ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis defenseman Chris Pronger, last year's
MVP, underwent successful surgery Tuesday to repair a broken left
forearm that will keep him sidelined for the rest of the regular
season.
|  | | Chris Pronger reacts to the pain of a broken bone after a puck hit him hard in the forearm. |
He was hurt at the end of a shift
at 9:34 of the first period by a clearing pass from teammate
Alexander Khavanov and immediately headed for the locker room.
During the operation at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, six screws and a
metal plate were inserted to repair the fracture. The injury is to
the ulna bone, midway between his wrist and elbow and closest to
the little finger.
Dr. Rick Wright, who performed the surgery, said the procedure
lasted about an hour.
"It went as I anticipated," Wright said. "It went well."
The Blues are hopeful Pronger, who was playing in his second
game after missing 15 games due to arthroscopic knee surgery, can
return in time for the playoffs.
General manager Larry Pleau said Pronger, 26, can begin
rehabbing in about 1-2 weeks.
"Our focus is that he should be ready for the playoffs," Pleau
said. "Everything went as planned and that's basically where it's
at.
"It's just a matter
of rehab. When you have a plate, usually you can get into rehab a
little bit quicker than a normal cast."
Teammates said Pronger had been trying to glove the puck.
"It was an unlucky thing," Khavanov said.
In Pronger's first game back Saturday, he had a goal and two
assists in a 3-2 overtime victory over Boston. He has seven goals
and 37 assists in 47 games.
It's the latest blow for the Blues, who also are without
defenseman Al MacInnis and forwards Pavol Demitra and Michal
Handzus.
"You're demoralized, but what are you going to do?" Pleau said. "We'll deal with it the best way we
can."
Despite the injuries, the Blues entered the game in third place
overall in the NHL standings and were one point behind Detroit for
first place in the Central division.
"One thing I like about the players and the coaches, there's no
excuses," Pleau said. "We expect to win and expect to challenge
for the same goals we had before, which was first place in the
division."
Pleau said the injury won't add increased urgency to make a
trade.
"I'll continue on the same course I've been on for four years
since I've been here," Pleau said. "If we can make a trade that's
going to help ourselves, we'll do it."
MacInnis has missed 14 games with an eye injury with no return
date in sight. Demitra missed a month with an eye injury and has
missed the last eight games after getting cut on the leg by a skate
blade, although trainer Ray Barile said he could be back by the end
of the Blues' upcoming four-game trip.
Handzus has been out since mid-January with an abdominal injury,
the last 22 games, and forward Tyson Nash is out definitely with a
torn knee ligament, missing his seventh game Monday.
Pleau said MacInnis had a checkup Monday and "everything is
moving along positively." He has no doubt MacInnis will be ready
for the playoffs.
"Everything is moving as positively as we can expect," Pleau
said. "The main thing is that he's all right and that the eye
heals."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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Reigning NHL MVP Pronger has surgery on knee
AUDIO VIDEO
 ESPN's NHL crew spotlights Chris Pronger's season-ending injury.
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 Chris Pronger has learned how not to stop a hockey puck.
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Coach Joel Quenneville says the Blues are focused on staying in first place.
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Blues trainer Ray Barile answers questions about Chris Pronger's injury.(Courtesy KTVI)
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