Avalanche report: Back surgery to sideline Sakic another 10 weeks

By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 7, 2009 at 9:22 p.m.

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Photo by Javier Manzano / The Rocky

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic will be out until mid- to late March after undergoing back surgery Wednesday.

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic underwent surgery Wednesday for a herniated disk in his back.

The team said he is expected to be out about 10 weeks, which puts him on pace to return to the lineup in mid- to late March.

Sakic had been trying to rehabilitate his back injury, but "it was determined that surgery was the safest path to a complete recovery," team doctor Andrew Parker said in a statement. "This was our best option, and the surgery went as expected."

Sakic initially injured his back while lifting weights, then suffered a herniated disk during the first shift of a Nov. 28 game at Phoenix. He will rest at home for seven to 10 days recovering from the procedure.

"I understand that this was the best way for me to return to the ice, so now my focus and goal will be to get back as soon as possible to help my teammates in the final weeks of the season," Sakic said in a statement.

He added embarrassment to injury Dec. 9 when he broke three fingers and damaged a tendon in his left hand while reaching into a snowblower.

Sakic missed 38 games last season because of a groin injury and to recover from surgery for a sports hernia, then spent the offseason deciding whether to retire or return for a 20th NHL season.

Hejduk an All-Star

Milan Hejduk realizes it will be special when he dons a Western Conference All-Star sweater later this month.

Hejduk, a right wing, was picked for the Western Conference All-Star roster Wednesday and will make his third All-Star appearance at the 57th NHL All-Star Game that will be played Jan. 25 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

"Obviously, it's an honor," Hejduk said. "It should be really fun going to Montreal. They are celebrating their 100th anniversary, so it should be real special. With all the history there, the Montreal Canadiens, I'm sure they'll put on quite a show, and from that perspective, it's going to be a lot of fun.

"I was really quite surprised to be named. Obviously, part of the reason I'm going is that Joe (Sakic) and (Paul Stastny) are out of the lineup."

Hejduk, a native of Usti-nad Labem, Czech Republic, is the Avalanche's leading goal scorer this season with 13 goals, and he is second in scoring with 29 points.

The 32-year-old played in the 2000 All-Star Game in Toronto and was credited with an assist. And in the 2001 All-Star Game at the Pepsi Center, he scored a goal.

"The one played in Denver was the one that means more," he said. "I had a goal and it was definitely special for me."

Back to back

After collecting a 2-1 win at Nashville on Tuesday, Andrew Raycroft, the Avalanche's backup goalie, will get the start in goal tonight.

Raycroft is 7-1 as a starter this season and has won five in a row, matching the longest winning streak of his career.

"He's played well," coach Tony Granato said. "I said from the start he's was going to get some action; he deserves some."

Third time a charm?

One of the best teams in the Western Conference will be at the Pepsi Center tonight.

No, not the San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings or Calgary Flames.

The Chicago Blackhawks, one of the hottest teams in the league the past month, bring the Western Conference's fourth-best record to town.

"They are playing well, no question about it," Granato said. "With the exception of the games against Detroit over the last month, they have been as good as any team in the league. They skate, they are young and they have energy."

The Blackhawks have beaten the Avalanche twice this season, 6-2 on Nov. 3 in Chicago and 4-3 on Dec. 12 at the Pepsi Center.

"We had a great game in here against them," Granato said, "We had a chance to beat them and get points, but they were able to beat us by a goal, so we know what kind of team they have and we have to be at our best to find a way to play hard and get two points."

Etc.

* Defenseman Kyle Cumiskey was selected to play in the Canadian American Hockey League All-Star Classic, scheduled for Jan. 26 in Worcester, Mass. Cumiskey, who was called up to the Avalanche on Monday for the third time this season, is the Lake Erie Monsters' second-leading scorer with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 26 games.

* Center Ian Laperriere, sidelined because of a sore back, didn't practice Wednesday and will not play tonight. "He didn't skate, but he's getting better," Granato said.

• January 8, 2009

  11:19 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  BchNSnwGirl writes:

  I hope Lappy really is getting better, but that is what they said about Joe before he played in the Phoenix game and really screwed things up. As much as I love him and I know we're missing him, I would like to see them take a more conservative approach with Lappy so this kind of thing doesn't happen to him as well.

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