VANCOUVER — Three months after suffering a broken vertebrae in the Stanley Cup final, Vancouver Canucks winger Mason Raymond can't say for sure that he will play again.But he felt lucky to be be able to walk into his meeting with reporters on Thursday and is hopeful that he will meet initial projections and resume his National Hockey League career by mid-season.
"At the end of the day, it could have been worse," Raymond said. "I'm lucky to be standing here today with arms and legs moving. I'm still having some discomfort with some soft tissue, but it's coming along well and I'm happy with the process.
"Whenever you have something in that [spinal] area, you have a serous risk of having additional problems. So, yeah, I feel lucky."
The 26-year-old was injured in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup in Boston when Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk finished his check by shoving Raymond backwards into the boards. Raymond was bent over in a vulnerable position as Boychuk had his stick between the Canuck's legs.
Raymond said Boychuk contacted him in July by text message. Ironically — or hypocritically — Bruins winger Nathan Horton complained to reporters in August that Canuck Aaron Rome contacted him only by text message to apologize for a late hit that saw Horton concussed and Rome suspended the rest of the series.
"I heard from Johnny in late July via a text message," Raymond confirmed. "He said he didn't mean to [cause injury]. That's hockey. Incidents happen. Obviously I'm frustrated not to the finish the game or the season, nor am I starting the season here. I'll move on and get stronger for it."
Raymond refused to say how he responded to Boychuk's text, nor provide much detail about his rehabilitation other than to stress it is a long process involving several stages.
His back brace was removed in late July and Raymond said he is able to work on his conditioning but is doing no heavy lifting. He hasn't yet skated.
Raymond said the injury is "weird" and unlike anything he has experienced.
"I'm moving very well now compared to what I was," he said. "You believe in your mind that you're going to keep getting better and you forward."
No penalty was called on Boychuk.
Canucks