 |
| Penner remains out for Kings (photo: D. Sheehan) |
About an hour later, Penner was the last player off the ice at practice and we had a chance to catch up on a few things...
MM: So, (Trevor) Lewis tells me that (Mike) Richards likes to eat candy. I remember last year you saying you were trying to get off the Sour Patch Kids. Has that been a problem this year, with him sitting next to you?
DP: No, he shares and we have an understanding - 'What's yours is mine.' So, we've strengthened our friendship through Sour Patch Kids.
MM: You might be able to bully him into sharing, given the size difference. But, what about the guy to your right [Kevin Westgarth]?
DP: Westy usually just mostly grunts. We don't talk unless I'm grunting with him.
MM: Is it intimidating at all, having to sit next to a Princeton grad?
DP: No, I went to Maine.
MM: Oh, that's the same level now?
DP: When you're sitting beside Westy it is.
MM: How about the hand, what's going on?
DP: Still attached. Still swollen. Probably a couple more days and it shouldn't be a problem.
MM: What happened in the last 48 hours? How did things go from you being back tomorrow night to now waiting a little longer?
(note: Alec Martinez, the only other guy in the locker room at the time, chimed in with some apparent triumphs he's recently had playing video games with Penner - to which Penner immediately ran with...)
DP: I hurt myself in Call of Duty.
MM: Maybe you need to lay off the Xbox then...
DP: Actually, that's what was speeding up my recovery initially. (now back to being serious) But, it's actually a given-and-take thing. If you come back a little too early, and risk hurting it on a freak accident, it will end up delaying you even more than if you would have ended up waiting the extra two days.
MM: Did you go to them or did they come to you?
DP: It was an open discussion.
MM: With the next few games being Florida and Montreal, does that play into the decision at all? Say, if the Kings were playing a division rival like Anaheim, would that probably push you to come back too soon?
DP: Yeah, I think as you get older, you try to get a little wiser, a little smarter about how you handle injuries. For me, I haven't dealt with injuries before, up until this year. That being said, I've had the benefit of watching a lot of my teammates go through injuries (over the years) - some rushed them, some prolonged them. I think I have a pretty good grasp on what my body needs, as far as rest and recovery, with an injury. As much as I want to get back in the line-up, I think it's worth the extra couple days.
Regarding what the plan will be once Penner is determined ready, Murray once again made his intentions clear - "I always believe that you put your best players into the lineup whenever you’re ready to go, and you play those guys. Penner is a good player, and we’re just waiting our time for him to get a little bit better before he goes in."
Of course, for that to happen, the Kings will need to make a roster move. In a poll run here on MayorsManor yesterday, 33% felt the team should send Andrei Loktionov back to Manchester to clear a spot, while 30% said waiving Trent Hunter was the call they would make if they were GM Dean Lombardi (full results available here).
Also, less that 3% said waive Colin Fraser and less than 5% said waive Trevor Lewis. If this were a reality show, we'd have to say something like 'You two, please sit down. You're safe...for now.'
If you'd like some more comedy from Penner - and some slightly seriousness stuff mixed in - check out the links below.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES:
Welcome to the Dustin Penner comedy hour
Penner defends himself against Matt Greene's accusations
Exclusive: Dustin Penner explains his injuries in exact detail
The one thing Matt Greene never wants to see again, ever!
Mike Richards with a warning for Dustin Penner
Penner on missing the Ducks games and when he'll back
No comments:
Post a Comment