Petes captain expected back in January
You might call Peterborough Petes captain Zach Gallant the hard luck kid.
In four seasons with the Petes the former first-round draft pick has suffered a serious injury each season which has sidelined him at least a month. Last week he had surgery to fix a broken fibula suffered two weeks ago when he crashed into the boards on the opening shift of a game. He’s expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks with a return date in the new year.
“It’s no fun at all to get injured especially for an extended period of time,” said Gallant on Friday as he participated in a press conference to unveil commemorative jerseys the club will war for their Plaid Night game against the Oshawa Generals on Thursday at the PMC.
“There isn’t much I can do about it at this point so the only thing I can focus on is getting back to 100 per cent and doing everything I can to be back on time.”
The Detroit Red Wings draft pick knew immediately something wasn’t right. He was knocked to the ice in full stride and crashed feet-first into the boards.
“My ankle twisted in a way it shouldn’t go and you kind of know when it happens,” he said.
Gallant is fitted with an air cast and can walk with a cane. He is supposed to keep weight off his leg for six weeks but has started some physiotherapy. He is attending classes at Trent University and trying to be an emotional support for his teammates.
“To be around the boys consistently has been good. I’m a leader in the room so I want to be around them and keep things positive,” he said.
“I can still lead off the ice. If something is not going right I want to be able to step in and do something about it.”
Gallant broke his foot in his rookie season. He suffered an eye injury from a follow through of an opponent’s stick on a shot in his second season. Last year he injured his knee crashing into the boards and had a concussion. He missed a month or more each time.
“All of the injuries have been a fluke, in a way,” he said. “Blocking a shot. Reaching for a puck and a guy follows through to your face. It’s tough to go through but everybody gets hurt so you can’t worry about it. You just focus on what you can control.”
The Petes visit the Owen
Sound Attack at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.