Preseason surgery almost sure for Taylor

Captain Tim Taylor said at the end of last season he wanted to avoid surgery on his degenerative right hip so he could play the final year of his contract. Taylor said he would rehab this summer to strengthen the joint and then use cortisone shots to get through the season as he did in 2006-07. But Taylor said Monday his hip actually has gotten worse and it looks more and more as if he will have the surgery in August.

Taylor said he will wait until then to give his hip every chance to improve, but admitted, "All signs are showing that I need the surgery. It's getting worse as it goes along. I'm obviously disappointed I can't get back to where I want to be.''

The surgery is major. It involves shaving and smoothing the top of Taylor's right femur and inserting it into a new metal socket to ease movement. The catch: at least a six-month recovery. That means if Taylor has surgery in August, he won't be back until at least February, or he might not come back at all.

Taylor, 38, had a rough go last season. He played through the pain and averaged just 7:55 of ice time in the regular season. A cortisone shot help in the playoffs and he performed well and averaged 12:01 of ice time. That is what gave Taylor hope he could delay surgery.

GM Jay Feaster said Taylor would rehab in Tampa, remain the team captain and has  a roster spot waiting if and when his recovery was complete. Taylor said the vote of confidence gives him more incentive to come back and play.

I'll have more on this in Tuesday's paper.

Comments

[Another Joe]

Taylow is a class act. He has nothing to prove and at his age its doubtful he will come back from this. I say have the surgery assign him as an assistant at Norfolk this year to mentor some of our prospects!!!

[Joe]

Thanks Mr. Bookworm, and here's another fabulous story:

For an incredible event in Olympic Hockey history, check out the United States Olympic Hockey Team of 1960 and their gold medal in Squaw Valley. This too was a miraculous victory that received far less press and notoriety than it deserved.

[Bookworm]

Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team, recently was reviewed by Joe Pelletier of “Legends of Hockey Network.” Here’s what he had to say:

http://legendsofhockey.blogspot.com/2007/06/hockey-book-review-striking-silver.html

June 27, 2007
Hockey Book Review: Striking Silver
A full eight years before the Miracle on Ice, the US Olympic hockey team pulled off one of the most miraculous accomplishments in international hockey history. The 1972 US team stunned the hockey world by garnering a silver medal at the Winter Games in Japan.

The silver medal championship was somewhat anti-climatic by today's gold-medal showdown standards. Back then the order of finish was determined by your win-loss record and your goals for and against. After upsetting the Czechoslovakians, Team USA sat in the arena in their casual wear awaiting the outcome of the Russia-Czechoslovakian game. When the Russians won, as expected, the Americans knew they had clinched a very unexpected silver medal, the only medal taken home by American males in the Sapporo games.

The story is even more fascinating when you learn of the military background many of these players were drafted into before the games, including a few who wandered the jungles of Vietnam. Then there was the surprising camaraderie between the Soviet and American players, despite the Cold War's icy grip. And then there's the story of coach Murray Williamson, perhaps as an important a coach in US hockey history as there is, though he gets no credit a la Herb Brooks or Bob Johnson.

Twin brothers Tom and Jerry Caraccioli have chronicled this fascinating saga in their new book, Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Hockey Team from Sports Publishing L.L.C. Although as goalie Peter Sears suggests, this is the team that no one knew about to begin with.

After laying the ground work, the Caracciolis embarked on a series of interviews with members of the forgotten team, sharing stories of personal triumph and sacrifice. While the interviews don't necessarily flow together as nicely as you would hope, they make for great short reads.

Stars like Mark Howe, Robbie Ftorek, Henry Boucha, Tim Sheehy and Lefty Curran share their stories as do the long forgotten about players like Huffer Christiansen, Daddy Nas Naslund Tom Mellor and Charlie Brown.

The success of the 1972 team was largely ignored due to sparse television coverage by NBC thanks to severe time zone differences. Any recognition earned was further pushed into obscurity when the Americans pulled off the Miracle On Ice in 1980. The Caracciolis examine how 1972 laid the groundwork for success in 1980 and the growth of American hockey beyond.

