Hockey

Kirby Dach confirms he tore his ACL again in February
Félix Forget
Kirby Dach confirms he tore his ACL again in February
Credit: Getty Images

For the past two years, Kirby Dach has had serious problems with his right knee. The CH forward tore his anterior and medial cruciate ligaments in the second game of the 2023-24 season, then re-injured the same knee last February,missing a lot of games over the past two years… which isn't ideal for his club, who saw him as the second center on their roster.But in reality, we didn't know the exact nature of Dach's second injury. Except tonight, that changed. In an exclusive interview with Eric Engels(Sportsnet), Dach gave an update on his injury, and the nature of it: he re-teared his ACL.He knew immediately when it happened, he says.

So, once again, Dach had to go under the knife, and the forward explains that he's taken his rehabilitation much more seriously this time around. He's changed many of his lifestyle habits (he spent more time getting back into shape than partying over the summer), and he's done everything in his power to be ready for the start of the season.He's also worked on the mental aspect… and that, too, is extremely important: trusting your knee after a second tear in two years is very, very difficult.That said, you have to wonder what this means for his return to action. In the event that Dach is in the line-up for the first game of the season, he would be making a return to action less than eight months after tearing his ACL… and that's a pretty short (though not impossible) period of time to come back from such an injury.

I'm sure he worked hard over the summer and did everything he could to come back as soon as possible, but for a guy whose knee is already fragile, you have to wonder if it's worth it… and above all, if he's doing it for the right reasons and not just to fill the club's need for a second center.Remember that the first time Dach underwent this operation, the surgeon who operated on him forbade him to return to play for eight months. We have to wonder if things have changed this time… because a return to the first game of the season would not respect that condition.To be continued.

'Overtime'

– Kaiden Guhle is impressed by everything Kirby Dach has done this summer.

– The guys are having fun.

– Well done.

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