Despite considering retirement following his second Achilles tear last year, Capitals forward Max Pacioretty clarified this week that he hopes to return to the ice at some point this season.
“I feel like we have a really good grasp as to what happened in the past and what we need to do in the present and the future for me to continue my career,” Pacioretty said Tuesday. “I do know that I have a lot of hockey left in me. There was a time where maybe I wasn’t as confident in that, a time where I didn’t know if I’d play hockey ever again, but I’m coming to the rink every day thinking that this could be my last day here and just enjoying it.”
The 34 year old has resumed skating, hitting the ice three times over the past two weeks, but remains without a firm timetable to return to NHL action. In five games last year Pacioretty scored 3 goals across 5 contests, proving that he can still contribute offensively at the highest level. However, a second Achilles tear sidelined him for the remainder of the season, adding to the former Habs’ captains’ frustrations.
In the wake of his latest injury, Pacioretty has travelled across the globe seeking out a variety of medical opinions on his most recent setback. “I’ve been to Finland, Germany, places in Canada, different places in the States,” the forward said. “I’ve seen a lot of people and a lot of what people would call the best in the world. A lot of opinions, but I think we painted a pretty clear picture now as to what I need to do to get back to being myself.”
On the Capitals side of things, the club has been exercising caution with the former All-Star, limiting the amount of ice time he sees during his rehab. Washington GM Brian MacLellan has thus far stopped short of providing a target date for Pacioretty to make his return. Although the winger reportedly has a few dates circled “in pencil” on his calendar at the moment.
“I know I have so much more hockey in the tank. I’m a different person when I’m out there skating, even if it’s for 15 minutes without pucks. This is what I was born to do, and I want to do this as long as I can.”
Washington (5-4-1) is next in action Wednesday night vs. the Florida Panthers in a 7:30pm ET showdown.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.