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(27) moves the puck past Florida Panthers' Nathan Horton (16) during the first period of a hockey game in Sunrise, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008. (AP Photofont> Photo Gallery of Penner's visit to Winkler CBC Sports' Road to Winkler Dustin Penner. -I asked him afterwards, 'Alright, you're 6-foot-4, 225 or 230, you're 19 ... you've either played Major Junior or you're not a good student,' and football online he said, 'Neither one' and it progressed from there,- Standbrook said.Transferring from one college to another, Penner was ineligible to play his third year as per NCAA rules. -I flew down there the next year, which was my third year of college eligibility, but I didn-t play - I red shirted,- Penner stated, noting that having to sit out didn-t bother him. -I really didn-t know much about college football online hockey at that time. Once I found out the Kariyas went there, I was just happy to be there.-It was a big change for Penner. Having grown up in Winkler, he was only a three-hour drive from home in Bottineau. Now he found himself on the East Coast, thousands of miles from Manitoba and North Dakota. -It was a fun adjustment but it was a lot different. You go to a school where there-s 12,000 people as football online opposed to 500. You-re not a car ride away from home and it-s a different culture out there than it is in the Midwest or in the prairies.-The year after, he got his opportunity and was welcomed to college hockey in a big way. Scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 43 games, Penner played a huge role in the success of the Maine Black Bears that season. His University of Maine team went on to the Frozen football online Four and in the semi-finals, Penner scored the go-ahead goal 1:05 into the third period to lift his team over the Boston College Eagles and into the finals. , playing for the University of Maine, gets knocked down in front of the net during the NCAA National Championship Game on April 10, 2004. (Getty Images Photo) -That-s the pinnacle of your career, especially for a guy like me,- said Penner football online , looking back on that moment. -I-m thinking, -this is unbelievable. I-m playing in the National Championship game on ESPN. This is awesome.--His thoughts were that he had risen so far, so quickly. He had gone from playing high school hockey in Winkler to a junior college in North Dakota to now playing in front of 20,000 fans in a nationally televised game in Boston. But Penner had many more heigh football online ts to climb. -I start talking to scouts and GMs after the (championship) game and started thinking -wow, I might have a shot at the NHL!--Up to that point, it was never a realistic possibility in Penner-s mind that he would even play pro. His thoughts were that he would complete his degree at University and then enter the workforce. -It was a far off distant dream that I only had once in awhile th football online at I would be playing in the NHL when I was at junior college in Bottineau or high school in Winkler,- he said. -Thinking that you might have a chance to play in the NHL ignited a fire.-Penner signed an entry-level contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and his first professional year was 2004-05 - the year of the lockout. -I got healthy scratched through the first four games and played every g football online ame after that. I had about 28 points and one thing I managed to do was continue to improve.-He put up five more points in nine playoff games, setting the stage for the dramatic improvements to come the following season. -The next year I had a great year in Portland, which was Anaheim-s (new) affiliate,- said Penner.Now back in Maine - the state where he enjoyed success in college - Penner-s perfo football online rmance exploded in the American Hockey League. The previous year he had 10 goals in 77 games but this year he picked up 11 goals through his first 17 games of the season - earning him his first recall to the National Hockey League on November 23, 2005. -I think it was about 12:15 a.m. and they told me I was on a flight that leaves for Dallas at 6 and we played that night,- Penner recalled. -I bare football online ly slept. I just packed up, made sure I had everything and was off to Dallas.- , left, prepares to shoot and score on St. Louis Blues goalie Hannu Toivonen, of Finland, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008, in St. Louis. Penner later scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Oilers a 3-2 victory. (AP Photofont> That night, he had five shots on goal football online and picked up two penalty minutes in 15:02 of icetime. Two nights later, Penner picked up his first career NHL point - an assist - versus Detroit. Five nights after that, he netted two goals and three points against the Phoenix Coyotes. Penner returned to the AHL shortly after that but continued to dominate. He ended up scoring 39 goals and 84 points in 57 games. He was recalled to the Ducks agai football online n during the playoffs. It was during the 2006 playoffs that Penner solidified a spot in the National Hockey League. He netted three goals and nine points in 13 playoff games. -It was an unbelievable experience,- he said of that first NHL experience. -It just kept getting better and better for me. We made it to the conference finals and lost to Edmonton that year. For me, it was hard to believe tha football online t it was the first time Teemu Selanne had made it that far in his career so I-m thinking maybe that-s the pinnacle.-Then fast forward one more year and the accomplishments start to grow even more for the Manitoban. In his first full NHL season, Penner scored 29 goals in 82 games and helped the Ducks capture the Stanley Cup that spring. Some players go their entire careers without even seeing the c football online onference finals but in a season and a half, Dustin Penner Dustin Penner-I haven-t heard all that-s going to go on there but I heard it-s a big day. Cassie Campbell-s going down there, Wendel Clark, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry,- said Penner. -It-s great for the city. It-s probably going to spark a lot of interest in hockey back in Winkler. I-m excited for them.- football online
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