Long-injured winger Pavol Demitra is expected to rejoin Canucks practice on Monday, which means he could be ready to return to the lineup when Nashville visits on Jan. 11. Demitra hasn't played yet this season due to a left shoulder injury in the playoffs last May and has twice required surgery. Demitra was recently named to the Slovak Olympic team.
Long-injured winger Pavol Demitra is expected to rejoin Canucks practice on Monday, which means he could be ready to return to the lineup when Nashville visits on Jan. 11. Demitra hasn't played yet this season due to a left shoulder injury in the playoffs last May and has twice required surgery. Demitra was recently named to the Slovak Olympic team.
The report is a little late - Demitra has been practising with the team since 22 December as reported by the Canucks.
Quote:
Canucks Report - Demitra Returns to Practice
Pavol Demitra, sidelined by shoulder injury sustained during last season’s playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks, returned to practice today for the first time this season.
Tuesday, 22.12.2009 / 3:53 PM / Vancouver Canucks - Photos
Vancouver Canucks
Wooohoo Pavol will be a nice addition to the powerplay playmaking. He had great chemistry with the Sedins last year. Say good bye to Bernunit on the Powerplay and maybe good bye to WellFed all together.
According to TSN fractured foot. If this is the same place as the earlier foot fracture then it may require pins and that would be a much longer rehab.
I've been thinking that even if Demitra is unable to take slapshots, he's probably still more effective than Wellwood or Johnson - I don't know that Johnson has even taken a slapper this year. After all, slapshots didn't become common until the late 50's.
I've been thinking that even if Demitra is unable to take slapshots, he's probably still more effective than Wellwood or Johnson - I don't know that Johnson has even taken a slapper this year. After all, slapshots didn't become common until the late 50's.
Sounds like Demitra had a good practise Monday and feels he is about 2 weeks away from playing a game:
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“I’m just happy my shooting is almost back to normal,” he said. “I am not shooting slap shots yet, but the wrist shot is feeling good.”
Demitra still is not taking contact and estimated that he might be ready to play his first game of the season in about two weeks.
“I think I am more than a week away,” he said. “I think it is still a couple of more weeks. The shoulder still has to get stronger … [but] today was a good day for me to finally skate with the guys. We’ll see how the shoulder feels tomorrow.”
Demitra looked very good in that video, I'd stay away from the slapper if I were him for quite a while yet, though. Contact is not really a concern on the perimeter
He's going to be a big boost to Slovakia in the Olympics, even without the slapper.
AV looked pretty friendly happy to have Lukowich on the team, he obviously knows what he's getting - a solid stay at home dman - like Salo and Mitchell - didn't the team have 3 like that last year already ?
In an interview on Canucks TV, Gillis says Bieksa's injury may not be as bad as has been speculated:
Quote:
Mike Gillis: Kevin's injury is unfortunate, I think the speculation about time away is probably not correct, but we'll know more when he gets his cast off in the next few days.
Kristin Reid: Does that mean that you're getting the sense that it wasn't as serious an injury as it was last time, or what makes you feel that it will be shorter?
MG: Well, I think that it's a different injury, and I think how we react and how surgery went were very positive. I think that there is the opportunity for Kevin to rehab much quicker, so we'll see how it goes.
Pavol Demitra practised one-timer slapshots Thursday for the first time since recovering from two shoulder surgeries, but the timeline for the winger's return to the Vancouver Canucks' lineup is still sketchy. A Jan. 20 test in Edmonton is a possibility or perhaps the next night here against Dallas. Maybe a Jan. 23 home date against Chicago will mark his return after suffering two rotator-cuff tears in the playoffs last spring that have kept him sidelined all season.
"We've been talking about the middle of January or the last week of January, but if it goes like it has the last seven days it might be even earlier," said Demitra. "Today, when I was starting to shoot the one-timers, it was working well, but it's always the next couple of hours that the irritation is coming. The doctors told me it's going to be a little up and down the next two weeks because after two surgeries, the little muscles aren't there and you have to rebuild everything in your shoulder.
"I'm still missing [strength] and I don't have enough power to push somebody off of me. We've tried to push it hard and have had some setbacks, so I don't even want to think about the Olympics right now. I just want to start playing. It's unbelievable to play for your country, but I don't want to play at 85 or 90 per cent.
"My shot is almost 100 per cent, but if I was in the corner it's different. If everybody knows you have a sore shoulder, it's going to be different."
