October 21, 2011
by Gann Matsuda

After being sidelined by leg injuries, LA Kings left wing Dustin Penner is working to get off to a strong start.
Photo: David Sheehan
EL SEGUNDO, CA — After being the target of heavy criticism for his poor play and physical conditioning late last season after being acquired from the
Edmonton Oilers,
Los Angeles Kings left wing
Dustin Penner dedicated himself to improving his strength and conditioning during the off-season.
Even then, Penner had fans up in arms about his alleged poor conditioning after a photo appeared on Twitter back in August that “proved” he was badly out of shape.
The photo turned out to be totally misleading—an understatement of epic proportions, as Penner’s dramatically improved strength and conditioning had already been well-documented.
After all that, Penner was looking forward to getting off to a strong start, but you may know what author John Steinbeck wrote about the best laid plans…
Indeed, instead of starting off on the right foot in the Kings’ season opener against the New York Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden on October 7, and against the Buffalo Sabres on October 8 in Berlin, Germany, Penner was sidelined for those games by multiple injuries. Read more of this post