Penner practicing at TSC in El Segundo – Photo: D. Sheehan
By Elliott Teaford • InsideTheKings •
Dustin Penner skated and skated and skated some more Monday morning at the Kings’ El Segundo practice facility. Brad Richardson and Andrew Bodnarchuk joined him for a lengthy post-morning skate workout after their teammates left the ice.
It sure looked like Penner would be scratched for the third consecutive game, but Kings coach Darryl Sutter would only say, “Be there for the song,” when asked if he would ice the same lineup Monday against the Vancouver Canucks as during Saturday’s victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
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Penner concluded his hour-plus skate by walking past reporters and saying, “Come on down, the price is right,” when someone asked if he had a minute to talk. Penner retreated to a team video session, however, and was unavailable for immediate comment.
oy…here we go again…
i’m not sure penner has a legit excuse this time around, unless an injury is being muzzled and kept on the dl…
players, like penner…like kovalev…like frolov…like (name yr underachieving player right here)…confound me…lots of talent, but can’t seem to be consistent enough for a full…or half…season…
in this case, penner probably didn’t have his fitness levels up – i d k – but it seems like that’s the case because you wouldn’t have a player skate hard for over an hour unless you were poised to get their attention and get them in shape, especially during a shortened season, which emphasizes a player to be at full-strength more often than not…
during last year’s remarkable playoff run, penner looked like a young todd bertuzzi…it seemed that sutter was the perfect doctor to cure whatever penner ailed from psychologically…motivation is a strange creature…and, other than pancakes, i have no idea what it’s going to take to motivate this guy for him to play up to his capabilities every…or most every…game…maybe penner was never meant to have a long career…maybe his best year(s) are/is behind him…
however, if he continues to warrant this kind of treatment from sutter, it might be time to let the dog out of it’s house and part ways…
…or just keep him caged up until the playoffs where he can shine like a supernova. Until then, I’m afraid we’ll only get to see the white dwarf version of this lovable star.
But at the end of the day, I can only conclude that hockey is only an occasional passion of his and not a day to day mission to be a better player.
Legacy seems to be the last thing on his mind. Maybe that’s because his legacy is already cemented. When it counts most, he’s nails. Otherwise, he’s just good ‘ole happy go lucky Dustin.