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Red Wings practice update: Datsyuk, Cleary likely to return; Stuart chews on Kostopoulos suspension

by George Malik on 01/31/11 at 07:29 PM ET
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Updated at 7:58 PM: The Red Wings received good news on several fronts at today’s practice as Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary apparently skated at full speed, and Mike Modano provided a revised and more optimistic prognosis regarding his return from a torn tendon in his right wrist, but Tomas Holmstrom didn’t skate with the team, and Brad Stuart returned sporting a jaw guard and elastic bands attached to wiring stabilizing his still-healing broken jaw.  Stuart was happy to get back to work after spending the past two weeks in San Jose, as he told MLive’s Ansar Khan...

“It was nice just to be back on the ice, be around everybody and just get a chance to work my way back into it,’’ Stuart said. “I probably did more than I thought I was going to do today. I didn’t think I was going to practice at all. I thought I was just going to skate.’‘

His teeth are still wired and elastic inside his mouth is limiting his movement after having surgery on Jan. 13. He’s down about five pounds and still can’t eat solid foods, with the exception with soft pasta and soft fish. But it’s better than the liquid diet he was on the first couple of weeks after getting hit by Calgary’s Tom Kostopolous, who was suspended for six games.

“It cost me six or more weeks of the season,’’ Stuart said. “It was frustrating. I knew as it happened it was pretty bad. It’s over. I’m focused on getting back. That’s all I can do.’’  He said of Kostopolous’ punishment: “I was sure they’d do something and they did. There’s no reason for me to debate whether I think it’s long enough or not. It happened, he served his suspension. It’s over and I just move forward.’‘

But after a little prodding from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan, Stuart chewed the fat, if you will, about a suspension he can’t really stomach:

“I figured it would be more than five games,” said Stuart, who wouldn’t get into specifics about what he felt about the length of Kostopoulos suspension. “I’m not going to say I was disappointed with it, or happy with it. He served his time. I’m sure it was something he wishes didn’t happen, as do I. But it did, and you move on.”

But Stuart did say the hit by Kostopoulos should be on the minds of all players as to what should, and should not, be in the game.

“Are plays like that really necessary,” Stuart said rhetorically. “That’s the question you have to ask. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not. Those kinds of plays are something we as players should know … just ask yourself why, why does it need to happen?  But I’ll move on and it’ll be just a blip on the radar for me.”

As a partisan Wings fan, I thought the hit was gratuitous—as in Kostopolous hit Stuart hard in the head simply because he could—but I’m glad that Stuart’s more concerned with eating solid food again than he is with the man who broke his jaw. 

Stuart told the Free Press’s Helene St. James that he’s likely to continue wearing the elastic bands likely attached to the surgical sites where doctors went in and affixed titanium plates into his jaw to stabilize his fractures…

I probably have to wear them at least 10-14 days, and then they said I might even have to keep them on when I get back,” Stuart said. “It just helps keep it stable, just reduce the risk a little bit.”
...
Stuart had been at home with his family in San Jose, Calif., recovering until this weekend, when he returned to Detroit. Today was his first time on the ice. He’s down about five or six pounds from having such a limited diet, and said he’s already got his first solid meal planned.

“Slowly but surely I’m getting back to more normal meals,” he said. “I would love to just have a regular pizza. Save the steaks for a little while.”

And St. James reports that Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary played on a re-formed first line alongside Todd Bertuzzi, with Patrick Eaves reprising his Holstrom’s replacement role on the Zetterberg-Franzen line and Filppula skating with Hudler and Abdelkader (the Draper-Helm-Miller line remains untouched), and Cleary assumes that he’ll be ready to return from a broken ankle on Wednesday in Ottawa:

“I felt pretty good today,” Cleary said. “We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

But Wings coach Mike Babcock wagged his finger when asked about Cleary and Datsyuk’s respective availabilities, as Khan noted:

“I don’t know when anyone’s coming back. I’m hoping they’re all playing in Ottawa. That’s probably not the case,’’ coach Mike Babcock said after practice Monday at Joe Louis Arena. “We’ll wait until (Tuesday) because I know how these things are. So we’ll see after the skate so see where they’re at.’‘

Datsyuk, who broke his right hand on Dec. 22, appears further along than Cleary, whose right ankle was fractured on Dec. 26 from a shot by teammate Brad Stuart.

