One Caps player who is reasonably happy right now is defenseman Mike Green. That’s because he can finally see light at the end of the tunnel following sports hernia surgery on Jan. 17. The Washington Post reported on Monday that general manager George McPhee says Green has an outside shot of playing this weekend. The initial recovery schedule was 4-to-6 weeks. Green is right on track and again had a long skate on Tuesday at an optional practice. He was on the ice around 45 minutes with several teammates. The day before he was out there for over an hour. Is he ready for the upcoming four-game road trip?
“I would say I want to. But it’s not my decision right now,” Green said. “We’re doing step-by-step and I got to get cleared and I got to talk to [head trainer Greg Smith]. I know I’ve been out for a long time. But it’s important that I come back when I’m ready. I definitely do not want to have another setback. That would kill me. So we’re in a good place right now. We’ll see about the weekend.”
Green was in a chipper mood after practice. He noted that by the time of his second comeback attempt in early January from what was then called a groin injury, his left leg just wouldn’t fire the way it needed to. Green has played through pain before. But this time his body wasn’t responding at all. The surgery, apparently, has fixed that.
“I feel good. I really do,” Green said. “Today was a great judging point for me to where I’m at. And I feel good. So it’s just a matter of me getting back into shape and getting myself firing. But today I have a smile on my face. I haven’t felt like this for a long time.”
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