Chicago Blackhawks decide to let Patrick Sharp return after making full recovery -NHL Update
Chicago Blackhawks were expected to face a major setback after their veteran centre, Patrick Sharp, underwent an emergency appendectomy on September 13, 2011, but the team has reassured that he will be given due time off so he can return fully recovered
later on.
After the procedure, team doctors termed his recovery time to 3-4 weeks but nothing can be said for sure. Chicago Blackhawks general manager, Stan Bowman, certainly does not feel that his team might get off to a bad start.
"Those things are part of sports", said GM, Stan Bowman. "It's too early predict the timing (of a return). They say three-to-four weeks and we'll see how it goes. It's better to get it out of the way now. I wouldn't say it impacts our training camp or the
season. In the scheme of things it's minor".
Sharp might be into his veteran years, but his performance is certainly that of his peak years, which makes him a vital part of the Chicago line-up.
Last season, the former 95th overall draft pick, who was selected by Philadelphia Flyers during round-three of the 2001 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, had the best season of his eight season career by scoring 71 points (34 goals, 37
assists) in 74 games.
Being able to play a number of different positions, Blackhawks head coach, Joel Quenneville, reassured everyone that Sharp is a tough player and will be able to make a comeback at any moment, but it is the team who wants him back 100 percent ready.
"[Sharp] was in excellent shape", Quenneville said. "He's a finely-tuned athlete and can play through a lot of different injuries. We saw that last year, particularly in a critical time of the year”. “I'm sure we're going to give him the necessary time for
this injury”.
Patrick Sharp made a sudden comeback during the 2011 NHL playoffs, during round-one, against Vancouver Canucks, in which he nearly eliminated them by taking the Stanley Cup finalists to a seven-game decider after three straight losses. Seeing his abilities,
it is easy to tell why Chicago would not want him back unless he is fully ready to go.
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