Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
Former Penguins Veteran Opens Up About His New Life and Championship Mindset in L.A.
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey Writers
Former Penguins veteran Brian Dumoulin is now a member of the Los Angeles Kings, and he opened up about how it's all about winning for him in Hollywood.
Brian Dumoulin was in familiar territory Saturday. Yes, it was a Penguins-Devils matchup. But the veteran defenseman was playing in another team's jersey. He was skating for his new club, though not his first. He was in a Los Angeles Kings jersey.
The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry was welcoming his team for a practice skate prior to the Kings taking on the Penguins later today at 2 PM ET.
Projected Kings lines
FORWARDS
Joel Armia - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Andrei Kuzmenko - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore
Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry
DEFENSEMEN
Mikey Anderson / Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson / Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin / Cody Ceci
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg
FORWARDS
Joel Armia - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Andrei Kuzmenko - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore
Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry
DEFENSEMEN
Mikey Anderson / Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson / Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin / Cody Ceci
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg
Projected Penguins lines
FORWARDS
Bryan Rust - Sidney Crosby - Ben Kindel
Tommy Novak - Evgeni Malkin - Anthony Mantha
Joona Koppanen - Kevin Hayes - Ville Koivunen
Danton Heinen - Blake Lizotte - Connor Dewar
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea / Kris Letang
Ryan Graves / Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Sergei Murashov and Arturs Silovs
FORWARDS
Bryan Rust - Sidney Crosby - Ben Kindel
Tommy Novak - Evgeni Malkin - Anthony Mantha
Joona Koppanen - Kevin Hayes - Ville Koivunen
Danton Heinen - Blake Lizotte - Connor Dewar
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea / Kris Letang
Ryan Graves / Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Sergei Murashov and Arturs Silovs
Always a stalwart in Penguins' pairings to win back-to-back Cups in 2016-2017, Dumoulin was a Pittsburgh cornerstone defenseman for a decade before signing with another team in free agency in 2023.
Brian Dumoulin bounced around several teams after exiting Pittsburgh before finally settling in L.A.
Dumoulin made brief stops in Seattle, Anaheim, and New Jersey before agreeing to a three-year contract worth $12 million to sign with the LA Kings in free agency.
The 34-year-old has been playing steadily in LA alongside some big names like Drew Doughty. More so for his defensive prowess than his scoring skills, Dumoulin has notched only one assist in 15 games, playing nearly 20 minutes per night.
Yet despite his rugged appearance, Dumoulin claims to feel great. He attributes this to tips he's received from Sidney Crosby on how to take care of himself.
"Being around (Sidney Crosby), there's a reason why he's still so good at this age," Dumoulin said of the 38-year-old captain of the Penguins. "He doesn't take time off. At the end of the season, he's skating two days after.
"A couple of summers ago, Sid was around a lot, so me and him skated a lot together. Over the course of these last four, five years, after seasons, if I'm not injured, I don't really take time off. I continue to get out there on the ice, continue to work out. Some people, they want a break from it. But for me, it's something that's helped me."
"A couple of summers ago, Sid was around a lot, so me and him skated a lot together. Over the course of these last four, five years, after seasons, if I'm not injured, I don't really take time off. I continue to get out there on the ice, continue to work out. Some people, they want a break from it. But for me, it's something that's helped me."
The quiet exit Dumoulin had with the Penguins came after a season in which the team did not make the postseason for the first time in 17 years. At that point, former Penguins GM Ron Hextall was fired.
It was a fitting ending to an incredible run for a player who was initially viewed as a secondary asset in a trade that brought him to Pittsburgh in 2012.
But to return to pit his wits against his old team members, Dumoulin comes with a sense of perspective, one that values his memories of winning a title, his continued good health, and a new chapter to a storied career.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 9 | 66 ANSWERS Former Penguins Veteran Opens Up About His New Life and Championship Mindset in L.A. Do you miss having Brian Dumoulin on the Penguins? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 51.5 % |
| No | 32 | 48.5 % |
| List of polls | ||