Associated Press article
Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, using crutches as he recovers from knee surgery, says he won’t return to the NHL if he’s unable to overcome the intense pain from the injury.
Yzerman, 37, underwent knee surgery last Friday. The operation to correct the alignment of the right knee, performed by Dr. Peter Fowler of London, Ont., was said to be a success.
Yzerman chose the realignment procedure rather than reconstruction of the knee. He led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup title despite the injury.
“The approach I have is, take the steps, do the rehab, see how it feels,” Yzerman told the Detroit News.
Yzerman acknowledged that it was possible he had played his last NHL game but remains committed to making a comeback.
“I’m concerned, but I’m not spending a lot of time worrying about it,” he said. “We did this with the idea of skating and not hurting any more, and there’s a chance that won’t happen. We really don’t know how I’m going to feel, but I’m not going to sit around and think negatively.”
