Penner postgame quotes (May 22)

Dustin Penner’s postgame thoughts…

(on his game-winning goal…)
PENNER: It’s the biggest goal of my career thus far. Hopefully there’s a couple more waiting in the Finals. I was at the right place at the right time.”

(on the key to turning around his season…)
PENNER: “I guess when you’re in a hole that no one can really dig you out of except for yourself. I put that pressure and that stress on myself to get me out of where I was. I had great support from teammates, family, friends, the organization as a whole.”

(on comparing this run to the run with Anaheim in 2007…)
PENNER: “Definitely there are some similarities. I’m in a different place mentally because I think, you know, the rookies on our team this year could attest to it, six or seven years when they’re in my position, it’s different. When you’re in your first year, you know, everything’s new. You don’t really comprehend the situation in front of
you. Now I think I have a better general overview of, you know, what it’s like, how hard it is to get to where we are now.”

(on the game-winning play, and the emotions after it…)
PENNER: “Elation. You know, it was after that questionable play in the neutral zone. We had a draw just off center on blue lines. Richards, or Ricky as we call him, second or third effort. Went back to Slava, Slava threw a bouncer off the boards. I watched it hop a couple times, ended up I think it was Yandle’s stick. I retrieved it. Threw it to Carter coming down the right side. He threw it on the net. Bounced down a few more times. I just followed the bouncing puck until it was in a good enough position for me to shoot it.

(on attracting more fans in Los Angeles…)
PENNER: “We’ll probably have to get a bigger bandwagon. It’s great for the city, great for hockey especially in Southern California. I think we have a pretty rabid fan base. I think you’ll see more of that now.”