This last Survey Says of the season is a little different, but undoubtedly the one players were the most excited to answer this season: What does Ed Joyner mean to the team?
For those who don't know, Joyner is the director of team security. You've probably seen him down by the tunnel during games, outside the locker room during practices, or escorting the players to and from the team bus or hotel on the road.
Joyner has an important job in protecting the players, but it's also clear that he's just everyone's favorite guy to be around. Just about everyone lit up at the opportunity to talk about him for this.
Kevin Hayes: “He’s the G.O.A.T., he doesn’t take sh— from anyone. He’s a good man. If you’re ever in a jam, you should call Ed.”
Ryan Graves: “I’ll go out of my house sometimes and there’s a police car sitting in my driveway, and it’s just Ed making sure everything’s all right. He’s awesome. Anything you need, he’s a rock star.”
Harrison Brunicke: “Aw, he’s the best. Whenever you need him, he’s there. He’s always around in his role, and he does it really well. I’d be scared of him if I was on the other end.”
Connor Dewar: “He means a lot. He’s a steady presence. He always has a ‘Good morning’ for you, and he’s always got a smile and is ready for a good story or joke.”
Blake Lizotte: “He means a lot more than people realize. Obviously, he keeps us safe everywhere we go. But more importantly, he’s one of the guys, and he has relationships with everyone. He’s always joking around and is just a bright spot at the rink everyday. He’s awesome.”
Parker Wotherspoon: “He’s unbelievable. I love that guy. He’s always got a smile on his face, he always dabs up every single guy. He’s just such a great guy, a good piece of the organization.”
Stuart Skinner: “Best guy ever. Just always the best energy, always gets us to smile, especially first thing in the morning. He's sometimes the first person you see, and just he's always up to it. He's always bringing good energy, good vibes, always smiling, laughing, having a good time, and kind of puts you at ease, especially when you have a big game or anything like that. You see him and you're just joking around and having a good time, and he really brings a really good culture to the team.”
Danton Heinen: “Oh, Ed’s the man. He’s always the same — no bad days. Loves his job, and he takes it really seriously. He’s good at it, he’s great to have around.”
Jack St. Ivany: “He’s the man. I mean, I wouldn’t mess with him. I love that he’s protecting us. He’s always got something good to say. And I like messing around with him, he’s a good guy.”
Brett Kulak: “He’s an awesome guy, and kind of an at-your-service type of guy, too. It’s always good to have those guys on your side.”
Rutger McGroarty: “Ed is the G.O.A.T. of all G.O.A.T.s, and he is really good at what he does. It puts a smile on my face, actually, every single time I see him. No matter what, I’ve got to give him a fist bump. Like, if I saw him five minutes after my original first time seeing him of the day, like, I'll still give him another fist bump because he just makes me that happy.”
Anthony Mantha: “He’s been awesome. I mean, everywhere we go, he’s there and he’s 100% committed and it’s awesome to see.”
Erik Karlsson: “He's been great. I mean, it was a pleasant surprise when I came here to have a guy like that. He just makes you feel like you're in a good spot, even though you might not be sometimes.”
Kris Letang: “He's with us at all the time. He's just making sure that we're taken care of, and if we need anything, he's always stepping in. And he's also a fun guy to be around. He likes to joke around. He's just a great, great person in general.”
Rickard Rakell: “Oh, he means everything. First of all, he’s a good guy to have around. He’s just funny. And other than that, when he means business, it’s business. He’s awesome.”
SYDNEY BLACKMAN / PENGUINS
Rickard Rakell walks with his arm around Ed Joyner
Sam Poulin: “He's a beauty. He's always happy, always happy to be around the boys. And he's a funny guy, so we all love him.”
Connor Clifton: “He brings energy, brings the muscle, and that's great. He's amazing. I told him last night, he works too much. But we love having him around so we like that he does that.”
Justin Brazeau: “Ed is the man. No matter where you go, you know you’re protected with Ed around.”
Bryan Rust: “Ed's the best. Not only is he a tremendous guy to have around, but he's a friend. He takes what he does very seriously, and he's always on top of it. I think he gives us a little bit more of a sense of comfort.”
Sergei Murashov: “Well, I feel safe. That’s the main thing. I see him, and I’m like, OK, we’re safe. I came here, and that’s the best feeling with him. It’s nice to have him.”
Ben Kindel: “He’s a great, great guy. He takes care of us, looks out for us. I love having Ed around.”
Arturs Silovs: “He’s a great guy, a funny guy. He knows when to be serious or not, and it’s fun to have a guy like that around. He’s a part of our team, our family. He’s important.”
Joona Koppanen: “He’s a great guy, looking over the guys here. He’s like a father figure, or a big brother.”
