Rachel Barkley
After taking an absence from the team to undergo hip surgery in late December, Pyotr Kochetkov returned to practice to block shots in front of the team for the first time – albeit at the end of the morning skate.
Considering he hadn’t been in the crease for so long, he looked pretty sharp, too.
Rod Brind’Amour spoke on his return to the ice, but was understandably unable to provide an update.
“He wasn’t in regular practice,” he said. “But it’s a step in the right direction for him, for sure, coming off that injury. But, yeah, I don’t have any update.”
Pyotr Kochetkov Reflects on Injury and Recovery While Speaking with the Press
After practice, Kochetkov spoke with the media, discussing what he could about his injury, as well as the recovery process.
“I have couple surgeries is just what I can say now,” he said. “It’s just a tough time for me, tough mentally, tough for my body. Now I feel much better. …Every day, step by step.
“I have lots I can say about how tough time for me, [but] very tough time for my girlfriend – because she every day together with me…it’s tougher for her more, probably.
“You know, just what I can say now, just happy – happy a little bit close to the guys, and skate together.”
He also discussed the early season, when he played through injury and when he realized he would need surgery.
“One problem I have a long time, and different problem just started in training camp,” he explained. “You know, its probably after September. It’s every day – just no feel good. It’s every day, I feel this. I feel when I skate, and when I off ice, when I go to sleep. It’s every day.
“And I try my best, I try to play, I try come back every time. And just after every game, I just feel more, and more, and more. One moment, I just understand that I no can play, because this is too much for me and dangerous for my future and for my career.”
Additionally, Kochetkov also spoke about when he believes he could return.
“Tough to say. It’s the first time when I skate with team. It’s very good for me, because I want to understand where I am now. When you skate with goalie coach, it’s tough to understand where you are now, what your level.
As expected of Kochetkov, when debating his reasoning for not yet being ready to play, he took a moment to crack a quick joke about teammate Andrei Svechnikov, who sent quite a few pucks his way during practice.
“Today, ‘Svechy’ scored me couple – it’s probably bad moment for me, and I don’t know, probably very from play if he scored me.
“For me, just need more time, and I hope to understand after a couple practices…maybe a couple games, I don’t know.”
While it’s far too soon to speculate when Kochetkov could return to the crease, his return to practice is a big step forward in his recovery.
