Erik Christensen (Born on December 17, 1983 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a current NHL hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins. December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, a Canadian province. ... Motto: Fortis et liber (Latin: Strong and free) Official languages English (see below) Flower   Wild rose Tree Lodgepole Pine Bird Great Horned Owl Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ed Stelmach (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 28 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total... NHL can also be an abbreviation for National Historic Landmark or Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. ... The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

Christensen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (69th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2002-03 season, Christensen received the Bob Clarke Trophy for being the leading scorer of the Western Hockey League. He tallied 108 points (54 goals) in 67 games with the Kamloops Blazers. The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22-23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... The Western Hockey League is one of the three hockey Major Junior Tier I leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. ...

The 2004-05 NHL lockout left the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins of the AHL stacked with talent, but Christensen impressed Penguins management by scoring 27 points (14 goals) in his first pro season. In the 2005-06 season, he jumped out of the gate quickly, tallying 19 points (9 goals) in only 9 games. The Pittsburgh Penguins called him up on October 31, 2005. The 2004-05 NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of what would have been the 88th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). ... The American Hockey League (AHL) is regarded as the top professional hockey league in North America outside the National Hockey League (NHL) for which it serves as the primary developmental circuit. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Christensen scored his first NHL goal on November 3, 2005 against the New York Islanders (against goaltender Rick DiPietro) at 15:43 into the 2nd period. He was another promising rookie for the Penguins in 2005-06 (along with Sidney Crosby, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Whitney and others). Christensen had 13 points (6 goals) in 33 games with the Penguins during his rookie campaign. Erik has been commonly referred to as the "Crusher" and "Assassin". He truly encompasses everything an assassin would have in that he has impeccable accuracy and a wrister that imposes fear on any opposing team. Erik's wrister is commonly reffered to as the best wrister in the league and people have started to take notice. One teammate who asked to remain anonymous said Erik has infact dented several goal posts in practice and on one occasion actually shot a pick through the meshing on the net. November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York, a city located on Long Island. ... Rick DiPietro (September 19, 1981 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the NHLs New York Islanders. ...