Dec. 18--Poised to claim a spot on the Blackhawks roster at the beginning of the season, Phillip Danault could no longer ignore the discomfort in his left hip.
The pain from a torn labrum dogged the center for much of his 2014-15 season with Rockford of the AHL, and when it continued into the summer and prevented him from training, Danault made the difficult decision to undergo surgery and postpone his NHL aspirations.
"Sometimes you have to take a step back to be better, and that's what I did," Danault said. "I was feeling my hip every day, so I had to have that setback. It was hard, but I'm grateful that I did it."
Danault underwent the two-hour arthroscopy Aug. 17 in New York to repair the injury he said came from "years of abuse."
"We play so many games in the year and we sometimes play even if we're hurt, and that was my case from the beginning of the year," Danault said. "Then we saw the MRI late in the summer, and it was bad and I had to do it. My goal always since I was drafted (in 2010) was to play for Chicago. I knew this year I had a spot, but everything happened for a reason.
"I'm 22 years old. I didn't want to take any risks and not be able to play at 25 and risk a contract year. Those were the things going on in my head. It was a big decision and a good decision."
The decision paid off Friday, when the Hawks recalled Danault from Rockford after center Marcus Kruger dislocated his left wrist Thursday night during a 4-0 victory over the Oilers.
Kruger underwent surgery Friday and will be sidelined for about four months. Danault is expected to be with the Hawks on Saturday in Buffalo.
Danault's initial prognosis called for him to miss four to six months after the surgery, but the rehab went quicker than expected. He appeared in six games with the IceHogs, recording a goal and an assist.
"When we were talking in the summer, he was one of the guys we expected to push for a job here," Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said. "So the way he's come out of the gate early (has) been very impressive."
Added IceHogs coach Ted Dent: "He's got so much enthusiasm and passion for the game, it's unbelievable. For a guy who has been off for that amount of time to come back and play the way he's played is a credit to him and the support staff that got him into shape."
ckuc@tribpub.com
