Dustin Penner didn’t look totally comfortable on the ice this morning — he winced a couple times while stretching between drills — but the back spasms that kept him out of yesterday’s game had subsided enough to allow him to practice today. Penner even took a couple friendly bumps into the boards from teammates and looked none the worse for wear. It’s not yet known if Penner will be able to play tomorrow against Washington, but he will attempt to participate in the morning skate. Penner said he might visit Chad Moreau, the brother of former Kings winger Ethan Moreau, former strenghth coach in Edmonton and current private chiropractor, for some treatment, but said he felt better today.
PENNER: “Not bad. Better than yesterday. I woke up fine, sat down to eat and it locked right up. It never happened to me before. I couldn’t stand up. I was probably at the third stage of evolution. So my wife helped me get dressed, and then I drove to the rink here, to hope they could do some magic and get it opened up. Kinger [trainer Chris Kingsley] just looked at me and said, `Go home.’ So I got some treatment and went home.
“Apparently it’s one of those mysterious things, where you can throw it out (from) sneezing. 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.”
Darryl Sutter said he was encouraged by Penner’s ability to practice today.
SUTTER: “He’s significantly better today. He practiced. I don’t know, if we were playing tonight, that he would play, but hopefully he keeps making improvement. It’s back spasms, so there’s really no way to gauge that. It didn’t happen until yesterday morning, so there’s no way of telling. Like he said, he’s never had it before.’’
Oh, it’s mysterious alright. The mystery points right to your belly and being out of shape. Men in shape and with strong abs don’t suffer from back injuries due to pancakes. $4 + million dollars per season to miss games due to breakfast. Unbelievable.
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SpreignedAnkle Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
@Bobby Scribe, Are you serious?
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
@SpreignedAnkle, Only about 20%
Back spasms happen to the best of us. I am in excellent shape and I still get them from playing and, no laughing, the bull riding days. But Penner is out of shape and if you take care of your abs (the worse your back is the more important conditioning of your abs becomes), they are far less likely. It’s more common in the bigger guys when they have a gut. Anyway, I could go on but this isn’t a spine care thread.
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USHA#17 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
@Bobby Scribe,
I mostly agree…and I understand Penner’s “rating system”.
Not to make excuses for a $4M out of shape on again off again slacker but…when it comes to backs few people are the same.
Take me, when I use my muscles to bend over and push (as in wiping tar from a car fender) fender type movement, my back is out an hour later…period. A result of jamming my back when jumping a few years back. Meantime I can play hockey, motocross, ski and snowboard with no problem.
Harrison Merkin Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
@Bobby Scribe, Bobby….you’re a bright man. I’m sure you’re aware that back spasms are indeed real and not a product of being out of shape. Pens is a bust to be sure but this comment seriously lacks your usual sharp wit and concise insight.
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AZ King Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
@Bobby Scribe,
Really??? Give me a break, It doesn’t have anything to do with the pancakes, it’s about the inflammation and pain associated with back spasms. It’s one of the most painful things I’ve gone through in my life, and you don’t even see it coming. It has nothing to do with give in shape. Get real…
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AZ King Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
* nothing to do with BEING in shape.
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
@AZ King, Nothing to do with being in shape. Ok. That’s a first.
AZ King Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
@AZ King,
Maybe for you. I’m in shape, and I have them.
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OneTimer Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
@AZ King, as do I … and I run, lift, golf and play ice hockey. And while I’m not paid $4MM to play these things … I also don’t have 220 pound men trying to run me through boards at full speed every 48 hours. (Not to mention the practice/travel wear and tear.)
We all know Pens is in better shape than he has been in a while (certainly best as a King.) It’s just back spasms.
Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@Bobby Scribe, Very funny. I got the joke, and sarcasm is not always lost on the internet. At least I hope it was sarcasm.
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
@Dominick, Damn you for stalking me!
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Sean Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
@Bobby Scribe, hmm, not sure your professor wherever you went to medical school went over back spasms in too much detail. Nevermind the guy plays the most physical sport possible, with the liklihood of back injuries high due to being hit constantly.