“Felt pretty good today, see how it goes (Tuesday),’’ Cleary said. “It’s still sore, but I think it’s going to be sore for a little bit before it really heals. I can do a lot of things. Definitely very optimistic.’‘

Khan also says that Babcock suggested that Toma Holmstrom might play this weekend, but the middle of the second week of February sounds like a more realistic return date.

Per the Wings’ website, you can watch Babs’ 3-minute presser here (check out his spiffy new intro, too!):

]

And Stuart skating and then speaking to the media here:

Fox 2’s Jennifer Hammond filed a report from practice as well:

As for the rest of the Wings, DetroitRedWings.com’s Dave Burke and Bill Roose provide both a, “What I did for my All-Star Break Vacation” set of player comments and some superb news about Mike Modano’s improved prognosis.  Modano headed down to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and returned feeling very good about the possibility of returning before the beginning of March:

Modano (right hand) participated in the Red Wings’ practice Monday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena. Afterward, he said that while he still feels some discomfort in the middle of his right palm and tingling in the tip of the middle finger, he would like to return sooner than mid-March, the original targeted return.

“I think we can return sooner, maybe by the end of February,” said Modano, who had two goals and six assists in 20 games prior to severing tendons and nerves when he was accidentally cut by a skate against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

[Jonathan] Ericsson also traveled to Mexico where he visited Mayan ruins. “I went down to Mexico and really just relaxed,” he said. “No surfing or anything, just went and visited the Mayan ruins.”

Overall, the Wings believe that they’re positioned for a good run during the NHL’s stretch drive:

All rested and ready to restart the regular-season, Kronwall believes that the remaining schedule favors the Red Wings, who will play 16 of the final 33 games at JLA.

“February is a short month and we have quite a few home games in March,” the Red Wings defenseman said. “We’re on the back end of the schedule, so it’s all down hill now.”

Update 7:58 PM: The Macomb Daily’s Chuck Pleiness also filed two practice reports, first talking to Stuart about his status…

“It was good, it was nice just to be back on the ice, be around everybody and just get a chance to work my way back into it,” said Stuart, who is still recovering from a broken jaw he suffered on Jan. 7 in Calgary. “I probably did more than I thought I was going to do today. I didn’t think I was going to practice at all. I thought I was just going to skate.”

Stuart is still about two or three weeks from returning to the lineup.  He had an X-ray done a week ago and there was still a fracture showing up.

“(I’m) just making sure it’s healed properly before I start testing it and seeing what I can and can’t do,” Stuart said.

And food choices…

“Anything I tried to put in a blender was pretty much disgusting, so I tried to stay away from that,” Stuart said. “Sometimes I just get bored of having to eat so slow and I just give up, so I don’t eat as much as I normally would because it takes so long.

“I would love to just have a regular pizza,” Stuart added. “Save the steaks for a while, something like that probably wouldn’t be good.”

And Pleiness updated Datsyuk and Cleary’s statuses, too:

“(I) felt pretty good today, see how it goes (today),” Cleary said. “I didn’t do anything the last four days. It’s still sore but I think it’s going to be sore for a little bit before it really heals. I can do a lot of things. (I’m) definitely very optimistic.”
...
“It’ll be nice to get Pav and Cleary back,” said Babcock, who thinks he may get Holmstrom back by the end of the week.
...
“You don’t have your best faceoff guy, so you don’t have the puck in that area as much and they (the other team) is better offensively, they don’t have to chase him around the rink,” Babcock said of Datsyuk. “Your power play isn’t as good. It affects everything. But the thing for me is the threat he is offensively and defensively obviously is huge.

“Cleary is an underrated player, he’s a glue guy, knows how to play in all situations,” Babcock added. “We haven’t been as good a team since we lost those guys and Stewie’s another guy in that category.”

Pleiness’s full report can be read here.

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Comments

Still pissed off with Kocktopulous.  Hardly anything’s ever gonna change my mind about how cheap that shit was.  And Milbury can still suck it.  Ass…

Anyway, thanks for the updates on the injured Wings, George.  It’s refreshing to read for once that guys will be coming back soon instead of guys going onto IR.

Posted by SYF from the bottom of my, what, 11teenth pint of Guinness? on 01/31/11 at 11:23 PM ET

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