Ryan Shea: “He's awesome. I mean, honestly, when you have guys of this caliber on the team? Everyone might not know the extent of his job, but like with some of these people outside, whether it's outside hotels, outside games, obviously they want to get close to Geno, Letang or Crosby. But he just ensures everyone's safety, even like the wives and girlfriends back home. When we might be on the road, if something happens, he's always got contacts to make everyone feel safe. He's not only a great guy, but he's great at his job.”
Tristan Jarry: “He means everything. Without Ed, the team wouldn’t be able to run.”
Noel Acciari: “He's the best. He protects us. I have great conversations with him. We talk about cookies, we talk how the meals look. He's great. He's good to have around, light-hearted with us, but serious when he needs to be. He does his job very well, and he's a good guy to have around.”
Tommy Novak: “Oh, he’s great. He’s an awesome guy, and he’s always looking out there for us. He means a lot.”
Ville Koivunen: “He’s a great guy. He’s amazing. Great guy, awesome.”
Phil Tomasino: “Oh, he's the man. He's a boss. From day one I've been here, he’s awesome. I mean, the stuff he's got to go through, I feel like, for the guys he's got to protect, it's pretty cool to see. I mean, I've never witnessed something like that before. He’s the G.O.A.T., he’s the man. I love having him around. It's awesome.”
Matt Dumba: “The Joyner. The man. The myth. The legend.”
Sidney Crosby: “He takes what he does really seriously. He's one of those guys who's there whenever you need him. And obviously, with all the travel we do and different situations, he's just someone you always see. He's not always in the front of everything, but he's in the background. So he takes his job really seriously and takes a lot of pride in making sure that everyone's taken care of. So we appreciate everything he does.”
SYDNEY BLACKMAN / PENGUINS
Ed Joyner, Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin has a permanent exemption from participating in Survey Says, because he's Malkin and there's zero chance of ever getting him to sit down for something like this, but I can share a couple stories on his behalf.
Watching Malkin mess with Joyner is a regular occurrence, and it's out of love. I remember a road trip last season where Joyner was outside the locker room during a morning skate, and Malkin had fashioned a workout mat into a shield and was using a foam roller as a sword and trying to fight Joyner, who was entirely unfazed. There was another trip where Mike Rupp was in the locker room after a morning skate. Malkin passed Joyner getting off the ice, pointed to Rupp and said, "He's bigger than you. He could take you," prompting a debate between several players who could win in a fight.
Malkin is notoriously bad with learning names, but he knew Joyner's name as soon as he started working for the Penguins, and even offered him some of his pizza -- the latter being just as surprising to Malkin's teammates as him getting a name correct.
THE ASYLUM
Survey Says: Talk about Ed!
This last Survey Says of the season is a little different, but undoubtedly the one players were the most excited to answer this season: What does Ed Joyner mean to the team?
For those who don't know, Joyner is the director of team security. You've probably seen him down by the tunnel during games, outside the locker room during practices, or escorting the players to and from the team bus or hotel on the road.
Joyner has an important job in protecting the players, but it's also clear that he's just everyone's favorite guy to be around. Just about everyone lit up at the opportunity to talk about him for this.
Kevin Hayes: “He’s the G.O.A.T., he doesn’t take sh— from anyone. He’s a good man. If you’re ever in a jam, you should call Ed.”
Ryan Graves: “I’ll go out of my house sometimes and there’s a police car sitting in my driveway, and it’s just Ed making sure everything’s all right. He’s awesome. Anything you need, he’s a rock star.”
Harrison Brunicke: “Aw, he’s the best. Whenever you need him, he’s there. He’s always around in his role, and he does it really well. I’d be scared of him if I was on the other end.”
Connor Dewar: “He means a lot. He’s a steady presence. He always has a ‘Good morning’ for you, and he’s always got a smile and is ready for a good story or joke.”
Blake Lizotte: “He means a lot more than people realize. Obviously, he keeps us safe everywhere we go. But more importantly, he’s one of the guys, and he has relationships with everyone. He’s always joking around and is just a bright spot at the rink everyday. He’s awesome.”
Parker Wotherspoon: “He’s unbelievable. I love that guy. He’s always got a smile on his face, he always dabs up every single guy. He’s just such a great guy, a good piece of the organization.”
Stuart Skinner: “Best guy ever. Just always the best energy, always gets us to smile, especially first thing in the morning. He's sometimes the first person you see, and just he's always up to it. He's always bringing good energy, good vibes, always smiling, laughing, having a good time, and kind of puts you at ease, especially when you have a big game or anything like that. You see him and you're just joking around and having a good time, and he really brings a really good culture to the team.”
Danton Heinen: “Oh, Ed’s the man. He’s always the same — no bad days. Loves his job, and he takes it really seriously. He’s good at it, he’s great to have around.”
Jack St. Ivany: “He’s the man. I mean, I wouldn’t mess with him. I love that he’s protecting us. He’s always got something good to say. And I like messing around with him, he’s a good guy.”
Brett Kulak: “He’s an awesome guy, and kind of an at-your-service type of guy, too. It’s always good to have those guys on your side.”
