Six-month recovery normal for Weber’s situation

Habs offer few details about vet’s surgery

Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber had surgery Tuesday in Green Bay, Wis., with the team announcing only that it was “to repair an injury to tendons in his left foot.”

The surgery was performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson and the Canadiens said Weber’s recovery period is expected to be six months and that they would coordinate a media opportunity “at a later date.” Weber visited with his teammates in the locker-room at their Brossard practice facility Thursday morning, but did not speak with the media.

Dr. Andrew J. Elliott is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the foot and ankle at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, which has team physicians for numerous pro sports clubs, including the NHL’s Rangers. While Elliott doesn’t know the specific tendon injury Weber suffered, the surgeon was able to shine a light on those type of injuries during a phone interview Wednesday night and said a six-month recovery period is normal.

“Depending on which tendon it is and how good of a repair they get … if they get a really good repair, then it really shouldn’t give him any long-term disability,” Elliott said about Weber.

It has been reported Weber suffered the injury during the first game of the regular season in Buffalo, when he was hit by a shot. Weber played 26 games this season — scoring six goals and adding 10 assists for 16 points, while averaging a team-high 25:20 of ice time — before being shut down after a game in Ottawa on Dec. 16.

“Either the puck or the stick can do it through a blunt injury to the tendon and the tendon can either be sort of severed at that time or it could actually rupture a few weeks later after being hit really hard,” Elliott said when asked how Weber’s injury might have happened and then worsened. “It can cause the tendon to soften and it can rupture later. I’m not quite sure which scenario he has.”

When asked what Weber’s rehab might include, Elliott said: “Depending on which tendon, we usually immobilize them for a period of time, probably six weeks to eight weeks. We then let them start walking around and then we graduate them through physical therapy. Depending on the tendon, sometimes we keep them non-weight bearing for a longer period and then it takes them a little bit longer to come back just because of that. It really depends on which tendon it is that was injured. That will kind of dictate the length of time for rehab.”

Weber, 32, has eight more seasons remaining on a 14year, US$110-million contract with an annual salary cap hit of $7.857 million.