Keith Ballard Hopes for Best After Gruesome Injury

VANCOUVER -- Keith Ballard was bent, but his spirit was not broken.

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman still showed a sense of humor Tuesday morning after suffering a gruesome knee injury when he was hauled down a night earlier Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators. Ballard's knee twisted backward as he fell awkwardly just two and a half minutes into the game.

"I didn't think I'd get bent like that," said Ballard. "I'm not the most flexible person. It's pretty impressive. I don't think bodies are supposed to do that."

Although he was feeling better, he doubts he'll play Wednesday as the NHL-leading Canucks host the Anaheim Ducks. He had yet to get an MRI, and the team now expects to have results Wednesday.

"It looks a little worse than it was," said Ballard, who underwent a few hours of treatment Tuesday morning. "It looked pretty bad though. I feel better today than I did (Monday) night, so it's kind of wait and see," said Ballard.

Canucks general manager Mike Gillis called Michalek's play illegal. However, Ballard indicated he did not think the Senator was trying to injure him.

"At the time, we were kind of battling for position," said Ballard. "So it's hard to say, for me, without watching it again (on a replay), watching it slowed down."

The injury continues a hard-luck first season in Vancouver for Ballard, who was acquired in an off-season trade from the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old Baudette, Minn., native struggled as a result of off-season hip surgery and was sidelined by a concussion and scratched due to inconsistent play.

But he vowed to stay positive while battling back from his latest ordeal.

"There's nothing I can do about it," said Ballard. "You're disappointed. It is what it is. You have to have a good attitude going forward and you have to put in the work to come back and try not to miss a beat here and try to fit back in."

He is the latest Vancouver defenseman to go down for what is likely to be an extended period, but the timing helps the Canucks avoid some salary-cap headaches. Sami Salo, out since July with a torn Achilles tendon while playing a form of floor hockey in his native Finland, is expected to rejoin the team later in the week after completing a three-game conditioning stint Tuesday with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

At one point, it was feared that the Canucks would have to trade Salo, Kevin Bieksa or Christian Ehrhoff, who are all slated to become unrestricted free agents, to stay under the cap. But Alex Edler is also out with a back injury, likely until the playoffs. With the Feb. 28 trading deadline approaching, it appears that the Canucks will not have to make a major move ? if they don't want to ? and will have a suitable quantity of experienced defensemen for the stretch drive.

Gillis said Ballard's injury shows that you can never have enough defensemen. The GM said he acquired Ballard and Dan Hamhuis via free agency to prepare for the injuries that have now resulted.

"We've gone through it for two years now where we didn't have enough NHL-quality defenseman to either keep us in the playoff race or make the team better and get through tough patches -- and now we feel like we do," said Gillis.

But he does not consider Ballard's injury in conjunction with Salo's return to be good timing.

"You don't ever want to see guys get injured," said Gillis. "The severity of Sami's injury can't be overstated. It's a terrible for anybody to have let alone a pro athlete. I've never looked at it that way, that people getting injured has somehow created an opportunity for us."

All things considered, though, rookie Chris Tanev is still gaining from good timing. Instead of heading back to Manitoba upon Salo's return, he gets to stay with the Canucks a while longer now that Ballard is out.

"It's unfortunate to see Bally go down like that," said Tanev. "He's been such a great guy to me and helped me through everything. As long as I'm here now, I'll try to help the team win and contribute any way I can."

Tanev will suit up in Ballard's absence against the Ducks. Coach Alain Vigneault said the Toronto native Tanev is showing that he can stay at the NHL level on a long-term basis should the Canucks need him in the future.

And, chances are they will.

Veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa, who battle back from leg lacerations the past two years but has remained healthy thus far, said it feels like everyone on the back end getting hurt. But the Canucks are showing that they have the depth to get through the absences.

So what's with all these injuries anyway. Gillis chalks them up to the offensive style that the club wants its rearguards to play, which requires extensive skating up and down the ice, leading to fatigue. Bieksa said they come down to the nature of the position.

"I think just playing the position in general, there's a lot of chances for injury here," said Bieksa. "Other teams, their goal is to try to wear us down, so they soft-chip (the puck) and they come in and they just try to hit us. We're taking that constant bruising and there's a lot more battles for position in front of the net and stuff like that. It's part of the job, though.

"We get paid pretty well to do it, so it's just a matter of trying to stay out of those dangerous situations."

The Canucks received another scare in practice Tuesday as defenseman Andrew Alberts, who only returned from a shoulder injury two games ago, was felled late in the workout and Vigneault and players gathered around him, showing severe concern. But he was able to finish the workout.

"I just deflected a shot into my throat and I couldn't breathe," said Alberts. "Everything's fine now."

At least for a little while.

"If we can go through practice without anybody getting injured, I'm happy," said Gillis.

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