Already sidelined due to a contract impasse that saw him miss the start of last season, the Ottawa Senators forward from New York’s Long Island was suspended for 41 games for “activities relating to sports wagering” by the NHL last October.

I was a little star-struck the first meeting when he was working out, and when he came up to me I was pretty shocked,” Pinto said. “After a while, I just realized he was a normal guy. He’s done so much for the game of hockey,

Pinto, who was suspended 41 games last season for violating sports-gambling rules, said the time off reminded him how much he loves hockey.

Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto had a chance to show off his fun side last week. Spoiler: there's no side of Shane Pinto that isn't fun. Pinto's trip to Vegas last week (cue the suspension jokes) was part of the NHL's North American Player Media Tour and actually looked like a bit of a grind.

Shane Pinto is convinced the experience will help him down the road. It just didn't feel that way in the moment.