JMMR Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 TSN http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=162578&hubname=nhl A key ingredient of the Canadiens defence corps took a big step toward returning to the lineup Friday when blue-liner Francis Bouillon skated with his teammates for the first time in nearly a month. Bouillon, who sprained his left ankle during a 5-4 loss at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 18, skated for 20 minutes on his own Friday morning before deciding that his ankle could withstand an optional workout with six of his teammates. "I have pain, but I can't really make the injury any worse," Bouillon said. "I haven't been in a situation where I had to push guys or take a hit, I've only skated. But the skating is going really well. I'm pretty happy with today's results. Seeing as I can't really make the injury any worse, I should be ready to play soon." How soon is still anybody's guess. Bouillon feels confident he'll be ready to start the playoffs, but ideally he says he'd rather play in Montreal's final game of the regular season against the New Jersey Devils at home on Tuesday. "I would love to be able to get a game in before the playoffs," he said. "I want to be sharp." Canadiens coach Bob Gainey noted that Bouillon hasn't had a history of injuries, and players like that often get anxious to play as soon as possible. But he said Bouillon will not be back in the lineup until he is fully ready. "We've been pretty clear with the players," Gainey said. "When you're ready to play, you have to play. If you're not ready to play, you can't play." Bouillon was injured while racing Pittsburgh's Niklas Nordgren for a puck in his own end to get an icing call. He noted it's an injury that could have been prevented if the NHL used no-touch icing, as is the case in international hockey. Bouillon said he feels the league decided to keep the touch icings because it provides some excitement for the fans, but that it may be worth changing the rule considering the jam-packed regular season schedule and the risk of injury on those plays. "I think all the rule changes that they made this year was to give a better show for the fans, and I love the changes, I think most of them have worked," Bouillon said. "But the touch icing is one rule I'd like to see changed. It's just asking for an injury." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Yeah I read this. It would be nice to have him back for some depth in the playoffs. Not sure if a guy like Streit will be able to handle the riggors of the playoffs. Especially if Montreal should advance to the confrence or Stanley Cup finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathieu30 Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 "We've been pretty clear with the players. When you're ready to play, you have to play. If you're not ready to play, you can't play." -Bob Gainey Gotta love him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lull Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 Gotta love him. we do. we do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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