Wings' Weiss determined to prove he can still play at high level
It's safe to say the Detroit Red Wings suffered more than their fair share of injuries last season, and center Stephen Weiss was no exception.
Weiss appeared in just 26 games before undergoing sports hernia surgery on Dec. 23. He hoped to return to the lineup following the Olympic break, but suffered a setback when his nerves became entrapped beneath scar tissue.
It sounds as painful as it felt.
"I had a lot of nerve entrapments that were pinching on scar tissue and every time I moved my leg it was like having a root canal on your groin," Weiss said. "It was no fun."
A second surgery in April was necessary to relieve that issue, and Weiss endured a long summer of rehab to insure he'd be pain-free in time for training camp.
"It took a while to get all of that stuff sorted out to where I got my strength back and once I got my strength back 100 percent I was able to start training and slowly get back on the ice, and now I feel good," Weiss said. "I haven't had any setbacks. I feel good going into camp."
Weiss joined his teammates at the Wings' voluntary practice Monday, but knows the small battles he's faced on the ice over the past few days are nothing compared to what awaits him next month.
"Obviously it's tough to simulate preseason-type intensity in the offseason with guys," Weiss said. "It usually ramps up in camp and in the first exhibition game it usually ramps up even more and so on and so forth into the regular season. So, it's all part of it. I'm going to have to work through it and that's all part of going through what I did last year."
Speaking of last year, Weiss hopes the upcoming season is nothing like 2013-14. After signing a five-year contract worth $24.5 million with the Wings, Weiss only had four points in the first 26 games before being sidelined for the remainder of the season.
He's determined to prove he can still play at a high level and help the Wings make a run at the Stanley Cup.
"That's why I came here, to help out and last year was a tough year for me," Weiss said. "It wasn't something that you want to go through, but sometimes those things happen. It's been a lot of work trying to get back to where I want to be."
Physically, Weiss is still not where he wants to be. While the strength of his groin is good and he's not feeling any pain, it will still take him some time to get back into hockey shape and feel comfortable in game-type situations.
The center has come a long way since April, though, when he thought his NHL career might be in jeopardy.
"Anytime that you're messing around surgically with parts of your body it's not a fun thing to go through," Weiss said. "But it was something that I had to go through to be able to rehab properly and play without pain because when I was playing last year, I mean, you can't compete in this league when you're at that level. So I had to get it done and really work hard to get strong again. I still have a lot of work to do."
