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Dustin Penner News & Rumors

Kings take high road to Stanley Cup finals, win 8th straight road win
May 23
Los Angeles Times
 
"There was the celebratory group hug taking place by the glass, followed by a loud chorus of boos and then objects being tossed on the ice by some fans. Yes, the Kings' long strange journey to the Stanley Cup finals — returning there again for the first time in 19 years — ended with one long thrilling night of hockey and in somewhat surreal fashion. Weren't they supposed to be showered with champagne, not debris? The final step of the journey back to the finals came courtesy of the man who received more criticism since he arrived in Los Angeles a little more than a year ago than any other Kings player in recent memory. The hero was left wing Dustin Penner who scored the game-winning goal on"
Sens should put Penner to paper
May 8
Ottawa Sun
 
"Much criticism and many jokes have been made about Dustin "Pancake" Penner, but it wouldn't come as a shock if Senators GM Bryan Murray shows interest in the 6-foot-4, 240-pound (on a good day) Los Angeles winger when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. The two have a history, and Penner is proving in these playoffs that he still has some game. The native of Winkler, Man. has two goals and five assists in nine post-season games, helping the Kings earn the first berth in the final four."
After down season, things are looking up for Kings' Dustin Penner
May 3
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Helene Elliott
"Kings left wing Dustin Penner is an enigma. He's a skillful player in the muscular body of an enforcer, a proven scorer who produced only seven goals this season, a bright thinker in a game that's too fast to ponder much of anything. He had no points in the Kings' last nine regular-season games but had a goal and an assist in their first-round elimination of the Vancouver Canucks. Slotted alongside the savvy Mike Richards and quick-shooting Jeff Carter, Penner was an irresistible force and an unmovable object in the Kings' two playoff victories over the St. Louis Blues, recording a goal and assist in Game 1 and two key assists in Game 2 to put the Kings in command, 2-0, heading into Game 3"
Kings hope Dustin Penner's line switch pays off
April 28
Los Angeles Times
 
"It might be wishful thinking, but Coach Darryl Sutter is hoping the scent of playoff success will revive left wing Dustin Penner when the Kings open their second-round playoff series against theSt. Louis Blues on Saturday at Scottrade Center. Sutter switched wingers toward the end of the Kings' first-round victory over Vancouver, putting Penner alongside Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and placing rookie Dwight King with Jarret Stoll and Trevor Lewis. The revamped lines will stay together against the Blues, with Sutter looking for Penner to respond to postseason pressure the way he did while playing for the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup championship team. "He's had a really tough year and so he's"
Kings' Dustin Penner sees big finish as new start
March 19
Los Angeles Times
 
"One successful finish off a two-on-one does not erase about a year of star-crossed misery. At least, for the Kings' Dustin Penner, it represented a start. Penner's goal in the third period against Nashville on Saturday put the Kings ahead for good and ignited a three-goal outburst from them en route to a 4-2 win over the Predators at Staples Center. They have won four straight games and the surge keeps them in the midst of the packed Western Conference race, a battle seemingly changing by the hour."
PANCAKE KING FOR A DAY: Penner's charitable move goes over like hotcakes
February 14
L.A. Daily News
 
"In Dustin Penner's world, it's no pain, no gain. So pass the syrup. Hockey and hotcakes for everybody. A month after a much-ballyhooed bout of back spasms was blamed on his wife's pancakes, the Kings left wing attempted to turn a negative into a positive by hosting a buffet pancake breakfast for 75 lucky fans Monday morning at an IHOP in Westchester. Pancakes with Penner, which benefited the Kings Care Foundation, was born from Penner's back seizing up while digging into a stack of his wife's pancakes, causing him to miss a game. A rash of Internet banter made light of Penner's plight - "it took off like a brushfire in Canada," the 29-year-old Manitoba native joked - and texts and emails"
Former Oiler Penner sidelined by pancakes
January 10
Edmonton Sun
 
