by Joe Boughner
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| Not pictured: The nacho cheese sauce on his sleeve |
"Guys, I know it's been tough," Cowen said to the scribes in press row at Chicago's United Center. "But it's time to heal. It's time to make fun of Jared Cowen again."
Cowen then swung his long legs back under his press box stool, knocking a plate of nachos off the ledge with an errantly-swung arm.
"Aww come on, Jared," lamented Mark Stone.
"Sorry Stoner," Cowen said with a knowing wink to the assembled media. "I guess I'm just clumsy."
Cowen's bizarre and impromptu scrum came after a tense few days. The shooting that took place at the National War Memorial took its toll on the entire hockey-loving nation but no more intensely than in Ottawa, where Sens just weren't in the mood for tomfoolery or wiseacrage.
Head coach Paul MacLean praised the surplus defender for his leadership.
"It's true in hockey and it's true in life," MacLean observed. "In trying times, leaders make themselves known. In a hockey mad market like Ottawa, fans need a whipping boy. It's part of how we feel normal. I'm just glad Cowen has finally found a meaningful way to contribute."
Captain Erik Karlsson echoed his coach's sentiments.
"I was telling the guys tonight in the second intermission, I was thinking of going out there and just letting Kane turnstile me on a rush, but Jared just grasped my shoulder and shook his head," the captain remembered. "He said 'Karl, I got this one.'"
Cowen is a -1 with 2 PIMs in two games played so far this season. Sunday night marked his fifth consecutive game as a healthy scratch.