Washington Capitals netminder Tomas Vokoun on delayed course of recovery from groin injury-NHL News
The return of Washington Capitals’ netminder, Tomas Vokoun, from a groin injury remains uncertain so far, as according to some reports, the player was unable to practise despite showing up on the ice during the team’s Monday (March 19, 2012) morning session.
The player has been in the recovery phase since weeks. He also suffered a setback to the process when he tried to play a couple games while carrying the injury.
Even though he remained restricted to the backup option in the games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders, he ended up aggravating the problem after joining the squad for Winnipeg Jets' game.
During the practice, Vokoun came with a cautious approach and left the ice immediately after entering into it. Apparently, he did not feel comfortable for skating and left the teammates without any notable workout.
He said:
“It wasn’t good enough, but it’s better. I came back a little too early before. We just want to make sure I don’t make it worse.”
The player said it was not a good experience while playing against the Jets and the setback of that game had pushed back his recovery timeline further.
Although there is no final word from any of the stakeholders, his recovery will likely take another couple of weeks. There is a greater possibility that he rejoins the squad after the regular season
This will depend on Capitals’ ability to remain in the playoff contention. They currently hold the last/eighth position in the Eastern Conference but are very closely chased by a number of teams.
They stand prone to tumbling down from the race and in that case the NHL current season will be over for Vokoun.
However, the team remains as much hopeful for his earliest possible return as the player himself. Given that the player has undergone another scare in the recovery phase, he could take longer period of time on his rehabilitation than expected.
He said of the latest game experience:
“I kind of irritated it. It didn’t happen last game. But with our job description, there’s a lot of pressure on that [muscle]. I just want to make sure I don’t take one step forward and three back.”
So, both parties are mindful of the fact that the player could stand losing more than gaining from the recovery process if pressure is put on him in the premature phase.
This could be the possible reason that the team has not speculated about his return lately. They are not going to take chances again, and are expected to wait rather longer to allow the player to recovery completely before turning to the ice.
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