"Dustin Penner had weight issues while he was an Oiler, so maybe it's not a surprise he hurt himself while eating pancakes on the weekend. The Los Angeles Kings forward was sidelined for one game after injuring his back in the bizarre breakfast mishap. "Apparently it's one of those mysterious things, where you can throw it out (from) sneezing," Penner told the L.A. Kings Insider. "I just leaned over to dip into some delicious pancakes that my wife made. It's just like it (the pain) wraps around you and squeezes. So it was disappointing. Hopefully it's just an isolated incident, and not something that's going to become chronic." Penner said his back hurt so badly he needed his wife's help to"
Rare big night from Dustin Penner helps Kings to 4-3 win over Predators
November 9
Los Angeles Times
 
"Dustin Penner's two-assist performance Tuesday in the Kings' 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators is why they maintained their faith in him through stretches when he was invisible — or worse — and through a five-game winless streak in which they scored only eight times. Penner's first multi-point effort as a King in his 32nd game was forceful and skilled, qualities he has shown only rarely, alone or in combination. He set up second-period goals by Mike Richards and Simon Gagne as the Kings scored more than three goals for only the third time this season and won for only the second time in eight games."
Penner returns to Edmonton as a King
March 29
Edmonton Journal
 
"In the most recent episode of the TV series, Oil Change, head coach Tom Renney is at the Edmonton Oilers' trade-deadline-day headquarters on his cellphone telling Dustin Penner that he's been moved. "Pens ... Tom here. Good and bad news," said Renney. The bad news was Penner was leaving the Oilers after almost four years. The good news was he was on his way back to southern California, where he has a home in Los Angeles and won a Stanley Cup ring with the Anaheim Ducks. It's also where his new wife, an actress, has worked. Indeed, it couldn't have been a better trade scenario for the left-winger, who will be on the Los Angeles Kings' first line with Michael Handzus and Oscar Moller when he"
Penner impresses teammates in Kings practice debut; Bernier to start Thursday
March 3
Los Angeles Times
 
"Winger Dustin Penner, acquired by the Kings from Edmonton on Monday, fell in love with Southern California when he played for the Ducks and bought a summer home in Newport Beach. He didn't expect to use his home during hockey season, but he spent Tuesday night there before participating in his first practice at the Kings' El Segundo training facility. "I drove up this morning just to check out and see how long it took. Not bad," he said, estimating the travel time at about 45 minutes. "A lot shorter than some of the drives I had to Rexall from my place. That took an hour and 15 if there was light snow." No snow to worry about here, but traffic can be challenging. Lakers star Kobe Bryant"
Kings' acquisition of Dustin Penner is biggest splash on NHL trade deadline day
March 1
Los Angeles Times
 
"Who would have thought that the Kings would make the most prominent trade on the NHL's trading deadline day? But there it is: Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi acquired left wing Dustin Penner -- a member of the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup championship team -- from Edmonton for minor-league defenseman Colten Teubert, a first-round pick in this year's entry draft and a third-round pick in 2012 that would become a second-round pick if the Kings win the Stanley Cup this year. "It was time to get better," Lombardi said. Penner is not expected to be in the Kings' lineup for their game Monday night against Detroit because of immigration issues. Here are some of Lombardi's thoughts, and yes, this"
King him: L.A. trades for Dustin Penner
March 1
L.A. Daily News
 
"The usual insanity that is the NHL trade deadline took a chill pill this year. At least, many of the league's general managers chose to spread out their acquisitions over the span of weeks, not just the hours leading up to noon Monday. Not Dean Lombardi. In what turned out to be a shallow pool of available talent, the Kings' general manager reeled in the biggest fish. Edmonton Oilers left wing Dustin Penner was brought back to Southern California for prospect Colten Teubert, a first-round 2011 draft pick, and a conditional third-round pick in 2012. That pick becomes a second-rounder if the Kings win the Stanley Cup this season. Penner, a member of the Ducks' 2007 championship team, is"
Oilers send Penner to L.A.
February 28
Edmonton Journal
 
