VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Injured forward Manny Malhotra surprised the Vancouver Canucks by joining practice as they returned to the ice after two days off to prepare the Western Conference finals.
It was the first time Malhotra skated with the team since being hit in the left eye by a deflected puck in mid-March, a career-threatening injury that has required at least two surgeries.
The team announced a few days later his season was over, and Associate Coach Rick Bowness said that hasn’t changed.
Bowness says there is “no chance” Malhotra will play.
Wearing a Canucks colored tracksuit and full face shield on his helmet, Malhotra skated around before practice. He even joined the team for some warm-up drills and took part in few line rushes before returning to the bench after 15 minutes.
