Pinto's 41-game suspension for violating NHL gambling rules ends on January 21st.

Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since being suspended for 41 games. Pinto was punished back in October for violating the league's sports wagering rules. The NHL found no evidence that Pinto had bet on any NHL games.

Pinto spoke about his initial reaction to finding out he’d be suspended for 41 games.

“It broke my heart," Pinto said. "Honestly, I care about this game so much. I put so much time and effort into it and just to kind of get it taken away from you for that long, it’s just tough to hear. You’re in shock at first.”

Throughout the press conference, Pinto was reticent to speak on what actually occurred to be suspended for gambling related activities.

“I don't want to get too much into detail about it," Pinto said. “But definitely, I was caught off guard. It just kind of came out of nowhere and kind of went from there.”

For Pinto, the past couple months away from the team was a learning experience.

“A lot of maturing went on during those last couple months, honestly," Pinto said. “I grew up a lot off the ice, and I think that's just normally helped me on the ice.

“I think sometimes you take it for granted how lucky we are. And how blessed we are to be in this spot and it could just be taken away from me very quickly. And I learned that pretty quick."

Pinto was also disappointed that his suspension ended up being such a distraction to his teammates.

“It's been a tough couple months here and I know I've been a distraction towards them. So, I kind of feel bad about that. But just to bring, hopefully, a better vibe and just my smile. Hopefully, that gets the boys going here and we could hopefully turn it around.”

Pinto is eligible to return on January 21st against the Philadelphia Flyers. Although he has yet to sign a contract, Senators' head coach Jacques Martin intimated that Pinto would play in that game.

“I think he'll be able to get in the lineup when he's eligible," Martin said. “I think he's been skating for quite a while now. It's just that he may need some time for the adjustment of not just practicing but playing games.”

Pinto says he feels ready to play and took the extended break to prepare his body for the season.

“It was kind of an extended offseason. I took advantage of it for sure. My body feels unreal," Pinto said. “I came here about three weeks ago, started to get going and all settled in, and I'm just ready to go.”

Jacob Bernard-Docker was excited about for the return of Pinto to the team. Bernard-Docker was a teammate of Pinto’s at the University of North Dakota (along with Jake Sanderson and Tyler Kleven) and now with the Senators.

“I texted him a few times, just checking in, making sure he was doing all right," Bernard-Docker told the Hockey News Ottawa . “I remember the first day we saw him in here, the boys were all super happy. And, man, it's gonna be fun to have him back.”

Pinto is the first NHL player to be suspended for gambling related offences in decades, and during his press conference, he was raw, emotional, remorseful and overjoyed to be coming back to Senators. Pinto says other NHL players should be cautious not to make the same mistakes he did.

“Learn from my experience," Pinto said.