LOOK: Penguins honor teammate Pascal Dupuis with helmet stickers
The Pittsburgh Penguins will play with helmet decals honoring teammate Pascal Dupuis who announced Tuesday he must discontinue his playing career due to a medical condition.
By
Chris Peters
•
2 min read
Pascal Dupuis will not be on the ice with his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Wednesday night as they take on the Colorado Avalanche. The team announced Tuesday that the veteran winger was forced to end his playing career due to a medical condition tied to blood clots.
It has been an emotional 24-plus hours for Dupuis and his teammates, but even though he can’t be with them on the ice, he won’t be far from the Penguins’ thoughts.
In the team’s dressing room in Colorado, Dupuis' stall was filled just like it would be for any game he was playing in. On each players’ helmet, a decal with the No. 9 Dupuis wore on his jersey has been affixed.
The #Pens will wear "9" decals on their helmets tonight. Dupuis' stall is also set up in the room. #ThankYouDuper pic.twitter.com/K7ezTegYLK
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 10, 2015
This is the kind of treatment usually reserved for when someone dies. Thankfully, that isn’t the case here, but the team has most definitely suffered a loss. Sidney Crosby was one of the many players to express his sorrow that Dupuis would no longer be skating down the wing in the black and gold.
Crosby what Duper means to him: "I don't know if i could get through it, to be honest with you. I'm going to miss him a lot."
— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) December 8, 2015
Dupuis spent nine seasons with the Penguins, with each of the last three cut short due to health problems. The veteran forward twice tried to come back from blood clots, only to have to finally call it quits. He battled as long as he could to keep playing, but in the end, this is best for his long-term health and for his family.
The veteran of 871 NHL games remains under contract with the Penguins through 2016-17, which is why he has not formally retired. Despite being unable to play, he will be paid his full salary for the duration of the contract, but will be placed on long-term injured reserve to eliminate his $3.75 million cap hit.
In the nine years Dupuis played for the club, Dupuis accomplished a lot and became a fan favorite. He was among the players that helped bring the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh in 2009. He also spent a lot of time as a wing on Crosby’s line, posting a career year in 2011-12 when he had 25 goals and 59 points.
