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Wednesday, 22 June 2011 01:00

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

Penguins

-OMG JAGR!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!1!!!

-"Hypothetically, you’re talking about a guy in his last year in the National Hockey League had 75 points. That’s leading our team last year. That’s an intriguing thing to think about. He’s a power-play guy. What you saw him do in the World Championship against NHL-caliber players was nothing short of outstanding on a bigger ice surface. Those are intriguing things to think about hypothetically. It’s tough not to think about adding 75 points to your roster if it’s something you’re capable of doing." - Penguins coach Dan Bylsma on the potential of signing former Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr (right). (PG+)

-"Obviously Mario (Lemieux) is the owner. The team they got, (Sidney) Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin, plus other great players, if I went there it would be a lot easier. But on the other side, Detroit has great players and play closer to my style, a Euro style. That's a plus. And (Nicklas) Lidstrom is there, plus (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg -- great, great players." - Jagr potentially joining either the Penguins or Red Wings.

-According to Sports Business Journal, Sidney Crosby (right) still had the top selling NHL jersey this past season. The top 20:

1) Penguins C Sidney Crosby
2) Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin
3) Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews
4) Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane
5) Penguins C Evgeni Malkin
6) Flyers C Mike Richards
7) Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom
8) Flyers RW Claude Giroux
9) Sabres G Ryan Miller
10) Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury
11) Red Wings C Pavel Datsyuk
12) Red Wings LW Henrik Zetterberg
13) Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist
14) Bruins LW Milan Lucic
15) Rangers RW Ryan Callahan
16) Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa
17) Penguins D Kris Letang
18) Devils G Martin Brodeur
19) Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp
20) Sharks C Joe Thornton

-The NHL's board of governors officially approved an adjustment on the infamous Rule 48 regarding headshots. Any targeted head hit will be subject to a two-minute penalty.

-Happy 44th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Paul Stanton (right). An eighth-round pick in 1985, Stanton spent three seasons with the Penguins. He made his NHL debut in 1990-91 and appeared in 75 games while scoring 23 points. He appeared in 22 playoff games that season and contributed three points as the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup title. In 1991-92, Stanton was limited to 54 games and 10 points, but appeared in all 21 of the team's postseason games and eight points as the franchise successfully defended its Stanley Cup title. Stanton rebounded during the team's historic 1992-93 campaign by playing in 77 games for the Presidents' Trophy champions and scoring 16 points. In the 1993 offseason, Stanton was traded to the Bruins in exchange for a draft pick. In 206 regular season games with the Penguins, Stanton recorded 49 points. In 44 postseason games, he scored 12 points.

-Happy 50th birthday to former Penguins forward Steve Gatzos. A second-round pick in 1981, Gatzos spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie, Gatzos scored 14 points in 16 games in 1981-82. Gatzos appeared in 44 games in 1982-83 but only scored 13 points. Gatzos totals continued to fall in 1983-84 as he only played in 23 games and recorded six points. In his final NHL season, Gatzos appreared in six games and recorded two assists in 1985-86. The following offseason, Gatzos joined the Tilburg Trappers in Holland. In 89 games with the Penguins, Gatzos scored 35 points.

Northeast Division

-"I don’t think ESPN knows squat about Canada,” Burke said. “I don’t think they know squat about hockey.”  - Maple Leafs overlord Brian Burke (right) on ESPN ranking his franchise 120th out of 122 sports franchise in a study configuring a variety of categories.

Southeast Division

-The NHL's board of governors officially approved the sale of the Thrashers franchise and its move from Atlanta to Winnipeg.

-“It’s pretty emotional. You know it’s coming and you try to prepare for it but this is the final straw that broke the camel’s back. We have to find the positives and move forward but it’s difficult.” - Thrashers president Don Waddell.

-The old Thrashers' Web site address (thrashers.nhl.com) now takes you to http://winnipeg.nhl.com/.

-Restricted free agent Lightning forward Steven Stamkos seems pretty confident on getting a new contract worked out with Tampa Bay.

-Hurricanes rookie forward Jeff Skinner, a finalist for the Calder Trophy, isn't allowed to do much - legally - in Las Vega since he's only 19.

Central Division

-Predators forward Marcel Goc (right) was given medical clearance to resume playing. He has been sidelined since Feb. 17 due to a shoulder injury.

-"I kind of expected that. Those fans are crazy. When we beat them the last couple of years they were throwing stuff on the ice. They're crazy fans and obviously passionate about their team. I kind of expected a reaction one way or another." - Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews on the riots in Vancouver last week.

-Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom has a chance to join hall-of-famers Doug Harvey and Bobby Orr as the only defensemen to win the Norris Trophy seven times or more.

Northwest Division

-The Penguins' Katie O'Malley catches up with new Wild coach and former Penguins assistant Mike Yeo:

-Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher wants his players to start counting carbs.

-The Avalanche is being murky on the status of unrestricted free agent forward Tomas Fleischmann who missed most of the season due to blood clots in his legs.

-Flames assistant coach Dave Lowry has two son expected to be selected in this weekend's draft.

Pacific Division

-The Stars will host the Coyotes in a preseason game inside Houston's Reliant Stadium, home to the NFL's Texans.

Norris Division

-Goaltender John Gibson, a native of Whitehall, could be a first-round pick this weekend.

(Photos: Jagr-Post-Gazette archives; Crosby and Burke-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Stanton-Penguins Hockey Cards; Goc-Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

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