Greene backs out of ping-pong challenge

Matt Greene is an intense competitor on the ice, but in terms of ping-pong, he’s apparently not going to rise to the challenge. Yesterday, Dustin Penner declared his intention to challenge Greene, his friend and former teammate and housemate in Edmonton, to a game of ping-pong. After practice today, Greene declined, referring to himself as “retired” from ping-pong and saying, “I don’t continue doing things I’m not good at.” By all accounts, though, Greene and Penner picked up right where they left off, as far as being teammates and friends. Greene talked about Penner today…

GREENE: “We have a long history together, so it’s just kind of catching up on old times and seeing what’s going on, seeing what’s new. … He’s a good guy. He’s a big body, obviously. He’s got a lot of skill for a guy with his frame. He’s got a great touch around the net, and I think the big thing, too, is that he’s young and he’s getting better. He’s got a great personality, he works hard and I think he’s going to fit in really well with this team, on the ice and off the ice too.”