Ryan Kesler Understands He’ll Never Play Again In The NHL
from Adam Kimelman of NHL.com,
Ryan Kesler is still recovering from resurfacing surgery on his left hip in February and understands he'll never play in the NHL again.
The 37-year-old also had resurfacing surgery on his right hip May 9, 2019.
"I tried coming back on my first hip and I was working hard rehabbing and skating, and then my other hip went and blocked all my momentum," Kesler said. "And to be honest, I'm still a far way away to even coming close. I don't think I'll ever get to an NHL level again. I'm just hoping to get to a level that I'm happy at."
Kesler played 15 seasons in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks but last played in the League with the Ducks in 2018-19.
He has one season remaining on a six-year contract he signed with Anaheim on July 15, 2015.
"It got to a point, my last couple years playing, I hated the game, I hated playing," he said. "Going to the rink, being in pain and then not being able to do what you normally do. Your mind wants you to do it and you just can't do it. That was when I knew, let's get something done, let's reset, let's try to get back to loving the game again. And I started loving the game again. I was trying to get back and skating and then my [left hip] went and I was like, 'You know what? I'm not going through this again.'
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