"Dustin Penner is going back to the West Coast. The Edmonton Oilers moved the left-winger to the Los Angeles Kings Monday for defenceman Colten Teubert, who played junior in Regina with winger Jordan Eberle, a first-round pick in the June draft and a conditional draft pick later in 2012, based on how far the Kings go in the playoffs, should they make them. It’s a third-rounder for now, but it could become a second. Teubert, a rugged blueliner, has been playing in Manchester, the Kings’ AHL farm club. The first-round pick from the Kings would be about 20th right now, to go with a pick that could be No. 1 or No. 2 based on their standing right now (30th spot, in a race with Ottawa for league"
Oilers Penner, Hemsky talk trades
February 10
Edmonton Sun
 
"Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky know better than to send out their dry cleaning. And as the trade deadline draws even closer, they'll know better than to buy green bananas. As they near the end of their contracts, both can't help wondering if they're nearing the end of their time in Edmonton. Hemsky admitted Wednesday that for the first time since he became an Oiler in 2002, he thinks he might be on the block. And Penner, well, he's been on the block since he came here. With one season left before he's eligible for unrestricted free agency, and his stock value high, his name is definitely coming up. "It is touch and go, I understand," said Penner of his situation in advance of the deadline."
Keep Hemsky, trade Penner
February 4
Edmonton Sun
 
"It's now fewer than four weeks to the NHL trade deadline and the compelling question lurking in the background all season soon has to come out from behind the curtains. What do you do with Ales Hemsky and Dustin Penner? Or, from another angle, what will Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky do a year from now when they become free agents? Does G.M. Steve Tambellini have handle on that? Does he have his game plan? If Hemsky and Penner want to find out what they're worth in free agency, or want to try wearing another jersey in another city currently located higher in the standings, then this is the time to do the deal. They're not needed for a playoff push. Next year Hemsky will make $5 million and"
Shift work fine for Oilers' Penner
November 2
Edmonton Sun
 
"Dustin Penner didn't take exception to his coach's comments regarding the length of his shifts. In this new Edmonton Oilers era, with a new coaching staff and a new approach, communication between players and coaches is no longer done through the media. "I think with the coaching staff this year they're very open to discussion and it's a two-way street," Penner said. "They want the best out of every player. "I think my shifts are around 50 seconds. There have been a couple of kills when I've been stuck out there for about a minute and a half, and power plays are longer when you get out there. But I think five-on-five my shifts are right where they should be. As far as penalty killing and"
Fast start key for Penner
October 7
Edmonton Sun
 
"For much of last season, Dustin Penner found a way to quiet some of his harshest critics. Since signing a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet in the summer of 2007 after helping the Anaheim Ducks capture the Stanley Cup, the Winkler product has been under intense scrutiny by media and coaches alike. But a blazing start in 2009-10, one which had him mentioned in the discussion as a long-shot for inclusion on Canada's Olympic roster, Penner wrapped up the season as the Edmonton Oilers leading scorer after posting a career-high 32 goals and 63 points in 82 games. Now in his sixth NHL season, Penner is hoping recent history repeats itself, at least in terms of his offensive production. "I"
Penner's stats don't reflect value
September 25
Edmonton Journal
 columnist David Staples
"Edmonton Oilers winger Dustin Penner earned a lot of new fans and won over a few old critics last season. Such was Penner's seeming improvement that some Edmonton hockey writers and bloggers who had been calling for him to be traded were now comparing him to the likes of Frank and Peter Mahovlich. High praise indeed, but that's what scoring 32 goals and 31 assists in 82 games will do for a player, even one formerly called out as an underachieving lug. The question this season is whether Penner can again put up Mahovlichlike numbers, or if his official point totals will crash to his 2008-09 levels of 17 goals and 20 assists in 78 games. Almost all of the hockey pool analysts -- such as"
Professor Penner?
September 19
Edmonton Sun
 columnist Robert Tychkowski
"It's very likely that as one of the team leaders this season Dustin Penner will be wearing a letter. But instead of an A or a C, they might be better off stitching a PhD on his sweater. When Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle or any of Edmonton's other child stars run into career turbulence, which they almost certainly will at some point, who better to guide them through it than somebody with an honorary degree in whipping post survival. Penner, that's who. "It makes me feel older," said the 27-year-old winger, looking around the dressing room on the first day of training camp. "I was part of the young guys for a while there. And now, even though I guess I'm not that old, in comparison to a lot"
Penner waits for worlds invitation
April 8
Edmonton Journal
 
