Bieksa mum on ailment
'Maintenance Man' resting
Kevin Bieksa was holding court in the Vancouver Canucks' dressing room Tues-day and giving the media nothing.
His maintenance day has turned into a maintenance week, so reporters brilliantly deduced the veteran Canuck defenceman had an injury of some sort. He was asked what the problem was after participating in Tuesday's morning skate.
"What was the problem? There is no problem," he said, trying to keep his face straight. "I'm continuing to maintain. It's just maintenance. I am just maintaining my status and my body. You guys know what maintenance days are. It's a long season and we're heading into playoffs and these are maintenance days.
"Today is obviously a maintenance day. I'm going to take it one maintenance day at a time." One maintenance day at a time. A new clich? coined. Good on you, Mr. Maintenance Man. Bieksa also noted that since he has been taking these maintenance days - he missed his fourth-straight game Tuesday when the Canucks met the Anaheim Ducks - he hasn't had to fulfil any media obligations. So he announced that his wit was game-ready, even if his body was not.
"I feel refreshed," he continued. "I've had five or six days off from talking to you guys so mentally I'm sharp again."
He hopes to be physically sharp when he returns to the lineup. Since only two games remain in the regular season, Thursday in Calgary and Saturday back home against Edmonton, there isn't much opportunity left.
"This is the fourth game I'm missing," Bieksa said. "It's not a lot, but it seems like a month. Getting out there Monday after not skating for four, five, six days, it seems like I was starting over again."
Although there is some belief Bieksa's problem is in the lower part of his body, perhaps even below his shin, the team was not letting any nuggets out of the bag.
"Team secret," said associate coach Rick Bowness. "It's nothing more than a maintenance day. We'll see how Kevin feels tomorrow after another maintenance day. We'd like to get him back in the lineup before the end of the season and that will depend on how he's feeling."
Bieksa, 30, did concede that if this were playoffs, he would be in the lineup.
Asked if he felt at all "guilty" taking these maintenance days when 37-year-old Sami Salo was playing every night, he replied: "Sami got a couple of days off, too. I don't feel guilty. We're both in our 30s. We're both getting up there."
Meanwhile, there continued to be no substantial updates on the condition of Daniel Sedin, who has been out for two weeks since being concussed by the elbow of Chicago Blackhawk defenceman Duncan Keith.
"I know Daniel is making progress from day to day," Bowness said. "That's all I know. I don't know if I'm in a position to [reveal more] and I don't know if I will."
Before Tuesday's date with the Ducks, the Canucks had won all six games missed by Daniel and all three missed by both Bieksa and Daniel. Bieksa reacted with mock indignation when this fact was brought to his attention.
"In all fairness, we were winning with us, too," he pointed out. "But this is a team that doesn't rely on two guys. This is a deep team with different guys stepping up."
'Maintenance Man' resting
Kevin Bieksa was holding court in the Vancouver Canucks' dressing room Tues-day and giving the media nothing.
His maintenance day has turned into a maintenance week, so reporters brilliantly deduced the veteran Canuck defenceman had an injury of some sort. He was asked what the problem was after participating in Tuesday's morning skate.
"What was the problem? There is no problem," he said, trying to keep his face straight. "I'm continuing to maintain. It's just maintenance. I am just maintaining my status and my body. You guys know what maintenance days are. It's a long season and we're heading into playoffs and these are maintenance days.
"Today is obviously a maintenance day. I'm going to take it one maintenance day at a time." One maintenance day at a time. A new clich? coined. Good on you, Mr. Maintenance Man. Bieksa also noted that since he has been taking these maintenance days - he missed his fourth-straight game Tuesday when the Canucks met the Anaheim Ducks - he hasn't had to fulfil any media obligations. So he announced that his wit was game-ready, even if his body was not.
"I feel refreshed," he continued. "I've had five or six days off from talking to you guys so mentally I'm sharp again."
He hopes to be physically sharp when he returns to the lineup. Since only two games remain in the regular season, Thursday in Calgary and Saturday back home against Edmonton, there isn't much opportunity left.
"This is the fourth game I'm missing," Bieksa said. "It's not a lot, but it seems like a month. Getting out there Monday after not skating for four, five, six days, it seems like I was starting over again."
Although there is some belief Bieksa's problem is in the lower part of his body, perhaps even below his shin, the team was not letting any nuggets out of the bag.
"Team secret," said associate coach Rick Bowness. "It's nothing more than a maintenance day. We'll see how Kevin feels tomorrow after another maintenance day. We'd like to get him back in the lineup before the end of the season and that will depend on how he's feeling."
Bieksa, 30, did concede that if this were playoffs, he would be in the lineup.
Asked if he felt at all "guilty" taking these maintenance days when 37-year-old Sami Salo was playing every night, he replied: "Sami got a couple of days off, too. I don't feel guilty. We're both in our 30s. We're both getting up there."
Meanwhile, there continued to be no substantial updates on the condition of Daniel Sedin, who has been out for two weeks since being concussed by the elbow of Chicago Blackhawk defenceman Duncan Keith.
"I know Daniel is making progress from day to day," Bowness said. "That's all I know. I don't know if I'm in a position to [reveal more] and I don't know if I will."
Before Tuesday's date with the Ducks, the Canucks had won all six games missed by Daniel and all three missed by both Bieksa and Daniel. Bieksa reacted with mock indignation when this fact was brought to his attention.
"In all fairness, we were winning with us, too," he pointed out. "But this is a team that doesn't rely on two guys. This is a deep team with different guys stepping up."