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LBlocal Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 6:33 pm
@Bobby Scribe, {Note to self) Stay away from pancakes. They’re the adversary. gKg!
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Kyle Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
@Bobby Scribe, Right. Just ask noted lazy former NHLer Mike Bossy.
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
@Kyle, This can’t be a serious comment. You didn’t just compare Hall of Famer & hockey icon Mike Bossy and the litany of punishment he took over a 10 year career which resulted in his injuries, including his back, to Dustin Penner hurting himself while eating pancakes. With a player who plays like MB did, of course the injuries are going to be chronic regardless of one’s physical shape. Is that a comparable to Dustin Penner who is, without exception, known to be consistently out of shape as well as lacking in effort? Come on. Do tell me the history of Dustin Penner’s back injuries that have resulted from his courageous play on the ice and were exacerbated by this unfortunate breakfast.
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Ross Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
@Bobby Scribe, You have never seen the ferocity with which Penner attacks a stack of cakes. Lucky he isn’t on LTIR.
Edward Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Are you kidding me????? Mike Bossy a lazy player? I just barfed. Bossy is one of the all time greats and I will tell you, if it wasn’t for a serious injury, he would have played 20 years! Most natural goal scorer in NHL history or at least one of them. I with he had a son that had his goal scoring magic, he would have been great……..Bossy a lazy player, are you sure about that or were you an Islander hater from the past????
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k-dog Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 11:41 pm
@Bobby Scribe, i am over weight and eat pancakes all the time,
No back spasms, and i can do it for 70k a year!!
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
@k-dog, Can you play left wing?
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This is Penner’s last contract year correct?
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jess Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
@Voice Of Reason, It’s a contract year, correct.
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Joe Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 3:37 am
I was under the impression that players improved their performances during contract years, but I guess that was foolishly idealistic on my part.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 9:30 am
@Joe, His performance hasn’t improved this season? Seems to me he was a total pylon last season, and he’s progressed to missing the net a bunch.
I think most tall guys experience something similar around his age. It’s brutal.
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Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
@Tompa, Eric Belanger isn’t that tall. I don’t even think he liked pancakes when he played for us. lol
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I consider Voynov a missing link, Penner at best is an element. But one that must be cultivated and utilized as much as possible for the moment. At least Penz has bursts of creativity in playmaking and even crashed the net game before last. That is more than I can say for the rest of the team against Columbus.
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LAK27 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
@jess, I think ‘missing link’ was in reference to Penner’s comment about third stage of evolution.
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jess Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
@LAK27,
Correct Sir, and I could be wrong, but it appears the-Hammer was making a clever play on words for a double purpose effect.
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There are all sorts of jabs and jokes you can make, I made a lighthearted one last thread. I do know how DP feels though. I deal with Sciatica (Pinching of the sciatic nerve that runs down your spone and your legs) from an old injury. I’ve done something as simple as reach down for a pair of shoes and it goes. Hurts so damn bad you can’t move! Once I lost the ability to actually walk for about 10 seconds. Scary and painful.
Now that’s a little different from the muscle spasms (Just trying to relate to the pain Penner describes), but I’ve had the muscle spasms before too. That ‘Wraps around you and squeezes’ feeling is no fun. The slightest movement is painful since those muscles are all knotted up. Best thing for it is masssage & back adjustment to relieve pressure, then it’s ice packs and heat, back and forth.
To be practicing the next day from that is pretty amazing to be quite honest, at least from my experience anyway.
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Cynic Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@Cynic, Spone…LOL! Spine. I had no Idea I had a Spone. Maybe that’s past tense after your back goes out?
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Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
@Cynic,
Back pain of any kind is no joke (even though I couldn’t resist taking a few stabs at it myself). I know from first hand experience that your pretty lucky if one day your knuckles are dragging on the ground, and the next day you can even bend down to put your skates on.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
@Cynic, Really, what we’re talking about here is the spine–part of the central nervous system–and it’s very serious. This is not to castigate those searching for humor, but to remind us all that such things are very real, and in some cases, completely debilitating.
