ELMONT, NY — Many have spoken about Mathieu Darche’s comments on Mathew Barzal’s injury.
At this point, it sounds like the inflammation in Barzal’s left knee has gone down, and medically, he’s been given the green light to continue ramping up. But the next steps in his return depend on how comfortable No. 13 feels with his knee.
Now, part of the fan base hates that because it sounds like Darche is pressuring Barzal to return.
But let me ask you something.
This isn’t a broken bone, which usually has a clearer recovery timeline. So who do you want making the call on when Barzal is ready? Management or the player himself, working with the medical staff?
It was only a couple of years ago, Anthony Duclair returned from a torn groin.
He was medically cleared to return, but he played through pain, telling us afterward he was essentially playing on one leg for much of the second half of the season.
But there was pressure from his former head coach, Patrick Roy, to be out there, on top of the pressure he was putting on himself.
So what did he decide to do?
He kept playing, knowing he was physically limited. Ultimately, the mental toll of trying to play through it had a lasting impact more than a year after the injury.
Now, Darche wasn’t the general manager, and Pete DeBoer wasn’t the head coach.
But they’re aware of that and understand that athletes, especially hockey players, regularly play through pain and injuries to help their teams win the Stanley Cup.
I spoke with Duclair about what he went through, the mental hurdles of playing through an injury, and what he thinks about Barzal’s current situation.
Here’s what he told me: