"Wouldn't even hang out with friends": Senators' Shane Pinto opens up on the sacrifices he made for his NHL career

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Dec 24, 2024 21:13 GMT

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On Tuesday, Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto opened up on his sacrifices to reach the NHL during the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast.

"I had no life from like 15 to 17 to 18 years old in the summers, like I wouldn't even hang out with my friends," Pinto said. "Like all I worried about was just kind of getting better at hockey.

It was kind of embarrassing. But now I look back on it, I don't think I'm here if I didn't do that. You know, you got to sacrifice some things at a young age if you want to make it to this level."

Pinto followed a plan he wrote himself, which included shooting 100 pucks daily, stickhandling for an hour, working out every day, working on balance, and improving his skating. His dream was to play in the NHL and, one day, line up with Sidney Crosby.

"But yeah, those 10 things I wrote it down like, I think that summer going into my 15-year-old year" Pinto said, "...I had like, a little goal on the side that said, like, and then one day playing the NHL and playing the same line as Sid the kid hasn't happened yet, but that was like my dream.

And I always believed in bringing things down, and then every day I woke up in the summer, that was my goal. It was just to work at it, and thankfully, it all worked out for me."

Pinto has six goals and three assists in 26 games in his fifth NHL season. He has been important to the Senators in several games like scoring two goals and a point in Saturday's 5–4 OT win over Vancouver Canucks. He contributed all nine points in the team’s 15 wins and has remained scoreless in 11 losses. He has scored 79 points in 166 career games so far.

Shane Pinto’s offensive contributions have helped the Senators.

Shane Pinto’s steady improvement has helped the Senators stay competitive in a tough Atlantic Division. The Senators have a record of 18-14-2 and are placed 5th in the Atlantic Division with 38 points. The division is led by four strong teams: Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning.

If the Senators want to make it to the playoffs, Shane Pinto's contributions will be important. Brady Tkachuk with 16 goals and Tim Stutzle with 29 assists for 39 points are sharing the Senators' offensive load beside Pinto.