Shane Pinto rejoins Senators as 41-game gambling suspension nears end

Shane Pinto skated with his Ottawa Senators teammates on Friday and may play in an NHL game on Jan. 21 after becoming the first player in the league's modern era to be suspended for gambling.

Pinto was suspended for 41 games, half the season, in October, for violating NHL gambling policies. No other information about the circumstances of the ban were revealed. Pinto declined to go into detail after practice when meeting with reporters for the first time since the suspension.

"Definitely, I was caught off guard a bit," Pinto said. "It just kind of came out of nowhere and kind of went from there."

After spending several months around family on Long Island and working with a skating coach, the native of Franklin Square, N.Y., expects to be in game shape soon.

"I've been skating a lot," Pinto said. "I've been skating every day, really ramping up. I think my conditioning will be there."

Pinto said he has talked to many fellow NHL players about his suspension. He hopes it will serve as a cautionary tale so others don't make the same mistake.

"It's good that I can help them now," he said. "That's what I'm there for now. I'm the first one in a long time, so just kind of learn from my experience."

“A lot of maturing went on during those last couple months too. I grew up a lot off the ice and that’s just going to help me on the ice.”<br><br>Hear from Shane Pinto as he addressed the Ottawa media