Pinto skates with Senators, hopes his return can provide a 'bolt of energy'

Isn’t it remarkable how a difficult season can turn a bad news story into a happy one? 

Everything about the historic 41-game suspension to Senators centre Shane Pinto was a sorry and cautionary tale — be careful with your betting, NHL players, and never mind that the league is in partnership with the betting companies. 

Walk that fine line! Thanks to Pinto, more players now know where that line is drawn. 

The precise circumstances over which Pinto crossed it is not clear, but numerous sources have outlined that another individual may have had access to Pinto’s betting account, and thus the violation of the NHL’s gambling policy, 

There was no indication that Pinto himself bet on hockey games. Nevertheless, the price he paid was enormous. Lost time, lost salary. A personal weight on a young man’s shoulders.  

Minus a contract to begin the season, the restricted free agent Pinto was suspended in late October, seeing his name in the sort of hockey headlines he never imagined. 

Now he’s back. Sort of. 

The 23-year-old centre was recently cleared to skate with his Ottawa Senators teammates, and he practiced Friday at the Canadian Tire Centre as the Senators returned home from a five-game road trip. 

Pinto can rejoin the team for the Jan. 21 game in Philadelphia against the Flyers but will have to sign a contract first, expected to come this week. It will likely be something close to the qualifying offer of close to $900,000 US  (pro-rated) he received from the Senators in the summer. 

Approaching the halfway mark of a disappointing season for a Senators team expected to contend for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Pinto’s return is a godsend. He seems to sense it himself, suggesting he might be able to bring a “better vibe, and hopefully my smile just gets the boys going, here.”

He nailed that one. There aren’t many smiles like Pinto’s.

His former University of North Dakota teammate, defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker, said that Pinto’s return from exile will provide a “bolt of energy” for the Senators. 

A native of Long Island, Pinto skated at home during the fall and leaned on his family and friends to get through his ordeal. Now that he’s back, Pinto said it was “surreal,” skating with his Senators teammates at practice. 

“It’s awesome, it’s special,” Pinto told reporters at the CTC on Friday. “You kind of take it for granted, being around the team and how much the boys mean to you, but it’s just good to be back. I don’t want to get too emotional about it, but it’s awesome. 

“It’s been a long road for me.”

 While not wanting to get into details around the suspension, Pinto admitted he was “caught off guard,” by the outcome and had to get over the shock of it. 

“It broke my heart, honestly,” Pinto said. “I care about this game so much. I put so much time and effort into it. And just to kind of get it taken away from you for that long, it’s just tough to hear.

“You’re kind of in shock at first, and then you just lean on the people around you to get you through it. I don’t think I could have gotten through it without my family, my friends, the boys (teammates) checking in on me all the time.”

Pinto made use of the unexpectedly extended offseason, to work out and skate back home. Bernard-Docker noted how much bigger and stronger Pinto looks. 

 “My body feels unreal,” Pinto says, but he also wanted everyone to know how much he learned from this experience. 

“A lot of maturing went on during those last couple of months,” Pinto said. “I grew up a lot, off the ice. And I think that’s only going to help me on the ice.” 

The biggest lesson learned?

“Life can change in an instant, no matter what you do,” Pinto said. “Sometimes you take for granted how lucky we are (as players) and how quickly it can be taken away from you. I’ve said a million times, it gives me a greater appreciation for playing hockey.”

Despite those myriad gambling ads we all see during sports programming, Pinto said it’s “no excuse” when it comes to players making a mistake with their personal lives and gaming habits. Numerous players have reached out to him to find out his story, and to be sure they don’t make a similar error. 

“I’m here for them,” Pinto said. 

Now, he’s here for the Senators. Anxious to make amends for being a “distraction” for his teammates. 

Pinto admits it was difficult to watch games, especially with the team struggling and him unable to help. A 20-goal scorer in his first full season, 2022-23, Pinto is a big (6-2), energetic two-way centre whose defensive acumen will be welcomed by interim head coach Jacques Martin. 

Martin said he thinks Pinto can help the team right away, even if it takes him a game or two to get his timing down. Pinto hasn’t seen game action since Ottawa’s final date of the regular season, April 13. 

He’s been skating in Ottawa for three weeks and plans to hit the ice running. 

“I just want to focus on hockey now and put this all behind me,” Pinto said. “It was definitely a learning lesson for me, and I want to make good of it, get the trust back from the boys and all the fans.”

Ottawa fans will be glad to see him on Jan. 23, when the Senators play host to the Montreal Canadiens.