While he may not have taken the ice during this postseason, Pascal Dupuis has still been instrumental in his team's successful playoff run.
Although Dupuis was forced to call it a career back in December due to blood clots, he hasn't shied away from supporting his teammates. The 37-year-old still feels like a member of the team, tagging along for a playoff ride with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I feel like I'm in it completely, as far as being in it, yes," Dupuis said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "But it's a different side of it than I'm used to, obviously. I've been through this a couple times as a player, and still the title beside my name is 'player,' but I don't feel like it now. No, it's completely different."
Dupuis continues to follow the team through their everyday routines and while his on-ice duties have certainly been lifted, he continues to aid the team in any way he can.
"I want them to win and I want to win too, so whatever I can do to help, that's pretty much my title or my role now," Dupuis said. "Whatever is needed for me to do. Like, I need to put a butt end on Eric Fehr's stick Game 6 in Tampa Bay, I did it between periods. Whatever they need me to do, I'll do."
Penguins Forward Chris Kunitz has admired Dupuis in how he has taken the news this season, and admits there has been very little change in his transition away from being an active-roster player.
"He's not a guy that sulks on it, doesn't show regret. He comes to the rink, he still works out hard, he still gives us insight," Kunitz said. "He's on the plane, he's on the buses. He keeps the team loose just like he did when he played.
"He was the guy that always organized dinners and made sure we were a group and a family and on the road always included people, so I think he's still done a great job of doing that. He's just doing it maybe a little farther away from the group than usual."
Dupuis will continue to be along for the journey as he looks to capture his first Stanley Cup since 2009.
