Boston Bruins: Could Chris Kelly Return This Season?
"YWhen Boston Bruins forward Chris Kelly broke his leg last November, a lot of people believed he had played his last game for the Black and Gold. Kelly’s recovery was expected to take between six and eight months, and there seemed no chance of his return to the ice. Now, the 35-year old Kelly is back on the ice, and has resumed skating. While it may still seem unlikely, Kelly might surprise a lot of people by being ready in time for the playoffs."
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“Every day it gets better,” said Kelly of his leg. “Just getting back out there with the guys for an optional morning skate was nice. I think they’re baby steps, but they’re steps. It’s part of the process and it was good to get out there.”
“I find with injuries, everybody wants a timetable, we do. As people being injured, the first thing you ask is how long. But timetables are tough because everyone heals differently and you could have some bumps along the way. Doesn’t mean you’re not working hard.
“To say I’m ahead or behind, it’s tough to say, especially with such a long-term injury.”
When Chris Kelly went down, there were a lot of mixed emotions among the fans. Some were happy to see the young kids get a chance, others were worried that the B’s penalty kill would take some hits without him. For a while, they did. Without Kelly, the Bruins had fallen all the way to the bottom in penalty kills. Thankfully, the team rallied and got their numbers back up during the season.
Claude Julien is certainly happy to see Kelly back on the ice. While Julien would love to see Kelly playing again, he understands the protocols that Kelly will need to go through. With the help of the training staff, the Bruins organization will do what they can to get Kelly ready in the final three weeks of the regular season. But for now, it’s baby steps and good thoughts.
“If anything on this trip, we’re hoping that he can slowly jump into line rushes and that kind of stuff,” said Julien. “But definitely no contact at this point, until we get a better sense from the medical staff that we can move on to the next step.
“But it’s nice just to get him with us and skating with some movement around him besides skating by himself. He’s at that stage right now.”
Chris Kelly has been one of those mostly invisible players for the Bruins. Players like him and Rich Peverley always did their jobs, always flew under the radar, and never seemed to be in the spotlight very much. He was genuinely surprised when he signed my line jersey last year. While he’s never been a fan-favorite, he loves being part of the Bruins and takes pride in wearing the spoked ‘B’.
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“I love playing hockey, I love being a Bruin and being around the guys,” said Kelly about the team. “You realize how much you do miss going on the road, the little things, being part of the guys, going out for dinner and things like that.
“That’s always been why you come to the rink every day and work hard when the end goal is so far away. But you just keep pushing, keep pushing because it’s something we all love to do and want to continue to do.”