Fleischmann happy to be back to practice after start of season with blood clot
By: Brian McNally
Examiner Staff Writer
October 20, 2009
Forward would add scoring to lower lines
It was one of the tougher skates the Capitals have endured since training camp ended last month. But even as he and his teammates raced up and down the ice to exhaustion, forward Tomas Fleischmann was all smiles.
Just a good old conditioning practice on Tuesday courtesy of coach Bruce Boudreau, who finally had a chance to conduct a proper one with five days between games. Fleischmann didn't mind at all. The 25-year-old was practicing for the first time after missing all of camp and the first three weeks of the season because of a blood clot in his left leg.
"I was skating almost two months by myself and so the skate today wasn't hard for me," Fleischmann said. "I was just smiling to be with the guys on the ice and having fun. It felt like it was a longer summer, that's all. Now I feel like it's my training camp starting."
Fleischmann suffered the blood clot last May -- likely after blocking a shot during the playoff series against Pittsburgh and then adding a long flight home to the Czech Republic. He will be a valuable addition to the lineup when he returns -- though that won't be for at least another week. Fleischmann scored 19 goals last season, sixth most on the team.
"Fleischmann hasn't had a scrimmage yet. He hasn't even had a physical battle since [the playoffs]," Boudreau said. "It's not like he skates with us once and he's going to play. This is a process of getting him in the best condition with the puck, battling against guys."
So Fleischmann didn't participate in any contact drills during the first 20 minutes of practice. He is still working with team doctors to find a lower dosage of blood thinners that will allow him to take that next step -- and then participate in some scrimmages or even a game or two in the AHL with Washington's minor-league affiliate in Hershey.
Offense isn't a problem for the Caps, of course. But Fleischmann's return will add some balance to the lineup. Players on Washington's top two lines have produced 25 goals. The third and fourth lines? Just two. And both are from forward Matt Bradley.
