Beloved Dupuis bids adieu to Pittsburgh fans, media (VIDEO)
Pascal Dupuis officially announced that he was ending his playing career last week while the Pittsburgh Penguins were completing a four-game road trip.
When the Penguins returned home, Dupuis was unable to join them as the 36-year-old Quebec native elected to spend time with his wife and four children instead. On Monday, Dupuis returned to the Steel City to address the media and discuss his decision to stop playing as he deals with a medical condition related to blood clots.
Dupuis encountered several troublesome incidents this season that were related to the condition that significantly shortened his 2014-15 campaign. He had undergone a series of tests after prematurely exiting contests this season, with the most recent occurrence coming on Dec. 1 in a 5-1 win versus the San Jose Sharks.
"The selfish way of doing this would have been to ignore all the signs. ... It would have been easier, but I did the right thing."
Although Dupuis declined an off-the-cuff request to join the media, the veteran saw its appreciation at the conclusion of his 9 1/2-minute press conference. As he waved goodbye, Dupuis received an ovation from those in attendance.
Pascal Dupuis discusses his career and his decision to stop playing hockey. https://t.co/6tOVTxDBon
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 14, 2015
A Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh in 2009, Dupuis recorded 190 tallies and 219 assists in 871 career contests with the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and Penguins.
Media gave #Pens Pascal Dupuis an ovation at the conclusion of his press conference. That says it all -SK
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) December 14, 2015
