Peter Laviolette discusses what Blake Wheeler means to the Rangers
Rangers forward Blake Wheeler made his return today, joining the team in the Eastern Conference finals after suffering a leg injury in the regular season.
Wheeler last played on February 15th, when he suffered a serious leg injury. At the time, many around the team believed it was a career-ending injury for the veteran. After all, Wheeler is 37, and this very well could be his last season in the league. However, he was determined to return, as he has still never won a Stanley Cup. Ahead of tonight's game, he revealed that he is prepared to sell out for the team.
This will be Blake Wheeler's first appearance since suffering a right-leg injury on Feb. 15 that required surgery.
He told me yesterday, "If I go in, they know I'm going to go through a brick wall for this team."
#NYR
During game four tonight, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette was interviewed by ESPN in-game reporter Emily Kaplan. She asked him about Wheeler and his response was quite revealing. He talked about how hard the veteran worked to get back just in case the team needed him to be available at some point during the playoffs. He was highly complimentary of the 1100 game veteran.
Very kind words from Peter Laviolette on what Blake Wheeler's return means for the Rangers
#NYR
The Rangers lead the Eastern Conference finals 2-1. The Panthers lead game four 2-1 a little more than half way through the game thanks to a powerplay goal from Carter Verhaeghe. Be sure to stay tuned to see how the rest of the series plays out.
Source: HockeyFeed
Coach Laviolette explains what it means to have Blake Wheeler back in their lineup
POLL |
Who do you think will win the Eastern Conference finals between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers? |
Rangers | 64 | 29.2 % |
Panthers | 155 | 70.8 % |
List of polls |
|
2 hours ago | By Tom Banks Lightning star Andrei Vasilevsky taunts the Maple Leafs before getting embarrassingly pulled from the game |
|
4 hours ago | By Tom Banks 23 teams reportedly in attendance to scout the Toronto Maple Leafs |
|
4 hours ago | By Daniel Lucente Jake Walman completely blindsided and devastated to be traded by the Red Wings |
|
6 hours ago | By Ezek Glue Beloved veteran steps back from the NHL indefinitely after receiving difficult family news |
|
7 hours ago | By Tom Banks Utah Hockey Club linked to Maple Leafs blue liner after two big injuries to key defensemen |
|
8 hours ago | By Tom Banks Montreal Canadiens rookie facing backlash after no-showing a paid signing event |
|
9 hours ago | By Tom Banks San Jose Sharks GM shares unfortunate injury update on young star Macklin Celebrini |
|
12 hours ago | By Daniel Lucente 15-year-old hockey player hospitalized after horrific hit |
Previously on HouseOfHockey