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KingMe20 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 7:46 pm
@Cynic,
Sciatica is brutal. I’ve battled it myself (here’s where I go Al Bundy and talk about high school football), and there are days when I’ve literally had to roll out of bed so I could get to a position where it was possible to stand. If you’ve never had it, it’s like an ice pick being screwed into your hip while someone hits you in the spine with a cattle prod.
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Cynic Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 7:04 am
@KingMe20, +1. Good Description. The pain is like the same pain after your wisdom teeth get pulled, except it likes to come back, a lot. Dull and just will not go away. Mine makes my whole leg hurt some days.
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PainHater Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
@Cynic, I had to have both right side wisdom teeth pulled in the same sitting because I had a piece of abscessed tissue under the bottom one. It hurt so bad it felt like a horse was standing on the right side of my face for three days.
DP accumulates a ton of injuries after spending the summer with Tim Adams who ended up leaving the team before the season. I would bet money that some of his injuries had something to do with the things Tim Adams had him doing (like a ridonk number of reps of a single exercise).
Rich,
Can you let us know if the team has another strength coach, or are they just going without for now? And can you give us any insight on why Tim Adams left the team?
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When Sutter changed the lines and put Kopitar and Richards together, then also put the youngsters together (Lokti. Lewis and Richardsaon), it looked like a horrible idea. I was wrong about the Lokti line, they have been very exciting. Putting Kopi and Richards together, however, has been a disaster. Sutter’s intention was to create a spark and get Kopi going, instead it made Richards invisible, except for those times when Kopi and Richards kept crashing into each other going to the same areas of the ice. It may have took a loss to do it, but I am so glad to see them split up. I always felt Penner and Richards liked playing together (they were always communicating on the bench) so I have high hopes for that line. And Brown on left wing may also help create an offensive spark.
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Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
@BluLiner,
I agree with you.
The Lokti line has been exciting to watch.
I think on Kopi and Richards, it was never meant to be permenant. They have often crashed into each other (especially behind the net) even before they were on a line together (power play), and that made me immediately think “it won’t last long”. I’m glad their seperated too.
Sutter still doesn’t know these guys inside, and out, and will try some thongs with Gagne out. I have always liked Brown on the left, but he is the only right winger producing consistantly for going on 7 years now.
The last right winger to produce more than Brown was Pavol Dimitra in 2005. Closest winger to score even remotely close to Brown was Williams last season.
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bbb7 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
@Dominick, Exciting to watch but without any real finish across the line…
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DEH Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
@Dominick, “Sutter still doesn’t know these guys inside, and out, and will try some thongs with Gagne out”
lol
He can borrow some of Penner’s “Thongs.”
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Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
@BluLiner, Thongs? I need to turn spell check back on.
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brian spain Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
@BluLiner, Lokti’s line is fast but NO RESULTS. LEWIS and LOKTI have never shown any hint of being a scorer.
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So any rumors of trades coming?
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Meister König Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
@- ViC -, stamkos for Amart and parise for whiskey I think thats about it
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Newf Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
@- ViC -, trading Penner to an IHOP for future considerations
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AZ King Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
@- ViC -,
I heard the Devils were going to just give us Parise, because they’re nice guys.
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Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
@- ViC -, Parise for Penner and a gallon of syrup from Knottsberry Farm.
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- ViC - Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Ol@Dominick, LOL you dudes are hilarious!
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Things Kings fans want but wont happen……a major trade during the season……A call up from Manchester to try and jump start the offense…..any “outside the box” kind of thinking….JK getting fired……a game where the Kings score more then 4 goals….a wide open game….a game where our enforcer actually changes the momento of a game….JK gets fired…..DL admits he made some mistakes….a PP goal to change the momento of a game…..
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CB14 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
@neil, That about covers it.
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Dominick Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
@neil,
You forgot
a naked icegirls calender….a replacement for Hiedi Androl….lateral movement during games……….no more stinkin TV commercials during the national anthem, and 3 stars announcements after a win……more puck possession……..less puck management….a shot on goal off a 1 timer that isn’t telegraphed……
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jess Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
@Dominick,
Yes! No more receiving a pass, stopping it, hold… Then… -Here comes the wind-up…
-Might as well send an envoy to the other team to let them know when & where we intend to shoot. Same thing..
