On Sept. 1, 1999, Mario Lemieux made North American sports history when he moved into Pittsburgh Penguins ownership. Learn the details in this NHL Nugget. Owen Nolan [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTE2MzIzMzM0MTY5NzA4/usatsi_5562740.jpg] Owen Nolan September is here, and that means training camps across the NHL will soon be getting underway. Camp rosters include veterans, younger players, and for some teams, a few skaters looking for a way to get back into the league on professional tryout contracts (PTOs). Some of these signings are well known, while others have been lost to time over the years. Let's get into a few deals at NHL training camps over the decades that the bulk of people probably forget about: OWEN NOLAN'S TRYOUT WITH VANCOUVER IN 2011 When you think of the greatest players to put on a San Jose Sharks jersey, one of the first names that comes to mind has to be Owen Nolan. Drafted first overall in the 1990 NHL draft by the Quebec Nordiques, Nolan spent parts of six seasons with the Quebec/Colorado franchise, eight seasons with San Jose, parts of two with Toronto, one each with Arizona and Calgary, then two in Minnesota. In 2010-11, Nolan took his talents to the Swiss National League, where he put up 26 points in 24 games for Zurich. But he sought a North American comeback the following season. In the fall of 2011, then-39-year-old Nolan signed a PTO with the Vancouver Canucks [https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/canucks-announce-owen-nolan-todd-fedoruk-signed-to-ptos-for-2011-training-camp/c-585747]. Unfortunately for him, a regular-season return to the NHL wasn't meant to be for Nolan. Although he put up two points in three pre-season games, the Canucks released him after a 4-3 loss to the Sharks. Nolan soon after called it a career after 18 seasons. ANSON CARTER RETURNS TO EDMONTON IN 2007 In the early 2000s, Anson Carter spent parts of three seasons with the Oilers and was one of the offensive bright spots on a team that couldn't get past the first round. But he almost had a second act in Alberta's capital city. During the 2007-08 pre-season, Carter's return to Edmonton was a short one. He only played in one pre-season but suffered a concussion against Toronto. The PTO with the Oilers was the last we'd see of Carter in the NHL as a player, as he then played 15 games for Lugano in the Swiss League before retiring. ESA TIKKANEN ATTENDS OILERS TRAINING CAMP IN 1999 Sticking with the Oilers, another fan favorite made a brief return to the organization for a training camp in 1999. One of the key cogs of the Oilers dynasty, Esa Tikkanen, returned to the Oilers for training camp ahead of the 1999-00 campaign. Ultimately, Tikkanen decided to play in Finland's Liiga with Jokerit, where he'd record 23 points in 43 games later that season. RON DUGUAY ATTEMPTS NHL COMEBACK WITH TAMPA BAY IN 1992 The start of the Tampa Bay Lightning and their first season in 1992-93 is anything but boring, from playing at Expo Hall to shocking the Chicago Blackhawks to the tune of a 7-3 victory in their first-ever game. Tampa Bay's first training camp also saw a familiar name to NHL fans from the 1970s and '80s attempt to make a comeback. In 1992, after spending three seasons in Europe and the IHL, former New York Rangers star Ron Duguay attempted to return to the NHL. A dislocated thumb and back spasms [https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1992/09/30/lightning-cuts-duguay/] ended up preventing him from completing the comeback, however, and the Lightning released him at the end of September 1992. JACQUES PLANTE JOINED THE OAKLAND SEALS IN 1967 Jacques Plante and the Oakland Seals? This actually happened. Before the 1967-68 NHL season that ushered in six new teams to the league, Oakland Seals coach Bert Olmsted called his friend and former teammate Jacques Plante to help coach the new squad. Plante had been retired since the end of the 1964-65 campaign. In his role with the Seals, Plante helped get the new squad ready for the NHL but also took an interesting hands-on approach at training camp as he'd put on the pads not only in scrimmages but also for a pre-season game. Plante's one and only game in a Seals jersey game in a 3-3 tie against the Los Angeles Kings. He was then ordered to leave training camp as it was confirmed his rights still belonged to the New York Rangers. Plante returned home to Montreal, but he'd return to the league in 1968-69 as a member of the St. Louis Blues.
