nivek_wahs
01-16-2007, 05:39 AM
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=2aff5a49-5956-49ce-87e7-7b1c8414b66d&k=81199
Injuries take toll on Blades' defence
Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Ryan Funk refuses to be a stay-at-home defenceman.
An inflamed pubic bone has kept him out of the Saskatoon Blades' lineup since November, but the injury hasn't kept him away from the rink.
"Going along with the team helps," Funk said Monday. "If I was just sitting here at home, watching them play on TV, it would be a lot harder. The guys have been pretty good about making me feel like I'm still part of the team."
Funk last played Nov. 25 during a 4-1 loss in Brandon. He's missed 19 games with a delicate injury that wasn't easily diagnosed. The inflamed pubic bone is believed to be the result of previous injuries which went undetected and did not heal properly.
"I thought when I first got injured that I'd be back right away," said the 17-year-old sophomore from Morden, Man. "Now it's been this long. People were telling me I'm going to be out for the year and people were telling me I'd be back in a week. There was a lot of different opinions.
"If I knew I could play through the pain, it wouldn't be that big of a deal because I've played through things before. But when you know it's just going to get worse and mess you up for the long term, (playing through pain) is not that easy to do."
The Blades' defence has been battered and bruised all season. Rookie Teigan Zahn recently suffered a broken jaw, while Bohdan Visnak just returned from a shoulder injury. A concussion kept captain Brad Cole out of nine games before Christmas.
"I know the frustration when you think you're not making progress," said Cole. "You can multiply (Funk's) by a hundred. One day he could feel fine and then he's back to Square 1."
Funk had a plus-6 rating in his first 24 games. The timetable for his return remains uncertain, but he is optimistic that he'll be back on the ice this season. Cortisone shots have helped reduce some of the inflammation, but he hasn't been able to do any lower-body exercises so he'll need some time to restore his conditioning.
"I'm basically starting from scratch," said Funk, who has skated only twice since Nov. 25.
Lately, the Blades have had to make do with five defencemen: overagers Cole and Joe Logan, plus Visnak, Brett Ward and rookie Sam Klassen.
"It's made everyone a stronger group and some guys have gotten opportunities that they probably wouldn't get otherwise," said Cole. "A kid like Sam Klassen has stepped in and played some big minutes. He plays against other teams' top lines and he's pretty green."
Klassen, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, is jut 11 games into his Western Hockey League career.
"The guys are relishing the opportunity to get more ice time," said coach-GM Lorne Molleken. "Everybody wants to play more and everybody is getting an opportunity to play in different situations. In the long run, it's going to make us a lot better."
BLADE BITS: Blades C Justin McCrae might be ready to play Friday when the Regina Pats visit Credit Union Centre. McCrae has missed three games after suffering a concussion last week versus Seattle. Thunderbirds RW Ian McKenzie was suspended three games for checking McCrae from behind . . . D Teigan Zahn and LW Rastislav Konecny are sidelined with broken jaws and they're expected to miss at least another month . . . The Blades have returned D Jordan Principalli to the midget AAA Calgary Flames. He was held pointless and had a minus-3 rating in two games.
cwolfe@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
Injuries take toll on Blades' defence
Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Ryan Funk refuses to be a stay-at-home defenceman.
An inflamed pubic bone has kept him out of the Saskatoon Blades' lineup since November, but the injury hasn't kept him away from the rink.
"Going along with the team helps," Funk said Monday. "If I was just sitting here at home, watching them play on TV, it would be a lot harder. The guys have been pretty good about making me feel like I'm still part of the team."
Funk last played Nov. 25 during a 4-1 loss in Brandon. He's missed 19 games with a delicate injury that wasn't easily diagnosed. The inflamed pubic bone is believed to be the result of previous injuries which went undetected and did not heal properly.
"I thought when I first got injured that I'd be back right away," said the 17-year-old sophomore from Morden, Man. "Now it's been this long. People were telling me I'm going to be out for the year and people were telling me I'd be back in a week. There was a lot of different opinions.
"If I knew I could play through the pain, it wouldn't be that big of a deal because I've played through things before. But when you know it's just going to get worse and mess you up for the long term, (playing through pain) is not that easy to do."
The Blades' defence has been battered and bruised all season. Rookie Teigan Zahn recently suffered a broken jaw, while Bohdan Visnak just returned from a shoulder injury. A concussion kept captain Brad Cole out of nine games before Christmas.
"I know the frustration when you think you're not making progress," said Cole. "You can multiply (Funk's) by a hundred. One day he could feel fine and then he's back to Square 1."
Funk had a plus-6 rating in his first 24 games. The timetable for his return remains uncertain, but he is optimistic that he'll be back on the ice this season. Cortisone shots have helped reduce some of the inflammation, but he hasn't been able to do any lower-body exercises so he'll need some time to restore his conditioning.
"I'm basically starting from scratch," said Funk, who has skated only twice since Nov. 25.
Lately, the Blades have had to make do with five defencemen: overagers Cole and Joe Logan, plus Visnak, Brett Ward and rookie Sam Klassen.
"It's made everyone a stronger group and some guys have gotten opportunities that they probably wouldn't get otherwise," said Cole. "A kid like Sam Klassen has stepped in and played some big minutes. He plays against other teams' top lines and he's pretty green."
Klassen, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, is jut 11 games into his Western Hockey League career.
"The guys are relishing the opportunity to get more ice time," said coach-GM Lorne Molleken. "Everybody wants to play more and everybody is getting an opportunity to play in different situations. In the long run, it's going to make us a lot better."
BLADE BITS: Blades C Justin McCrae might be ready to play Friday when the Regina Pats visit Credit Union Centre. McCrae has missed three games after suffering a concussion last week versus Seattle. Thunderbirds RW Ian McKenzie was suspended three games for checking McCrae from behind . . . D Teigan Zahn and LW Rastislav Konecny are sidelined with broken jaws and they're expected to miss at least another month . . . The Blades have returned D Jordan Principalli to the midget AAA Calgary Flames. He was held pointless and had a minus-3 rating in two games.
cwolfe@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007