Even though his season is over due to a fractured sternum, Samuel Girard does not want to leave the Colorado Avalanche ship.
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The Quebecer made an appearance at his team’s practice on Monday morning, a few hours before the “Avs” won the fourth game of their second-round series against the St. Louis Blues.
“Obviously, it’s a major injury, but he’s tough,” said Gabriel Landeskog, whose comments were reported by the National League website. It’s great to see him here. He has good morale, but he feels a lot of pain. It’s a difficult situation for him at this time of the year, except that it’s great to see that he has the morale and that he is around the team.
“He’s a little sore today [Monday], but it’s good to see him back here with the guys and to see he’s in good spirits,” head coach Jared Bednar said.
Dur contact
Girard was injured after taking a big hit from forward Ivan Barbashev on Saturday in Game 3 of the series. The native of Roberval was escorted outside the icy surface by a therapist, before being taken to hospital on a stretcher. He was discharged from the hospital on Sunday afternoon.
“When you think about it, it was a brutal collision. He hit him when he was in a vulnerable position, Bednar said on Saturday. However, I found it to be a legal check, to be honest with you. He hits from the side of the head, but he mainly pushes his body. Girard was turned the wrong way and in a weird position, so it was a hard-hitting check. It’s unfortunate, but honestly, I think it was legal.”
In the regular season this year, Girard was the Avalanche’s third most-used defenseman with more than 21 minutes of playing time on average per game. He had 28 points, including five goals, in 67 games. In the playoffs, the 24-year-old guard had one goal and two assists in seven outings.
