Kindel's Scare Puts Pens' Struggles in Perspective

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pens have lost four straight games, seven of the last eight, but went through something that several players said brought a new thought to losing a few games.

Ben Kindel returned to Pittsburgh Wednesday and saw his teammates before their morning skate on Thursday 48 hours after losing consciousness on the team plane and having to divert back to Salt Lake City so Kindel could receive medical attention.

“For a second you put hockey aside, I think sometimes that can be a good thing actually, a little bit of perspective,” said forward Blake Lizotte. “Thankfully Ben is doing alright and doing well.”

“Getting home, having something happen like that, I think it put things in perspective pretty quickly," said Pens captain Sidney Crosby.

Ben Kindel back in Pittsburgh

“You very quickly realize that we are all working in a game and we are very fortunate to do so, working it, covering it,” said Pens GM Kyle Dubas. “You would much rather talk about the team playing well or playing poor and diagnosing it and what that it. You get reminded I think every so often, probably rightfully so, that there is more at stake than just wins and losses.”

“It’s the human side of things and the human side is the most important,” stressed Pens head coach Dan Muse. “During the course of a season, things do come up that really have nothing to do with hockey. It’s always about the people. I love the people in this organization.”

Crosby added you spent do much time with players, they become like family. You go through so much with them, they are more than just random teammates. He believes just seeing Kindel gave the group a little lift as they play Florida tonight.

And now it’s back to the focus being on wins and losses.

“That (situation was) first and foremost, all the guys were worried about that,” Lizotte said. “Once that has kind of been cleared up now, it’s full steam ahead.”

“There is a job to do tonight, while we are going to continue to care for the people here, we got a group of pros,” Muse said. “When the pucks drops they are going to be excited to play and prepared to play.”

“At the end of the day everybody is alright,” said Pens defenseman Erik Karlsson. “It’s a scary situation that we went through. At the end of the day, we are just happy Kindel is alright. He’s back with us and he’ll be an important part of this team moving forward really soon here I think.”