Pens getaway to Banff

BANFF, Alberta - The Penguins arrived in Banff, Alberta in the late afternoon on Saturday and will spend a few days in the beautiful ski resort town.
The club will hold practices at The Fenlands Banff Recreational Centre on Sunday and Monday before heading to Edmonton to begin their Western Canadian trip.

"Our stay is only a couple of days (in Banff)," head coach Mike Sullivan said, "but we thought it was a great opportunity for us to get out west a couple of days early to get acclimated with the time change and give our guys an opportunity to spend some time together.
"What better place than a beautiful place like Banff?"
The road is always the greatest way for teams to forge bonds. While in Pittsburgh many players have families and other responsibilities. But on the road, players will get dinners together, go sightseeing or just hang out.
"I think it's a great opportunity for our guys to spend some time together," Sullivan said. "My experience of being around teams is the teams that build relationships and become close off the ice, they play hard for each other on the ice."
Matt Murray and Derek Grant rode a gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, taking in the sights and Saturday sunset.
"That's probably one of the coolest places I've ever been. You feel like you're on top of the world," Murray said. "You're so high up there. It's even hard to breathe up there, that's how high you are. It's a cool experience. I got some cool pictures, and the gondola ride was pretty sweet, too."

The view provided a unique view: as the sun was setting over one set of mountains the moon was rising over another with a hint of purplish lighting.
"It was beautiful. The sun was setting on one side of the mountains and the moon was on the other side," Murray said. "It was really cool. We're really lucky we get to see places like this. Not everybody gets to see that on occasions. I feel really lucky. It was a really cool experience."
While Murray and Grant saw the mountaintop on Saturday, most of the players were waiting until Sunday to take the trek.
"I might go up to that mountain and take a peek," Brian Dumoulin said. "It's cool walking around and seeing the landscape and how it's covered with mountains. I'll get out and explore a little bit today."
There are an abundant of things for the Pens to do, such as hiking, horseback riding or just walking around the unique, quiet little town.
"I've checked out a good portion of the city," Jamie Oleksiak said. "It's beautiful out here. It's nice to spend some time with the boys, bond a little bit, enjoy the sights, see some beautiful places in Canada and have fun while we're at it."
Oleksiak and a few players had already visited Banff, such as Sidney Crosby and Jack Johnson, who played a midget tournament in the area.
"It's not a typical place you hang out so we'll try to take in the sights," Crosby said. "I've come here a couple of times. It was a great experience. It's cool to be back."
And for Johnson, he doesn't even have to leave his hotel room to enjoy the visage.
"I've got a pretty great view of the mountains and golf course right outside my room," Johnson laughed.
While being in Banff is a nice opportunity to get away, there is still work to be done.
"We had a real good, quality practice (Sunday), we expect one (Monday)," Sullivan said, "and then we get ready for some games moving forward in the week."