his actual employer, the Post-Gazette. That is how all professional journalists do it, and no one fits that category better. Know, on this count, that writers and broadcasters do not share actual Hall enshrinement -- the names are on a wall inside the Hall -- and that their ceremonies are independent of the really lavish one that will be fittingly given tonight to the fabulous class of Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Luc Robitaille. (A long way from the days of Bernie Federko, eh?)
To follow the main event, here is the Hall's official site. I believe someone in the U.S. is broadcasting the annually embarrassing Canadian jokefest that accompanies the ceremony, too, but I am not sure which outlet.
The luncheon for Molinari and broadcaster-turned-GM John Davidson is later this morning at a separate venue here, and I will be sending some stuff from that.
In the interim, here is a collection of three article openings by Molinari, covering some landmark events for the franchise ...
Oct. 11, 1984: Mario Lemieux's debut
BOSTON -- It was, for the better part of 29 minutes, an exercise in nothing less than sheer magic. But after 60 minutes, nothing remained except painful shreds of tattered illusion.
That there might be something special about the first game of the Penguins' 18th season was a thought worthy of consideration in the opening minutes of play, before many of the 14,451 denizens of Boston Garden had settled in their seats.
For just 1:18 after stepping on the ice for the first time in his National Hockey League career, Penguins center Mario Lemieux scored his first professional goal.
On his first shift. On his first shot. After relieving no less a figure than all-star defenseman Raymond Bourque of the puck. After faking Boston goalie Pete Peeters out of position with a movie unencumbered by the limitations of most mortals.
But none of that really seemed to matter after the Bruins had rallied for a 4-3 victory in last night's season opener for both teams.
May 25, 1991: Penguins' first Cup
"Destiny is not a matter of chance it is a matter of choice." -- William Jennings Bryan
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- It took 24 years, but the Penguins made their choice last night. And they made it stick.
They chose greatness. They chose glory. And they chose to be champions.
And they did it in a way so resounding there could be no doubt about their qualifications to reign as the National Hockey League's finest team.
The Penguins won their first Stanley Cup by crushing the Minnesota North Stars, 8-0, in Game 6 of the championship series at the Met Center. They won the series, 4-2, by taking the final three games, two of them on the road.
"It's a great thrill to reach the top of the mountain," coach Bob Johnson said. "A dream come true for all of our players."
June 12, 2009: Game 7, Stanley Cup final
DETROIT -- It was said that the Detroit Red Wings could not lose Game 7 of a Stanley Cup final on home ice. They did.
That Marc-Andre Fleury could not be counted on to win big games. He has.
That these Penguins were not ready to be champions. They are.
They defeated the Red Wings, 2-1, in Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena last night to earn the third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The driving forces behind the victory were forward Max Talbot, who scored both goals, and Fleury, who turned aside 23 of 24 shots and made a lunging game-, season- and Cup-saving stop on Nicklas Lidstrom with about a second to play.
PHOTOS: Associated Press
Nov 09 2009
It's not every day a former member of the Penguins gets inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Even if he was only in Pittsburgh for one season (a lockout-shortened one at that), Luc Robitaille was a member of the Penguins. And he gets the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame today.
To say the least, Robitaille was a long shot to make the NHL, let alone, the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Kings took him as the 171st overall pick in the 1984 draft. Little did the Kings realize they would be drafting two future hall-of-famers that day. The other was skinny forward from Concord, Mass. named Tom Glavine. The eventual all-star pitcher for the Atlanta Braves was actually chosen 69th overall, 102 spots ahead of Robitaille.
After being drafted, Robitaille spent two prolific seasons with the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL. Despite putting up 148 and 191 points respectively in those seasons and being named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year in 1986, Robitaille was still seen as a long shot to make the NHL.
He proved all his doubters wrong his first season with the Kings as he scored 84 points (45 goals, 39 assists) and claimed the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Robitaille became a fixture on the left wing and would be a major part of what was arguably the best era of Kings hockey in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Wayne Gretzky came to Hollywood and immediately found someone worthy of riding shotgun. As Gretzky continued to set NHL scoring records in his new surroundings, Robitaille set his own marks by eventually becoming the highest scoring left winger in NHL history.
Following Los Angeles' first and only trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, the Kings slipped the following the season and missed the playoffs entirely. Robitaille's game slipped as well. He set career highs in 1992-93 with 125 points (63 goals, 62 assists). In 1993-94, those totals dipped to 86 points (44 goals, 42 assists).
The following offseason, he was sent to the Penguins in exchange for rugged right winger Rick Tocchet and a second-round pick. Even if his numbers were pedestrian by his standards (42 points in 46 games), Robitaille was a natural fit for the high-flying Penguins. In addition to giving them another offensive weapon, he also brought a high profile as he got a speaking role in "Sudden Death" the dreadful movie project of former team owner Howard Baldwin.
Aside from the challenging role of playing himself, Robitaille's most prominent moment as a Penguin came at the expense of the Capitals. As Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals went to overtime tied, 5-5, the Penguins were on the brink of elimination. The Capitals had a 3-1 lead and one goal would end the Penguins' spring. That where Robitaille stepped in with a little help with the most unlikely of sources, Francois Leroux:
Robitaille's goal past the stick of Jim Carey saved the Penguins' season and eventually led them to come back and claim the series, 4-3. Imagine that. A player cementing his legacy as a Penguin against the Capitals in the playoffs.
Robitaille was nearly a point-per-game contributor for the Penguins that postseason as he had 11 points in 12 games but the Penguins would get trounced in the next round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Devils and that would bring Robitaille's brief career as a Penguin to an end. In an effort to re-tool the franchise in the 1995 offseason, Robitaille was dealt to the Rangers along with defenseman Ulf Samuelsson in exchange for forward Petr Nedved and defenseman Sergei Zubov.
Like so many aging all-stars, Robitaille's career kind of hit a rut in New York. He battle injuries for much of his two seasons with the Rangers and was eventually traded back to the Kings in the 1997 offseason in a deal that brought his former Penguins teammate, Kevin Stevens, to New York.
Robitaille continued to battle injuries in Los Angeles and scored a career-low 16 goals in 1997-98. Robitaille would rebound in 1997-98 as he had three consecutive seasons of 30 or more goals and helped lead the seventh-seeded Kings to an upset of the second-seeded Red Wings in the 2001 postseason.
Despite the numerous personal accomplishments of his career, Robitaille's NHL resume was incomplete. He did not have a Stanley Cup ring. So in the 2001 offseason, he joined the Red Wings and he won the Cup in his first season with Detroit.
Robitaille would spend one more season in Motown before returning to the Kings where he would hit the 20-goal mark once more before retiring at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season.
Robitaille's statistics:
Robitaille will become the 18th person with ties to the Penguins to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
| Name |
Year
Inducted |
| Red Kelly |
1969 |
| Tim Horton |
1977 |
| Andy Bathgate |
1978 |
| Leo Boivin |
1986 |
| Tony Esposito |
1988 |
| Scotty Bowman |
1991 |
| Bob Johnson |
1992 |
| Mario Lemieux |
1997 |
| Glen Sather |
1997 |
| Bryan Trottier |
1997 |
| Joe Mullen |
2000 |
| Mike Lange |
2001 |
| Craig Patrick |
2001 |
| Paul Coffey |
2004 |
| Larry Murphy |
2004 |
| Herb Brooks |
2006 |
| Ron Francis |
2007 |
| Luc Robitaille |
2009 |
(Photo: Penguins-John Heller/Post-Gazette; Kings-Photobucket)
Nov 09 2009
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)
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