Bolland to miss 3-4 months after surgery
The Blackhawks lost Marian Hossa and Adam Burish to surgery even before they played their first regular season game. Now they’ve got their first surgery patient of the regular season.
Dave Bolland, the second-line center and a key player in last season’s run to the Western Conference finals, underwent back surgery Tuesday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Richard Fessler performed the surgery under the supervision of head team physician Michael Terry, who called it ``minimally invasive for a herniated disk.’’
(AP)
Terry said the surgery went well, that a full recovery was anticipated after a recovery period of 12-16 weeks. While a blow to the club, the surgery decision wasn’t surprising. Bolland coped with a back problem most of last season but wasn’t as successful in the first 16 games of this one.
``It was something he was dealing with throughout most of last year,’’ said coach Joel Quenneville following Tuesday’s practice , ``and he wasn’t comfortable at the start of this year. We tried a lot of different things.’’
That included giving Bolland considerable time off the ice when the rest of the team was practicing, but nothing helped.
Last season -- Bolland’s first full one in the NHL -- he played in 81 of 82 regular season games and all 17 playoff games. He had 47 points and was a plus-19 in the regular season while contributing on both power play and penalty killing situations as well as with his five-on-five play.
``Bolly was very effective, useful in so many ways,’’ said Quenneville. ``He played a lot of quality minutes, and now this is a great opportunity for a lot of guys. We’ve got a lot of forwards who would like to play more and deserve to play more.’’
Signs that Bolland might have a problem surfaced before training camp even opened in September. He was held out of a Hawks-sponsored golf event for fear he might do damage to his back. He also was kept out of much of training but did start the season in the lineup.
Following the first two games in Finland he was held out of Game 3 in Detroit because of a sore back, then he played the next 11 before sitting out the last two before surgery.
Even when he was playing it was obvious Bolland wasn’t himself. He had two goals, four assists, 14 penalty minutes and was a plus-3 in his 13 games. Still, replacing Bolland won’t be easy.
``We’ve been playing without some of our key guys all season. We’ll adapt,’’ said captain Jonathan Toews, who just needed a six-game layoff to recover from a concussion. ``Obviously (Bolland) brought a lot to the table. He’s a great two-way forward. But we’ve just got to fill that void.
Toews’ return to the lineup on Monday alleviated the immediate loss of Bolland. With Toews back to centering for the top line and Colin Fraser a fixture in the middle on the fourth line, the second could have either John Madden, Andrew Ebbett or converted winger Kris Versteeg as the center in tonight’s home game against the Colorado Avalanche.
It’ll probably be Ebbett centering for wingers Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg. That line is small, but fast and it had good chemistry when Quenneville put it together early in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Ebbett was claimed on waivers from Anaheim on Oct. 17 and has bounced around the Hawks’ lineup.
``He’s had some good stretches. We tried him on wing and worked him back to center again,’’ said Quenneville. ``He played with a couple good players (on Monday) and that line was dangerous. All three can make or see plays and have patience with the puck.’’
Ebbett, the second-line center for Anaheim last season, was tried as a fourth-line winger after joining the Hawks. He moved to a center spot when Toews went out, then dropped back when the captain returned. Versteeg was tried at center and handled faceoffs on Monday, a game in which Ebbett finally scored his first point as a Hawk on a fluke goal.
``It was nice that one went in, even if it was off my shoulder and not even off my stick,’’ said Ebbett. ``It took a load off my shoulders, but sometimes that’s how you get out of a slump.’’
Ebbett was frustrated with his own play on last week’s road trip to Phoenix and Denver, but the line change revived him.
``Playing with Kaner and Versteeg makes it a pretty easy game for me,’’ said Ebbett. ``I played with fast guys with a give-and-go style in Anaheim. They keep the puck moving and don’t hang onto it too long and get pucks to the net. That’s what I enjoy.’’
Assuming that line remains intact the other top three lines will have Toews centering for Patrick Sharp and Dustin Byfuglien and Madden having Troy Brouwer and Andrew Ladd as his wingers.