Malhotra gets clearance to play

tiffiant

Malhotra gets clearance to play
Injured forward could lace 'em up in Stanley Cup Final
Andrew Wadden May 28, 2011 13:48:00 PM
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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Vancouver Canucks injured forward Manny Malhotra has been cleared to play in the Stanley Cup Final.

Head Coach Alain Vigneault confirmed this afternoon that Malhotra has been listed as day-to-day which makes Malhotra available to be in the line-up for Game 1.

Malhotra has not played since seriously injuring his eye back on March 16th in a game against the Colorado Avalanche.  The injury jeopardized Malhotra's eyesight, but after multiple surgeries the team's top face-off man is now ready to return to the action.

"Obviously a very exciting prospect for me at this point," said Malhotra after practice today.  "Coming from where I was two months ago and making the statement that the season was over [and] to potentially have a possibility to play in the NHL Stanley Cup Final is obviously incredibly exciting for me."

The Canucks will face the Boston Bruins in the Cup Final.  Game 1 is Wednesday at Rogers Arena at 5 p.m.

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Lik

As much as I'm thrilled to see Manny's speedy recovery, at this point into the playoffs, I am not sure if having him sudden return to the squad is a good thing. Being away from the front lines for 2.5 months is already enough to dull any player's competitive edge. Fitness, team work, mental preparedness for the grueling intensive of the Stanley Cup finals, etc. All of these are factors that conspire against Manny.

Even if he is fit to play, I have no problem keeping Manny as a backup player on the list in case somebody gets hurt. But given the choice, I'd rather not see him play.

-Lik