Anze Kopitar says there’s no timetable for his recovery
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Kings center Anze Kopitar, who tore ligaments in his ankle March 26 when he fell awkwardly while battling for the puck along the boards, visited the Kings’ El Segundo training facility Saturday mostly out of sheer boredom.
Kopitar was using forearm crutches to keep weight off his right foot, which was heavily bandaged and in a splint as the result of surgery that was performed March 28. He said the injury was similar to the one suffered last season by teammate Justin Williams.
Kopitar was in good spirits Saturday considering the circumstances, and said the cast might be removed on Monday.
“After the surgery, I went to see the doctor and they actually put a different splint on,” said Kopitar, who still leads the team in scoring with 73 points. “He said it was a little too swollen to take it off yet. Now I’m hoping it’s going to be OK, that I can take it off and have that walking boot on again. It’s just going to be a little more comfortable, and just go from there.”
He said it’s too early to gauge how his foot is healing and when he can begin rehabilitation. ‘I don’t think there’s anything to do, just wait and see how everything is going to turn out,” he said. “I’m sure they’re going to have me doing some range-of-motion tests and see how that does. After that, we’ll see.”
Kopitar said he immediately knew something bad had happened after he twisted his leg.
“I felt a pop right away on the ice and I had a big stinger down my leg. I didn’t feel anything,” he said. “I think I actually tried to get up too and skate to the bench but I buckled and I knew something was wrong. And I felt it pop again. But I was just hoping it was going to be the bone, not everything else.
“It’s a little unfortunate but that happens sometimes.”
Being around the practice facility and seeing his teammates helped him.
“It’s so hard. When you’re here all the time sometimes a couple days, just to get away from this place, it’s nice,” he said. “The first couple days it’s, ‘OK, this is not too bad right now,’ and day four I just hit a wall and I’m ready for the bone to heal again and get going. But it’s not going to be that easy. “You’re sitting on the couch and watching games and you can’t do anything about it. You can’t do anything pretty much. So it’s a lot of TV, a lot of computer, a lot of games on the computer and that’s it.”
He said he anticipates the Kings will want him to stay in the area this summer to keep an eye on his rehabilitation, though he usually goes home to Slovenia. He hasn’t made any plans yet.
“We’ll go week by week and then we’ll see,” he said.
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-- Helene Elliott