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Road less traveled Pettinger wanting to stay in Washington
by Steve Kournianos and Josh Goldfine, special to CNNSI.com Matt Pettinger is on the cusp of the NHL, where he always hoped he would be. He has just taken a different path than most. A highly-regarded junior player in his hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, Pettinger decided at the age of 17 that he needed a new challenge in his career. That decision brought Pettinger to the collegiate ranks, as he left the cozy confines of his small, western Canadian town to head for the hills of the Rockies and the University of Denver. Denver head coach George Gwozdecky was happy to land such a prospect, prying Pettinger away from WCHA foes Wisconsin and Colorado. “I was the first one [among the Denver coaching staff] to see him in Juniors,” recalls Gwozdecky. “He was big, strong and a good skater. He was also an outstanding student. Those ingredients make for a good college hockey player.” At first, Pettinger’s decision to move to the college ranks looked like a good one. The Pioneers won the WCHA playoffs in his freshman season, with Pettinger tallying 20 points in 38 games. Though both he and the team enjoyed a successful campaign, something didn’t seem right to the young Canadian. “[College] was different from Juniors,” Pettinger says. “In Juniors, you can play three games in three nights. In college, you have to wait a whole week to get back out there. We couldn’t practice until a month into school [per NCAA rules]. When we did, it was a lot of work for few games.” The summer after his freshman season, Pettinger was invited, along with 40 other players, to a summer tryout camp for the Canadian Junior National Team, a squad would compete in the World Junior Tournament the following winter. Pettinger played well at the camp. But, the Pioneers got off to a miserable start following season. The team’s poor play, Pettinger believed, jeopardized his chances to play alongside Canada’s top young prospects. “[The Canadian team coaches] watch you play the first half of the year. We lost nine games in a row, and I was not on the original list. Then, I got a call a week later. Someone was injured, and I was on the team.” Pettinger, the nephew of NHL veterans and brothers Gord and Eric "Cowboy" Pettinger, went to Sweden as an undrafted and relatively obscure prospect who had scored just eight goals over his first season-and-a-half as a Pioneer. But, he made the most out his opportunity with the National squad, sharing the team lead with four goals in seven games. It would turn out to be a disappointing showing for the Canadian team, however, which fell to the Russians in the semi-final round. “We had a good team,” Pettinger says. “Canada has always had a tough time with the Russians over the years.” Though the team settled for a bronze medal with a win over the United States, it was clear that Pettinger’s offensive exploits had set his star on the rise.
After the tournament, Pettinger flew back to Denver from Sweden. He sat out the Friday night game against the University of Nebraska-Omaha before collecting an assist on Saturday. That game, however, would be Pettinger’s last in a Pioneer uniform. Early Monday morning, Pettinger walked into Gwozdecky’s office and announced that he was leaving the team for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Pettinger’s decision came as quite a surprise to Gwozdecky. “He never spoke with me about it,” says Gwozdecky. “Some players confer with coaches; others don’t. Every case is different. You’d like to be part of the process because you may have some things to say that may help the young man.” Gwozdecky never got that chance. By the time he spoke with Pettinger, the youngster’s decision had been made. “It was a hard decision,” says Pettinger. “Telling Coach was hard. Then I told my teammates. That was hard, too.” Though Pettinger announced his decision on Monday, it had clearly been crafted earlier. Calgary coach Dean Clark just happened to be an assistant on the Team Canada staff. Clark, though, maintains that he was unaware of Pettinger’s announcement prior to receiving a phone call that Monday afternoon. “I don’t know what his reasons were for leaving,” says Clark. “He said that he wasn’t getting into certain situations on the power play and penalty kill. We talked about it a little bit on the ride home. But, I didn’t know he was coming until I got a call from the Calgary GM [Kelly Kisio]." Pettinger ended up barely beating the Western Hockey League’s deadline for player acquisitions and joined the Hitmen for the season’s second half. In 27 games, he tallied 14 goals and six assists and established himself as a legitimate prospect for this past June’s draft. Though he was regarded as one of the top collegians and a sure first-rounder, Pettinger slipped to the 43rd overall pick, going to the Washington Capitals early in the second round. “It was tough because I expected to go higher,” Pettinger says. “It’s risky, though, taking a 20-year-old when you are usually taking 17 or 18-year-olds.” After spending training camp with the Capitals, Pettinger went down to Portland of the American Hockey League. His minor league tenure would not last for long, as Pettinger was promoted to Washington on November 24th for a game against the New York Islanders. Though he has gone pointless in 10 games over two separate stints NHL stints, Pettinger feels that his time in the AHL (25 points in 39 games) has him on the right path. “Everyone [in the AHL] can skate, shoot, score, and throw the body. If you don’t, you’ll be a regular player, and regular players don’t get to the next level.” About this time of the year, Pettinger’s former teammates out in Denver are focused just as much on the next term paper as they are on improving the power play or the penalty kill. Pettinger, however, is focused solely on his game and becoming a mainstay in the nation’s capital.
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