Wayne Gretzky, sidelined with a back injury, vows to return to the game he loves, even though his doctor doesn't know when that will be.
Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, has a herniated thoracic disk, an injury that could possibly end his career, although his doctor said Tuesday that chances for a full recovery are good.Gretzky, 31 and coming off the worst season of his storied career, ruled out retirement and made it clear he wants to return to hockey as soon as possible.
"First of all, it's my life," he said. "Right now, I don't have anything on my plate or on my mind that excites me to that level. Everyone in life has something they love to do. I have to give it my best effort. From the first day, I've been very positive about it."
The injury leaves the National Hockey League - at least temporarily - without its biggest star, a nine-time league MVP and nine-time scoring champion. Since entering the league in 1979 at age 18, Gretzky has dominated the sport like no one before him, amassing 58 NHL records.
Now, with Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins threatening to take his place as hockey's premier player, Gretzky will be forced to sit on the sidelines.
Dr. Robert Watkins called his ailment, which affects the vertebrae that run down the rear wall of the chest, a "one-in-a-million injury, a most unusual spine injury." He said surgery is not being contemplated.
"There's a possibility he'll return this year," Watkins said. "I'm not going to speculate on that time. That's as specific as I'm going to get."
Gretzky said he didn't know where or when the injury occurred and that he has been bothered by soreness in his chest, a symptom of this kind of injury, since last March.
"When I was hurting in March and April and May, I had no idea where I got hit, how long ago," he said. "When the season ended, I went on a holiday with my family. I spent some time in a clinic in Hawaii. I thought I had sore ribs."
At times the pain went away, and Gretzky said he felt very good when training camp began Sept. 10.
"The only thing I'm dealing with right now is getting rid of the pain so I can walk down the street with you guys," he told reporters at a press conference. "I'm going to be as aggressive, as hard-working on this as possible.
"For those people who said `Wayne Gretzky never gets hit,' I'm up here proving that it's a lie."
The doctor said the disk has extracted out into the spinal canal, putting intense pressure on one of the nerves in Gretzky's ribs. There is no evidence of injury to the spinal cord, Watkins added.
"This is something that has the potential for complete recovery," Watkins said. "We're optimistic he will recover."