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Pancakes on a game day? You gotta be kidding me! This guy needs a nutritionist fast!
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jess Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
@Shaibou,
Yeah whatever happened to venicen and eggs?
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rt16 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
ragging and joking aside, somebody has to step up. he’s a big body that was not playing badly at all. who else has stepped up on the offensive side? lets hope he can give a lift to a struggling group of underachieving offensive players that need confidence and an identity bad.
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Choralone Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
@Shaibou, Carbs are exactly what you want on game day…
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Worst kings trade in recent years even if teubert busts. Penner stinks.
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Meister König Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
@nick, id say all our first rnd picks have been busts in recent years
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rt16 Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
@nick, dont disagree that he has been less than expected . . . but he’s there and lots of players stink right now . . . just maybe???
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vicarious Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
@nick, Worst result for sure. And we gave up a fair amount of assets since DL traded up to draft Teubert–who has so far looked like a marginal NHL player and certainly nothing special–and threw in this past year’s #1 pick. We basically traded Cammy and 2 #1 picks for a 1 and 1/3 year rental who has been horrible. I don’t fault Penner’s efforts but god have the results been bad.
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Penner might LOOK like the missing link, just not the missing link the Kings need on the roster.
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Hmmm. Pancake Pain Penner. It has a nice ring to it.
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For all the repetitive bagging on Stoll, this is a guy we have to re-sign for next year rather than lose him for nothing. He has consistently been an 18 goal scorer his entire career, which is what we need for a 3rd line center, plus few players play with his intensity. He’s worth 3 million plus a year and if we don’t sign him for that, twenty other teams would.
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Jeff Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
@BringbackButchGoring, IMHO he can go sign someplace else for $3 million. He’s not worth it. That kind of money could be put to better use.
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Jacky boy Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:39 am
@BringbackButchGoring, No way for 3m… No way… Get rid of stoll and pancake penner and use the money on parise… More goals more speed
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kings king Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:46 am
@BringbackButchGoring, Dave Bolland is worth 3 million plus. I agree we have to resign him, but he’s in a contract year, it’s on him to be putting up 18 goals this year. His performance is going to earn him 2.2 a year at most. He’d be taking a pay cut weather we signed him or not.
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Aunt Jem-i-ma
Clap Clap Clap-Clap-Clap
Aunt Jem-i-ma
Clap Clap Clap-Clap-Clap
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kings king Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:41 am
@Darrell, “…and that’s a hat-trick what a night!”
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Sorry for Penner’s back pain but his presence isn’t really missed. He’s benn a non-factor the entire time that he’s been an LA King. Paying this guy $4+ million for two goals in 30-something games? What a joke. Hope Penner has saved his money because he’s going to be playing for a lot less next season (assuming, of course, that there is a season). This team is getting more and more difficult to watch.
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Jacky boy Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 1:36 am
@Jeff, Fire Lombardi
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How did I know, when I clicked this, that it would involve food somehow. Oh, Penner, you’re nothing if not amusing.
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Forget about Penner’s back spasms for a moment and consider instead the fact that Anaheim scored SEVEN goals against Columbus, yesterday. SEVEN!!!
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toemas_sandstrom Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:09 am
@Ron Reynolds, They were playing back to back. We softened them up for the Schmucks…Yeah, we can’t score worth a $@!?
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Why does the person who watches over this site take a comment about another bl
ogger off the sheet, and let a person(bobby scribe) hammer a player who is hurt. Bobby scribe writes his own blog and uses several curse words, how bout blocking his nonsense.
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All I read was the headline but that was enough to confirm my suspicion; Dustin Penner lies somewhere between ape and Neanderthal.
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Give him a waffle….that should knock him out for the rest of the year.
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jack Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
@Michael G, that was funny!
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So I got pancakes and Aunt Jemima out of this non-story about a non-scorey whom the Kings are 7-4-1 without this season. Pancakes aren’t a good carb load if you cover them with butter and syrup. Oooooooooo, I’m a, I’m a, Aunt Jemima, jumbo waffle eater!
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Funny how it even showed up on Yahoo
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alexdombroff@alexanderdombroff.com
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