Hockey career are strange animals. Some burn clearly and fade calmly. Others, such as Dustin Penner, explode in flashes of sparkle and then implode in ways that you shake your head. Penner, born in Winkler, Manitoba, was not the most announced prospect that came from the University of Maine or the American Hockey League, but he had the size-6-foot-4, 247 pounds and the sneaky skill that makes a force dangerous.
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Anaheim got a glimpse of it in 2006-2007, and it was enough to earn him a Stanley Cup ring in his first full NHL season. That is the kind of beginning that makes a career seem bulletproof. But Penner’s story would never be easy.
The NHL story from Penner is filled with twists and turns
From the very beginning the story had twists. The Anaheim -ducks certainly wanted to keep him, but the Edmonton Oilers had other ideas – and Kevin Lowe’s notorious Offering sheet has changed everything. Suddenly Penner went from a modest salary of $ 425,000 to $ 4.25 million a year, with Edmonton surrendering a first, second and third round pick to claim him.
(Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty images)
For a young guy it was both a windfall and a burden. Penner himself admitted that he did not yet have a highlight, but Edmonton hoped that he would be the Cornerstone Power Forward they longed for. For fans it looked like a brilliant chess movement. For Penner it was the start of a roller coaster with some of the most unpredictable chapters you will ever see in a hockey career.
Penner’s time with the Oilers ended with a move to the kings
Those years in Edmonton were a mix of promise and frustration. Penner had moments of brilliance – 32 goals and 63 points in 2009 – 10 – but the oilers never completely became the winning team that could show his talents completely.
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By the 2010–11 season, the Trade Deadline came to call. Penner landed in Los Angeles for a Trek Picks and young player Colton Teubert. The expectations were high, but his start with the kings was lukewarm: six points in 19 games and his new team that left the play -offs in the first round. Penner was a puzzle – sometimes the piece that suited, sometimes the one who didn’t.
“Pancakes Penner” ran a breakfast injury
Then came the season that gave him the nickname ‘Pancakes Penner’. Not injured in a game, not in a scrum, but bend forward to enjoy some breakfast At home. That story alone became a media sensation, but for Penner it was just a strange turn in a career full of them. Healthy scratches, line -up security, rumors that swallow off the ice – Penner kept his humor and the hockey world looked through all this, equal parts disbulated and amused.
Despite the chaos, Penner came through when it mattered. The play -offs of 2011–12 saw him contribute 11 points in 20 games, so the Kings helped the Stanley Cup. That postsean version reminded everyone that the player saw Anaheim for the first time – a large, versatile attacker who could wear out opponents and chip offensively. Los Angeles rewarded him with a one -year contract $ 3.25 million, and bet that his value outweighs unpredictability.
Penner had a number of solid hockey skills, but some bad timing
And yet unpredictability Penner followed. The 2012-13 season started poorly and the line-up decisions of head coach Darryl Sutter kept him moving. Penner’s career, it seemed, it was never just about skill on the ice. It was about timing, opportunities and the strange human factors that could not record a statblad. Would he be a disappointment of the regular season? Or again the playoff -hero? The fact turned out that the kings could no longer put it together.
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Penner’s journey is a memory that the NHL is not only a competition of talent – it is a competition of stories. His explosion in Anaheim, the implosion in Edmonton, the rebound in Los Angeles, and the bizarre peculiarities in between make his career to remember. Sometimes the power we see on the ice is only half the story. The other half is the human, messy, unpredictable and sometimes strange drama that makes hockey and life worthwhile to follow.
What happened to Penner?
After he had withdrawn from the NHL, Penner found a new passion in (of all things) woodworking. You can see some of his creations on his YouTube channel, @dpmakestuff. He shares his ideas about crafts, tool adjustments and creating artistic designs. Penner’s projects show a dedication to hands-on craftsmanship.
Has he finally created a space in his life where the unrest has disappeared? His life is a lesson that it is never too late to pursue new passions. The NHL story from Penner is one of the most interesting I can remember. He seems to have landed well after the NHL, and perhaps that is the best end of such a complex story.
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