Vokoun still few weeks away
Injury to goalie's hand worse than originally thought
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....612140411/1028
Predators goaltender Tomas Vokoun, sidelined since having thumb surgery Nov. 27, returned to the ice this week but is still a few weeks from playing in a game.
The injury to Vokoun's left hand — his stick-handling hand — turned out to be slightly worse than anticipated.
During surgery, doctors discovered a small fracture in addition to torn ligaments, Coach Barry Trotz said on Wednesday. Doctors opted to insert a pin to help the healing.
The pin won't be removed for another week and a half, so it might be two weeks until Vokoun is able to handle a stick and perhaps until early January before he is back for a game.
"It was a little bit worse than originally thought, but not anything Earth shattering," Trotz said. "If it was originally going to be four to six weeks, it's probably going to be five not four. It didn't change a lot. They just did that to make sure it healed correctly and would be real solid."
Vokoun practiced Tuesday, but did so alone. He said he skated and did some drills — minus his most vital tool.
"No stick," Vokoun said. "So it was kind of awkward, but at least you are on the skates. It's good conditioning."