Rutger McGroarty: “Ed is the G.O.A.T. of all G.O.A.T.s, and he is really good at what he does. It puts a smile on my face, actually, every single time I see him. No matter what, I’ve got to give him a fist bump. Like, if I saw him five minutes after my original first time seeing him of the day, like, I'll still give him another fist bump because he just makes me that happy.”
Anthony Mantha: “He’s been awesome. I mean, everywhere we go, he’s there and he’s 100% committed and it’s awesome to see.”
Erik Karlsson: “He's been great. I mean, it was a pleasant surprise when I came here to have a guy like that. He just makes you feel like you're in a good spot, even though you might not be sometimes.”
Kris Letang: “He's with us at all the time. He's just making sure that we're taken care of, and if we need anything, he's always stepping in. And he's also a fun guy to be around. He likes to joke around. He's just a great, great person in general.”
Rickard Rakell: “Oh, he means everything. First of all, he’s a good guy to have around. He’s just funny. And other than that, when he means business, it’s business. He’s awesome.”
SYDNEY BLACKMAN / PENGUINS
Rickard Rakell walks with his arm around Ed Joyner
Sam Poulin: “He's a beauty. He's always happy, always happy to be around the boys. And he's a funny guy, so we all love him.”
Connor Clifton: “He brings energy, brings the muscle, and that's great. He's amazing. I told him last night, he works too much. But we love having him around so we like that he does that.”
Justin Brazeau: “Ed is the man. No matter where you go, you know you’re protected with Ed around.”
Bryan Rust: “Ed's the best. Not only is he a tremendous guy to have around, but he's a friend. He takes what he does very seriously, and he's always on top of it. I think he gives us a little bit more of a sense of comfort.”
Sergei Murashov: “Well, I feel safe. That’s the main thing. I see him, and I’m like, OK, we’re safe. I came here, and that’s the best feeling with him. It’s nice to have him.”
Ben Kindel: “He’s a great, great guy. He takes care of us, looks out for us. I love having Ed around.”
Arturs Silovs: “He’s a great guy, a funny guy. He knows when to be serious or not, and it’s fun to have a guy like that around. He’s a part of our team, our family. He’s important.”
Joona Koppanen: “He’s a great guy, looking over the guys here. He’s like a father figure, or a big brother.”
Ryan Shea: “He's awesome. I mean, honestly, when you have guys of this caliber on the team? Everyone might not know the extent of his job, but like with some of these people outside, whether it's outside hotels, outside games, obviously they want to get close to Geno, Letang or Crosby. But he just ensures everyone's safety, even like the wives and girlfriends back home. When we might be on the road, if something happens, he's always got contacts to make everyone feel safe. He's not only a great guy, but he's great at his job.”
Tristan Jarry: “He means everything. Without Ed, the team wouldn’t be able to run.”
Noel Acciari: “He's the best. He protects us. I have great conversations with him. We talk about cookies, we talk how the meals look. He's great. He's good to have around, light-hearted with us, but serious when he needs to be. He does his job very well, and he's a good guy to have around.”
Tommy Novak: “Oh, he’s great. He’s an awesome guy, and he’s always looking out there for us. He means a lot.”
Ville Koivunen: “He’s a great guy. He’s amazing. Great guy, awesome.”
Phil Tomasino: “Oh, he's the man. He's a boss. From day one I've been here, he’s awesome. I mean, the stuff he's got to go through, I feel like, for the guys he's got to protect, it's pretty cool to see. I mean, I've never witnessed something like that before. He’s the G.O.A.T., he’s the man. I love having him around. It's awesome.”
Matt Dumba: “The Joyner. The man. The myth. The legend.”
Sidney Crosby: “He takes what he does really seriously. He's one of those guys who's there whenever you need him. And obviously, with all the travel we do and different situations, he's just someone you always see. He's not always in the front of everything, but he's in the background. So he takes his job really seriously and takes a lot of pride in making sure that everyone's taken care of. So we appreciate everything he does.”
SYDNEY BLACKMAN / PENGUINS
Ed Joyner, Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin has a permanent exemption from participating in Survey Says, because he's Malkin and there's zero chance of ever getting him to sit down for something like this, but I can share a couple stories on his behalf.
Watching Malkin mess with Joyner is a regular occurrence, and it's out of love. I remember a road trip last season where Joyner was outside the locker room during a morning skate, and Malkin had fashioned a workout mat into a shield and was using a foam roller as a sword and trying to fight Joyner, who was entirely unfazed. There was another trip where Mike Rupp was in the locker room after a morning skate. Malkin passed Joyner getting off the ice, pointed to Rupp and said, "He's bigger than you. He could take you," prompting a debate between several players who could win in a fight.
Malkin is notoriously bad with learning names, but he knew Joyner's name as soon as he started working for the Penguins, and even offered him some of his pizza -- the latter being just as surprising to Malkin's teammates as him getting a name correct.
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