Striking Silver was one of the most overlooked books in 2006-07. It is truly worth a read. It's not totally about hockey, but about working hard and having dreams come true.
Labels: hockey books, Striking Silver, USA Olympic Hockey Team

[Satch]

Best of luck to the guy! Tough injury!

SB, I for one, found the humor in the Roy thing. Seriously, why not have alternating captains for the road trips. Tim Taylor is the captain but if Taylor doesn't travel he can appoint someone as captain in his place. Players can be rewarded that way and it gets more players involved. Seems like a no brainer. I like the way you think and the idea.

I'll go call uncle Jay!!!

[Nan]

Tim Taylor is one classy guy, well respected and well liked. I agree that he should be given a spot in the organization once he retires. I know that Tim doesn't want to have an injury force him out but maybe he should look this one square in the eye and say good bye fellas, it's been grand!

As far as leaving him as captain, that speaks volumes of what the organization thinks of him. I think that they would leave Vinny and Brad as A's with the eventuality that one of these days, one or the other or both would become the captain(s).

[Tim A]

I feel really bad for Tim T...he most likely is facing a Birmingham Total Hip Resurfacing that was perfected and brought to the states from England a few years ago. The ball of the hip joint is resurfaced then covered with a steel ball, then the ascetabulum (the socket) is replaced with a steel one that is tapped in after a it is reemed out with a surgical attachment conected to a drill.

Initial recovery time for a BHR is 2-6 weeks before normal lay persons go back to work. Its recommended that you don't have any strenous activity for up to one year but according to Dr. Stephen Raterman the leading orthopedic specialist on the BHR in the area. "He has had several patients that were marathon runners and other various athletes start running and training after 4 months but knock on wood."

Hockey being the crash and bang on the joints sport that it is could jepordize the BHR and break it causing the Joint to have to be a Totally replacement which would take alot longer to rehab and most certainly end a hockey player's career.
In other words we don't want Tim to jepordize his health and the way he will walk for the rest of his life just because he loves the game of hockey. We all love Tim but he should be advised that he needs to totally recover after he has the prosthetic hip installed.

Tim will never totally leave the game because it is in his blood forever and we wish him the best for whatever he decides. Maybe the Bolts should consider him as an additional coach to help with the fine tunning of some of the new players until he can recover completely.

[SarasotaBill]

Well said Joe!!

JF telling him he was still the captain of the team and he had a spot when he gets back was pretty classy. If he rehabs here in Tampa that means he'll be around the rink hanging out with the team. If he's in rehab I seriously doubt he'll be traveling with the team which brings a thought to mind.

I want to be careful here because I'm not trying to be disrespectful to TT, but how about this. Every road trip, someone keeps the "C" warm for him until the team returns? Nobody is taking his job, just temporarily "filling in" for an injured comrade. When and if he gets back, it's all his. TT can even be the one to anoint the fellow comrade as "C" in his absence. Why not toss it at Vinnie one trip, Brad another, Marty another, and....... You get the picture.

It just makes sense to me. The team has a captain in the room every road trip, and more importantly, the organization can see how they respond. With the radical surgery TT's facing, and being 38, his return is shaky at best. Sooner or later this team will have a new captain. Why not test the waters a little? And don't stop there, maybe you could have a little fun with it. I can see it now..........

The teams struggling a little. Frustration is mounting. They have a quick one game trip to Sunrise and just before leaving, TT walks in to announce Andre Roy is captain for the trip. That would lighten the mood in the room wouldn't it? Never happen, but it would be kinda funny.

OK, let's not have fun that way with it.

But each road trip, why not toss it to a deserving player? One trip it's Vinnie, next one maybe it's Grats, and on and on..........

[Joe]

Tim Taylor deserves enormous praise as a true hard-nosed tradtional NHL team-centered player. But, at 38, after a fairly major hip operation, it is unlikely that we'll see him don the Lighting colors again. If he cannot, this stalwart and classy Bolts Captain should have a place in the organization waiting for him when he is ready. Tim has a great deal to contibute in or out of uniform.