Capitals defenseman Mike Green has already experienced a long stretch away from hockey once in his career. He entered this season hoping all of those health woes were behind him.
Instead, Green has missed 26 of Washington’s last 27 games — first because of a right ankle injury suffered Oct. 22 that cost him six games and again since Nov. 11 because of a right groin injury. On Tuesday, Green completed his first full practice since that second injury. He even took part in some of the team’s power-play drills. It was a small step forward for Green, 26, who at this point is just happy to see any sign of progress.
“I could not wait to get back out there and skate with the guys. It’s been tough watching hockey and not being a part of it,” Green said. “So for me to get back out there and be a part of this and smile a little bit — I think I had a smile on my face the whole time I was out there — it feels good. You don’t realize how much you miss it until you’re gone for a while.”
Green would know after missing 32 games last season, the majority of them thanks to a pair of concussions that cost him most of the final two months of the regular season save for parts of two games in February. He recovered in time to participate in the Stanley Cup playoffs, where a hip injury finally forced him out of the lineup for the deciding Game 4 in the second-round series against Tampa Bay.
No question Washington could use his presence on the blueline. The Caps are undefeated with Green in the lineup, after all. But the struggling Caps, who are 17-15-2 with 36 standings points entering Wednesday night’s home game against the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers, won’t solve all their issues simply by plugging him back into the rotation.
“I don’t think one guy is going to make a team go 8-0,” said defenseman John Erskine. “But it’ll be nice to see [Green] come back. He’s a big part of our team.”
No timetable on that right now, according to both Green and Washington coach Dale Hunter. Even at the end of last week he was staying on the ice for extended stretches, no longer limited to simply skating and shooting alone and departing shortly after his teammates began practice. But there’s a big leap from making it through a single practice without a setback to being ready for an NHL game — one that Green and the team’s medical staff must navigate.
“I’ve been training hard off the ice and doing everything I can to stay in shape,” Green said. “But until you get back on the ice and you get skating it’s hard to train for hockey. But I feel as good as I possibly could going back on the ice [Tuesday]. I just need a few skates to get my lungs and my legs back and I’ll be back in no time.”