"Should an invitation arrive at season's end, Dustin Penner said he'd have to do some deliberating. Edmonton's top point-getter would have to consider if he wants to play for Craig MacTavish and Bill Moores, of course, as the two former Oilers coaches are overseeing the Canadian entry at the world hockey champion ship. MacTavish will be the head coach for the tournament, which gets under way May 7 in Mannheim, Germany, while Moores was named an assistant coach along with the Florida Panthers' Peter DeBoer. Penner didn't exactly win over the former coaching staff with his approach to the game, which eventually lead to some blistering public statements from MacTavish. This season, under the"
Moreau, Penner pair up for Oilers
April 6
Edmonton Journal
 
"Rallying points have been rare for the Edmonton Oilers, almost as rare as road wins. At home? Now that's another story. The Oilers have recorded just eight road wins this season, and that includes a five-game winning streak away from home Dec. 3-11. Yet those same Oilers, buoyed by a pair of goals from captain Ethan Moreau and two more from Dustin Penner, are 8-3 at Rexall Place since Feb. 1. They scored a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday. "If it can be any consolation, we've shown up at home. We've put in the effort and had some results of late," said Moreau, who scored the Oilers' fifth short-handed goal of the season in the first period and put an even-strength marker past"
Penner catches a break
April 2
Edmonton Sun
 
"With 11 stitches under the eye and four scratches on the cornea, Dustin Penner knows he caught a break. A pretty big one on a team that hasn't had many this season. "It's a little scary when it first happens," said Penner, thankful that the puck that hit him in the eye Monday in Detroit didn't do any serious damage. "That's why I went down, because I couldn't see. But slowly my vision came back." While Penner was laying on the ice he immediately thought of his friend Jordan Smith, a former Anaheim Ducks prospect, who lost the sight in his eye after being clipped with a puck in Portland. "I was worried until the doctor came in and put some dye in the eye. He looked at it and said it was"
Penner suffers scratched cornea from errant clearing attempt
April 1
Edmonton Journal
 
"Edmonton Oilers winger Dustin Penner escaped a serious eye injury when he was hit by a puck in the first period on Tuesday. But the 27-year-old damaged his right cornea and didn't play the final two periods against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. "He scratched it in four spots," said Oilers trainer Ken Lowe. Penner was also cut under the eye and needed stitches when Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom attempted to flip the puck past him, but it hit Penner's face. He only played four minutes, just six shifts. "The doctor here doesn't feel it's serious. He thinks he should be fine, but the cornea was scratched enough that the doctor didn't feel he should play the rest of the"
Penner takes puck off face, leaves game
March 31
Edmonton Sun
 (scroll down)
"Dustin Penner left the game in the first period after being hit below the right eye with the puck ... One of the few brights spots was Mike Comrie, who had a goal and an assist despite playing among the fewest minutes among Edmonton forwards"
Cold comfort for Penner
March 28
Edmonton Sun
 
"If Dustin Penner scores a career high 30 goals before season's end, expect the celebration to be muted, if not invisible. Reaching the milestone this year in Edmonton would be like Kevin Costner setting the minor-league home-run record in Bull Durham — yeah it's a significant accomplishment, but any personal satisfaction is quickly offset by where he set it. Penner joining the 30 Goal Club can't overshadow Edmonton being the sole member of the NHL's 30th Place Club, so there can be no joy in Mudville. Proud pops "It would be nice but I'm not too worried about it," said Penner, who needs three goals in his last eight games to become just the third Oiler in the last 10 years to hit 30 (Mike"
Penner's energy crisis
March 12
Edmonton Sun
 
"At times lately, Dustin Penner looked like he'd hit the wall. Or that he had one tied to his back. The legs and lungs just weren't there, and neither was the production. After roaring out of the gate with 38 points in his first 33 games, the big winger had just 10 points in his next 30 games. "In the second half he seemed to have less energy," said head coach Pat Quinn. "He seemed to have an energy problem and seemed to be slowing down. "It has been a little bit of a slide for him, not getting near the production that he did early." So dramatic was the change, the Oilers are actually wondering if Penner's issue is health related. Quinn compared the drop-off to Mike Comrie when he came down"
Penner Oilers' only legit threat
February 10
Edmonton Journal
 
"Dustin Penner's stats have slowed, not to mention his feet. It's mainly because he has a target around No. 27 on his back, and he's not used to playing 19 minutes every night. But Penner is still the Edmonton Oilers' only legitimate threat to score a goal, something that is proving tougher than an old pair of leather skate boots. The Oilers have a meagre 145 goals and Penner has 46 points, which means the big winger has figured in 32 per cent of their offence. He's one of the few bodies who might scare the opposition, even if he only has eight points in his last 17 games. "He's slowed down, but given how important he is to us ... it's the weight of the world (on his shoulders)," said"
Slumping Penner typical of what ails Oilers
February 8
Edmonton Sun
 
"Depending on Sam Gagner's status, Edmonton Oilers head coach Pat Quinn has a couple of cards to play heading into Monday night's game against the Phoenix Coyotes. With 14 forwards to choose from, Quinn has some option when it comes to his lineup. On Saturday, Robert Nilsson and Gilbert Brule were healthy scratches. Nilsson has sat out three consecutive games while Gilbert has been in the press box for the past two games. "We're going to have to look at our criteria as to who gets to play, and who need to come out, whatever it is," said Quinn. "We might need to refine that, because here are a couple of young kids, who just on their skill level should probably be in the lineup." Having lost"
Oilers relying on Penner for escape
January 28
Edmonton Sun
 
"As Dustin Penner goes, so go the Oilers. A year ago, that statement would have had Oilers fans searching for a noose. Now, it represents a possible escape from the depressing, never-ending litany of defeat. The evidence suggests that if they can get Penner going, the Oilers will be halfway respectable down the stretch."
Penner shows leadership
November 29
Edmonton Sun
 
"Leader. Print it in capital letters in your mind. The word should be filed in a special category as the single, specific label Dustin Penner would never earn as an Edmonton Oiler. Or as an Ottawa Senator, if he had been destined to turn up there. Penner's amazing on-ice turnaround has been documented by every form of mass media and noticed by every fan with a tiny appreciation of the NHL. Less obvious is the truth that he has done this with a variety of playing partners. For two full seasons, the Oilers had to keep looking for someone who could help Penner get untracked. Now, with Ales Hemsky gone until next season, the team's only choice is to find the players most likely to benefit by"
Penner's rebound season a success
November 28
Toronto Sun
 
"Dustin Penner was catalyst in the proposed trade for Dany Heatley this summer. However, the Edmonton Oilers winger was not considered on par with the Ottawa Senators two-time 50-goal scorer, so Ladislav Smid and Andrew Cogliano were thrown in the deal as well. Now, a quarter way through the season it appears as though it would have been a lopsided trade, considering how well Penner's been playing. "For myself that (proposed trade) didn't hold too much water for me," Penner said prior to Friday's game against the San Jose Sharks. "After the year I had last year, I was looking to rebound and have a better year. So I really didn't use that as fuel." Heading into Friday's contest, Penner"